Ex-LVs team up with Geno

[bbsamjj]

Another thing about Parker is she's spent more time out of the game (through both injury and pregnancy) than most other elite players. But there's no doubt she has returned close to the top of her game, and is the league's MVP half way through the season.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I'm not saying that Candace didn't work hard or play hard. But she worked on the things that she wanted to.

I'd like to see her play to her strengths more. Yes, she is a good dribbler for someone her size, but she gets stripped by guards too often. Another example is that she does not go up strong with the ball. She has great moves, but needs to be stronger, in my view.

I agree with dtbtbtb that she could have been the best player ever, not just one of a couple dozen.

In Geno's terms, I think she cheated her talent just a little.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Another thing about Parker is she's spent more time out of the game (through both injury and pregnancy) than most other elite players. But there's no doubt she has returned close to the top of her game, and is the league's MVP half way through the season.

I'm not sure it's clear that she is THE leading MVP candidate. Tina has to be right up there too.

 

[speedoo]

I'm not saying that Candace didn't work hard or play hard. But she worked on the things that she wanted to.

I'd like to see her play to her strengths more. Yes, she is a good dribbler for someone her size, but she gets stripped by guards too often. Another example is that she does not go up strong with the ball. She has great moves, but needs to be stronger, in my view.

I agree with dtbtbtb that she could have been the best player ever, not just one of a couple dozen.

In Geno's terms, I think she cheated her talent just a little.

Exactly right. She probably worked on her shooting, ball handling, maybe rebounding, because these are the things she does best in addition to her shot blocking wich I consider a gift from her athlticism and length. But I am pretty sure she did not work on her one on one defense and her ability to finish with contact and in traffic, which are still weaknesses in her game.

 

[Icebear]

those bears will come up with just about any excuse....

Have you ever tried to type with 3" fingernails.... Err.... Claws.

 

[Justavisitor]

I think the major thing that Parker has improved since leaving Tennessee is her offensive game. her FT%, mid range game, and 3 point shooting have all improved since she left. Was that a function of not learning enough at Tennessee? I doubt it. When you are as talented as Parker is it was inevitable that she'd continue to improve after leaving college, just as Maya has improved since leaving UCONN.

Bottom line, Parker is one of the best players in the world. But it's doubtful she would have won any more NC's while at UCONN or been an even better player.

Eric says it best with this. As for best coach, bottom line,both are great coaches with different philosophies that lead to great results. I don't like the time line argument, because Geno was not a head coach at the age of 20-something. Pat spent many of her early years simply trying to learn how to be a head coach. It's not like she spent years as an assistant being mentored by someone else with experience. Geno was almost 10 years older (much more experience) when he became a head coach. There's a lot to be said for being an under study in any profession. Geno did more across a shorter time span from '95 - '10 with 6 titles, but from '96 to '08 during that same time span, Pat had 5 titles (not exactly shabby), plus 3 more from earlier. Personally, I don't think a championship defines great coaching, because there are several great coaches with less talented players that I believe could have a boat load of 'ships with the right players. If Maya plays for ND, McGraw has a couple titles. If Candace played for Tara, Stanford has a couple more titles. If DT stayed on the West coast, maybe USC is still winning like in the days of Miller. I guess both Geno and Pat have been blessed with a charisma or personality that draws great talent. They've also both been blessed with the ability to push great players to be even better. They've also both had their share of players that just didn't get it.

 

[EricLA]

Unlike some of the fans on here, i actually like the two announcers for Team USA. Altho they occasionally to bring Peck in and I've never liked her. But i really do enjoy Myers and the guy she announces with. At any rate i bring that up because in the last game vs. Angola, they mentioned how Geno has been pushing Candace to play in the post because he feels there's no one in the world with her skill set around the basket at 6'5". And i think he's right.

But they also mentioned that her role for the Sparks is different which is a matter of function and the other players she has surrounding her. I've noticed as the games have gone on, she's made a concerted effort to do the bulk of her work in the post. Not having Fowles is a huge shift for the team as Parker has to spend even more time in the post and along with Charles, the only "centers" available...

At any rate, I've never actually really liked Parker - I think Catch is great (and Lawson), but Parker - no. I imagine it's sort of like Diana and Sue/Maya. I'm betting Tennessee fans can appreciate Bird (or Moore) but many of them will never warm up to Diana. I think Parker is Tennessee's equivalent of DT for UCONN. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate Parker's game for team USA...