Duke viewpoint: loss to No. 3 UConn demonstrates that superstar players are not everything

[Mdoggie]

I agree. She would not be human if she did not psych herself up as the game approach, thinking her team would perform in a highly competitive manner. Instead what happened happened and the reality of the distance her program has to go became apparent. Back to the portal Kara.

PS. She's one of my favorite people in the sport.

Portal is not the answer. Good high school recruiting of good basketball and team players then set the culture. She’ll get there. It’s in her DNA.

 

[huskeynut]

UConn has always tried to field teams that have 4 to 5, maybe 6, scorers that on any given night can torch an opponent. This forces other teams to play straight up defense or suffer the consequences. Slow one down, double team a UConn player - someone is open and the ball with find them.

In today's game, you need more than 2 scorers to play with the big girls. And remember, every team is one injury away from disaster.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Portal is not the answer. Good high school recruiting of good basketball and team players then set the culture. She’ll get there. It’s in her DNA.

Oh I agree, but her traditional recruiting has not been strong and led to 8 portal kids being on her roster.

 

[cancontent]

Saw it. That’s Day-Wilson’s personality. Noticed it when she was in high school.

Personality or not, it hurts the team every time. It seems to have gotten worse since she entered into university. The commentators mentioned that part of Coach Lawson's game plan was to limit UConn in transition. To see this instead, I'd be infuriated.

 

[triaddukefan]

Portal is not the answer. Good high school recruiting of good basketball and team players then set the culture. She’ll get there. It’s in her DNA.

Lawson grabbed 7 in the portal last year to fill out the roster. All 3 of our posts last year graduated, so she picked up 3 posts in the portal (plus a wing) this year. Barring transfers, we will have 9 returning players and 3 incoming freshman. With 3 open scholarships available, we will need to pick up at least one post, and hopefully a 3pt shooter in the portal. So next season, for the first time, most of the players on the roster will be players that Lawson recruited.

Oh I agree, but her traditional recruiting has not been strong and led to 8 portal kids being on her roster.

Actually Lawson has done pretty good on the recruiting trail. She was hired in July of 2020, so it was already too late to make inroads among the top players in the 2021 class. Volker was the early recruit, and Day-Wilson came along after she decommitted from Syracuse after their coach resigned. This year's class was a top 11 recruiting class according to ESPN. Jackson was a top 20 kid... Bolin a top 40 kid, and Koabel was a top Canadian Player. Next year's class is rated #6 according to ESPN with the #3, 27, and 29th ranked players. So she started off slowly, but is recruiting better each season.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Portal is not the answer. Good high school recruiting of good basketball and team players then set the culture. She’ll get there. It’s in her DNA.

Soooooo Lou isn't an answer for UCONN? Dorka? Maybe a judicious combination of recruiting and portal players is the answer.

 

[triaddukefan]

Personality or not, it hurts the team every time. It seems to have gotten worse since she entered into university. The commentators mentioned that part of Coach Lawson's game plan was to limit UConn in transition. To see this instead, I'd be infuriated.

The first time I noticed was in the Iowa game last year. I was in the crowd, and she was blowing kisses to the student section after she made 3pters.. at the time I thought.. how cute.

Now that I'm older and a lot more crotchety... I'm like

 

[cancontent]

The first time I noticed was in the Iowa game last year. I was in the crowd, and she was blowing kisses to the student section after she made 3pters.. at the time I thought.. how cute.

Now that I'm older and a lot more crotchety... I'm like

I've been seeing stuff like that for many more years than you have. I'm past the crotchety phase and just laugh when she gets busted in transition. No point caring about it anymore as she's going to continue doing it, damn the team gameplan.

 

[Mdoggie]

Soooooo Lou isn't an answer for UCONN? Dorka? Maybe a judicious combination of recruiting and portal players is the answer.

Long term recruiting. I like the old fashion way to build your culture

 

[AgStatesman]

Duke hubris at its best - thinking you can build a team out of the portal. The vast majority of portal transfers are there because they weren't good enough to contribute at their previous school. That is not a recipe to build a top 20 team. The girl at LSU may be the exception or maybe they just haven't played anyone yet.

UConn losing Paige was never going to make them worse then the 3rd best team in America this year. They lost "A" superstar. The roster is still loaded with many other superstars. Azzi, Lou, Nike, Dorka, Aaliyah, Aubrey etc are all superstar caliber players.

 

[jake0414]

I have watched this game 3 different times and did not notice what Kara was wearing during the game but the team was absolutely wearing their white uniforms in the game and the photo. They did NOT where blue uniforms. Sorry watch it again and check. I'm wrong about what Kara wore and for that I'm sorry - the caption and article were both labeled as them against UConn in the tournament.

Mea Culpa. I stand corrected. Duke did wear home whites. Missed that.

 

[Oracle9]

I wonder if anyone else picked up on this during the game.
One of their guards hit a 3-ball. She immediately turned (as she did a couple of other times) to the crowd on the sideline and performs the "blowing barrel smoke" from a "pistol", and then holstering it gesture.
Meanwhile, as she's (literally) "grandstanding", UCONN grabs the ball, inbounds it, and within a few seconds is scoring at the other end.
Just one great example of how/why UCONN built that transition edge.

Yes indeed #30 I think it was doing the phone mime after a three, and even better clapping at Nika no less-smart.

 

[Ladeeeeda]

Duke hubris at its best - thinking you can build a team out of the portal. The vast majority of portal transfers are there because they weren't good enough to contribute at their previous school. That is not a recipe to build a top 20 team. The girl at LSU may be the exception or maybe they just haven't played anyone yet.

UConn losing Paige was never going to make them worse then the 3rd best team in America this year. They lost "A" superstar. The roster is still loaded with many other superstars. Azzi, Lou, Nike, Dorka, Aaliyah, Aubrey etc are all superstar caliber players.

Uummmm, who said Duke planned/plans to build a team from the portal as a 1st option? Duke had no choice but to use the portal because the '21s were already committed before Lawson took over and she took over a dumpster fire. Add that Duke doesnt pay (No NIL deals...same as ND and Stanford) and they have a completely unproven coach and
the portal becomes a necessity to fill the roster.

 

[Alydar]

Oh I agree, but her traditional recruiting has not been strong and led to 8 portal kids being on her roster.

Kara's recruiting may suffer from her being a media person and not developing a network of talent spotters. It seems that today you have to get involved with players no later than as HS freshmen and starts in 7th and 8th grade.

 

[AgStatesman]

Uummmm, who said Duke planned/plans to build a team from the portal as a 1st option? Duke had no choice but to use the portal because the '21s were already committed before Lawson took over and she took over a dumpster fire. Add that Duke doesnt pay (No NIL deals...same as ND and Stanford) and they have a completely unproven coach and
the portal becomes a necessity to fill the roster.

Come on! Have some info. before you come here. Duke has plenty of involvement with NIL. In fact they hired a person to do just NIL stuff. Duke hires former Nike, NBA staffer to aid players with NIL

I assert that Duke women have never stopped being a dumpster fire. Hired in July 2020 - 5 months later her team quits the season due to Covid. One post season later they quit on post season play. I have zero respect for that program.

 

[triaddukefan]

Come on! Have some info. before you come here. Duke has plenty of involvement with NIL. In fact they hired a person to do just NIL stuff. Duke hires former Nike, NBA staffer to aid players with NIL

I assert that Duke women have never stopped being a dumpster fire. Hired in July 2020 - 5 months later her team quits the season due to Covid. One post season later they quit on post season play. I have zero respect for that program.

Thank you for your interest (or lack thereof) in Duke WBB. I'm sure Coach Lawson, Staff, and players are crestfallen with regards to gaining no respect from an anonymous poster on a Husky fan site.

Now back to regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Ladeeeeda]

Come on! Have some info. before you come here. Duke has plenty of involvement with NIL. In fact they hired a person to do just NIL stuff. Duke hires former Nike, NBA staffer to aid players with NIL

I assert that Duke women have never stopped being a dumpster fire. Hired in July 2020 - 5 months later her team quits the season due to Covid. One post season later they quit on post season play. I have zero respect for that program.

Lol. Well at least you are honest about your bias and that at least ecplains the resulting ignorance. There is currently no NIL for the women. Zero.

 

[mbr33ct]

The first article was a fun read and the quotes selected were my favorites also. Both articles were harshly critical of Duke and several of their players and even though they were correct stat wise could have easily given the UConn players more credit for the differences and taken a bit more heat off their own team. I noticed in the picture of Kara that she was wearing a Duke pullover rather than the tournament provided attire that all the other coaches were wearing (including Geno) and on their board we were called arrogant?

My favorite quote from the first article actually was one of the best I've seen to describe UConn - "this team was never about parts of the sum, but the sum of the parts."

In the photo of Kara you took note of Kara wearing a Duke pullover but you failed to notice Duke players in the chairs behind her wearing their home whites. Duke wore their road blue uniforms yesterday. In fact if you go back and watch the game you will see Kara dressed in the PK monogrammed top, the same as all the other coaches. Haven‘t noticed any comments from Triad on the game but I‘d venture to guess he’d appreciate a retraction of your backhanded suggestion that Kara’s wardrobe choice represented a display of arrogance.

What I'm amazed at the photos accompanying both articles are not of the game they just played. I'm wondering if these articles were written from their living room recliners and went to their stock photos to grab any random photos of team in huddle and one of Kara and called it a day.

Indeed Kara did wear the PK pullover like Geno did and Duke did wear their white unis.

 

[jchusky]

she's been overhyped as a hc due to her tv presence. The best hc in that area is Courtney whose program has a legit shot to beat a top 5 team tonight

 

[HopJim]

The opinion that matters here is that of the one holding the whistle, Kara Lawson. She was somewhat crestfallen in her postgame pressconference, but she made some salient observations.

While Duke seems to need to come together as a team, also think that Coach Kara needs to mature as well. Through most of the first half, Duke used their height and shooting to keep the game close. When Kara was forced to substitute, UConn pushed the Duke shooters away from the basket, took over the boards, and imposed their will. While many teams have these issues when playing UConn, Kara kept using a system that wasn't working. Hard for Duke to overcome a hot UConn when their coach doesn't make adjustments.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Lawson grabbed 7 in the portal last year to fill out the roster. All 3 of our posts last year graduated, so she picked up 3 posts in the portal (plus a wing) this year. Barring transfers, we will have 9 returning players and 3 incoming freshman. With 3 open scholarships available, we will need to pick up at least one post, and hopefully a 3pt shooter in the portal. So next season, for the first time, most of the players on the roster will be players that Lawson recruited.




Actually Lawson has done pretty good on the recruiting trail. She was hired in July of 2020, so it was already too late to make inroads among the top players in the 2021 class. Volker was the early recruit, and Day-Wilson came along after she decommitted from Syracuse after their coach resigned. This year's class was a top 11 recruiting class according to ESPN. Jackson was a top 20 kid... Bolin a top 40 kid, and Koabel was a top Canadian Player. Next year's class is rated #6 according to ESPN with the #3, 27, and 29th ranked players. So she started off slowly, but is recruiting better each season.

no worries. duke is fine as pie with kara lawson at the helm.
too obvious. no brainer. all that's left to do is wait for the dough to rise.
separate from the record, there will be a day, soon, when miss thing recruit signs with her, and the rest of the sport will respond with 'didn't see that coming.'
smart cookie, that one.

 

[DefenseBB]

I agree. She would not be human if she did not psych herself up as the game approach, thinking her team would perform in a highly competitive manner. Instead what happened happened and the reality of the distance her program has to go became apparent. Back to the portal Kara.

PS. She's one of my favorite people in the sport.

Another poster said this: but I hadn't heard it so when, all of a sudden, did Kara get a "southern accent"? Seriously...

As far as any team recruiting out of the port, it's a simple fact that teams and coaches will have to figure it out. It will take time for the players to mesh so early losses will occur. Ultimately, it will be decided upon in March during the conference tournaments and the NCAAT so let's hold off all early critiques of the "pitfalls of the portal" until after a larger sample size.

 

[jchusky]

as expected North Carolina gets a statement win over top 5 Iowa State, Courtney building something special

 

[Bone Dog]

as expected North Carolina gets a statement win over top 5 Iowa State, Courtney building something special

Yup. Déjà Kelley took them apart in the second half. A particularly absurd sequence toward the end when UNC got three turnovers in a row on inbounds passes. So much for how prepared the cyclones are for top level competition.

I must admit I hadn’t expected this result and will have to reassess my thinking about where both teams rank.

Sorry about the weird spelling of déjà but I send a lot of texts and emails in French and my phone just defaults to the accented version every time now.