Let's compare 2 players (UConn related)

[MilfordHusky]

Player 1 shoots .400 from the field, .297 from the arc, and .769 from the FT line. She averages 5.3 rebounds per game and has 128 assists, 20 blocks, and 68 steals for the season.

Player 2 shoots .345 from the field, .293 from the arc, and .836 from the FT line. She averages 5.5 rebounds per game and has 52 assists, 10 blocks, and 69 steals for the season.

Which one is the better player? Which one would you rather have on your team?

Of course, you would need more information, but this makes the 2 players look very comparable. Player 1 is the better shooter from the field and has far more assists. Player 2 is the better FT shooter. Most of the other stats are very comparable.

Here's one other stat. Player 1 has taken 160 shots on the season; player 2 has taken 525 shots on the season.

Who are they? Some of you may know. Player 1 is Kelly Faris, who received no BE award recognition. Player 2 is Sugar Rodgers, who was a unanimous All-BE 1st team selection. Hmmm!

One thought: Kelly is a reluctant shooter. Someone please tell her that she shoots better than a unanimous All-BE selection! Kelly has some favorite spots on the floor. If she is wide open there, she needs to take them. If it is a high-degree-of-difficulty shot or a tightly-contested shot, it is better to pass it up, but otherwise the light is green. In fact, it's Kelly green.

 

[rjp172]

Sugar wasn't unanimous. Only Diggins and Martin were unanimous picks. Sugar is a volume shooter that can also shoot them out of games. She won Frosh of the year over Diggins because her volume of shots and Diggins played with established BE players who were the first option.

 

[speedoo]

Sugar wasn't unanimous. Only Diggins and Martin were unanimous picks. Sugar is a volume shooter that can also shoot them out of games. She won Frosh of the year over Diggins because her volume of shots and Diggins played with established BE players who were the first option.

There was an update, the info you have is incorrect. Not sure about Rodgers, but Tiffany Hayes was also unanimous.

 

[rjp172]

There was an update, the info you have is incorrect. Not sure about Rodgers, but Tiffany Hayes was also unanimous.

Good for her. Was just going by the original press release of the BE.

 

[speedoo]

Those stats confirm the two words that come to mind when I watch Sugar Rodgers play: Ball Hog...

That's not a fair characterization IMO. She is the only real scorer on her team so she really has no choice but to shoot as much as she does. She is, however, not a very well rounded player, as she shoots almost exclusively from outside and the assists are almost non existent. I blame her coach for that. It will be interesting to see if she can develop as a player in the pros.

And it's also instructive to review her background, as she came to Georgetown from a very difficult situation.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The initial Big East news release was incorrect. Rich Elliott noted it in his blog on March 3:

"It was revealed today by Big East spokesperson Sara Naggar that the Big East coaches did indeed unanimously vote her [Tiffany Hayes] to the all-conference first team. An oversight did not establish her as a unanimous choice when the team was initially announced Thursday.

"Georgetown guard Sugar Rodgers was also a unanimous pick, joining Big East Player of the Year Skylar Diggins of Notre Dame and Anna Martin of DePaul."

The Big East batted .500 on correctly announcing the unanimous picks. A little shoddy.

 

[vtcwbuff]

You can't make those kind of comparisons without full disclosure. Rodgers scored 549 points in 29 games. Faris, with nearly the same PT scored 197 points in 31 games.

 

[Icebear]

This is one of the odd situations where Kelly's shooting % could very well go up if she shot more and Sugar's % could go up if she shot less.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Schimmel, another BE 1st teamer:

FG% .359
3pt% .302
FT% .758

4.4 rpg
131 assists (vs. 112 TOs)
14 blocks
70 steals

My point is that there are 2 volume shooters who (1) are not very efficient, (2) carry their team's offense, and (3) are not any better shooters than Kelly. Because of #2, they got All-BE recognition. I don't want Kelly to turn into a gunner (which is highly unlikely), but she can shoot well enough--as well as Sugar and Shoni--when she is open.

 

[MilfordHusky]

This is one of the odd situations where Kelly's shooting % could very well go up if she shot more and Sugar's % could go up if she shot less.

Agreed on both points.

 

[easttexastrash]

I agree that sometimes high volume shooters have to shoot a high volume of shots because they have little help. Maybe their numbers would look better if they weren't forced to carry such a load.

It really is so easy to look at stats and judge players. But there are so many variables involved. Would Faris's shooting percentage be as good as it is if she had to force more shots instead of taking open looks? She seems to be in a situation where she only takes a shot if she is open as opposed to being in a situation where she knows that she has to put up some lower percentage shots. Andrea Riley was the same way at OSU. She was a high volume shooter and some nights were going to look great...some were going to stink up the gym.

 

[Rayvin56]

That's not a fair characterization IMO. She is the only real scorer on her team so she really has no choice but to shoot as much as she does. She is, however, not a very well rounded player, as she shoots almost exclusively from outside and the assists are almost non existent. I blame her coach for that. It will be interesting to see if she can develop as a player in the pros.

And it's also instructive to review her background, as she came to Georgetown from a very difficult situation.

You're right, I'll change those two words to 'Volume Shooter'.

 

[winlots]

MILFORD - very well done and very interesting. One point of issue, though, where you say that most of the "other" stats are similar. Faris has roughly 2 1/2 times to assists.....and double the blocks........in similar minutes. And that makes your basic point all the more powerful.

 

[dtbtbtb]

It's not a fair comparison as both Rogers and Schimmel are both gurded by the other team best defensive player and on the other hand Kelly is left open more so than not and is dared to shoot by the other team. They have different roles for their teams and while both Rogers and Schimmel could not fill Kelly's role on UConn, I don't think that Kelly could fill the role that Rogers and Schimmel play on theirs.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kelly is not Sugar or Shoni.

My major point was that Kelly should shoot more.

My other point is that Sugar and Shoni are not efficient. They shoot their teams into games and also out of games. I have trouble voting for players with those very low shooting percentages.

 

[huskybill]

Milford Husky...I didn't realize that you were one of the voters on the Big East committee.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Milford Husky...I didn't realize that you were one of the voters on the Big East committee.

Not this year.