Everyone's Above Average in Preseason | The Boneyard

Everyone's Above Average in Preseason

Orangutan

Orangutan

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We've reached that time of year where every team, like the children of Lake Wobegon, is above average. In news article after news article, local scribes tell us that the home team is working harder than ever, all of their players are in fantastic shape, etc.

I thought it would be fun to compile some of these articles and list out some of the claims and comments made and perhaps gently mock them. UConn will be excluded from the mockery as a) it's not my place as a visitor and b) Geno is pessimistic enough in these articles to earn a pass.

This should also serve to re-familiarize folks with the state of affairs with respect to various top teams.

I'll start with my own rooting interest: Notre Dame.

How about Arike Again-bowale?

  • Arike watches replays of her Final Four game-winners frequently!
  • Arike remains as "humble" and "goofy" as ever!
  • Arike is the hardest worker in parctice and has a "more determined attitude"!
  • Turner and Shepard are looking forward to playing with one another after many practices on opposite sides!
  • McGraw is excited to have a shot blocker back!
  • The Irish won't play as much zone - McGraw's husband isn't too sure about that decision!
 
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Oregon:
1539713434806.png


Oregon Ducks women's basketball: Is 2018-19 season Final Four or bust?
  • Practices are the "most competitive" in Ionescu's time at Oregon!
  • Ionescus and Hebard got a "taste of reality" during USAB camp but "came back with a lot of confidence"!
  • Ionescu and Cazorla are the nation's best backcourt!
  • "There's no guard in the country better in the pick-and-roll" than Cazorla!
  • The Ducks' smaller roster is not a problem, it's actually a good thing!
 
Stanford: Stanford women lose top scorer and rebounder but appear deeper
  • All signs are pointing up!
  • Top scorer McPhee and top rebounder Johnson are gone, but this year's team is deeper!
  • Nadia Fingall and Maya Dodson are much improved!
  • Both Hull twins will play right away, Lexie is the team's best rebounder!
  • Tara sometimes has trouble telling the twins apart!
  • Stanford's depth means they "can play at a faster pace, harder and longer"!
 
Orangutan said:
We've reached that time of year where every team, like the children of Lake Wobegon, is above average. In news article after news article, local scribes tell us that the home team is working harder than ever, all of their players are in fantastic shape, etc.

I thought it would be fun to compile some of these articles and list out some of the claims and comments made and perhaps gently mock them. UConn will be excluded from the mockery as a) it's not my place as a visitor and b) Geno is pessimistic enough in these articles to earn a pass.

This should also serve to re-familiarize folks with the state of affairs with respect to various top teams.

I'll start with my own rooting interest: Notre Dame.

How about Arike Again-bowale?

  • Arike watches replays of her Final Four game-winners frequently!
  • Arike remains as "humble" and "goofy" as ever!
  • Arike is the hardest worker in parctice and has a "more determined attitude"!
  • Turner and Shepard are looking forward to playing with one another after many practices on opposite sides!
  • McGraw is excited to have a shot blocker back!
  • The Irish won't play as much zone - McGraw's husband isn't too sure about that decision!
Expand ...
Love the everyone's above average reference. :)
 
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Orangutan said:
Oregon:
View attachment 35294

Oregon Ducks women's basketball: Is 2018-19 season Final Four or bust?
  • Practices are the "most competitive" in Ionescu's time at Oregon!
  • Ionescus and Hebard got a "taste of reality" during USAB camp but "came back with a lot of confidence"!
  • Ionescu and Cazorla are the nation's best backcourt!
  • "There's no guard in the country better in the pick-and-roll" than Cazorla!
  • The Ducks' smaller roster is not a problem, it's actually a good thing!
Expand ...

I think Graves actually got the bullet 5 koolaid from Geno, with whom he spent time this summer talking about how to deal with a short roster.
 
UConnCat said:
Interesting. I'll have to watch her play more this season. My thinking is Crystal Dangerfield is the best pick-and-roll guard in the country but I haven't paid much attention to Carzola.
Expand ...
I was thinking the same thing.
 
Baylor

(this one is less uniformly positive but there still will be ~exclamation marks~ because it's a new season and I'm excited!)
1539743327074.png


After losing three starters in offseason, Baylor hopes No. 1 recruiting class grows up quickly
  • Cox and Brown are "as good of players as you'll find in the country"!
  • Cox spent the summer working on ball-handling and 3-pointers!
  • Cox is "not afraid to challenge a teammate", playing her best basketball, and very relaxed!
  • Only two starters return but Baylor brings in the nation's #1 recruiting class!
  • The new recruits are "really athletic" but "really raw"
  • Chloe Jackson will take over at point but Juicy Landrum, DiDi Richards,, and Honesty Scott-Grayson will also play there!
 
Orangutan said:
Baylor

(this one is less uniformly positive but there still will be ~exclamation marks~ because it's a new season and I'm excited!)
View attachment 35314

After losing three starters in offseason, Baylor hopes No. 1 recruiting class grows up quickly
  • Cox and Brown are "as good of players as you'll find in the country"!
  • Cox spent the summer working on ball-handling and 3-pointers!
  • Cox is "not afraid to challenge a teammate", playing her best basketball, and very relaxed!
  • Only two starters return but Baylor brings in the nation's #1 recruiting class!
  • The new recruits are "really athletic" but "really raw"
  • Chloe Jackson will take over at point but Juicy Landrum, DiDi Richards,, and Honesty Scott-Grayson will also play there!
Expand ...
Cox and Brown are good, but I'll take Phee and Lou any day.
 
Louisville
1539796283446.png

Walz: Louisville 'ready to go work' towards another ACC title
  • Asia Durr is one of the prime candidates for National Player of the Year!
  • Starters Arica Carter, Sam Fuehring and Jazmine Jones also return!
  • The Cards are "a year older, a year more mature"!
  • Grad transfer Yacine Diop brings experience and is expected to be a key player!
  • Durr is "so ready" for the season and to play in front of the "best fans in the country"!
 
.-.
Orangutan said:
Louisville
View attachment 35323
Walz: Louisville 'ready to go work' towards another ACC title
  • Asia Durr is one of the prime candidates for National Player of the Year!
  • Starters Arica Carter, Sam Fuehring and Jazmine Jones also return!
  • The Cards are "a year older, a year more mature"!
  • Grad transfer Yacine Diop brings experience and is expected to be a key player!
  • Durr is "so ready" for the season and to play in front of the "best fans in the country"!
Expand ...

Pretty tame sounding to me.
 
eebmg said:
Pretty tame sounding to me.
Expand ...

I feel like Demling has something more hyperbolic in him that will be unleashed closer to the season's start.
 
South Carolina

Is this the year South Carolina and Dawn Staley embrace position-less basketball?
  • Staley is looking to implement positionless basketball!
  • The players are energized and playing above where Staley thought they would be!
  • Players are hungry to be successful without A'ja and make their mark!
  • SC will be a "fast-beat, up-tempo team"!
  • Ty Harris is taking on the role of leader and trying to teach others what A'ja taught her!
 
This was posted in another thread but is so directly on point to this thread's topic:



Baby steps, Meme. Baby steps.
 
Tennessee - UT Lady Vols' season preview turns out to be a pressing matter at SEC media day
  • Tennessee will be "pressing, full throttle" on defense!
  • Davis spent the summer working on her post game!
  • Warlick is no longer wearing braces on her teeth!
  • The LVs have a togetherness that they haven't had in a while!
  • Davis thought they would be lower in the SEC preseason poll...but isn't really into rankings!
So you don't care about rankings but had a specific expectation of what your ranking would be? Sure.

The fact that Davis's twitter handle is "Legend_Hooper" is funny to me. Dream big, I guess.
 
.-.
Orangutan said:
Tennessee - UT Lady Vols' season preview turns out to be a pressing matter at SEC media day
  • Tennessee will be "pressing, full throttle" on defense!
  • Davis spent the summer working on her post game!
  • Warlick is no longer wearing braces on her teeth!
  • The LVs have a togetherness that they haven't had in a while!
  • Davis thought they would be lower in the SEC preseason poll...but isn't really into rankings!
So you don't care about rankings but had a specific expectation of what your ranking would be? Sure.

The fact that Davis's twitter handle is "Legend_Hooper" is funny to me. Dream big, I guess.
Expand ...
Absolutely tickled at how you interjected your “shady” comments with your Lady Vol post. but I didn’t see any extra comments on the others.
 
UConnCat said:
Interesting. I'll have to watch her play more this season. My thinking is Crystal Dangerfield is the best pick-and-roll guard in the country but I haven't paid much attention to Carzola.
Expand ...
Carzola is underappreciated, even by the PAC12 media. She is definitely the best at "pick and roll" in the PAC12, and, I would put her as a top 3 guard in the PAC12 (and yes Sabrina is in the top 3). Carzola is that good. And the team I root for is Oregon's rival 45 minutes up the freeway. If the chips fall how I think they will fall, the State of Oregon could end up with 2 WBB teams in the Elite 8 again this upcoming season.
 
Oh, you thought the shade-formation was done? It's only just beginning

Cal - California women's basketball envisions a deep run in NCAA Tournament
  • Lindsay Gottlieb invited the whole team to her wedding in September!
  • Cal returns 11 players from last year's squad that went 21-11
  • Cal has the most depth and "capable pieces" since their 2013 Final Four team!
  • Asha Thomas - "We have the pieces to do something special this year"!
  • Gottlieb recently visited with Warriors coach Steve Kerr!
 
Orangutan said:
This was posted in another thread but is so directly on point to this thread's topic:



Baby steps, Meme. Baby steps.
Expand ...

I'm looking forward to our game on January 24th.
 
ND, UVA, and VPI - Notre Dame women's basketball team out to 'dominate'
  • Marina Mabrey - "We want to dominate every single game, every single play"!
  • McGraw - Ogunbowale has "laser focus"!
  • Virginia will employ a more up-tempo offense!
  • Virginia Tech returns five starters from the WNIT runners-up!
  • All-ACC VA Tech guard Taylor Emery has been working on post moves!
 
.-.
Marquette - Women’s basketball won’t let height affect talented roster
  • Marquette's tallest starter is 5-11. Could this be an advantage?!
  • The Golden Eagles' strength last year was transition, bigger teams struggled to keep up with their speed!
  • Allazia Blockton - "Everyone on our team is versatile, so I think it works to our advantage to be smaller"!
  • Marquette has added some size and length which will help their press!
  • Marquette's goal is to protect the paint and force harder contested shots!
 
Orangutan said:
Marquette - Women’s basketball won’t let height affect talented roster
  • Marquette's tallest starter is 5-11. Could this be an advantage?!
  • The Golden Eagles' strength last year was transition, bigger teams struggled to keep up with their speed!
  • Allazia Blockton - "Everyone on our team is versatile, so I think it works to our advantage to be smaller"!
  • Marquette has added some size and length which will help their press!
  • Marquette's goal is to protect the paint and force harder contested shots!
Expand ...
Oh yeah - big advantage. BIG! (For whoever they play, geez...)
 
Orangutan said:
Marquette - Women’s basketball won’t let height affect talented roster
  • Marquette's tallest starter is 5-11. Could this be an advantage?!
  • The Golden Eagles' strength last year was transition, bigger teams struggled to keep up with their speed!
  • Allazia Blockton - "Everyone on our team is versatile, so I think it works to our advantage to be smaller"!
  • Marquette has added some size and length which will help their press!
  • Marquette's goal is to protect the paint and force harder contested shots!
Expand ...
It's nice to see my granddaughter's school getting attention, but I can't avoid thinking about Tori McCoy's medical condition. I hope she has found a donor. Some things are more important than basketball.
 
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Side note: Everybody says they want to play with more pace this year. I'm waiting for the coach that says "We're not great in transition. I'm really going to slow it down and milk the clock"

I know those teams exist because every year I watch teams play with a slow, boring, grindy, physical style. (Looking at you Georgia Tech).
 
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