Look, I have no bias toward Angel. She’s a phenomenal talent. But she played against one ranked team all year and against the player who she was trying to beat out for POY. Aliyah DOMINATED her. Angel scored 6 of her points in the last couple of minutes of the game. Aliyah took her on 1 on 1 several times and Angel could only pass the ball out. Games aren’t won on stats. They are won by players. Aliyah has lead her team to an undefeated season, which includes wins over Stanford, UConn, Maryland, UCLA and a 20 pt win over LSU. LSU had 2 first team All SEC players plus the SEC Freshman of the year on their team. SC also had 2 All-SEC playesr. Both teams are talented, but if you think S.C. would be where they are without Aliyah you are wrong.
For the record, I have zero issues with Boston winning it. She is the best player in the country IMO but doesn't have to carry the load significantly every week as she is surrounded by outstanding talents and a bench just as talented. That is what makes SC almost impossible to beat, they have too many weapons to choose from. There is almost if not no drop off when the bench comes in as the intensity and talent is pretty much the same. LSU is thinner than a sheet of paper and is reliant on select people to run the team through this year so Reese and Morris obviously got significantly more looks as the freshmen (Flaujae and Sa'Myah) were being brought along.
Dang. You think we could have beat Tennessee, Ole Miss, Georgia x2, MSU, SDSU, without Aliyah? Because those aren’t top teams. Would Reese have had the gaudy stats if her team had played our schedule? Would they only have 1 loss? Did you watch the defensive clinic Aliyah put on Reese when we played them?
I understand where you are coming from. We do have a bench and use it. Kim doesn’t have much so doesn’t. It’s not apples to apples here. Aliyah doesn’t have much chance to put up gaudy numbers this year because as soon as the game is in hand Dawn pulls her out. But I’ll say it again - POY shouldn’t be a stat thing. Minutes are different, roles are different, positions are different, teams are different. We didn’t lose a game in the conference. The biggest difference in the close games was Aliyah. When we played LSU in the matchup between Aliyah and Angel, Aliyah shut her down. Time after time Angel got the ball and couldn’t do anything with it. Take Aliyah off our team and we aren’t undefeated. It was close. Had Angel won, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
I found Mark Packer's account!The ACC media is on something. Coach of the Year??
Ivey took a team that was preseason Top 10, and finished the regular season in the Top 10. Lawson took a team that was picked 7th in the ACC..... off of the radar in the preseason voting and led them to a Top 12/13 finish in the final regular season poll ND finished one game ahead in the standings, had a MUCH easier conference schedule than Duke. Duke was in the pod with State, Chapel Hill, and VPI. ND shared a pod with Boston College, Pitt, and Syracuse. Duke beat ND in South Bend, and ND went 0-3 vs the Triangle schools.
I can understand -- well, to some degree -- your reaction. Personally, I would've been fine with either winning the award. However, a lot of the voters enjoyed drinking the Kool-Aid because the voting looked like this:The ACC media is on something. Coach of the Year??
Ivey took a team that was preseason Top 10, and finished the regular season in the Top 10. Lawson took a team that was picked 7th in the ACC..... off of the radar in the preseason voting and led them to a Top 12/13 finish in the final regular season poll ND finished one game ahead in the standings, had a MUCH easier conference schedule than Duke. Duke was in the pod with State, Chapel Hill, and VPI. ND shared a pod with Boston College, Pitt, and Syracuse. Duke beat ND in South Bend, and ND went 0-3 vs the Triangle schools.
) ahead in offense. That could be noted.| ACC | Pac-12 | SEC | Big Ten |
| Elizabeth Kitley, Sr., C, Virginia Tech | Haley Jones | Angel Reese | MAKIRA COOK, Illinois |
| Olivia Miles, So., G, Notre Dame | Cameron Brink | Aliyah Boston | Grace Berger, Indiana |
| Ta’Niya Latson, Fr., G, Florida State | Gianna Kneepkens | Angel Baker | MACKENZIE HOLMES, Indiana |
| Hailey Van Lith, Jr., G, Louisville | Rayah Marshall | Jordan Horston | CAITLIN CLARK, Iowa |
| Georgia Amoore, Jr., G, Virginia Tech | Endyia Rogers | Alexis Morris | DIAMOND MILLER, Maryland |
| Celeste Taylor, Sr., G, Duke | Kadi Sissoko | Zia Cooke | Leigha Brown, Michigan |
| Dyaisha Fair, Sr., G, Syracuse | Jaylyn Sherrod | Rickea Jackson | Emily Kiser, Michigan |
| Deja Kelly, Jr., G, North Carolina | Charlisse Leger-Walker | Brittany Davis | Jaz Shelley, Nebraska |
| Sonia Citron, So., G, Notre Dame | Charisma Osborne | Diamond Battles | Taylor Mikesell, Ohio State |
| Alyssa Ustby, Jr., G, North Carolina | Alissa Pili | Kamilla Cardoso | MONIKA CZINANO, Iowa |
I would pick the SEC team barely.
The SEC has way more size and athleticism. The Big Ten has the shooters. It would be hard for the other conference to deal with Boston, Reese, and Cardoso in the frontcourt. Rickea Jackson would be a matchup nightmare on the wing. I can almost guarantee half of the SEC's roster will be high first round picks. You can't say that about the other conference's roster.
I can understand -- well, to some degree -- your reaction. Personally, I would've been fine with either winning the award. However, a lot of the voters enjoyed drinking the Kool-Aid because the voting looked like this:
- Niele Ivey, Notre Dame 211
- Kara Lawson, Duke 142
- Kenny Brooks, Virginia Tech 137
So, why? A few points, some of which based on your points, some others.
- I read a piece in Her Hoop Stats that said Duke finished five spots higher in the ACC than the Blue Ribbon panel predicted in the beginning of the year, while ND finished four spots ahead. Well, both over-performed. Maybe many took into account the season-ending injury to Dara Mabrey.
- Lawson has pulled this collection of home growns and transfers and turned them into a defensive juggernaut. Offense, not so much. Yes, the beat ND the first time, but I think a second go-round would be very interesting. ND, btw, is right behind Duke in ACC defense and miles (no pun initially intended
- Don't forget the other team in ND's pod: Louisville, whom ND hadn't beaten in years. That sweep - no matter how close - might've helped Ivey.
- Lastly -- primarily because I need dessert -- is that Coach Ivey coaches Olivia Miles and that's the offensive show to watch if you like downhill offenses. (It's fun!)
Congrats to Celeste Taylor on her Defensive Player of the Year award and First-Team All-ACC designation. Liked her at Long Island Lutheran and like her now.
Give me the SEC. If those bricks are flying one of the big girls from the SEC would snag it and bank it in. it’s the SEC way.
Seriously, there are guards in the SEC who can fill it up from outside. Lemme tell you, Angel Reese would be licking her fingers at that matchup and to be a part of that team.
SEC all day babeeee.
Sonia Citron is the "REAL DEAL" and many many schools (Including UCONN) missed the boat BADLY, by not recruiting her hard.
Brick-laying convention? Duke ranks 188 in scoring offense and 117 in FG%. Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Syracuse would fit right in with the bottom of the SEC.
I really like her, she a real utility player that can do it all. I remember her playing on Team USA with a few bigger named players and being the most impressed with her performance.
Brick-laying convention? Duke ranks 188 in scoring offense and 117 in FG%. Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Syracuse would fit right in with the bottom of the SEC.
North Carolina 45
Duke 41
Virgina Tech 61
Duke 45
Couldn’t agree with you more!The ACC media is on something. Coach of the Year??
Ivey took a team that was preseason Top 10, and finished the regular season in the Top 10. Lawson took a team that was picked 7th in the ACC..... off of the radar in the preseason voting and led them to a Top 12/13 finish in the final regular season poll ND finished one game ahead in the standings, had a MUCH easier conference schedule than Duke. Duke was in the pod with State, Chapel Hill, and VPI. ND shared a pod with Boston College, Pitt, and Syracuse. Duke beat ND in South Bend, and ND went 0-3 vs the Triangle schools.
She didn’t redshirt, she injured her foot and missed 14 games, but was not out for the remainder of that season.
