Elite 8: who won't be back?

[Fightin Choke]

Neither, I was being arrogant. Let me be more specific:
1) Megan Walker will likely not start for UCONN next year. Megan walker would start for any other Elite 8 team.
2) Crystal Dangerfield might not start for UCONN Next year. Crystal Dangerfield would start for any other Elite 8 team.
3) Bautouly Camara most likely will start for UCONN Next year. Bautouly Camara could probably could start for many/most other Elite 8 team.
4) Mikayla Coombs.....
5) Lexi Gordon...

Do you disagree?

Yes, I disagree. I think both Brianna Turner (assuming she can play next season) and Kat Westbeld would start over Batouly Camara, Natalie Butler and Kyla Irwin in the front court. At the 2 and 3 positions, I assume Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale would start over Molly Bent, Megan Walker, Lexi Gordon, Andra EH, and Mikayla Coombs. The only possible starter would be Dangerfield, but she would have to beat out the veteran Lili Thompson. ND also has depth at the 3 and 4 positions with Jackie Young (who will be a star) and Erin Boley (who really came on at the end of the season). What ND really needs is a 5 (if Turner is not available at the start of the season), but Butler has limitations.

So who are the 3 Irish starters you would replace with UConn bench players?

 

[Fightin Choke]

But in terms of the teams, based on who's coming back, and who's coming in, I'd have to say that the Elite Eight teams would be:

South Carolina
Baylor
Oregon
Texas
Louisville
UCLA
Duke

So Notre Dame won't crack the top 8 next season? Where do you see them? Are you assuming that Brianna Turner redshirts next year? Or do you think that even with Turner the Irish are not top 8?

 

[Dillon77]

Neither, I was being arrogant. Let me be more specific:
1) Megan Walker will likely not start for UCONN next year. Megan walker would start for any other Elite 8 team.
2) Crystal Dangerfield might not start for UCONN Next year. Crystal Dangerfield would start for any other Elite 8 team.
3) Bautouly Camara most likely will start for UCONN Next year. Bautouly Camara could probably could start for many/most other Elite 8 team.
4) Mikayla Coombs.....
5) Lexi Gordon...

Do you disagree?

Oh, this is too much fun for an Irish-American Arsonist of the Mind on a mind-numbing rainy day.


I'm going to go with Choke's line as the base-line assumption, that these players are now immediately available to the other 8 teams. That said, I'll comment on a few of your second-teamers.

1) Megan Walker. No argument from me.
2) Crystal Dangerfield. It all depends on which team. I think she'd be the el supremo at Florida State, taking Romero's place. But at these schools, hmmm?
- South Carolina. Tyasha Harris has done a bravura job as a freshman and has made a difference for that team.
- Oregon. Probably a matter of how you like your point guards, but I think Kelly Brooks is in heaven with Ms. Ionescu. (And if he isn't, please buy her a ticket to South Bend!)
- Notre Dame. Hmmm. This will be a great pre-season battle between Dangerfield and the grad transfer Lily Thompson. I have no idea who wins the starting slot, but they'd both play.
3) Camara is one of those throwback tough "4's" for me that I love to have around that seem to have been stretched out.
- If Turner is injured next year, please have her next to Kat Westbeld!
- She'd be devastating at Miss. State or S. Carolina and/or FSU or Stanford.
- Might be too many bodies at Baylor for a start, but she'd be in the rotation.
4 & 5) Coombs & Gordon. Quite candidly, I don't know their games as well because they committed to UConn and were, therefore, not on the radar as much as say, Megatron. I do believe they would not be starting over Mabrey or Ogunbowale and jumping ahead of Young in the rotation.

 

[Kaizen]

No one is interesting in Tenn. ???

 

[huskies29]

1. Baylor loses quite a bit IMO-Alexis Jones, Alexis Prince, Nina Davis. They return a plethora of post players but only proven guard is Kristy Wallace.

2. ND--loses Allen but how long will it take Thompson to get acclimated to running the Irish offense

3. FSU-missed it's chance

4. Oregon has to deal with PAC12 next season which will be tough again.

5. South Carolina--loses Coates and likely Kaela Davis

6. Mississippi State-loses Dillingham, Chappel, Richardson, and Okorie but return the core.

And Wallace may need counseling to come back after the verbal abuse and criticism she took from Mulkey all game long.

 

[huskies29]

It doesn't matter who is coming back for the next 2 years. They are all playing for 2nd place only. Uconn will be double digit favorites over whoever they play wherever they play them next season. Biggest problem for Geno will be deciding on the playing time.

 

[nwhoopfan]

- Oregon. Probably a matter of how you like your point guards, but I think Kelly Brooks is in heaven with Ms. Ionescu. (And if he isn't, please buy her a ticket to South Bend!)

Kelly Graves, but I digress. Not only is their Ionescu, but they also have Maite Cazorla. 2 good starting PGs, Dangerfield would have a hard time cracking the starting lineup in Eugene.

 

[Dillon77]

And Wallace may need counseling to come back after the verbal abuse and criticism she took from Mulkey all game long.

-- or a one-way ticket back to Australia.

(Gosh, the girl switches positions, does double duty with the other guard injuries and for all that becomes a dartboard for the coach...during the contest. Outside of that, how did you like the game Miss Wallace?)

 

[Dillon77]

Kelly Graves, but I digress. Not only is their Ionescu, but they also have Maite Cazorla. 2 good starting PGs, Dangerfield would have a hard time cracking the starting lineup in Eugene.

Sorry, must've read an article on the Men's Dillon Brooks, which tends to blend into my tag-name here!
And there is Maite (another favorite name of mine) Cazorla, who is a pretty fine player.

 

[UConnCat]

Great start. Some further thoughts:


- ND has Lili Thompson, the Stanford grad student, taking over PG duties for Allen, which will help with that loss a bit.

I agree that Thompson seems destined to take over the PG duties but many Stanford fans insist Lili is not a point guard. As I posted in another thread, Tara's message to Thompson after last season was be more unselfish and have a better A/TO ratio. We'll see next season whether Thompson is willing to accept that message and change her game. I'm sure Turner and Mabrey and Ogunbowale hope she will.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I'm not convinced Oregon is going to jump up so fast. They have great young talent, but they still were a mediocre team this year, and then benefitted from an injured Duke team and possibly overrated Terps. I would think a jump to near the top of the PAC instead of THE top is more likrly.
Plus the players can't coast on this years success. It will be even harder next year. I'm not ready to put them as top 15 yet.

With two kids- freshmen, no less!- who stand 6'4" and 6'5", Oregon is going to be extremely competitive against everyone. And that's before considering Ionescu. They're just coming into their own.

Gonna be very tough next year.

 

[nwhoopfan]

And there

Dang it, busted. There their they're. I was phonetically correct anyway.

 

[CocoHusky]

Yes, I disagree. I think both Brianna Turner (assuming she can play next season) and Kat Westbeld would start over Batouly Camara, Natalie Butler and Kyla Irwin in the front court. At the 2 and 3 positions, I assume Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale would start over Molly Bent, Megan Walker, Lexi Gordon, Andra EH, and Mikayla Coombs. The only possible starter would be Dangerfield, but she would have to beat out the veteran Lili Thompson. ND also has depth at the 3 and 4 positions with Jackie Young (who will be a star) and Erin Boley (who really came on at the end of the season). What ND really needs is a 5 (if Turner is not available at the start of the season), but Butler has limitations.

So who are the 3 Irish starters you would replace with UConn bench players?

I am laughing even harder now because I can clearly see where we disagree-blame it on @Fairfield Fan because if you go back and look at his post which started this, ND is not listed as an elite eight team next year. So please take it up with him. BTW I disagree with him.
The weakness of your analysis is hopefully evident; Megan walker was not going to sit behind anyone on the ND roster.

 

[CocoHusky]

Oh, this is too much fun for an Irish-American Arsonist of the Mind on a mind-numbing rainy day.


I'm going to go with Choke's line as the base-line assumption, that these players are now immediately available to the other 8 teams. That said, I'll comment on a few of your second-teamers.

1) Megan Walker. No argument from me.
2) Crystal Dangerfield. It all depends on which team. I think she'd be the el supremo at Florida State, taking Romero's place. But at these schools, hmmm?
- South Carolina. Tyasha Harris has done a bravura job as a freshman and has made a difference for that team.
- Oregon. Probably a matter of how you like your point guards, but I think Kelly Brooks is in heaven with Ms. Ionescu. (And if he isn't, please buy her a ticket to South Bend!)
- Notre Dame. Hmmm. This will be a great pre-season battle between Dangerfield and the grad transfer Lily Thompson. I have no idea who wins the starting slot, but they'd both play.
3) Camara is one of those throwback tough "4's" for me that I love to have around that seem to have been stretched out.
- If Turner is injured next year, please have her next to Kat Westbeld!
- She'd be devastating at Miss. State or S. Carolina and/or FSU or Stanford.
- Might be too many bodies at Baylor for a start, but she'd be in the rotation.
4 & 5) Coombs & Gordon. Quite candidly, I don't know their games as well because they committed to UConn and were, therefore, not on the radar as much as say, Megatron. I do believe they would not be starting over Mabrey or Ogunbowale and jumping ahead of Young in the rotation.

-Crystal played for Dawn during USA basketball and she would be exactly the game manager PG that Dawn and Melanie Balcom need to get SC offense to next level of efficiency.
- Regarding Oregon Ms Ionescu would make an incredible SG.
-Thomson vs. Dangerfield is a no-brainer Crystal has 3 years of eligibility remaining and BTW there was this hotshot recruit, initials are MW, that said she wanted to play with an elite PG. The next hotshot recruit might want to do the same.
-Even with a healthy Turner, Camara might start at ND because quite frankly Westbeld is mis-cast as a post player, she is not rugged enough.

 

[HuskieDawg]

Neither, I was being arrogant. Let me be more specific:
1) Megan Walker will likely not start for UCONN next year. Megan walker would start for any other Elite 8 team.
2) Crystal Dangerfield might not start for UCONN Next year. Crystal Dangerfield would start for any other Elite 8 team.
3) Bautouly Camara most likely will start for UCONN Next year. Bautouly Camara could probably could start for many/most other Elite 8 team.
4) Mikayla Coombs.....
5) Lexi Gordon...

Do you disagree?

So you think Camara will most likely start for us next year? So who of KLS, NC, GW or KN is coming off the bench as I would think Azura Stevens is ticketed for the starting lineup.

 

[CocoHusky]

So you think Camara will most likely start for us next year? So who of KLS, NC, GW or KN is coming off the bench as I would think Azura Stevens is ticketed for the starting lineup.

Clearly that was a typo. I do not expect Batouly to start for UCONN next year. - Good catch.

 

[SCspur]

-Crystal played for Dawn during USA basketball and she would be exactly the game manager PG that Dawn and Melanie Balcom need to get SC offense to next level of efficiency.
- Regarding Oregon Ms Ionescu would make an incredible SG.
-Thomson vs. Dangerfield is a no-brainer Crystal has 3 years of eligibility remaining and BTW there was this hotshot recruit, initials are MW, that said she wanted to play with an elite PG. The next hotshot recruit might want to do the same.
-Even with a healthy Turner, Camara might start at ND because quite frankly Westbeld is mis-cast as a post player, she is not rugged enough.

I think Dawn and Melanie already has a PG to run the offense efficiently

 

[CocoHusky]

I think Dawn and Melanie already has a PG to run the offense efficiently

Harris is a good but as Beyoncé would note, Dangerfield would be an upgrade and Beyoncé's husband would note, numbers don't lie.
Harris: 114 assists , 55 TO, 35 steals, and 193 points playing 904 minutes.
Dangerfield: 113 assists , 51 TO, 29 steals, and 187 points playing only 726 minutes.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Harris is a good but as Beyoncé would note, Dangerfield would be an upgrade and Beyoncé's husband would note, numbers don't lie.
Harris: 114 assists , 55 TO, 35 steals, and 193 points playing 904 minutes.
Dangerfield: 113 assists , 51 TO, 29 steals, and 187 points playing only 726 minutes.

You might be right, but I guess we'll support our player rather than yours. Harris is going to be real good.

Carolina should make the Elite 8 again, unless there is a hiccup like Syracuse last year.

Ty Harris
Kaela Davis
Alisha Gray
Alexis Jennings
Aja Wilson

Cuevas
Herbert Harrigan
Cliney


Bringing in one of our better recent classes that should add depth in

Elisha Grisset
Ladahzia Willaims
Bianca Jackson
Haley Troup

I like the look of that team. While I think the dominance of Coates was an advantage, this group should be solid defensively and with rebounding inside, and should be some room for Wilson and the guards to operate. There will be better depth in the interior and it looks like the second team should be able to push leads.

Should be favorite to win the SEC and anything short of Final Four will be a tad disappointing.

 

[CocoHusky]

You might be right, but I guess we'll support our player rather than yours. Harris is going to be real good.

Carolina should make the Elite 8 again, unless there is a hiccup like Syracuse last year.

Ty Harris
Kaela Davis
Alisha Gray
Alexis Jennings
Aja Wilson

Cuevas
Herbert Harrigan
Cliney


Bringing in one of our better recent classes that should add depth in

Elisha Grisset
Ladahzia Willaims
Bianca Jackson
Haley Troup

I like the look of that team. While I think the dominance of Coates was an advantage, this group should be solid defensively and with rebounding inside, and should be some room for Wilson and the guards to operate. There will be better depth in the interior and it looks like the second team should be able to push leads.

Should be favorite to win the SEC and anything short of Final Four will be a tad disappointing.

I think A'Ja will be a reliable side kick in the post, mainly because she has always had one. Ironically it could have been White but she transferred now SC will have to have Herbert Harrigan or Ladahzia Willaims step in to that roll. Both are capable.

 

[jonson]

With two kids- freshmen, no less!- who stand 6'4" and 6'5", Oregon is going to be extremely competitive against everyone. And that's before considering Ionescu. They're just coming into their own.

Gonna be very tough next year.

I don't think this information about the recruits is quite correct. One is a point guard (from Spain), the other a 6'3 or 6'4 wing (Satou Sabally), who is supposed to be the best international player coming to the US next year and is also the only international player with an invitation to the Jordan Brand Classic. If the talk about Sabally is accurate, she will help add a degree of speed and athleticism mostly missing this year (as will another freshman post player who redshirted year due to a broken hand).

But, yes, I think they will be tough.

 

[SCspur]

Harris is a good but as Beyoncé would note, Dangerfield would be an upgrade and Beyoncé's husband would note, numbers don't lie.
Harris: 114 assists , 55 TO, 35 steals, and 193 points playing 904 minutes.
Dangerfield: 113 assists , 51 TO, 29 steals, and 187 points playing only 726 minutes.

Dangerfield was the #1 PG in the class, I absolutely love her game but I can certainly argue that Ty is a solid second. I wouldn't even place Slocum second because she cracked under pressure when her team needed her most and Ty led her team to a FF as a freshman!

 

[FASTEDDY]

I would bet that Kaela Davis leaves after this year or at the very least she should leave this year.

She has likely played herself into the #1 pick in the draft and SC likely won't win the title this year or next so Why Stay?

I know its her choice and I'm sure that she loves the college experience. I'm strictly talking from a pro career / $$ perspective.

 

[Dillon77]

I think A'Ja will be a reliable side kick in the post, mainly because she has always had one. Ironically it could have been White but she transferred now SC will have to have Herbert Harrigan or Ladahzia Willaims step in to that roll. Both are capable.

Where did White end up transferring to? She should be eligible in 2017-18, no?

 

[SCspur]

I would bet that Kaela Davis leaves after this year or at the very least she should leave this year.

She has likely played herself into the #1 pick in the draft and SC likely won't win the title this year or next so Why Stay?

I know its her choice and I'm sure that she loves the college experience. I'm strictly talking from a pro career / $$ perspective.

1. Anything can happen. I know UCONN is the odds favorite but injuries can occur as well as a cold shooting night. And only God knows who will win the Natty no one else.
2. She doesn't need the money, her dad is a retired NBA player and ESPN Analyst.
3. She would probably be top 10 but not #1, after Plum broke the record and players like Coates and Jones abilities in the low post it's hard to see that she could be #1.