Might Bria Hartley Be a Guard in Team USA's Future?

[CocoHusky]

Bria was ahead of everybody before she injured her foot last year. I think she'll have a banner year this season and will be ahead of Moriah mostly because of experience.. Can't wait for their first game against each other.

I have a seat right behind one of the benches for the Minny-Wash. game next Sunday!

Go BRIA!

Definitely Go Bria! enjoy the game.
Bria was not ahead of everyone before the injury. The Team down selected after a minim camp at the Naval Academy Sept 2014 and Bria was one of the cuts.
USA Basketball cuts four from women's roster
Remaining in the selection process after Bria got cut was Skylar Diggins and Odyssey Simms.
Odyssey made the 2014 World Championship roster.
USA at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women - FIBA.com

 

[Fightin Choke]

It's like two sides of the same coin. Guards and flexible offense.

I agree that both are very important, but I do not think they are two sides of the same coin. Dawn's problem on offense isn't just that she lacked good guards. After all, she had Tiffany Mitchell, who was an AA. Rather, I think her offensive philosophy is too SEC-like to be versatile; just pound it inside, then pound the boards, and you can out-muscle/out-talent the competition. Boring to watch but effective if the talent gap is large enough. I like motion offenses that read and react, as they are far more difficult to defend. You don't need great guard play to run a motion offense effectively, but you need good spacing, great coaching and of course, coachable players.

 

[UcMiami]

Love Bria and certainly hope she can step up her game, but in 2015 she had zero starts for Washington in the 25 games she played, so she has a way to go on her own team let alone the NT. She was OK as a rookie and started most of the games but was not putting up all that impressive stats.
As far as NT guards go, based on the team pool and comments from the Carol and the NT team selection process I would put the pecking order something along the lines of:
Digging/Robinson/Sims (alpha order of the top three)
Vandersloot
January
Loyd
By 2018 it will likely change quite a bit with some fading and perhaps some new names emerging.
I think McBride is certainly pretty high on a futures list, but more in competition with the likes of Simone and Angel as 3/2 sort of players - wing scorers with the ability to play defense on the perimeter and provide cover as a shooting guard if necessary.

 

[UcMiami]

I agree that both are very important, but I do not think they are two sides of the same coin. Dawn's problem on offense isn't just that she lacked good guards. After all, she had Tiffany Mitchell, who was an AA. Rather, I think her offensive philosophy is too SEC-like to be versatile; just pound it inside, then pound the boards, and you can out-muscle/out-talent the competition. Boring to watch but effective if the talent gap is large enough. I like motion offenses that read and react, as they are far more difficult to defend. You don't need great guard play to run a motion offense effectively, but you need good spacing, great coaching and of course, coachable players.

Agree with everything but the highlighted bit - it all starts with the guards and you don't need great guard play to run motion, but you need great guard play to run it well and be a very good team.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Rather, I think her offensive philosophy is too SEC-like to be versatile

Absolutely agree and that troubles me when I hear all the chat about her as Geno's heir apparent for USA head coach.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I think she would actually be better at the NT or Pro level because the issue I have with her is in teaching and developing her players more than in managing them.

Aren't the skill sets to do both well largely the same?

 

[UcMiami]

Aren't the skill sets to do both well largely the same?

No, I don't think so - Geno had a little issue in the first USA training camps, until Diana pulled him aside and said 'Coach, you're just confusing everyone - give it a name, tell them where they are supposed to go, and let them play. We're all professionals here, we don't need the teaching of the philosophy behind everything we do. We have that down already.'

Geno is a very good game coach because he has really good recognition of what is happening on the floor and has trained his players to make the adjustments he thinks will make things run smoother based on those observations. But the coaching staff's real strength and what separates it from everyone else is his ability to teach fundamental skills to a wide range of different players and to break down even very talented individuals and get them to expand and improve the skills they already possess, and to teach them how to understand the game and recognize what they see and adjust individually.
I think Dawn is a pretty good game coach and has a very good understanding of the game, her weakness is in the teaching and development of her players. As a pro coach/NT coach, the teaching aspect is much less important because the players are already great, compared to HS kids arriving in college with a really mixed bag of knowledge and skills and almost no team skills.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

'Coach, you're just confusing everyone - give it a name, tell them where they are supposed to go, and let them play. We're all professionals here, we don't need the teaching of the philosophy behind everything we do. We have that down already.'

I think you are remembering what she said wrong! DT was actually ranking on the players, saying they did not have the same background as UConn grads and he was confusing them, so give them set plays, with names, and away we go! Why do you think EDD has been so effusive about finally being coached by Geno - he's the sun and I'm just soaking it up!

BUT I agree with you that Team USA's coach does not have the time or luxury to break anyone down and rebuild them. Also you assessment of Dawn. But I think the ability to see a HS or college player's strengths and weaknesses and try to build one while reducing the other is similar to recognition of how you are going to blend the professionals you have in Team USA quickly as effective starters, subs, 1st wave, 2d wave . Dawn troubles me about how she has deployed parts of her team for the last couple of years - not the best use of talent IMO.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

My hole card!

"When I graduated from UConn [in 2004], I never thought that I'd ever have the chance to play for him again," Taurasi said. "To me, to have this chance to be with him again as one of his players for the next three years, is a dream come true. I look forward to gathering as much information about the game from him. That's probably the thing I am most excited about. He finds a way to teach you something new every time you are on the floor."

Diana Taurasi talks about UConn, Geno, Olympics, Marisa, St. Louis, etc. - UConn Women's Basketball, Connecticut Sun & WNBA Blog

I know it is unfair to invoke the 'Oracless ' at Delphi, but wouldn't you if you could?

 

[Striper69]

Definitely Go Bria! enjoy the game.
Bria was not ahead of everyone before the injury. The Team down selected after a minim camp at the Naval Academy Sept 2014 and Bria was one of the cuts.
USA Basketball cuts four from women's roster
Remaining in the selection process after Bria got cut was Skylar Diggins and Odyssey Simms.
Odyssey made the 2014 World Championship roster.
USA at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women - FIBA.com

I was just saying that she was ahead of everyone *in my opinion* based on watching WNBA games in person and on tv. She did well but was a rookie and had to adjust to the upgrade in competition early but did adjust. Skylar had to adjust that year as well but I thought Bria as ahead of her. She doesn't need to be a heavy scorer but can play the role she played with Stef at UCONN and anchor the team. She needs to work with Emma and they can make each other better players.

She's in a good place.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Digressions in threads are an honored tradition around here right? Because as I search for the article that UcM and I remember differently, I keep finding gems about the Geno and DT relationship that are worth sharing. This one, about the last Olympics among other things, is one of them.

Olympics reunite ex-UConn star Diana Taurasi, Geno Auriemma

 

[UcMiami]

OK - if we are digressing - of the current Olympic team, only EDD and Griner have not played for Geno in at least 2 tournaments and over 7 years of camps, trial, and practices, or for four years running in college - while the time preparation for NTs is limited that familiarity definitely helps. I think it is one reason that Cash and Jones were included in the earlier teams, as the knowledge base for the others was just beginning to be developed.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

OK - if we are digressing - of the current Olympic team, only EDD and Griner have not played for Geno in at least 2 tournaments and over 7 years of camps, trial, and practices, or for four years running in college - while the time preparation for NTs is limited that familiarity definitely helps. I think it is one reason that Cash and Jones were included in the earlier teams, as the knowledge base for the others was just beginning to be developed.

Now that is a worthy digression!