ESPN: Stewie NPOY, Geno COY, KLS FOY! (merged threads)

[Kaizen]

If Anigwe had numbers like only 19 assists and 114 turnovers for UConn would she be playing?
19 assists tells me the ball goes in to the post and rarely is kicked back. Perhaps Anigwe hasnt been introduced to the other 4 players on the court.

Another thing. How can a big, who basically shoots from 3-5 feet away from the hoop, turn the ball over 114 times?

She should go to Tenn, and be a good friend of DD, and the new Miss TO.

 

[Kaizen]

And I din't know Anigwe's 3 pts record is zero, yes, zero in 2015-2016.
http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/statistics/player

 

[HuskyNan]

Congrats to LouConn. Hope she can earn NPOY in next year ~~~~

If Morgan comes back, Lou will have to wait another year.

 

[Kaizen]

If Morgan comes back, Lou will have to wait another year.

If Mogan comes back I am pretty sure we all don't mind Lou to wait 1 more year... LOL

 

[Huskies Rule]

It's difficult comparing a wing to a center. Samuelson and Anigwe couldn't be more different. Making relative judgments on these two great freshmen is near impossible. But...

Anigwe was very productive in terms of scoring(20.5) and rebounding(9.0). She shot an impressive 57% from the field, but that's a bit deceptive because she is a center with little range, who lived in the lane and never took a shot outside the paint (oops, she was 0-1 from three).
Lou 'only' scored 10.8 ppg and grabbed 3.3 rebounds pg., and while she was very effective driving to the basket, a great many of her shots were from long range where she went a solid 68-176 (39%). One can only take very high percentage shots while the other has great range and versatility. And Lou's rebounding stat was fine for a kid who spent so much time outside the arc.

Anigwe rarely passed the ball- she had only 9 assists all year long- that's one assist every 3 games. Yikes! Lou had 75 assists.
Anigwe turned the ball over at a very high rate (3.1 t/o per game, 114 total). Lou had a total of 39 turnovers, or 1.3 per game.

They had pretty much the same number of steals (Lou 35, Anigwe 33), while as would be expected Anigwe led in blocks 37-5. But consider this- Anigwe's 1.2 blocks per game would rank 4th on this year's UConn team- not a very good number for a big center. That's not helping the team much.

Anigwe started 30/31 games to Lou's 17/32, playing 180 more minutes than Lou, affording her lots more game time to compile more impressive numbers.

So, is it more or less difficult to get national recognition like this ESPNw award stuff when you play with 3 legitimate All-Americans and your individual stats are never going to be eye-popping because you are required to play an absolutely unselfish team game, or be benched? When it's only about winning and sharing the ball, and individual numbers don't matter?

Also, are great scoring stats less meaningful if you are the go-to-guy, the best player and the #1 focus of your team's offense, with your teammates doing everything they can to get you the ball down low for 'easy' baskets? As opposed to being the 3rd or 4th scoring option on your team?

I was surprised to see how many posters thought it should have been an Anigwe runaway. When you look at all the numbers, not getting caught up in points scored and then consider the different positions played and the very different nature of the teams Lou and Kristine played for, it seems a reasonable case could be made for either Katie Lou Samuelson or Kristine Anigwe.

I'LL TAKE LOU.

 

[divots]

FWIW....Anigwe's 43 point outburst came against a then 1-5 Sacramento State team (finished season at 14-17) whose roster includes 2 players listed on their roster as 6'1 and 1 player listed as 6'0....more than half their team is made up of players 5'7 and under....I am not belittling KA's skills or that game's performance; 43 points is impressive....this being said, there probably wasn't a dogfight going on in the lane that prevented her from easy access to the hoop....regardless of the competition, Anigwe put up a boatload of points and was the cornerstone of a her team....A to TO ratio would probably put her closer to me in the stands than to Geno on the bench....should be interesting to watch Lou and Kristine hone their games over the next 3 years....

 

[uconnever]

someone from baylor....who will imo definately win the title next year will win npoy. maybe Turner or Wilson, teams will key in on morgan to much.

 

[housekeys]

It's difficult comparing a wing to a center. Samuelson and Anigwe couldn't be more different. Making relative judgments on these two great freshmen is near impossible. But...

I was surprised to see how many posters thought it should have been an Anigwe runaway. When you look at all the numbers, not getting caught up in points scored and then consider the different positions played and the very different nature of the teams Lou and Kristine played for, it seems a reasonable case could be made for either Katie Lou Samuelson or Kristine Anigwe.

I'LL TAKE LOU.

I agree 100%. I am also surprised by the posters who think Anigwe deserved it more than KLS. If you extrapolate some of the statistics, like more turnovers and more fouls (Anigwe) lead to more points for the other team, and more assists (KLS) lead to more points for your team, it becomes clearer. Well said that both KLS and Anigwe are deserving. UConn fans need not be bashful about the great bounty of talent the team has. It is what it is. The players should be rewarded.

 

[divots]

FWIW....Anigwe's 43 point outburst came against a then 1-5 Sacramento State team (finished season at 14-17) whose roster includes 2 players listed on their roster as 6'1 and 1 player listed as 6'0....more than half their team is made up of players 5'7 and under....I am not belittling KA's skills or that game's performance; 43 points is impressive....this being said, there probably wasn't a dogfight going on in the lane that prevented her from easy access to the hoop....regardless of the competition, Anigwe put up a boatload of points and was the cornerstone of a her team....A to TO ratio would probably put her closer to me in the stands than to Geno on the bench....should be interesting to watch Lou and Kristine hone their games over the next 3 years....

BTW the final score in this game was Cal 117 Sacramento State 99 with Cal scoring 82 points in the paint against the diminutive Hornets who somehow still managed to fall only a single point short of the century mark themselves.

 

[ballhawk]

As I recall, a few years ago, espn thought Jewell Loyd was POY over Stewie. Sometimes, espn doesn't get it right. Lou is a really good player who keeps improving. I went to every game Cal played at home. Some nights Anigwe was the offense. She was often double and sometimes triple teamed. It's not so easy to score when everyone knows the ball is going to be thrown inside. Cal's offense, often, is spectacularly unimaginative. They were hard to watch. But Anigwe had the better year.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

BTW the final score in this game was Cal 117 Sacramento State 99 with Cal scoring 82 points in the paint against the diminutive Hornets who somehow still managed to fall only a single point short of the century mark themselves.

Sacramento State plays the game like Paul Westhead did, a hyper version of even what DePaul showed against UConn this year.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

If Anigwe had numbers like only 19 assists and 114 turnovers for UConn would she be playing?
19 assists tells me the ball goes in to the post and rarely is kicked back. Perhaps Anigwe hasnt been introduced to the other 4 players on the court.

Another thing. How can a big, who basically shoots from 3-5 feet away from the hoop, turn the ball over 114 times?

She and KLS couldn't be more different types of players and like most award results everything is subjective. Anigwe was everything for Cal which is why she put up big numbers both positive and negative. She has taken more field goal attempts and 110!! more free throws than Stewart in Stewart's senior season. Having seen her with team USA, Anigwe has a lot of Morgan Tuck in her game, but her stats would be more subdued if she were a Husky. She's really, really good though.

 

[UcMiami]

I love Samuelson and I think she will be fantastic in the NCAAs and through the next three years. That said, this is supposed to be an award for the year and on the year Lou has not been the best freshman in the American as voted by a knowledgeable group of coaches who all saw her up close. So except as an expectation of future greatness, the ESPN triumvirate really screw the pooch on this one.

Lou has been very good for the last month, but for the first 3/4 of the season she was largely insignificant to whether Uconn won or lost games and with the exception of a few games did not really distinguish herself at all. And even in the last month while playing really well had no meaningful effect on Uconn's success - they would have won the games without her.

For the year, she has put up modest numbers, and while she has added some intangibles as well that aren't reflected in stats directly, they again haven't blown anyone away. If she had played for a less talented and veteran team she might have really wowed, but that is the disadvantage of coming to Uconn - few freshman get consideration for freshman of the year because Uconn seldom needs that kind of contribution from their freshman.

Laksa at USF announce her arrival in spectacular fashion on a team that needed another scoring threat. She had two weeks for the record book and before her injury though she cooled off somewhat she was a vital cog in the USF team. She was very deserving of the FOY for the AAC. Nationally I doubt she even registers compared to the contributions of other freshman to teams that desperately needed those contributions. You can talk intangibles and stats and 'potential' all you want but you really can't make a solid case for a 30 +/- game schedule that Lou deserved this award from ESPN. I was actually shocked she got it, and I am a Uconn fanatic and think Lou will be a candidate for NPOY in future years.

I think they were trying to be really smart, thinking about Stewart's freshman year and fearing that a non-starter for freshman of the year was going to embarrass the voters and win the NCAA tournament MVP. But Lou is on a team with Stewart Jefferson and Tuck and while she may in fact end up being the leading scorer on the team for the tournament, the largest contributions to victories will come from one of the academic seniors on the team. And the indication of that is in the AAC tournament awards - Stewart was the most important player for Uconn in the unsuccessful run her freshman year, and she and not Lou was the MVP this year.

 

[noirwestern]

I like the awards and the write ups a lot, but have to agree - Lou is not the most deserving freshman, though I will not be surprised if she is the best at the end of four years.

These ESPN awards are always a little odd - with such a small voting cadre of colleagues it becomes sort of group think.

It's hard not to see anything that ESPN does as some sort of beauty pageant. As awards go this one is rather meaningless except in this case to fuel further UConn resentment.

 

[JordyG]

3/8/2016, UConn 77, USF 51
KLS, 34 mins, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 13 pts
Laksa, 24 mins, 0 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pts

Laksa, 24 mins, 0 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pts, and one bad injury that should've kept her off the court. C'mon, be reasonable.

 

[meyers7]

As I recall, a few years ago, espn thought Jewell Loyd was POY over Stewie.

That was just last year.

Be careful of the time change this weekend.

 

[DishNSwish]

Laksa, 24 mins, 0 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pts, and one bad injury that should've kept her off the court. C'mon, be reasonable.

I was wondering if someone was going to mention that; when I talked to Jose on Saturday or Sunday, he HOPED Laksa would be ready for the NCAA tournament, never mind Monday night. That was not the same player that played all season.

 

[DishNSwish]

I think some people forget that it's okay to say someone elsewhere had a better individual season, and it's not a criticism of anyone.

Lou had a freshman year very much like Stewie's. Good, bad and ugly, on Geno's good list, on Geno's list. Typical UConn freshman.

Anigwe dominated the paint in a strong conference; she was the top center in a conference that included Hamblin, Alleyne and more. Yes she had few assists and many turnovers. Part freshman, part inconsistent teammates. There is a reason Cal struggled this year.

I just look at Anigwe, Cunningham, and Shepard as my big three, and ask where would those teams be without that player? I know Cal and Nebraska won't make the tourney, but they wouldn't have even been competitive.

I look at KLS and UConn and ask the same question, where would UConn be without Lou? Heading toward a national championship.

 

[Padutch5]

Yes, but when you have 3 AA's returning (one of them again the NPOY), plus the NFOY, plus Kia and Gabby, I mean come on. I think Geno is the lifetime greatest coach by a huge, huge margin. But if these folks were really looking to see what some coaches have done at schools that cannot recruit McDonald's AAs, it's kind of unfair to them. Like giving another Oscar [trade mark acknowledged ] to Meryl Streep: of course she's a great, great actress (my all-time favorite in fact), but she also commands only the very best parts.

I'm mystified by this response. Recruiting, like it or not, is a big part of coaching. Some coaches can recruit all Americans as well. Geno excels at recruiting the pieces of a puzzle. He then gets them playing up to their potential. You might ask some Tennessee fans about that.

 

[noirwestern]

I'm mystified by this response. Recruiting, like it or not, is a big part of coaching. Some coaches can recruit all Americans as well. Geno excels at recruiting the pieces of a puzzle. He then gets them playing up to their potential. You might ask some Tennessee fans about that.

I look at it from a distance. For the health of the sport, to keep as many people interested in it as possible you have to make an effort where you can, where it's not going to impact the outcome of games and this is a safe place to do that. The interest in the women's game should continue to grow, it can't stay the same and you sure don't want it to drop off so you do things like these awards to keep people talking. From a purely statistical perspective UConn could sweep most of the little trophies and plaques up year after year or at least for the last decade or so. I just don't see where it matters all that much to them considering all of the other things they win where it would matter to other programs. Stewart talks about coming to small schools and putting on a great show for them. She never talks about 'winning' since that's a given. She's trying to be inclusive in the only way she can and I suppose that's my point. Spreading the little awards and attaboys around makes sure everyone stays enthused and good play, no matter what the winning record winds up is still recognized and rewarded.

 

[JordyG]

I think some people forget that it's okay to say someone elsewhere had a better individual season, and it's not a criticism of anyone.

Lou had a freshman year very much like Stewie's. Good, bad and ugly, on Geno's good list, on Geno's list. Typical UConn freshman.

Anigwe dominated the paint in a strong conference; she was the top center in a conference that included Hamblin, Alleyne and more. Yes she had few assists and many turnovers. Part freshman, part inconsistent teammates. There is a reason Cal struggled this year.

I just look at Anigwe, Cunningham, and Shepard as my big three, and ask where would those teams be without that player? I know Cal and Nebraska won't make the tourney, but they wouldn't have even been competitive.

I look at KLS and UConn and ask the same question, where would UConn be without Lou? Heading toward a national championship.[/QUO I would include Chatrice White in that group. I think however Shepard and
White are in interesting situations. Shepard in that she's going need someone to stay on her about improving her game, conditioning (especially weight loss), effort, and mental focus. White is in a situation that seems a morass. Neither team looks as if they're going to the Big Show anytime soon. And yeah, in my mind, Anigwe got jobbed.

 

[JordyG]

I think some people forget that it's okay to say someone elsewhere had a better individual season, and it's not a criticism of anyone.

Lou had a freshman year very much like Stewie's. Good, bad and ugly, on Geno's good list, on Geno's list. Typical UConn freshman.

Anigwe dominated the paint in a strong conference; she was the top center in a conference that included Hamblin, Alleyne and more. Yes she had few assists and many turnovers. Part freshman, part inconsistent teammates. There is a reason Cal struggled this year.

I just look at Anigwe, Cunningham, and Shepard as my big three, and ask where would those teams be without that player? I know Cal and Nebraska won't make the tourney, but they wouldn't have even been competitive.

I look at KLS and UConn and ask the same question, where would UConn be without Lou? Heading toward a national championship.

Did I say how much I agree with what you've said?

 

[easttexastrash]

The amount of responsibility that each player has should be considered when voting, IMO. You cannot really compare numbers as Samuelson is playing next to Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck. Heck, I could score and rebound if I had those three taking all of the heat off of me. That it the reason I thought that Sims was the POY in her senior season, she was putting a team on her back, not playing as part of one of the best classes ever assembled.

 

[alexrgct]

I'll continue to say hell yes about KLS. I liked Charlie Creme's writeup about her a lot, too. Indeed, KLS is the story of gestalt, of what is supposed to happen simply happening when you have a #1 recruit. It's just been cool to see with Katie Lou Conn starting at the business end of the season. The kid is averaging almost 11 PPG and more than four APG. it's too bad she didn't start earlier, or she would have easily eclipsed 100 assists for the season. Moreover, her defense is terrific in ways that can't be measured. In short, she's been every bit the player we've hoped for, and I wouldn't trade her for another freshman.

 

[easttexastrash]

I'll continue to say hell yes about KLS. I liked Charlie Creme's writeup about her a lot, too. Indeed, KLS is the story of gestalt, of what is supposed to happen simply happening when you have a #1 recruit. It's just been cool to see with Katie Lou Conn starting at the business end of the season. The kid is averaging almost 11 PPG and more than four APG. it's too bad she didn't start earlier, or she would have easily eclipsed 100 assists for the season. Moreover, her defense is terrific in ways that can't be measured. In short, she's been every bit the player we've hoped for, and I wouldn't trade her for another freshman.

It would be interesting to see her stats prior to conference play and after conference play. Obviously, conference play for UCONN is considerably less challenging than players in P5 conferences.