New York Liberty and Kiah.....

[JoePgh]

Stokes is not do anything that she didn't do at UConn.

Based on seeing her in action on Saturday evening against the Sun, I cannot agree with that statement. In the game, I saw her score multiple baskets on quick backdoor cuts to the basket that ended with contested layups. I don't remember ever seeing her do that at UConn. I remember a few times when she got uncontested layups after the defense went out to chase KML or Stewie, but I don't remember that she was ever asked to beat a defender to the basket 1-on-1 and take a pass for a layup.

The larger mystery (at least to me) is that players don't seem to have an impact on the WNBA that is in proportion to their impact in college. Obviously for 4 years at UConn, KML had a much bigger impact on the team that Kiah, but so far in the W, the exact opposite is true. Likewise for Kelly and Tiffany -- Kelly had more impact in college, but Tiff seems to have more impact at the pro level.

I think the key may be that raw athletic talent may be a much bigger factor in the pros than in college, and the mental part of offense and defense may play a lesser role. Is that because at the pro level, everyone has a command of the mental aspects, so the factor that distinguishes one player from another is simply the raw ability to execute? Maybe -- I really don't know.

 

[Goodgood]

Kiah is a pro now. She much more aware of the fact that she needs to score more, she needs to be more aggressive offensively and she is using the WNBA to hone her skills. At the end of the day, she is her own business. The better she plays, the more money she'll make overseas. And Tina is there to show Kiah her 1099's. Totally different situation than in college.

 

[Bgillon]

Kiah is a pro now. She much more aware of the fact that she needs to score more, she needs to be more aggressive offensively and she is using the WNBA to hone her skills. At the end of the day, she is her own business. The better she plays, the more money she'll make overseas. And Tina is there to show Kiah her 1099's. Totally different situation than in college.

Well put !!!!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Likewise for Kelly and Tiffany -- Kelly had more impact in college, but Tiff seems to have more impact at the pro level.

I'm not sure I'd agree with the statement that Kelly had more of an impact at UConn. She had a very big impact, but Tiff was an elite scorer and defender. She finished her career in the top 10 in career scoring and had a very efficient senior year. If she had been more under control and effective in big games, Tiffany would have been an All-American.

 

[msf22b]

Tonight:

Tiff had a fine game, Sugar was hot, hot hot and good D as well, Shoni had a fine 9 point burst in a few mili-seconds that went to her head, Angel was tough all night.

And Ms Stokes was as important as anyone, especially at the end with some key buckets, boards, mis-directs blocks and intimidations (not in the scorecard). She's still a work in progress, still imperfect but what a terrific season she's having.

The Liberty would not be where they are without her
Best plays...a great power move and 2 and a late block on Angel...
That effected the next possession as well. Angel came sailing in, saw Kiah and thought the better.

On Edit: a +21, second only to Sugar; no one else close.
They're even hyping her for Rookie of the Year

 

[iri10]

On the subject of the Liberty+Kiah, there are some really great photos of the team here:

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/category/we-are-new-york-liberty/

I especially liked the "Home Court" and "Travelogue: San Antonio" galleries.

 

[j66kicker]

On the subject of the Liberty+Kiah, there are some really great photos of the team here:

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/category/we-are-new-york-liberty/

I especially liked the "Home Court" and "Travelogue: San Antonio" galleries.

A ton of great content on Derek's new "Players' Tribune" site!

"Kiah Stokes blocks a shot during the game against the Atlanta Dream"

 

[j66kicker]

"Kiah Stokes walks with her boyfriend" - Height discussion?

 

[j66kicker]

"The team sleeps on the bus on the way home" - Awe.....

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

New York is 15-4 since Epiphanny Prince arrived. That also gave New York another offensive weapon, which the team sorely needed. It also allowed other players to fulfill their roles much better, which Kiah has done exceptionally well.

Player  G  Min  Pts  FG%  Reb  Ast  Stl  Blk
-------  --  ----  ----  ----  ---  ---  ---  ---
Charles  19  32.0  19.2  .514  8.2  2.1  0.8  0.6
Prince  19  28.9  15.5  .458  2.9  3.5  2.2  0.3
Rodgers  18  15.3  7.2  .342  1.8  1.1  0.6  0.1
Stokes  19  26.4  6.6  .576  7.1  0.7  0.9  2.3
Wright  19  24.4  6.3  .368  2.3  3.7  0.9  0.1
Boyd  19  12.2  5.9  .407  2.3  2.2  1.2  0.0
Carson  18  16.7  5.7  .420  1.8  1.1  0.4  0.2
Swords  19  15.7  4.1  .435  3.9  0.5  0.4  0.4
Cash  19  16.5  4.0  .377  2.4  1.2  0.1  0.0
Wiggins  17  12.6  2.9  .300  2.4  0.9  0.5  0.1
Warley  16  5.7  0.9  .263  2.4  0.1  0.4  0.2