ESPN AA Team

[darrell]

I’m biased, but I’d definitely put Edwards on the 10 person AA team.

For sure. Manning the post alone against some of the top teams in the Country is no small feat, and Aaliyah made it look damn good.

 

[Zarathustra]

Kitley, darn spell check.

It happens to ALL of us!

 

[CL82]

.

As for Hidalgo, she’s had her share of less than efficient offensive games too. But she is far and away the most dangerous defensive player in the country.

She looked pretty darn good against us.

 

[VAUConnFan]

ESPN leads off the season’s AA teams, POY, etc. with their selections by Creme, Voepel & Philippou as follows:

AA team
Clark
Brink
Watkins
Hidalgo
Bueckers

POY - Clark
FOY - Watkins
COY - Staley

Lots of great players out there, but I have to say that I think ESPN got it right. I have no doubt there will be some grumbling in Baton Rouge….

They got it right.

 

[VAUConnFan]

It will be interesting to see the 10 player WBCA AA team when it’s announced. The ESPN 5 + Cardoso? Reese? Paopao? Osborne? Edwards? TBD?

Rickea Jackson - should be no worse than the second player picked in the upcoming WNBA draft.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Watkins
Hidalgo

I just check their stat. Emm...not so good.

Stats are a big part fo the story, but the key is that they both make their teams better and have proven that in a one and done scenario, they are dangerous.

 

[FormerCTrez]

I am not sure what the final results will be, but I truly believe that players who are involved in in-game fights should be disqualified from all end of year awards. And it shouldn't matter who the player(s) is/are, and what schools are involved.
Just my two cents.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Based on what I’ve seen, the biggest grumble would be for omitting Kittle in favor of Hidalgo.

Wrong era, Kittle played for Villanova 20 years ago. Maybe you meant Liz Kitley?

 

[MilfordHusky]

JuJu is really, really good, but she's too much of a volume shooter to be the #2 player in the nation, in my opinion. I would put her in about the 4-6 range.

 

[The deacon]

Rickea Jackson - should be no worse than the second player picked in the upcoming WNBA draft.

Could be, VAU, but I suspect Clark ad Brink will be picked ahead of Rickea.

 

[JellyBean]

ESPN leads off the season’s AA teams, POY, etc. with their selections by Creme, Voepel & Philippou as follows:

AA team
Clark
Brink
Watkins
Hidalgo
Bueckers

POY - Clark
FOY - Watkins
COY - Staley

Lots of great players out there, but I have to say that I think ESPN got it right. I have no doubt there will be some grumbling in Baton Rouge….

Pretty solid list. With any picks, especially when picking such a limited number, there will always be some grumblings about a player being left off the "select" few. I think the ESPN AA teams looks pretty solid. Great job, ESPN crew.

 

[Boreifs]

And how does Hidalgo make the team over ACC player of the year Kitley?

By having a greater impact. Have you seen her play? She does everything, including rebounding and doesn’t need anybody else to make a difference. The ACC, IMO, picked the wrong POY; apparently, ESPN agreed.

 

[darkstar1]

Wrong era, Kittle played for Villanova 20 years ago. Maybe you meant Liz Kitley?

Yup

 

[Rb335]

When it comes to JuJu, she completely passes the eye test for me. Her size, athleticism and skill set is pretty unique to the women’s game. She’s also made USC relevant again. However over the last 10 games of the season, she has shot 80/226 35% and 16/58 from 3 28%. To me, she’s run out of steam down the stretch. When your reputation is being a scorer, I personally value having some efficiency. She’s was only a few more missed shots away from averaging under 40% for the year. What she’s accomplished is incredible, and she’ll likely only get better and more efficient with age. But the efficiency makes me stop and pause. It’s weird how she’s a consensus AA, when the same TO and efficiency issues cost Clark first team as a freshman.

 

[Surly1]

When it comes to JuJu, she completely passes the eye test for me. Her size, athleticism and skill set is pretty unique to the women’s game. She’s also made USC relevant again. However over the last 10 games of the season, she has shot 80/226 35% and 16/58 from 3 28%. To me, she’s run out of steam down the stretch. When your reputation is being a scorer, I personally value having some efficiency. She’s was only a few more missed shots away from averaging under 40% for the year. What she’s accomplished is incredible, and she’ll likely only get better and more efficient with age. But the efficiency makes me stop and pause. It’s weird how she’s a consensus AA, when the same TO and efficiency issues cost Clark first team as a freshman.

I agree that JuJu passes the eye test. She & Madison Booker possess a unique skill set and will help continue to revolutionize the women's game. However, it does appear that the season is taking the sting out of her game. Ironically, of the 5 listed as ESPN's All-Americans, only Paige produced higher than average statistical numbers.

While Caitlin showed her clutch ability in the second half against Nebraska, she did not shoot particularly well, especially from 3-pt during the Big Ten tourney. However, she compensated with double digit assists in two games. Likewise, Cam Brink, JuJu & Hannah did not shoot well from the field either. In JuJu's case, she had 19 turnovers compared to 5 assists and shot less than 30%. She's been asked to carry the load for USC and it may have caught up with her. Hannah may have been slightly off shooting, but she was her usual dervish self on defense and took care of the ball.

In contrast, Paige put up some of her best numbers over the 3-game. Her scoring was complimented by 25 rebounds, 12 blocked shots and at least 3 steals each game while not committing a single foul. Oh, she shot 12-24 from 3-pt land. While doubters will point out that the Big East is not as strong as the Big Ten, ACC or Pac-12, Paige's performance over the tourney lets the nation know that she's returned and ready to reassume her place and reputation amongst the best in the nation.

 

[Skeets]

She looked pretty darn good against us.

Hidalgo lit UConn up, but she scored a lot of those points with Nika sitting on the bench in foul trouble. Would she have scored all those points with Nika in the game? Who knows. Not that it matters, she scored the points.

 

[visitingcock]

Could be, VAU, but I suspect Clark ad Brink will be picked ahead of Rickea.

Aaliya Edwards COULD be chosen ahead of Rickea too. I like them both pretty equally. If both were in the board, the question for me would be whose personality fits my team the best.

 

[BigTenGuy]

. . . It’s weird how she’s [Watkins] a consensus AA, when the same TO and efficiency issues cost Clark first team as a freshman.

"Efficiency issues" Clark's freshman year? I have seen this take elsewhere as well, and can't figure it out. Guess it's just part of the anti-Clark sentiment. Not sure how an effective field goal percentage of 57.4% (ranking in the 96th percentile) can count as having efficiency issues, let alone the same efficiency issues as Watkins, with her 44.9% effective field goal percentage (ranking in the 48th percentile)..

Clark's a high-volume turnover player, but the Watkins turnover comparison seems incomplete. Clark had a 1.49 assist-to-turnover ratio her freshman. A solid, not great figure, and not too far south of Hidalgo at 1.61. Watkins is at .77, meaning more turnovers than assists. That is a pitiful figure for a guard with high utilization, and not comparable to either Clark or Hidalgo, let alone Paige at well over 2.

SEASON	PLAYER	TEAM	PTS	EFG%	AST/TOV	AST	TOV
2020-21	Paige Bueckers	UConn	20	59.9%	2.3	5.8	2.5
2020-21	Caitlin Clark	Iowa	26.6	57.4%	1.49	7.1	4.8
2023-24	Hannah Hidalgo	Notre Dame	23.3	49.5%	1.61	5.5	3.4
2023-24	JuJu Watkins	Southern Cal	27.0	44.9%	0.77	3.2	4.2

Also, her freshman year, Clark was 1st Team AA by USBWA (5 player) and WBCA AA (10 player). She was also 2nd Team AA by AP (5 player). Those are the three AA teams the NCAA uses to determine unanimous AA. So if WBB had a consensus 1st-Team AA, Clark would have made it, but not unanimous AA.

 

[Rb335]

"Efficiency issues" Clark's freshman year? I have seen this take elsewhere as well, and can't figure it out. Guess it's just part of the anti-Clark sentiment. Not sure how an effective field goal percentage of 57.4% (ranking in the 96th percentile) can count as having efficiency issues, let alone the same efficiency issues as Watkins, with her 44.9% effective field goal percentage (ranking in the 48th percentile)..

Clark's a high-volume turnover player, but the Watkins turnover comparison seems incomplete. Clark had a 1.49 assist-to-turnover ratio her freshman. A solid, not great figure, and not too far south of Hidalgo at 1.61. Watkins is at .77, meaning more turnovers than assists. That is a pitiful figure for a guard with high utilization, and not comparable to either Clark or Hidalgo, let alone Paige at well over 2.

SEASON	PLAYER	TEAM	PTS	EFG%	AST/TOV	AST	TOV
2020-21	Paige Bueckers	UConn	20	59.9%	2.3	5.8	2.5
2020-21	Caitlin Clark	Iowa	26.6	57.4%	1.49	7.1	4.8
2023-24	Hannah Hidalgo	Notre Dame	23.3	49.5%	1.61	5.5	3.4
2023-24	JuJu Watkins	Southern Cal	27.0	44.9%	0.77	3.2	4.2

Also, her freshman year, Clark was 1st Team AA by USBWA (5 player) and WBCA AA (10 player). She was also 2nd Team AA by AP (5 player). Those are the three AA teams the NCAA uses to determine unanimous AA. So if WBB had a consensus 1st-Team AA, Clark would have made it, but not unanimous AA.

Thank you for this. I was going off memory, and recall Clark not being on the AP first team. In the comparison with Bueckers, I just remember efficiency and turnovers being topics of conversation. It’s illuminating to see how high Clark’s EFG was. Maybe her snub was more related to team performance.

But given these metrics, I’d say offensively the duo of Clark and Bueckers were a more impressive freshman duo. Seems like JuJus shortcomings are masked highly by that 27 ppg total.

 

[LoTrader]

When it comes to JuJu, she completely passes the eye test for me. Her size, athleticism and skill set is pretty unique to the women’s game. She’s also made USC relevant again. However over the last 10 games of the season, she has shot 80/226 35% and 16/58 from 3 28%. To me, she’s run out of steam down the stretch. When your reputation is being a scorer, I personally value having some efficiency. She’s was only a few more missed shots away from averaging under 40% for the year. What she’s accomplished is incredible, and she’ll likely only get better and more efficient with age. But the efficiency makes me stop and pause. It’s weird how she’s a consensus AA, when the same TO and efficiency issues cost Clark first team as a freshman.

JuJu passes the eye test for sure, except for her decision making. I saw JuJu in person, courtside vs Oregon State. JuJu was 6 for 34 in that game. USC won the game, but OSU didn't have Raegan Beers for that game. JuJu has great physical capabilities, supreme confidence, and is going to be #1 pick in WNBA at some point in the future. JuJu was also 11 for 33 in the USC's first game vs Oregon State back in January. What's the point? JuJu would be on my 1st Team AA team but for her decision making. I think it is getting better, knowing when to shoot vs pass, as demonstrated in their last game vs Stanford, but based upon the entire season, JuJu would be in my TOP 10-15 but not TOP 5.

 

[Dynastic]

Watkins
Hidalgo

I just check their stat. Emm...not so good.

And how does Hidalgo make the team over ACC player of the year Kitley?

Hidalgo makes ND run, Kitley kinda overrated… runs off Georgia A..
Both have an impressive stats line in a tough conference, maybe they just wanted a short person(we need love ❤️ too). ND is on tv more.