How Do You Define Basketball Talent?

[triaddukefan]

??

One of the things bandied about in the media and on message boards are which teams are the most talented in a given season I know most UCONN fans probably think this year's edition will be the most talented UCONN team in history. Some Duke fans think that our team will be as talented as any Duke team in history.... some say that the recruiting class of 2013 is the most talented class in recent memory.... but how do you define talent??

For me... I say its a combination of basketball skill, basketball I.Q... and physical ability. Thoughts?

 

[ThisJustIn]

Simple: Someone has basketball talent if they are fast, athletic, great hops, good passer, smooth shooter and on my team.

If she's on someone else's team she is over-rated, lazy and a ball hog who never met a shot she didn't like.

 

[grizz36]

1. Faster than a speeding bullet
2. More powerful than a locomotive
3. (and most important) Able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound.

 

[alexrgct]

Talent= being able to do at least one specific basketball skill very well. Shooting, rebounding, on-ball defending, help defending, passing, etc. For instance, Kelly Faris is a very effective rebounder for her size, an excellent help and on-ball defender, and a very good passer. Thus she is talented. Maya Moore did almost everything at an elite level in college. That makes her somewhat more than talented.

Greatness can be defined in many ways, but one possible definition is consistently doing the things you do well at the moment your team most needs you to do it. Kelly Faris almost stole the national semis game this past season by doing the things at which she is talented at the very moment her team needed her to do them. If that's a recurring theme this upcoming season, she will go down as truly great. Jennifer Rizzotti's blow-by Marciniak in the 1995 national championship game? Greatness. Tina Charles in the NC game against Louisville in 2009? Greatness. Maya against Florida State for the program's 89th consecutive win? Greatness in another way- the moment called for her to have a command performance, even if it wasn't required to beat FSU. She duly had one.

Great teams also do what they do best when the moment calls for it. That's why the greatest collections of individual talent don't always win. Talent gets you a long way. Greatness comes at a price. For this particular incarnation of UConn WBB, the bill will be due shorty or an exceptionally talented group of young women will have an extremely up close view of Baylor celebrating its second consecutive national championship in New Orleans.

 

[MarlboroughMike]

1. Faster than a speeding bullet
2. More powerful than a locomotive
3. (and most important) Able to leap over tall buildings in a single bound.

1. Banks, Jefferson
2.Buck, Dolson, Mosqueda-Lewis, Tuck
3.Stokes, Stewart

And 4. Exceptional Leadership: Doty, Faris, Hartley

 

[Scotter]

I define talent as the ability to perform an action. What separates more talented players from less talented players is being able to perform an action that other players cannot.

Whether they can perform that action consistently or at the right time when it is needed or most effective is another story. That's a different variable from pure talent in my opinion.

 

[easttexastrash]

The one who wants it more.

 

[easttexastrash]

Physical ability is not a talent, it is an attribute and a vehicle to use your skills. To me, talent is the mastery of a learned skill, such as shooting, dribbling and passing.

BG was the most dominant player in college last year, maybe ever, but not the most talented ever. There have been many players that had more basketball talent but that didn't make them better players because they didn't have the physical ability to impose their talents on their competition like BG does.

 

[uconnfan68]

??

One of the things bandied about in the media and on message boards are which teams are the most talented in a given season I know most UCONN fans probably think this year's edition will be the most talented UCONN team in history. Some Duke fans think that our team will be as talented as any Duke team in history.... some say that the recruiting class of 2013 is the most talented class in recent memory.... but how do you define talent??

For me... I say its a combination of basketball skill, basketball I.Q... and physical ability. Thoughts?

Basketball is a team game. Individual talent isn't nearly as important as team chemistry. Individuals won't be remembered after a while... teams will.

 

[MarlboroughMike]

Physical ability is not a talent, it is an attribute and a vehicle to use your skills. To me, talent is the mastery of a learned skill, such as shooting, dribbling and passing.

BG was the most dominant player in college last year, maybe ever, but not the most talented ever. There have been many players that had more basketball talent but that didn't make them better players because they didn't have the physical ability to impose their talents on their competition.

The ability of a superior quality, and knowing when and how to use it. This is simple for an individual like Usain Bolt , just run as fast as you can. Much more difficult to become a true talent in a team sport; the best shooter in the world is not a talent if he/she cannot understand how to be a team player.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Basketball is a team game. Individual talent isn't nearly as important as team chemistry. Individuals won't be remembered after a while... teams will.

On the whole, no matter how important team chemistry is - ya gotta have the talent, no matter how you define it, too.

There are an awful lot of teams with good team chemistry. They aren't challenging UConn or Baylor, because, to be simple, they are not talented enough.

Likewise, it is true - talent in a team sport, if you lack the team chemistry to have it fit in, won't be winning much either. But you do have to have the talent.

 

[easttexastrash]

Basketball is a team game. Individual talent isn't nearly as important as team chemistry. Individuals won't be remembered after a while... teams will.

A team with tremendous talent but bad chemistry has a much better chance at winning than does a team with great chemistry but little talent.

 

[alexrgct]

Basketball is a team game. Individual talent isn't nearly as important as team chemistry. Individuals won't be remembered after a while... teams will.

Basketball may be a team game, but stars on a team are remembered for and defined by whether and how they win championships. An individual player is able to impact a basketball game far more than in baseball or football (other than QB).

 

[Icebear]

Basketball Talent = Get the ball and put it in your basket. Repeat.

 

[meyers7]

The one who wants it more.

She came to play today.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Basketball is a team game. Individual talent isn't nearly as important as team chemistry. Individuals won't be remembered after a while... teams will.

I disagree.

 

[VAUConnFan]

The ability of a superior quality, and knowing when and how to use it. This is simple for an individual like Usain Bolt , just run as fast as you can. Much more difficult to become a true talent in a team sport; the best shooter in the world is not a talent if he/she cannot understand how to be a team player.

I disagree, although I understand your point.

 

[Icebear]

Basketball Talent = Get the ball and put it in your basket. Repeat.

Get the ball equals:
....turnover the opponent
....get the rebound
....make a steal
....get the offensive rebound

Put it in your basket equals:
....get an assist
....make a lay up
....hit the pull up jumper
....drain the three

That's basketball talent:
....Get the ball and put it in your basket.

 

[easttexastrash]

I think that some are confusing being a good team with being talented. I've seen very talented teams that are not the best team. IMO, Rutgers was one of the most talented teams with Vaughn, Cappie, Ajavon and Carson, but that didn't make them the best team. But as far as talent, they were at the top of my list. CVS simply didn't know what to do with them. Geno would have coached that team to a title. .

 

[Jim]

A team with tremendous talent but bad chemistry has a much better chance at winning than does a team with great chemistry but little talent.

You wouldn't say that if you had watched the UConn men's team for the last two years.