AP All Americans

[Kaizen]

A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell lead AP women's preseason All-America team.
Wilson is joined on the All-America team by Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell, Notre Dame's Brianna Turner, Baylor's Nina Davis and Washington's Kelsey Plum.

Wilson, Mitchell lead preseason AP All-Americans

 

[RockyMTblue2]

More bulletin board material.

 

[BroadwayVa]

A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell lead AP women's preseason All-America team.
Wilson is joined on the All-America team by Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell, Notre Dame's Brianna Turner, Baylor's Nina Davis and Washington's Kelsey Plum.

Wilson, Mitchell lead preseason AP All-Americans

I don't know about All Americans--(that's above my pay grade--I defer to a dozen or so true experts on the board.
But there are Two or 3 above I really like the way they play--Nina Davis leads the bunch.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I don't know about All Americans--(that's above my pay grade--I defer to a dozen or so true experts on the board.
But there are Two or 3 above I really like the way they play--Nina Davis leads the bunch.

Nina Davis plays hard and makes plays that someone of her size rarely makes. She also shows no bad attitude that I've ever seen. I like her as a player. I'm not sure about her prospects at the next level, but she is fun to watch and a very good WCBB player.

 

[Carnac]

I'd say they got this one right. That list is comprised of 5 of the best players in WCBB. I like all 5 of these ladies, ballers everyone of them. They deserve to be on that list. I predicted that Brianna Turner would be an AA by the end of her junior year the first time I saw her when she was a freshman. I was off a year. She made it her Sophomore year. A'ja Wilson and her will be high (top3) draft picks in the 2019 WNBA draft. They'll also be highly coveted by teams overseas.

Those two young ladies are going to make a considerable amount of $$$ after college, if they can remain heathy. Good BIGS are ALWAYS in demand, and ALWAYS in fashion. I know that ship has sailed long ago, but I sometimes think how sweet it would have been had Turner come to Storrs. I've always liked Turner. Now that she's completely healthy (after her off season shoulder surgery), I look for her to dominate her position the next two years.

 

[PacoSwede]

Nina Davis plays hard and makes plays that someone of her size rarely makes. She also shows no bad attitude that I've ever seen. I like her as a player. I'm not sure about her prospects at the next level, but she is fun to watch and a very good WCBB player.

Kinda like Gabby Williams.

I think it will be an interesting question as to who will outperform when the teams meet. .... Someone posted earlier their stats last year. Interestingly, based on per minute, Gabby's were superior. Davis is outstanding, so what is Williams?

Let's revisit the subject at the end of the season.

 

[Carnac]

Nina Davis plays hard and makes plays that someone of her size rarely makes. She also shows no bad attitude that I've ever seen. I like her as a player. I'm not sure about her prospects at the next level, but she is fun to watch and a very good WCBB player.

I like Nina Davis' chances for making a WNBA roster next year. Here's why: She's a household name, she's known in WCBB. She's a first team All American. That label alone garners recognition and respect across the country. It will also will get her drafted in the first round, because she's recognized as one of the 5 best players in the country. There will be players taken in the first round that were not AA's. She plays for a major D1 program, which means she played against the best players in WCBB. She's productive. She plays defense. She's a great teammate with out any of off court baggage.

She's a very good rebounder, despite her 5"11" size. She plays without an attitude. She's coachable. She's like Walt "Clyde" Frazier of the New York Knicks. She seldom changes her facial expression (also like Courtney Williams of USF/Connecticut Sun) during a game. She can help a team win some games. The San Antonio Stars would do well to take a real good long look at her. Depending on who comes out with her. She's very popular in southern Texas.

If a lights out shooter is available, I'd take the shooter, and hope that she was still available when I pick in the second round. Someone will take her. She'll be paid at the rookie wage scale. She'd be much more affordable that a veteran player with 3-5 years league tenure. Teams like to keep their payroll as small as possible. She'd be cheap help for the next 4 years. Next spring, she'll be on an WNBA team coming to an arena near you.

 

[bizarro aj]

I think AA should be selected by what they do against top 25 teams only. That's the only way to really judge how good they are. Lets face it they should be able to dominate against a team like uconn if they are an AA. We will see just how good these players are when they play against us this season.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

"It would be a lot of fun playing with those girls. I've been around them, played with and against them," Wilson said. "I guarantee we wouldn't lose a game."

The reality for some is an impossible dream for others.

 

[meyers7]

It's unbelievable. I came from being a little girl who didn't want to play the sport of basketball," the 6-foot-5 junior forward said

Wait, what? I thought she was a guard.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Nina Davis plays hard and makes plays that someone of her size rarely makes. She also shows no bad attitude that I've ever seen. I like her as a player. I'm not sure about her prospects at the next level, but she is fun to watch and a very good WCBB player.

You see what I see---Gabby and Nina may never have a big WNBA career (in my opinion they should)--it is fun to watch them do things they shouldn't be able to do for their size. It sounds like Nina and Gabby came from the same mold just nice hard working kids.

 

[UcMiami]

Nina Davis plays hard and makes plays that someone of her size rarely makes. She also shows no bad attitude that I've ever seen. I like her as a player. I'm not sure about her prospects at the next level, but she is fun to watch and a very good WCBB player.

I think that question will be answered during the course of this year. If she continues to make the plays that are easy for her which all occur within 10 feet of the basket, I would say her immediate prospects are not great - her speed/height advantage in the W will be greatly diminished as the W has a more taller fast forwards and wings. If she specifically works on extending her range especially in games where Baylor is in easy control her prospects for the next level will be enhanced.
This is one area where I think Kim is not strong in developing her players - she is too willing to let them be comfortable getting away with what works in college and not expanding their games. Griner being exhibit A.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think AA should be selected by what they do against top 25 teams only. That's the only way to really judge how good they are. Lets face it they should be able to dominate against a team like uconn if they are an AA.

Just a couple of problems with that approach:
1) The player don't get to pick the schedule. Plumb at Washington would get 1 or 2 games (against top 25) to prove herself.
2) If AA were determined by play against UCONN then Brianna Jones ( MD) and Marina Mabrey would have been POYs last year and Coates at USC & Mitchell (tOSU) would badly need their self esteem repaired and their games overhauled.
3) UCONN doesn't get to play UCONN so how would the UCONN players get a chance to prove themselves-unless you want to just go ahead and pencil them in to AA slots-Which I would be ok with BTW.
4) Everyone, even AA have an occasional bad games. Moriah Jefferson went scoreless against ND and Bria Hartley went 0-13 on three point shots attempts against MD in the SAME YEARs THEY WERE NAMED AA.

 

[triaddukefan]

More bulletin board material.

Yes plenty more bulletin board material for the Boneyard

 

[CocoHusky]

I think that question will be answered during the course of this year. If she continues to make the plays that are easy for her which all occur within 10 feet of the basket, I would say her immediate prospects are not great - her speed/height advantage in the W will be greatly diminished as the W has a more taller fast forwards and wings. If she specifically works on extending her range especially in games where Baylor is in easy control her prospects for the next level will be enhanced.
This is one area where I think Kim is not strong in developing her players - she is too willing to let them be comfortable getting away with what works in college and not expanding their games. Griner being exhibit A.

This (Davis being more perimeter oriented) is something that Kim should have started working on last year when she got two of the top post players in Brown and Monpremier. Davis is/has been very awkward on the perimeter as a shooter & defender. I also hope Geno is thinking along the same lines with Gabby's game-start this year. Right now gabby perimeter game as a defender is WNBA ready.

 

[easttexastrash]

This (Davis being more perimeter oriented) is something that Kim should have started working on last year when she got two of the top post players in Brown and Monpremier. Davis is/has been very awkward on the perimeter as a shooter & defender. I also hope Geno is thinking along the same lines with Gabby's game-start this year. Right now gabby perimeter game as a defender is WNBA ready.

Davis is a smart woman who knows what she needs to be doing to make herself ready for the next level. She also knows that coming into this season that Mulkey has four much taller players who are competing for time at the 4 and 5 position and that if she wants to maintain her playing time that she better have come back with a better outside shot. Mulkey cannot play Davis at the 3 if she can't hit outside shots...it's that simple. And, IMO, players are responsible for working on their shot by putting the time in outside of practice. Mulkey simply cannot put a player at the 3 position who has not put in the individual time to become a better shooter.

From what I saw from Cox in the exhibition, she is going to get a LOT of time at the 4. Her game is not flashy but it sure is fundamentally sound. She can rebound, block shots and finish around the rim and will end up being a big part of the offense.

Don't get me wrong, I love Davis and what she brings to the court but she is the one responsible for becoming a better shooter.