Girls McDonald's Game

[MilfordHusky]

Hmmmmmmm


Tennessee recruit Jordan Horston wins MVP at McDonald's All American Games

Congrats to Jordan. She had the best performance by a fairly wide margin.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Athleticism reminds me of Diamond DeShields. USAB says she is 6-0, but she almost looks taller. Put her on a college strength training program...gonna be very hard to stop.

There are a lot of players who can supposedly play every position 1-4, but Horston can really do it well.

I see a little similarity. I see Diamond as a more elite athlete, in terms of speed and vertical. Jordan is not quite as tall and is a bit thinner, but she may be quicker and uses her athleticism more effectively as a basketball player. At this point, Jordan seems to play better team ball.

 

[Crazyhorse]

I only saw a few highlights, all of Horston, she is awesome!

 

[Robin]

I watched the first 37 minutes fairly closely and took some notes. I gave players a "+" for a nice play, good pass, made 3-pointer, etc. I gave them a "-" for a turnover, airball, brick, missed layup, etc.

My primary observation: I believe that Geno thought the 2020 and 2021 classes are stronger than 2019. I would agree. I didn't see any Maya Moores or even Napheesa Colliers on the floor. Some player observations:

Griffin: Looked thinner than I thought in person. Moved without the ball better than anyone. Played only 13 minutes. 3-3 on FTs. Is long, quick, and fast. May need to be more aggressive and stronger. She brings all the tools Geno would want. I see her as a starter next year, our 5th best player--unless Geno picks up a foreigner or transfer for 2019. She broke up an alley-oop to Belibi.

Horston: Took over the game in Q3, shot the ball well, and looked like the best player out there. Very athletic and fairly long.

Jones: A little slower than I thought. Is versatile and should be a good rebounder. Shot FTs well, but not FGs. Played within herself and looked smart.

R. Jackson: Athletic and made some nice hoops, but also shot some bricks. Lots of potential. Exciting.

Boston: Made a few hoops and grabbed boards, but didn't dominate. Belibi blocked her at least once.

Taylor: Made several smart and energetic plays, but was a little out of control at times. Overall, I liked her, even though she was scoreless.

Belibi: Good vertical and long arms, combined with big hands. Handled the ball on the break. Still raw, having taken up the game 4 years ago. Missed several shots in close. Probably can defend the post with her physicality and length.

Brunelle: Hit from 25' and 10'. Won the 3-point contest. May be an elite shooter. The comments about her being a little awkward and not quick or fast seem accurate.

Miller: Shot poorly, but rebounded well. Long and very fast.

Peoples: Played under control, shot well, and looked solid. I wanted her a while ago and still do.

Puisis: Looked like the best distance shooter on the floor. Possibly underrated. I'd take her.

Cooke: What we saw with USA Basketball--exciting, very quick, and a bit out of control. If she harnesses it, she'll be really good. Didn't shoot great, but had a game-high 4 assists.

Beal: Did some good things. I swear she was 4-5 on FTs not 2-5.

Brown-Turner: I saw her play in D.C. She's athletic and physical. Maybe a little raw.

Bell: Don't recall much but did note a positive play.

I don't recall anyone else doing much remarkable, either good or bad.

It's hard to get much out of all-star games. Overall, I thought the star power was limited. But there were some very athletic kids on the floor, including but not limited to: Griffin, Belibi, Cooke, Miller, Horston, Jackson, and Taylor.

If I could pick a handful of players for UConn, based only on today's game and not additional knowledge, I'd take Horston, probably Puisis, Peoples/Cooke, and Jones/Griffin.

Let's get Bueckers, Gusters, and 1-2 more players from 2020.

Brianna Turner was kind of awkward when she first got to ND. I think that's a trait of very tall, thin 18 years olds. I think Muffet will do wonders for her, like she did with Bri.

 

[uconnfan68]

Today on ESPN 2 @ 5

# Name Pos Hgt High School (Location) College
13 River Baldwin F/C 6'5" Pleasant Home School (AL) Florida State
1 Brea Beal G/F 6'1" Rock Island High School (IL) South Carolina
0 Aliyah Boston F/C 6'5" Worcester Academy (MA) South Carolina
11 Jakia Brown-Turner G/F 6'0" Bishop McNamara High School (MD) NC State
33 Samantha Brunelle G/F 6'3" William Monroe High School (VA) Notre Dame
3 Zia Cooke G 5'9" Rogers High School (OH) South Carolina
44 Aubrey Griffin G/F 6'1" Ossining Senior High School (NY) UConn
23 Jordan Horston G 6'2" Columbus Africentric Early College (OH) Tennessee
14 Diamond Miller G 6'2" Franklin High School (NJ) Maryland
15 Ashley Owusu G 5'11" Paul VI Catholic High School (VA) Maryland
32 Sammie Puisis G/F 6'1" William Mason High School (OH) Florida State
12 Celeste Taylor G 5'11" Long Island Lutheran High School (NY) Texas
Girls East Head Coach: Sue Phillips, Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, CA
Girls East Asst. Coach: Tamara Monson, Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, CA
Girls East Asst. Coach: Joe Guerra, Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, CA
WEST TEAM
# Name Pos Hgt High School (Location) College
1 Francesca Belibi F/C 6'1" Regis Jesuit High School (CO) Stanford
24 Kierstan Bell G 6'1" McKinley High School (OH) Ohio State
42 Kennedy Brown F/C 6'6" Derby High School (KS) Oregon State
31 Nyah Green G/F 6'1" Allen High School (TX) Louisville
15 Angel Jackson C 6'5 Salesian College Preparatory (CA) USC
5 Rickea Jackson G/F 6'3" Detroit Edison Public School Academy (MI) Mississippi State
30 Haley Jones G/F 6'2" Archbishop Mitty High School (CA) Stanford
11 Jordyn Oliver G 5'11" Prosper High School (TX) Baylor
20 Charisma Osborne G 5'9" Windward School (CA) UCLA
13 Jaden Owens G 5'8" Plano West Senior High School (TX) UCLA
21 Anaya Peoples G 5'11" Schlarman Academy (IL) Notre Dame
10 Ashten Prechtel F/C 6'5" Discovery Canyon Campus (CO) Stanford
Girls West Head Coach: Lee M. Rogers, Arundel Senior High School, Gambrills, MD
Girls West Asst. Coach:

I think I know why Boston didn’t come to UConn... wanted number “0”.

 

[BobbyJ]

I though Sammie Pusuis look good also . Solid spacing and confident stroke. Just hope @BobbyJ is not reading this.

Thanks for your concern. It hurt but I couldn't NOT watch. At least she confirmed my original belief that she was one of the 2-3 best kids in the class. Since these type games are so sloppy I tend to focus on fundamentals and effort away from the ball and I just didn't see much. Surprised at how raw most of the big kids are, lots of arm work and very little footwork. Agree with those that say '20 and '21 will be stronger classes. Hope Sammie does well at FSU.

 

[mbr33ct]

Yep, thought so. Aliyah Boston: 120 rebounds and 9 points. Impressive.

But what really impressed me as a UConn type player was Brea Beal. She only scored 6 points, but look at the 8 rebounds and 3 big-time blocks, a steal and an assist.

Fran Belibi was also very impressive: 10 rebounds, 2 assists, an assist and a steal. Very athletic. The only downside was the infuriating drivel of the announcers that couldn't stop talking about her goggles. I think they were bored.

Not an impressive performance by Aubrey Griffin, however. Lots of other strong players.

Here we are few of us were debating whether Griffin even got off the bench which would imply she didn't play much. As it turns out she managed 13 minutes. As others have pointed out, this particular game was all about showing off individual skills. I sure cannot judge by this game whether a player had an impressive performance or not. The lack of Assists (20 total combined) was making the game unwatchable and the talking heads (as you also pointed out) couldn't care less who was subbing in or out.

 

[jumpstart]

If anyone is looking at stats and court performance at an all-star game to evaluate a players performance....well...don't. These girls were motivated and preformed under situations they will not in a college game setting. They passed and looked out of sync on every possession. The only times they looked good is when they ignored their teammates and decided to play selfish....lol....It's a game they were not used to..or prepared to play...and they won't play that type of game again. It was actually a horrible display of their actual talent. That said...these girls will make a difference across the board on the WBB stage.

 

[HuskyNan]

Thanks "TheFarmFan" & "Jewels"

I confirmed that it is 5pm ET, and, on ESPN2

You can use the @ symbol to tag a poster, like this @LoTrader

 

[SVCBeercats]

I’ve watched Aubrey’s last 4 games in person. Trust me, she was not on the court. Perhaps you’re confusing her with Celeste Taylor who is also from NY.

Here is the box score. Aubrey is the last girl listed.

 

[oldude]

They had Aubrey listed as wearing #44. I recorded the game and stood 3 feet from a 50" screen looking specifically for #44. Finally she was on the floor at the start of the 4th qtr. She played through half of the 4th qtr and than I stopped watching. So #44 play at least half of the 4th qtr. #44 looked like Aubrey face.

Yes, and evidently she played in the 1st half as well, although it appears I completely missed her.

 

[meyers7]

I think I only heard about 8 maybe 10 players names mentioned...I thought there were 20 players total on rosters.

24 total. However it looks like Owusu did not play?? Injured maybe?? I didn't hear anything.

 

[mbr33ct]

24 total. However it looks like Owusu did not play?? Injured maybe?? I didn't hear anything.

24, that makes it worse. Like you, I did not hear much from the talking heads who was coming in and who went out.

 

[Jibariqua]

24 total. However it looks like Owusu did not play?? Injured maybe?? I didn't hear anything.

There was 1 player on the East bench that looked they had a walking boot.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Here is the box score. Aubrey is the last girl listed.
View attachment 41498

There was 1 player on the East bench that looked they had a walking boot.

That was Ashley Owusu.

 

[IWearShoes]

24, that makes it worse. Like you, I did not hear much from the talking heads who was coming in and who went out.

It seems to me that the focus in announcing an all star game should be on constantly relating who is in the game. It is a game that is all about individual players rather than teams and that's what people are watching.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I'was going to say it because no one else had. Haley did not play well today. As far as her being number 1 she did win the Wootten POY award.
Stanford recruit Haley Jones named Morgan Wootten Player of the Year

Not saying she isn't good. I just am not clear how she's #1 from this event and the FIBA Worlds.

With the right coaching Jordan Horston is going to be a 4 year PROBLEM for WCBB. She can dominate the game with sheer athleticism defensively and in transition. She can dominate the game as the primary ball handler (PG) & passer -pick and roll, pick and pop floater.... She can dominate the game playing off the ball because you have to honor every cut she makes to the basket and it is impossible to keep her off the offensive board. She took over the game tonight and didn't even break a sweat doing it. She has a flair to her game that going to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

I feel like the two highest upside players are committed to Tennessee and Miss State, sad to say, but I like South Carolina's very much.

Maybe a triumvirate at the top for a while, which will be a little more interesting and fun.

I'm keeping an eye on Arkansas to see where they go.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

It seems to me that the focus in announcing an all star game should be on constantly relating who is in the game. It is a game that is all about individual players rather than teams and that's what people are watching.

Yes, that would have been helpful.

Flashing a roster up at the beginning of the game doesn't really accomplish much.

Unless I had a reason to know who a reserve was it tended to be a mystery.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Not saying she isn't good. I just am not clear how she's #1 from this event and the FIBA Worlds.



I feel like the two highest upside players are committed to Tennessee and Miss State, sad to say, but I like South Carolina's very much.

Maybe a triumvirate at the top for a while, which will be a little more interesting and fun.

I'm keeping an eye on Arkansas to see where they go.

I think Arkansas will see a huge jump in the next 2 or 3 years. Dungee could get some help around her, and maybe add a few more "tougher" players that can play defense, and they're suddenly not a pushover anymore. Texas A&M is another team I think will be better next year. And if Tennessee gets Walz, they'll probably start to put South Carolina and Mississippi State on high alert.

...

 

[TheFarmFan]

Yeah, in retrospect I think part of why the game this year wasn't great is that the point guards for both teams, to be honest, really weren't great at their jobs of distributing the ball, nor were they great at attacking the basket on their own. Cooke was the best, and not surprisingly led the game in assists. She was the only PG I was impressed by. The West team's weren't great, TBH, and Belibi of all players led the West team in assists, which should tell you everything you need to know, because she was pretty much always camped near the low post, and she is not known as a ball distributor.

I think for these games the players who stand out are the ones who can generate offense on their own - namely, this year, Horston, Peoples, Puisis, and to some degree Belibi and Jackson. If Jones usually ran the point in high school but served as a wing for this game, I can see why we didn't see her at her best, because most of her shots were from the wing off a pass - not really the best way to see how a "positionless" player plays. But more than anything, I felt like she just seemed a little slow and out of sync, and not playing with much confidence, so I suspect we didn't see what she's generally capable of, for whatever reason.

That's also why the post players seemed to disappear in this game - they don't get the ball all that much because neither team is really running a thoughtful offense that maximizes getting the ball inside. The quality of these games tends to rise or fall on the PGs, and this year's were not especially impressive compared to years past. Cooke + Sue Phillips as coach at least had a semblance of an offensive strategy, and the East was much better at maximizing fast breaks for quick points. I honestly have no idea what the West coach's offensive strategy was.

ETA: I just checked HoopGurlz, and sure enough, only one PG in the top ten who played - Cooke, who's #2 PG and #7 overall. Owusu, #1 PG/#5 overall, must have sat the game out? I didn't see her. Owens is #3 PG/#14 overall, and she was not amazing, and neither was Osborne at #5 PG/#22 overall. Peoples is listed as the #4 PG/#21 overall, though she seemed to play this game more as a SG than PG. She was probably the player I was most impressed with on the West team in terms of polished, all-around game. I don't know how she is as low as #21 overall - I'd have pegged her and Puisis as top ten recruits, easily. And Belibi at #23 is a joke, but it's clear she's such a late bloomer that her growth has probably been substantial since she was last rated in the fall.

 

[oldude]

Yeah, in retrospect I think part of why the game this year wasn't great is that the point guards for both teams, to be honest, really weren't great at their jobs of distributing the ball. Cooke was the best, and not surprisingly led the game in assists. She was the only PG I was impressed by. The West team's weren't great, TBH, and Belibi of all players led the West team in assists, which should tell you everything you need to know, because she was pretty much always camped near the low post, and she is not known as a ball distributor.

I think for these games the players who stand out are the ones who can generate offense on their own - namely, this year, Horston, People, Puisis, and to some degree Belibi. If Jones usually ran the point in high school but served as a wing for this game, I can see why we didn't see her at her best, because most of her shots were from the wing off a pass - not really the best way to see how a "positionless" player plays. But more than anything, I felt like she just seemed a little slow and out of sync, and not playing with much confidence, so I suspect we didn't see what she's generally capable of, for whatever reason.

While I agree with your assessment, I would add that I’ve been watching these McD AA games for a number of years now and I have to say that yesterday’s game was very much like past games; sloppy, a lot of one-on-one offense and not much defense.

 

[CBus13]

I think Arkansas will see a huge jump in the next 2 or 3 years. Dungee could get some help around her, and maybe add a few more "tougher" players that can play defense, and they're suddenly not a pushover anymore. Texas A&M is another team I think will be better next year. And if Tennessee gets Walz, they'll probably start to put South Carolina and Mississippi State on high alert.

...

I believe next year they will have Amber Ramirez, former McDonald's All-American and TCU guard. I don't know she did during her TCU career, never saw them play, but she was a flashy guard. She's tough too. I don't know about defense. Averages 9.6 points over two seasons.

 

[meyers7]

Yeah, in retrospect I think part of why the game this year wasn't great is that the point guards for both teams, to be honest, really weren't great at their jobs of distributing the ball, nor were they great at attacking the basket on their own. Cooke was the best, and not surprisingly led the game in assists. She was the only PG I was impressed by. The West team's weren't great, TBH, and Belibi of all players led the West team in assists, which should tell you everything you need to know, because she was pretty much always camped near the low post, and she is not known as a ball distributor.

I think for these games the players who stand out are the ones who can generate offense on their own - namely, this year, Horston, Peoples, Puisis, and to some degree Belibi and Jackson. If Jones usually ran the point in high school but served as a wing for this game, I can see why we didn't see her at her best, because most of her shots were from the wing off a pass - not really the best way to see how a "positionless" player plays. But more than anything, I felt like she just seemed a little slow and out of sync, and not playing with much confidence, so I suspect we didn't see what she's generally capable of, for whatever reason.

That's also why the post players seemed to disappear in this game - they don't get the ball all that much because neither team is really running a thoughtful offense that maximizes getting the ball inside. The quality of these games tends to rise or fall on the PGs, and this year's were not especially impressive compared to years past. Cooke + Sue Phillips as coach at least had a semblance of an offensive strategy, and the East was much better at maximizing fast breaks for quick points. I honestly have no idea what the West coach's offensive strategy was.

ETA: I just checked HoopGurlz, and sure enough, only one PG in the top ten who played - Cooke, who's #2 PG and #7 overall. Owusu, #1 PG/#5 overall, must have sat the game out? I didn't see her. Owens is #3 PG/#14 overall, and she was not amazing, and neither was Osborne at #5 PG/#22 overall. Peoples is listed as the #4 PG/#21 overall, though she seemed to play this game more as a SG than PG. She was probably the player I was most impressed with on the West team in terms of polished, all-around game. I don't know how she is as low as #21 overall - I'd have pegged her and Puisis as top ten recruits, easily. And Belibi at #23 is a joke, but it's clear she's such a late bloomer that her growth has probably been substantial since she was last rated in the fall.

Next year's McD's game should be a lot of fun with Bueckers, Van Lith, Clark and Andrews all with PG abilities.

 

[SCspur]

I believe next year they will have Amber Ramirez, former McDonald's All-American and TCU guard. I don't know she did during her TCU career, never saw them play, but she was a flashy guard. She's tough too. I don't know about defense. Averages 9.6 points over two seasons.

She could potentially be better than monk for the hogs. Not as fast but definitely the better shooter. She and Dungee will make quite the duo for Neighbors.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Yeah, in retrospect I think part of why the game this year wasn't great is that the point guards for both teams, to be honest, really weren't great at their jobs of distributing the ball, nor were they great at attacking the basket on their own. Cooke was the best, and not surprisingly led the game in assists. She was the only PG I was impressed by. The West team's weren't great, TBH, and Belibi of all players led the West team in assists, which should tell you everything you need to know, because she was pretty much always camped near the low post, and she is not known as a ball distributor.

I think for these games the players who stand out are the ones who can generate offense on their own - namely, this year, Horston, Peoples, Puisis, and to some degree Belibi and Jackson. If Jones usually ran the point in high school but served as a wing for this game, I can see why we didn't see her at her best, because most of her shots were from the wing off a pass - not really the best way to see how a "positionless" player plays. But more than anything, I felt like she just seemed a little slow and out of sync, and not playing with much confidence, so I suspect we didn't see what she's generally capable of, for whatever reason.

That's also why the post players seemed to disappear in this game - they don't get the ball all that much because neither team is really running a thoughtful offense that maximizes getting the ball inside. The quality of these games tends to rise or fall on the PGs, and this year's were not especially impressive compared to years past. Cooke + Sue Phillips as coach at least had a semblance of an offensive strategy, and the East was much better at maximizing fast breaks for quick points. I honestly have no idea what the West coach's offensive strategy was.

ETA: I just checked HoopGurlz, and sure enough, only one PG in the top ten who played - Cooke, who's #2 PG and #7 overall. Owusu, #1 PG/#5 overall, must have sat the game out? I didn't see her. Owens is #3 PG/#14 overall, and she was not amazing, and neither was Osborne at #5 PG/#22 overall. Peoples is listed as the #4 PG/#21 overall, though she seemed to play this game more as a SG than PG. She was probably the player I was most impressed with on the West team in terms of polished, all-around game. I don't know how she is as low as #21 overall - I'd have pegged her and Puisis as top ten recruits, easily. And Belibi at #23 is a joke, but it's clear she's such a late bloomer that her growth has probably been substantial since she was last rated in the fall.

Belibi has played hoops only 4 years. She's an athletic freak, but still raw. I think the rating reflects that. She'll make dunks and miss layups. I understand that Geno was intrigued but passed, possibly because she was raw or possibly because she was a Stanford lean.