Nancy Lieberman watch list announced--Dangerfield included

[nwhoopfan]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...ch-list.aspx&usg=AOvVaw3Qrhn0bUtPValousc94FzK

 

[nwhoopfan]

Who ya got? Ionescu and Slocum should give Dangerfield some good competition.

 

[Go/huskies]

Point guard is definitely one of the deepest positions this year, it’s a lot of good players in the list, besides the 3 you mentioned, Carter A&M, Harris South Carolina, Kea UNC, and Westbrook Tennessee also pop out to me.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I think that pre-season list could easily have been pared down to about half a dozen.

 

[pvdoggy]

It would be an upset if Ionescu does not win it.

 

[oldude]

It would be an upset if Ionescu does not win it.

I don't know. In the 2nd half of the Big Dance game vs ND, she pressed too hard and threw up a bunch of ill advised shots as the Ducks went down by 10. A year earlier, she pressed too hard against UConn in Bridgeport and she sat for a good part of the 1st half during the Huskies blow-out win. As good as Ionescu is, she's got to perform better in the big games imo.

 

[Dillon77]

At this early juncture, I'm not really concerned about who is the early front-runner "to win" but more interested in some of the players and their situations. And some who are not on the list.

From an ACC standpoint, two names I'll be paying particular attention to:
- Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse. After coming out like gangbusters most of the season, I think teams focused on her hard and saw if the rest of the team could be them. She's got even more international reinforcements and Emily Engstler coming from NYC (which many consider an international city, too!), so it will be interesting to see how she drives the Orange bus.
- Mabrey. Obviously, Marina at Notre Dame, although much attention will also be on how Jordan Nixon does as a freshman. The other Mabrey PG is at Virginia Tech. Will Dara play pg or off guard as a frosh? She'll bring as much energy as Mangakahia and determination as her older sister.

 

[oldude]

At this early juncture, I'm not really concerned about who is the early front-runner "to win" but more interested in some of the players and their situations. And some who are not on the list.

From an ACC standpoint, two names I'll be paying particular attention to:
- Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse. After coming out like gangbusters most of the season, I think teams focused on her hard and saw if the rest of the team could be them. She's got even more international reinforcements and Emily Engstler coming from NYC (which many consider an international city, too!), so it will be interesting to see how she drives the Orange bus.
- Mabrey. Obviously, Marina at Notre Dame, although much attention will also be on how Jordan Nixon does as a freshman. The other Mabrey PG is at Virginia Tech. Will Dara play pg or off guard as a frosh? She'll bring as much energy as Mangakahia and determination as her older sister.

Marina is probably upset that she's on the Lieberman watch list. She was forced into action as a pg last year when Thompson went down. While Mabrey did a solid job, I have to believe she would much rather shoot daggers from the arc as a 2-guard.

 

[Dillon77]

Marina is probably upset that she's on the Lieberman watch list. She was forced into action as a pg last year when Thompson went down. While Mabrey did a solid job, I have to believe she would much rather shoot daggers from the arc as a 2-guard.

She will be. According to the summary of a radio interview she gave recently, the plan is to rotate frosh pg Jordan Nixon into the rotation and move Marina back to her usual off-guard position so she can let 'em fly. Having Brianna Turner back will help in this respect, too. When defenses sag or double down on her, it gives more space and time for the likes of Mabrey and Ogunbowale to set up. Mabrey shot well when she was a sophomore and Bri was in the lineup all year. Knock on wood.

BTW, Danielle Cosgrove is no PG at 6'4", but watch for her on the perimeter....MM lists her as one of the better 3-pt. shooters on the team. Now, of course, she has to learn all the intricacies of playing a post in WCBB besides hoisting threes!

 

[nwhoopfan]

I don't know. In the 2nd half of the Big Dance game vs ND, she pressed too hard and threw up a bunch of ill advised shots as the Ducks went down by 10. A year earlier, she pressed too hard against UConn in Bridgeport and she sat for a good part of the 1st half during the Huskies blow-out win. As good as Ionescu is, she's got to perform better in the big games imo.

One game is a really small sample size. Some of UConn's stars have come up short in season ending losses in the national semis the last two years. So what.

 

[CocoHusky]

Who ya got? Ionescu and Slocum should give Dangerfield some good competition.

I got Sabrina winning this year & moving to WNBA and Crystal winning it in 2020.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The article has an incorrect fact. Sue Bird won the award in 2000, 2001, AND 2002. She remains the only 3-time winner.

These players combined to win the first 5 Lieberman Awards:

 

[oldude]

One game is a really small sample size. Some of UConn's stars have come up short in season ending losses in the national semis the last two years. So what.

Nothing against
Ionescu, but she typically plays after my bedtime. Those happen to be 2 of the 3 games that I ever watched her play. The other one was vs MD in the Sweet 16, also in Bridgeport, a game in which she thoroughly outplayed Slocum. Stepping up in big games makes a difference. Stewie, Wilson & Ogunbowle are great players precisely because they do it on the biggest stage. Ionescu may well win the Lieberman award this year, but the jury is still out imo.

 

[stwainfan]

I expect a big year from Westbrook. I do think that Ionescu will win the award.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Stewie, Wilson & Ogunbowle are great players precisely because they do it on the biggest stage. I

Ogunbowle will always be remembered for hitting a big shot late in the Championship game, but she was 6-21 from the field that game. That is TERRIBLE! I would argue she didn't have a good game at all, merely hit a big shot at a key moment. She also had twice as many TO's as assists.

I understand it's hard for some to see much Pac 12 action due to time differences (and most games on Pac 12 Network). Ionescu is a fantastic player. Your point stands that she didn't play as well during season ending losses the last 2 years, but the same can be said for countless players before her, many of whom went on to successful pro careers.

 

[oldude]

Ogunbowle will always be remembered for hitting a big shot late in the Championship game, but she was 6-21 from the field that game. That is TERRIBLE! I would argue she didn't have a good game at all, merely hit a big shot at a key moment. She also had twice as many TO's as assists.

I understand it's hard for some to see much Pac 12 action due to time differences (and most games on Pac 12 Network). Ionescu is a fantastic player. Your point stands that she didn't play as well during season ending losses the last 2 years, but the same can be said for countless players before her, many of whom went on to successful pro careers.

OK, so here’s a better analogy. I want to see Lou win the NPOY, but in all honesty, as good as she is, for Lou to win the NPOY she really needs to help bring another national championship to Storrs. So far during the NCAA tournament, Lou has been good but not great. All of UConn’s prior NPOY’s were part of at least one national championship. Yes I know that Lou won a championship as a freshman, but she was really a role player on that team, and was hardly missed after breaking her foot in the 1st half of the national semifinal.

The same is true for all four of UConn’s prior Lieberman award winners: Sue, DT, Renee & Mo. It’s not all on Ionescu. Her teammates have to be part of this too. We’ve all been waiting for Oregon to take the next step from the time they made their Cinderella run in 2017. That great class of freshmen are all juniors this year. At a minimum, Ionescu and her teammates have to get to the FF. If they do, Ionescu has a legitimate shot at the Lieberman award.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I hear ya oldude. Ionescu won it last year without them getting to a FF. Plum won every award her Sr. year, they got knocked out after the Sweet 16. Team success helps but awards don't strictly go to FF participants or National Champs. Wilson took home a bunch of hardware last year and they were Elite 8 but not FF. For curiosity I looked at all previous Lieberman award winners and quite a few of them didn't win a Title, might not have even made the FF the year they won. Here's a link.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...berman_Award&usg=AOvVaw1BE7LO9Td3HZQdFjPwPyjD

 

[nwhoopfan]

I agree Oregon needs to take the next step and advance to the FF, but they were SOOOOOO much better in '17-'18 than they were in '16-'17. Same result in the Tourney but if you look at the season on the whole it's night and day difference. Went from sub .500 in conference and 6th place to winning regular season and conference tourney and setting school record for wins in a season.


edited--also while both seasons ended at the Elite 8, the two games were totally different. UConn crushed them in '17. They had a slight lead on ND at halftime in '18. The Irish pulled away in the 2nd half but a 10 point loss isn't exactly a large margin. And of course ND went on to cut down the nets. Ducks weren't that far away from being among the best in the country last year, something you definitely couldn't say about the previous season.

 

[oldude]

I hear ya oldude. Ionescu won it last year without them getting to a FF. Plum won every award her Sr. year, they got knocked out after the Sweet 16. Team success helps but awards don't strictly go to FF participants or National Champs. Wilson took home a bunch of hardware last year and they were Elite 8 but not FF. For curiosity I looked at all previous Lieberman award winners and quite a few of them didn't win a Title, might not have even made the FF the year they won. Here's a link.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjZga6qjJveAhXsJTQIHT1jCsEQFjAAegQIBxAB&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Lieberman_Award&usg=AOvVaw1BE7LO9Td3HZQdFjPwPyjD

I realize that not every NPOY or Lieberman winner also wins a championship, but it certainly helps. Plum was a great player on an average team, and she showed up in big games, particularly as a senior.

 

[WNBA 09]

Nothing against
Ionescu, but she typically plays after my bedtime. Those happen to be 2 of the 3 games that I ever watched her play. The other one was vs MD in the Sweet 16, also in Bridgeport, a game in which she thoroughly outplayed Slocum. Stepping up in big games makes a difference. Stewie, Wilson & Ogunbowle are great players precisely because they do it on the biggest stage. Ionescu may well win the Lieberman award this year, but the jury is still out imo.

I dont think there's any juror in america that wouldn't Nab Ionescu as the #1 rated PG in the country right now .

 

[WNBA 09]

Whether Oregon makes the FF or not , if Sabrina continues to posts triple doubles on the regular as we have seen she will win this award no doubt.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[jonson]

I

Nothing against
Ionescu, but she typically plays after my bedtime. Those happen to be 2 of the 3 games that I ever watched her play. The other one was vs MD in the Sweet 16, also in Bridgeport, a game in which she thoroughly outplayed Slocum. Stepping up in big games makes a difference. Stewie, Wilson & Ogunbowle are great players precisely because they do it on the biggest stage. Ionescu may well win the Lieberman award this year, but the jury is still out imo.

A couple of points: first, Ionesco was a freshman in the game against UCONN and a sophomore last year; that seems to be too easy to forget; second, I think the Pac 12 final against Stanford last year would also qualify as a "big game" and Ionescu certainly stepped up in that one. Stewie is in a league by herself, but I wonder how the other players you mentioned did in Elite 8 games as freshman or sophomores? Or several (not all, obviously) of UCONN's brightest stars that early in their careers. I'm not saying that Ionesco does not have some important things to work on; she does. But she's really really good.

 

[j66kicker]

I understand it's hard for some to see much Pac 12 action due to time differences (and most games on Pac 12 Network). Ionescu is a fantastic player. Your point stands that she didn't play as well during season ending losses the last 2 years, but the same can be said for countless players before her, many of whom went on to successful pro careers.

IMO Ionescu's lack of speed gets exposed against elite teams in big games.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Don't they choose the winner of those awards before the late rounds of the tourney?