"Discouraging" ND Injury News

[vtcwbuff]

"we all have anointed UConn as the next (again) NC . . "

Speak for yourself. I think "we all" consider UConn the odds on favorite but my guess is that at least some of "we all" will wait for the final buzzer of the final game.

 

[BroadwayVa]

"Downtown Freddy " Brown starred for Seattle. That other guy was Elvin Hayes. Back to ND's injuries, OK?

Thanks Alvin Hayes, Houston Fantastic long ball shooter--hence Downtown. Thanks. Great game between Kareem (Alcindor) and Alvin Hayes in Houston

 

[Gus Mahler]

The injury last year happened in the Maryland game. She got tied up trying to grab a rebound and the Marland player ripped the ball away.

Thanks.

 

[BroadwayVa]

"we all have anointed UConn as the next (again) NC . . "

Speak for yourself. I think "we all" consider UConn the odds on favorite but my guess is that at least some of "we all" will wait for the final buzzer of the final game.

Actually I haven't anointed them NC---the WE was the YOU type WE--I prefer to wait for the game. It always give me a good feeling to actually see it than to Imagine it.
Un like nit pickers I don't presume to speak for others.

 

[BroadwayVa]

"we all have anointed UConn as the next (again) NC . . "

Speak for yourself. I think "we all" consider UConn the odds on favorite but my guess is that at least some of "we all" will wait for the final buzzer of the final game.

interesting what a nit picking will leave out to make his/her point--As we all have anointed UConn as the next (again) NC--it's nice to remember --it isn't a given.

 

[Fightin Choke]

UCONN's not at full strength.

Notre Dame is missing 2 starters (one of whom is ND's best player) and three McDonald's AA. UConn is missing 2 players who have not yet played a game for UConn (one of whom is a McDonald's AA). That is not even close to equivalent.

 

[Fightin Choke]

Absolutely not. Injuries are part of the game. Miss Muffet has plenty of talent...according to the recruiting services. Next in line, time to step up.

ND does have a a lot of talent on the team, but most are younger players. When Jewell Loyd left early after last season, it seriously lowered the talent that Muffet had been cultivating in South Bend. And now with injuries to starters Turner and Reimer, Notre Dame starts a team far less-talented than UConn according to those recruiting experts to whom you refer.

Notre Dame will start 2 seniors who were rated in the 50's in Hoopgurlz. UConn's senior starters were rated #1 and #2.

UConn starts red-shirt junior Tuck (rated 6th) while ND counters with sophomore Kathryn Westbeld (rated 21st), who would not be starting if ND's forwards were healthy.

Sophomore Kia Nurse was rated by Hoopsgurlz as 33rd (but far higher by other services), and ND starts senior Michaela Mabrey (rated 33rd by Hoopgurlz, although she was a McDonald's AA).

UConn starts sophomore Gabby Williams (rated 14th) and ND counters with junior Lindsay Allen (rated 25th).

ND will bring in talented freshman Arike Ogunbowale (10th) and Marina Mabrey (24th) on the bench, while UConn counters with talented freshmen Lou Samuelson (#1) and Napheesa Collier (#6). Arike and Marina were rated higher by other services, but never higher than Lou and Napheesa.

 

[WestCoastFan]

ND does have a a lot of talent on the team, but most are younger players. When Jewell Loyd left early after last season, it seriously lowered the talent that Muffet had been cultivating in South Bend. And now with injuries to starters Turner and Reimer, Notre Dame starts a team far less-talented than UConn according to those recruiting experts to whom you refer.

Notre Dame will start 2 seniors who were rated in the 50's in Hoopgurlz. UConn's senior starters were rated #1 and #2.

UConn starts red-shirt junior Tuck (rated 6th) while ND counters with sophomore Kathryn Westbeld (rated 21st), who would not be starting if ND's forwards were healthy.

Sophomore Kia Nurse was rated by Hoopsgurlz as 33rd (but far higher by other services), and ND starts senior Michaela Mabrey (rated 33rd by Hoopgurlz, although she was a McDonald's AA).

UConn starts sophomore Gabby Williams (rated 14th) and ND counters with junior Lindsay Allen (rated 25th).

ND will bring in talented freshman Arike Ogunbowale (10th) and Marina Mabrey (24th) on the bench, while UConn counters with talented freshmen Lou Samuelson (#1) and Napheesa Collier (#6). Arike and Marina were rated higher by other services, but never higher than Lou and Napheesa.

I was being facetious. Rankings mean absolutely zilch once the players show up at school. Then the coaching takes over.

 

[HuskyNan]

DePaul....Part Deux

...without the deep bench.

 

[Fightin Choke]

I was being facetious. Rankings mean absolutely zilch once the players show up at school. Then the coaching takes over.

Ranking certainly don't guarantee any sort of success, but they are certainly correlated with success. Geno is a great coach, but part of his greatness is convincing great players to come to UConn. (Since Tina Charles, what percent of #1 players have chosen UConn?) It isn't like he was the only coach to realize that Maya, Diana, Stewie, Lou. Napheesa, Moriah, and Morgan were going to be great players. While he doesn't only look at a player's skills (intangibles are VERY important), his success at UConn has him in the enviable position of being very selective in acquiring highly skilled players who also have the intangibles required for team success.

 

[HuskyNan]

Sophomore Kia Nurse was rated by Hoopsgurlz as 33rd (but far higher by other services), and ND starts senior Michaela Mabrey (rated 33rd by Hoopgurlz, although she was a McDonald's AA).

Kia wasn't an AA because she's Canadian, in fact she's the starting PG for the Canadian National Team. She and Natalie Achonwa are teammates

Hmm, Svet Abrosimova was an AA. Wonder how that works? Anyway, I don't recall having seen a high school AA from another country.

 

[Fightin Choke]

Kia wasn't an AA because she's Canadian, in fact she's the starting PG for the Canadian National Team. She and Natalie Achonwa are teammates

Hmm, Svet Abrosimova was an AA. Wonder how that works? Anyway, I don't recall having seen a high school AA from another country.

Oh, I know Kia is Canadian, and I saw her success this summer representing her country alongside Natalie. I only listed Michaela's AA status because I was trying to be as fair as possible in mentioning accolades of all the Notre Dame players since my main point was that UConn has far more talent available today than the Irish.

 

[HuskyNan]

Ranking certainly don't guarantee any sort of success, but they are certainly correlated with success. Geno is a great coach, but part of his greatness is convincing great players to come to UConn. (Since Tina Charles, what percent of #1 players have chosen UConn?) It isn't like he was the only coach to realize that Maya, Diana, Stewie, Lou. Napheesa, Moriah, and Morgan were going to be great players. While he doesn't only look at a player's skills (intangibles are VERY important), his success at UConn has him in the enviable position of being very selective in acquiring highly skilled players who also have the intangibles required for team success.

Nykesha Sales, 1994 - USA Today high school POY
Shea Ralph, 1996, No. 1
Tamika Williams, 1998, No. 1
Diana Taurasi, 2000, No. 1
Ann Strother, 2002, No. 1
Tina Charles, 2006, Hoopgurlz No. 1 (Maya Moore won the Naismith as a junior)
Maya Moore, 2007, No. 1
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, 2011, No. 1
Breanna Stewart, 2012, No. 1
Katie Lou Samuelson, 2015, No. 1

Geno also signed 2008 No. 1 Elena Delle Donne who elected to go elsewhere.

 

[huskeynut]

Choke - I expect ND to give it their all. They will not quit and that is the sign of a very good team. Let's play ball!

 

[Kaizen]

Massey has UConn 80, ND 63 predication
http://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=1872&s=284068

 

[WestCoastFan]

Ranking certainly don't guarantee any sort of success, but they are certainly correlated with success. Geno is a great coach, but part of his greatness is convincing great players to come to UConn. (Since Tina Charles, what percent of #1 players have chosen UConn?) It isn't like he was the only coach to realize that Maya, Diana, Stewie, Lou. Napheesa, Moriah, and Morgan were going to be great players. While he doesn't only look at a player's skills (intangibles are VERY important), his success at UConn has him in the enviable position of being very selective in acquiring highly skilled players who also have the intangibles required for team success.

I agree that players win games...coaches lose them. That's why TU (in recent years), Duke and UNCheat don't win the big ones.

Some years there is a far-and-away No 1....Stewie, D, Parker. etc. Other years, you could probably swap No. 1 thru 10. After that, it's a real crap shoot. No difference between most of the players.

Miss Muffit has had Diggins, McBride, Loyd (all on one team), Turner...all highly ranked, I'm sure...along with other ranked players. She's been close, but no cigar. Regardless, after this year, Mary-land is going to win it all for four years...just look at the recruit rankings.

 

[bballnut90]

Nykesha Sales, 1994 - USA Today high school POY
Shea Ralph, 1996, No. 1
Tamika Williams, 1998, No. 1
Diana Taurasi, 2000, No. 1
Ann Strother, 2002, No. 1
Tina Charles, 2006, Hoopgurlz No. 1 (Maya Moore won the Naismith as a junior)
Maya Moore, 2007, No. 1
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, 2011, No. 1
Breanna Stewart, 2012, No. 1
Katie Lou Samuelson, 2015, No. 1

Geno also signed 2008 No. 1 Elena Delle Donne who elected to go elsewhere.

Not to mention 2003's #1 Brittany Hunter who transferred to UCONN.

From 1994 to 2008, 13 out of 15 #1 players enrolled at (EDD) or played for Tennessee or Connecticut. That's pretty incredible:
Nykesha Sales, 1994 HS POY
Chamique Holdsclaw, 1995 HS POY
Shea Ralph, 1996, No. 1
Tamika Catchings, 1997, No. 1
Tamika Williams, 1998, No. 1
Diana Taurasi, 2000, No. 1 (I believe Ashley Robinson was #1 by some services, too)
Shyra Ely, 2001, No. 1
Ann Strother, 2002, No. 1
Brittany Hunter, 2003, No. 1
Candace Parker, 2004, No. 1
Tina Charles, 2006, No. 1
Maya Moore, 2007, No. 1
Elena Delle Donne, 2008, No. 1

The only ones who opted elsewhere were:
1999-Nina Smith, she chose Wisconsin but Tennessee was her #2 school.
2005-Courtney Paris, Oklahoma...UCONN was a finalist for her.

 

[Fightin Choke]

I agree that players win games...coaches lose them. That's why TU (in recent years), Duke and UNCheat don't win the big ones.

Some years there is a far-and-away No 1....Stewie, D, Parker. etc. Other years, you could probably swap No. 1 thru 10. After that, it's a real crap shoot. No difference between most of the players.

Miss Muffit has had Diggins, McBride, Loyd (all on one team), Turner...all highly ranked, I'm sure...along with other ranked players. She's been close, but no cigar. Regardless, after this year, Mary-land is going to win it all for four years...just look at the recruit rankings.

All highly ranked? Are you stating that based on their success in college or their actual rating by the recruiting services? McBride was ranked no higher than 20th by the services, and Dan Olson, the person who presently does the ratings for Hoopgurlz, had Kayla ranked 68th in the country. Diggins was ranked 3rd, but there was a clear #1 in her class, a women who selected Baylor named Brittney Griner. And UConn still had 2 years of Maya left when Skylar enrolled at ND (and another year of some woman from Jamaica, NY named Charles). Jewell was ranked 4th and that's awesome, but UConn just happened to have the 1st, 2nd, and 6th ranked players in that same class. And that class followed one in which UConn claimed the #1 recruit (some woman from Mater Dei named Lewis). Whenever the Irish have had recruiting success, it has been eclipsed by the Huskies. Which is great for UConn, as Geno is not supposed to share. But UConn fans cannot argue that Geno has done more with less when Geno has successfully kept team his well-stocked with very highly rated players. Did you not see HuskyNan's post (in this thread) of UConn's success with acquiring #1 rated players?

 

[j66kicker]

 

[WestCoastFan]

All highly ranked? Are you stating that based on their success in college or their actual rating by the recruiting services? McBride was ranked no higher than 20th by the services, and Dan Olson, the person who presently does the ratings for Hoopgurlz, had Kayla ranked 68th in the country. Diggins was ranked 3rd, but there was a clear #1 in her class, a women who selected Baylor named Brittney Griner. And UConn still had 2 years of Maya left when Skylar enrolled at ND (and another year of some woman from Jamaica, NY named Charles). Jewell was ranked 4th and that's awesome, but UConn just happened to have the 1st, 2nd, and 6th ranked players in that same class. And that class followed one in which UConn claimed the #1 recruit (some woman from Mater Dei named Lewis). Whenever the Irish have had recruiting success, it has been eclipsed by the Huskies. Which is great for UConn, as Geno is not supposed to share. But UConn fans cannot argue that Geno has done more with less when Geno has successfully kept team his well-stocked with very highly rated players. Did you not see HuskyNan's post (in this thread) of UConn's success with acquiring #1 rated players?

Hey Choke, thanks for verifying my point...and doing all that research. Nice job. McBride was 68th huh?? And yet she was an AA and runner-up to Stewie for POY. Wonder why No. 1-67 didn't pan out?

It's hard to use UConn as a basis for your argument...kinda chicken or the egg. Yes, Geno is a great coach who gets great players...because he has great teams...who attract great players. Other teams have great players...once again, TU, Duke, UNCheat, etc... Why don't they win more? Give you a hint: Coaching, not player rankings.

 

[easttexastrash]

Why don't they win more? Give you a hint: Coaching, not player rankings.

I think this theory will be tested starting next year. UCONN had DT for 3 of its titles, Stewart for 3, Maya Moore for 2. Those were not just number 1 players, those were three of the most talented players to ever play WCBB. There is obviously a difference in a number 1 player like Stewart and a number 1 player like Mercedes Russell. I am not saying that Geno is not a phenomenal coach, but to imply that talent level has not been a factor in UCONN's success is just silly.

 

[HuskyNan]

Not to mention 2003's #1 Brittany Hunter who transferred to UCONN.

From 1994 to 2008, 13 out of 15 #1 players enrolled at (EDD) or played for Tennessee or Connecticut. That's pretty incredible:
Nykesha Sales, 1994 HS POY
Chamique Holdsclaw, 1995 HS POY
Shea Ralph, 1996, No. 1
Tamika Catchings, 1997, No. 1
Tamika Williams, 1998, No. 1
Diana Taurasi, 2000, No. 1 (I believe Ashley Robinson was #1 by some services, too)
Shyra Ely, 2001, No. 1
Ann Strother, 2002, No. 1
Brittany Hunter, 2003, No. 1
Candace Parker, 2004, No. 1
Tina Charles, 2006, No. 1
Maya Moore, 2007, No. 1
Elena Delle Donne, 2008, No. 1

The only ones who opted elsewhere were:
1999-Nina Smith, she chose Wisconsin but Tennessee was her #2 school.
2005-Courtney Paris, Oklahoma...UCONN was a finalist for her.

You has No. 1 Michelle Marciniak on Holdsclaw's freshman year. Astonishing facts about the two schools, though.

 

[WestCoastFan]

I think this theory will be tested starting next year. UCONN had DT for 3 of its titles, Stewart for 3, Maya Moore for 2. Those were not just number 1 players, those were three of the most talented players to ever play WCBB. There is obviously a difference in a number 1 player like Stewart and a number 1 player like Mercedes Russell. I am not saying that Geno is not a phenomenal coach, but to imply that talent level has not been a factor in UCONN's success is just silly.

Not paying attention, Trashman. Nobody implied talent wasn't a factor. The discussion is about useless player rankings. Would Russell develop and play better with a better coach/team? I would say yes.

 

[easttexastrash]

Would Russell develop and play better with a better coach/team? I would say yes.

I think she may be slightly better at other programs, but not exponentially. I said when I saw her in high school that I thought she would have a decent college career but never be a program changer, and I think that is how her career will progress.

 

[HuskyNan]

I think this theory will be tested starting next year. UCONN had DT for 3 of its titles, Stewart for 3, Maya Moore for 2. Those were not just number 1 players, those were three of the most talented players to ever play WCBB. There is obviously a difference in a number 1 player like Stewart and a number 1 player like Mercedes Russell. I am not saying that Geno is not a phenomenal coach, but to imply that talent level has not been a factor in UCONN's success is just silly.

Delaware, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Iowa State never won a championship despite having the No. 1 player. The OK team that played UConn in the NC game was led by Stacy Dales, not Courtney Paris. There are many factors that go into making a championship team and talent is only one.