Next year's #1

[Shmermerer]

Folks rating South Carolina high due to a high-ranked recruiting class apparently haven't watched UConn the last couple years. I suspect Haley Jones can have an impact at Stanford quickly. The rest of the class, not convinced.

The recruiting class is one reason as they will be adding depth at every position. It’s also who they return, which is every significant contributor minus Jennings. They are playing like a top 10 team right now. Add in the recruiting class and what other top teams are losing and I would say they are a potential top 5 team and thensome.

 

[IWearShoes]

If your program can't beat this LSU team, you have some serious problems

That said Miss St is a top program, they made us look worse then a lot HS teams yesterday.


Here is a comment from one of LSU's players, Ayanna Mitchell



But thats okay, our AD handed her a 3 year extension for eating bonbons...

I'll just focus on watching real teams play good basketball (UCONN, Baylor, Miss St, Louisville, ND, Stanford)

State's tough and LSU is so limited offensively, it could get out of hand quickly and did right from the tip last night. Becoming hard to defend Fargas.

I'd add Oregon for sure and maybe a few others to your list.

 

[Bear11]

Would love to see what she could do with a 2nd year in that program. I knows transitioning to the PG has been a major adjustment. She has had to change her role significantly compared to how she has been utilized in the past.

Also, while the loss of Brown will suck. I personally think having more mobile posts like Smith and Egbo can be very beneficial for Baylor in the future in terms of their offense.

I agree that moving from the 2 post set to a more mobile lineup could prove very effective. Brown is obviously a big loss in every sense, but I think there is plenty of firepower already in Waco to make up the difference. I think guard play may actually be a bigger factor in Baylor's success next year.

 

[SECbbfan24]

State's tough and LSU is so limited offensively, it could get out of hand quickly and did right from the tip last night. Becoming hard to defend Fargas.

I'd add Oregon for sure and maybe a few others to your list.

AEH was impressive yesterday. Big confidence booster for her in every aspect. Her defense was much better as well. Looking forward to watching her grow, she is being asked to grow up immediately and she seems to be answering the call

I was also impressed with Wiggins as well. I like her size a lot. She is very raw but extremely talented. Wonder if y'all will continue to use her more moving forward as well.

Be nice to us when we come to Starkville

There is nothing to defend Nikki. She is not equipped to run a college program, especially a top one. The Summit disciples are definitely not Pat, everyone should take note.

 

[shiverz45]

The recruiting class is one reason as they will be adding depth at every position. It’s also who they return, which is every significant contributor minus Jennings. They are playing like a top 10 team right now. Add in the recruiting class and what other top teams are losing and I would say they are a potential top 5 team and thensome.

I agree. I see the entire recruiting class coming off the bench other than maybe Boston. If Cooper comes back, I see this lineup: Harris, Cooper, Jackson (or Henderson) in the backcourt. Herbert-Harrigan and Boston in the frontcourt. We will have enough talent to probably go 10 deep if necessary.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The recruiting class is one reason as they will be adding depth at every position. It’s also who they return, which is every significant contributor minus Jennings. They are playing like a top 10 team right now. Add in the recruiting class and what other top teams are losing and I would say they are a potential top 5 team and thensome.

Depth sure. How much immediate impact? UConn is still struggling to get that out of this year's class and last year got almost none outside of Walker's game against UCLA. It's not that simple to plop freshmen into a team and hope they make you a contender.

 

[sharris952]

Depth sure. How much immediate impact? UConn is still struggling to get that out of this year's class and last year got almost none outside of Walker's game against UCLA. It's not that simple to plop freshmen into a team and hope they make you a contender.

Thing is that Dawn has stretched and utilized her depth alot this year which has given her players a lot of experience. Though they are getting great play from the starters, they are getting a lot of reps for the bench players. The recruiting class will only make the quality of the bench stronger allowing them to place more pressure on teams that either are lest talented or either have a short bench.

 

[IWearShoes]

AEH was impressive yesterday. Big confidence booster for her in every aspect. Her defense was much better as well. Looking forward to watching her grow, she is being asked to grow up immediately and she seems to be answering the call

I was also impressed with Wiggins as well. I like her size a lot. She is very raw but extremely talented. Wonder if y'all will continue to use her more moving forward as well.

Be nice to us when we come to Starkville

There is nothing to defend Nikki. She is not equipped to run a college program, especially a top one. The Summit disciples are definitely not Pat, everyone should take note.

Seems to be starting to click for Andi. We didn't need to lose Chloe and it may limit our final ceiling this year, but getting more experience for the pups bodes well down the line.

Xaria is definitely raw, but talented and a worker. Hope she can be a factor this year, but she definitely will be at some pt.

Pulling for LSU. Always have except vs State.

 

[Shmermerer]

Depth sure. How much immediate impact? UConn is still struggling to get that out of this year's class and last year got almost none outside of Walker's game against UCLA. It's not that simple to plop freshmen into a team and hope they make you a contender.

I think there’s definetly immediate impact in Boston and if Amihere is healthy. Amihere arguably could be the best in that class. The past two classes have been pretty weak in talent IMO. The next two classes have by far way more talent in them IMO. And again, the top teams this year lose so much except for Oregon and Maryland.

 

[shiverz45]

Depth sure. How much immediate impact? UConn is still struggling to get that out of this year's class and last year got almost none outside of Walker's game against UCLA. It's not that simple to plop freshmen into a team and hope they make you a contender.

The concepts and expectation of playing in UConn system is probably more difficult to grasp than at most places in the country. You see freshmen all the time make an impact at other places.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I think there’s definetly immediate impact in Boston and if Amihere is healthy. Amihere arguably could be the best in that class. The past two classes have been pretty weak in talent IMO. The next two classes have by far way more talent in them IMO. And again, the top teams this year lose so much except for Oregon and Maryland.

We'll see. As I said, the Walker, E-H, Coombs, Gordon class had almost no impact. The year prior CD had her share of excellent games and moments but couldn't be counted on consistently against the better competition. And this year's class has been ONO rarely getting off the bench and a killer start by CW followed by struggles and no impact in the Baylor or Louisville games. A rare exception would be KLS who started slowly and then finished with impact.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The concepts and expectation of playing in UConn system is probably more difficult to grasp than at most places in the country. You see freshmen all the time make an impact at other places.

Might be true, but SC will probably need multiple freshmen to make impacts to be a top-5 team.

 

[sharris952]

Might be true, but SC will probably need multiple freshmen to make impacts to be a top-5 team.

Yes but the fact that Ty Harris, Maybe Cooper and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan will return for a team that is playing well bodes well. Jackson, who was a starter as a freshman available leave basically a spot for Boston to come in and get great playing time at the 5. You still will have Destiny Henderson, who has played well in limited minutes off the bench with two forwards in Grissett and Saxton who are great bangers and ultra athletic. The freshman coming in will be able to play to their talents and this should bode very well for South Carolina. With the way that Dawn is running tempo now, this depth will only make this team more dangerous in the future. imo

 

[shiverz45]

Might be true, but SC will probably need multiple freshmen to make impacts to be a top-5 team.

It is too early to tell. Probably best to revisit this after this season is over. If SC continues this climb and make a deep run in the tournament, an initial top 5 ranking is a strong possibility.

 

[jonson]

I was curious about Oregon's 2019 commits because they did not seem to be getting any top rated high school players. Well that is because all three of their commits are from over seas. They bring in two Aussies both of which played on the national team. One is a 6'5" center. The third player is a Brit guard. When you add the younger Sabally they have some good talent coming in. Even if they lose Sabrina they will be weaker at guard because they also lose Cazorla. This is where the loss of Ayuso going pro will really hurt them . Greaves should have given her more court time. I think her lack of playing time influenced her decision much like the others who transferred out. They do not miss them but they will miss Ayuso who many thought was better than Cazorla. Still they will be stronger at every other position. They should be solid in the middle. If Sabrina comes back they should be the unquestioned favorites.

Stanford will add 3 McDonalds ( including top player in the nation )+ another five star recruit to an already strong team. Of course they will be losing their center Smith who is a beast. Smith will be a big loss and it depends how quickly their five start center recruit develops to determine how much of a loss it might turn out to be.

Now Oregon St adds a slew of talent to their position of weakness. They add two 5 star posts and Aquino who is red shirting this year due to a foot issue. The two players they lose are McWillaims and Grymek. However they will get back Kat Tudor who should make up for McWilliams loss and who actually is more comfortable in the higher speed game they play now with Slocum. They have plenty of parameter players who can shoot the ball. Grymek is improving every game, but with the groups of posts they will have available to them they should actually be stronger with the addition of the two 5 stars and farther development of their present 6'7" frosh.

And most important - All three teams have top level coaches who know how to make the most of their available talent.

If Baylor would have gotten Morris back ( who decided on transferring to Rutgers ) they would have been really scary as well. She was important because they lose the grad senior Jackson who was filling in at the Point. They also lose Brown and we do not really know how well the present frosh class will be able to fill those slots, especially at point. They should be really good and possibly better than this year, but it is not just about being better but how they compare to improvements that other teams make.

I believe that the comparison to other teams improvement is what those that have conservative expectations in respect to to Uconn this coming season. They do lose a lot of key players. Geno will make sure the available players improve but how much will that compensate for the improvements of other teams?. Parity is becoming a reality. There are now more teams that have elite level players on their rosters. When you combine more teams with elite players on teams with elite coaches, then wiggle room for missing out on recruits diminishes and more critical. It isn't anymore about just recruiting a lot of blue chippers but filling in any weak spots in the roster.

Assuming that Ionescu returns, I agree that replacing Cazorla will be the biggest challenge for Graves. Of the roster exits last summer, losing Ayuso to the pros was/is really unfortunate, although I do not think it was because she didn't get decent minutes as a freshman. Playing college BB just wasn't a good fit for her. That said, Chavez has played very well as a freshman this year--she has very quick hands, passes well, and (for a Duck) is a good defender--and I think she will be very good as a sophomore.

Both of the Aussies played a major role in Australia's victory over the US in the U17 FIBA Tournament--Shelley at guard and Cochrane, who was very young and is now 6'6", more than holding her own against O. Nelson-Ododa and Aquira DeCosta. Don't know much about the Brit but Graves is clearly very good at evaluating talent from overseas. Nyara Sabally is, like her sister, 6'4" and a very versatile player--but thicker (more like Hebard on the Oregon roster). She has had a very impressive track record in Europe--MVP of two consecutive FIBA European tournaments--and Satou has said she's the better player of the two. I used to (sort of) believe/hope that, but after what the elder Sabally has done this year, I think it's likely a bit of a stretch: just as good or almost as good would be just fine.

So Oregon should stronger inside next year and very good at the 3/wing as well. If Ionescu stays and Chavez/Shelley can mostly fill Cazorla's shoes, they should certainly be a contender for the Final 4. If Ionescu leaves, they'll still be a good team imo, but very much a work in progress. But I also have faith in Graves's ability to get the most out of what he has.

 

[Ozzie1986]

Shelley is a much better 3 point shooter than cazorla and an elite defender. Her playmaking skills are well behind cazorlas though.

 

[Vowelguy]

Please tell me you're not coming on this board to taunt people about a loss.

Why would you post this? It's pointlessly antagonistic and unnecessary.

No response. No clarification. No apology. No deletion of post.
Classy.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I'm gonna take a wait and see approach on Oregon's Aussies. Jasmine Simmons had done well in international play prior to arriving at Oregon St. As a Fr. she has had a few flashes but thus far has not really looked ready to contribute yet. I don't think Shelley is regarded as a better prospect than Simmons was.

 

[IWearShoes]

I'm gonna take a wait and see approach on Oregon's Aussies. Jasmine Simmons had done well in international play prior to arriving at Oregon St. As a Fr. she has had a few flashes but thus far has not really looked ready to contribute yet. I don't think Shelley is regarded as a better prospect than Simmons was.

For what it's worth, Bibby at MSU has indicated that the speed and athleticism at the higher levels of the US college game is shocking at first. Takes some time to adjust.

 

[nwhoopfan]

For what it's worth, Bibby at MSU has indicated that the speed and athleticism at the higher levels of the US college game is shocking at first. Takes some time to adjust.

Alanna Smith at Stanford has improved incrementally each year until really blossoming this season as a Sr. She's the best Aussie playing in US college that I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[willtalk]

Shelley is a better 3pt shooter than Simmons and Greaves is far less concerned with defense than Scott. It is usually their defensive liabilities that keeps rookies off the floor at Oregon St. And to add to that Oregon St has far more experienced guards on the roster already. Shelley will certainly get more time with Oregon than Simmons gets this season.

Jonson--- I am not saying that lack of playing time was the only factor for Ayuso departure, just that it probably played a part. She got very little time on court and that surely might have played a role. Ayuso was very good and Greaves could and should have given her more minutes. Under the circumstances with both Sabrina and Cazorla returning this year it makes sense that Ayuso felt she again wouldn't get enough time this year to justify her presence, since she had pro ball as her other option.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Fair enough point willtalk.

 

[IWearShoes]

Alanna Smith at Stanford has improved incrementally each year until really blossoming this season as a Sr. She's the best Aussie playing in US college that I can think of off the top of my head.

Tiana Mangakahia for Syracuse is a really nice player.

Staying with the theme of incredibly difficult to pronounce Aussie BBall players, Florida is terrible, but their best player is an Aussie, Funda Nakkasoglu.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Tiana Mangakahia for Syracuse is a really nice player.

Oops, I forgot about her. Yeah she made a big splash immediately for the Orange.

 

[Ozzie1986]

Alanna Smith at Stanford has improved incrementally each year until really blossoming this season as a Sr. She's the best Aussie playing in US college that I can think of off the top of my head.

Mangakahia may mean more to Syracuse than Smith to Stanford.
Mangakahia- 16p/8a/5r/2s (90 ft/35 3 pt%)
Smith- 21p/2a/8r/2b (75 ft/46 3 pt%)

Pac-12 over ACC though.