All Decade Team for WCBB

[bballnut90]

With the year 2020 around the corner, I thought I'd put together an All-Decade team. Criteria to be included is that player must have played at least 3 collegiate seasons ending between 2010-2019. So, for example, Maya Moore would not be eligible (grad in 2011) but Nneka Ogwumike (grad in 2012) is.

1st Team:
C-Brittney Griner, 2x POY, 3x 1st Team All-American, 1 undefeated season. Griner dominated defensively in a way we've never see before at the collegiate level. She developed tremendously on offense too during her time at Baylor. She had some ups and downs but overall is a no brainer for a 1st Team spot.

F-Breanna Stewart, 3x POY, 4x MOP, 4 championships, 2 undefeated. Another no brainer...Stewart's teams dominated college basketball unlike we've ever seen before. She finished with 1 loss over her Final 3 seasons and was the centerpiece of all 4 championships.

F-A'ja Wilson, 1x consensus POY, 3x 1st Team AA, F4 MOP, 1 championship. A'ja Wilson brought SC to new heights during her career and improved immensely year by year.

G-Moriah Jefferson, 1st Team AA, NDPOY, 4 championships. Another no brainer here, Jefferson was far and away the best collegiate PG this decade when you look at her ability to control a game on both ends. Consistently stepped up in big moments and was a huge factor in 3 of the 4 titles.

G-Skylar Diggins, 2x 1st Team AA, 2 runner ups and 3 Final Fours. Diggins was an easy pick to put on 1st Team considering how she was the main reason why ND became a powerhouse again. Her run in the 2011 NCAA tournaments is among the most impressive I've seen even though ND didn't finish the job. The 2013 season was also spectacular despite coming up short.


2nd Team:

C-Teaira McCowan, 1x 1st Team AA, 2 runner ups. McCowan was an immovable force while at Mississippi State and drastically improved her game each season. She dominated the Final Four in 2018 and was SEC POY and a 1st Team All American as a senior.

F-Nneka Ogwumike, 2x 1st Team AA, 4 Final Fours. Nneka was a dominant force for Stanford her last 3 years and helped make them legit title contenders all 3 years.

G-Jewell Loyd, 1x 1st Team AA, 2 runner ups, 3 Final Fours. She was my last pick...had a hard time figuring out who to put here between her, McBride and KML. In 3 years Loyd established herself as one of the best offensive players in the nation. Had standout years in 2014 and 2015. Would've very likely finished with 4 Final Fours and been a 2x 1st Team AA had she stuck around her final season.

G-Sabrina Ionescu, 2x 1st Team AA, POY, 1 Final Four (so far). Sabrina dominated in games unlike anyone else this decade. A passing wizard, dead eye shooter and a fantastic playmaker, she has quickly brought Oregon to new heights as they're now a favorite to win their first title in 2020.

G-Arike Ogunbowale, 2x 2nd Team AA, F4 MOP, 1 championship. Arike's well documented heroics in 2018 were incredible and overall she had a really strong career at Notre Dame.


High HM:
Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis
Kayla McBride
Napheesa Collier
Victoria Vivians
Katie Lou Samuelson
Chiney Ogwumike
Kalani Brown
Kelsey Plum
Brianna Turner
Odyssey Sims
Alyssa Thomas
Elena Delle Donne

 

[Go/huskies]

Good list for both teams and good reasoning, but I would put Plum on the 2nd team, no she didn’t win a championship, but 3,527 points scored isn’t easy to do.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Good list for both teams and good reasoning, but I would put Plum on the 2nd team, no she didn’t win a championship, but 3,527 points scored isn’t easy to do.

And a Final 4 w/ nobody else remotely resembling a future WNBA player.

 

[bballnut90]

Good list for both teams and good reasoning, but I would put Plum on the 2nd team, no she didn’t win a championship, but 3,527 points scored isn’t easy to do.

Plum had a good tournament run as a junior and an amazing senior season but prior to that was an inefficient volume shooter for a weak program her first couple of years (shot 40.5% from the floor with 1:1 A/TO ratio before her senior season). If you go by individual best seasons this decade, I'd say her 2017 season would be 1st team along with Stewart in 16, Griner in 12/13, and Moore in 11. For her career though, HM is a good fit IMO.

 

[triaddukefan]

No love for Kelsey Mitchell?

 

[CocoHusky]

1st Team:
C: Brittney Griner
F:EDD
F: Stewart
G: Ionescu
G: Diggins

2nd Team:
C: Dolson
F: Neka
F: Wilson
G: Jefferson
G: Sims

 

[bballnut90]

No love for Kelsey Mitchell?

Thought about her, but OSU steadily underperformed her whole career. Ohio State's best seasons resulted in blowout losses in the Sweet 16. She had big numbers like Plum, but lacked Plum's post season success. You have to elevate your team to make the list IMO.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Not a bad list at all, but a few adjustments if you ask me:
EDD is first team, move Aja to 2nd team, add Plum to 2nd team and move Loyd and Ionescu as HM

I appreciate the consideration for positions and for FF success, I just have a tough time giving EDD HM on an all decade team just because she played at a program and in a conference where she had peers who weren’t even close in talent and didn’t play for a big name coach. I also think she has more than shown she is one of the best in the world as a pro even though she didn’t go head to head with them often in college.

Loyd only playing 3 years drops her in my brain. I do think Ionescu is much better than Plum overall but hard to ignore the NCAA all time leading scorer.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

I'm not so sure I would put EDD on the first team. This is for college accomplishments and her team only went as far as the Sweet 16. She was a great player but not first team IMO.

I figure if Alyssa Thomas is HHM, then Lexie Brown should be as well. She went to two Final 4s and I believe is the only player to make AA for two different teams. That is quite the accomplishment.

 

[azfan]

Not a bad list at all, but a few adjustments if you ask me:
EDD is first team, move Aja to 2nd team, add Plum to 2nd team and move Loyd and Ionescu as HM

I appreciate the consideration for positions and for FF success, I just have a tough time giving EDD HM on an all decade team just because she played at a program and in a conference where she had peers who weren’t even close in talent and didn’t play for a big name coach. I also think she has more than shown she is one of the best in the world as a pro even though she didn’t go head to head with them often in college.

Loyd only playing 3 years drops her in my brain. I do think Ionescu is much better than Plum overall but hard to ignore the NCAA all time leading scorer.

My thought exactly on EDD. Not certain you can have an all decade team without her on the first team. I thought your rationale was solid

 

[bballnut90]

Not a bad list at all, but a few adjustments if you ask me:
EDD is first team, move Aja to 2nd team, add Plum to 2nd team and move Loyd and Ionescu as HM

I appreciate the consideration for positions and for FF success, I just have a tough time giving EDD HM on an all decade team just because she played at a program and in a conference where she had peers who weren’t even close in talent and didn’t play for a big name coach. I also think she has more than shown she is one of the best in the world as a pro even though she didn’t go head to head with them often in college.

Loyd only playing 3 years drops her in my brain. I do think Ionescu is much better than Plum overall but hard to ignore the NCAA all time leading scorer.

In terms of talent EDD is obviously a top 5 player this decade but collegiately she was a standout for a program that just didnt accomplish much. She did get them to a Sweet 16, but I have a hard time putting her above someone like Wilson who led her team to a title, another Final Four, swept every POY award as a senior, won 4 SEC tournament titles and 3 SEC POY awards.

I have little doubt that EDD wouldve been a standout on any team she played on, but fact is she only faced I think 4 or 5 ranked teams over her 4 years and made it to 1 Sweet 16. Cant reward that with 1st or even 2nd team IMO even if she may be the most talented one of the bunch.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I think some of these suggestions are colored by subsequent WNBA performance. Throw out your knowledge of their post-collegiate successes, and just focus on college. Here's the Wooden winners per year from 2010:

And here's the AP:

2010	Tina Charles[5]	Connecticut	C	Senior
2011	Maya Moore(2)[4]	Connecticut	F	Senior
2012	Brittney Griner[6]	Baylor	C	Junior
2013	Brittney Griner(2)[7]	Baylor	C	Senior
2014	Breanna Stewart[8]	Connecticut	F	Sophomore
2015	Breanna Stewart (2)[8]	Connecticut	F	Junior
2016	Breanna Stewart (3)[8]	Connecticut	F	Senior
2017	Kelsey Plum[9]	Washington	G	Senior
2018	A'ja Wilson[10]	South Carolina	F	Senior
2019	Megan Gustafson[11]	Iowa	C	Senior

Plum won both. Charles won both. Gustafson won once. Chiney won once. No Nneka. No EDD. Trust me, I'm the first to say that today, in 2019, I think EDD and Nneka are better players than Plum, Charles, Chiney, or Gustafson. But Chiney got POY and single-handedly carried Stanford to the Final Four with no other notable players on her team. Nneka had Kayla Pedersen, Jeannette Pohlen, and her sister. EDD had a statistically impressive collegiate career while beating no one of particular significance and having no memorable post-season success.

To me, the obvious candidates are Stewwie, Griner, Moore, and Wilson. Charles has a strong claim, although most of her success was technically in the prior decade. But all five were game-changers who led their teams to at least one championship. I would not put either Nneka or EDD in the first team, because they did neither, and they never won the POY award.

And in terms of guards, I'd pick Plum or Ionescu over Diggins. Plum carried her team essentially on her own to the Final Four in a program with absolutely no history of success or other notable players (Osahor was a one-trick pony who did that trick really, really well.) Ionescu is more or less the same, although she has a more talented cast around her. And Diggins never got POY or a championship, so she has no better claim on objective metrics than either of those two.

 

[LoTrader]

I think some of these suggestions are colored by subsequent WNBA performance. Throw out your knowledge of their post-collegiate successes, and just focus on college. Here's the Wooden winners per year from 2010:
View attachment 49114


And here's the AP:

2010	Tina Charles[5]	Connecticut	C	Senior
2011	Maya Moore(2)[4]	Connecticut	F	Senior
2012	Brittney Griner[6]	Baylor	C	Junior
2013	Brittney Griner(2)[7]	Baylor	C	Senior
2014	Breanna Stewart[8]	Connecticut	F	Sophomore
2015	Breanna Stewart (2)[8]	Connecticut	F	Junior
2016	Breanna Stewart (3)[8]	Connecticut	F	Senior
2017	Kelsey Plum[9]	Washington	G	Senior
2018	A'ja Wilson[10]	South Carolina	F	Senior
2019	Megan Gustafson[11]	Iowa	C	Senior

Plum won both. Charles won both. Gustafson won once. Chiney won once. No Nneka. No EDD. Trust me, I'm the first to say that today, in 2019, I think EDD and Nneka are better players than Plum, Charles, Chiney, or Gustafson. But Chiney got POY and single-handedly carried Stanford to the Final Four with no other notable players on her team. Nneka had Kayla Pedersen, Jeannette Pohlen, and her sister. EDD had a statistically impressive collegiate career while beating no one of particular significance and having no memorable post-season success.

To me, the obvious candidates are Stewwie, Griner, Moore, and Wilson. Charles has a strong claim, although most of her success was technically in the prior decade. But all five were game-changers who led their teams to at least one championship. I would not put either Nneka or EDD in the first team, because they did neither, and they never won the POY award.

And in terms of guards, I'd pick Plum or Ionescu over Diggins. Plum carried her team essentially on her own to the Final Four in a program with absolutely no history of success or other notable players (Osahor was a one-trick pony who did that trick really, really well.) Ionescu is more or less the same, although she has a more talented cast around her. And Diggins never got POY or a championship, so she has no better claim on objective metrics than either of those two.

I'd pick Sabrina over all guards in the last 10 years. Had the pleasure to see her play in person last weekend. Generational player for sure. Does everything, and does everything better than all guards I have watched, with maybe the exception of on-ball defense. Sabrina is responsible for most of the points Oregon produces via her ability to move the ball where it needs to be, either with a direct assist, or, perhaps starting the ball rotation; i.e., the first pass in a series of passes that gets the ball to the wide-open shot. Sabrina is a versatile scorer, and can score a number of different ways, 3-pointers, pull-up, at the rim, no weaknesses. I haven't seen a more complete guard in the women's game. Rebounding you say....she is one of the best. Solid "team" defender. Is always 1 or 2 clicks ahead of everyone on the court. Sees the play develop before everyone else. I know there will be disagreement, but, hey, I get to see her play a lot. And I'm an OSU Beaver fan, and have the pleasure to see Mikayla Pivec play in every OSU home game.

 

[DeeHusky]

I think Diggins can be moved to second team. I think Arike had a better collegiate career.

 

[j66kicker]

I'd pick Sabrina over all guards in the last 10 years. Had the pleasure to see her play in person last weekend. Generational player for sure. Does everything, and does everything better than all guards I have watched, with maybe the exception of on-ball defense. Sabrina is responsible for most of the points Oregon produces via her ability to move the ball where it needs to be, either with a direct assist, or, perhaps starting the ball rotation; i.e., the first pass in a series of passes that gets the ball to the wide-open shot. Sabrina is a versatile scorer, and can score a number of different ways, 3-pointers, pull-up, at the rim, no weaknesses. I haven't seen a more complete guard in the women's game. Rebounding you say....she is one of the best. Solid "team" defender. Is always 1 or 2 clicks ahead of everyone on the court. Sees the play develop before everyone else. I know there will be disagreement, but, hey, I get to see her play a lot. And I'm an OSU Beaver fan, and have the pleasure to see Mikayla Pivec play in every OSU home game.

We’ll never know, at least for their college careers, but if they could have played I suspect Geno would have assigned Jefferson to shut Sabrina down, and I think she could have done it.

 

[LoTrader]

We’ll never know, at least for their college careers, but if they could have played I suspect Geno would have assigned Jefferson to shut Sabrina down, and I think she could have done it.

Never seen anybody "shut down" Sabrina. I've seen Oregon State guards slow her down, but not shut her down. And Jefferson at 5'6", as good of an on-ball defender as Moriah is, couldn't shut down Sabrina. Think you missed the point entirely.....Sabrina accounts for her team's points directly and indirectly....and is intelligent enough to recognize what is the best/optimal way she can contribute to her team.

 

[j66kicker]

Never seen anybody "shut down" Sabrina. I've seen Oregon State guards slow her down, but not shut her down. And Jefferson at 5'6", as good of an on-ball defender as Moriah is, couldn't shut down Sabrina. Think you missed the point entirely.....Sabrina accounts for her team's points directly and indirectly....and is intelligent enough to recognize what is the best/optimal way she can contribute to her team.

But she couldn’t do all that if she was denied the ball. Jefferson was quicker and had really long arms - very good at face guarding.

Anyway, like I said, we’ll never know...

 

[bballnut90]

I think some of these suggestions are colored by subsequent WNBA performance. Throw out your knowledge of their post-collegiate successes, and just focus on college. Here's the Wooden winners per year from 2010:
View attachment 49114


And here's the AP:

2010	Tina Charles[5]	Connecticut	C	Senior
2011	Maya Moore(2)[4]	Connecticut	F	Senior
2012	Brittney Griner[6]	Baylor	C	Junior
2013	Brittney Griner(2)[7]	Baylor	C	Senior
2014	Breanna Stewart[8]	Connecticut	F	Sophomore
2015	Breanna Stewart (2)[8]	Connecticut	F	Junior
2016	Breanna Stewart (3)[8]	Connecticut	F	Senior
2017	Kelsey Plum[9]	Washington	G	Senior
2018	A'ja Wilson[10]	South Carolina	F	Senior
2019	Megan Gustafson[11]	Iowa	C	Senior

Plum won both. Charles won both. Gustafson won once. Chiney won once. No Nneka. No EDD. Trust me, I'm the first to say that today, in 2019, I think EDD and Nneka are better players than Plum, Charles, Chiney, or Gustafson. But Chiney got POY and single-handedly carried Stanford to the Final Four with no other notable players on her team. Nneka had Kayla Pedersen, Jeannette Pohlen, and her sister. EDD had a statistically impressive collegiate career while beating no one of particular significance and having no memorable post-season success.

To me, the obvious candidates are Stewwie, Griner, Moore, and Wilson. Charles has a strong claim, although most of her success was technically in the prior decade. But all five were game-changers who led their teams to at least one championship. I would not put either Nneka or EDD in the first team, because they did neither, and they never won the POY award.

And in terms of guards, I'd pick Plum or Ionescu over Diggins. Plum carried her team essentially on her own to the Final Four in a program with absolutely no history of success or other notable players (Osahor was a one-trick pony who did that trick really, really well.) Ionescu is more or less the same, although she has a more talented cast around her. And Diggins never got POY or a championship, so she has no better claim on objective metrics than either of those two.

I thought Nneka was a better collegiate player than Chiney. Chiney's numbers were through the roof her last 2 years because she didn't have a super talented roster alongside her, but even though they made the Final Four her senior year I thought they caught a few massive breaks (playing at home in the Sweet 16, having their 1 seed lose in the Sweet 16) and just wasn't that impressed with Stanford as a whole. Stanford with Nneka there was a true title threat all 4 years, especially her last 3. Nneka was the standout on all 3 teams IMO, although you could argue Pohlen was in 2011. 2010 team only lost to UCONN, the 2011 squad was a heavy title contender and 2012 only lost to Baylor/UCONN.

Diggins completely revived Notre Dame's program and led them to being the premier 2nd best program of the decade. In 2011 the tournament run she had was remarkable when she torched both Tennessee and Connecticut, the only time both programs were defeated by the same team (and both teams were #1 seeds, no less). The next year a heavy upperclass ND team was a powerhouse and the #2 team in the nation most of the year, beating UCONN again 3x and making it to the title. Her senior year the program was expected to take a big dip with numerous graduations and I believe was #7 preseason. They went 35-2, only losing to UCONN in the Final Four and a Baylor led Griner team. They had no business beating UCONN three times or putting together that record back when the Big East was a powerhouse. Even though they never won the title with her there, she fully transformed ND into a powerhouse her final 2 seasons. Similar arguments could be made for Ionescu, but she's only reached 1 Final Four so far.

Plum never made Washington into a powerhouse. During her first year they didn't make the tourney. Sophomore year they lost in the first round as a 6 seed. Junior year made a Cinderellla run to the Final Four as a 7 seed. Senior year they were a 3 seed and made the Sweet 16.

And Plum didn't have as much talent surrounding her as a lot of others did, but the cupboard wasn't bare. Chantel Osahor was on the WBCA AA team as a senior. Diggins only played with another WBCA AA once, McBride in 2013. Plus, during their Final Four run, Osahor actually earned Regional MOP over Plum. (During all 3 of Notre Dame's Final Four runs with Diggins, she won the MOP award). Also, in the Sweet 16 game vs Kentucky, Talia Walton led them with 30 points, and in the Final Four game, Walton again led them with 29.

The Final Four run was impressive, but it wasn't Plum throwing the team on her shoulder and carrying them there like Jackie Stiles did in 2001, there were other players who made equivalent, if not superior contributions to Plum on the path there.

 

[bballnut90]

Never seen anybody "shut down" Sabrina. I've seen Oregon State guards slow her down, but not shut her down. And Jefferson at 5'6", as good of an on-ball defender as Moriah is, couldn't shut down Sabrina. Think you missed the point entirely.....Sabrina accounts for her team's points directly and indirectly....and is intelligent enough to recognize what is the best/optimal way she can contribute to her team.

I don't think anyone will ever shut her down since she's such a ball dominant player. It's easier to shut down a forward or center than a primary ball handler. Not fully shutting her down, but Baylor held Sabrina to 6-24 shooting in the Final Four last year which I think was the biggest reason why they held on to win.

 

[WestCoast]

I'd pick Sabrina over all guards in the last 10 years. Had the pleasure to see her play in person last weekend. Generational player for sure. Does everything, and does everything better than all guards I have watched, with maybe the exception of on-ball defense. Sabrina is responsible for most of the points Oregon produces via her ability to move the ball where it needs to be, either with a direct assist, or, perhaps starting the ball rotation; i.e., the first pass in a series of passes that gets the ball to the wide-open shot. Sabrina is a versatile scorer, and can score a number of different ways, 3-pointers, pull-up, at the rim, no weaknesses. I haven't seen a more complete guard in the women's game. Rebounding you say....she is one of the best. Solid "team" defender. Is always 1 or 2 clicks ahead of everyone on the court. Sees the play develop before everyone else. I know there will be disagreement, but, hey, I get to see her play a lot. And I'm an OSU Beaver fan, and have the pleasure to see Mikayla Pivec play in every OSU home game.

Ionescu is very skilled at avoiding fouls. You rarely see her in foul trouble. Her high basketball IQ has impressed upon her the fact that you can't lead your team (or accumulate stats) while sitting on the bench.

For those of us who have watched her play during the past month, does she look bothered by a quad or other leg injury? Some of her numbers are down, especially her field goal shooting percentage and scoring. She just looks to me like she is trying to play through an injury.

 

[FridaFriend]

First Team: Griner, Stewart, N. Ogwumike, Diggins, Jefferson
Second Team: A. Wilson, Collier, EDD, Loyd, Sims

Ionescu may be over-hyped. She has only taken her team to the final four once and not to a championship game. And she has had a good support group.

Skylar was a great guard and far beyond Ogunbowale, whom I replaced with Collier.

 

[LoTrader]

Ionescu is very skilled at avoiding fouls. You rarely see her in foul trouble. Her high basketball IQ has impressed upon her the fact that you can't lead your team (or accumulate stats) while sitting on the bench.

For those of us who have watched her play during the past month, does she look bothered by a quad or other leg injury? Some of her numbers are down, especially her field goal shooting percentage and scoring. She just looks to me like she is trying to play through an injury.

Last Saturday I watched her warm up for 45 minutes, and then the game. No appearance of injury. What I did notice is Sabrina seems to be more focused upon orchestrating vs scoring. She seems intent on getting everyone involved in the offense. I think Sabrina could score 40 points a night if that is what the team needed from Sabrina. But it is not, and, Oregon has many who can put the ball through the net.

 

[LoTrader]

First Team: Griner, Stewart, N. Ogwumike, Diggins, Jefferson
Second Team: A. Wilson, Collier, EDD, Loyd, Sims

Ionescu may be over-hyped. She has only taken her team to the final four once and not to a championship game. And she has had a good support group.

Skylar was a great guard and far beyond Ogunbowale, whom I replaced with Collier.

Why does making it beyond a F4 have such an impact in people's minds when speaking of individual players? Getting to a championship is a team accomplishment more than an individual accomplishment. Is Elena Delle Donne over-hyped? Did EDD win a NCAA Championship? I guess we shouldn't consider any player that didn't win a National Championship.

 

[j66kicker]

- Is Elena Delle Donne over-hyped? YES
- Did EDD win a NCAA Championship? NO
- I guess we shouldn't consider any player that didn't win a National Championship. That would be a quick and very valid way to narrow it down. You would certainly be starting with a very credible list.

(BTW I'm not a big Ted Williams fan either - heh heh)

 

[WestCoast]

Why does making it beyond a F4 have such an impact in people's minds when speaking of individual players? Getting to a championship is a team accomplishment more than an individual accomplishment.

LoTrader,
I consistently enjoy your posts and appreciate your support for the Oregon teams in the PAC-12. Keep it up!

One must only consider the Board's origins to quickly realize why a prerequisite for collegiate greatness by a player must include elevating one's team to the top. UConn fans have had a clear expectation during the past two decades that all great players should be able to elevate their respective teams to great heights, regardless of circumstance. UConn fans have lived that. A mere Final Four appearance isn't valued as highly as it is out west because UConn has been there for more than the entire current decade.

It is simply a different mindset that has been shaped as a result of supporting the most dominant program in women's collegiate basketball. UConn supporters have seen their star players sacrifice personal stats for team wins. Stats certainly help determine individual performance, but UConn fans have an expectation that the greatest players will have both the stats and the ultimate team success.

If Ionescu can lead a very talented Oregon squad (three likely Top 10 WNBA picks) to a national title in 2020, then she will merit more support to be on that All-Decade team based upon her other individual accomplishments and the ultimate team prize. That may be why you sense that she is passing more this season. We know that she hates to lose. She may be orchestrating more and asserting herself less on offense this season. The facts include that she isn't shooting as well from the field this season, so I thought that her November fall during a game may still be slowing her down a bit.