Mid Season All Americans

[bballnut90]

Here's my list, and it is in order (so Kelsey Mitchell is the last player to make 1st team, Kalani Brown is top choice for 2nd team, etc):

1st Team:
Aja Wilson, South Carolina (POY)
Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State
Katie Lou Samuelson, Connecticut
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State

2nd Team:
Kalani Brown, Baylor
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Asia Durr, Louisville
Napheesa Collier, Connecticut
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M (NFOY)

3rd Team:
Loryn Goodwin, Kansas State
Lexie Brown, Duke
Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame
Azura Stevens, Connecticut
Brooke McCarty, Texas

HM (not in order):
Lauren Cox, Baylor
Jordin Canada, UCLA
Teana Muldrow, West Virginia
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
Kia Nurse, Connecticut
Crystal Dangerfield, Connecticut
Jessica Shepard, Notre Dame
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Shakayla Thomas, Florida State
Ariel Atkins, Texas
Lashann Higgs, Texas
Megan Gustafson, Iowa
Katelynn Flaherty, Michigan
Kaila Charles, Maryland
Jaime Nared, Tennessee
Gabby Williams, Connecticut


A lot can change (and will change) as the season goes on. There are SO many players having standout seasons, I think this is the best quality of WBB we've had in years. Many players' numbers will come down to earth once they hit the meat of conference play, but I think most teams are vastly improved from a year ago, so I expect it will be a competitive year to make an AA team.

I will be surprised if multiple UCONN players make first team like last year. Too much balance and a lot of Huskies are having very good seasons but outside of Samuelson, no one is a lock right now. I bet UCONN ends up landing 2-4 players on the top 3 teams come March/April.

In regards to my logic placing UCONN players:
1. I think Samuelson is a no brainer first teamer as she's taken over the reigns as UCONN's go to player and has been really solid all around.

2. Collier hasn't been as good as she was last year, but she's still been darn good: 15 points, 8 boards, 3+ assists, nearly 2 blocks and 2 steals per game, great A/TO ratio, etc. She is flying under the radar more than a lot of players, but I think she has been the 2nd best player for UCONN this year.

3. Stevens, Dangerfield and Nurse are pretty interchangeable at this point. All are having very good seasons and are right on the cusp of making a team. Of the 3, Azura has the best all around numbers and is accomplishing this in 10 fewer minutes per game, and she took over the ND game so I thought she deserves a spot on a team at this point. Dangerfield and/or Nurse could easily sneak onto a team this year though. Both are having great seasons.

4. Williams is on the outside looking in at this point but she's starting to remember that she's probably the best player on her team. If she has a big conference season and plays well against SC/Louisville/Texas, she could move up drastically.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think Lou, Pheesa, and Gabby will be better in the second half. Maybe Lou won't be a lot better, but hopefully she will play all the games. Her resume is a little light now because of the missed games, but she's on track for 1st Team.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Baring any changes - Tyler Scaife of Rutgers deserves an honorable mention at least. Of course, being off last year for her heart surgery is an issue. But she is rapidly heading to become RU's 2nd leading scorer of all time - a good run the rest of the year will catch her up to Cappie. Sue Wicks is way, way out of range.

 

[HopJim]

Baring any changes - Tyler Scaife of Rutgers deserves an honorable mention at least. Of course, being off last year for her heart surgery is an issue. But she is rapidly heading to become RU's 2nd leading scorer of all time - a good run the rest of the year will catch her up to Cappie. Sue Wicks is way, way out of range.

Here's my list, and it is in order (so Kelsey Mitchell is the last player to make 1st team, Kalani Brown is top choice for 2nd team, etc):

1st Team:
Aja Wilson, South Carolina (POY)
Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State
Katie Lou Samuelson, Connecticut
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State

2nd Team:
Kalani Brown, Baylor
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Asia Durr, Louisville
Napheesa Collier, Connecticut
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M (NFOY)

3rd Team:
Loryn Goodwin, Kansas State
Lexie Brown, Duke
Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame
Azura Stevens, Connecticut
Brooke McCarty, Texas

HM (not in order):
Lauren Cox, Baylor
Jordin Canada, UCLA
Teana Muldrow, West Virginia
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
Kia Nurse, Connecticut
Crystal Dangerfield, Connecticut
Jessica Shepard, Notre Dame
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Shakayla Thomas, Florida State
Ariel Atkins, Texas
Lashann Higgs, Texas
Megan Gustafson, Iowa
Katelynn Flaherty, Michigan
Kaila Charles, Maryland
Jaime Nared, Tennessee
Gabby Williams, Connecticut


A lot can change (and will change) as the season goes on. There are SO many players having standout seasons, I think this is the best quality of WBB we've had in years. Many players' numbers will come down to earth once they hit the meat of conference play, but I think most teams are vastly improved from a year ago, so I expect it will be a competitive year to make an AA team.

I will be surprised if multiple UCONN players make first team like last year. Too much balance and a lot of Huskies are having very good seasons but outside of Samuelson, no one is a lock right now. I bet UCONN ends up landing 2-4 players on the top 3 teams come March/April.

In regards to my logic placing UCONN players:
1. I think Samuelson is a no brainer first teamer as she's taken over the reigns as UCONN's go to player and has been really solid all around.

2. Collier hasn't been as good as she was last year, but she's still been darn good: 15 points, 8 boards, 3+ assists, nearly 2 blocks and 2 steals per game, great A/TO ratio, etc. She is flying under the radar more than a lot of players, but I think she has been the 2nd best player for UCONN this year.

3. Stevens, Dangerfield and Nurse are pretty interchangeable at this point. All are having very good seasons and are right on the cusp of making a team. Of the 3, Azura has the best all around numbers and is accomplishing this in 10 fewer minutes per game, and she took over the ND game so I thought she deserves a spot on a team at this point. Dangerfield and/or Nurse could easily sneak onto a team this year though. Both are having great seasons.

4. Williams is on the outside looking in at this point but she's starting to remember that she's probably the best player on her team. If she has a big conference season and plays well against SC/Louisville/Texas, she could move up drastically.

Some may disagree with where you slotted specific individuals, but appears to be well thought out list. Predict this will create significant traffic . Well done.

 

[BostonCanuck]

Great post, your assessments are so solid and any differences I have are only at the margins... the main one being that I have McCowan, Collier and Steven as interchangeable and all just missing first team as of right now. McCowan sure is incredible, but her defense and speed/conditioning still need some work. I think it will happen next year for her.

Meanwhile, Lou has indeed separated herself from her teammates. But I expect one or even two other Huskies will play their way onto first team by season's end. Right now my frontrunner for that is the Gabulous one!

 

[bballnut90]

Great post, your assessments are so solid and any differences I have are only at the margins... the main one being that I have McCowan, Collier and Steven as interchangeable and all just missing first team as of right now. McCowan sure is incredible, but her defense and speed/conditioning still need some work. I think it will happen next year for her.

Meanwhile, Lou has indeed separated herself from her teammates. But I expect one or even two other Huskies will play their way onto first team by season's end. Right now my frontrunner for that is the Gabulous one!

She's far from a polished product, but McCowan is having a monster of a season so far. 20 ppg, 12 rb, 66% FG, 2 blocks per game and her best performance was against the highest ranked team, Oregon. I initially had her on 2nd team with Brown on 1st, but after looking at stats I had to go with Tiera.

 

[rugbymate]

Its quibble time....Nared over McCarty. Jamie is having a great year and in UTenn victory over Texas she had 23 pts and 13 rebs vs McCarty 8 pts and 2 assists. Jamie is clearly leading a Tenn team that has exceeded expectations( whether some like that or not).

 

[bballnut90]

Its quibble time....Nared over McCarty. Jamie is having a great year and in UTenn victory over Texas she had 23 pts and 13 rebs vs McCarty 8 pts and 2 assists. Jamie is clearly leading a Tenn team that has exceeded expectations( whether some like that or not).

Nared was my last one off. I also had a hard time deciding between her, McCarty, and Atkins. All 3 are having great senior seasons.

 

[Baroloboy]

Here's my list, and it is in order (so Kelsey Mitchell is the last player to make 1st team, Kalani Brown is top choice for 2nd team, etc):

1st Team:
Aja Wilson, South Carolina (POY)
Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State
Katie Lou Samuelson, Connecticut
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State

2nd Team:
Kalani Brown, Baylor
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Asia Durr, Louisville
Napheesa Collier, Connecticut
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M (NFOY)

3rd Team:
Loryn Goodwin, Kansas State
Lexie Brown, Duke
Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame
Azura Stevens, Connecticut
Brooke McCarty, Texas

HM (not in order):
Lauren Cox, Baylor
Jordin Canada, UCLA
Teana Muldrow, West Virginia
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
Kia Nurse, Connecticut
Crystal Dangerfield, Connecticut
Jessica Shepard, Notre Dame
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Shakayla Thomas, Florida State
Ariel Atkins, Texas
Lashann Higgs, Texas
Megan Gustafson, Iowa
Katelynn Flaherty, Michigan
Kaila Charles, Maryland
Jaime Nared, Tennessee
Gabby Williams, Connecticut


A lot can change (and will change) as the season goes on. There are SO many players having standout seasons, I think this is the best quality of WBB we've had in years. Many players' numbers will come down to earth once they hit the meat of conference play, but I think most teams are vastly improved from a year ago, so I expect it will be a competitive year to make an AA team.

I will be surprised if multiple UCONN players make first team like last year. Too much balance and a lot of Huskies are having very good seasons but outside of Samuelson, no one is a lock right now. I bet UCONN ends up landing 2-4 players on the top 3 teams come March/April.

In regards to my logic placing UCONN players:
1. I think Samuelson is a no brainer first teamer as she's taken over the reigns as UCONN's go to player and has been really solid all around.

2. Collier hasn't been as good as she was last year, but she's still been darn good: 15 points, 8 boards, 3+ assists, nearly 2 blocks and 2 steals per game, great A/TO ratio, etc. She is flying under the radar more than a lot of players, but I think she has been the 2nd best player for UCONN this year.

3. Stevens, Dangerfield and Nurse are pretty interchangeable at this point. All are having very good seasons and are right on the cusp of making a team. Of the 3, Azura has the best all around numbers and is accomplishing this in 10 fewer minutes per game, and she took over the ND game so I thought she deserves a spot on a team at this point. Dangerfield and/or Nurse could easily sneak onto a team this year though. Both are having great seasons.

4. Williams is on the outside looking in at this point but she's starting to remember that she's probably the best player on her team. If she has a big conference season and plays well against SC/Louisville/Texas, she could move up drastically.

bbnut. Well put together list and thought provoking. IMHO AA selection always places too much emphasis on stats v. the overall value of a player. True sometimes the stats are so compelling they end the discussion such as Ionescu's incredible triple double record.
However here is another way to look at it. Suppose the NCAA adopted a rule this morning allowing any team to trade (only) one player for another but only for the remainder of this season. You are GA and get a call from KA offering to trade McCarty for Kia for the rest of this season. Do you take it? I would not. Then MM calls offering Arike for Kia. Again I so no. Vic then calls and offers to trade VV for Kia. Once again I say no. Bottom line: in my opinion the value of Kia's overall game is sometimes overlooked or minimized because she does so many different things so well ---many of which don't appear on the stat sheet. And she brings a toughness to the team that is invaluable as a senior role model---a quality the Brooke, Arike and VV cannot match.

 

[Coler]

Tyler Scaife.

 

[bballnut90]

bbnut. Well put together list and thought provoking. IMHO AA selection always places too much emphasis on stats v. the overall value of a player. True sometimes the stats are so compelling they end the discussion such as Ionescu's incredible triple double record.
However here is another way to look at it. Suppose the NCAA adopted a rule this morning allowing any team to trade (only) one player for another but only for the remainder of this season. You are GA and get a call from KA offering to trade McCarty for Kia for the rest of this season. Do you take it? I would not. Then MM calls offering Arike for Kia. Again I so no. Vic then calls and offers to trade VV for Kia. Once again I say no. Bottom line: in my opinion the value of Kia's overall game is sometimes overlooked or minimized because she does so many different things so well ---many of which don't appear on the stat sheet. And she brings a toughness to the team that is invaluable as a senior role model---a quality the Brooke, Arike and VV cannot match.

On the flip side of that, do you think any of those coaches would trade their players for Kia? No way. These players are playing the role their teams need them to and were recruited to do so. Aston needs McCarty to be a scrappy PG who does a little bit of everything and provide leadership. MM and Vic need VV and Arike to be go to players, which means creating their own shot, shooting 3s off the dribble, getting in the lane, looking to score at more opportunities, etc. Kia isn't a playmaker like VV/Arike, and she brings different skills to the table than McCarty does. I'm sure Kia would do well at those 3 programs and her role would be different than it is at Connecticut, similar to how those 3 would have different roles on UCONN's roster. But I'm confident none of those 3 coaches would trade their players for Nurse if offered today, just like how GA wouldn't trade Nurse for those players.

 

[HopJim]

On the flip side of that, do you think any of those coaches would trade their players for Kia? No way. These players are playing the role their teams need them to and were recruited to do so. Aston needs McCarty to be a scrappy PG who does a little bit of everything and provide leadership. MM and Vic need VV and Arike to be go to players, which means creating their own shot, shooting 3s off the dribble, getting in the lane, looking to score at more opportunities, etc. Kia isn't a playmaker like VV/Arike, and she brings different skills to the table than McCarty does. I'm sure Kia would do well at those 3 programs and her role would be different than it is at Connecticut, similar to how those 3 would have different roles on UCONN's roster. But I'm confident none of those 3 coaches would trade their players for Nurse if offered today, just like how GA wouldn't trade Nurse for those players.

Interesting post. In thinking about Kia, most players leaving UConn would score more/do more. UConn's system is perfect for Kia and maximizes her results.

 

[bballnut90]

Interesting post. In thinking about Kia, most players leaving UConn would score more/do more. UConn's system is perfect for Kia and maximizes her results.

When she enters the pros, I am curious to see if she is a more capable playmaker than she's shown at Connecticut. Right now she has a very specific role (shoot open shots, set picks, move the ball on the perimeter), but in the pros she may have more freedom offensively.

 

[bags27]

great list, bballnut90!! thanks for the work.

Wondering whether with TX and USC coming up and with therefore UConn needing height, Z doesn't get featured more in these national games and therefore moves up (assuming she does as well as we expect).

 

[Baroloboy]

On the flip side of that, do you think any of those coaches would trade their players for Kia? No way. These players are playing the role their teams need them to and were recruited to do so. Aston needs McCarty to be a scrappy PG who does a little bit of everything and provide leadership. MM and Vic need VV and Arike to be go to players, which means creating their own shot, shooting 3s off the dribble, getting in the lane, looking to score at more opportunities, etc. Kia isn't a playmaker like VV/Arike, and she brings different skills to the table than McCarty does. I'm sure Kia would do well at those 3 programs and her role would be different than it is at Connecticut, similar to how those 3 would have different roles on UCONN's roster. But I'm confident none of those 3 coaches would trade their players for Nurse if offered today, just like how GA wouldn't trade Nurse for those players.

bbnut: I suspect you are right that none of those other coaches would make the trade. On the other hand in selecting AA's I don't think consideration is given to how a candidate would fit in with or contribute to a hypothetical AA team made up of the specific players selected. I also think that if selected either today or at the end of the season Kia will NOT end up higher than HM but if I got a vote I would rate Kia higher than McCarty, VV or Arike because she does more things well and because of her relentless defense which is undervalued in the AA balloting.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Looks like a good list. Not gonna make any suggestions about moving players up or down. Might add a couple more Honorable Mentions: Marie Gulic from Oregon St. and Ruthy Hebard from Oregon.

 

[bbsamjj]

Great list. I might put Durr on first team above either Inoescu or Mitchell just because she outplayed both in her matchups against their teams, but that's a minor quibble. Scaife should definitely be on HM lists too, and I might move Gustafson to 3rd team, otherwise great work!

Louisville vs OSU (Lou wins 95-90 OT)
Mitchell: 26 pts (7-15 FG), 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 TO, 1 steal, 45 min
Durr: 47 pts, (16-29FG), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 TO, 1 steal, 38 min


Louisville vs Oregon (Lou wins 74-61)
Ionescu: 8 pts (3-12 FG), 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 TOs, 3 steals, 38min
Durr: 26 pts (10-18 FG), 1 assist, 3 rebounds, 3 TOs, 1 steal, 30 min

 

[HuskyNan]

When she enters the pros, I am curious to see if she is a more capable playmaker than she's shown at Connecticut. Right now she has a very specific role (shoot open shots, set picks, move the ball on the perimeter), but in the pros she may have more freedom offensively.

Basketball is more than offense. Kia is a shut-down defender who has almost single-handedly disrupted the effectiveness of some opponents' offense by affecting the ability of the guards to get the ball in play where they're most comfortable. Her defense is pretty spectacular.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Durr's complete lack of playmaking is a bit bothersome. Has never even averaged 2 assists/game any time during her career. I don't think players like Mitchell (and Plum last year) can get criticized for shooting too much, while dishing out 5 assists per game, and then ignore that Durr doesn't create scoring opportunities for teammates at all.

 

[bballnut90]

Basketball is more than offense. Kia is a shut-down defender who has almost single-handedly disrupted the effectiveness of some opponents' offense by affecting the ability of the guards to get the ball in play where they're most comfortable. Her defense is pretty spectacular.

She’s a great defender, I’ve never questioned that. I was just stating that I’m interested to see how her offense changes once she is in the WNBA—namely if she will be more of a playmaker/creator.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Baring any changes - Tyler Scaife of Rutgers deserves an honorable mention at least. Of course, being off last year for her heart surgery is an issue. But she is rapidly heading to become RU's 2nd leading scorer of all time - a good run the rest of the year will catch her up to Cappie. Sue Wicks is way, way out of range.

I don't know if Kibs BA award is available for non Uconn--to me Tyler Scaife, having heart surgery and returning to play-earns at least my personal BA Award.

 

[HuskyNan]

She’s a great defender, I’ve never questioned that. I was just stating that I’m interested to see how her offense changes once she is in the WNBA—namely if she will be more of a playmaker/creator.

Kia has actually added a lot to her offensive game through the year but with Lou, Napheesa, and Azura on the team, she's deferring to them, to an extent. You mentioned "hitting the open shot" and that's exactly right - when the shooters/scorers are defended, she's going to be open which gives her the highest percentage shot and that's what Geno's system is all about, getting the highest percentage shot. And Kia's percentages are terrific - 52.5% from three and 58.2% overall, good for #1 and #23 in the country, respectively.

Pardon my arguing a bit, but I've been a Kia advocate for years, even when fans were calling for her to be benched. I see her doing the dirty work and think she deserves credit for it.

Kia's stats:

 

[BroadwayVa]

Basketball is more than offense. Kia is a shut-down defender who has almost single-handedly disrupted the effectiveness of some opponents' offense by affecting the ability of the guards to get the ball in play where they're most comfortable. Her defense is pretty spectacular.

The highly effective Offensive players get the awards---Defenders win games and championships--oh that it was the other way or some 50/50-- KIA for these near 4 years has been my All American--Canadian. KIA is so much more than offensive/defensive==unseen by many: she open holes for KLS, Gabby, Collier to use to score, she'll block a defender, I could go on the point is ---Kia does darn everything needed to win.

 

[cbraarj]

Kia deserves to be an AA this year if she keeps playing like she is! Shut out Laska yesterday 0 pts ave 22 a game! Kia is averaging 16.4 pts a game on a team with 6 players averaging double figures a game! I would trade for Kia in a heart beat because she will shut down those other players!

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I prefer to think of the WBCA team as the ideal “All American” team since it’s voted on by fellow coaches and has only 10 players, but making the AP AA team is certainly an incredible honor.

I am unsure if the 3 players from a single school for WBCA is an official or unwritten rule but in case the limit is in fact 3, here is my selection for the 10 (in no particular order)

KLS
Collier
Nurse
Aja
Kelsey M
Sabrina I
Vivians
Nared
Kalani
Durr