Impressed by Charli Turner Thorne

[mudcat]

IMHO ASU will probably finish either 1st or 2nd in the PAC-12 this year. What's amazing about last year's run, and indeed her career, is how she has done it with so few ranked recruits. I'm not sure her entire squad this year has anyone ranked in the top 50 when they were recruited. And ASU is always in the upper echelon of her league (excepting the year she took her sabbatical and the two years after). I understand that recruiting is part of how a coach is judged, but it's just amazing what she can put on the floor and her ability as a game coach. I can only imagine what she would do with kids rated in the 20-30 range nationally.

 

[VAUConnFan]

ASU gave UConn quite a scare back in 2009.

 

[kat0189]

IMHO ASU will probably finish either 1st or 2nd in the PAC-12 this year. What's amazing about last year's run, and indeed her career, is how she has done it with so few ranked recruits. I'm not sure her entire squad this year has anyone ranked in the top 50 when they were recruited. And ASU is always in the upper echelon of her league (excepting the year she took her sabbatical and the two years after). I understand that recruiting is part of how a coach is judged, but it's just amazing what she can put on the floor and her ability as a game coach. I can only imagine what she would do with kids rated in the 20-30 range nationally.

None of ASU's starters last year on the 29-6 Sweet 16 team were ranked in the top 100 out of HS! I follow the Pac-12 and in some cases she gets the "leftovers" as in the recruits other Pac-12 teams pass on, yet she manages to beat those teams with those very players!

 

[kat0189]

ASU gave UConn quite a scare back in 2009.

Further back, ASU beat UConn in 2004 non-conference play in Tempe

 

[msf22b]

ASU gave UConn quite a scare back in 2009.

Was that the NCAA game inTrenton when Tiff went off?

 

[Icebear]

Eliza Normen currently a red shirt Sr. was #36 coming out of high school. She was as high as #5 position and #28 overall on ESPN, http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/81015/eliza-normen

There were two other ranks players in that class.

 

[Kmoney]

I love their "Curtain of Distraction". It's innovative, fun and it works.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Was that the NCAA game inTrenton when Tiff went off?

Yes.

 

[msf22b]

Yes.

I was there
I remember the famous shrug after her 6th or 7th bomb
Hey, man,what can I say?

 

[huskyblooz]

What? No photo?

 

[alexrgct]

Eliza Normen currently a red shirt Sr. was #36 coming out of high school. She was as high as #5 position and #28 overall on ESPN, http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/81015/eliza-normen

There were two other ranks players in that class.

IIRC, she's a cousin of yours, no?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

My only issue with Charlie - besides the school she coaches for - is that she is a champion referee whiner. Otherwise, have always liked her and actually is the one and only sport that - absent when we play them - we will actually root for the school up North.

But I hate ref whining - defined as "a ref can't pass by without my saying something" which was a talent of Jody Conradt and more recently Bill Laimbeer, 2 of my other championship candidates.

 

[Icebear]

IIRC, she's a cousin of yours, no?

Yes, my cousins daughter.

 

[kat0189]

Eliza Normen currently a red shirt Sr. was #36 coming out of high school. She was as high as #5 position and #28 overall on ESPN, http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/81015/eliza-normen

There were two other ranks players in that class.

I was aware of Normen. Never saw her play but I know some folks who watched her before her injuries in HS and really liked her.

ASU also signed Kiki Alufaituli (sp?) that year and she was ranked right up there with Normen, as high as #26 IIRC by Hoopgurlz at one point, but then CTT took the year off and Kiki went to USC instead, where she sat out a year since ASU wouldn't release her.

The other two recruits that year were Jada Blackwell and Promise Amukamara. Neither ranked in the top 100 nationally, but SoCal locals loved Blackwell and knew she was a sleeper. Oddly, she transferred from ASU to a DII school after her soph year. Amukamara wrapped up a solid career with last season's Sweet 16 team.

 

[mudcat]

Was that the NCAA game inTrenton when Tiff went off?

No, that was the previous game against Cal in the Sweet 16 (I think she had 28 points and 5 of 6 from 3).

 

[kat0189]

I remember Geno was once (very strangely) asked who the best-looking coach out there was in some media spot around tournament time. His answer? Charli Turner-Thorne. Then he blushed, lol.

 

[VAUConnFan]

No, that was the previous game against Cal in the Sweet 16 (I think she had 28 points and 5 of 6 from 3).

Thanx. For whatever reason, everything remembered about the Cal game was attributed to ASU. I thoroughly enjoyed rewatching the ASU game. It seems the only thing remembered accurately was Coach Turner-Thorne's impassioned pre game speech. Still, getting ASU to the Elite 8 was an impressive coaching accomplishment as a #6 seed upsetting Florida State and Texas A & M without Dymond Simon.

 

[kat0189]

Thanx. For whatever reason, everything remembered about the Cal game was attributed to ASU. I thoroughly enjoyed rewatching the ASU game. It seems the only thing remembered accurately was Coach Turner-Thorne's impassioned pre game speech. Still, getting ASU to the Elite 8 was an impressive coaching accomplishment as a #6 seed upsetting Florida State and Texas A & M without Dymond Simon.

Yep, I believe Dymond went down in the very last regular season game @ Stanford, IIRC. She was their leading scorer that season, so indeed a very impressive run considering.