CSM Preseason All American Teams - Well looky here

[Fairfield Fan]

I st Team
G: Kelsey Mitchell
G: Katie Lou Samuelson
SF: Napheesa Collier
PF: A’ja Wilson
C: Kalani Brown

2nd Team
G: Lexie Brown
G: Asia Durr
SF: Gabby Williams
PF: Azura Stevens
C: Kristine Anigwe

3rd Team:
G: Jordin Canada
G: Kia Nurse
SF: Shakayla Thomas
PF: Megan Gustafson
C: Mercedes Russell

4th Team
G: Sabrina Ionescu
G: Brooke McCarty
SF: Jamie Nared
PF: Michelle Nwokedi
C: Kaylee Jensen

This looks better. I'm guessing that Ionescu rises further faster. The year's surprise.

 

[CocoHusky]

4 triple doubles in a season?

Pretty solid picks Coco. How dare I criticize a list without putting up one of my own. I believe that's the standard or at least it should be.
It's difficult call as there is a lot of talent out there.


1st/1st' Team
G: Jordan Canada, Kia Nurse, Kelsey Mitchell
G: Arike Ogunbowale, Asia Durr
SF: Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson (she is not a guard), Gabby Williams
PF: A’ja Wilson, (Azura Stevens), Katie Lou Samuelson
C: Mercedes Russell, Monique Billings

Comments:
J.Canada is the #1 point guard in America. Her game is very similar to M.Jefferson. She can flat out run the point.
An Olympian, National team starter, gold medal winning point guard can't make their list? 1st/2nd/3rd team?

The National Defensive Player of the Year, Late Season NPOY watchlist member, a player averaging over 20ppg in the tournament and she can't get a 1st team "pre-season" nod? (or an invite from TeamUSA?)

The talent at the point guard position is extremely deep. Between Canada, Nurse and Mitchell you have a MoJeff clone, a Kelsey Plum clone and a great all around guard (great size, great outside shot, a poised experienced floor general who has been tested on the biggest stages).

At the shooting guard position there is nothing between Arike and Durr. Outstanding scorers, inside, outside and off the bounce. KLS is not a 2-guard. She can't run with Durr or Ogunbowale.

At small forward you have 3 of the Core 4. Pick your poison. These 3 can carry you at least to the FF if not all the way. They are all returning 1st team AA's.
Power forward is KLS' position.

There is a gap between 1st/1st' Team and everyone else. I believe that for the most part the first and second team are damn near interchangeable.

3rd Team
G: Brooke McCarty, Tyasha Harris, Lexie Brown
G: Sabrina Ionescu, Chennedy Carter, Ariel Atkins
SF: Victoria Vivians, Jamie Nared, B.McPhee
PF: Myisha Hines-Allen, Shak Thomas
C: Kristine Anigwe, Kalani Brown

Chennedy Carter = National Freshman of the Year
A'ja Wilson = National Player of the Year. [Only because she doesn't have 4 teammates who are competing against each other for the award]

Much agreement with your picks. In the first group would agree with all except Arike Ogunbowale and Billings who I previously wrote about. Arike did not make a Sophomore leap in what ND needed from her most which was the ability to take high quality shots within the ND offensive. I'm not even sure she will be the best Guard on ND next year because Jackie Young seems to have that mastered and is a superior defender to Arike. Within the ACC recall that Arike did not make All-ACC team last year and I doubt that she will this year either.
Not as high on Jordan Canada as you are & she is no Jefferson clone. Jordin shoot .434 last year MoJeff's finished her career with a shooting percentage of .550.
Not nearly ready to go there with Mercedes. For 4 years I waited patiently for the "Wait till she gets healthy mantra". I am still waiting for her to impact a meaningful game or even better yet, help her team not lose to another unranked team. Kalani Brown on the other hand had one of the most dominating 2nd half of a season I have ever seen last year.
Tyasha Harris was an incredible steadying influence for SC last year as a Freshmen but she did not shoot well enough (.42) or score enough (5.6 PPG) to be in consideration for AA. McPhee & Atkins should not be in this conversation either-nice players, but no.
Myisha Hines-Allen of 2015-16 put up AA numbers, Myisha Hines-Allen of 2016-17 fell off badly-as in almost every statistically category imaginable.
Victoria Vivians shot .371 last year and .281 on three point attempts that is right up there with Diamond Deshields and GT Kaela Davis. Vivians is not an AA.
I agree that Chennedy Carter will be National Freshmen of the year, TA&M will have plenty of shots available for her.
Wilson might win NPOY but it will be close because everything (good and bad) will fall on her very capable shoulders. All that it would take for A'ja not to win is a major slip up like SC losing to Duke & TN again or not being a #1 seed going into the tournament. Gabby will be lurking and a few high profile games like she had against ND or head to head with A'Ja could put her over the top.

 

[SCGamecock]

Well, Missouri won the last time they played and Cunningham went for 23 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast and scored the winning bucket. So I don't quite understand the sneering condescension.

Because A'ja could care less about Missouri when she's won the SEC every year she's been in college.. won the SEC player of the year twice already and has the chance to be the ONLY player to win it 3 times.. won a national championship (going undefeated AFTER losing to Missouri), and was ALSO named the MOP of the final four...

And then today received her first of what will probably be several preseason player of the year honors... so yeah, I doubt she's thinking about Cunningham until the Missouri game comes. Bigger fish.

And if you REALLY want to break it down, she wasn't matched up with Cunningham in that game anyway.. it was Davis and Gray... but I HIGHLY doubt they're worrying about Cunningham either since they're too busy making the WNBA all rookie team and winning Rookie of the Year.

Did that help?

 

[Orangutan]

Much agreement with your picks. In the first group would agree with all except Arike Ogunbowale and Billings who I previously wrote about. Arike did not make a Sophomore leap in what ND needed from her most which was the ability to take high quality shots within the ND offensive. I'm not even sure she will be the best Guard on ND next year because Jackie Young seems to have that mastered and is a superior defender to Arike. Within the ACC recall that Arike did not make All-ACC team last year and I doubt that she will this year either.

I feel pretty strongly that Arike will be a top-10 All-American, especially if Shepard is not eligible to play. She is going to score a whole lot of points in what I assume will be an uptempo run-and-gun offense without Turner.

ND gets a lot of media attention. If the Irish do well without Turner, the media are going to pick a hero to lavish praise upon. I suspect it will be Arike as she will likely average 20+.

Jackie has huge potential but she was timid last year. She has yet to show that she can be a go-to player like Mabrey and Arike are at times.

 

[CocoHusky]

I feel pretty strongly that Arike will be a top-10 All-American, especially if Shepard is not eligible to play. She is going to score a whole lot of points in what I assume will be an uptempo run-and-gun offense without Turner.

ND gets a lot of media attention. If the Irish do well without Turner, the media are going to pick a hero to lavish praise upon. I suspect it will be Arike as she will likely average 20+.
Jackie has huge potential but she was timid last year. She has yet to show that she can be a go-to player like Mabrey and Arike are at times.

You may be perfectly right for all the wrong reasons. Don't think a ND team based around Arike being the main cog is the best thing for ND. Would hate to see Young overlooked in favor of Arike or Mabrey because I believe she is more talented. Not sure ND has enough horses to go "up tempo". If you go uptempo this year what do you do when Turner and Shepard come back? I'm a UCONN fan not necessarily in it for what's best for ND.

 

[Dillon77]

I feel pretty strongly that Arike will be a top-10 All-American, especially if Shepard is not eligible to play. She is going to score a whole lot of points in what I assume will be an uptempo run-and-gun offense without Turner.

ND gets a lot of media attention. If the Irish do well without Turner, the media are going to pick a hero to lavish praise upon. I suspect it will be Arike as she will likely average 20+.

Jackie has huge potential but she was timid last year. She has yet to show that she can be a go-to player like Mabrey and Arike are at times.

I was studying the ND stats from the last two years to write a reply to Coco when Orangutan weighed in. Interestingly, I can see both points, but ultimately agree with Orangutan on what will happen if Shepard is not available. However, I ultimately have a different take on a key player.

Arike hoisted up the most shots (484) but was second in FGs made (after Turner, who was taking much closer shots). Her overall field goal percentage and 3-pt percentage were just about the same (45%), which means she shot better from distance.

However, she's kind of the wild card in ND's spread offense and MM encourages her to attack. However, I think MM would like to see her do it more in sync with the flow of passes.

But given no Turner, and possibly/probably no Shepard, ND will need to look to it's guards to score most of its points. Thus, Arike will shoot first and wait to be told to rein it in later. Not saying that's the best course of action, but with no Turner or Shepard, it might be the way MM chooses to go. Like Orangutan, I think Jackie Young deferred to her elders (and Boley) too much last year, but I think she'll come out of that shell this year, particularly if Shepard does not play.

Thus, you could see big numbers from Arike and/or Jackie Young, who is very talented both as an athlete and a scorer.

But for me, the glue player for this team is Mabrey. Marina can hoist it when she has too and/or feels it, but she also gets the offense (it seems to be an instinctive thing for Mabreys). And I noticed her speaking more and more in the dead-ball team huddles as the season went on. Plus, she wanted the ball when the game was on the line in tight road contests and is the designated late-game free-throw shooter. Note I didn't say most talented or best scorer, but perhaps the most valuable to the team.

And when Turner and Shepard come back the following year, the "take charge" aspect will come in handy when making sure the whole offense is run, possibly with a rookie pg (Jordan Nixon) at the controls.

That said, it's a good situation to be discussing which of three fine players will rise to the top. Only hope Shepard will on court to join them!

 

[Charliebball]

Well, Missouri won the last time they played and Cunningham went for 23 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast and scored the winning bucket. So I don't quite understand the sneering condescension.

she's a really fun player to watch, can take over a game but once in a while she goes overboard and makes a general mess of things..........definitely all conference but not sure about an All American..............17.5 ppg, 5.3 rebounds, about 3.3 assists a game but more turnovers then assists........and short shorts like the 1967 Knicks.............

 

[CocoHusky]

@Orangutan & @Dillon77 let's level set, who do you think starts for ND assuming Shepard's is not eligible?
I was thinking Mabrey, Arike and Young and Westbeld are locks and completely forgot about Lil Thompson.

 

[CocoHusky]

she's a really fun player to watch, can take over a game but once in a while she goes overboard and makes a general mess of things.....definitely all conference but not sure about an All American....17.5 ppg, 5.3 rebounds, about 3.3 assists a game but more turnovers then assists...and short shorts like the 1967 Knicks...

On her I'm ok with the short shorts.

 

[SCspur]

Much agreement with your picks. In the first group would agree with all except Arike Ogunbowale and Billings who I previously wrote about. Arike did not make a Sophomore leap in what ND needed from her most which was the ability to take high quality shots within the ND offensive. I'm not even sure she will be the best Guard on ND next year because Jackie Young seems to have that mastered and is a superior defender to Arike. Within the ACC recall that Arike did not make All-ACC team last year and I doubt that she will this year either.
Not as high on Jordan Canada as you are & she is no Jefferson clone. Jordin shoot .434 last year MoJeff's finished her career with a shooting percentage of .550.
Not nearly ready to go there with Mercedes. For 4 years I waited patiently for the "Wait till she gets healthy mantra". I am still waiting for her to impact a meaningful game or even better yet, help her team not lose to another unranked team. Kalani Brown on the other hand had one of the most dominating 2nd half of a season I have ever seen last year.
Tyasha Harris was an incredible steadying influence for SC last year as a Freshmen but she did not shoot well enough (.42) or score enough (5.6 PPG) to be in consideration for AA. McPhee & Atkins should not be in this conversation either-nice players, but no.
Myisha Hines-Allen of 2015-16 put up AA numbers, Myisha Hines-Allen of 2016-17 fell off badly-as in almost every statistically category imaginable.
Victoria Vivians shot .371 last year and .281 on three point attempts that is right up there with Diamond Deshields and GT Kaela Davis. Vivians is not an AA.
I agree that Chennedy Carter will be National Freshmen of the year, TA&M will have plenty of shots available for her.
Wilson might win NPOY but it will be close because everything (good and bad) will fall on her very capable shoulders. All that it would take for A'ja not to win is a major slip up like SC losing to Duke & TN again or not being a #1 seed going into the tournament. Gabby will be lurking and a few high profile games like she had against ND or head to head with A'Ja could put her over the top.

Harris wasn't up for AA consideration last season because she was mainly a contributor for SC last season. Her 5.6 ppg and 3.2 apg (4.5 in postseason) was very solid for a freshman point guard leading her team to a National Title. This past summer she also excelled for the U19 team averaging 9 points and 5.7 assists per game as well being named to the Tourney team and setting a new U19 record with 40 assists in seven games.

You can definitely expect Harris to have a breakout year. She'll be relied on a lot this year and would be looked upon for leadership as well as scoring. having her on the perimeter will help take the weight off of Wilson's shoulder. I'm sooo ready for the season to start.

 

[Charliebball]

On her I'm ok with the short shorts.

definitely better then Howie Komives..............

 

[Dillon77]

@Orangutan & @Dillon77 let's level set, who do you think starts for ND assuming Shepard's is not eligible?
I was thinking Mabrey, Arike and Young and Westbeld are locks and completely forgot about Lil Thompson.

Well, what makes this even more problematic is that Westbeld is still recovering from the ankle surgery she had this spring.
So she might not at 100% at season't start and may not be in the starting line-up.

If she is ready to go, I could see a small ball line-up that is exactly what you brought up.
On the other hand, MM might want to at least start the game with a traditional low post. I can't' see Koko Nelson responding to the challenge game in and game out so a lot might hinge on how quickly Ms. Vaughn catches onto the game plan.

If Westbeld can't start:
Thompson, Mabrey, Ogunbowale, Young and either Nelson/Vaughn.

 

[Orangutan]

@Orangutan & @Dillon77 let's level set, who do you think starts for ND assuming Shepard's is not eligible?
I was thinking Mabrey, Arike and Young and Westbeld are locks and completely forgot about Lil Thompson.

Thompson-Arike-Mabrey-Young-Westbeld

Shepard instead of Young if she's eligible.

 

[triaddukefan]

Thompson-Arike-Mabrey-Young-Westbeld

Shepard instead of Young if she's eligible.

I don't see a reason why she should be ruled eligible this season...... would ND be pushing hard for this if Turner hadn't gotten injured?

 

[Shades]

Mine. My invoice is in the mail, and no I don't think Sophie should be on any of the teams-Tough call but no.

Ever heard of Teaira McCowan?

 

[cbraarj]

Even if Turner could play, IMO she is not 1st team AA. It is amazing that Gabby outplayed both Turner and Wilson last year andeveryone forgets! Mitchell is overrated and should not have been AA at all last year. Aja Wilson will leave South Carolina with 1 NC and without beating Uconn!

 

[cbraarj]

Ever heard of Teaira McCowan?

Average player when she played against a player her size.

 

[triaddukefan]

Even if Turner could play, IMO she is not 1st team AA. It is amazing that Gabby outplayed both Turner and Wilson last year andeveryone forgets! Mitchell is overrated and should not have been AA at all last year. Aja Wilson will leave South Carolina with 1 NC and without beating Uconn!

Perhaps.... but she'll probably have a street named after her one day in the future. Not many players can say that.

 

[CocoHusky]

Ever heard of Teaira McCowan?

Yes.
Do you realize that we are talking about Pre-season AA team and Teaira was not even a starter at Mississippi State last year-her Sophomore campaign?

 

[cbraarj]

Perhaps.... but she'll probably have a street named after her one day in the future. Not many players can say that.

So What!

 

[triaddukefan]

So What!

It may not mean much to you to have a Cbraarj avenue.... but perhaps one day Aja Wilson's family... children.... friends can have enjoyment walking/driving down Aja Wilson Lane.... knowing that their daughter, cousin, wife, mother.. et al brought the first basketball championship to the state of Little Carolina

but carry on....... Im done with this

 

[donalddoowop]

she's a really fun player to watch, can take over a game but once in a while she goes overboard and makes a general mess of things.....definitely all conference but not sure about an All American....17.5 ppg, 5.3 rebounds, about 3.3 assists a game but more turnovers then assists...and short shorts like the 1967 Knicks...

She is tough but sometimes takes too many ill advised shots and tries to take over a game when she needs to allow her teammates to help her. She may make AA by her senior year but she has a lot of competition for a spot on the team.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Just a few thoughts for now:

Question for Yellow Jacket ... You have this paragraph in your section on guards, but I think it applies to Gabby, right?

The National Defensive Player of the Year, Late Season NPOY watchlist member, a player averaging over 20ppg in the tournament and she can't get a 1st team "pre-season" nod? (or an invite from TeamUSA?)

I agree that Turner is not a G/F and will not play. Take her off the lists for this year.

I think that Ogunbowale is aggressive and very willing to shoot. She'll be the Irish leading scorer, which will garner her some awards. Last year's team was the worst for ND in about 7 seasons (but still quite good); the year's team may drop a little more, like 6-10 instead of top 5.

Lou may not be able to run with Durr, but for Team USA, Lou had to run the point, because Durr couldn't run the plays.

If Azura makes second team or lower, she absolutely needs for come back for her 5th year!!!

Napheesa should be a lock for 1st team, and Lou may be our leading scorer, but Gabby is the motor and heart of the team.

I agree that Chennedy Carter is a strong candidate for NFOY, because she is really good and goes to a team where she will likely start and run things. OTOH, if Megan gets into the mix and show flashes of Maya, people will notice.

 

[stwainfan]

I'm ready to see Chennedy Carter vs Evina Westbrook or Anastasia Hayes. It should be a good match up. Holly said in presser last week talking about Hayes and Westbrook. I really like both in together.

 

[cbraarj]

It may not mean much to you to have a Cbraarj avenue.... but perhaps one day Aja Wilson's family... children.... friends can have enjoyment walking/driving down Aja Wilson Lane.... knowing that their daughter, cousin, wife, mother.. et al brought the first basketball championship to the state of Little Carolina

but carry on.. Im done with this

It is going to be great watching Azura win a NC this year at Duke! Oh my bad I meant to say UCONN !!!