Hannah Hidalgo

[Dillon77]

I’ll concede all of those awards at this time except first team AA. I’m not saying that she can’t or won’t win that distinction. Just that it is out there to be earned by many candidates.

Here comes the ND alum/fan who should be slobbering over this. I couldn't be more pleased about Hannah's performance up to this point, but let's see how she holds up through the rest of the ACC schedule and into the post-season tourney's.

Me thinks it will largely take care of itself. However, here is one award she's still in contention for (see below).

(P.S. Yes, I do believe many, many awards are largely pre-determined in various ways (much like polls), but that's a thread of a different color )

 

[triaddukefan]

All those people saying that Hildago shouldn't be on the first team because of the presence of Clark and Bueckers. Is there a rule against having 3 guards on the first team? Last year's first team had 3 post players and a PF.

 

[Cuango]

She has to be a AP first team All-American right?

Think about having Miles and Hidalgo on the same team! Two of the very best (Top 5?) point guards on the same team! Next year they’re getting the number one post for ‘24 and they will be absolutely loaded! Koval is apparently the real deal and Ivey will have some serious firepower next year. (One wonders if Maddy Westbeld will/can come back)

All I can say is, we are very fortunate to have the really unbelievable roster we do for next year because, in looking around the country for next year, there are going to be an absolute plethora of truly great rosters! Us, SC, LSU, UCLA, Notre Dame, USC, Texas, ……slight drop, Iowa, Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan, and (beginning to teeter imo) Stanford! Every one of (especially) those top eight has the talent, to legitimately win it all! Of course, you have to give a slight to substantial edge to the top three on that list, but the amount of topline talent on each of those teams is just unprecedented!

Then, on top of that, you have the wild card of the portal looming over everything! One or two big time players going to any one of those teams could change the entire landscape of women’s basketball! They (transfers) could make one of the top teams practically unbeatable or raise one (or more) of the second tier into the top tier! What an exciting time for women’s basketball!

 

[hoopsnloops32]

All those people saying that Hildago shouldn't be on the first team because of the presence of Clark and Bueckers. Is there a rule against having 3 guards on the first team? Last year's first team had 3 post players and a PF.

I don't think its Clark and Bueckers means no other guards, certainly I don't think that as someone that doesn't think Paige is deserving of first team AA yet. Clark is a guarantee on the list. Watkins to me is the closest thing you get to a second lock. I think there is a lot of other competition and factors for those remaining three spots. South Carolina and UCLA players both deserve a look being the top two teams in the country. You have some outstanding post players as well in Reese, Rickea, Kitley, Betts. Then there are players like Paige and Lee that will get some consideration as well. If Hildago wasn't a freshman or didn't play at Notre Dame, I'm not sure her numbers and performance are impressive enough for first team AA considering where her team is ranked and has performed. Same with Paige and UConn. But that's just me.

 

[Cuango]

I'd imagine she'd bump Paige out right now. Caitlin and Juju are locks and then you know they'll be at least one or 2 bigs (Pili, Brink, Cardosa, Kitley, Angel). I'd imagine that last spot is up for grabs between Hildago, Paige, Rickea Jackson etc. Assuming they don't award 3 bigs first team AA.

Yeah, I don’t think Jackson is at the level of Paige or Hidalgo! You are right though as to the competition for first team AA! It is unbelievable!

 

[Dillon77]

Think about having Miles and Hidalgo on the same team! Two of the very best (Top 5?) point guards on the same team! Next year they’re getting the number one post for ‘24 and they will be absolutely loaded! Koval is apparently the real deal and Ivey will have some serious firepower next year. (One wonders if Maddy Westbeld will/can come back)

All I can say is, we are very fortunate to have the really unbelievable roster we do for next year because, in looking around the country for next year, there are going to be an absolute plethora of truly great rosters! Us, SC, LSU, UCLA, Notre Dame, USC, Texas, ……slight drop, Iowa, Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan, and (beginning to teeter imo) Stanford! Every one of (especially) those top eight has the talent, to legitimately win it all! Of course, you have to give a slight to substantial edge to the top three on that list, but the amount of topline talent on each of those teams is just unprecedented!

Then, on top of that, you have the wild card of the portal looming over everything! One or two big time players going to any one of those teams could change the entire landscape of women’s basketball! They (transfers) could make one of the top teams practically unbeatable or raise one (or more) of the second tier into the top tier! What an exciting time for women’s basketball!

Maddy can come back (she qualifies for the extra Covid year). She is on record as being "undecided" about using the year, going back and forth with coming back or attempting to go pro (WNBA and/or playing in Europe/elsewhere with older sister Kat).

Regarding Oliva Miles and Hannah Hidalgo, don't forget they'd be playing next to Sonia Citron, who was an honorable mention AA last year and is coming back nicely from her knee sprain earlier in the year. BTW, while Soni plays well with Hannah; she's telepathically connected to Miles.

 

[Cuango]

No way Hannah, or anyone else for that matter, bumps Paige from 1st team AA. It's not just the stats. She's the leader, the essential player, on a team on a tear that everyone had counted out not so long ago. No one other than Caitlin is doing anything even remotely comparable.

Sorry, @hoopsnloops32, but in my view Paige has done everything she needs to do. Who other than Caitlin has done more? Maybe Juju is a contender, but I don't really see any others. Plus, bear in mind, Paige is playing power forward this year, not guard. And I'm with @visitingcock, I'm not sure who on SC really stands out. The team is so balanced and loaded, the great players on it don't get to shine as much as they might on a lesser team.

I hope you are right but am worried that the sheer hype (and, to be fair) scoring numbers these freshmen are putting up are going to overshadow the overall brilliance of Paige. Many of the things Paige does in lifting the entire team’s performance to another level are not really reflected in the box score.

 

[Cuango]

Here comes the ND alum/fan who should be slobbering over this. I couldn't be more pleased about Hannah's performance up to this point, but let's see how she holds up through the rest of the ACC schedule and into the post-season tourney's.

Me thinks it will largely take care of itself. However, here is one award she's still in contention for (see below).

(P.S. Yes, I do believe many, many awards are largely pre-determined in various ways (much like polls), but that's a thread of a different color )

I think barring some kind of letdown in the second half of the season, she’ got a stranglehold on this award! I’d be shocked if she doesn’t win this award!

 

[GamecockFam]

I think barring some kind of letdown in the second half of the season, she’ got a stranglehold on this award! I’d be shocked if she doesn’t win this award!

Clark has won the award the past two years. What makes this year any different?

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Clark has won the award the past two years. What makes this year any different?

She’s playing off the ball more than ever before with the emergence if Molly Davis. Her assists are down and turnovers are slightly up. Her Assist to turnover ration has never been impressive enough to me to win this award so I’d be a fan of many other candidates.

 

[triaddukefan]

Maddy can come back (she qualifies for the extra Covid year). She is on record as being "undecided" about using the year, going back and forth with coming back or attempting to go pro (WNBA and/or playing in Europe/elsewhere with older sister Kat).

Regarding Oliva Miles and Hannah Hidalgo, don't forget they'd be playing next to Sonia Citron, who was an honorable mention AA last year and is coming back nicely from her knee sprain earlier in the year. BTW, Soni plays well with Hannah; she's telepathically connected to Miles.

As an unbiased observer, I would recommend to Westbeld to go ahead and go pro.

 

[Charliebball]

I agree. Hannah is as exciting to watch as any player in D1 right now. Her stats are really hard to understand even having watched several of her games. It’d be tempting to think they come against weaker opponents, but this isn’t the case. Arguably her best game (statistically) came against SC, where she had 31/4/3/3 with 6 TOs.

Her rebounding numbers at 6.6 are really surprising for someone who is 5’6”. And her assists are good though her a/to is only so-so at 5.6/3.8. And the steals are excellent at 5.5. She is a speedster who is utterly unafraid to drive the lane against much larger opponents and she finishes at the rim really well. This is the profile of someone who grew up in a large family with bigger brothers.

In the losses, her numbers are also surprising but maybe revealing too. In the opener against SC, they got blown out and Hannah was effectively unleashed. For stretches it was just Hannah vs Milaysia, especially in the 4th quarter. It was a highlights reel, but the game was no longer in doubt.

In the closer losses to Syracuse and UNC, her numbers are still impressive. Against Syracuse, 32/5/6/7 with 4 TOs in a very winnable game. But she couldn’t carry an injury depleted team over what would otherwise be an inferior opponent. Against UNC, the numbers were a little more subdued at 17/11/4/4 with 5 TOs, probably because of the better guard depth. This was also a winnable game and the loss wasn’t Hannah’s fault.

Now there haven’t been a lot of other stout opponents on ND’s schedule besides Tennessee. This was a game they won and Hannah may have been the main reason for it. Westbeld and Marshall had good games and Hannah’s stats were not as shiny at 13/7/7/4 with only 3 TOs. But I think she enabled Marshall’s good game and merely as a threat opened up the lane and helped power the comeback.

As a pg, the Tennessee game may be a signpost for her. If she scores a ton, her teammates may succumb to Hannah-watching. But if she scores less she may be able to lead the upperclassmen to tougher victories. The losses aren’t her fault, but the tough wins may require something other than scoring from her in the future.

she's been given the green light and is carrying a team that has been without Miles, Citron, Risch, Prosper and others throughout the season......I expect her numbers to drop a bit as some of those players return this season...

 

[Charliebball]

In the post-game presser yesterday following the Wake Forest game, ND power forward Maddy Westbeld was told that she had 4 steals yesterday, eclipsing Hannah Hidalgo by one. Would she let Hannah know it? Maddy just smiled/beamed and said "you bet."

The Wake color commentator who has been broadcasting ACC games for as long as I can recall said he's never seen anyone "run laps around everyone" in the steals category. If Hannah's not attacking and swiping the ball, she's creating situations that allow her teammates -- Westbeld, Sonia Citron, Anna DeWorld and KK Bransford, in particular -- to take chances in passing lanes and double teams. It leads to unsettled situations which enable ND to run downhill, which is what they like to do best.

As someone who has watched every minute of her collegiate career, she's a joy to watch with her energy, passion and enjoyment of the game. But she's just not some newbie on energy pills -- this is a very smart, sophisticated basketball player. She threaded the needle on three passes yesterday that were "wow" in nature for their adroitness.

Save for Cass Prosper, ND now has it's core group for the rest of the 2024 (not sure we'll see Olivia Miles this season). The team is getting it's roles down with these combinations now, so it will be a blast to see how ND is meshing against a team like UConn, that is largely doing the same after settling on a lineup.

Should be a blast.

some of us in NJ knew she was going to be really good although maybe not this good.......

 

[Dillon77]

As an unbiased observer, I would recommend to Westbeld to go ahead and go pro.

Of course you would....

 

[Dillon77]

some of us in NJ knew she was going to be really good although maybe not this good.......

I remember those discussions, Charlie; with CocoHusky calling her "the queen," (as in "the Queen will rule the court.")

 

[triaddukefan]

I'm with you three sages... Hannah should definitely be a strong consideration for first-team All-American. How she plays Saturday at Gampel against UConn's corps of guards will be an interesting barometer.

I've been called many things through the years (some of which I can't repeat on this board), but this is my first time being called a sage

 

[The deacon]

I've been called many things through the years (some of which I can't repeat on this board), but this is my first time being called a sage

And yet, you don't deny it!

 

[The deacon]

She’s playing off the ball more than ever before with the emergence if Molly Davis. Her assists are down and turnovers are slightly up. Her Assist to turnover ration has never been impressive enough to me to win this award so I’d be a fan of many other candidates.

Your point that Caitlin turns it over a lot has validity, yet nevertheless she is the point guard for Iowa. Yes, Molly Davis dribbles the ball up the court occasionally, but just to give the defense a different puzzle as to how to deal with Clark.

As for Caitlin's assists being down, well, yes, a bit from last year's remarkable 8.2 per game. It's now at 7.7, just under her career average of 7.8, and is till second nationally to McKenna Hofschild of Colorado State. She has been either first or second in assists per game all four seasons. That's point guard stuff.

Her TOs are high, as they always have been and will be with her style of aggressive play, but they're about where she was last year at 4.4 per game, and lower than her first two seasons.

As for Molly, she's not emerging. She's been a topflight DI player for five seasons. The slight change in lineup configuration is more so due to the loss of Czinano and Warnock, and new roles for the Hawkeyes' returning players (think how Nika and Paige have changed their roles).

 

[Hayven]

Although Hidalgo is having a great year. Caitlin, Paige and Jaylyn Sherrod are playing better and have their teams consistently talked about. They deserve AA before any other guards in the country. Point, blank, period

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Your point that Caitlin turns it over a lot has validity, yet nevertheless she is the point guard for Iowa. Yes, Molly Davis dribbles the ball up the court occasionally, but just to give the defense a different puzzle as to how to deal with Clark.

As for Caitlin's assists being down, well, yes, a bit from last year's remarkable 8.2 per game. It's now at 7.7, just under her career average of 7.8, and is till second nationally to McKenna Hofschild of Colorado State. She has been either first or second in assists per game all four seasons. That's point guard stuff.

Her TOs are high, as they always have been and will be with her style of aggressive play, but they're about where she was last year at 4.4 per game, and lower than her first two seasons.

As for Molly, she's not emerging. She's been a topflight DI player for five seasons. The slight change in lineup configuration is more so due to the loss of Czinano and Warnock, and new roles for the Hawkeyes' returning players (think how Nika and Paige have changed their roles).

Mollys playing a much bigger role for Iowa than she did last season. As a result, Caitlin’s playing off the ball more than she has the last two seasons. You asked why she might not win it this year and I gave you a reason. Worse numbers and less time at PG. plus more competition with the addition of Hannah Hidalgo.

Will she win it? Probably. But you asked what changed and that’s what changed.

 

[bballnut90]

Paige is leading this team similarly as Diana Taurasi led her team in her final UConn year. No other star on the team other than Diana. By sheer will, she coached, encouraged & instilled confidence to the team that they could win. And they did. Paige is on the same track IMHO.

Very different than DT in 2003 or 2004. Paige is the only player mentioned in this thread that has a returning All American in the lineup (Edwards), as well as a 4 year starting PG who was an HM All American a year ago. And UCONN is currently ranked 8th in the country with 3 losses, not #1 undefeated all year like UCONN did in 2003.

 

[bballnut90]

Although Hidalgo is having a great year. Caitlin, Paige and Jaylyn Sherrod are playing better and have their teams consistently talked about. They deserve AA before any other guards in the country. Point, blank, period

Hidalgo>Sherrod.

Hard to argue there are 5 players with better seasons than Hidalgo at the moment. My first team ballot would be Clark/Brink/Hidalgo/Bueckers/Pili.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Very different than DT in 2003 or 2004. Paige is the only player mentioned in this thread that has a returning All American in the lineup (Edwards), as well as a 4 year starting PG who was an HM All American a year ago. And UCONN is currently ranked 8th in the country with 3 losses, not #1 undefeated all year like UCONN did in 2003.

Well Taurasi wasn’t coming off an ACL tear and 600 days away from competitive basketball. That team also didn’t lose 5 players for the season, 4 of them during the season itself. So there’s that. I’m sure Taurasi considers herself to be in a much more favorable position to Paige.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

All those people saying that Hildago shouldn't be on the first team because of the presence of Clark and Bueckers. Is there a rule against having 3 guards on the first team? Last year's first team had 3 post players and a PF.

There is also JuJu.

 

[bballnut90]

Well Taurasi wasn’t coming off an ACL tear and 600 days away from competitive basketball. That team also didn’t lose 5 players for the season, 4 of them during the season itself. So there’s that. I’m sure Taurasi considers herself to be in a much more favorable position to Paige.

That’s all true, it just further illustrates their situations are vastly different

 

[donalddoowop]

I would also include freshman of the year

Not over JuJu.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

That’s all true, it just further illustrates their situations are vastly different

I’d say they are as similar as they can be in terms of UConn comparisons, which is what that person was making. The only way UConn can win a national championship is if Paige carries them and pulls off some heroics. Very few UConn players have been put in that situation. This team is most similar to those 2003/2004 teams both, imo.

 

[bballnut90]

I’d say they are as similar as they can be in terms of UConn comparisons, which is what that person was making. The only way UConn can win a national championship is if Paige carries them and pulls off some heroics. Very few UConn players have been put in that situation. This team is most similar to those 2003/2004 teams both, imo.

I agree that Paige has to be huge for UCONN to win it all, I just don't think the roster make up or results are similar though to the 2003/2004 teams.

This team reminds me a lot more of 2018-19 where the team is led by a couple of talented upperclassmen who were both returning All Americans, though Collier clearly was the top star of that team similar to how Paige is the star of this one. For both teams they had solid players filling out their starting 5, but there was/is a notable lack of depth and size on both rosters. 2018-19 had a great run but came up just short in the semis to a taller and more experienced Notre Dame team. Time will tell with how this season shapes up for UCONN.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

I agree that Paige has to be huge for UCONN to win it all, I just don't think the roster make up or results are similar though to the 2003/2004 teams.

This team reminds me a lot more of 2018-19 where the team is led by a couple of talented upperclassmen who were both returning All Americans, though Collier clearly was the top star of that team similar to how Paige is the star of this one. For both teams they had solid players filling out their starting 5, but there was/is a notable lack of depth and size on both rosters. 2018-19 had a great run but came up just short in the semis to a taller and more experienced Notre Dame team. Time will tell with how this season shapes up for UCONN.

That 2004 team was undersized and guard heavy with just Jessica Moore as the anchor in the middle and a super star guard. . Pretty similar to the current construct with Aaliyah as the undersized anchor and Paige as the star guard. People underestimate the talent on that team imo because it didn’t materialize in the WNBA but it’s comparable.

Not saying we have any chance of winning a national championship this year as I would be thrilled with an elite eight performance but they play quite similarly to those teams. The offense and defense especially are very pre-2013 UConn imo.

2019 team is nothing like this one to the point where the comparison is baffling. It was well balanced across all positions but lacked star power, specifically in the guard position. Collier is an amazing player but she’s not a guard and she’s not generational talent like Paige imo.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

I agree that Paige has to be huge for UCONN to win it all, I just don't think the roster make up or results are similar though to the 2003/2004 teams.

This team reminds me a lot more of 2018-19 where the team is led by a couple of talented upperclassmen who were both returning All Americans, though Collier clearly was the top star of that team similar to how Paige is the star of this one. For both teams they had solid players filling out their starting 5, but there was/is a notable lack of depth and size on both rosters. 2018-19 had a great run but came up just short in the semis to a taller and more experienced Notre Dame team. Time will tell with how this season shapes up for UCONN.

I should also say I don’t think Paige is at Taurasi’s level so I don’t think the results will be near the same if that’s the struggle you have with the comparison. But Geno has clearly revisited his playbooks from the early and mid aughts post roster decimation in November when UConn played much more guard and forward heavy and big lite.