In Defense of the Praise of A'ja

[bballnut90]

If she reads this—congrats on a fantastic career. She’s a heck of a player and has done a great job of being an ambassador for women’s college basketball the last 4 years. Seems very likeable and appears to be a fantastic teammate and leader. She also just wrote a nice piece on her struggles with dyslexia. Nothing not to like about her. She’ll be a great player for years to come.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I'm not quite sure I get what "progressive social values" have to do with being a women's BB fan. Plenty of teams in plenty of states you might choose to describe that way have had great WCBB teams and supported them well from time to time. Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, Baylor, Oklahoma, Mississippi State and Louisville come to mind.

I wasn't going to respond to the original post, but since you did, I will. Columbia and Richland County are just as progressive and liberal as the State of Connecticut. It is the Upstate of SC that is extremely far right. Hopefully, I didn't cross the no politics threshold. As far as the reason for our great attendance, A'ja's presence definitely helped, but most of the credit for high attendance needs to go to Dawn. That woman interacts with our fans more than every other coach combined. The fans return the love, plain and simple.

 

[SCGamecock]

I had no problem with their coverage of Wilson. When they did it, it was obvious UConn would win, so it would be the last time you got to see Wilson playing NCAA basketball.

That’s exactly why they gushed about her for an eternity late in the game. Kia and Gabby still have games to play.. they’ll get theirs, Gabby especially, who I think is the next best player after Wilson.

 

[SCGamecock]

Terrific player and by all means give her the accolades she deserves, but good grief, ESPN prattled on and on the entire 2nd half, rarely even mentioning the thrashing being delivered by UConn. And how can someone be NPOY when they don’t play defense. I lost count at 7 times she stepped aside to allow uncontested layups.

Avoiding fouls. A’ja leaves the floor and UConn would’ve won by 60.

 

[UConnNick]

Avoiding fouls. A’ja leaves the floor and UConn would’ve won by 60.

I have the utmost respect for Wilson and she's a great player, but when you're a senior and as experienced as she is, you have to be able to play D without fouling. As a coaching strategy, you cannot play a team as talented as UCONN 4-on-5 defensively. You may only lose by 30 instead of 60, but does that really matter?

 

[Shorty Dee]

Yes, A'Ja is a good player, but to be honest I was tired of hearing it. Gabby is a very special player. I do not know another 5 ft 11 inches player who can do what she can. Gabby is playing with a hurt hip, and don't no one know how much pain she is in, but she defends teams bigs and don't complain. To me ESPN is trying to guarantee A'Ja is NPOY.

 

[shiverz45]

Yes, A'Ja is a good player, but to be honest I was tired of hearing it. Gabby is a very special player. I do not know another 5 ft 11 inches player who can do what she can. Gabby is playing with a hurt hip, and don't no one know how much pain she is in, but she defends teams bigs and don't complain. To me ESPN is trying to guarantee A'Ja is NPOY.

The votes are pretty much in. That one game wont make a difference.

 

[Shorty Dee]

The votes are pretty much in. That one game wont make a difference.

It's not just this game.

 

[tomcat]

A'ja is basically their Lobo.

Never thought of it that way but yes, that's absolutely true. If SC continues as one of the WCBB powers, Aja will have paved the way.

 

[terif831]

A'ja is an amazing basketball player and appears to be an exceptional teammate and young lady. I like her a lot, and I wish her all the success in the world.
Having said that, I have to admit it was getting hard listening to her name over and over and over and over again. But a couple of years back, how many times did we hear Stewie's name? And before her, Maya's? Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera (in my King of Siam voice).
Can't begrudge A'ja the kudos and respect she deserves.

 

[HoopsFan21]

A'ja is an amazing basketball player and appears to be an exceptional teammate and young lady. I like her a lot, and I wish her all the success in the world.
Having said that, I have to admit it was getting hard listening to her name over and over and over and over again. But a couple of years back, how many times did we hear Stewie's name? And before her, Maya's? Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera (in my King of Siam voice).
Can't begrudge A'ja the kudos and respect she deserves.

Exactly. Now we know how everyone else felt in 2016 when every game had ten minutes of Big Three coverage because Doris Burke was so in love with them.

 

[HopJim]

Avoiding fouls. A’ja leaves the floor and UConn would’ve won by 60.

Not sure I understand this logic. When you play a great UConn team, you go for it, leaving nothing back.

 

[Charliebball]

Is it possible she and her coach discussed allowing layups rather than fouling because her team had less than the near zero chance they started with if she was on the bench? A'ja can play D.

I sure hope Coach Vic tells his aircraft carrier to do the same thing if your team plays UConn in the finals............

 

[IWearShoes]

I sure hope Coach Vic tells his aircraft carrier to do the same thing if your team plays UConn in the finals..

There's a big difference between playing good D on the block or help D down low and swatting at quicker, more athletic players as they fly by on a layup., which is what I saw A'ja refraining from.

 

[IWearShoes]

Not sure I understand this logic. When you play a great UConn team, you go for it, leaving nothing back.

Really, what does a statement like that mean? It's very general. Do you honestly think a player like A'ja Wilson held something back playing UConn in the Elite Eight? She did what she thought best to help her team. It didn't work. Rarely does against the Huskies as I'm sure you've joyously noticed.

 

[Orangutan]

Agree. 27 points, 8 rebounds, while UConn was keying on her. That's impressive. And she seems like a first class young lady. I'll be rooting for her when she plays in the W with Moriah.

I don't know if there is a more likeable team in the league than the Aces. The Sky are my team but it's going to be hard not to pull for A'ja, MoJeff, and K-Mac at least a little.

 

[Centerstream]

Avoiding fouls. A’ja leaves the floor and UConn would’ve won by 60.

Which is why she was SC's leading scorer, UConn applied token defensive pressure on her when she was in the paint. History shows that the refs protect her and grant her phantom fouls galore so I think the Huskys were cognizant of the fact and knew that she alone was not going to beat them.

 

[Los24]

I wasn't going to respond to the original post, but since you did, I will. Columbia and Richland County are just as progressive and liberal as the State of Connecticut. It is the Upstate of SC that is extremely far right. Hopefully, I didn't cross the no politics threshold. As far as the reason for our great attendance, A'ja's presence definitely helped, but most of the credit for high attendance needs to go to Dawn. That woman interacts with our fans more than every other coach combined. The fans return the love, plain and simple.

Being Progressive vs Conservative has nothing to do with it. Being a sports fan and appreciating the game does.

 

[Ron and Vida]

A'ja is basically their Lobo.

Just posted something similar on another thread.
Sorry I missed this.

 

[SCGamecock]

Not sure I understand this logic. When you play a great UConn team, you go for it, leaving nothing back.

When you play a great UConn team you do whatever is necessary to help your team and not let them get blown out by 50 points... which is what Wilson did.

 

[sharris952]

Which is why she was SC's leading scorer, UConn applied token defensive pressure on her when she was in the paint. History shows that the refs protect her and grant her phantom fouls galore so I think the Huskys were cognizant of the fact and knew that she alone was not going to beat them.

This is a bunch of crock. Aja could not be played one on one because she would have her way with any of UConn's defenders. This has come many times from Geno's and Gabby's mouths. This is why she scored so much. She just did not have the supporting cast to deal with UConn but please do not use individual moments in time to say that these players could guard her one on one because it is simply not true

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Wilson is an excellent player and seems very nice and down to earth. The one thing I've been seeing that irks me, however, is this notion that she is some sort of saint for "staying at home" and not going the "easy route." AKA not going to UConn. Putting aside the fact that UConn was her second choice, if her hometown school hadn't been an up-and-coming power with an Olympian for a head coach and attended by her close friends does she go to South Carolina? This wasn't a top talent from Sioux Falls playing for South Dakota, or one from Blackfoot Idaho going to Boise State. There were plenty of draws for a hometown star to head to Columbia.

 

[Topdawg]

Kudos to Wilson on her stellar career and good luck for the future.

The success of South Carolina was shaped by more than one person. Other "native" players include Alaina Coates and Allisha Gray Who where early picks in the WNBA. The press seems to have forgotten them in the build up of their story.

 

[Centerstream]

This is a bunch of crock. Aja could not be played one on one because she would have her way with any of UConn's defenders. This has come many times from Geno's and Gabby's mouths. This is why she scored so much. She just did not have the supporting cast to deal with UConn but please do not use individual moments in time to say that these players could guard her one on one because it is simply not true

Yeah, it is normal for a player to get called for a foul 16 seconds into the game and then not be called for another one the rest of the game. Upon watching the game replay, she committed at least three fouls after that one and not one was called. Oh, I am guessing that no one was defending her in the 2nd half of the Feb 1st game when she scored how many points??????
Well luckily no one in WCBB has to hear about The Best Player in America again, except when she picks up all the NPOY awards that she does not deserve, thanks entirely to ESPN.
Gabby and Geno give her "praise" because that is what gracious players and coaches do, unlike D......

 

[DefenseBB]

She's good, but not in the same league as Breanna, Tina, Stef or a host of other bigs. She has shown me nothing but post-up. The greats could take you outside.

No, just no. Comparing to Stewart is not fair at all. Stewie is on a different planet altogether. A'ja was more accomplished than Tina or Stef. Have we forgotten how much Geno had to prod Tina her first 3 years to reach her potential? Steph skills were great at passing to always hit the open man but she was never the focal point of the offense and for that matter, neither was Tina-she had Maya, one of our Holy Trinity's of players.
Pecking order of your comparison for me is this-Stewie, A'ja, Tina and distantly Steph....