Cardoso to SC

[Boreifs]

The question has to be asked - Why can't Geno close the deal with talented Bigs who are interested in UConn? Geno lost Boston, Betts, now Cordosa. HUGE implications...

You can ask it. Not everyone has to.

 

[shiverz45]

You apparently are considering the conference and OOC schedule. Yes SCAR will have little difficulty this year with the SEC. But if you consider playing Baylor, Stamford, and UConn, SCAR at this point doesn't have the balance to win those games.

Was SC one of Cardoso’s finalist in her recruiting process? If so, curious as to what changed her mind this time when the SC roster will be the same as when she committed to Cuse besides the incoming SC frosh.

Cardoso was in SC top 3 or 4 and was suppose to visit. For some reason she committed to Syracuse before the visit occurred if I am not mistaken.

 

[cancontent]

Twin towers have seldom won championships on either the men or women’s side. Ironically, perhaps the most successful twin towers on the women’s side was the 6’4” Lobo and 6’7” Wolters. In contrast, SC won its one championship after one of its twin towers, Coates, went down, allowing for better spacing and guard play during the tournament.

No doubt SC will be better next year, but the main reason will be due to the improved play of their guards. Cardoso might mean no foul trouble or conditioning worries for SC, but I’m willing to bet the +/- when both Boston and Cardoso is on the floor will be less than when only one is on the floor.

On edit: I don’t think either UConn or SC was the best choice for Cardoso. Texas, LSU and Duke are all destinations where her presence would have made a greater impact for both the programs and herself.

Seldom may be true, but it's still possible. Baylor did it in 2019 with Brown (6'7") and Cox (6'4"). I don't know if Stanford's style could be considered a twin towers approach, but they won a title this year and their height was a big factor when they played SC.

It's too early to tell how things will play out with SC and the upcoming season. Who knows how Cardoso will be utilized in the offence? And Boston has been developing an outside shot, making some 3s this year. It will be fun to speculate though. The results of what teams do during the offseason are going to be interesting.

 

[rvwsleep]

The question has to be asked - Why can't Geno close the deal with talented Bigs who are interested in UConn? Geno lost Boston, Betts, now Cordosa. HUGE implications...

Out of a crowded field, this could be your most inaccurate post.
Betts wasn't going anywhere other than Stanford. She was never lost.

 

[Sifaka]

The question has to be asked - Why can't Geno close the deal with talented Bigs who are interested in UConn? Geno lost Boston, Betts, now Cordosa. HUGE implications...

These questions May Be asked:
1. Did Geno recruit Ms. Cardoso before she decided to enroll at Syracuse? Assumptions and speculations do not equate to evidence.
2. Did Geno attempt to recruit Ms. Cardoso when she entered the portal? Please provide objective facts to support your position. N.B. Repetition is not a valid substitute for objective facts.
3. Is there any truth to the rumor that Ms. Cardoso was offended by the unfortunately large number of UConn fans who persisted in calling her by names other than her own, e.g., CardoZo, CardosA, COrdosA?
4. Does the definition of "talented Bigs" include Liv, Ms. DeBerry, Ms. Edwards, Ms. Brady?

Please "close the deal" for us mere mortals.

 

[hoophuskee]

Several of the comments today regarding her skillset since she's announced her choice of SC are ALOT more critical than when it was rumored she was coming to uconn. That seems to be a pattern when recruits do not choose UConn.

I didn't see what you are saying though I skimmed through the pages.

With that said, if Stewie were to get traded to Ct Sun - there would be a natural discussion mostly of what she can do for the CT Sun, and not near as much as to how she can get stopped, right?

If she were to get traded to a rival in the East/in the Division , while the CT Sun were a threat to win it, then the discussion would naturally turn as to how to stop her, and not much as to highlighting her strengths, right? None of us are scouts or if there are - they are very very few, right?

Are you sure that wasn't being done here with Cardoso?

I mean they (Cardoso to UCONN vs Cardoso to SC) would have to be analyzed differently, right? Because if she were to come to UCONN- she is playing with superior guards, while now she is going to SC, she is going to play with superior post play, right? Because Geno is probably running a lot different offense than Dawn I'd expect. So as a result, there are different strengths and weaknesses/integration that can also be discussed.

 

[Happydad745]

Cordozo: Was she All-American? or a mention?

 

[Tonyc]

Im reading this thread and I have to wonder. We all knew coming into this season UConn SC and Stanford would be the top teams. Cardoso is a great catch for SC. I mentioned in a post a few days ago what effect would Cardoso have on recruiting and the recruits and roster players who are already here????? If she came to UConn would other players not come or leave? What about the disappointment of top players( and thats all Geno has) not getting the playtime they thought they were going to get. Hey KC is 6'7 and good and will get better and playing in a big line up sure is intimidating. Im sure glad DeBerry is here and glad Dorka are at UConn. Dont forget we're 6'5 6'5 6'4 6'2 and next season we add 6'4 and 6'2. We're alot better then some are giving us credit for. Just because we didnt get 6'7 doesnt mean we any less good they we were last week. Hey when Baylor had 6'8 we beat them twice. When we play SC next season it gonna be a great game. Remember guards win big games for top teams. Im not worried about what SC or Stanford has. My only concern is who UConn has and we will be much better this season then last season .

 

[Gamecockfan77]

You apparently are considering the conference and OOC schedule. Yes SCAR will have little difficulty this year with the SEC. But if you consider playing Baylor, Stamford, and UConn, SCAR at this point doesn't have the balance to win those games.

a much less deep in every respect South Carolina team had point blank looks to beat two of those teams last year.

Anyone recall playing SC when they had A’Ja Wilson and Alaina Coates? Pretty good bigs, yes? Did they win?

Yes.

 

[tchalla1]

I don't know what you were reading because I saw a lot of negative things about her in that thread and a lot of people said that we didn't need her and they didn't want her to come here.

Thank you. I heard a lot of criticism of her game as well. In the little poll here, I believe 36 percent of us said "NO" to her coming here, I being one of those...

 

[ThatCG1801]

So UConn, Auburn and Texas are all not in.

2021-2022 season will be only between UConn and South Carolina.

Kinda figured it would end up like this anyway. And LSU had such high hopes. As if.

 

[HuskylnSC]

The question has to be asked - Why can't Geno close the deal with talented Bigs who are interested in UConn? Geno lost Boston, Betts, now Cordosa. HUGE implications...

The ONLY implication here is that you are either a troll or you don't understand UConn recruiting, probably both. UConn recruits fewer of the top players than almost any other public university. and there are numbers of players in the top ten that do not get an offer from UConn.

 

[HuskylnSC]

a much less deep in every respect South Carolina team had point blank looks to beat two of those teams last year.

Yes.

Were they better after Coates was injured? Yes.

 

[hayman522]

Let’s see they were a put back from winning the NC. All their players return
They added the acc newcomer of the year
And they have a number of very highly
Regarded incoming freshmen
They certainly have some weaknesses
But to think South Carolina will not be an improved team and very very difficult to beat is imho not realistic

Thanks for stating what should be obvious. South Carolina is already a strong defensive team. Adding a 6'7" shot blocker to that mix makes them a scary defensive team.

 

[ThatCG1801]

If the SC fans are anything like the BY fans, are any of them wondering if Amihere, Saxton and/or Grissett are going to be sticking around to play backup for the rest of their SC careers?

Honestly? Not really worried about it. These girls are tight with each other. It's more about "team" than it is "individual."

 

[ConwayGmck]

Now the question raises how are minutes spread around?
When I wrote my thoughts above Cardosa had chosen Syracuse OVER UCONN, UCONN was in the original mix, but SoCar now has Boston their best player having to deal with 6'7" Cardoso!
Remember SoCar had Wilson and Coates getting in each others way in the lane until Coates graduated could Wilson shine!
IMHO I bet the ranch that Geno got some negative feedback from his players and/or his recruits!

Actually, I don't remember that being a thing, at all.

Alaina Coates:
13-14: 34 gm, 1 st, .612%, 12.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg
14-15: 36 gms, 5 sts, .562%, 11.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg
15-16: 35 gms, 33 sts, .644%, 12.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg
16-17: 28 gms, 27 sts, .670%, 12.9 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 1.4 bpg
17-18: N/A


A'ja Wilson:
13-14: N/A
14-15: 37 gms, 1 st, .538%, 13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 bpg
15-16: 33 gms, 32 sts, .531%, 16.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.1 bpg
16-17: 35 gms, 35 sts, .588%, 17.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.6 bpg
17-18: 33 gms, 29 sts, .542%, 22.6 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 3.2 bpg

Both players actually complimented each other, not got in each other's way. They both each improved with each successive season. Wilson is the program-leading career scorer (Coates is 11th), and shot-blocker (Coates is tied for 2nd with Kiki Herbert-Harrigan), while Coates is the #2 career rebounder (Wilson is 3rd) and #1 career field goal shooter (Wilson is 5th). Wilson is 2nd all-time at USC in double-doubles, while Coates is 3rd. One could argue that Wilson and Coates were in the top 5 all time players for South Carolina, and they both played together. How is that getting in each other's way??

Wilson had her big jump her senior year offensively not so much because Coates was out of her way, but moreso because Coates as well as Kaela Davis and Alisha Grey had all graduated, and they were 3 of the team's top 4 scorers the previous season. Wilson HAD to shoulder more of a scoring load as a result. Also lost a dbl-digit rebounder in Coates, and Grey was no slouch around 5.0+ rpg herself.....

 

[ocoandasoc]

SEC continues to get stronger..

Well, SC continues to get stronger. Every other team in the SEC will be vying for second place next season.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Anyone that has watch Raven play knows that she is exactly what SCar needed in the back court. The minute she takes the court for Dawn she'll be the best passer on the team and the most consistent shooter. Although her size is a disadvantage her speed and savvy make up for it. Now, I've said that Feagin and Rivers are more of the same: Highly athletic and poor shooters and passers. But Johnson is the real deal and is a difference maker.

if Rivers is the best shooter on the team...

Seldom may be true, but it's still possible. Baylor did it in 2019 with Brown (6'7") and Cox (6'4"). I don't know if Stanford's style could be considered a twin towers approach, but they won a title this year and their height was a big factor when they played SC.

It's too early to tell how things will play out with SC and the upcoming season. Who knows how Cardoso will be utilized in the offence? And Boston has been developing an outside shot, making some 3s this year. It will be fun to speculate though. The results of what teams do during the offseason are going to be interesting.

I think the bigger factor was actually not being able to match up with Stanford going small.

after Grissette Injury, SC didn't have enough wings to move Beal down to 4 and Haley Jones torched our 4s.

Stanford did hold down our interior scoring and nearly broke even on boards though and that was big too. I just think they were deeper in the end.

 

[hayman522]

Disaster. No way to sugar-coat this. Cardosa would have provided the 1 element that Geno has been missing the last several years without a Title - a Big that provides consistent defense pressure, a rim protector & can score in multiple ways including posting up. You can't coach 6'7" defensive players of the years who can score - and she has 4 years of eligibility to make it worse.

SC was basically a missed lapup at the buzzer to win the Title last year. Now, you add Cardosa & a Top 2 recruiting class to a very talented & physical team that has Boston.

Yes, UConn gets Azzi & some potential shooters coming in. But again, the team is NOT balanced. Too much finesse, perimeter players & not enough Bigs & defensive presence.

SC has to be the Favorite next year.

I wonder if Dorka had anything to do w/Cordosa's decision?? In any event, the "Portal" rules may have just sunk Geno. I'm afraid it could be more but no Titles for UConn for years to come.

I tend to agree that the teams will be closely matched. However in a close game having closers like Paige and Azzi I feel is a major advantage. Those two will be as close to unstoppable as you can get scoring with the game on the line.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Were they better after Coates was injured? Yes.

I don't actually think they were. I'm at least not sure that they were.

I don't think they'd have any trouble beating anyone they faced in tournament with Coates.

the issue with those teams was never that the interior players were so good. It was that the perimeter was weak. And that was fixed on that team and that would have shown regardless.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I tend to agree that the teams will be closely matched. However in a close game having closers like Paige and Azzi I feel is a major advantage. Those two will be as close to unstoppable as you can get scoring with the game on the line.

Very possibly true.

We will see.

 

[HuskylnSC]

And I believe that the best transfer prospect in transfer portal was and is Cardoso…as she will have immediate impact….Dorka is in top 5 ….on another lesser team Cardoso would not have had same winning impact but with the deep talent of SC she will….
And the news 0f Cardoso’s transfer to SC felt like being hit by a two by four….
And I mentioned this before she is bit Griner like with real potential upside

SCAR had the dominant post game in every game they played. Because you are adding a potentially dominant post to a team with a better post already in place mitigates the increase from Cardoso. If you added Cardoso to a team without a strong post presence, then she would have a winning impact. In short SCAR would have won around 30 games this year. Now that they have added Cardoso, how many games will they win? Around 30, so she gives little impact to the success of the team.

 

[BobbyJ]

The question has to be asked - Why can't Geno close the deal with talented Bigs who are interested in UConn? Geno lost Boston, Betts, now Cordosa. HUGE implications...

You can't lose what you never had. What should GA have done, put a gun to their head? Thanks for another laugh.

 

[DeeHusky]

Did not expect this at all considering the fact that it doesn’t get much better than Boston as far as bigs are concerned. I thought Auburn or Texas or Kentucky. Never thought she’d come to UConn. For Dawn to be a guard, she love bigs and always run her teams through the paint first. There will nothing available inside for opposing teams because Cardoso is really light on the feet. She is one of the fastest bigs from end to end I have seen especially for a 6’7 girl. Her and Boston together on defense will be tough.

And if Cooke can play all season like she did in the tournament and Henderson improves they can be better shooters than we think. I also like their lone freshman from this season Eniya Russell, I think this team will be good. Plus all the freshman they have coming in. Loaded.

UConn & South Carolina are the teams to beat.

please don’t let Stanford win another one

 

[ConwayGmck]

Were they better after Coates was injured? Yes.

There's no way to truly quantify that. They were a different team after Coates was lost, and had to adjust their style of play. They had some depth to cover for Coates' absence, in 6-2 Herbert-Harrigan and 6-2 Davis could also provide support, while Wilson was basically our 5 the rest of the way. But there's no way at all one can say that South Carolina would NOT have won the title that season WITH Coates in the lineup.....

 

[Carnac]

Hope we have a killer non-conference schedule because UConn will need to be seriously battle-hardened to do what we all want to see. The challenge just got way more difficult.

And don’t forget, SC is a “regular” on UConn’s non conference schedule. We’ll get to see those twin towers up close and personal this year. A good game to see where you are versus other elite teams.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Cardoso was in SC top 3 or 4 and was suppose to visit. For some reason she committed to Syracuse before the visit occurred if I am not mistaken.

She visited SCAR on 10/25 and committed to Cuse on 11/6. SCAR was her last visit

 

[HuskylnSC]

there's no way at all one can say that South Carolina would NOT have won the title that season WITH Coates in the lineup.....

perhaps but you cannot deny losing Coates did NOT hurt the team.

 

[Adios]

Don't we have a "WNBA team", as it is? Very deep roster.

 

[jazz]

This gives Staley flexibility to match up with any opposing line-up. There are other teams across the country that can play multiple solid BIGS on the floor at the same time, or, in a rotation. Great move on Staley's part, don't see a downside.

It is still a long ways off but at this point, I'm thinking we can beat them but GA will need to outcoach Staley.