It's almost Memorial Day and the Jersey Shore summer is about to begin, but thoughts still linger about the season and this team that so many of us came to love. We all knew that Paige would be gone after this year and we desperately wanted her to have a ring. We also wanted it. We knew we had great talent in her and others but all those injuries over the years, it was almost too much to bear at times.
Perhaps when there was so much emphasis on Paige being a 50/40/90 player did many recognize for the first time that we were watching the most efficient women's player of all time. We had been complaining for so long that she had to shoot more, even Geno said it publicly several times. It seemed as though this season would have a disappointing ending as well and that her career would never have a capstone with the loss at Tennessee.
It seemed like we would have a very difficult time even getting to the Final Four. Then the magic happened. As Geno said, the team fell in love with each other. We came into South Carolina and suddenly we all knew it was different. Jana was a different player. KC had found her 3 ball, Azzi was being Azzi and Sarah was just leaving no questions unanswered in a huge way. It was the February/March Geno Metamorphosis in full bloom. A team that was really great to watch. Once the tourney came, Paige was leading the way. She had 34 at home against South Dakota State in her last home game, 40 against Oklahoma, and 31 against USC while shooting a combined 60 % from the field in those 3 games. But it was not just her. It was everyone. We were rolling and the Final Four became a victory lap, a final statement of dominance, a no holds barred testimony to greatness, a ballet with a ball, with some memorable plays that required an instant time out and were highlight reel worthy of all time.
They got better and better each game and you wanted more. What an offensive arsenal. What a defensive fortress. Triumphantly the season ended with the elusive #12 but there was a note of deep gratitude to it when one considered the history. It was borne of actual pain, incredible perseverance, belief, faith, focus, determination and joy. Are they rightly to be placed in the Pantheon of great women's teams? Whether or not, they are my favorite. Their love for each other was overwhelmingly transparent to anyone who cared to watch and listen and man, they were so very good..
Perhaps when there was so much emphasis on Paige being a 50/40/90 player did many recognize for the first time that we were watching the most efficient women's player of all time. We had been complaining for so long that she had to shoot more, even Geno said it publicly several times. It seemed as though this season would have a disappointing ending as well and that her career would never have a capstone with the loss at Tennessee.
It seemed like we would have a very difficult time even getting to the Final Four. Then the magic happened. As Geno said, the team fell in love with each other. We came into South Carolina and suddenly we all knew it was different. Jana was a different player. KC had found her 3 ball, Azzi was being Azzi and Sarah was just leaving no questions unanswered in a huge way. It was the February/March Geno Metamorphosis in full bloom. A team that was really great to watch. Once the tourney came, Paige was leading the way. She had 34 at home against South Dakota State in her last home game, 40 against Oklahoma, and 31 against USC while shooting a combined 60 % from the field in those 3 games. But it was not just her. It was everyone. We were rolling and the Final Four became a victory lap, a final statement of dominance, a no holds barred testimony to greatness, a ballet with a ball, with some memorable plays that required an instant time out and were highlight reel worthy of all time.
They got better and better each game and you wanted more. What an offensive arsenal. What a defensive fortress. Triumphantly the season ended with the elusive #12 but there was a note of deep gratitude to it when one considered the history. It was borne of actual pain, incredible perseverance, belief, faith, focus, determination and joy. Are they rightly to be placed in the Pantheon of great women's teams? Whether or not, they are my favorite. Their love for each other was overwhelmingly transparent to anyone who cared to watch and listen and man, they were so very good..
I'm sure you of everyone will get the plagiarism.