Morgan Tuck vs. Natalie Achonwa

[chrissaran]

Natalie Ochonwa is a talented player, but I would take Morgan over Natalie any day. Yes, Natalie is coming off knee surgery, however; Morgan has had two knee surgeries. Morgan is more athletic, moves quicker around the basket, has better post moves, gets out on the break faster and can shoot the three. Morgan will turn out to be the better professional basketball player.

 

[sarals24]

I don't think anyone is debating this! BTW, it's Achonwa, not Ochonwa.

 

[JS]

I don't think anyone is debating this! BTW, it's Achonwa, not Ochonwa.

Fixed the headline. Don't normally fix people's misspellings, but don't like to see them there "in the face" of anyone who looks at the board.

 

[mhshuskies]

The big joke was that "Ace" would have made a significant difference in the NC 2014. Just refer back to the semi 2013 to see how non-effective she was.

 

[Sonny44]

I don't see the need to rag on Natalie. She was always a worthy opponent and yes, we would still would have won the game if she had played, but her injury was a cruel twist of fate for her in her senior year.
Though I wanted the USA to win The PanAm, I was happy for her to be able to help Canada win, a sort of second chance for her.

 

[j66kicker]

I don't see the need to rag on Natalie. She was always a worthy opponent and yes, we would still would have won the game if she had played, but her injury was a cruel twist of fate for her in her senior year.
Though I wanted the USA to win The PanAm, I was happy for her to be able to help Canada win, a sort of second chance for her.

I will not forget the injured Natalie applauding Stewie at that 2014 MOP preso while her teammates & coach sat on their hands

 

[rocky rococo]

Did Canada change its coaching staff about 3-4 years ago? There's been considerable positive player development going on up there the past couple years. I don't recall that pattern further back.

 

[Boreifs]

Slow news day?! They don't even play the same position. Go watch the Yankees or the Sox; better yet, take a walk in the woods.

 

[JellyBean]

I will not forget the injured Natalie applauding Stewie at that 2014 MOP preso while her teammates & coach sat on their hands

That moment, of which you speak, is the moment I became a bigger fan of Natalie. Sure we had a nice rivalry with the Irish and it peaked during that Skylar 4-year run. But Natalie showed great class applauding Stewie at the MOP presentation. That to me, showed great sportsmanship and maturity.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Natalie Ochonwa is a talented player, but I would take Morgan over Natalie any day. Yes, Natalie is coming off knee surgery, however; Morgan has had two knee surgeries. Morgan is more athletic, moves quicker around the basket, has better post moves, gets out on the break faster and can shoot the three. Morgan will turn out to be the better professional basketball player.

Tuck would more than likely have given Natalie Achonwa (as they have done in Canada for over 300 years spelled it phonetically Ochonwa) a hard time but I'm pleased Tuck didn't play in the Pan Am's, I hope Moriah's concussion (per Geno) will be fully recovered by November and Stewies rolled ankle is NOT a recurring issue. Note : I've reviewed Canadian Birth, Death, Marriage records since 1660 to present and Name spelling is all over the place. My sur name has been spelled 5 different ways. Ochonwa, since it is First Peoples (aborignal as the the approved Canadian term) may actually be correct.

 

[BroadwayVa]

That moment, of which you speak, is the moment I became a bigger fan of Natalie. Sure we had a nice rivalry with the Irish and it peaked during that Skylar 4-year run. But Natalie showed great class applauding Stewie at the MOP presentation. That to me, showed great sportsmanship and maturity.

Thank you for that--I didn't see the MOP presentation but this just warms me all over. I was a partial Achonwa fan (because she is Canadian Aboriginal ) fan, with this I'm her fan.

 

[Orangutan]

Tuck would more than likely have given Natalie Achonwa (as they have done in Canada for over 300 years spelled it phonetically Ochonwa) a hard time but I'm pleased Tuck didn't play in the Pan Am's, I hope Moriah's concussion (per Geno) will be fully recovered by November and Stewies rolled ankle is NOT a recurring issue. Note : I've reviewed Canadian Birth, Death, Marriage records since 1660 to present and Name spelling is all over the place. My sur name has been spelled 5 different ways. Ochonwa, since it is First Peoples (aborignal as the the approved Canadian term) may actually be correct.

The name Achonwa comes from her Nigerian father. She also has a Nigerian middle name, Chioma.

 

[VAMike23]

That moment, of which you speak, is the moment I became a bigger fan of Natalie. Sure we had a nice rivalry with the Irish and it peaked during that Skylar 4-year run. But Natalie showed great class applauding Stewie at the MOP presentation. That to me, showed great sportsmanship and maturity.

This is an excellent point/observation.

 

[johnnyc]

I don't see the need to rag on Natalie.

Comparing players or thinking one player is better than another is not ragging. This is why they play the games to see who is better than the other. I think the op's point is that Tuck could go up against many centers and handle herself pretty well because even though they may be taller she has the strength. When she plants herself in the post you either get out of the way or she will move you out of the way. He just happened to use Achonwa as an example to show how good Tuck is by comparing her to a pro.

One could also say he compliments Achonwa by comparing her to Tuck.

 

[alexrgct]

The only comparison I'm inclined to make is Natalie and Kia. Will Nurse's experiences playing for Team Canada help Kia as much as Natalie's were for her? No, they are not comparable players, but early returns are that they will have had comparable benefits from playing for their country. And that's a really good thing for Kia and UConn...

 

[Sonny44]

Comparing players or thinking one player is better than another is not ragging. This is why they play the games to see who is better than the other. I think the op's point is that Tuck could go up against many centers and handle herself pretty well because even though they may be taller she has the strength. When she plants herself in the post you either get out of the way or she will move you out of the way. He just happened to use Achonwa as an example to show how good Tuck is by comparing her to a pro.

One could also say he compliments Achonwa by comparing her to Tuck.

My post was not a response to the OP, but rather a later one.

 

[chrissaran]

Sorry about the misspelling. That was my fault. The reason I started the thread was because everyone complained that Notre Dame wasn't at full strength with Achonwa out. UConn wasn't at full strength with Morgan out, but you didn't hear much about what her loss meant to the Huskies.

 

[chrissaran]

Slow news day?! They don't even play the same position. Go watch the Yankees or the Sox; better yet, take a walk in the woods.

If you're saying that Morgan and Natalie don't play the same position, you're wrong. While Breanna took the opening tip-off, Morgan played center. Who was the player who posted up more often, Morgan or Breanna? Morgan posted up many more times than Breanna. Yes, Morgan is not a traditional center the way Stef was, but she was UConn's center last year. Natalie will likely be the center this year with Morgan playing forward.

 

[j66kicker]

That moment, of which you speak, is the moment I became a bigger fan of Natalie. Sure we had a nice rivalry with the Irish and it peaked during that Skylar 4-year run. But Natalie showed great class applauding Stewie at the MOP presentation. That to me, showed great sportsmanship and maturity.

Or, being injured, she might have just missed the meeting where Muffet instructed the team to snub Stewie and be sure the cameras don't catch you exhibiting any inkling of class...????

 

[johnnyc]

My post was not a response to the OP, but rather a later one.

Ah okay.....that's where quoting comes in handy. But I still don't see any 'ragging'.

 

[chrissaran]

I don't see the need to rag on Natalie. She was always a worthy opponent and yes, we would still would have won the game if she had played, but her injury was a cruel twist of fate for her in her senior year.
Though I wanted the USA to win The PanAm, I was happy for her to be able to help Canada win, a sort of second chance for her.

I didn't rag on Natalie. I said she was a talented player. I just said I would take Morgan over her. I would say most scouts would too because Morgan is more versatile.

 

[UcMiami]

Really like Natalie's game and she showed marked improvement over her four years at ND (so taking the 2013 version and plugging into the 2014 team is a little misleading!) She is a very good center forward and Tuck is a very good forward/wing so it is a difficult comparison. In college, especially her senior year she played a role very similar to what Dolson played for the Uconn - the central distributer and key offensive player in their system from the high post. Ultimately is Tuck going to be better than Achonwa ... probably but it is tricky to compare across positions - is Sue better than Maya, better than Tina? If I am a GM and both are available to sign my choice comes down to the rest of the team I have - if I need more center help or more forward/wing help.

 

[cbraarj]

The big joke was that "Ace" would have made a significant difference in the NC 2014. Just refer back to the semi 2013 to see how non-effective she was.

IMO Notre Dame loses if Ralph and Abrosinova don't get hurt in 2001!Connecticut would have had 5 in a row but injuries are part of the game and it still has to be played.

 

[Orangutan]

Really like Natalie's game and she showed marked improvement over her four years at ND (so taking the 2013 version and plugging into the 2014 team is a little misleading!) She is a very good center forward and Tuck is a very good forward/wing so it is a difficult comparison. In college, especially her senior year she played a role very similar to what Dolson played for the Uconn - the central distributer and key offensive player in their system from the high post. Ultimately is Tuck going to be better than Achonwa ... probably but it is tricky to compare across positions - is Sue better than Maya, better than Tina? If I am a GM and both are available to sign my choice comes down to the rest of the team I have - if I need more center help or more forward/wing help.

I actually think the position that makes the most sense for Ace in the WNBA is PF *if* she can successfully develop a midrange shot, which I think she can. She's playing C for Indiana (I believe, don't catch many Fever games) but Indiana lacks interior size and C maybe is better for Ace as she recovers from her ACL injury. So, I think both may ultimately play PF in the WNBA and it will be interesting to see how their careers compare in a few years.

Regarding the statement I bolded, people forget just how well Ace was playing in the 2014 tournament. She was ND's best player up until the injury. She hit another level in that tournament even beyond what she had done in the regular season. You can't compare 2013 Ace to 2014 Ace and you can't compare regular season '14 Ace to tournament '14 Ace. UConn still would have won but it would have been more competitive at least.

 

[triaddukefan]

After seeing her all dressed up on the ND sidelines at the ACC tourney... lets just say I'd take Achonwa very early in my expansion draft

 

[chrissaran]

If Morgan wasn't UConn's center last year, then who was? You could say she played forward, but what starter was most likely to be around the basket and in the post? Morgan. I'll never understand people referring to the wing position. Yes, they play out on the wing, but you find one announcer who ever said, "Now starting at wing . . ." I've never heard any announcer announce a player starting at the wing position. Not ever. Have you ever heard men's players referred to as a wing? Are there wing players in professional basketball, men or women? Also, back to Morgan. How much improvement did Morgan make after microfracture surgery, the worst kind to have on a knee. Morgan has two more years left if she wants to use all of her eligibility. How much better will she be in two years? Much better, you can count on it. Achonwa does not have the speed to play small forward. Morgan does and can also play down low.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I actually think the position that makes the most sense for Ace in the WNBA is PF *if* she can successfully develop a midrange shot, which I think she can. She's playing C for Indiana (I believe, don't catch many Fever games) but Indiana lacks interior size and C maybe is better for Ace as she recovers from her ACL injury. So, I think both may ultimately play PF in the WNBA and it will be interesting to see how their careers compare in a few years.

Regarding the statement I bolded, people forget just how well Ace was playing in the 2014 tournament. She was ND's best player up until the injury. She hit another level in that tournament even beyond what she had done in the regular season. You can't compare 2013 Ace to 2014 Ace and you can't compare regular season '14 Ace to tournament '14 Ace. UConn still would have won but it would have been more competitive at least.

I indeed remember--she was playing the best ball of her career, and ND was really clicking. She's quick around the basket and runs the floor with verve. I join you in saying she should be a PF.

O: You are a smart, knowledgeable, well-educated, thoughtful poster. I enjoy reading what you have to say. I hope you will keep the posts coming.

BTW, are you a man or a woman?

 

[DaddyChoc]

After seeing her all dressed up on the ND sidelines at the ACC tourney... lets just say I'd take Achonwa very early in my expansion draft

that Nigerian side really showed

 

[Orangutan]

I indeed remember--she was playing the best ball of her career, and ND was really clicking. She's quick around the basket and runs the floor with verve. I join you in saying she should be a PF.

O: You are a smart, knowledgeable, well-educated, thoughtful poster. I enjoy reading what you have to say. I hope you will keep the posts coming.

BTW, are you a man or a woman?

Thank you, that's very kind. I am a man, as it happens.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Thank you, that's very kind. I am a man, as it happens.

That's what I figured.