Napheesa named AP First Team All-American

[DaBball]

HM:
Alarie (Prin), Barrs (Lamar), Bell (Minn), Chennedy, Charles, Dangerfield, Dillard, Frost (CMU), Harris (Pur), Hebard, Hiedemann, Holmes (Mss St), Howard, Leslie (NCS), Mangakahia*, McDonald (Az), Mompremier, Slocum

10/18 of HM are underclassmen (1 draft eligible), so these are the most likely contenders next year

Mangakahia has already announced she is returning to Syracuse. Isn’t Slocum draft eligible too? and Mompremier too?

 

[inthisopinion]

Carleton put up 21.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.0 apg (Iowa State SOS - #6) and won the Big 12 POY award ( #3 RPI conference)

Lou is a better player but Carleton may have had a better season. She is very much worthy of All-American recognition (besides the fact that she is Canadian )

Lou is worthy too, but there are more deserving players than there are spots.

Ask yourself this question. If KLS was on Carlton's team instead of her do you think KLS would average more than 21 PPG and that team would have won more games.

 

[Plebe]

Ask yourself this question. If KLS was on Carlton's team instead of her do you think KLS would average more than 21 PPG and that team would have won more games.

An interesting mental exercise, but ultimately irrelevant to the question.

And no, I don't think she necessarily would. Carleton had a stellar year despite being 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on every opponent's scouting report. None of her teammates were anywhere near as good as she was, and most teams still couldn't slow her down.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Mangakahia has already announced she is returning to Syracuse. Isn’t Slocum draft eligible too? and Mompremier too?

Yes and yes, I believe. I thought I read something that Mangakahia was leaving. I believe she's at least 23 years old, though she does have eligibility remaining.

 

[Orangutan]

Ask yourself this question. If KLS was on Carlton's team instead of her do you think KLS would average more than 21 PPG and that team would have won more games.

I'm with you, but Carleton was on that Iowa State team and did put up those numbers.

I guess it's up to each individual voter as to whether they are voting for who they feel are the best players in the abstract vs. the players had the best stats.

I can see the argument both ways, so I understand why it was a close call for the last spot on the 2nd team.

 

[Plebe]

Yes and yes, I believe. I thought I read something that Mangakahia was leaving. I believe she's at least 23 years old, though she does have eligibility remaining.

She just announced she's staying another year. See Non-UConn news thread on the subforum.

 

[DaBball]

Yes and yes, I believe. I thought I read something that Mangakahia was leaving. I believe she's at least 23 years old, though she does have eligibility remaining.

One More Year - Mangakahia Will Return for Senior Campaign - Syracuse University Athletics

 

[inthisopinion]

An interesting mental exercise, but ultimately irrelevant to the question.

And no, I don't think she necessarily would. Carleton had a stellar year despite being 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on every opponent's scouting report. None of her teammates were anywhere near as good as she was, and most teams still couldn't slow her down.

Oh and KLS is not targeted by opponents. ISU lost to S.D, Tex, W Va, TCU and was ousted in the tourney by Mo.St. You can't be serious, can you? She put up big numbers because she had the ball all the time, but that didn't prevent her team from being beaten by inferior teams.

 

[Plebe]

Oh and KLS is not targeted by opponents. ISU lost to S.D, Tex, W Va, TCU and was ousted in the tourney by Mo.St. You can't be serious, can you? She put up big numbers because she had the ball all the time, but that didn't prevent her team from being beaten by inferior teams.

If team performance were the deciding factor, then someone on Baylor and Notre Dame would've been on 1st team.

 

[DeeHusky]

I don't agree. Carleton is a very deserving recipient. She was named Big 12 POY ahead of Brown. Just because she doesn't get much media attention doesn't mean she's not deserving.

Agree, when you get POY of a P5 conference you’re bound to be on some 1st or 2nd all-American team.

 

[JavaMan]

 

[CajunHusky]

Carleton put up 21.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.0 apg (Iowa State SOS - #6) and won the Big 12 POY award ( #3 RPI conference)

Lou is a better player but Carleton may have had a better season. She is very much worthy of All-American recognition (besides the fact that she is Canadian )

Lou is worthy too, but there are more deserving players than there are spots.

I think it was just a math problem. McCowan and Brown were the wild cards. They took up two spots. Their skills are average but they are just so dang big. Frankly I think Anigwe and Cox were both better than either of those two. And to be completely objective I would have taken Carleton over Lou but I would have taken Carleton, Lou and Young over Ogunbawale.

 

[JoePgh]

It's interesting how little this correlates to most mock drafts for the WNBA. Most of those have Ionescu, Brown, Durr, and Ogunbuwale as the likely first four picks. I would expect Kalani Brown to be a dominant player in the WNBA, particularly since she has a 15-18 foot shot that seems to be fairly reliable.

I'm not sure how well Napheesa's skill set translates to the W, even more so after Louisville was able to defend her rather effectively on Sunday. As I recall, she couldn't generate much traction in the Baylor game, against the kind of bigger defenders that she will face routinely at the next level. It seems to me that she will have to rely much more on her speed and her jump shooting at the professional level than she has done at UConn. That make take some substantial adjustment of her game.

 

[SVCBeercats]

k

Phee gets 27 of 28 first team votes. The most by any of the five first team players. BUT she is not selected as a POY finalist. Someone does not know talent when they see it.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Surprised that Pivec from Oregon State isnt on the HM list but Slocum is.

Ditto. Slocum was the leading scorer by a slight margin, but she was totally inconsistent throughout the season. To me Pivec was easily their best player.

Another one they missed I think is no Satou Sabally from Oregon.

Looking at the list, it jumps out at me how many good players there are across the country.

Is there a cap on how many can be named Honorable Mention? Several more that seem deserving off the top of my head are Megan Huff from Utah, Emese Hof from Miami...and nobody from UCLA, really? At least one of Onyenwere or Burke could've been on this list. Oh, and Kianna Ibis from Arizona St. Dijonai Carrington or Kiana Williams from Stanford? I could probably think of a couple dozen that were deserving of Honorable Mention if I kept thinking about it.

 

[Los24]

Happy for Pheesa, now she and her sister Lou have 2 AA 1st teams. Pheesa had a great year and her overall game is one of the best in the country. She is a walking bucket and plays excellent defense. All that and her motor is what amazes me, she never looks tired.

Regarding Lou, I thought she was a 2nd team AA. While most of us say shooting is not the most important thing it sure seems like it when a 2x 1st team doesnt make at least 2nd team in a year where she improves her game in every area but struggles (from her own baseline) at shooting with the same accuracy as previous years. I admire most her intangibles and knowledge of the game. Never heard Geno mention her not getting something or not being in the right spot.

Both will be missed.

 

[Dokey]

Carleton put up 21.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.0 apg (Iowa State SOS - #6) and won the Big 12 POY award ( #3 RPI conference)

Lou is a better player but Carleton may have had a better season. She is very much worthy of All-American recognition (besides the fact that she is Canadian )

Lou is worthy too, but there are more deserving players than there are spots.

Stats don't often tell the story. UConn often doesn't have top scorers. Over the years how many times has Lou hit 20 and then sat out 4th quarter in a romp. Injuries and a sometimes changing role also kept Lou's votes down, especially in a year with so many deserving players. Being among the best non point guards at passing isn't a sexy vote getter either. Her assists often came on passes that were more NFL worthy than NCAA. In the WNBA they will be.

 

[DEpup]

It's interesting how little this correlates to most mock drafts for the WNBA. Most of those have Ionescu, Brown, Durr, and Ogunbuwale as the likely first four picks. I would expect Kalani Brown to be a dominant player in the WNBA, particularly since she has a 15-18 foot shot that seems to be fairly reliable.

I'm not sure how well Napheesa's skill set translates to the W, even more so after Louisville was able to defend her rather effectively on Sunday. As I recall, she couldn't generate much traction in the Baylor game, against the kind of bigger defenders that she will face routinely at the next level. It seems to me that she will have to rely much more on her speed and her jump shooting at the professional level than she has done at UConn. That make take some substantial adjustment of her game.

I would agree that Napheesa will have to modify her game and become the 4 not the 5 she plays at UConn and she'll be fine. I think Vegas would do themselves a lot of good pairing Pheesa with Wilson. I actually don't think Kalani Brown or McCowen will last long in WNBA unless they get in better shape. They aren't able to run the floor for long periods of time like the current centers in the WNBA. They might end up being good back ups but I don't see starter until fitness is addressed. That's what separates Geno from other coaches, Dolson got fit in college so she was ready for the pros.

 

[JavaMan]

 

[DeeHusky]

I would agree that Napheesa will have to modify her game and become the 4 not the 5 she plays at UConn and she'll be fine. I think Vegas would do themselves a lot of good pairing Pheesa with Wilson. I actually don't think Kalani Brown or McCowen will last long in WNBA unless they get in better shape. They aren't able to run the floor for long periods of time like the current centers in the WNBA. They might end up being good back ups but I don't see starter until fitness is addressed. That's what separates Geno from other coaches, Dolson got fit in college so she was ready for the pros.

I think Napheesa will be fine. I don’t think she will have to modify her game. She will be a 4, the only reason she’s not a 4 now is because obviously she’s the only option to play 5. She’s 6’1 or 2, most 4’s in the W are about that height. I just don’t think she will struggle because she’s relentless and her motor is through the roof. Like all rookies there’s a transition but from my view she will be fine. Ever since she was in high school, you could tell she was lock for the W with her knack for rebounding and ability to finish in the post. If you get invited to try out for USA B in college and make it end rounds over actual WNBA players sound pretty good to me.

Brown and McCowan, that’s another story. I think they will be liabilities. Anigwe is better than both to me.

 

[pvdoggy]

It's interesting how little this correlates to most mock drafts for the WNBA. Most of those have Ionescu, Brown, Durr, and Ogunbuwale as the likely first four picks. I would expect Kalani Brown to be a dominant player in the WNBA, particularly since she has a 15-18 foot shot that seems to be fairly reliable.

I'm not sure how well Napheesa's skill set translates to the W, even more so after Louisville was able to defend her rather effectively on Sunday. As I recall, she couldn't generate much traction in the Baylor game, against the kind of bigger defenders that she will face routinely at the next level. It seems to me that she will have to rely much more on her speed and her jump shooting at the professional level than she has done at UConn. That make take some substantial adjustment of her game.

Seems to me like Durr was defended pretty well yesterday by CD, much less some quicker/taller WNBA player and everyone seems to think that she will be just fine at the next level.

 

[Bigboote]

McCowan is ALWAYS back on defense. Offense, not so much. One stretegem opponents often use against her is having their post run all over the place on offense to tire McCowan out. She also plays 38-40 minutes in most competitive games. Assuming she plays 15-25 in the W, I don't think she'll have any trouble running on both sides of the floor.

 

[oldude]

Big surprise for me is no Brianna Turner from ND on the Honorable Mention. Not saying she was heads and shoulders of those named but given the national program (ND) and the press she gets I would have figured she’d get a nod here. Maybe a case of overload of other ND players?

I believe the HC’s only get to nominate 3 players, so ND must have nominated Arike, Shepard & Young.

 

[StlRon]

Congratulations to KLS, Crystal and especially Napheesa! Well-deserved!!!

 

[SVCBeercats]

Carlton over KLS is silly and shows lack of knowledge & objectivity. KLS has clearly superior numbers to Durr and for those who say stats are not everything KLS is superior to Durr in intangibles and team play also.

This is confusing. Now who exactly lacks knowledge and objectivity? Are you referencing AP voters or yourself?

 

[CajunHusky]

I believe the HC’s only get to nominate 3 players, so ND must have nominated Arike, Shepard & Young.

That is WBCA, this is the AP awards. The AP can vote on as many from one school as they want.

 

[svetbird]

so... does this mean Naphessa not being a finalist for MVP is an elaborate April fools joke?

 

[Grad1990]

Phee gets 27 of 28 first team votes. The most by any of the five first team players. BUT she is not selected as a POY finalist. Someone does not know talent when they see it.

If UConn ends up winning the National Championship and Pheesa MOP during the FF, then those that voted to not to put her in the group of the best-of-the-best are going to be eating a lot of humble pie.

How Pheesa is not on everyone's one's list for PoY is one of this year's mysteries.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Absolutely ridiculous. Carlton isn't even in close to KLS. In fact, for the zilinth time KLS has clearly superior numbers over Durr and that's not even including her incomparable team play and intangibles.

Exactly how many of Carleton's games have you seen? I am guessing 0. Don't lie! How are Lou's numbers clearly superior? Did you even look.? Carleton is 6'1" and Lou is 6'3". I watch three of Carleton's games (no lie! ) and I liked what I saw. Which one would I select? Lou. But for the exact same reason as you. I have seen her play what 140 games and you get the fan attachment which defies logic and reason at times. But is Lou dramatically better than Carleton. I don't believe so. For a guard Carleton is quite a rebounder. Also remember Carleton didn't
play in the AAC where stats can easily get inflated. I'll bet the AP voters took that into consideration.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Travesty. KLS has clearly superior numbers over Durr and, of course, that doesn't even include her incomparable intangibles and team play.

Remember the AP voters are comparing stats garnered in ACC versus the AAC. The ACC stats are worth more than the AAC stats. Which makes Phee accomplishment even more amazing.