oldude
bamboo lover
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With apologies to a number of BY’ers who have initiated similarly themed threads and posts over the past couple days, I decided to initiate my own thread/post on this topic while borrowing liberally from your well-stated musings on the subject.
During each of UConn’s 11 national championships, I would argue that the Huskies had either the best player in the country and/or one or more dominant scorer(s) who had the ability to put the ball on the floor and score whenever the offense bogged down. In 1995 UConn had the best player in Rebecca as well as another player who could take over on offense in Jen, along with a really talented supporting cast. In 2000, UConn had the best collection of scoring guards ever on the same team with Shea, Sveta & Sue, along with another really talented supporting cast. For each of the next 9 championships the Huskies had one of the 3 greatest WBB players of all time: DT (3), Maya (2) & Stewie (4),
During each of the past two remarkable seasons, UConn has fielded a wonderful group of smart, talented basketball players that has relied on beautiful offensive sets, movement, pinpoint passing and great shooting. But against MS St’s tough man-to-man pressure last year, and ND’s matchup zone this year, both of which took UConn out of their offensive sets to a significant degree, the Huskies fell just short, unable, in either instance, to convert a late score that would have won the game. In both games, UConn struggled at times to run their offense and they turned the ball over more than usual. So what exactly was missing?
It is no accident that each of the other 3 teams in this year’s FF possess one dominant offensive player who could shoot as well as put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket. Vivians, Durr and ND’s FF hero, Ogunbowle are each of their team’s “go to” players when they need a bucket. Last season, SC’s Wilson was the dominant player, ably assisted by Gray & Davis who consistently beat defenders off the dribble.
As for UConn, they do have two players who can consistently beat defenders off the dribble. Crystal is explosively quick. She can dish and has a nice pull up jumper. But at 5’5”, Crystal can get lost among the trees when she drives to the basket. Gabby is also explosively quick. She can dish and finish at the rim against much bigger players. But Gabby lacks the consistent pull-up jump shot to be the “go to” scorer. What Vic Schaefer and Muffet McGraw realized is that if you force UConn to put the ball on the floor, you’ve got a chance to beat them. But fear not, I believe help may be on the way.
While I know that many BY’ers are disappointed with MW, I would only point out that Tina, Mo, Gabby, Crystal and many other UConn stars didn’t set the world on fire during their freshman year. Even DT shot an abysmal 1-15 in her first national semifinal as a freshman. After that, DT lead the Huskies to 3 straight championships. Before I moved back to upstate NY, I lived in Chesterfield, VA where I had the opportunity to follow MW closely during her freshman & sophomore years at Monacan HS. Even back then, MW could take over a game. While she was a good shooter, her size and athleticism allowed her to drive into the paint and score almost at will. MW has shown us some glimpses of that ability this season. I believe that we will see a significant sophomore leap from MW next season when she will start, and Geno will ask her to be far more aggressive on offense.
But there’s more. We all got another glimpse of the future watching the McD AA game last week. CW is the real deal. She is a big, physical guard with a beautiful handle, who’s shot is “money” from the arc. CW can beat players off the dribble, pull up for a soft jump shot, dish to teammates or finish at the rim with either hand. CW reminds me of Chennedy Carter, only with much more discipline. Like all freshmen, CW will go through a learning period, and there will be some tough lessons, but I am hopeful that by about midway through the season, she will start to show everyone that she is the best freshman in the country, capable of lighting it up on any given night.
While it’s not absolutely necessary to have a dominant player/scorer to win a championship, at every level, HS, college and pro, men’s or women’s, more often than not, the team that usually wins the championship has one or more dominant player/scorer. Undoubtedly, Geno and his staff will look hard at the ND game in order to fix the problems that lead to the loss. Fortunately, they won’t have to look too far as the answers will hopefully be standing right in front of them when practice starts next fall. When it’s all said and done, GREAT PLAYERS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS.
During each of UConn’s 11 national championships, I would argue that the Huskies had either the best player in the country and/or one or more dominant scorer(s) who had the ability to put the ball on the floor and score whenever the offense bogged down. In 1995 UConn had the best player in Rebecca as well as another player who could take over on offense in Jen, along with a really talented supporting cast. In 2000, UConn had the best collection of scoring guards ever on the same team with Shea, Sveta & Sue, along with another really talented supporting cast. For each of the next 9 championships the Huskies had one of the 3 greatest WBB players of all time: DT (3), Maya (2) & Stewie (4),
During each of the past two remarkable seasons, UConn has fielded a wonderful group of smart, talented basketball players that has relied on beautiful offensive sets, movement, pinpoint passing and great shooting. But against MS St’s tough man-to-man pressure last year, and ND’s matchup zone this year, both of which took UConn out of their offensive sets to a significant degree, the Huskies fell just short, unable, in either instance, to convert a late score that would have won the game. In both games, UConn struggled at times to run their offense and they turned the ball over more than usual. So what exactly was missing?
It is no accident that each of the other 3 teams in this year’s FF possess one dominant offensive player who could shoot as well as put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket. Vivians, Durr and ND’s FF hero, Ogunbowle are each of their team’s “go to” players when they need a bucket. Last season, SC’s Wilson was the dominant player, ably assisted by Gray & Davis who consistently beat defenders off the dribble.
As for UConn, they do have two players who can consistently beat defenders off the dribble. Crystal is explosively quick. She can dish and has a nice pull up jumper. But at 5’5”, Crystal can get lost among the trees when she drives to the basket. Gabby is also explosively quick. She can dish and finish at the rim against much bigger players. But Gabby lacks the consistent pull-up jump shot to be the “go to” scorer. What Vic Schaefer and Muffet McGraw realized is that if you force UConn to put the ball on the floor, you’ve got a chance to beat them. But fear not, I believe help may be on the way.
While I know that many BY’ers are disappointed with MW, I would only point out that Tina, Mo, Gabby, Crystal and many other UConn stars didn’t set the world on fire during their freshman year. Even DT shot an abysmal 1-15 in her first national semifinal as a freshman. After that, DT lead the Huskies to 3 straight championships. Before I moved back to upstate NY, I lived in Chesterfield, VA where I had the opportunity to follow MW closely during her freshman & sophomore years at Monacan HS. Even back then, MW could take over a game. While she was a good shooter, her size and athleticism allowed her to drive into the paint and score almost at will. MW has shown us some glimpses of that ability this season. I believe that we will see a significant sophomore leap from MW next season when she will start, and Geno will ask her to be far more aggressive on offense.
But there’s more. We all got another glimpse of the future watching the McD AA game last week. CW is the real deal. She is a big, physical guard with a beautiful handle, who’s shot is “money” from the arc. CW can beat players off the dribble, pull up for a soft jump shot, dish to teammates or finish at the rim with either hand. CW reminds me of Chennedy Carter, only with much more discipline. Like all freshmen, CW will go through a learning period, and there will be some tough lessons, but I am hopeful that by about midway through the season, she will start to show everyone that she is the best freshman in the country, capable of lighting it up on any given night.
While it’s not absolutely necessary to have a dominant player/scorer to win a championship, at every level, HS, college and pro, men’s or women’s, more often than not, the team that usually wins the championship has one or more dominant player/scorer. Undoubtedly, Geno and his staff will look hard at the ND game in order to fix the problems that lead to the loss. Fortunately, they won’t have to look too far as the answers will hopefully be standing right in front of them when practice starts next fall. When it’s all said and done, GREAT PLAYERS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS.
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