Aaliyah Edwards selected to U23 Team Canada

[CocoHusky]

sorry but just what happened with her last season in the Olympics seems that ruined her season at Uconn. Does she want a repeat of that? I don't think I'm the only person that has posted the same. She got no playing time in the Olympics, so basically was riding the bench for 2 weeks.

You are assuming that what happened to her at the Olympics "ruined" her last season at UCONN which is entirely unfounded. Aaliyah also spend time with team Canada on the 2019 FIBA Americas Cup prior to enrolling at UCONN which appeared to be great preparation. Did it ever occur to you you that she did not get much playing time at the Olympics because she was playing much the same way that she started the season at UCONN (rather poorly)? You are also making another poor assumption that 2 weeks of playing with Team Canada is worst than spending two weeks at UCONN. Both Team Canada and UCONN offer Aaliyah an opportunity to improve her game & it it up to her to take advantage of her chosen option.

 

[CocoHusky]

My impression is that the National Teams are focused on team play, not individual development. Mixed feelings on how this will benefit Edwards.

Mixed feelings are the result of mixed past results. Some players take advantage of the experience with the national teams and other do not. Kia Nurse benefited enormously from her time at Team Canada especially in Pan Am Games. Christyn Williams if anything played too much USA basketball. Olivia Nelson Ododa won a gold medal with THE national team in 2019 and actually looked like she belonged but was unable to use that as a spring board to better performance upon her return to UCONN. Gabby Williams never made a USA basketball team but she never stop trying out, showing up and learning. The experience is what you the player makes of it.

 

[cancontent]

My impression is that the National Teams are focused on team play, not individual development. Mixed feelings on how this will benefit Edwards.

I disagree. I believe it's a combination of both. This isn't a bad thing in my opinion. I've found from watching US/AAU-style basketball, players can be very dependent on 1-on-1 play to succeed. This doesn't translate always translate in FIBA competition based on what I've seen over the years, both with Canadian and American players.

The development program for Canada Basketball works on both, as athletes have to focus on what they bring to the team, while improving themselves. After international competitions, they're provided assessments on where they can improve which they can use with respective programs.

Mixed feelings are the result of mixed past results. Some players take advantage of the experience with the national teams and other do not. Kia Nurse benefited enormously from her time at Team Canada especially in Pan Am Games. Christyn Williams if anything played too much USA basketball. Olivia Nelson Ododa won a gold medal with THE national team in 2019 and actually looked like she belonged but was unable to use that as a spring board to better performance upon her return to UCONN. Gabby Williams never made a USA basketball team but she never stop trying out, showing up and learning. The experience is what you the player makes of it.

This is very true. It's definitely a matter of how the athlete uses the experience when they are part of the team. Heck, it was playing for the Canadian Senior National Teams that helped to put Aaliyah and Kia on UConn's radar in the first place.

 

[oldude]

Happy for Aaliyah. As others noted, the time commitment for the U23’s is a couple of weeks rather than several months for the Olympics, and unlike the Canadian Olympic Team, when she was the last player off the bench, Aaliyah will certainly play meaningful minutes for the U23 team.

Last season the Olympics pulled Aaliyah out of Storrs for practically the entire summer and got her back later than all of her teammates. It was certainly a great honor for Aaliyah to be part of her country’s national team. But I do believe it set her back somewhat at the beginning of last season. I don’t have that concern with the U23 team.