Looking at the landscape if Wilson chooses South Carolina

[easttexastrash]

I really think USC is a serious Final Four contender right now. I'm not talking about their top-4 national ranking nor their #1-seed bracketology projections. I really think they are in great position and have the talent to contend for a FF this season...

As for Wilson: let's take her entirely out of the equation - USC brings back their entire team that's doing what it's doing this season. Ibiam, Sessions, Dozier all came into this season as first-time starters. Coates came in as first-time college BB player. The team was relatively young and inexperienced heading into this year.

Next year they will all return with a load of experience, and they will add TWO McDonalds AA and THREE 5* talents to their roster. Regardless of what happens with Wilson. I think beginning with next season there will be much greater expectations for USC than just being a FF team...

I agree. I think that USC has what it takes right now to get to the FF and compete when they get there. Welch is a super talent!

 

[easttexastrash]

BBall and CLE802 - nice analysis - I do think for Baylor in the decent wins you need to add in at WVU though. (Another team that is difficult to quantify because of a very poor OOC.)

But it does point to a very odd year in WCBB - there are two clear front runners and then a bunch of teams that may or may not belong in the next 5 positions, and may or may not belong in the following 5 positions and then a bunch that may or not belong in the next 5, etc.
I think there has been more movement into and out of and back into the top 10 and top 20 this year than I can remember. I think it starts with OOC where a lot of good teams chose not to play anybody and a bunch of others played one or two challenging games. And those that included either ND or Uconn in that sea of crap racked up a loss that was 'expected' but nothing else that identified their relative strength. And then you get into league play and the leagues have failed to produce a clear hierarchy -
The AAC - Uconn followed by Louisville, but nothing else until you get to Rutgers somewhere in the 20-30 range.
ACC - ND, followed by ???, a group of teams that have lost games to teams they should beat or beat teams you expect them to lose to and who didn't distinguish themselves in OOC.
SEC - SC followed by ??? - SC is leading the league and has just navigated most of the toughest part of their schedule with one big game at TN to come but none of the other teams have done anything to distinguish themselves. And SC is leading by default.
Big12 - Baylor followed by WVU - again a group of questionable teams and Baylor is leading by default.
Big10 - PSU? followed by ??? PSU by default but nothing else really of interest
Pac12 - Stanford followed by ??? nothing of interest.

I just don't remember a year where this has happened before - is this parity? or just mediocrity?
I hope the dreadful OOC by most of the top teams was a one year hiatus due to all the realignment and that we will see teams like Baylor and SC and UNC and even ND actually playing meaningful OOC games

Interesting, I don't recall a single team defaulting a game to Baylor. I do recall them going on the road and beating WVU, OSU, OU and Texas. Beating your conference opponents is not "leading by default," it's leading by winning.

 

[Sonny44]

I don't like it and it is just my gut, but I do think at the end of the process Wilson is a S Carolina recruit.

Pretty obvious to me.

 

[Sonny44]

Wilson will change the landscape if she chooses any university othe than UCONN. If she chooses UCONN the view stays the same.

You mean this is a Wilson thread; coulda fooled me.

 

[sawxfan23]

Also I'd add Rutgers to the mix as well. We lose no one, and with the growth of Copper, Hollivay, and Scaife over this summer....watch out. So excited for next season.

"Add Rutgers to the mix" of what? National Championship contenders? If so this is one most absurd posts I have seen in a while!

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

She will not be going to Tennessee, it is either SoCar or UCONN.

I agree; Tennessee is clearly on a downward trend and she seems too humble to play with the cocky players on UNC's squad. I think at the end, A'ja will come to USC because the arena is only a 15 - 20 minute drive for her family and she seems to be pretty close to them. She will also be able to log most of her minutes at small forward and I think she prefers that over Center or Power Forward. One player I can't wait to see, in person, is the little spitfire from the Bronx, Bianca Cuevas. She's only 5'2" and supposedly lightning fast and fearless. We've always loved NYC ball players in Columbia, too.

 

[sawxfan23]

I agree; Tennessee is clearly on a downward trend and she seems too humble to play with the cocky players on UNC's squad. I think at the end, A'ja will come to USC because the arena is only a 15 - 20 minute drive for her family and she seems to be pretty close to them. She will also be able to log most of her minutes at small forward and I think she prefers that over Center or Power Forward. One player I can't wait to see, in person, the little spitfire from the Bronx, Bianca Cuevas. She's only 5'2" and supposedly lightning fast and fearless. We've always loved NYC ball players in Columbia, too.

Until she loses her cool and does something stupid to get ejected or suspended from a few games.

 

[Zorro]

Hey, we've got one who is lightening fast and fearless, who keeps her cool and who is a whopping 5'7"!

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Until she loses her cool and does something stupid to get ejected or suspended from a few games.

I think Dawn will know how to reach her; they have similar backgrounds.

 

[ScarlettB]

Here is how strange history is created. Geno did not yell at any player as you continue to insist that he did. He yelled to DeMayo to do his job. CVS after the game used language to suggest that the thing Geno asserted directed to Cappie was so vile, so yaddaa yaddaa to lay out there that it had to be something racial. So it was perceived at the time and CVS did nothing to correct the impression. Of course, she did not know and had not had any time to try to understand the circumstances or what in fact had been said. She simply lied in a despicable way and stuck with it despite all witnesses to the contrary, including Poindexter!

We are being attacked for not liking your coach on a hijacked thread on a UConn Board. Strange day.

"
I did not mean to hijack your thread and I didn't "continue to insist" anything. I only posted once and I was referring to a quote from the article: "Pondexter was next to Ajavon and looked at Auriemma. He allegedly said something to her, referring to the score."
I do not know what he said, but he should not have said anything to any of our players while they were on the floor. As Cappie never had any history of acting the way she did that day with Geno, I can only surmise that whatever he said to her really upset her and I doubt that a pleasant comment about the score would cause her to react the way she did.

I have a lot of respect for Geno as a coach as I do for CVS. I don't have a problem with any of your fans not liking Vivian, or Cappie and I wasn't attacking anyone, just stating that none of the parties involved in the incident were blameless. One can say very vile things to people that are not racist (I'm not saying that what Geno said was vile as I don't know what he said).Vivian apparently thought it was vile based on what she was told at the time. I don't believe she is a liar, a whiner sometimes, on the defensive sometimes, but I don't think she is dishonest.

 

[bbsamjj]

I think saying SC could compete for a championship next year if they land Wilson is one of the least controversial statements ever made. They are currently ranked #4 in the nation this year, and are on track for a #1 seed. Maybe you don't believe they are top 4. Maybe you think they're only top 10. Well then they are a top 10 team who would return every single player (including a freshman center who could be dominating next year if she develops)--which on its own would make them a final four threat next year. Then you add the #1 player in the nation out of HS, as well as other quality recruits. Seems pretty logical that they could challenge for a championship next year.

In fact, SC has a lot fewer questions next year than ND, who will lose their starting center and shooting guard (and best, most clutch player). Not to say ND won't still be very good next year, but they'll have more holes to fill.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I think saying SC could compete for a championship next year if they land Wilson is one of the least controversial statements ever made. They are currently ranked #4 in the nation this year, and are on track for a #1 seed. Maybe you don't believe they are top 4. Maybe you think they're only top 10. Well then they are a top 10 team who would return every single player (including a freshman center who could be dominating next year if she develops)--which on its own would make them a final four threat next year. Then you add the #1 player in the nation out of HS, as well as other quality recruits. Seems pretty logical that they could challenge for a championship next year.

In fact, SC has a lot fewer questions next year than ND, who will lose their starting center and shooting guard (and best, most clutch player). Not to say ND won't still be very good next year, but they'll have more holes to fill.

I don't follow Notre Dame that closely, but you never know if their new starters might be better than their old starters. I thought the Gamecocks would definitely take a small step back this season, after losing 3 starters, and they have really come together.

 

[Geno-ista]

Your efforts to explain the opinions expressed by a number of Boneyarders regarding Coach Stringer is appreciated. I wish I could believe that the lack of love is the result of a perceived threat to UConn's success. While there are very few coaches who own as many wins over UConn, it is still an insignificant number. The level of vitriol and the level of disrespect shown Coach Stringer on this board is unprecedented, unfounded, unwarranted, and unnecessary. Maybe I expect too much from UConn fans. Maybe the fans do not deserve the high esteem in which I view them. Maybe I should quit believing the hype about UConn fans being the best in the country.

Vau.... FYI- I was also right behind the bench in Htfd, after Rutgers lost in a semi final game, and one of their classy guards, not only didn't get in the line to shake hands as many of her teammates wouldn't either after this particular loss, but she actually grabbed an almost full water or gatorade bottle, flung it at either an opposing player or I think it was the refs as they were leaving the portal, and an elderly person sitting in a folding chair got hit in the head and knocked right out of the chair onto the concrete floor. No mention in any articles or anything. But it was disgraceful incident by her team that I witnessed first hand- never remember a public apology to the Big East or Htfd XL Center or the nice gentleman that got whacked- but I may have missed it!

 

[ScarlettB]

Vau....I thought we are all supposed to keep these post non political. Pls don't equate some BY's that have a negative opinion of C Viv, (who get's incredible talent year in and year out and seams to underachieve each year), with political commentators that disagree strongly with our president's policies. George Bush wasn't treated with a lot of respect either. Our once great Country is doing so much better than when he took office- I'm sorry in advance to everyone- but I'm not going to lay down and not call someone out for this stuff! Also- FYI- I was also right behind the bench in Htfd, after Rutgers lost in a semi final game, and one of their classy guards, not only didn't get in the line to shake hands as many of her teammates wouldn't either after this particular loss, but she actually grabbed an almost full water or gatorade bottle, flung it at either an opposing player or I think it was the refs as they were leaving the portal, and an elderly person sitting in a folding chair got hit in the head and knocked right out of the chair onto the concrete floor. No mention in any articles or anything. But it was disgraceful incident by her team that I witnessed first hand- never remember a public apology to the Big East or Htfd XL Center or the nice gentleman that got whacked- but I may have missed it! I think the Boneyarders that are like the people you mentioned are of High Esteem!!!!!

I was at that game too and witnessed the incident. It was Matee Ajavon and she was not throwing the water bottle at anyone, but flinging it down in disgust. She definitely should not have done that and should have been disciplined for it.

 

[ScarlettB]

"Add Rutgers to the mix" of what? National Championship contenders? If so this is one most absurd posts I have seen in a while!

If we win the B1G next season - and I think we have a decent chance, not so absurd to think we can make the final four. Not sure we could beat UConn, but you will be without Dolson and Hartley.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Fans are much better at holding grudges than players or coaches.

weird but true... imagine the real life grudges they must hold.

 

[Geno-ista]

I was at that game too and witnessed the incident. It was Matee Ajavon and she was not throwing the water bottle at anyone, but flinging it down in disgust. She definitely should not have done that and should have been disciplined for it.

that's who it was, and you are right, she grabbed it and turned and just flung it. And it wasn't Viv who threw it, but if a Uconn player did that, I think it would have been bigger news, maybe even ESPN cuts. I believe many of the players left the floor with her without shaking hands, as she ran out the portal. But that behavior does reflect on the program and the coach. And she was one heck of a player. Who Was that game against- Syracuse?

 

[HawkHusky]

If we win the B1G next season - and I think we have a decent chance, not so absurd to think we can make the final four. Not sure we could beat UConn, but you will be without Dolson and Hartley.

One word: Stewie

 

[HawkHusky]

I think saying SC could compete for a championship next year if they land Wilson is one of the least controversial statements ever made. They are currently ranked #4 in the nation this year, and are on track for a #1 seed. Maybe you don't believe they are top 4. Maybe you think they're only top 10. Well then they are a top 10 team who would return every single player (including a freshman center who could be dominating next year if she develops)--which on its own would make them a final four threat next year. Then you add the #1 player in the nation out of HS, as well as other quality recruits. Seems pretty logical that they could challenge for a championship next year.

In fact, SC has a lot fewer questions next year than ND, who will lose their starting center and shooting guard (and best, most clutch player). Not to say ND won't still be very good next year, but they'll have more holes to fill.

The same thing is said about Duke just about every year. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Icebear]

The same thing is said about Duke just about every year. I'll believe it when I see it.

And was said at the beginning of this season, too. How did that work out?

 

[triaddukefan]

The same thing is said about Duke just about every year. I'll believe it when I see it.

http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii569/triaddukefan/tracy.gif

And was said at the beginning of this season, too. How did that work out?

Just look at my avatar

 

[UcMiami]

Interesting, I don't recall a single team defaulting a game to Baylor. I do recall them going on the road and beating WVU, OSU, OU and Texas. Beating your conference opponents is not "leading by default," it's leading by winning.

No offense meant - but with SC, Baylor, and PSU what I meant by default was that none of the other teams that were supposed to challenge has been able to do anything consistently. One sort of expects that from the Big10 which has been a hot mess for a number of years, but both the Big12 and SEC are supposed to be women's basketball power conferences and can you really look at either of those and say the teams besides SC and Baylor (and I guess WVU) are anything but pretty mediocre. And those three teams did absolutely nothing OOC so they lead their conferences but all they have done is beat up on that mediocrity. They may be great, but how can one tell? SCs best game OOC is against UNC (a loss) and I can't even identify their best OOC win because the rest of the schedule was so bad. And probably the best OOC win for any SEC team was UKs wins against Baylor and Louisville and they are playing terrible basketball every other night. Baylor played two decent OOC games and lost both and again, hard to select their best OOC win or the best win by a Big12 team OOC. And the same for WVU except they didn't even have a decent OOC loss because they played absolutely nobody.

 

[JS]

"
I did not mean to hijack your thread and I didn't "continue to insist" anything. I only posted once and I was referring to a quote from the article: "Pondexter was next to Ajavon and looked at Auriemma. He allegedly said something to her, referring to the score."
I do not know what he said, but he should not have said anything to any of our players while they were on the floor. As Cappie never had any history of acting the way she did that day with Geno, I can only surmise that whatever he said to her really upset her and I doubt that a pleasant comment about the score would cause her to react the way she did.

I have a lot of respect for Geno as a coach as I do for CVS. I don't have a problem with any of your fans not liking Vivian, or Cappie and I wasn't attacking anyone, just stating that none of the parties involved in the incident were blameless. One can say very vile things to people that are not racist (I'm not saying that what Geno said was vile as I don't know what he said).Vivian apparently thought it was vile based on what she was told at the time. I don't believe she is a liar, a whiner sometimes, on the defensive sometimes, but I don't think she is dishonest.

Well, you've succeeded in riling me up all over again. So I offer a sword and an olive branch.

The Sword

Your first paragraph assumes it must've been Geno's fault that Cappie did what she did, because she hadn't done it before. Your second paragraph assumes CVS must've believed what she said was true, just because.

Both of these assumptions are based on little or nothing beyond giving Rutgers people the benefit of the doubt. OK, that's your position. IMO, it's weak.

As far as the known facts are concerned, it was an all-around bad show by CVS and a couple of Rutgers players.

At the time of the Cappiegate game, Rutgers had been through a string of incidents involving player behavior that brought bad publicity to the program. When Cappie acted badly on national television, the RU public relations woman and AD Mulcahy urged CVS to "get out front" of the story in the post-game presser to avoid another.

So she did, with wildly exaggerated rhetoric and innuendo about something Geno had supposedly said to Cappie. (Inflammatory as the quotes above were, I also recall an accusation that Geno had said "something no human being should say to another.")

Geno's response: "Vivian has no idea what was said. None."

Yet she went so far as to demand an NCAA investigation of her baseless accusations. That investigation took place and concluded Geno had said or done nothing improper. CVS basically responded "OK I can accept that."

Oh, good of you coach. How about your own irresponsible behavior and words?

That the episode rankles many UConn fans to this day is in part explained by CVS never publicly resolving it, after her very public accusation. Geno/Cappy were fine about it within days; Geno/CVS OK not that long afterward.

And RU did make a public apology. It just didn't come from the star of stage and screen who for self-interested reasons blew a mistake by her player up into an earthshaking big deal by casting aspersions on another coach.

The apology came from the Rutgers AD, Mulcahy, the following season before the UConn/RU game in Connecticut (where, I think, RU and possibly both schools feared the consequences of fan anger).

The above is just Cappiegate. According to first hand accounts, the Ajavon to Ann Strother smack talk was, as accurately characterized by others in this thread, about as despicable as it gets.

So here you are, on the UConn board, pushing a false equivalency -- the idea that this disgraceful low point in a long series was, at least in part, Geno's fault, just because the RU players must've sincerely believed their misconceptions, just because they are who they (in your view) are.

OK.

The Olive Branch

RU fans currently posting on this board are among my favorite visitors. KnightBridge I view as almost a friend though we've never met and have only conversed by PM. Coler, Newark, bbsamjj and you have done nothing but contribute positively to this board.

Am also a bit wistful about the fact that RU72 was once a frequent Boneyard poster, and his insights much respected. We encountered Richard frequently at events, and considered him almost as much a UConn fan as an RU fan.

Well, almost. His BY posting ended the night Cappiegate hit the board and he tried to slug it out with the fans here. He never returned after that.

Looking back on this thread, I don't think anyone intended to hijack it and send it in the direction of the poisonous Cappiegate game from nine years ago. I think Coler kind of forgot where he was (not a bad thing generally) in asking a UConn fan to "get out of here with that CVS hate."

Then somebody had to explain that hate, and off we go. I agree with Cat that it was bad but it was a long time ago, such that a lot of people have moved on.

I also, as these remarks reflect, think CVS - averse posters like Rocky and Ell have very good reasons for their view of the incident, and it's not for me to say they should move on if they don't feel that way. Emotionally, I side with them when that game gets dragged to my attention.

I should be more mature, less vindictive, have a better sense of perspective. I know. I'm not helping the situation, I know. But my efforts to have a perfect demeanor, in this and in life, have fallen slightly short.

Let's be friends, RU fans. I like you even if you strive to defend the indefensible.

Oops. Now where did I put that olive branch?

 

[reno tony]

As a UCONN fan I would like to see Wilson come to UCONN. But as a WCBB fan I would like to see her go to S.C. There needs to be some more parity and SC has a pretty good team right now, so Wilson could push them to the top tier for the next 3 or 4 years.

 

[bbsamjj]

The same thing is said about Duke just about every year. I'll believe it when I see it.

And Duke has been a threat for the final four these past few years, and was probably one this year too before their best player went down.

 

[Kibitzer]

BBall and CLE802 - nice analysis - I do think for Baylor in the decent wins you need to add in at WVU though. (Another team that is difficult to quantify because of a very poor OOC.)

But it does point to a very odd year in WCBB - there are two clear front runners and then a bunch of teams that may or may not belong in the next 5 positions, and may or may not belong in the following 5 positions and then a bunch that may or not belong in the next 5, etc.
I think there has been more movement into and out of and back into the top 10 and top 20 this year than I can remember. I think it starts with OOC where a lot of good teams chose not to play anybody and a bunch of others played one or two challenging games. And those that included either ND or Uconn in that sea of crap racked up a loss that was 'expected' but nothing else that identified their relative strength. And then you get into league play and the leagues have failed to produce a clear hierarchy -
The AAC - Uconn followed by Louisville, but nothing else until you get to Rutgers somewhere in the 20-30 range.
ACC - ND, followed by ???, a group of teams that have lost games to teams they should beat or beat teams you expect them to lose to and who didn't distinguish themselves in OOC.
SEC - SC followed by ??? - SC is leading the league and has just navigated most of the toughest part of their schedule with one big game at TN to come but none of the other teams have done anything to distinguish themselves. And SC is leading by default.
Big12 - Baylor followed by WVU - again a group of questionable teams and Baylor is leading by default.
Big10 - PSU? followed by ??? PSU by default but nothing else really of interest
Pac12 - Stanford followed by ??? nothing of interest.

I just don't remember a year where this has happened before - is this parity? or just mediocrity?
I hope the dreadful OOC by most of the top teams was a one year hiatus due to all the realignment and that we will see teams like Baylor and SC and UNC and even ND actually playing meaningful OOC games

It seems that there is a constant demand by wcbb fans for more parity, Parity, PARITY!

Having read your keen analysis, the solution is now abundantly clear. Simply move ND and UConn out of the NCAA and into the WNBA (or somewhere! anywhere!) and the up/down ranked/unranked charade will play out endlessly. Perfect parity.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

There won't be parity in WBB until more young girls are encouraged to play sports. I think the ability to make millions in the pros would help that, too, but the WNBA isn't making many women rich. I love basketball, whether it is men or women that are playing. I hope I live to see the day that South Carolina's men's team is nationally relevant again.

 

[baggerbob]

Even without A'ja next year, You could say UConn has 3 number 1 recruits coming back. KML, Stewie, and any other year but with Stewie, Moriah would have been a number 1.

 

[Henry]

I keep wondering if she was going to SC, why wouldn't she have declared already. My feeling is that she may be leaning toward UCONN but doesn't want to deal with a lot of garbage if she declares while she is still playing HS ball.

 

[HawkHusky]

I keep wondering if she was going to SC, why wouldn't she have declared already. My feeling is that she may be leaning toward UCONN but doesn't want to deal with a lot of garbage if she declares while she is still playing HS ball.

Good point. Just look at that Auburn football recruit who switched to Alabama on signing day. Locals have harassed him and his entire family since the decision.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/r...rimson-tide-hometown-auburn-tigers?src=mobile

The fact that she is holding out may actually be a good sign for UCONN.