Kia Nurse reverses 30 years of Canadian basketball frustration... :)

[DavidinNaples]

In the last 30 years, Canada's women's basketball team has never finished better than 8th at the Summer Olympics and no higher than 3rd at the FIBA World Championships. Their 2nd place finish at the Pan Am games was back in 1999. In 12 tries at the FIBA Americas Championship, Canada won one gold, but not since 1995.

Thirty years, forty tournaments, only one Gold Medal.

This summer, in less than a month, Canada erased years of frustration and emerged as a women's basketball powerhouse. Led by Kia Nurse, they captured Gold at the Pan Am games, defeating the USA 81-73 and won a 2nd Gold in the FIBA Americas title game, crushing Cuba 82-66. Nurse was the star, winning the MVP for both tournaments and scoring the most points & playing the most minutes in the Gold games for undefeated Canada.

Kia's stats for the two Gold Medal games were as follows:

Minutes: 65 total or 32.5 minutes per game.
Points: 53 total or 26.5 pts per game.
3 pt shooting: 2-4 or 50%
2 pt shooting: 16-25 or 64%
Free throws: 15-18 or 83%
Rebounds: 9
Assists: 6
Steals: 2
Turnovers: 1 (yes, only 1 in 65 minutes..!!)

Oh yeah, Kia is only 19 yrs old, the youngest player on Canada's team and still only a sophomore at UConn.

Go Kia..!!
Go Huskies...!!

P.S. - Yes, I know there was a whole team with her winning the Gold Medals. She was the star.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Now, Kia, get some well deserved R & R - eat those bags of Twizzlers or similar you love so much, and come to the Huskies frosty!

A remarkable summer.

 

[sarals24]

I can't wait to see what she does as a sophomore at UConn. She and Moriah are going to be deadly.

 

[Sonny44]

Love ❤ ya gal.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I can't wait to see what she does as a sophomore at UConn. She and Moriah are going to be deadly.

I find interesting these great senior/sophomore guard combos UCONN has had. The prime example of course is Bird/Taurasi. Then there's Hartley/Jefferson and now Jefferson/Nurse. Who was the other starter when Hartley was a soph? Hayes?

Makes me wish I could wave a magic wand and make the sophomore a senior, so you have (presumably, assuming chemistry) a mega-combo. Looking back, I can't come up with a senior/senior combo at UCONN where each was a star. Taurasi/Conlon was a famous and historically significant one, but asymmetrical. Anybody think of one?

 

[JS]

Looking back, I can't come up with a senior/senior [guard] combo at UCONN where each was a star. Taurasi/Conlon was a famous and historically significant one, but asymmetrical. Anybody think of one?

No.

In the what-might-have-been department:

Keirsten Walters started 14 games as a freshman point guard before an accumulation of injuries that began before she got here brought her career to a close.

Her classmate Sue Bird (lower ranked by Blue Star coming out of high school) had the starting job earlier but went down to an ACL after only eight games.

Geno: "There's no doubt in my mind [Keirsten] would've been a heckuva player for UConn."

The fabulous class of 2002 (known as TASS, for Tamika, Asjha, Sue and Swin) is often cited as UConn's best even when no longer the TASSK Force.

 

[baggerbob]

After this year Stewie, Moriah, and Morgan, have to be in the discussion as the best class ever.

 

[ocoandasoc]

Canadian women's baskeball fans should send Geno a thank-you note. Kia's development over her year at UConn was key to Canada's success.

 

[sarals24]

I find interesting these great senior/sophomore guard combos UCONN has had. The prime example of course is Bird/Taurasi. Then there's Hartley/Jefferson and now Jefferson/Nurse. Who was the other starter when Hartley was a soph? Hayes?

Makes me wish I could wave a magic wand and make the sophomore a senior, so you have (presumably, assuming chemistry) a mega-combo. Looking back, I can't come up with a senior/senior combo at UCONN where each was a star. Taurasi/Conlon was a famous and historically significant one, but asymmetrical. Anybody think of one?

I think this shows how well-planned UConn's recruiting is. Get in a freshman guard who will replace an outgoing one, give them two years together, and then the frosh is ready as a junior to take the reins. See Hartley/Jefferson, Jefferson/Nurse, Nurse/Dangerfield.