Dawn is not Happy

[ochoopsfan]

Nice article on Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks.
I liked this quote:
“Every year UConn is the team to beat and yes, I think we can beat them,” she said. “If you think you can’t beat them, they’ve already won.”

http://womenshoopsworld.com/2015/11...king-balanced-approach-to-great-expectations/

 

[msf22b]

“Every year UConn is the team to beat and yes, I think we can beat them,” she said. ”

If she really believes that, not just propaganda, she is surely delusional or smoking something really strong.

 

[Icebear]

I am very happy when Dawn isn't happy. I, absolutely, love it when she is miserable.

 

[DobbsRover2]

My issue with this straw-man is that everyone besides UCONN would have underachieved not just Dawn. Here are the list of schools that have had a "crapload MORE" talent than South Carolina under Dawn.
ND.
Tennessee
Kentucky
Louisville
Duke
Baylor
Stanford
North Carolina
Texas A&M
Texas
UCLA
California
Maryland
Since Dawn became coach of South Carolina in 2008 only Blair & Mulkey have won the "ultimate prize " from this list of schools . So if your definition of great is achieving the ultimate prize that would put Hatchell =Tara =Blair =Muffett=Frese=Peck (all great?) < Mulkey ?? Sorry I'm not buying that.
Dawn has built a great program in a place where Women's basketball was barely an afterthought.
Dawn will probably be the next Olympic Coach if/when Geno decides to hang it up. Only great coaches get to coach US Olympic team-except Ann Donovan in 2008 who we can surely agree was a mistake.

There is always a problem though with trying to assess the "crapload of talent" marker, as ratings services are notoriously unreliable and sometimes really biased. And I think that Staley's outstanding class of 2012 with Sessions, Mitchell, and Dozier might have been rated a lot higher than #40, #46, and #89 by Hoopgurlz if Staley had been highly successful at USCar back going into 2011-12 and not the coach who pulled in #2 Kelsey Bone to build a team around in 2009 and lost her after a season. Staley may have gotten a little boost to her 2014 class ratings of #1, #7, #32, and #35 because she was seen then as a successful coach with an eye for talent.

Sure, there are teams like UCLA that have pulled in a dozen high recruits in the last 8 years and barely been heard from, but some of those teams listed above would think that a G-c-ck team that had gotten a #1, #2, #7 and another six players in the top 50 was not exactly crappy in comparison to their own talent, but I am a little confused as to whether getting more good recruits increases your crapload or makes it smaller.

 

[msf22b]

Dobbs

I was the original crap poster.

I wasn't necessarily thinking about HS rankings
Just considering the potential athletic ability and Basketball acumen of the players at hand in a broad-brush evaluation.

Using that vague and subjective guideline, it would appear that she has lots of very talented ball-players.

Hence my crap-load of talent remark.

And if she truly believes she can beat UConn, this year.
She thinks so too.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Staley certainly does have lots of talent, both that which may have been overrated in HS rankings and that like with Mitchell that was not appreciated adequately. Obviously if you are a top 4 coach you do have to put out the message that you think your team has the talent to beat UConn. But there are always a lot of questions to these questions, and after seeing the last play of the G-c-cks semi game against ND last year, there has got to be some questions on the coaching end about play-calling and strategy. There is a reason Geno's teams are 10-0 in NC games, and 6 of the 10 have been won by 12 or less points, so managing the late game action is a vital skill.

 

[j66kicker]

If she really believes that, not just propaganda, she is surely delusional or smoking something really strong.

I'll have what she's having!!

 

[SCGamecock]

I'll have what she's having!!

Fun fact: I sat at that table! haha

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I am very happy when Dawn isn't happy. I, absolutely, love it when she is miserable.

But I don't know how you tell the difference. It always looks the same. Wad of gum. Scowl. Talks angry. She learn all this from Geno?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Went to see Dylan perform at Hunter way back when. Know I enjoyed it. But the haze was so thick I don't remember seeing him there.

 

[Zorro]

Nice article on Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks.
I liked this quote:
“Every year UConn is the team to beat and yes, I think we can beat them,” she said. “If you think you can’t beat them, they’ve already won.”

http://womenshoopsworld.com/2015/11...king-balanced-approach-to-great-expectations/

Problem is, even if you DON'T think you cant beat them, they have STILL already won! Because they KNOW they are going to beat you. They are UConn. It says so right there on their shirts!

 

[MilfordHusky]

My mother went to Hunter College High School and then went on to get a BA and MA in four years at Brown.

A friend of mine went to Hunter College High School. She got her B.A. from Penn 3 years later and her law degree from Harvard 3 years after that. Smart folks there! I'm thinking my grandson might be headed there in a decade.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Yay! I didn't go to Hunter College High but I did the same 4 year program at Brown (2001). Did she absolutely love it as I?

When I was a grad student at Brown, I knew a few undergrads getting their BA and MA in 4 years. I predated you by decades. I loved the school, but strongly disliked several of the faculty in my department. To say they were as would be an understatement.

 

[MilfordHusky]

What? Part of CUNY
Where? New York City
WBB? Yes
Underachieve? They are 2-1, but lost their first game to Kean University, so clearly they are underachievers

They clearly were not keen on losing to Kean.