College Sports Madness Preseason All-Americans

[SCGamecock]

I think Walker-Kimbrough will end up being the best guard this season. Her game is so well rounded, very skilled offensively and a better than average defensive guard. A lot of the guards on that list are either/or.

 

[Ozimoto]

yes but I think tying the six freshman together with rope for a full week is a bit much.....

Now how did you hear about that?

 

[Ozimoto]

Well Brenda's response about The UConn (and I paraphrase) that it's easy to win with that much talent should be proof in her pudding this year. For her it should be an easy peasy cakewalk.

Yes, put up or shut up time for Ms. Intensity with the group she has. They certainly look good on paper. We'll see what she can do with them.

 

[JordyG]

Yes, put up or shut up time for Ms. Intensity with the group she has. They certainly look good on paper. We'll see what she can do with them.

Agreed. I also think the next four years are put up or shut up time for Walz, who is a nice guy really, and Mulkey who have also stockpiled fine young talent. As for Dawn, this I think (hope) is her year.

 

[Plebe]

Aja Wilson as POY???

I would take Brianna Turner ALL DAY LONG over her.

Maybe someone else will come along. I didn't expect any UCONN players except maybe Lou.

Wilson is currently the better offensive player, Turner the better defensive player, IMO.

 

[Plebe]

Muffet for coach of year? Pulleeze!!! She hasn't won a national championship in fifteen years. She's had great teams, but she didn't even make the FF last year. Probably better to give her a lifetime achievement award, perhaps for being a good coach who couldn't win the big one.

And no Napheesa? No KLS (who the second half of the season last year did far more than just jack up threes)? No Gabby Williams? Not one of them among the top twenty players in WBB?

Must be an April Fool's joke...in October!

I don't see McGraw as an unreasonable pick. To reach the championship game in 4 out of 5 seasons from 2011 and 2015 (and the semifinals in the other season) is truly amazing, I dare say the greatest run of success of any program without having a championship to show for it. They just happened to run into teams that outmatched them in 3 of those 5 deep postseason runs (Baylor in 2012 and UConn in 2014 and 2015), and the other two times they came up against teams that were red-hot at the right time (A&M in 2011 and UConn in 2013). Gene himself said, without hesitation (and in all modesty, ha), that Muffet is the second-best coach in the country. I actually would pick ND as my favorite to enter conference play ranked #1 in the country,

While there will be plenty of competition, this really oughta be Notre Dame's year with UConn in re-creation mode, ND has a senior point guard who is a four-year starter — a HUGE asset in the postseason. This is why I give ND the nod over Baylor in preseason expectations, because while both teams only lost one starter and major contributor, Baylor's loss of their assist-wiz PG and floor general will be harder to compensate for.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

This brings up a good point about COY. I believe that the coach of the year should be one who does the best with the least or exceeds the seasons expectations.

I think the notion of doing "more with less" is overrated. First of all it ignores how the coach had less in the first place. Recruiting is a critical facet of coaching. Good preparation of "in place" talent isn't enough if the said coach is a poor recruiter of talent. Good game time decisions cannot make up for recruitment failures.

Second, I believe it is far easier to take a team ranked in the 50th percentile on paper to the 80th percentile based on performance than it is to take a team from the 95th to the 99th percentile. Yet the former coach might be said to have accomplished more with less than the latter. It is also more difficult to maintain performance at the highest level than it is to achieve incremental improvements at lower levels. This second point is also known as the "Fear of Success." Coaches can exhaust themselves to become "King of the Mountain" to the point that they are either unwilling or unable to expend even more energy to remain there.

Third, "more with less" ignores the coach who does "more with more." "More with more" may be the true measure of a coach. It's one thing to motivate a team playing #1. Knocking off #1 can be the experience of a lifetime. Knocking off #1 means something. Knocking off #1 gets you mentioned on TV. Getting beat by #100 after you've knocked off #1? So what? Years from now to remember that you beat #1 is much more satisfying than knowing #100 beat you is dispiriting. It will forever remain a bullet point on your resume. That's motivating in and of itself. But being #1 is different. That's being a target. That makes you red-circled on the calendar of every opponent. That's tougher motivation. Win and nobody is surprised. You get little to no credit from others. That requires a special, different kind of dedication to maintain. Leading requires greater internal resources than those who chase. Leading requires the energy to overcome the unknowns of path finding that following doesn't.

Doing more with less isn't unimportant at all. Doing more with less is what gets one more. The greatest test, however, is what one does with that more. It's the ones who do more with more who become the transcendental

 

[Kibitzer]

And yet his "Huskies of Honor" banners are reserved for those who've been recognized as individuals.

. . . but only after achieving national All-American status and normally after graduation.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Katie Lou had an advantage Stewie didn't have, Geno said he didn't know how to get Stewie out of her funk, until she did herself in the NCAA. Stewie realized KLS was having the same doubts she wnt therough as a freshman, and had that dinner sit down with Katie Lou. Katie Lou found herself, and Uconn was ready to win their 4th in a row.

Did you see this in a TV ad for one of Geno's Bistro's ??

 

[Charliebball]

Now how did you hear about that?

a sophomore team mate who was locked in the gym told me................

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I don't know how I failed to see this thread until just now, but, whatever the reason was, I wish it had continued.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

I'm surprised Asia Durr didn't make it either. I think she is going to wind up being the best guard in the country if she isn't hurt.

 

[CBear01]

Just reading this thread for the first time, and tbh didn't even read every post. But it does not bother me that there are no *CT* Huskies on this list...just more fuel for Geno to use during the season. I do think Nurse or KLS should have been placed somewhere on the list, but ehhhhh who cares...if the freshmen of the year last season isn't on this list then it must already be flawed! Idk how KLS is chosen as the top of her class coming into college, one year in wins freshman of the year, then is just an "after thought" on a list like this. I think it's more of a "let's make way for some new names this year now that CT is out of the picture" kind of thing.

Then again, when has CT ever been out of the picture??

ALSO....I'm pretty sure GUNS Dangerfield will give Joyner a run for the money

 

[CocoHusky]

Just reading this thread for the first time, and tbh didn't even read every post. But it does not bother me that there are no *CT* Huskies on this list...just more fuel for Geno to use during the season. I do think Nurse or KLS should have been placed somewhere on the list, but ehhhhh who cares...if the freshmen of the year last season isn't on this list then it must already be flawed! Idk how KLS is chosen as the top of her class coming into college, one year in wins freshman of the year, then is just an "after thought" on a list like this. I think it's more of a "let's make way for some new names this year now that CT is out of the picture" kind of thing.
Then again, when has CT ever been out of the picture??
ALSO....I'm pretty sure GUNS Dangerfield will give Joyner a run for the money

I hear you and agree except that KLS was not freshmen of the year or AAC freshmen of the year. The National freshmen of the year was Kristine Anigwe (Cal) and the AAC freshmen of the year Kitija Laksa (USF).

 

[CBear01]

I hear you and agree except that KLS was not freshmen of the year or AAC freshmen of the year. The National freshmen of the year was Kristine Anigwe (Cal) and the AAC freshmen of the year Kitija Laksa (USF).

She was ESPNW national freshman of the year. Check it out at espnw.com

Kristine Anigwe didn't even have one vote in that distinction by ESPN. You can find all this online. You don't remember her getting that honor last season?

Now you can see why it doesn't make much sense to me that ESPN chooses KLS freshman of the year yet she's not even in top 20 on this generic ranking list. That's the point I was making

 

[triaddukefan]

She was ESPNW national freshman of the year. Check it out at espnw.com

Kristine Anigwe didn't even have one vote in that distinction by ESPN. You can find all this online. You don't remember her getting that honor last season?

Now you can see why it doesn't make much sense to me that ESPN chooses KLS freshman of the year yet she's not even in top 20 on this generic ranking list. That's the point I was making

How many people actually vote on that award ? 2 ? 3 ?

 

[CocoHusky]

How many people actually vote on that award ? 2 ? 3 ?

3: Charlie Creme, Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel.

 

[CocoHusky]

She was ESPNW national freshman of the year. Check it out at espnw.com
Kristine Anigwe didn't even have one vote in that distinction by ESPN. You can find all this online. You don't remember her getting that honor last season?

Now you can see why it doesn't make much sense to me that ESPN chooses KLS freshman of the year yet she's not even in top 20 on this generic ranking list. That's the point I was making

I did check out the article on ESPNw. ESPN had three people vote Charlie Creme, Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel for the awards. That would hardly make this a national award think about it. The "national" Freshmen of the year did not win the conference Freshmen of the year award. Also not sure where you are getting that "Kristine Anigwe didn't even have one vote".
The article that I read just named the winners, it said nothing about people receiving votes.
Stewart is espnW's player of the year
Jessica Shepard of Nebraska is not on the list either and she probably got more votes for National freshmen of the year than KLS did last year.

 

[CBear01]

How many people actually vote on that award ? 2 ? 3 ?

I think it's just 3, the head writers for ESPN the usual suspects lol. The front line the ones that generally choose the "3 to see" or something similar. I still don't think it's kosher to leave KLS off a list of four teams. She wouldn't go into a first team nor a second team in my opinion but I think someone did forget about her all together lol

 

[wallman]

You could argue the same about every list. An award is an award, doesn't really matter at the end of the day as every club will have their say. It's easier to see who the most talented players are regardless and KLS was one of them. With every conference you are going to get groups of coaches for example who will get together and manipulate where they can or some will value quantity over quality. MY test is would any of those players even be able to suit up for the top team in their conference, get quality minutes and start, then would any of them be able to suit up for the top team in the country?

I doubt either Anigwe or Shepard would be able to start on Uconn, Anigwe's problem as was exposed in PAC play, (this usually happens with players who have limited skills or IQ or both, as teams scout the bejesus for conference games), she could not pass the ball and was turnover prone and she was after all on a team that went 4-14 in PAC play and relied heavily on some good passing from Gabby Green who has now departed their building.

 

[CocoHusky]

MY test is would any of those players even be able to suit up for the top team in their conference, get quality minutes and start, then would any of them be able to suit up for the top team in the country? I doubt either Anigwe or Shepard would be able to start on UConn.... .

I like you test but are you talking about last year or this year? Top team in Pac 12 last year was Oregon State. OSU had a perfectly good center last year (Ruth Hamblin) so Anigwe could have easily started alongside Hamblin at F. Maryland won Big 10 & also had a good center (Brionna Jones) Shepard could have played F alongside Jones at Maryland. At UCONN last year not even Jesus Shuttlesworth would not have started ahead of Stewie and Morgan. On this years UCONN rosters both Anigwe or Shepard would be starters IMO, and they would be far better players. I'm not sure Cal will miss Gabby Green, her 31% shooting was crippling the team for 2 years.
Alos not sure how much you want to tout KLS as a UCONN starter, because both Collier and Gabby Williams were inserted into the UCONN starting lineup before KLS.

 

[wallman]

Seeing as you used the word tout, not sure why, but I would tout, that Anigwe would not have started over Williams or Collier as both have higher IQs. Anigwe would not have started on UCLA, so I definitely don't think she would have started at Oregon State as they also rely on passing the ball out to their 3 point shooters, which is one of the things she cannot do.

BTW, Cal will miss Greens passing.

 

[CBear01]

not sure how much you want to tout KLS as a UCONN starter, because both Collier and Gabby Williams were inserted into the UCONN starting lineup before KLS.

Good point. But Geno decided what worked the best that season and ended up leaving KLS in the starting lineup. Maybe he was sending her a message early on? Maybe she wasn't showing him she could play to her potential? Idk, and never will, but I'm anxious to see her in the starting lineup this season. And I think she will shine. Let's hope!

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I read the list and while it isn't perfect, I can't argue with many of the selections. It is debatable if KLS should have been included given she is coming off a broken foot. During the games I watched last year I saw a very, very talented basketball player but I'm not sure if she is Ann Strother 2.0 or the next Stewie. (BTW, Strother was a wonderful player who had a good shot and high BB IQ, but she was more Robin than Batman). Nurse is also very talented but would need to take a step up to be among the elite.

This year excites me because I honestly see for the first time in three years the possibility of at least four or five squads competing for the title, UConn being one of them. Once Stewart's switch flipped, the Huskies weren't losing another title under her watch. I am excited about the new season and am looking forward to seeing what each team has in store.