Happy and Sad with Chantel Osahor

[CBear01]

I'm remiss to say that I had not really spent time watching Washington in the past. This year, with Plum at the helm again, I am catching more games than I can the other Huskies (I live in So Cal and get Pac12 channels....all 15 of them!)

I won't spend time discussing how much I enjoy Kelsey Plum. She will be AA no doubt and may even catch the great scorer Jackie Styles. Rather, I have to say I am super impressed with OSAHOR. What a great player! There's a reason she's the NCAA rebound leader...

HOWEVER, I can't help but to be saddened by her lack of "energy" on the court. Ok, maybe that's not the best word to use but anyone watching her play will notice she stands around alot. She walks alot (and I don't mean travel). She is a beast on the boards but then walks down or barely jogs down to the offensive end of the court. And when she wants to put in effort she will and can easily score in the paint. But not a whole lot of effort (at least it seems this way at the surface)!

I'm wondering, then, if she had come to UCONN (I know we don't do a lot of "what ifs" here on the BY) how would her effort change or be improved? What kind of player would she be now in her senior season? I think back to KML and her tranformation over 4 years, including her BODY and her overall effort. I feel if Osahor had a more demanding coach (and a culture like that of CT) she would be sprinting up and down the court to get into position and would move a lot more without the basketball. It would be demanded of her. And she would be 1st team AA no question.

Think about the player Gabby would be if Geno and Co. hadn't pulled everything that's in her and manifested it on the the court. Gabby is the player she is because of her effort plays.

I can only imagine the force Osahor might be had she been around the culture we have at UCONN. But as it is, she still is a great player and I enjoy watching her and Plum play together.

 

[JordyG]

She's had a serious injury while biking on campus 2 or 3 years ago that has hampered her. That's not say she was any great shakes condition wise before the accident. It's an unfortunate truth that UCONN would run her to the bench early if they were to meet. Leaving Plum to hoist up even more than her usual 25 shots per.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

This was discussed last year, and my memory is that she can't motor very well, which is part of the reason she isn't perhaps in great shape. Washington found a way to get a good use out of her.

I don't think (in her case) that her physical condition should be compared to effort. She is plenty productive and clearly cares.

 

[Farney]

I believe her warmup is basically riding a stationary bike and getting shots up. Being hit by the car really curtailed any chance she had to play at a faster tempo.

 

[JordyG]

Unfortunately in my mind this will hamper her pro prospects where the pace is often fast, faster, warp.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I'm remiss to say that I had not really spent time watching Washington in the past. This year, with Plum at the helm again, I am catching more games than I can the other Huskies (I live in So Cal and get Pac12 channels....all 15 of them!)

I won't spend time discussing how much I enjoy Kelsey Plum. She will be AA no doubt and may even catch the great scorer Jackie Styles. Rather, I have to say I am super impressed with OSAHOR. What a great player! There's a reason she's the NCAA rebound leader...

HOWEVER, I can't help but to be saddened by her lack of "energy" on the court. Ok, maybe that's not the best word to use but anyone watching her play will notice she stands around alot. She walks alot (and I don't mean travel). She is a beast on the boards but then walks down or barely jogs down to the offensive end of the court. And when she wants to put in effort she will and can easily score in the paint. But not a whole lot of effort (at least it seems this way at the surface)!

I'm wondering, then, if she had come to UCONN (I know we don't do a lot of "what ifs" here on the BY) how would her effort change or be improved? What kind of player would she be now in her senior season? I think back to KML and her tranformation over 4 years, including her BODY and her overall effort. I feel if Osahor had a more demanding coach (and a culture like that of CT) she would be sprinting up and down the court to get into position and would move a lot more without the basketball. It would be demanded of her. And she would be 1st team AA no question.

Think about the player Gabby would be if Geno and Co. hadn't pulled everything that's in her and manifested it on the the court. Gabby is the player she is because of her effort plays.

I can only imagine the force Osahor might be had she been around the culture we have at UCONN. But as it is, she still is a great player and I enjoy watching her and Plum play together.

View attachment 18758

Kallie McClaren(sp) was the same body type and she reminds me of Kallie. Both take up a lot of room both are pretty fair scorcers--both had/have the shot for the top of the key. But Kallie was a great defender--When Uconn played LSU their coach said Kallie was the difference. She defended Fowler!!
))On Styles and Plum being scorers (I say add Mitchel too-) if they played for Uconn --like Katie Lou, Stewie, Moriah, Maya, even DT--they'd be required to play within the system --none of uconn's great scorers every set the record for being top scorers (for 4 years)--Geno's system did them in--all they did was win NC's and Conference titles and 90 or more wins in a row--which do you want on your resume??

 

[emjay]

This was discussed last year, and my memory is that she can't motor very well, which is part of the reason she isn't perhaps in great shape. Washington found a way to get a good use out of her.

I don't think (in her case) that her physical condition should be compared to effort. She is plenty productive and clearly cares.

A compassionate way of regarding her as a player. The accident evidently changed her physical abilities and capacities. What an outstanding career she's had nonetheless - a significant contributor on a Final Four team, and at present leading Division I in rebounding and double doubles.

She may not have a lengthy WNBA career, she might not even make a roster, but her college career to me speaks volumes about effort, toughness, and resilience.

 

[BroadwayVa]

This was discussed last year, and my memory is that she can't motor very well, which is part of the reason she isn't perhaps in great shape. Washington found a way to get a good use out of her.

I don't think (in her case) that her physical condition should be compared to effort. She is plenty productive and clearly cares.

Unfortunately--when all any fan can see is the movement and activity of a player--your mind goes to lack of effort--Geno was guilty of that with the one player who had Hypothyroidism. All the effort in the world will not --give you what your body can't do--but wait 5 minutes --and away it goes for another 10 , and then the system shuts you down.
But try to keep up with them when the system within is working--.I told a lot of professional--pulmonary, heart specialist that I had endurance--but with periodic rests required--all missed it except a hick town Doctor.

You cannot fault people for not knowing what they do not know. Even Geno.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

I love watching Osahor play!!! Her and Plum are a great inside out combo. She rebounds relentlessly and leads the nation or close to the top rebounder.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I thought the bike/car collision affected a hip or leg. Not so. "As a freshman, she was hit by a car while riding her bike on campus, an accident that left her with a significant shoulder injury. There have been foot and knee injuries, too, as well as degenerative knee issues that assistant coach Adia Barnes described in terms of arthritis and Neighbors said related to her frame." Osahor drives Washington to its first Final Four

"The accident was an ominous start to a frustrating freshman season that was also derailed by a stress fracture in her right foot and the discovery of a benign tumor in her right knee, which was surgically removed after the season." Washington’s Chantel Osahor makes her Husky women’s basketball teammates better

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Kallie McClaren(sp) was the same body type and she reminds me of Kallie. Both take up a lot of room both are pretty fair scorcers--both had/have the shot for the top of the key. But Kallie was a great defender--When Uconn played LSU their coach said Kallie was the difference. She defended Fowler!!
))On Styles and Plum being scorers (I say add Mitchel too-) if they played for Uconn --like Katie Lou, Stewie, Moriah, Maya, even DT--they'd be required to play within the system --none of uconn's great scorers every set the record for being top scorers (for 4 years)--Geno's system did them in--all they did was win NC's and Conference titles and 90 or more wins in a row--which do you want on your resume??

But this comes back to the argument in another thread about UConn and talent. Think of Plum as Stewart or DT or such on their teams. Now, take away the players they were surrounded with and surround them with the players that are around Plum. While Geno might manage the rest of the team to be more productive than they are at Washington, is there any question that Stewart and DT would have to be a larger part of the offense than they were?

And Styles was surrounded by yet again less. Although her teammate - not Styles - set the scoring record for an opponent at the RAC in an NCAA game RU lost. RU tried to deny Styles, and to some degree did. Course, her partner in crime went off.

 

[FASTEDDY]

This was discussed last year, and my memory is that she can't motor very well, which is part of the reason she isn't perhaps in great shape. Washington found a way to get a good use out of her.

I don't think (in her case) that her physical condition should be compared to effort. She is plenty productive and clearly cares.

"...not in Great Shape"?
This lady is plain and simple, Obese. She is in bad physical condition. That's just being honest.

She is highly skilled and naturally talented, but she simply has not done what is needed in order to get in shape. She is at least 40 lbs overweight and this greatly impacts her lack of athleticism or ability to run the floor.

Teams like UCONN would her out of the building.

Geno and Co. would have gotten her in shape, transformed her body, and made her a better player / pro prospect.

 

[AussieHusky]

"...not in Great Shape"?
This lady is plain and simple, Obese. She is in bad physical condition. That's just being honest.

She is highly skilled and naturally talented, but she simply has not done what is needed in order to get in shape. She is at least 40 lbs overweight and this greatly impacts her lack of athleticism or ability to run the floor.

Teams like UCONN would her out of the building.

Geno and Co. would have gotten her in shape, transformed her body, and made her a better player / pro prospect.

Did you read the post by RockyMTBlue above? Or read any of the links he posted? If you did your lack of empathy is astounding!

 

[BroadwayVa]

But this comes back to the argument in another thread about UConn and talent. Think of Plum as Stewart or DT or such on their teams. Now, take away the players they were surrounded with and surround them with the players that are around Plum. While Geno might manage the rest of the team to be more productive than they are at Washington, is there any question that Stewart and DT would have to be a larger part of the offense than they were?

And Styles was surrounded by yet again less. Although her teammate - not Styles - set the scoring record for an opponent at the RAC in an NCAA game RU lost. RU tried to deny Styles, and to some degree did. Course, her partner in crime went off.

I'm not sure I follow the first paragraph--but I'll try. If Plum was on Uconn she'd not attain any personal scoring titles.
If Surrounded with Stewie and Moriah--her scoring average would go down--Stewies and moriah's would go up.
If Tuck and Kiah and kia were on Plums team her scoring would go down--but she'd win NC's
If Stewie when to Plums team--She's get to the Elite 8 maybe final 4 3 of 4 years (without plum on that team)
You are correct[==Stewie would score more than she did on AnY team she went to--and she knew it going in.

Many fans think that a huge Scorer is a great attribute for any team--a team with one or two scorers and what Geno eats for breakfast. He'll stop the one or two scorers and let the other on that team to score as they can--and he usually comes out on top. Most serious coaches loves facing a team with a single high volume scorer--the game is won before it start.
Thanks Knight for the RU history--interesting--C Vivian shut down Stiles and forgot the secondary scorer--i don't know but ii'd bet Geno would have fixed that at half time.

 

[FASTEDDY]

Did you read the post by RockyMTBlue above? Or read any of the links he posted? If you did your lack of empathy is astounding!

I was responding to KnightBridgeAz original post and hadnt read all the info below.

I can see that there are reasons why she is in the condition that shes in. Its much more understandable now.

 

[Plebe]

A compassionate way of regarding her as a player. The accident evidently changed her physical abilities and capacities. What an outstanding career she's had nonetheless - a significant contributor on a Final Four team, and at present leading Division I in rebounding and double doubles.

She may not have a lengthy WNBA career, she might not even make a roster, but her college career to me speaks volumes about effort, toughness, and resilience.

I watched Osahor in multiple games both last year and this year, and believe it or not, her mobility and conditioning are FAR improved over last year. She lost weight in the offseason and she runs the floor harder and more often. Last year she seemed to trail far behind the ball on transition on about 80% of the trips up the court. This year that percentage is probably more like 30%.

I can't miss the opportunity to rave about her rebounding numbers: nearly 14 per game is jaw-dropping ridiculous: leading the NCAA, 1.6 rpg more than the second-leading rebounder, and 2.2 more than the next-highest rebounder from a major conference. She was a great rebounder last year (10.2 per game) but she's in otherworldly status right now. As a note of comparison, Courtney Paris, the NCAA's all-time leading rebounder, averaged 14.8 rebounds per game in her career.

 

[UcMiami]

On Styles and Plum being scorers (I say add Mitchel too-) if they played for Uconn --like Katie Lou, Stewie, Moriah, Maya, even DT--they'd be required to play within the system --none of uconn's great scorers every set the record for being top scorers (for 4 years)--Geno's system did them in--all they did was win NC's and Conference titles and 90 or more wins in a row--which do you want on your resume??

Don't look now, but I believe Maya is up there in the top ten of all time women's basketball scoring careers - above 3,000 points is pretty rarified air! It was a Uconn system, but one specifically designed to get Maya lots of open shots, not all that dissimilar to what Washington is doing with Plum, and like Maya, Plum is racking up assists as well especially to a unique center.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I'm not sure I follow the first paragraph--but I'll try. If Plum was on Uconn she'd not attain any personal scoring titles.
If Surrounded with Stewie and Moriah--her scoring average would go down--Stewies and moriah's would go up.
If Tuck and Kiah and kia were on Plums team her scoring would go down--but she'd win NC's
If Stewie when to Plums team--She's get to the Elite 8 maybe final 4 3 of 4 years (without plum on that team)
You are correct[==Stewie would score more than she did on AnY team she went to--and she knew it going in.

Many fans think that a huge Scorer is a great attribute for any team--a team with one or two scorers and what Geno eats for breakfast. He'll stop the one or two scorers and let the other on that team to score as they can--and he usually comes out on

Don't look now, but I believe Maya is up there in the top ten of all time women's basketball scoring careers - above 3,000 points is pretty rarified air! It was a Uconn system, but one specifically designed to get Maya lots of open shots, not all that dissimilar to what Washington is doing with Plum, and like Maya, Plum is racking up assists as well especially to a unique center.

top. Most serious coaches loves facing a team with a single high volume scorer--the game is won before it start.
Thanks Knight for the RU history--interesting--C Vivian shut down Stiles and forgot the secondary scorer--i don't know but ii'd bet Geno would have fixed that at half time.

 

[Kmoney]

I am sure she is just conserving energy. They need her on the court. 32 minutes at 3/4 speed is better than 20 minutes at full speed.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Don't look now, but I believe Maya is up there in the top ten of all time women's basketball scoring careers - above 3,000 points is pretty rarified air! It was a Uconn system, but one specifically designed to get Maya lots of open shots, not all that dissimilar to what Washington is doing with Plum, and like Maya, Plum is racking up assists as well especially to a unique center.

Thanks. There were a few year==Geno could not use "his system". In the Maya era teams focused on Maya--that gave Tina , later on, to score more. Her last game maya made over 30 point and Uconn lost. ND apparently focused allowing her --her points and stopping everyone else- all the time playing ping pong with Maya-a reverse Geno typical plan.
My memory sees the last game and I never cared much for personal totals--so the 3000 did not register with that loss.
Thanks. I'm looking now.

Player's NCAA participation complete

Player School Height Last year Years Games Points Points per game References
Jackie Stiles Southwest Missouri State[nb 1] 5-8 2001 4 129 3,393 26.3 [2][3]
Brittney Griner Baylor 6-8 2013 4 148 3,283 22.2 [4]
Patricia Hoskins Mississippi Valley State 6-3 1989 4 110 3,122 28.4 [2][5]
Lorri Bauman Drake 6-3 1984 4 120 3,115 26.0 [2][6]
Jerica Coley FIU 5-8 2014 4 131 3,107 23.7 [2][7]
Rachel Banham Minnesota 5-9 2016 5[nb 2] 142 3,056 21.5 [2][8]
Kelsey Plum Washington 5-8 2017 4 124 3,041 24.5 [2][9]
Elena Delle Donne Delaware 6-5 2013 4 114 3,039 26.7 [10]
Maya Moore Connecticut 6-0 2011 4 153 3,036 19.8 [2][11]
Chamique Holdsclaw Tennessee 6-2 1999 4 148 3,025 20.4 [2][12]
Cheryl Miller USC 6-2 1986 4 128 3,018 23.6 [2][13]
Cindy Blodgett Maine 5-9 1998 4 118 3,005 25.5 [2][14]
Notes

 

[tonehill68]

I believe her warmup is basically riding a stationary bike and getting shots up. Being hit by the car really curtailed any chance she had to play at a faster tempo.

I agree with you on this. I'm hoping that she can find a spot on a team that can afford to and allow her to play the way UW uses her. If not the WNBA, then overseas for someone. I wish her a very successful pro career.

 

[UcMiami]

Her knees are shot, so she has developed a no jump three point shot, and she tries to stress them as little as possible while still playing a strong game - her rebounds are also no-jump based on positioning and strength. It is really impressive what she has been able to accomplish and how the team has adapted how they play based on a body that is unfortunately fighting against her.
Does she have a pro career - probably not, because teams with a ton of talent aren't going to adapt their whole system for a single player who is so physically limited.

 

[JordyG]

Her knees are shot, so she has developed a no jump three point shot, and she tries to stress them as little as possible while still playing a strong game - her rebounds are also no-jump based on positioning and strength. It is really impressive what she has been able to accomplish and how the team has adapted how they play based on a body that is unfortunately fighting against her.
Does she have a pro career - probably not, because teams with a ton of talent aren't going to adapt their whole system for a single player who is so physically limited.

And even if a pro team would be foolish enough to build their team around someone with such limited skills, the pace of the pro game would kill her and your team.