Congrats to Tiff and Co.

[YSRFrisbee]

Congrats to all the UCONN alumnae who are first and second team all-WNBA selections! And what an amazing year for Tiff despite the early injury!

First Team: Stewie, DT, and Tiff
Second Team: Maya


(Sorry if this was already posted, but it's late and I didn't search very hard )


"In a world where you can be anything...be KIND"

 

[VAUConnFan]

It is possible that this question has been asked before. How did Tiffany Hayes miss earning a spot on The Wall?

 

[Geew1992]

It is possible that this question has been asked before. How did Tiffany Hayes miss earning a spot on The Wall?

Ummm I don’t think she played this good at UConn

 

[YSRFrisbee]

It is possible that this question has been asked before. How did Tiffany Hayes miss earning a spot on The Wall?

Tiffany had a solid Uconn career and I really thought she made a case to be a WBCA All-American her senior year. That being said, the 2011-2012 list included some pretty impressive players:

Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame
Brittney Griner, Baylor
Bria Hartley, Connecticut
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Shenise Johnson, Miami
Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Stanford
Odyssey Sims, Baylor
Alyssa Thomas, Maryland

Here's a quick comparison of Tiff and Bria's stats that year (although we know stats don't always tell the whole story):

Player: PPG FG% 3Pt% RPG APG SPG
Tiff 14.7 50% 41% 5.8 3.3 2.2
Bria 14.0 47% 33% 3.9 3.7 1.85

But I honestly don't remember much from that regular season, but maybe Bria came on strong late? Maybe someone can chime in. During a NCAA tourney game, I distinctly remember hearing Rebecca Lobo say something along the lines of "And there are 10 players in Women's college basketball BETTER than Tiffany Hayes this year??"

"In a world where you can be anything...be KIND"

 

[MilfordHusky]

When Tiffany was on, she was All-World. She holds the UConn record for 30 points in a half, against Holy Cross. Geno said that, when Tiffany was on her game, she was the best player on the floor. That was when Maya was also on the floor, and Tina may have been as well. In one game at MSG, the rest of the team shot poorly, but Tiffany starred.

Tiff had 2 problems in college: (1) if her shot was off early, she lost confidence; (2) in big games, she was over-amped and often out of control. Tiff is still an emotional player, but has improved her consistency. She still has the world-class first step, has improved her right hand, now has a pull-up jumper, and has improved finishing at the rim. Today's Tiffany would eat up college competition.

I'm having trouble with the UConn website archived pages, but I believe that Tiffany's senior stats were good and showed solid efficiency. Her problem was that her performance suffered in big games, whereas Bria Bartley stepped up in big games. The AA voters noticed both.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Tiffany had a solid Uconn career and I really thought she made a case to be a WBCA All-American her senior year. That being said, the 2011-2012 list included some pretty impressive players:

Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame
Brittney Griner, Baylor
Bria Hartley, Connecticut
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Shenise Johnson, Miami
Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Stanford
Odyssey Sims, Baylor
Alyssa Thomas, Maryland

EDD and Nneka have been WNBA MVPs. Skylar has made 1st Team All-WNBA. Britney is a certified star. Bria and Glory are solid pro players. Shenise was solid before injuries. Chiney is not at Nneka's level, but still a star. Odyssey was on the 2014 World Cup team and a starter for a WNBA championship team. Alyssa is the most versatile and perhaps most valuable player on the Sun. Maybe Tiff could have made it over Johnson, Hartley, Glory, or Chiney, but the other 6 were stellar that year in college.

Tiff slipped to the 2nd round of the draft and has outlasted many first-rounders. I wish she were on team USA this year.