Naismith POY semifinalists

[undersized]

If we're gonna argue about the list I'd position Brink, Joens, and Cunane as the weakest links.

 

[bballnut90]

If we're gonna argue about the list I'd position Brink, Joens, and Cunane as the weakest links.

Arguably Kitley/Jones too. IMO there's a clear top 2 in Boston/Clark, Smith could get some votes but is the clear 3rd choice right now, Hillmon is 4th (she isn't going to get POY votes but should be a lock for 1st Team AP AA) and whoever gets the 5th AP All American spot is a total crapshoot, although I think Howard might get it based on precedent even though she wouldn't be my pick.

 

[undersized]

People seem to have forgotten about Ayoka Lee. Maybe KSU didn't perform well enough down the stretch?

 

[bballnut90]

People seem to have forgotten about Ayoka Lee. Maybe KSU didn't perform well enough down the stretch?

She hasn't been performing at the same level and KState is trending downward. Since her 61 point explosion she's really cooled off, averaging 17.6 points, 9.3 boards and shooting under 50% from the field during the last 11 games. KState has also gone 4-7 since then. Before this 11 game stretch she was averaging 25.5 points, 10.9 boards and I haven't done the math but I think she was shooting around 60%.

 

[ucbart]

Kind of striking that the school with three No. 1 recruits, a No. 2 recruit, and two No. 5 recruits doesn't have a single player on this list. I realize injuries account for part of that, but again, not sure how Geno is is in the running for COY with that kind of talent pool and the W/L they have.

It's amazing to me that THIS is the post you chose to make in this instance.

I could write a thesis on why this is so ridiculous, but why bother? The head is the heaviest that wears the crown.

 

[Stymie]

Kind of striking that the school with three No. 1 recruits, a No. 2 recruit, and two No. 5 recruits doesn't have a single player on this list. I realize injuries account for part of that, but again, not sure how Geno is is in the running for COY with that kind of talent pool and the W/L

Kind of striking that the school with three No. 1 recruits, a No. 2 recruit, and two No. 5 recruits doesn't have a single player on this list. I realize injuries account for part of that, but again, not sure how Geno is is in the running for COY with that kind of talent pool and the W/L they have.

Let us revisit your remark if/when UCONN meets Stanford in the Tournament.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Let us revisit your remark if/when UCONN meets Stanford in the Tournament.

What would there be to revisit? Even now, I think UConn would have very good odds of prevailing if they meet Stanford, which is exactly as I would expect given the caliber of the players on their team. But wouldn't anyone expect a team that has 3 no. 1 recruits, a no. 2 recruit, and two no. 5 recruits to prevail against just about any other team? Geno himself has said he's had great difficulty connecting with his players this year. Does this sound like someone describing a coach of the year type performance?:

“You’re always told that if you work hard, play good defense, rebound the ball, you have a chance to win the game,” Auriemma said. “But it’s not going to win the game for you. You’ve still got to score. You still have to be organized. We’re disorganized. That’s the biggest thing I can tell you. We’re a disorganized group right now, from the coaching on down.”

“And what I see is a team that’s somewhat disheveled. And that’s all me. Somehow, someway, I do not have the ability at this point in time to affect my players to make sure that we’re in a better place mentally and physically and play the kind of basketball we need to play.”

 

[Rb335]

Kind of striking that the school with three No. 1 recruits, a No. 2 recruit, and two No. 5 recruits doesn't have a single player on this list. I realize injuries account for part of that, but again, not sure how Geno is is in the running for COY with that kind of talent pool and the W/L they have.

Dig deeper into the numbers. You have two #1 ranked players who missed significant time with injury and are not “eligible”. A #2 player whose has a history of injury issues and is now coming off the bench. A #5 freshman, if you notice, no other freshman are listed. The two I’ll give you are CW and ONO. Both solid, but never really lived up to the hype they had coming in.

Further, sometimes having a really balanced team hurts individual honors. With the constant injuries and now depth, no player has had to be a standout night in and night out for the full season.

I’d expect next year, PB and will be in the conversation if healthy.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Dig deeper into the numbers. You have two #1 ranked players who missed significant time with injury and are not “eligible”. A #2 player whose has a history of injury issues and is now coming off the bench. A #5 freshman, if you notice, no other freshman are listed. The two I’ll give you are CW and ONO. Both solid, but never really lived up to the hype they had coming in.

Further, sometimes having a really balanced team hurts individual honors. With the constant injuries and now depth, no player has had to be a standout night in and night out for the full season.

I’d expect next year, PB and Azzi Fudd will be in the conversation if healthy.

Totally agree. My point is more just that it's striking because that's not a conversation we're usually having about UConn; in general, I've always thought Geno is one of, if not the best, player development coaches in the country. Senior year Stewie was an exceptionally better player than freshman year Stewie, and she already arrived in Storrs as a once-in-a-generation player.

For whatever reason, this current crop (setting aside Bueckers and Fudd) hasn't seemed to have the growth I was expecting or is the hallmark of UConn. And Geno himself has said that the team's problems can't just be explained by the absence of Bueckers:

“So you can blame Paige not being here. Yeah, that’s part of it. But that’s not the real story.”

 

[Stymie]

What would there be to revisit? Even now, I think UConn would have very good odds of prevailing if they meet Stanford, which is exactly as I would expect given the caliber of the players on their team. But wouldn't anyone expect a team that has 3 no. 1 recruits, a no. 2 recruit, and two no. 5 recruits to prevail against just about any other team? Geno himself has said he's had great difficulty connecting with his players this year. Does this sound like someone describing a coach of the year type performance?:

What I would like to revisit and expand upon is the value of miscellaneous individual awards when the only one that really matters is who hoists the trophy at seasons end.
I would suggest that having one or several POY nominees one’s roster and failing to win the Trophy would seriously call into question that coaches abilities.
Your inference that a ‘particular’ Coach, based on an absence of POY nominees, has failed to develop their talent is comical.
Real season starts now.
“the proof of the pudding is in the tasting”
Come back with your parochial analysis once the pudding is done.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I'll take this line by line.

What I would like to revisit and expand upon is the value of miscellaneous individual awards when the only one that really matters is who hoists the trophy at seasons end.

I agree that handing out "of the year" awards before the end of the post-season is premature. Indeed, note my post about this here:

[Coach of the Year] ... should be decided once when know who coaches their team to a national championship. Seems like the entire third act to this story hasn't even been written yet, no?

I would suggest that having one or several POY nominees one’s roster and failing to win the Trophy would seriously call into question that coaches abilities.

Notably, UConn had Bueckers on the Naismith POY finalist list last year, Pheesa and Lou on it in 2019, Lou and Gabby Williams in 2018, and Lou and Pheesa on it in 2017. UConn failed to win the trophy in each of those years. Are you seriously calling into question their coach's abilities?

Your inference that a ‘particular’ Coach, based on an absence of POY nominees, has failed to develop their talent is comical.

I don't think it's comical, nor do many UConn fans who have openly wondered why this year's senior class hasn't stepped up the way past ones have. It's far from just me who's been surprised by that.

Real season starts now.
“the proof of the pudding is in the tasting”
Come back with your parochial analysis once the pudding is done.

Thank you for reading my parochial analysis.

 

[TC22]

What I would like to revisit and expand upon is the value of miscellaneous individual awards when the only one that really matters is who hoists the trophy at seasons end.
I would suggest that having one or several POY nominees one’s roster and failing to win the Trophy would seriously call into question that coaches abilities.
Your inference that a ‘particular’ Coach, based on an absence of POY nominees, has failed to develop their talent is comical.
Real season starts now.
“the proof of the pudding is in the tasting”
Come back with your parochial analysis once the pudding is done.

So....UConn hasn't hoisted the trophy since 2016 but has had POY nominees in each of those years. LAST YEAR UConn had the NPOY/NFOY on their team and failed to "hoist the trophy". So you're saying......???

 

[Stymie]

So....UConn hasn't hoisted the trophy since 2016 but has had POY nominees in each of those years. LAST YEAR UConn had the NPOY/NFOY on their team and failed to "hoist the trophy". So you're saying......???

What I’m saying is that recruiting top HS players is no guarantee that they will transition into dominant D-1 players.
What I’m also saying that any player committing to UCONN realizes that minutes will ‘probably’ be limited in their first year unless calamity strikes.
They are also aware that, due to the team concept, attaining ‘all world’ statistics ( other than won/lost %) are not in the cards.
Let me also offer that the recent string of appearing in the final four and not Reaching the ‘mountain top’ does not exactly put them in the league of the ‘64 Mets.
The fact that you equate that with failure speaks volumes.
POY is an opinion poll.
Hoisting the trophy is what it’s all about.

 

[TC22]

What I would like to revisit and expand upon is the value of miscellaneous individual awards when the only one that really matters is who hoists the trophy at seasons end.
I would suggest that having one or several POY nominees one’s roster and failing to win the Trophy would seriously call into question that coaches abilities.
Your inference that a ‘particular’ Coach, based on an absence of POY nominees, has failed to develop their talent is comical.
Real season starts now.
“the proof of the pudding is in the tasting”
Come back with your parochial analysis once the pudding is done.

Are these not your quotes? YOU are the one that said it. Goodness. Just stop.

 

[LETTERL]

I predict the POY will come from Smith, Boston, Kitley, Clark or Hilmon.

 

[Plebe]

I predict the POY will come from Smith, Boston, Kitley, Clark or Hilmon.

Smith, Boston or Clark. Boston's odds of winning are still like 90%+, just slightly down from the 100% of one month ago.

Hillmon and Kitley have IMO zero chance at this point.