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Wow, LSU is going to be loaded.
Hailey Van Lith to LSU
- Thread starter darrell
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bballnut90
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I’m sure they thought they were the best team that year, but they were never the clear cut top team in 2001, when there was never any doubt in 2002 which is part of why I think 2002 was better than 2001.
I’m regards to the last part, I think it’d be really entertaining to see how it plays out. You’d have 3 of the most prolific scorers in the country on 1 team so roles would change drastically and require a lot of unselfishness from a group of players with big personalities and NIL deals.
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I’ll give you Reese being a far better rebounder and interior defender but Edwards can defend almost every position on the court, Reese cannot defend well around the perimeter. You are also wrong about Reese staying out of foul trouble, she fouled out of 2 NCAA tournament games and she averaged 2.5 fouls per game last year, 3 fouls per game the year before and 2.5 the year before that. That's slightly higher that Aaliyahs career fouls per game. They also have similar turnover numbers, they both turn it over a lot for post players.
I have no doubt that most non-Uconn fans would take Angel over Aaliyah but I don't think that means she's the better basketball player. Aaliyah has more qualities I personally value in a basketball player and objectively can do more things at a high level than Reese can. We'll see how they both develop over the summer but if Aaliyah can add a three point shot to her resume I don't think Angel will still have the popular vote. I also think the gap is much smaller than Hailey Van Lith and Paige regardless. Closer to Paige vs Clark imo.
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Is there enough room in Louisiana...let alone Baton Rouge for all the egos???
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I personally don't think Del Rosario is going to contribute for a year or two, from what I've seen of her. I think it will take her a year to adjust to the speed of the game at the college level. Big's especially take a bit of time to adjust to the college game. Even if I'm wrong, a 3 man front court rotation is far too short with someone as foul prone as Reese IMO. I expect them to pick up another big in the transfer portal for this season.
Van Lith averaged more turnovers than assists this year playing point at Louisville, compared to Morris who has always had a pretty good assist to turnover ratio. Everything you described that you expect to happen is a pretty big leap collectively in the offseason. Yes if Hailey Van Lith improves her shooting percentages significantly, improves her passing, decreases her turnovers, and is ok lowering her usage rate and playing 2nd or 3rd fiddle in her senior year, sure she could be as good as Morris. But those are a alot of if's and best case scenarios.
Amashutcha
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"the hardest road"
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I don't think so. Even with this player movement, Dawn has still signed 2 #1 recruiting classes in the past 3 years and this year she has tge #2 recruiting class. Though unknown at the starting roles, SC will have 10 McDAAs on the squad presently and one in Chloe Kitts, who was USA Basktball alum and would have been a McDAA if she had not started college early. Kim has recruited well, and benefited from the massive amount of basketball talent in Texas when she was at Baylor. I think behind Geno. Dawn is right there in it recruiting wise with Mulkey, but Dawn has proven to keep the majority of her talent on her team with few if any transfers recently. just my humble opinion
bballnut90
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Reese amidst some games with foul trouble still was able to stay on the court 34 minutes per game (36 per game in SEC play) which is a huge number for a post player. Adding depth is helpful but having a player like that on the court almost every minute negates the need for ample depth. Especially since LSU can thrive with a 4 out lineup with their plethora of guards and wings. I haven’t seen much of Del Rosario but know she’s a top ten recruit. Time will tell, though they still might pick up Morrow or another big from the portal.
In regards to Van Lith, not much needs to change. Her percentages are extremely similar to Morris’s from this year and Hailey Van Lith knows she isnt going to carry the same load she did at Louisville and her responsibilities will be different. There will be an adjustment period adding her into the lineup and establishing her role, but she seems like the perfect puzzle piece that LSU needed to fill Morris’s void. She’s a proven commodity, consistently plays well in big games and has the personality and toughness to fit in on the roster.
Before Hailey Van Lith most had LSU pencilled in at #2. I don’t see it as a big jump having them be in contention for #1 now that they added in arguably the top transfer in the offseason.
bballnut90
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Who has transferred out of Baylor? Both Kim and Dawn are unquestionably 2 of the best but I think you’re hard pressed to find others who’d put Dawn over Kim in the all time ranks right after Kim doubled up Dawn in titles.
I’d put Kim over Tara based on her winning at two separate schools, having a better win-percentage and doing so in half the time it took Tara. I also just think she’s the better Coach as well.
Now watch, LSU will repeat as Champs. Thanks a lot.
Agreed. They are heavy favorites for next year. Uconn has only Edwards in the post AGAIN. I dont think the freshmen centers will contribute much. They rarely do now at Uconn
MSGRET
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The only reason why Kim has a better win percentage is because she always plays more cupcake teams every season than all of the top 3 winning coaches combined. If Kim played the same teams that Geno, Tara, and Pat played, she wouldn't have half the wins she currently has. I wonder if she is going to schedule any top 10 non conference teams this year?
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It depends on what type of player you are. Kim rarely recruits soft or thin-skinned players. She recruits confident players who are going to thrive in a tough and challenging environment. That right there is the main key to her success as a coach.
Uhh we were talking rankings as a recruiter. I see you really belive in this LSU team and that is your perogative, but even though she double dawn up, she has not beaten her the last four times she has played Dawn, either with Baylor or LSU. Dawn is still formidable and still has a formidable roster.
What in the world? How does LSU appear to be a toxic environment for players? Who has gone off the off the walls on social media? They've all used social media pretty responsibly while having fun with it. They've used it to maximize their exposure and brand for NIL.
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You completely misinterpreted what I said....
I think a lot of fans didn’t really watch LSU last year except for a few games and in the postseason. But if you were watching consistently you know that Van Lith really helps this team. I don’t understand the “its only one ball” comments and the chemistry comments. Every team has chemistry issues right now it’s literally April. Some dislike for Reese’s antics or Mulkey has put a negative connotation on LSU for some fans.
Firstly, if you watched LSU you would know that Morris is not a point guard. She played shooting guard in 2021 when Pointer was the point guard. She had to play point guard last year because LSU didn’t have anyone else. Also as good as Morris was in some games, she also had the tendency to disappear in other games.
Scoring was not always pretty for LSU this year. Yeah they went crazy in the title game, but a lot of the times it was a lot of standing around and Reese trying to do so much. This was not supposed to be the year for LSU. The team had no depth from the bench. A lot people thought LSU wasn’t that good this year. They were able to go on a run and got hot at the right time.
Now bringing in Van Lith, signing Williams and Rosario, second years from Johnson and Smith and Reese coming back. They have a team that can compete for a title. That’s not saying they are a lock to win the title but they have as good a team as anyone else. Mulkey has delivered at LSU, and she now puts them in championship contention every year.
There’s a lot of negatives being brought up, but LSU is doing even better than they thought they would. Mulkey had to build, and now they are here. Losing Morris and Williams are big loses for them. Van Lith will help.
Firstly, if you watched LSU you would know that Morris is not a point guard. She played shooting guard in 2021 when Pointer was the point guard. She had to play point guard last year because LSU didn’t have anyone else. Also as good as Morris was in some games, she also had the tendency to disappear in other games.
Scoring was not always pretty for LSU this year. Yeah they went crazy in the title game, but a lot of the times it was a lot of standing around and Reese trying to do so much. This was not supposed to be the year for LSU. The team had no depth from the bench. A lot people thought LSU wasn’t that good this year. They were able to go on a run and got hot at the right time.
Now bringing in Van Lith, signing Williams and Rosario, second years from Johnson and Smith and Reese coming back. They have a team that can compete for a title. That’s not saying they are a lock to win the title but they have as good a team as anyone else. Mulkey has delivered at LSU, and she now puts them in championship contention every year.
There’s a lot of negatives being brought up, but LSU is doing even better than they thought they would. Mulkey had to build, and now they are here. Losing Morris and Williams are big loses for them. Van Lith will help.
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bballnut90
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Ah I think I misread your transfer statement. And I do think this LSU team will be excellent this upcoming season. Do you think otherwise? I know you aren’t going to root for LSU, but keep in mind this thread is about Hailey Van Lith going to LSU.
And I am a big Dawn fan and supporter. I was just on here last month defending why she deserved NCOY over Geno and have posted very favorably about her for quite some time. She’s quickly working herself up the all time ranks and is deservedly the “it” coach right now in women’s basketball. I just think Kim all time ranks higher due to her 4 titles and the consistency she’s shown for 20+ years now. In modern day I don’t think of Geno as being a better coach than Dawn/Kim, but looking at all time rankings, there’s no question I’d put him ahead of both based on all he’s accomplished. It’s the same comparing Kim and Dawn. By the Dawn hangs it up, I could see her surpassing Kim in my eyes. She has youth on her side, has built a great thing in Columbia, and is at the top of the game right now. I’m not sure why you mentioned Dawn being formidable and having a great roster—nobody thinks SC is falling into oblivion or suggested otherwise. They’re going to be a title contender once against next year.
bballnut90
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They’ll have some decent competition in the Cayman Islands next year. Kim historically has always scheduled big non-conference games while at Baylor, I’m not sure what happened this year but hopefully she gets tougher competition next season.
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The foul trouble point doesn't make sense. Reese was foul prone while at Maryland in addition to this past season at LSU. Both players can get their defensive opponents in foul trouble as well. Personally it's a wash.
It's also hard to compare these two because they play different styles of basketball based on how their team's offence are set up. LSU ran a lot of their offence through Angel, which wasn't the case for Aaliyah at UConn. Reese wasn't expected to defend the perimeter as much as Aaliyah was. Plus Reese's outside game is still lacking. Let's see how it develops next season and do a comparison then.
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Now watch, LSU will repeat as Champs. Thanks a lot.
The one thing we know is that they won't lose any out of conference games. Watch out Houston Christian and Mississippi Valley State!
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Excellent thread! I just finished reading through it all and really enjoyed it. This is the BY at its best. Here’s my thoughts on the main themes:
1. Kim is a great coach. Top 3 currently and probably to 5 all time. She builds winning teams out of tough players because she knows how to shape a team culture in the course of a single season. She said as much in the NC postgame court side interview, that she’s not afraid to recruit “personalities.”
2. LSU got lucky in their path to the NC, and they played well over their talent-level in the first half of the NC game. If they didn’t shoot nearly 100% from 3 the result could have been very different. This doesn’t diminish their achievement — nothing can take that away from them. But it suggests a repeat is not as likely as may appear.
3. Losing Ladazhia Williams is more significant than stats suggest. Angel doesn’t like being stuck in the low post and having a mobile active big next to her really matters. Del Rosario is not likely to be able to play that role for her in her first year.
4. Aaliyah is more comparable to Angel than I’d realized. Angel had a better season by most measures, of course, but Aaliyah plays on a team that doesn’t run its offense mainly through one player and also requires front court players to regularly defend the perimeter. A head to head matchup between them might be very interesting, rather like when Iowa plays UConn.
5. Morrow would help with the low post work a lot. Kim must want her. What isn’t clear is whether Morrow wants to help a program or lead one. Does she want to be Angel’s support staff or the main star? In my mind, this is the difference between LSU and USC as choices for her.
1. Kim is a great coach. Top 3 currently and probably to 5 all time. She builds winning teams out of tough players because she knows how to shape a team culture in the course of a single season. She said as much in the NC postgame court side interview, that she’s not afraid to recruit “personalities.”
2. LSU got lucky in their path to the NC, and they played well over their talent-level in the first half of the NC game. If they didn’t shoot nearly 100% from 3 the result could have been very different. This doesn’t diminish their achievement — nothing can take that away from them. But it suggests a repeat is not as likely as may appear.
3. Losing Ladazhia Williams is more significant than stats suggest. Angel doesn’t like being stuck in the low post and having a mobile active big next to her really matters. Del Rosario is not likely to be able to play that role for her in her first year.
4. Aaliyah is more comparable to Angel than I’d realized. Angel had a better season by most measures, of course, but Aaliyah plays on a team that doesn’t run its offense mainly through one player and also requires front court players to regularly defend the perimeter. A head to head matchup between them might be very interesting, rather like when Iowa plays UConn.
5. Morrow would help with the low post work a lot. Kim must want her. What isn’t clear is whether Morrow wants to help a program or lead one. Does she want to be Angel’s support staff or the main star? In my mind, this is the difference between LSU and USC as choices for her.
Agree! Half of Reese's rebounds are from all of her own misses. Angel is a great player, but in no way is she as refined as Edwards. Please remember that Edwards did what she did last year with no Paige and Azzi sporadically. By February, she was tired, but before that, she was NPOY level good behind Clark.
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Getting tired should not be an excuse. Clark usually plays nearly every minute of every game.
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This part. UTAH was an airballed free throw away from keeping LSU out of the Final Four, and Virginia tech was up double digits until a fourt quarter mental collapse. LSU deserved to win the championship and are worthy National Champions but people are acting like they were South Carolina last year, the clear and away best team in the country.
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Angel does what she does without a PB or Azzi level player out there…AE misses too and doesn’t grab nearly as many of her own rebounds as Angel does. Angel is really skilled player who played with much less talent around her than AE did even without Azzi PB. As a uconn fan I really respect Angel’s game, especially given that she hasn’t developed a jumper yet and still gets hers. Everyone gets tired, i don’t think that’s a good enough excuse, especially given Angel actually averaged about 1 minute more than AE. I have love for both players, but I don’t think it’s fair to try to take away what Angel has done or compare to AE
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Either Kim gonna commit to Van Lith being point. Or she's gonna have Poole running point. It all depends on Mikaylah impact as a freshman. If she doesn't start. Then Poole will run point.
Comparing apples to oranges.
MSGRET
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Betcha if Clark was the 4 or 5 playing almost every minute of the games played she would be just as tired as AE was at the end. In blow outs Clark hardly played more the 20 - 30 minutes, depending how much the team was up by the end of the half or 3rd quarter. There is a big difference between playing 7 people most of the season and 10 to 12 people most of the season.
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