2015-2016 Roster

[triaddukefan]

Finally got around to doing the math..
I've included the entire 2015 rosters for both teams, including incoming freshmen.

The average height of South Carolina's 14 player roster is 71.14 inches, or barely over 5'11.

The average height of UCONN's 13 player roster is 71.76, so still 5'11 but almost 6'.

To make things even, I did calculations for a 13 man South Carolina roster as well (by dropping Cuevas, SC's shortest player) and the average height rose to 71.53 inches (Still shorter than UCONN but barely)

And just in case somebody asked, I did one for a 16 man SC roster (including ineligible transfers Kaela Davis and Alisha Gray) and the average height there was 71.37 inches.

So in reality, neither team is remarkably bigger than the other but if there had to be a bigger team (whether you use average height or number of players taller than 6') then that team would be UCONN.

well since you are in the mindset... how about going ahead and calculate the height of the Duke team that will invade Columbia in December. Of course you can leave off Lexie Brown since she wont be playing this year, but is listed on the roster.

 

[HGN]

Finally got around to doing the math..
I've included the entire 2015 rosters for both teams, including incoming freshmen.

The average height of South Carolina's 14 player roster is 71.14 inches, or barely over 5'11.

The average height of UCONN's 13 player roster is 71.76, so still 5'11 but almost 6'.

To make things even, I did calculations for a 13 man South Carolina roster as well (by dropping Cuevas, SC's shortest player) and the average height rose to 71.53 inches (Still shorter than UCONN but barely)

And just in case somebody asked, I did one for a 16 man SC roster (including ineligible transfers Kaela Davis and Alisha Gray) and the average height there was 71.37 inches.

So in reality, neither team is remarkably bigger than the other but if there had to be a bigger team (whether you use average height or number of players taller than 6') then that team would be UCONN.

SCGamecock, I stand corrected. UConn is the taller team. Barely, but the taller team.

Thanks for doing the math. But I know you only did it just to prove me wrong.

 

[SCGamecock]

well since you are in the mindset... how about going ahead and calculate the height of the Duke team that will invade Columbia in December. Of course you can leave off Lexie Brown since she wont be playing this year, but is listed on the roster.

I have no doubt in my mind Duke is taller than SC. I'm not sure if you all have a player under 6'0.. (Sarcasm, but really.. like 3 players)

 

[SCGamecock]

well since you are in the mindset... how about going ahead and calculate the height of the Duke team that will invade Columbia in December. Of course you can leave off Lexie Brown since she wont be playing this year, but is listed on the roster.

The average height of Duke's roster (excluding Brown) is 73.23 inches, so a little over 6'1. A full two inches taller than SC.

I'm really not looking forward to that game. Duke has 9 players over 6'0 and 5 of them are 6'4 and up..

 

[SCGamecock]

SCGamecock, I stand corrected. UConn is the taller team. Barely, but the taller team.

Thanks for doing the math. But I know you only did it just to prove me wrong.

Not necessarily just you, but really for the entire board. There's this misconception on the BY that SC is this team of giants, which would always make me laugh because I don't think we're that big at all. I'd like to see us go bigger actually but that's a topic for a recruiting thread.

We were on the bigger side last year with Ibiam, Coates, Wilson, White and Welch (who we know plays much bigger than 6'). But we lost 2 of those players and added one.. Simply put, we are not that big this year.

As opposed to a team like Duke (see above post).

 

[UConnCat]

South Carolina's biggest issue offensively this year will be the difficulty it has spacing the floor from the wing and PF spots. When UConn played SC last year there were never fewer than 3 defenders parked in the lane because they weren't worried about the perimeter games of Wilson, Coates, Ibiam, Welch or White. Based on what we saw from Wilson and Coates this summer and based on what we know of the UVA transfer, that is unlikely to change this season. The lack of spacing leaves little room in the paint for Coates, Wilson, etc to isolate defenders and score, at least against elite teams. Contrast that with UConn's ability to space the floor with Tuck and Stewart (both of whom are proven 3-pt shooters). There are so many options a team has when it can lift defenders away from the basket.

 

[hoophuskee]

There's this common belief that most bigs can't shoot threes, so I understand your skepticism. But truth be told, there are more bigs capable of shooting threes than you think, just off the top of my head I can think of Duke's Stevens, FSU's Bulgak and Illinois' White.. Just because you don't see a player do something during the game doesn't mean she's incapable of doing it. White was a top 10 player and McDonalds All-American, she's obviously talented. White was in a walking boot for half the season and then suffered through a bout with the flu after that. During that time she wasn't practicing or working out with the team. She didn't return to work outs until very late in the regular season and she never quite got into "mid season form" which is why she only played briefly. She was very rusty and Dawn has this thing about playing players that go hard during practice (I.e. Dozier).

My OP says that White has a nice jumper inside and outside.. which is what I see when Dawn has her players go through shooting drills. Her shot has a high arc and her form looks natural... I said her shot is "nice", meaning that she looks comfortable behind the arc... but CONSISTENCY is an issue. Some players approach the arc with apprehension, and that shows, but I didn't get that feeling from White. She's eager to join the guards during the three point drills and she even knocks down a few. I think you misinterpreted my original post... No, you will not see White jacking up (and making) threes like Mosqueda-Lewis because she can't and that's not her go to game. She is a post player so she'll do most of her damage in the paint. Dawn is very intent on playing this specific style of getting the ball inside. She doesn't ask a lot from her bigs.. they just need to be there for the feed. She wants her guards to get the ball inside to the bigs. Our guards barely shoot threes because Dawn knows her strength is in the paint. She screams from the sideline, "Get it in the paint"... So if our guards barely shoot threes then you're definitely not about to see White or Wilson letting one go from behind the arc regularly... but the both of them can. It's not their most polished skill, but they can. Maybe we'll see more offensive creativity this year, maybe not. I would love to see us use Wilson the way Duke uses Stevens. But I've noticed that Wilson lacks confidence in her shooting.

You can choose to believe me or not. Honestly I don't care. I answered the question that the other poster asked me and that's all I can do. Unfortunately I have no video proof of White knocking down threes during the drills and I won't pretend to be some insider of Gamecock WBB.. But I do have access to the team beyond just the casual fan. I won't say in what capacity (because I'm here as a fan, not a journalist) but just know that I'm simply a student at USC and covering the WBB team is a part of my "beat". So I attend their practices, I know these girls, I see them in the dining hall and I hang around after practice to see them cool down and shoot around.

No offense scgamecock -- and I want to add I enjoy reading posts from you and triaad and other non-favorite-UConn fans. But I would have asked simialr question(s) that the poster rw did. I wouldn't have meant it as sarcasm / tough etc. When you say the following:

" . . . but she's also good facing the basket. She has a nice jumper inside and behind the arc.. just needs consistency . . ."

When you say above ---and we're all in the spirit of discussing "basketball" (for example we've had fun arguments on this board about size - some posters love big, others like "quick" etc),--- you said to paraphrase "White is GOOD facing the basket." Then you say "She just needs consistency."

I think what you say -- how I look at it- it's a contradiction because you can't be good at something like shooting if you aren't consistent unless you're a "consistent" "streak shooter." And even a long long long long time ago when I was much younger I can remember hearing for example how players hit their ft's in practice. Go into a game and they just can't hit with consistency. In terms of a basketball discussion on this site- I would disagree with anyone that says/categorizes/defines someone is "good facing the basket" combining that with "having a nice shot from behind the arc" then saying "they lack consistency." IMO lacking consistency can not make someone "good" at it. They have "potential." But potential is highly overrated until it is realized.

SO if you disagree with this- it's what this board is partially about - we can discuss-- not slamming you. For me- I don't agree with how you are in a way defining practices then drawing a conclusion that "she is good facing the basket" unless you saw her overseas nailing a few vs good competition- then unless you have -- as rw suggested I'm going to be skeptical too but not slamming you. IMO a player shoots near 80% ft accuracy in practice but is 55% in games is NOT a "GOOD" ft shooter.

 

[Icebear]

Morgan Tuck is vastly more likely to take those shots and make 55-60% than Jatarie White will ever be able to. She has already done it in games not just in practice.

 

[Huskies Rule]

-Height, height, height. Arggg. While it's nice to have tall kids, and sometimes size does matter , it's way overrated. It sure didn't help our two tallest opponents last year (USC and Duke).

-Fact is, the shortest kid (5'7") on UConn was every bit as essential to winning National Championship #10 as Stewie was. Maybe even more so.

-And... I suspect that an even shorter kid (5'6"Danger) will have a similarly profound impact on the program in the years ahead.
http://i1./usathss.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/nasbrd03-14-2014tennessean1c00520140313img-mursportsblackman1.jpg?crop=0px%2C166px%2C1000px%2C783px&resize=295%2C231 A (short) child leads them, has led them, and will lead them.

 

[Icebear]

Having 5'7" and 5'10" kids who can jump out of the gym sure does help.

 

[jsloanjr]

UCONN and USC coming soon in 2016..........

 

[CocoHusky]

South Carolina's biggest issue offensively this year will be the difficulty it has spacing the floor from the wing and PF spots. When UConn played SC last year there were never fewer than 3 defenders parked in the lane because they weren't worried about the perimeter games of Wilson, Coates, Ibiam, Welch or White. Based on what we saw from Wilson and Coates this summer and based on what we know of the UVA transfer, that is unlikely to change this season. The lack of spacing leaves little room in the paint for Coates, Wilson, etc to isolate defenders and score, at least against elite teams. Contrast that with UConn's ability to space the floor with Tuck and Stewart (both of whom are proven 3-pt shooters). There are so many options a team has when it can lift defenders away from the basket.

Excellent observation-SC lacks the ability to space the floor. This has been a two year problem and when you go back and look at all the SC defeats and close games (Kentucky & Duke) in the past two years you will clearly see that the defensive game plan is to consistently have ALL 5 defensive players with a foot in the paint. It has been 3 recruiting classes now and Dawn has failed to deliver a recruit that can be considered a legit floor spacer ( 3 Pt. threat). IMO this is what will ultimately keep SC from winning a NC.

 

[HoopsHoppy]

Interesting analysis of team height - but one question; have they changed the rules and are allowing more than five players on the court at one time? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[SCGamecock]

No offense scgamecock -- and I want to add I enjoy reading posts from you and triaad and other non-favorite-UConn fans. But I would have asked simialr question(s) that the poster rw did. I wouldn't have meant it as sarcasm / tough etc. When you say the following:

" . . . but she's also good facing the basket. She has a nice jumper inside and behind the arc.. just needs consistency . . ."

When you say above ---and we're all in the spirit of discussing "basketball" (for example we've had fun arguments on this board about size - some posters love big, others like "quick" etc),--- you said to paraphrase "White is GOOD facing the basket." Then you say "She just needs consistency."

I think what you say -- how I look at it- it's a contradiction because you can't be good at something like shooting if you aren't consistent unless you're a "consistent" "streak shooter." And even a long long long long time ago when I was much younger I can remember hearing for example how players hit their ft's in practice. Go into a game and they just can't hit with consistency. In terms of a basketball discussion on this site- I would disagree with anyone that says/categorizes/defines someone is "good facing the basket" combining that with "having a nice shot from behind the arc" then saying "they lack consistency." IMO lacking consistency can not make someone "good" at it. They have "potential." But potential is highly overrated until it is realized.

SO if you disagree with this- it's what this board is partially about - we can discuss-- not slamming you. For me- I don't agree with how you are in a way defining practices then drawing a conclusion that "she is good facing the basket" unless you saw her overseas nailing a few vs good competition- then unless you have -- as rw suggested I'm going to be skeptical too but not slamming you. IMO a player shoots near 80% ft accuracy in practice but is 55% in games is NOT a "GOOD" ft shooter.

Thanks for the reply. We can agree to disagree. No problem.

A particular poster asked me what skills White possessed and I told him/her what I saw in practice. My post was NEVER about in game because White hasn't been on the floor enough for me to develop an opinion on her in game potential.

Another poster saw my comment and proceeded to sarcastically ask questions about Jatarie's shooting from last season (which I thought was unfair because she was injured/sick for about 75% of the season). Essentially trying to discredit my claims on White... which is fine, but don't be snide about it.

IMO my original post was taken out of context. I was not trying to call White some all world 3 point shooter or say that she's going to shoot teams out of the gym from behind the arc... I never said that. I was simply asked what skills White has and I answered that. For the record, as a former athlete, when I say a player has a "nice shot" I'm talking about more than her accuracy. I'm talking about her form, how she approaches the line, her arc, how comfortable she is shooting etc... My fault for assuming people would understand that. I'll be more specific in the future.

So when I look at Jatarie, I see a player with good shooting form and footwork going into the shot, she's comfortable facing the basket and she can shoot threes... again, she's not consistent enough to become a legit 3point threat in the scouting report but AT PRACTICE.. I see her shoot threes and she looks good shooting them. We all know practice is different than the game.

 

[triaddukefan]

Excellent observation-SC lacks the ability to space the floor. This has been a two year problem and when you go back and look at all the SC defeats and close games (Kentucky & Duke) in the past two years you will clearly see that the defensive game plan is to consistently have ALL 5 defensive players with a foot in the paint. It has been 3 recruiting classes now and Dawn has failed to deliver a recruit that can be considered a legit floor spacer ( 3 Pt. threat). IMO this is what will ultimately keep SC from winning a NC.

Thats what transfers are for

 

[rvwsleep]

Thanks for the reply. We can agree to disagree. No problem.

A particular poster asked me what skills White possessed and I told him/her what I saw in practice. My post was NEVER about in game because White hasn't been on the floor enough for me to develop an opinion on her in game potential.

Another poster saw my comment and proceeded to sarcastically ask questions about Jatarie's shooting from last season (which I thought was unfair because she was injured/sick for about 75% of the season). Essentially trying to discredit my claims on White... which is fine, but don't be snide about it.

IMO my original post was taken out of context. I was not trying to call White some all world 3 point shooter or say that she's going to shoot teams out of the gym from behind the arc... I never said that. I was simply asked what skills White has and I answered that. For the record, as a former athlete, when I say a player has a "nice shot" I'm talking about more than her accuracy. I'm talking about her form, how she approaches the line, her arc, how comfortable she is shooting etc... My fault for assuming people would understand that. I'll be more specific in the future.

So when I look at Jatarie, I see a player with good shooting form and footwork going into the shot, she's comfortable facing the basket and she can shoot threes... again, she's not consistent enough to become a legit 3point threat in the scouting report but AT PRACTICE.. I see her shoot threes and she looks good shooting them. We all know practice is different than the game.

Since I came up in this post, I feel the need to reply.
In your original post, you stated "She has a nice jumper inside and behind the arc.." Since you didn't qualify this as to where or when these jumpers occurred, my thinking was that you were referring to what White actually did while playing in a game. When I could not find any evidence that pointed to White having any kind of a shot from behind the arc at all, I (the snide responder) challenged the accuracy of the claim. You subsequently added that your original statement pertains to what you saw at practices, "again, she's not consistent enough to become a legit 3point threat in the scouting report but AT PRACTICE.. I see her shoot threes and she looks good shooting them. We all know practice is different than the game".
Fair enough.
What I find most interesting, in your most recent post, is that you go on to deny something that no one has accused you of.
"I was not trying to call White some all world 3 point shooter or say that she's going to shoot teams out of the gym from behind the arc... I never said that". I agree, you never said or even implied that. But then, no one ever accused you of saying or implying that. So I'm not sure why you would issue a denial. You only stated that "She has a nice jumper inside and behind the arc.." That was the only statement, that you made, that was challenged.
Now that I'm responding, I have to ask you about a post you made yesterday. It was this, "Dawn's offensive strategy is to work around the paint and move from high percentage shots to low percentage shots." Did you mean that having the ball worked around from a high percentage shot to a low percentage shot was: 1) an actual strategy 2) a transposition of high and low or 3) something that I just don't understand.

 

[CocoHusky]

Thats what transfers are for

Gray? Yes Davis? No-not accurate enough. By the time both are eligible Wilson will be a Junior, Coates a Senior and the current best player Mitchell will have graduated. That is why it should have been addressed in one of the last three SC recruiting classes.

 

[SCGamecock]

What I find most interesting, in your most recent post, is that you go on to deny something that no one has accused you of.
"I was not trying to call White some all world 3 point shooter or say that she's going to shoot teams out of the gym from behind the arc... I never said that". I agree, you never said or even implied that. But then, no one ever accused you of saying or implying that. So I'm not sure why you would issue a denial. You only stated that "She has a nice jumper inside and behind the arc.." That was the only statement, that you made, that was challenged.
Now that I'm responding, I have to ask you about a post you made yesterday. It was this, "Dawn's offensive strategy is to work around the paint and move from high percentage shots to low percentage shots." Did you mean that having the ball worked around from a high percentage shot to a low percentage shot was: 1) an actual strategy 2) a transposition of high and low or 3) something that I just don't understand.

I issued that denial to make it extremely clear to anybody else following along before they send me a quoted response and I'm stuck repeating myself and the purpose of my original post... It was needed since it's obvious I wasn't clear enough before.

To answer your question... I'll be clear again. Dawn's offensive philosophy is to work the ball inside (high percentage shots) and score. If there are no options inside then work the ball out to a guard for three or jumper (low percentage shots) from high post (something SC doesn't execute well, but they're getting better). If you look at SC play then you'll notice the ball is always intended to go inside, our guards don't shoot threes and 15 ft jumpers until late in the shot clock.

That's where Dawn believes her team strength lies (inside), so for now that's her offensive strategy. It hasn't always been that way. A few years ago we were a guard-based team and we relied on outside shots heavily. A good coach will make adjustments to his/her teams strengths.

That was all I meant. Nothing more or less.

 

[DavidinNaples]

She has great foot work and post moves under the basketball... but she's also good facing the basket. She has a nice jumper inside and behind the arc.. just needs consistency. She'll mostly be under the goal for (SC) this year but the threat of her going outside and scoring is there.. unlike with Coates.

Is it me or does this description sound just like UConn's Morgan Tuck..? (Just the bold parts....sub in UConn for SC....)

Last year's highlights:
1. 25.5 minutes per game, started 37 of 39
2. 562 points or 14.4 per game
3. 216 rebounds, 115 assists (3rd on team)
4. 21 three pt baskets, including 4-7 in the Final Four
5. 66.3% accuracy inside the 3 pt arc, 75% from free throw (63-84)
6. 79 offensive rebounds (2nd on team)
7. For Team USA, 4 Gold Medals

Go Morgan..!!
Go Huskies..!!

 

[triaddukefan]

Gray? Yes Davis? No-not accurate enough. By the time both are eligible Wilson will be a Junior, Coates a Senior and the current best player Mitchell will have graduated. That is why it should have been addressed in one of the last three SC recruiting classes.

I expect her (Davis) shooting numbers to increase once she is playing with Gray, Coates, and Wilson.

 

[SCGamecock]

I expect her (Davis) shooting numbers to increase once she is playing with Gray, Coates, and Wilson.

I agree. I think her numbers will improve once she's around players equally as talented. She won't have to shoulder the entire burden of the offense.

 

[triaddukefan]

I agree. I think her numbers will improve once she's around players equally as talented. She won't have to shoulder the entire burden of the offense.

Imagine KML's numbers if she played on last year's Ga Tech team. They sure as heck wouldnt be as sterling.

 

[UConnCat]

Imagine KML's numbers if she played on last year's Ga Tech team. They sure as heck wouldnt be as sterling.

My guess is her numbers would have been a lot better than Davis'. Of course, KML has such a different approach to the game than Kaela Davis and she never would have chosen to play for Mechelle Joseph so I can't really get my head around the comparison.

I'm a big believer that basketball players, like most people, rarely change their stripes. We'll see.

 

[DavidinNaples]

Imagine KML's numbers if she played on last year's Ga Tech team. They sure as heck wouldnt be as sterling.

Agree w/ UConnCat.... KML scored 565 pts on 396 shots. She shot 54% vs 36% for Davis... Davis took 249 more shots. So you're saying KML would score fewer points even w/ 249 more shots?? THat's crazy talk...

 

[CocoHusky]

Imagine KML's numbers if she played on last year's Ga Tech team. They sure as heck wouldnt be as sterling.

I disagree. KML much like Maggie Lucas-PSU '14 were going to lead the nation in 3 PT shooting percentage regardless if they play at GT, PSU, UCONN, or Stonybrook. Why? Because both are significantly better than their peers. Kaela Davis is simply not that elite a shooter.

 

[hjoerring]

Interesting analysis of team height - but one question; have they changed the rules and are allowing more than five players on the court at one time? Inquiring minds want to know.

Haven't you been following the discussion- it's all (or at least mostly) theoretical: from questions about height (some find it easier to let others do the math then use battery power on their calculator), shooting, practice to games. Not to forget confidence. Some can do it all in practices but not in games. Have mercy on us all. And poor Dawn. She gets everything but the one thing she really need- a 3pt shooter. Now that stubborness. (I said it 2years ago, she is really positioning herself for the Uconn job when - and if - it opens.) And in the end- all are in agreement things got lost in translation, or it was all semantics. And as math is nonsemantics/theoretical (at least here on/in the Yard), Uconn is the mathemtical winner- the tallest team, NC 2015). Unless Stevens and Wilson plu add a few centemeters- not an impossibility. Just musing.

 

[Sonny44]

Finally got around to doing the math..
I've included the entire 2015 rosters for both teams, including incoming freshmen.

The average height of South Carolina's 14 player roster is 71.14 inches, or barely over 5'11.

The average height of UCONN's 13 player roster is 71.76, so still 5'11 but almost 6'.

To make things even, I did calculations for a 13 man South Carolina roster as well (by dropping Cuevas, SC's shortest player) and the average height rose to 71.53 inches (Still shorter than UCONN but barely)

And just in case somebody asked, I did one for a 16 man SC roster (including ineligible transfers Kaela Davis and Alisha Gray) and the average height there was 71.37 inches.

So in reality, neither team is remarkably bigger than the other but if there had to be a bigger team (whether you use average height or number of players taller than 6') then that team would be UCONN.

You can only put five players on the court at a time. Their starting interior three are taller than us. Not sure if Butler starts or not. But the height differences aren't that critical. We are more athletic I believe. I think Gabby can rebound very well against the bigs.

 

[Huskies Rule]

Haven't you been following the discussion- it's all (or at least mostly) theoretical: from questions about height (some find it easier to let others do the math then use battery power on their calculator), shooting, practice to games. Not to forget confidence. Some can do it all in practices but not in games. Have mercy on us all. And poor Dawn. She gets everything but the one thing she really need- a 3pt shooter. Now that stubborness. (I said it 2years ago, she is really positioning herself for the Uconn job when - and if - it opens.) And in the end- all are in agreement things got lost in translation, or it was all semantics. And as math is nonsemantics/theoretical (at least here on/in the Yard), Uconn is the mathemtical winner- the tallest team, NC 2015). Unless Stevens and Wilson plu add a few centemeters- not an impossibility. Just musing.

- From what I remember of the Gamecocks visit to Gampel last February, Mitchell (3 of 4)and Sessions (2 of 4) both looked like really solid 3pt shooters (seasonal stats aside, and granted, they're nothing approaching KML ). I didn't see the desperate need for a great outside shooter (SC had two good ones) to stretch the floor and open it up for the big kids. But rather I saw the need for a different coaching strategy, which never came.

-Staley knows she is bigger and stronger down low than most every opponent, and in the 6 games I saw USC play, she seemed absolutely determined that options 1, 2 and 3 were to get the ball down to her post players Coates, Welch and Wilson (certainly that was the game plan in the 87-62 shellacking). It did not work that night against UConn, but Staley stayed with it, even though her starting guards were an excellent 5 of 8 from three. Why not take more threes? I'd think shooting the three that well would warrant a strategy change- shoot MORE from the perimeter- which might have opened up more easy shots in the paint, especially those 2 ft putbacks that Coates and Wilson specialize in.

- For most of the year, that dump-it-into-the-bigs strategy worked just great. Until they came up against a great shot-blocking team with guards capable of exerting tremendous on-ball pressure so that getting it inside was really really difficult. Then the Gamecocks offense sputtered. I was kind of waiting for Staley to go with 3 guards-Mitchell, Sessions and Cuevas- to better move the ball around, penetrate, spread the floor so their bigs might be more effective. Nope. Welch was great, taking 17 shots and scored 17 points- a solid game because she was extremely mobile and never stopped moving- she didn't stand around down low waiting for the ball, she went and got it. The stationary Coates and Wilson took a total of 14 shots and scored just 16 points between them, waiting for balls that rarely came.

As far as Staley "positioning herself for the UConn job."

 

[DobbsRover2]

Yep, USCar was a decent 3pt percentage shooting team last year (in the top 50) but a bad 3pt volume shooting team (back around 200) with less than 5 made 3pters per game, and their opponents took more 3s than them. Mitchell and Cuevas as the two most prolific 3pt shooters averaged around 40%, which is very respectable, but the good teams will always set up their defense to shut down the inside game because they just don 't fear Staley unleashing a storm out there.

To put things in perspective, following the first two games each team played at home in the Tourney, UConn averaged 24 3pt FGAs in their last four games, while USCar averaged 11 3pt FGAs in their three games. Widening the floor could only help.

 

[Huskies Rule]

Dawn's offensive strategy is to work around the paint and move from high percentage shots to low percentage shots. In her mind, there's ALWAYS a high percentage shot available. If you're not a high percentage three point shooter then you shouldn't be shooting threes, according to Dawn. I think I've stated in my OP that White doesn't shoot the three consistently, but I've seen her shoot threes. Same for Wilson. White will never shoot it consistently enough to be a specialist, something I never said. That's not her game, but the point remains that I've seen her shoot them. So it's not like she can't. You are correct, Wilson has not demonstrated she can shoot threes in game but she has during drills.

A'ja is best in the paint because few people can match her there, and she's only a sophomore. But I've seen her shoot threes as well, she's not at a competent rate yet but she's already a better shooter than when she arrived. WAY better. Her issue is confidence. She just needs to shoot. She's apprehensive around the arc at times. Dawn wants her to just shoot the ball, Dawn is confident A'ja's shots will drop once she builds confidence in them.

Dear SCG- I would be elated if SC's Wilson and Jetarie White, as well as Azura Stevens and FSU's Bulgak spend lots and lots of time this upcoming season demonstrating their 3-point prowess for all to see (while Chatrice White is a nice player, Illinois is irrelevant- and toxic). It's not the recipe for success these teams seek.

The more time these bigs play outside the arc the better - for their opponents- because it means fewer offensive rebounds, fewer put backs, one less big kid defending in the paint, and many times being the player responsible for getting back first to defend on the break. Good luck with that.

[btw, two of my favorite places in the world are Charleston and Kiawah- both drop dead beautiful]