Olympic Controversy Redux

[Fairfield Fan]

Last night, Candace Parker scored 28 points, and Nneka Ogwumike added 12, as the LA Sparks defeated Minnesota for the WNBA championship.

Neither Parker nor Ogwumike was selected to represent the United States on the Olympic basketball team. Parker was rumored to not be a team player. Yet she managed to lead her team to the WNBA championship.Ogwumike was voted the MVP of the league. So why were they left off of the Olympic team?

Yes, Team USA went undefeated, and blew through the opposition. But we have to question again why those two players were deemed not good enough for the Olympics. Ogwumike was voted MVP over Tina Charles, who was selected for the team. If Ogwumike was better than Charles in the WNBA (and let's keep in mind that the season was half over when the Olympics began), why was the decision made to leave her off?

What really happened? Why were both of those players left off the Olympic team?

Some might ask who should have been left off to make room for Parker and Ogwumike. The answer, it appears, would be Sylvia Fowles, who was outplayed by both in the championship series, and Tamika Catchings.

Should Coach Auriemma or the USOC explain why they made the choices they did? Seems as though those two players were so good, and their omission so glaring, that an explanation would be in order.

 

[Goodgood]

It shows that coaching is everything. Under Geno, Olympians perform flawlessly. Under other coaches, Olympians may even lose to non-Olympians.

This only emphasized Geno's ability to get players to play together selflessly and define team work. All pieces are equally important. If a player is not selected, she didn't fit in the team, no matter who she is.

I believe a prominent NBA coach in San Antonio has the same philosophy.

 

[McFly]

Does it really have to be exhumed?

 

[BroadwayVa]

Last night, Candace Parker scored 28 points, and Nneka Ogwumike added 12, as the LA Sparks defeated Minnesota for the WNBA championship.

Neither Parker nor Ogwumike was selected to represent the United States on the Olympic basketball team. Parker was rumored to not be a team player. Yet she managed to lead her team to the WNBA championship.Ogwumike was voted the MVP of the league. So why were they left off of the Olympic team?

Yes, Team USA went undefeated, and blew through the opposition. But we have to question again why those two players were deemed not good enough for the Olympics. Ogwumike was voted MVP over Tina Charles, who was selected for the team. If Ogwumike was better than Charles in the WNBA (and let's keep in mind that the season was half over when the Olympics began), why was the decision made to leave her off?

What really happened? Why were both of those players left off the Olympic team?

Some might ask who should have been left off to make room for Parker and Ogwumike. The answer, it appears, would be Sylvia Fowles, who was outplayed by both in the championship series, and Tamika Catchings.

Should Coach Auriemma or the USOC explain why they made the choices they did? Seems as though those two players were so good, and their omission so glaring, that an explanation would be in order.

HERE IS THE ANSWER YOU WANT TO HEAR:

Geno is biased, hates the Vols and Stanford, has no respect for extreme talent--and could care less if the USA wins as long as he get his way and loads his team with Uconn players--to the detriment of team chemistry.

OK that said --can we now move past the perceived BiASES from the oLYMpics?? We have been trying to hunt with this dog much too long to no avail--
Should Geno and USOC explain why they breath???

 

[iamcbs]

Seems to me like you've answered your own questions/conspiracy theory. There is an organization called USA Basketball and its chairperson is Carol Callan, they decide who is selected for the U. S. Olympic team, period. Both Parker and Ogwumike participated in that selection process. To try to correlate their winning a WNBA championship to their not being selected for the Olympic team is patently absurd. Following your logic Cheryl Reeve won the WNBA title last year as a HC, why wasn't she the HC of the Olympic Team?

As you yourself stated USAWBB, as it was comprised, won the Gold Medal and went undefeated by record margins, there were no complaints about the play of either Fowles or Catchings, who btw has 4 Olympic Gold Medals. The explanation as to why Parker was left off of the team was made by Callan at the time the selections were announced, google it.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

It shows that coaching is everything. Under Geno, Olympians perform flawlessly. Under other coaches, Olympians may even lose to non-Olympians.

This only emphasized Geno's ability to get players to play together selflessly and define team work. All pieces are equally important. If a player is not selected, she didn't fit in the team, no matter who she is.

I believe a prominent NBA coach in San Antonio has the same philosophy.

So are you saying that the two players (including the MVP Ogwumke who scored the game-winning basket last night) aren't good enough to make the team? Are they un-coachable by Coach Auriemma?

And don't they deserve an explanation, instead of being denigrated with silence?

 

[HopJim]

Curious question. Sparks had no other option but build around two great players, Parker and Ogwumike. Olympic team had 12+ great players to build around. No right or wrong answers here.

 

[CocoHusky]

No explanation or revisit is required, nor would any explanation suffice months after the Olympics are over.

 

[BroadwayVa]

So are you saying that the two players (including the MVP Ogwumke who scored the game-winning basket last night) aren't good enough to make the team? Are they un-coachable by Coach Auriemma?

And don't they deserve an explanation, instead of being denigrated with silence?

What make you so sure THEY did NOT get an explanation??? Just because you didn't read it or hear it?? Also is every player cut from every team due a written or verbal discussion about why they were not chosen?
If these players, as you suggest are due an explanation--why are they different than the hundreds that were not selected??
Winning an MVP or WNBA title is NOT the prerequisite- for being on the olympic team or the team would only have MVP's or WNBA Champs on it.
MOVE ON--this horse has been dead since May.

 

[CocoHusky]

I continue to think it is a legitimate question.
I surely think it's relevant that the team with four Olympians was played (at the least) to a draw by a team with none.

And while we are it why not consider the relevance (or lack of) of one roster having two former LSU & two former UCONN players and the other roster having 2 former Duke players and the relative strength of the conferences that each school belongs to.

 

[sarals24]

Or...the four Olympians were perhaps exhausted after playing year round competition while Parker and Nneka got a month long break in the middle of the season?

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Is this for real? I mean haters have to hate I guess... coming here and posting stuff trying to create conflict.

Wasn't there a committee who decided who was on the team? And if there was a committee who decided why is Geno being blamed?

Which players would you have replaced? Fowles? Stewart? Charles? EDD? There were a set number of players and now to say that these two Sparks players should be on the team because the won the championship is absurd. It was not like they won in three quick games. This went to five games. It is not like they crushed Maya, Simone, Lindsey, and Sylvia.... they won the last game by a point.

Stop trying to look for trouble. USA had a Gold Winning Team! That is all that matters when it comes to the Olympics... players who cared more about winning the title than individual acknowledgements.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

What make you so sure THEY did NOT get an explanation??? Just because you didn't read it or hear it?? Also is every player cut from every team due a written or verbal discussion about why they were not chosen?
If these players, as you suggest are due an explanation--why are they different than the hundreds that were not selected??
Winning an MVP or WNBA title is NOT the prerequisite- for being on the olympic team or the team would only have MVP's or WNBA Champs on it.
MOVE ON--this horse has been dead since May.

No, "every player cut from every team" is not "due a written or verbal discussion" about why she wasn't selected for the team. But if you leave off a player who is rated the most valuable player in the premier professional league, and leave off a player who helped lead her team to the professional league championship, then, yes, those players deserve an explanation. Simple courtesy, both to the players and to the public.

The other question not answered is whether the decision to leave off Parker and Ogwumike was Carol Callan's or Auriemma's? Did Auriemma have virtually no input into the composition of the team? If so, that is a very odd structure and system. Or did Auriemma signal his desire not to have either of those players included?

I think it gets to how functional of dysfunctional is the Olympic selection system. Yes, the US won by mostly wide margins, mostly because the team has the world's greatest coach of all time, and it has tremendous talent. As others have noted here, a team made up entirely of American, yet unselected, players battled the Olympic team to a virtual tie in an exhibition game prior to the Olympics.

But selection to the Olympics is supposed to be based on merit. Were those selections all based on merit? Also, if Ogwumike and Parker were offered explanations by either Callan or Auriemma, they're keeping mum about it.

 

[bags27]

Great athletes are great at least partly because they learn how to let go and focus on the next play. If we want to be great bloggers , maybe we ought to do the same. The New York Times article I posted on another thread made the point that Candice's disappointments this year (Olympics, all-pro selection) have made her stronger. Maybe that helped her play fantastic last night. Maybe the Selection Committee did her an unintended favor....

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Fairfield Fan is obviously in the new generation of people that believes ALL participants should get a medal or a trophy or a certificate for participating in the activity or sport! No-one is a loser and we cannot hurt anyone's feelings because that person will grow up and at age 53 or what-ever and have a bad impression of themselves!
Fairfield Fan sounds like one of those people NOT chosen for their ten year old All-Star team and has wallowed in self pity since then! It's a competitive world out there and sometimes we don't get everything we desire!
Geno and the committee wanted 12 players that would sacrifice EVERYTHING for the good of the team, and the committee chose accordingly leaving Parker out as Parker was, is, and always will be an 6'5" EGO!
IMHO the committee left Nneka O. out because previous to this year she was around the basket style player and all the players chosen had some form of an outside game.
But with tremendous hard work and perseverance Nneka has taken her game to another level and will become a mainstay of 2020 & beyond for the USA team!
Parker is a bad memory to the committee and IMHO again will not be chosen in the future!

 

[rvwsleep]

There is no controversy except in the minds of disgruntled fans whose favorite player(s) did not make the Olympic team. The USOC made their choices for the team, the team won the gold medal, end of story.
To point out the accomplishments of certain players months AFTER the Olympic trials as some kind of proof that they should have been included on the team is a non sequitur.

 

[dtbtbtb]

At the time the Olympic team was selected, Nneka was not the MVP nor were the Sparks the champions. Before the season started Minn. and the Mercury were considered the best teams.
Both Parker and Nneka are great players and the choice of the Olympic committee was hard and if the team would have not won the Gold, there would have been justified criticism of who was and who wasn't on the team but as the team won Gold by playing some of the best basketball by an Olympic team ever, the criticism is not justified. and one other point: Catch was the 12th player on the team and the class player and person she is (and always was) accepted it. Does anyone believe that say if Parker would have been on the team instead of Catch, that she would have been as accepting of that role...

 

[f1f1ferrari]

No, "every player cut from every team" is not "due a written or verbal discussion" about why she wasn't selected for the team. But if you leave off a player who is rated the most valuable player in the premier professional league, and leave off a player who helped lead her team to the professional league championship, then, yes, those players deserve an explanation. Simple courtesy, both to the players and to the public.

The other question not answered is whether the decision to leave off Parker and Ogwumike was Carol Callan's or Auriemma's? Did Auriemma have virtually no input into the composition of the team? If so, that is a very odd structure and system. Or did Auriemma signal his desire not to have either of those players included?

I think it gets to how functional of dysfunctional is the Olympic selection system. Yes, the US won by mostly wide margins, mostly because the team has the world's greatest coach of all time, and it has tremendous talent. As others have noted here, a team made up entirely of American, yet unselected, players battled the Olympic team to a virtual tie in an exhibition game prior to the Olympics.

But selection to the Olympics is supposed to be based on merit. Were those selections all based on merit? Also, if Ogwumike and Parker were offered explanations by either Callan or Auriemma, they're keeping mum about it.

Let me see if I've got this straight - Now, a couple of months after the Olympics, they should be given explanations because, after the Olympics, one won the MVP and the other won the championship? This line of thinking is ridiculous. You can't make selections for the Olympics based on who might win championships or awards months later. Time to get over it and move on.

 

[f1f1ferrari]

At the time the Olympic team was selected, Nneka was not the MVP nor were the Sparks the champions. Before the season started Minn. and the Mercury were considered the best teams.
Both Parker and Nneka are great players and the choice of the Olympic committee was hard and if the team would have not won the Gold, there would have been justified criticism of who was and who wasn't on the team but as the team won Gold by playing some of the best basketball by an Olympic team ever, the criticism is not justified. and one other point: Catch was the 12th player on the team and the class player and person she is (and always was) accepted it. Does anyone believe that say if Parker would have been on the team instead of Catch, that she would have been as accepting of that role...

Beat me by 3 minutes

 

[FairView]

The fact that this is being discussed again is ridiculous.
I recommend we all refrain from further comment in this thread, so it can just die.

Only 11 days until the first exhibition game ... that's what I'm talking and thinking about.

 

[CajunHusky]

So are you saying that the two players (including the MVP Ogwumke who scored the game-winning basket last night) aren't good enough to make the team? Are they un-coachable by Coach Auriemma?

And don't they deserve an explanation, instead of being denigrated with silence?

Yes they deserve an explanation ...... who says they didn't get an explanation? .... the only unattributed comment we have is third party from Mechelle Voepel (which probably came from Parker) that would indicate she did get an explanation and that the selection committee told Parker they would NOT comment publicly on those reasons which left Parker free to spin it any way she wanted which she did anonymously in a typical TN manner.

The committee kept their promise not to comment publicly ..... I applaud them for that.

The decision to leave Parker off the Olympic team (before the WNBA season even started) goes way beyond Geno ... unless you think the long arm of Geno got Parker kicked off the All WNBA team as well.

 

[Orangutan]

Does anyone believe that say if Parker would have been on the team instead of Catch, that she would have been as accepting of that role...

Good point - one good reason to take Stewart and Catchings, each would be accepting of a limited role given their status as the junior and senior members of the team respectively. USAB picked a team to win a gold medal and did their job successfully. Their job is not to take the best 12 players in the league because those players "deserve" the honor of being selected.

And I'll echo Sarals24, LA had the advantage of having their top stars rested during the Olympic break. In a series decided by a razor-thin margin, that advantage may have made the difference.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Don't know why Nneka wasn't selected for USA SR Team other then they primarily went with the core team that won the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal. I would speculate that the final position came down to Nneka or Stewie and Team USA decided to go with Stewie.

 

[LadyVols9]

I am pretty sure their title over a team full of Olympians and assistant Olympic coach made everything better. Both of them deserved spots. But I agree it is in the past so whateva....

 

[Wally East]

Deserve. Blech. Such a loaded and often awful word. Who deserves what?

This series does emphasize that if I were, say, Duke's athletic director, I would throw buckets of money to get Brian Agler to coach my team (and then give him another bucket to hire someone to do recruiting if that's what keep him from coaching college).

Also, saying 2 non-Olympians beat 4 Olympians is, while true, lacking in context. What about the other 18 players?