ESPN mid-season awards

[Vowelguy]

Well this should be good to get many around here hot on a cold winter day.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/slideshow/12227582/1/espnw-midseason-awards

I actually don't have a lot to quibble with.
I'd probably go with Turner or Mitchell over Wilson for FOY, and Tuck for 1st team AA, but no strong disagreements. Yes, I do think Loyd has had a better season so far than Stewie.

 

[Farney]

I won't argue the selections but it's silly. If Geno played them all 30+ minutes our stats would be absurd and we'd be dominating the selections. To show Stewie's stats and hint she's been disappointing is silly. Those stats are in limited minutes.

 

[Vowelguy]

To show Stewie's stats and hint she's been disappointing is silly.

I didn't take their comments as applying to her stats.
And to say that she has been adjusting to her role with Dolson is correct.

 

[Alydar]

This is just ESPN generating interest and trying not to lose viewers. The problem with all these individual awards is that they fail to measure how a player integrates with their team mates. It's all about individual statistics. It would be like baseball awarding pitchers for the best fastball, the best slider, the best curve and the best changeup and not giving out an award for the best pitcher. But it is what it is.

The only award I heard Stewart or any UConn player covet is the one they hand out on the court after the National Championship game. I'm OK with others winning the "Miss Congeniality" prizes of wcbb.

 

[Vowelguy]

The problem with all these individual awards is that they fail to measure how a player integrates with their team mates. It's all about individual statistics.

How do you know ?

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Two teams with two players each but South Carolina with the headline.

 

[Alydar]

How do you know ?

Know? Suspect is a better word. When was the last time you read about an MVP being the best screen-setter in the country or assists being mentioned in the stats that earned them the award? I'm referring to the skills that make a player's team and teammates better. That's not to say that points/gm or rebounds are meaningless, just that individual awards in a team sport like BB tend to reward selfishness and I don't mean that necessarily in a bad way. Now there are a lot of teams in which the star is encouraged to always look for their own shot first. Mitchell of OSU is an example. She will be in the final 3 in most FPOY awards. No one will care if her defense is spotty of if she isn't a very good passer and yet if the goal is winning games those skills are very important.

I guess my criticism is that the media focuses on individual achievement in team sports, and for the most part ignore the skills used in the integration of individuals into a cohesive unit. Ultimately, the media work for commercial sponsors who want a face with which to to associate their product or service. Just compare how many individuals are put on a Wheaties box to how many winning teams are put there. Individuals make better sales symbols than groups.

 

[Vowelguy]

So I assume all the UConn players who were named POY were similarly undeserving?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

As to the comment about the star being encouraged to look for her shot first in many programs, um, yeah - I'll take my best option over a bunch of pretty passes and a shot by my 4th best player on the court.

To win - consistently - you need more than one option. And if you have a lot of options and one of them doesn't share the ball, that could be a problem. But in general, sometimes the best player has to be the best scorer. It was one of Cappie's few faults that she constantly tried to involve her teammates, to the detriment of the team's chance to win, by passing up open shots in the first half (and her teammates would often try to pass it back to her too late in the shot clock). Then, in the second half, it would have to be "Cappie Time" and sometimes it was just too late.

 

[Alydar]

So I assume all the UConn players who were named POY were similarly undeserving?

You are inferring things I didn't intend to imply. And I have never seen a criteria for any of these awards except in a general way so I have no idea how to assign worthiness to any of them. I would ask you in response, do you think any of those UConn POY winners valued it more than a NC? In my world ESPN would be discussing and awarding mid-season awards to the best scoring TEAM, the best defensive TEAM, the best passing TEAM and the best rebounding TEAM.

 

[Aluminny69]

One of the best Team statistic is +/-. It doesn't get enough attention in Basketball, although I know the Coaches keep track. I would like to know this number for all AA candidates.

(Note: +/- means how many points did your team score while you were on the court, minus how many points did your opponents score while you were on the court. A Team statistic.)

 

[Vowelguy]

One of the best Team statistic is +/-. It doesn't get enough attention in Basketball, although I know the Coaches keep track. I would like to know this number for all AA candidates.

(Note: +/- means how many points did your team score while you were on the court, minus how many points did your opponents score while you were on the court. A Team statistic.)

I dont see what that does, other than tell who has good teammates.

Put me on a team with 4 of the San Antonio Spurs' starters, and go against the UConn women. I bet I come out with a better +/- stat than Stewie.

 

[Aluminny69]

I dont see what that does, other than tell who has good teammates.

Put me on a team with 4 of the San Antonio Spurs' starters, and go against the UConn women. I bet I come out with a better +/- stat than Stewie.

I think we can safely assume that that won't happen. Being more realistic, this stat is a measure of how your team does when you are in, as opposed to how your team does with you on the bench. You would have to see the stats for the UConn players to know what I mean. For example, I would expect Kelly Faris to have a good +/- number, since she shuts down opponents scoring when she is in.

As a former hockey coach, I found this number very indicative of a player's value to the team, especially defensemen.


ETA: Where's Phil when you need him? I'm sure he has this stat tucked away somewhere....

 

[Teacherdeb]

The UCONN women's team doesn't need Stewie to be "the man" every night, whereas Notre Dame needs Jewel to score all the time. Last few games Stewie started out gangbusters, scoring at will, and then gets pulled. Her flow is interrupted. If the starting five stayed in the game longer, Stewie would have adjusted more quickly to No Stefanie. If we remember the Stamford game, Stewie tried to score and take over, but the horrific defense killed the team.

 

[Vowelguy]

Being more realistic, this stat is a measure of how your team does when you are in, as opposed to how your team does with you on the bench.

I would agree you can use it within a team -- ie, when a player is in vs when not.
I would disagree with its use across teams.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Well this should be good to get many around here hot on a cold winter day. http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/slideshow/12227582/1/espnw-midseason-awards I actually don't have a lot to quibble with. I'd probably go with Turner or Mitchell over Wilson for FOY, and Tuck for 1st team AA, but no strong disagreements. Yes, I do think Loyd has had a better season so far than Stewie.

Me either. Looks about right to me. I would pick Tuner for FOY however. I'm sure Stewie would rather have a 3rd national championship and let Jewel have NPOY.
Besides Loyd won NFOY over Stewie and all she got was a national championship as a freshman and MOP of the FF! But that's just me ;-)

 

[Stewie Fan]

Here are some stats taken off both UCONN and ND sites. Stewie 19 games played. Total mins. 530, 230 shots taken, 133 rebounds (7.0 average per game), 60 assists, 40 turnovers, 41 blocks, 33 steals and 16.9 ppg average. Lloyd 21 games played. Total mins, 638, 326 shots taken, 113 rebounds (5.4 average per game), 70 assists, 49 turnovers, 12 blocks, 36 steals and 21 ppg average. To me looking at all of these stats Stewie is much more valuable to her team than Lloyd is. Also consider Stewie in the last 2 games alone if left in probably could have scored 40 in each game. I don't see where people say Stewie is not having a good year. In my opinion she's the best player in WCBB but knowing her she would rather have 4 National Championships than any other awards. she's that type of team player.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Moriah got consideration for the most improved player? They must not have been watching her from January to April of last season, when she was at nearly an AA level.

 

[meyers7]

Well that's nice and all and y'all can quibble all you want, BUT neither ESPN nor ESPNW gives out any of the 4 NPOY awards. So doesn't really matter what they think.

 

[Vowelguy]

Well that's nice and all and y'all can quibble all you want, BUT neither ESPN nor ESPNW gives out any of the 4 NPOY awards. So doesn't really matter what they think.

If there were no threads involving speculation, this board would have about 2 posts.

 

[LadyVols9]

My girl Izzy is mid-season #1 draft pick?! Not bad for a school that doesn't develop talent. JK....don't take me seriously.

 

[j66kicker]

My girl Izzy is mid-season #1 draft pick?! Not bad for a school that doesn't develop talent. JK....don't take me seriously.

Yeah our own Rebecca Lobo picked Jewell Loud as POY too

 

[LadyVols9]

Yeah our own Rebecca Lobo picked Jewell Loud as POY too

the world is turning upside down! haha

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I won't argue the selections but it's silly. If Geno played them all 30+ minutes our stats would be absurd and we'd be dominating the selections. To show Stewie's stats and hint she's been disappointing is silly. Those stats are in limited minutes.

If that's true, wouldn't it be the same for Tiffany Mitchell, A'ja Wilson, Aleighsa Welch and Alaina Coates, as well?

 

[meyers7]

If there were no threads involving speculation, this board would have about 2 posts.

Just saying it doesn't really matter what ESPNW thinks (or speculates), the awards come from someplace else.

Personally, I figure, there will be some split of the awards this year. I imagine Stewart will pick up at least 1 of them.