Canadian training camp includes Aaliyah

[Alydar]

Maybe, I had us a 1/2 in the country but not I think we'll be in the 10-15 range.

I once read a story with a character named "chicken little".

 

[Cuango]

Competing with LSU? They are the defending national champions and we lost in the sweet sixteen. They have a first team all American and I’m not sure we can match up in the front or back court with their adds of Hailey Van Lith AND Williams to Johnson. They are a super team and we are a sweet sixteen team with an elite eight ceiling imo.

We have wayyyyyyy different views on this! If all our players are fully healthy (there’s no reason they shouldn’t all be healthy by Nov-Dec at the very latest) there is no team in the country with more or even as much, talent as UConn. We have, at the very least, one of the top three coaching staffs in the country, top facilities, top fan base, and a tradition of being the best or one of the best teams in the country! Can you point out how many weeks in the last say…20 years, we have been out of the top 10? This team has more talent than all but a select few UConn teams of the past twenty five to thirty years and yet you believe we will be the thirteenth best team in the country?

 

[hoopsnloops32]

We have wayyyyyyy different views on this! If all our players are fully healthy (there’s no reason they shouldn’t all be healthy by Nov-Dec at the very latest) there is no team in the country with more or even as much, talent as UConn. We have, at the very least, one of the top three coaching staffs in the country, top facilities, top fan base, and a tradition of being the best or one of the best teams in the country! Can you point out how many weeks in the last say…20 years, we have been out of the top 10? This team has more talent than all but a select few UConn teams of the past twenty five to thirty years and yet you believe we will be the thirteenth best team in the country?

I’m just saying based, on last year, they have a lot to prove. LSU? Not a lot to prove and they’ve gotten better where as we lost Lou, who was arguably our best player most of the year.

 

[cancontent]

I’m just saying based, on last year, they have a lot to prove. LSU? Not a lot to prove and they’ve gotten better where as we lost Lou, who was arguably our best player most of the year.

Remind me, did she end up being an All-American last season?

 

[HuskyNan]

This is not (yet another) LSU thread

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Remind me, did she end up being an All-American last season?

Lou? Yes she was, an honorable mention. I’m also not sure what a popularity contest has to do with the importance she played on to the team though.

 

[cancontent]

Lou? Yes she was, an honorable mention. I’m also not sure what a popularity contest has to do with the importance she played on to the team though.

You seriously have be trolling at this point. Aaliyah was a third team selection, earning more votes from the press than Lou did.

Boston, Clark headline women's AP All-America team

Aliyah Boston of South Carolina is just the 10th player to be named a first-team AP All-American for a third time.

apnews.com

You're arguing that Lou was the most important player for UConn where voters saw it otherwise is my point. She was a major contributor to UConn this year but it doesn't take away from what players like Aaliyah and Nika, etc. contributed which was just as important.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

You seriously have be trolling at this point. Aaliyah was a third team selection, earning more votes from the press than Lou did.

Boston, Clark headline women's AP All-America team

Aliyah Boston of South Carolina is just the 10th player to be named a first-team AP All-American for a third time.

apnews.com

You're arguing that Lou was the most important player for UConn where voters saw it otherwise is my point. She was a major contributor to UConn this year but it doesn't take away from what players like Aaliyah and Nika, etc. contributed which was just as important.

I said she was arguably the most important/best player for the team. Is that so crazy to say of the second leading scorer (by less than a point)? It’s perfectly valid to hold a different opinion
And think Nika\Aaliyah\Dorka whoever were our best players last year. I wouldn’t consider someone who disagrees with me trolling. It’s not like I claimed Ines was our best player.

It’s not down playing Aaliyah or Nika to say the team is going to really be impacted by the loss of Lou this year considering how important she was last year. I happen to think losing someone who was the number 5 draft pick is a big loss and that she might have been out best player last year until she got hurt. I’m concerned we are losing two of our best players on a team that was borderline top ten most of the year and didn’t it make it out of the sweet sixteen. No I am not automatically put them in the top 5 in the country until I see them play some games.

 

[cancontent]

I said she was arguably the most important/best player for the team. Is that so crazy to say of the second leading scorer (by less than a point)? It’s perfectly valid to hold a different opinion
And think Nika\Aaliyah\Dorka whoever were our best players last year. I wouldn’t consider someone who disagrees with me trolling. It’s not like I claimed Ines was our best player.

It’s not down playing Aaliyah or Nika to say the team is going to really be impacted by the loss of Lou this year considering how important she was last year. I happen to think losing someone who was the number 5 draft pick is a big loss and that she might have been out best player last year until she got hurt. I’m concerned we are losing two of our best players on a team that was borderline top ten most of the year and didn’t it make it out of the sweet sixteen. No I am not automatically put them in the top 5 in the country until I see them play some games.

Losing Lou and Dorka are losses however your "sky is falling" panic and logic as to why hasn't made any sense. For example, "everyone improved" last season is a hard one to understand when there were threads about players not progressing from their freshman to sophomore seasons.

Or your rationale that Aaliyah spending time with the Olympic team and Canada Basketball is detrimental by using situation that happened 2 years ago while overlooking what happened last season and what she accomplished.

And yes I believe it's downplaying Aaliyah and Nika, especially considering Aaliyah was the most durable player in the roster and helped carry the team in some spots just as much as Lou did. Or Nika's ability to find team mates which helped her break a long held record for the UConn program.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Losing Lou and Dorka are losses however your "sky is falling" panic and logic as to why hasn't made any sense. For example, "everyone improved" last season is a hard one to understand when there were threads about players not progressing from their freshman to sophomore seasons.

Or your rationale that Aaliyah spending time with the Olympic team and Canada Basketball is detrimental by using situation that happened 2 years ago while overlooking what happened last season and what she accomplished.

And yes I believe it's downplaying Aaliyah and Nika, especially considering Aaliyah was the most durable player in the roster and helped carry the team in some spots just as much as Lou did. Or Nika's ability to find team mates which helped her break a long held record for the UConn program.

How is saying the team is going to be 10-15 range, same as they were last year, sky is falling panic? I’m not paniced- that’s quite good! I’m excited to watch them I just don’t think there is enough there to warrant jumping them so much higher without having seen them play. Not being a top five team isn’t the end of the world, they’ll still be fun to watch.

If you think calling someone the best player on a team is downplaying all the other players on the team that’s fine. I just hope that is a consistent take and not just a cherry picked argument for this discussion.

 

[hoophuskee]

cam /. awhom or anyone else --

I'm 100% fine with any player that wants to do whatever for the summer in terms of playing/ traveling etc. Great for them. I hate/despise 3 on 3 as well but if they want to do it- greag great great.

But I'd like your opinions and anyone else about that year when Edwards was so bad leading into her soph year. She was the last or 2nd to the last player chosen, correct? And didn't Canada have a lot of posts 4/5's on the team or the 4'5's were the top players?

I somehow remmber that even though the Coach applauded Edwards as a tremendous rebounder in which I remember a quote she made to this effect, not only didn't Edwards get many minutes- she got an extremely short amount of minutes, but wasn't she also being played at SF in both practices and in games? Thus she was playing out of postion for what UCONN plays her for?
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For hoopsinloops -- please just stop.

 

[cancontent]

cam /. awhom or anyone else --

I'm 100% fine with any player that wants to do whatever for the summer in terms of playing/ traveling etc. Great for them. I hate/despise 3 on 3 as well but if they want to do it- greag great great.

But I'd like your opinions and anyone else about that year when Edwards was so bad leading into her soph year. She was the last or 2nd to the last player chosen, correct? And didn't Canada have a lot of posts 4/5's on the team or the 4'5's were the top players?

I somehow remmber that even though the Coach applauded Edwards as a tremendous rebounder in which I remember a quote she made to this effect, not only didn't Edwards get many minutes- she got an extremely short amount of minutes, but wasn't she also being played at SF in both practices and in games? Thus she was playing out of postion for what UCONN plays her for?
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For hoopsinloops -- please just stop.

I hope I'm understanding your question with the answers I'm providing. If not, please let me know.

1). Yes, she was one of the last players added to the Olympics roster and there was a dearth of players at the 4/5 position that year (Achonwa, Ayim, Amihere, Raynock-Enukiwe (sic?), and Alexander). Top players is a tough one to answer. Some fans think some players were deferred to more because it was their final tour with Canada Basketball but who really knows for sure?

2). Yes she was being played at SF, however this is where some Canada Basketball fans were perplexed, including myself considering how she was utilized prior to the Olympics at qualifying events. She got more playing time at that positiong during those events, but something changed prior to the Olympics which was noticed during the AmeriCup event. Personally it didn't make sense then and it doesn't to this date.

3). Lastly, the coaching staff for Canada Basketball now is different from the group that was in place for the last decade and change. The style is different than before as seen during the World Cup where Canada had their best showing in a very very long time. It's too soon to say how Aaliyah will be utilized. This Friday's exhibition match with Japan will provide better insight.

 

[HuskyNan]

Enough with the bickering. Take it to PM

 

[Geew1992]

 

[FormerCTrez]

Yes definitely. I hate players playing for USA basketball, I am quite happy to see no one going out for a team on the current roster.

@hoopsnloops32, hate is such a strong word, but anyhow, you’re free to voice/state your opinion. Stay healthy!!

 

[DEpup]

This is what I worry about. I feel like her national team wants to turn her into a SF for their purposes and then it messes with her head when we want her to be a physical PF.

 

[Geew1992]

This is what I worry about. I feel like her national team wants to turn her into a SF for their purposes and then it messes with her head when we want her to be a physical PF.

I don’t know what you’d say that. From my understanding before she came to uconn she was shooting 3s. Also, did you have that same question about tuck?

 

[DEpup]

I think I'd feel better if I saw Aaliyah taking 3s in practice if she was in UConn clothing with CD, Jamelle, Geno, and Morgan V watching. Then I would feel like it was part of the master plan and properly put in context with her down low and budding mid range games.

 

[cancontent]

I think I'd feel better if I saw Aaliyah taking 3s in practice if she was in UConn clothing with CD, Jamelle, Geno, and Morgan V watching. Then I would feel like it was part of the master plan and properly put in context with her down low and budding mid range games.

And what if that is part of their off-season plan? Just because she's wearing Canadian colours doesn't mean UConn's coaching staff didn't have this as part of her off-season development. No different than improving her outside shooting last summer if you ask me.

She's going to need that skill for the WNBA. Look at Napheesa and her work on adding it to her game this year. Doesn't hurt to get a head start where possible.

 

[cancontent]

It's not about media attention, voice, etc. Was she a key cog to the team? Yes. Arguably the best on the roster last season? Debatable, as her contributions differed from what others provided. That's my bone of contention considering what Aaliyah was able to accomplish last season. UConn wouldn't have had the season they had without each other.