ESPN Updates Top 25 Players In Country

[saywho]

#6 PB (highest ranked frosh)
#20 CW
#21 ONO

UConn, Stanford, and South Carolina only teams with 3 players on the list.

Ranking the top 25 players in women's college basketball, version 2.0

Rhyne Howard still leads the way, but Stanford, South Carolina and UConn each put three players on our midseason list of the country's best players.

www.espn.com

 

[eebmg]

Owusu behind CW and Liv? Bizarre.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Hillmon kinda underrated here I think. I know stats aren't everything...but look at those numbers!

How is Rickea Jackson only averaging 4 reb/game? You can find plenty of guards without her height or athleticism averaging 6 or 7 per game.

 

[EricLA]

Paige now getting the publicity to make a push for AA this year. Maybe not 1st team, but solidly 2nd team right now. We will see how the rest of the season progresses. But good for Paige and well deserved.

Just wanted to edit and say nothing is guaranteed. But I believe that the "hype" and "publicity" that certain players get goes a long way in determining who is on season ending lists. Rhyne Howard will likely win NPOY, but while she's incredibly gifted and a scoring machine, when the ball is NOT in her hands, she tends to disappear. Doesn't set screens, not a great passer, not a hustler without the ball, etc.

Contrast that with Williams - while her ability to make layups and hit 3-pointers is suspect, she's a HUSTLER on the floor. Diving for loose balls, mostly moving well without the ball, and works really hard on defense. But she's way down on the list (probably rightfully so) because her scoring is average this season and her offense has been sloppy.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not arguing that Rhyne's NOT NPOY, but people go ga-ga over her scoring and some of her moves and anoint her top player status, but I bet if the experts really watched all the top players in games, they would see something different. Hype and scoring is uber-important in season ending lists.

 

[AmeriConn]

With a little more effort and tenacity, Liv and Christyn could find themselves in and around the 10-15 range. Go Huskies!!

 

[SCspur]

The list is hot garbage lol

 

[DeeHusky]

Destanni Henderson made the list. Here they come lol

 

[ScottCT]

If Paige stays steady and have big games against Tennessee and SC I can see her making first team AA. She'll definitely make the WBCA which will means she already has a spot on the wall of honor.

 

[CL82]

Paige and Clark but no Van Lith. Amazing for freshmen to be on this list.

 

[bballnut90]

How K. Williams makes this list is a big headscratcher. Owusu should be higher. Diamond Miller and Tehina Pao Pao deserve to be on this list.

Naz Hillmon should be top 5...25.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 64% FG is insane.

McDonald is way overrated at 4. Her numbers look good, but 41% FG and not even a 1.5 A/TO ratio on a borderline top 10 team isn't top 5 worthy.

Also, if they want to put a Tennessee player on here, Burrell is the correct pick, not Davis.

 

[CocoHusky]

How K. Williams makes this list is a big headscratcher. Owusu should be higher. Diamond Miller and Tehina Pao Pao deserve to be on this list.

Naz Hillmon should be top 5...25.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 64% FG is insane.

McDonald is way overrated at 4. Her numbers look good, but 41% FG and not even a 1.5 A/TO ratio on a borderline top 10 team isn't top 5 worthy.

Also, if they want to put a Tennessee player on here, Burrell is the correct pick, not Davis.

I'd have disagree in general and Burrell specifically. This is version 2.0 which means version 1.0 was the starting point. Davis has been moved to the bottom which is justifiable based on this year performance, but Burrell has not done enough to get on the list IMO.

 

[bballnut90]

I'd have disagree in general and Burrell specifically. This is version 2.0 which means version 1.0 was the starting point. Davis has been moved to the bottom which is justifiable based on this year performance, but Burrell has not done enough to get on the list IMO.

Isn't the list just ranking the top 25 players regardless of where they started? Burrell cut and dry had a better season than Davis thus far IMO. I'm fine if they leave both off but if they pick one, Burrell is the obvious pick.

 

[ABCDFE]

Honestly, I haven't watched enough of these players play in games to comment on this list. I wonder if Charlie Chreme truly has done the type of scouting and film work that should go into putting a list like this together. Ok maybe not scounting (with Covid), but definitely film study.

 

[ucbart]

Hot take

if UCONN hadn’t pissed off ESPN and went to the BE, Paige would be higher, more widely covered, and given more respect.

ESPN shoved Ionescu down our throats for years....

 

[dtbtbtb]

The top 13 look good to me aside that i would have Paige at 4 and Aari M. way lower. The 14 to 25 is more suspect both in players and placing.

 

[MooseJaw]

What matters the most to me mimics what Geno said last year when asked about landing #1 recruit Paige, to paraphrase him. Is she #1, overall doesn't matter, what matters most to me is that for what we need she is #1. She was then and has proven to be the obvious #1 first year player. That said I add that from my perspective she is the WCBB overall #1. If you don't agree that's fine but I would ask who would you rather have than Paige? Make a trade, let me know.

 

[dtbtbtb]

If there would have been n WNBA draft in which 1 year players could participate, I'm sure Paige would have been the number 1 pick but for the season so far (that could change by the end of the season) , i think 4th place is right considering the great seasons the top 3 are having and that Paige didn't get to face any top teams till now.

 

[MooseJaw]

If there would have been n WNBA draft in which 1 year players could participate, I'm sure Paige would have been the number 1 pick but for the season so far (that could change by the end of the season) , i think 4th place is right considering the great seasons the top 3 are having and that Paige didn't get to face any top teams till now.

OK, would you trade her for any other? if so OK but if not is she your #1.

 

[dtbtbtb]

OK, would you trade her for any other? if so OK but if not is she your #1.

No, i would not trade her for any other player! that said, this season so far i see her as the 4th best. Do i believe she is the best player in the country, yes i do but she's got some areas to get better in and she will. After seeing her (hopefully) against TN and SC it would give a much better indication of where she is.

 

[MooseJaw]

No, i would not trade her for any other player! that said, this season so far i see her as the 4th best. Do i believe she is the best player in the country, yes i do but she's got some areas to get better in and she will. After seeing her (hopefully) against TN and SC it would give a much better indication of where she is.

In total agreement with you, you made a compelling case.

 

[bballnut90]

Hot take

if UCONN hadn’t pissed off ESPN and went to the BE, Paige would be higher, more widely covered, and given more respect.

ESPN shoved Ionescu down our throats for years....

That isn't true regarding Ionescu. She got little coverage as a freshman on a team that wasn't in the top 25 and didn't sweep FOY awards, let along make any All American team. As a sophomore she was ranked the #8 player entering her sophomore season and A'ja Wilson swept all POY awards and got all of the hype:

The top 25 women's basketball players for 2017-18

Four UConn players were ranked among the top 10 in our countdown of the best 25 players in the country. But South Carolina senior forward A'ja Wilson tops the list at No. 1.

www.espn.com

Her junior season she split POY awards before deservedly sweeping everything her senior year.

Paige as a freshman is ranked the number 6 player in the nation while only playing 7 games so far against a light schedule. The players ahead of her are 3 returning All-Americans having excellent seasons, the likely #1 WNBA draft pick, and another POY candidate in Haley Jones. She's getting a lot more credit and publicity than Ionescu did at comparable times in their careers. One could absolutely make a strong case that Paige should be higher, or could even argue she's in the running for #1 based on stats and results, but it's still early. She isn't getting shafted or disrespected by being put at #6.

 

[bluedevil]

Hopefully CW can live up to that ranking and last game forgotten.

 

[DeeHusky]

That isn't true regarding Ionescu. She got little coverage as a freshman on a team that wasn't in the top 25 and didn't sweep FOY awards, let along make any All American team. As a sophomore she was ranked the #8 player entering her sophomore season and A'ja Wilson swept all POY awards and got all of the hype:

The top 25 women's basketball players for 2017-18

Four UConn players were ranked among the top 10 in our countdown of the best 25 players in the country. But South Carolina senior forward A'ja Wilson tops the list at No. 1.

www.espn.com

Her junior season she split POY awards before deservedly sweeping everything her senior year.

Paige as a freshman is ranked the number 6 player in the nation while only playing 7 games so far against a light schedule. The players ahead of her are 3 returning All-Americans having excellent seasons, the likely #1 WNBA draft pick, and another POY candidate in Haley Jones. She's getting a lot more credit and publicity than Ionescu did at comparable times in their careers. One could absolutely make a strong case that Paige should be higher, or could even argue she's in the running for #1 based on stats and results, but it's still early. She isn't getting shafted or disrespected by being put at #6.

She also was not expected to be that good. She became that good. Whereas, everybody knew about Paige, even males(who don’t seem to care about females players who aren’t super pretty or really good.)

 

[bballnut90]

She also was not expected to be that good. She became that good. Whereas, everybody knew about Paige, even males(who don’t seem to care about females players who aren’t super pretty or really good.)

Paige has had more hype than probably anyone since Candace Parker/Maya Moore. Her massive social media presence is obviously a partial catalyst but she's been on everyone's radar since day 1. There's no shafting going on.

 

[ucbart]

That isn't true regarding Ionescu. She got little coverage as a freshman on a team that wasn't in the top 25 and didn't sweep FOY awards, let along make any All American team. As a sophomore she was ranked the #8 player entering her sophomore season and A'ja Wilson swept all POY awards and got all of the hype:

The top 25 women's basketball players for 2017-18

Four UConn players were ranked among the top 10 in our countdown of the best 25 players in the country. But South Carolina senior forward A'ja Wilson tops the list at No. 1.

www.espn.com

Her junior season she split POY awards before deservedly sweeping everything her senior year.

Paige as a freshman is ranked the number 6 player in the nation while only playing 7 games so far against a light schedule. The players ahead of her are 3 returning All-Americans having excellent seasons, the likely #1 WNBA draft pick, and another POY candidate in Haley Jones. She's getting a lot more credit and publicity than Ionescu did at comparable times in their careers. One could absolutely make a strong case that Paige should be higher, or could even argue she's in the running for #1 based on stats and results, but it's still early. She isn't getting shafted or disrespected by being put at #6.

Two years she was, meaning more than 1. Thanks.