Congrats to Kia Nurse! - Named a WNBA All-Star Game Starter

[Jackalope]

See this article for info:

EDD, A'ja Wilson Named WNBA All-Star Captains - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA

NEW YORK, July 11, 2019 – The Washington Mystics’ Elena Delle Donne and the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson lead the list of 10 players – four guards and six frontcourt players from across the WNBA – who were selected by fans, current WNBA players and media to start in AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019. AT&T […]

www.wnba.com

Naphessa got plenty of fan love also!

Some questions / comments:

Where is Tina Charles? Having an off year for her, but she should still be getting some traction.

Compare the rankings / scores between Fan / Media / Players. Interesting to see who goes where.

Not of lot of guards making the list....

 

[Kaizen]

 

[Carnac]

See this article for info:

EDD, A'ja Wilson Named WNBA All-Star Captains - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA

NEW YORK, July 11, 2019 – The Washington Mystics’ Elena Delle Donne and the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson lead the list of 10 players – four guards and six frontcourt players from across the WNBA – who were selected by fans, current WNBA players and media to start in AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019. AT&T […]

www.wnba.com

Naphessa got plenty of fan love also!

Some questions / comments:

Where is Tina Charles? Having an off year for her, but she should still be getting some traction.

Compare the rankings / scores between Fan / Media / Players. Interesting to see who goes where.

Not of lot of guards making the list....

Collier received 19,005 votes, good for 4th place in the voting (Nurse 13,374). The Fans accounted for 50 percent of the vote to determine the starters for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019, while current WNBA players and a media panel accounted for 25 percent each.

Here's that UConn pedigree raising it's beautiful head again. Congratulations to both of them. Kia became a starter this year, and has been steady so far. This serves as a precursor as to how good BOTH of these young ladies will be in the years to come.

Collier voted an ALL-STAR in her rookie year. That's hard to do. I love it! Other rookies like Brianna Turner (Notre Dame/Phoenix) can barely get off the bench. Not picking/hating on Turner, I still like her. Just using her for illustration purposes. Potential UConn recruits, please take note.

 

[Bigboote]

I don't get the love affair with Loyd. She's fun to watch, but there are several guards I think are playing better than she.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Can't think of anyone who has worked harder or is more deserving than Kia. Super news.

 

[Sonny44]

Wow wow wow! Has she ever grown!

 

[Geew1992]

I don't get the love affair with Loyd. She's fun to watch, but there are several guards I think are playing better than she.

I questioned Loyd too. Especially cuz she’s injured

 

[Woof 101]

Congrats to Kia, the thousand watt smile just made another mile---stone. One of my favorites I think many, not all, under estimated just how much she did in her time at UCONN. A little over shadowed by the big scorers getting the notoriety but always playing hard nosed within the system.
Having met her a few times, her personality is as great as her game. Could not be happier for her.

 

[eebmg]

Okay, so Kia was below top 10 (16th ) in fan voting so she must have excelled in coaching / media votes

while Naphessa was the opposite (4 wow) which is understandable for a rookie who had surprised to be sure in many intangibles but has a lot of room for improvement,

 

[Bigboote]

Okay, so Kia was below top 10 (16th ) in fan voting so she must have excelled in coaching / media votes

while Naphessa was the opposite (4 wow) which is understandable for a rookie who had surprised to be sure in many intangibles but has a lot of room for improvement,

From the article linked in the OP, she was 4th among guards in fan voting, 6th in media, and 3rd in players'.

 

[eebmg]

From the article linked in the OP, she was 4th among guards in fan voting, 6th in media, and 3rd in players'.

Being 3rd in player voting for the guard position is really impressive. Kia being only a second year player has probably not built up enough peer friendship to the point that players would vote out of friendship. A true merit vote.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I don't get the love affair with Loyd. She's fun to watch, but there are several guards I think are playing better than she.

Last I looked, Jewell was shooting 38.7% and 30.4% from the arc. (Kia is at 41.2% and 35.8% and 7th in the whole league in scoring). Other than KMac (48.2%), all the other N.D. guards are shooting only 31% to 33%. Shooting percentages seem low this year. Maybe it's because Sue, Stewie, Diana, Maya, et al. aren't playing.

Tina is also shooting under 40% this year, but is second in the league in scoring. No respect!

 

[baggerbob]

On Seattle everyone except Russell is struggling without Sue to get them the ball in shooting position.

 

[Carnac]

Losing out on Prince was depressing. I thought she was a UConn lean for sure. I need some good news. This great news is just what the doctor ordered. I’m very happy for Kia and Napheesa.

 

[Lynx23]

Congrats to Kia, the thousand watt smile just made another mile---stone. One of my favorites I think many, not all, under estimated just how much she did in her time at UCONN. A little over shadowed by the big scorers getting the notoriety but always playing hard nosed within the system.
Having met her a few times, her personality is as great as her game. Could not be happier for her.

Exactly what makes this so sweet for those of us who recognized what Kia brought to the table from Day 1, while some others were more focused on pointing out her weaknesses. A tribute to hard work and perseverance, and just flat out proving the naysayers wrong. BTW, the fact that the votes from WNBA coaches and players placed her at #3 among guards speaks volumes and frankly is more important than fan voting in any sport, which can sometimes be little more than a popularity contest.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

UConn in the WNBA: Kia Nurse Named WNBA All-Star Starter

This girl is on fire!

 

[Carnac]

UConn in the WNBA: Kia Nurse Named WNBA All-Star Starter

This girl is on fire!

Yes she is. She's like the Energizer Bunny. You wind her up on Monday, and she runs (hard) the rest of the week. The rest of the world is finding out what we already knew. Kia is special in a number of ways.

Kia Nurse


Right now Kia is among a large number of former players who have gone on to have enormous success at the next level.

What a wonderful ambassador Kia has become, not only for UConn WBB, but for Canada and the WNBA as well. A player that young aspiring female athletes can look up to and model their game after.

Yes, Kia is hot right now. She has found her groove at this level. Let’s hope she continues to grow and stay consistent.

Since Kib is on hiatus for the summer, I formally nominate Kia and Napheesa for the BADASS of the week award. I'm so proud of these two I could bust.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Wait, I get that Tina Charles was only 13th in fan voting. But the fans only account for half the calculation. So the media and players couldn't figure out that this player, second in the league in scoring, should be an All-Star? Seriously?

I get that the Liberty only play in a little out-of-the-way venue, so lower fan support. But for goodness sake! How in the world could players and reporters leave her off as well?

Injustice much?

 

[sdhoops]

Wait, I get that Tina Charles was only 13th in fan voting. But the fans only account for half the calculation. So the media and players couldn't figure out that this player, second in the league in scoring, should be an All-Star? Seriously?

I get that the Liberty only play in a little out-of-the-way venue, so lower fan support. But for goodness sake! How in the world could players and reporters leave her off as well?

Injustice much?

If you've ever read Rebkell over the years, you'll see that there is still a cloud of dust above Tina. People still hold her demanding a trade from the Sun umpteen years ago to the Libs which may have also played a big part of her not winning the 2016 MVP when she clearly was! There are posters on there that say she is not worth a damn this year and shouldn't have any awards consideration because she is shooting less than 40% this year...even some of the own Liberty fans have badmouthed her...so it's not surprising! Many said she was "done" as an elite player this season, but she's still among the top in scoring and rebounding and has the Liberty in contention for the playoffs! The W voting is a lot of politics...I miss when the fans had the say for the ASG!

 

[Lynx23]

Wait, I get that Tina Charles was only 13th in fan voting. But the fans only account for half the calculation. So the media and players couldn't figure out that this player, second in the league in scoring, should be an All-Star? Seriously?

I get that the Liberty only play in a little out-of-the-way venue, so lower fan support. But for goodness sake! How in the world could players and reporters leave her off as well?

Injustice much?

As a Liberty fan, because of Tina, Kia, Bria, and the erstwhile Kiah, I find it strange that she would not be selected, and even more so that any true Liberty fan would bash her. I haven't seen any bashing on the Liberty twitter site but I'm not familiar with Rebkell. Some people have way too much time on their hands, and the inevitable boredom to fuel their discontent that follows.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

 

[Lynx23]

Video - WNBA.com

Kia Nurse gets it to go at the buzzer

www.wnba.com

 

[willtalk]

As a Liberty fan, because of Tina, Kia, Bria, and the erstwhile Kiah, I find it strange that she would not be selected, and even more so that any true Liberty fan would bash her. I haven't seen any bashing on the Liberty twitter site but I'm not familiar with Rebkell. Some people have way too much time on their hands, and the inevitable boredom to fuel their discontent that follows.

Using your own words, you claim to be a Liberty fan because of the players you like. So you are a fan of the players and less of the team. I do not care one way or the other if Tina makes the All Star roster or not. I just have not followed her that close to even have a valid opinion. What I remember about the LIberty fans who criticized Charles was that this season she seemed more interested in getting her own shots as opposed to passing to a more open player. They perceived this as detrimental to the team having lost them a number of games by her volume, but low percentage shooting. They gave stats to support their contention. This seems like a valid criticism if it is indeed true. Of course, being more a fan of the player than the team you might not consider it as such.

 

[Lynx23]

Using your own words, you claim to be a Liberty fan because of the players you like. So you are a fan of the players and less of the team. I do not care one way or the other if Tina makes the All Star roster or not. I just have not followed her that close to even have a valid opinion. What I remember about the LIberty fans who criticized Charles was that this season she seemed more interested in getting her own shots as opposed to passing to a more open player. They perceived this as detrimental to the team having lost them a number of games by her volume, but low percentage shooting. They gave stats to support their contention. This seems like a valid criticism if it is indeed true. Of course, being more a fan of the player than the team you might not consider it as such.

More a fan of the UCONN players although I'm really going to enjoy watching Johannes play, as well as Durr. It's the word "bash" I really had an issue with. That seems harsh. However, Tina is not beyond constructive criticism this year. She is forcing shots and they're not going in like last year. Other Liberty fans may disagree with me but IMHO, Kia has become the leader of this team. I have YES so I get to see some of those games, and I watched last night's debacle on ESPN3. Lots of turnovers and forced shots against a team I feel is beatable. You would never know it from last night, though. Boyd is another one who irks me, often taking shots she has no business taking, although they sometimes go in. She usually racks up assists, too. Five players returned to the lineup last night so I would expect a lack of chemistry and inconsistency. Johannes needs to start. And where was Durr? It was the coaches decision to sit her. I'd love to know why.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Good read about Kia getting All Star Starter nod:

Kia Nurse shows the world, again, why she’s an All-Star starter

“I’m pumped, to be voted in as a starter is huge,” New York coach Katie Smith said. “With how hard she plays, you’re always pumped for these guys to see success and have these awards come their way, especially when they put in the work. I’m excited for her to go out there and represent us.”

Veteran Amanda Zahui B. said she was so excited when she found out, she waited outside the plane to hug Nurse as she deboarded. As she heard this story, Nurse, sitting one chair over, was visibly embarrassed and said she couldn’t stop smiling.

“It’s all love!” Zahui B. said to her teammate.

“It’s amazing, and especially from last year to this year,” she continued. “Obviously last year we saw that fire in her, [the way] she shot the ball and the speed. Those were the first things that caught my eye. She’s really athletic, and this year she just put more into her game, when she drives to the basket and she’s getting crazy and-ones.”