DiJonai Carrington top-3

[JonathanXIV]

Exactly. And there has been a lot of posts here saying Williams had an off year and needs to raise her game, a lot (not my opinion). Add that Williams has 2 years of UConn experience and I can't understand all the enthusiasm at the thought of adding another guard just like her.
It seems to me that more is not always better. If UConn wasn't loaded with guards I'd be more in favor of adding one.

And I'm not opposed to her, just don't see what she adds. Experience? Yeah, but it's west coast experience.

“West coast experience?” Are you worried she’s going to show up 3 hours late for games?

 

[Carnac]

If Carrington is the only GT UConn is recruiting I see no problem with going after her. However, if there are other GT UConn is seeking, the staff will be taking a big chance taking her and passing on another because of her injury history. They have nothing to lose if she is the only one, imo.

Geno said he was working on a couple of things (referring to adding more players to the roster). We'll have to wait and see what (who) he comes up with. I've read every comment here on the possibility of Carrington coming to UConn. I can see the rationale of both sides of the debate. In Geno I trust. He knows things we don't. He also has a pretty good idea of what he has, and who he's going to get the most production from this coming season.

I know he is going to do what is best for this program. He has offered her. That means he feels she can help us next year. That's good enough for me. THAT'S why I'm all in for her coming here. I just want to win!!! If Carrington can come in and help us win a few games, I'm all for it. She will add to the depth of the roster which we need with only 10 players. As it stands right now, we need more bodies. I'd like to see us add two more that can play immediately!!

I recall the game at Seaton Hall this past season that we only suited up 8 players. Crystal was injured. Adebayo did not play. Molly and Kyla started. That was the game that Griffin scored 25. UConn was down 28-19 after the first quarter.

A 12 player roster would be perfect and would allow (for injuries) the freshmen time to adjust to this level of elite play. Remember, a player's talent and skill set will always make room for them. Carrington won't take minutes away from any freshman who excels early in their development and earns the minutes and Geno's trust.

 

[Mdoggie]

Kill this thread! Kill this thread! Good Lawd people?

 

[TheFarmFan]

Kill this thread! Kill this thread! Good Lawd people?

It's the offseason. We're bored. Many of us have been stuck at home for 6-8 weeks. A top Stanford player has announced her prospective transfer to UConn, Oregon, or Baylor, all recent or likely Final Four teams next year, so this has implications for half the top teams in the country. Unsurprisingly, this piques the interest of many of the fans on this board.

Nothing wrong with that. And no one is forcing you to read it.

 

[oldude]

It's the offseason. We're bored. Many of us have been stuck at home for 6-8 weeks. A top Stanford player has announced her prospective transfer to UConn, Oregon, or Baylor, all recent or likely Final Four teams next year, so this has implications for half the top teams in the country. Unsurprisingly, this piques the interest of many of the fans on this board.

Nothing wrong with that. And no one is forcing you to read it.

You are a wise old tree of wisdom......

 

[Alydar]

“West coast experience?” Are you worried she’s goi g to show up 3 hours late for games?

No, that she knows little about playing defense.

 

[Mdoggie]

@TheFarmFan you are right. Bored we are. Proceed.

 

[TheFarmFan]

@TheFarmFan you are right. Bored we are. Proceed.

Thanks @MDoggie! Desperate times call for making the most of the limited WCBB news we have these days.

 

[DefenseBB]

No, that she knows little about playing defense.

My fine equine friend, stop, just stop, Tara's team play defense and play it quite well otherwise her Cardinals never made 26 rounds of the Sweet 16 or better and she would not have won National Coach of the Year 4 times. It's ok if other people, including myself, think DC can help this team and you don't think that. We can disagree without resorting to illogical comebacks.

 

[Gate81]

My fine equine friend, stop, just stop, Tara's team play defense and play it quite well otherwise her Cardinals never made 26 rounds of the Sweet 16 or better and she would not have won National Coach of the Year 4 times. It's ok if other people, including myself, think DC can help this team and you don't think that. We can disagree without resorting to illogical comebacks.

totally agree. Don't know if Alydar has ever stayed up late enough to watch a West Coast game. Defense: see Arizona State, for example. Let's try our best if we're commenting on players or teams to only speak if we have a clue what we're talking about. And yes, I've lived on the East AND West Coasts so have seen plenty of games and try to be objective.

 

[ju6381]

pretty sure Stanford once held UConn to 12pts in the first half of a National Championship game.

 

[Centerstream]

pretty sure Stanford once held UConn to 12pts in the first half of a National Championship game.

And how many points did Stanford score in the first half and much more importantly, which team scored the most points for the whole game? Just curious...

 

[Centerstream]

Kill this thread! Kill this thread! Good Lawd people?

I kinda agree in that it should be part of the Transfer thread(s). If and when a transferring player commits to a school, maybe then they deserve their own thread on the correct forum. Just a thought and my opinion.

 

[donalddoowop]

My fine equine friend, stop, just stop, Tara's team play defense and play it quite well otherwise her Cardinals never made 26 rounds of the Sweet 16 or better and she would not have won National Coach of the Year 4 times. It's ok if other people, including myself, think DC can help this team and you don't think that. We can disagree without resorting to illogical comebacks.

I don't think that post was meant to be serious, hence the emogi.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Lordie, don't lock it! If DiJonai Carrington had not come along we'd have had to invent her. After all, at least for now, it's this or endless Azzi ruminations.

 

[bluedevil]

CD 4 and DC 1 ?

 

[Alydar]

totally agree. Don't know if Alydar has ever stayed up late enough to watch a West Coast game. Defense: see Arizona State, for example. Let's try our best if we're commenting on players or teams to only speak if we have a clue what we're talking about. And yes, I've lived on the East AND West Coasts so have seen plenty of games and try to be objective.

I was being in jest but I guess I touched a nerve.

My comment goes back over 30 years. I made a lot of money betting against west coast teams (read as PAC12) who came into the men's tournament after playing all season where refs called games very tight and toreador defense was common. So there were always these high-scoring "show time" teams that got into the NCAA's with impressive offensive numbers and couldn't adjust to NCAA as opposed to PAC12 officiating. I would erase all of them in the first 2 rounds every year and rarely regretted it. So I will always think of west coast basketball that way, including the women. Sorry.
I am aware that Stanford plays defense and that ASU has that reputation. That's 2 teams over an area about 1/3 of the country.
And so one of the only good defensive teams Carrington has faced in conference was ASU. Right? And I've seen UConn play ASU when they rotated 5 in 5 out to wear down opponents. Didn't work.

 

[Alydar]

And for the record I watch a lot of PAC12 games. I'm a night owl and games that start at midnight are no problem.

 

[Kevin G]

Apparently you missed the 2018-19 season? Averaged 14.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg as a Jr. on a team that made it to the Elite 8.

And?!? Not convinced

 

[HuskylnSC]

I was being in jest but I guess I touched a nerve.

My comment goes back over 30 years. I made a lot of money betting against west coast teams (read as PAC12) who came into the men's tournament after playing all season where refs called games very tight and toreador defense was common. So there were always these high-scoring "show time" teams that got into the NCAA's with impressive offensive numbers and couldn't adjust to NCAA as opposed to PAC12 officiating. I would erase all of them in the first 2 rounds every year and rarely regretted it. So I will always think of west coast basketball that way, including the women. Sorry.
I am aware that Stanford plays defense and that ASU has that reputation. That's 2 teams over an area about 1/3 of the country.
And so one of the only good defensive teams Carrington has faced in conference was ASU. Right? And I've seen UConn play ASU when they rotated 5 in 5 out to wear down opponents. Didn't work.

I can remember the years i was terrified that we would get 3 PAC-10 refs for a NCAA tourney game. I thought that they considered any contact on another player a foul. I couldn't believe some of the calls. The refs were fair but they infringed upon the way Big East teams play the game. I'm usually very quiet when I watch a game, but I remember screaming at the TV, "It's a contact game." Referencing Bill Russell who explained that basketball is a contact sport, but not a collision sport.

 

[jonson]

And for the record I watch a lot of PAC12 games. I'm a night owl and games that start at midnight are no problem.

Well, as most folks have noticed, the Pac 12 has changed quite a bit from 30 years ago. If I remember correctly, UCONN scored 56 points and shot 39% playing Oregon at Gampel this past season. And here are Massey's 2019-20 defensive ratings for 6 Pac12 schools: Arizona (9), Stanford (10), Oregon (11), Oregon State (13), Arizona State (16), and Colorado (36). UCONN is at #4, but with a weaker SOS than 3 of the above. I know it's Massey, but it does suggest that your assumptions about Carrington need to be adjusted.

 

[Centerstream]

All good, sorry for the response.

Yup, all good and your response was appropriate based upon my reply to you.

 

[Lorcan]

I was being in jest but I guess I touched a nerve.

My comment goes back over 30 years. I made a lot of money betting against west coast teams (read as PAC12) who came into the men's tournament after playing all season where refs called games very tight and toreador defense was common. So there were always these high-scoring "show time" teams that got into the NCAA's with impressive offensive numbers and couldn't adjust to NCAA as opposed to PAC12 officiating. I would erase all of them in the first 2 rounds every year and rarely regretted it. So I will always think of west coast basketball that way, including the women. Sorry.
I am aware that Stanford plays defense and that ASU has that reputation. That's 2 teams over an area about 1/3 of the country.
And so one of the only good defensive teams Carrington has faced in conference was ASU. Right? And I've seen UConn play ASU when they rotated 5 in 5 out to wear down opponents. Didn't work.

I find it interesting that you're referencing a game from 11 years ago in 2009, when UConn had 3 future WNBA All-Stars on their roster in Hayes, Charles, and Maya while Arizona State had only had one player that I recall being of note in Briann January as a part of your argument. UConn has never won a game in Tempe, Arizona against Charli Turner-Thorne as the Sun Devils surprised then #8 UConn in the forgettable 2004 campaign. There's really not enough data to reflect the effectiveness of ASU's style of play against a team like UConn, but I imagine that if you gave Charli enough chances against Geno, she'd find a way to snatch a few games here and there given how her team has managed to do against Stanford, Oregon, and even giving Baylor a fit just a season ago.

I'd agree with some of the others that there are plenty more good defensive teams in the Pac-12 than just Arizona State and Stanford, especially if Massey is anything to go by.

 

[nwhoopfan]

And?!? Not convinced

Well, I don't need to convince you. But as noted she scored 21 on 8-15 shooting and grabbed 7 boards in a visit to Storrs in November of '17. UConn won handily but Carrington had herself a nice game.

She looked really good in December of '18 dropping 33 on 11-15 w/ 13 boards on the road against a previously undefeated Tennessee team. Of course I'm just cherry picking a few games, but it proves she can play at a very high level against talented teams.

 

[CaliHuskyFan]

Well, I don't need to convince you. But as noted she scored 21 on 8-15 shooting and grabbed 7 boards in a visit to Storrs in November of '17. UConn won handily but Carrington had herself a nice game.

She looked really good in December of '18 dropping 33 on 11-15 w/ 13 boards on the road against a previously undefeated Tennessee team. Of course I'm just cherry picking a few games, but it proves she can play at a very high level against talented teams.

The November 2017 Stanford vs. Uconn game was actually held on a neutral court at Nationwide Arena in Ohio. My memory is foggy as to why it was played there, but I think it had something to do with a “road to Columbus“ promotion for the 2018 final four. I wish they had played in Storrs, because then DiJonai would have experienced the wonderful Uconn fans and playing environment.

But I completely agree with you that, if healthy, Carrington has shown she can play at a high level against talented teams.