Observations after watching USA-Chinese Taipei

[victor64]

1. Looks like Close might be a BY reader. She started the lineup that several on here (including yours truly) thought was her best five.
2. The last two games have been a borderline waste of time. Egypt and Chinese Taipei were completely outmatched.
3. I wonder how many times Betts has been told not to bring the ball down to her waist when she gets a rebound. She hasn’t figured it out yet.
4. With those shooting mechanics, Amari is going to make a lot of shots facing the basket.
5. Amari was the victim of two phantom calls in the first half.
6. The Chinese have taken the Euro step to new levels. Maybe three full steps with no calls.
7. A small fly in the soup was the foul shooting today was not very good.
8. I would like to see a lineup of Ware replacing Citron with the other four starters. Ware is going to do a lot of nice things in during her career at Arizona.
9. What happened to the USA’s 12th player?
10. If they shoot three’s like they did today, nobody will touch them. Can't wait until they get pushed.

 

[MSGRET]

1. Looks like Close might be a BY reader. She started the lineup that several on here (including yours truly) thought was her best five.
2. The last two games have been a borderline waste of time. Egypt and Chinese Taipei were completely outmatched.
3. I wonder how many times Betts has been told not to bring the ball down to her waist when she gets a rebound. She hasn’t figured it out yet.
4. With those shooting mechanics, Amari is going to make a lot of shots facing the basket.
5. Amari was the victim of two phantom calls in the first half.
6. The Chinese have taken the Euro step to new levels. Maybe three full steps with no calls.
7. A small fly in the soup was the foul shooting today was not very good.
8. I would like to see a lineup of Ware replacing Citron with the other four starters. Ware is going to do a lot of nice things in during her career at Arizona.
9. What happened to the USA’s 12th player?
10. If they shoot three’s like they did today, nobody will touch them. Can't wait until they get pushed.

In all of the games it appears that the refs have two sets of rules when it comes to fouls and traveling. When the US just breaths wrong it's a foul or traveling. But the opponent is allowed to hack, push or take 3 steps and nothing is called. I haven't seen today's game but yesterday's game was bad when it came to the reffing. Egypt almost fouled on every play and most of them weren't called. A couple of times I saw Egypt get away with a three step Euro step and nothing was called except for a foul on the U.S. after the third step on one of them.

 

[victor64]

In all of the games it appears that the refs have two sets of rules when it comes to fouls and traveling. When the US just breaths wrong it's a foul or traveling. But the opponent is allowed to hack, push or take 3 steps and nothing is called. I haven't seen today's game but yesterday's game was bad when it came to the reffing. Egypt almost fouled on every play and most of them weren't called. A couple of times I saw Egypt get away with a three step Euro step and nothing was called except for a foul on the U.S. after the third step on one of them.

You will laugh out loud when you see the uncalled Chinese hop steps.

 

[Alydar]

Betts still has a year of high school. My guess is that she still has dreams of becoming a guard, ala Aja Wilson entering college. UConn had sophomore posts who still brought balls down after 2 years of college. In a way I'm glad she's going to Stanford where she has Tara and elite team mates. Who knows, maybe Tara will make her a pg?
It's hard to project based on these games so far. Betts has dominated so far but what is the competition? We could say the same thing about the outside shooting up till now. It's easier to see the hoop when you are 4+" taller than your defender or when shooting over a zone. I didn't watch a lot of this game but I did see that the Taiwan team had skills but were just way too small.

(I still would rather have the dynamic duo of Brady/Patterson and the UConn backcourt).

 

[Alydar]

Look at the final scores. Yes, the refs called the game two ways. They had pity on a grossly over-matched team to lessen the embarrassment.

I'll save my store of indignation.

 

[Reypl21]

Betts still has a year of high school. My guess is that she still has dreams of becoming a guard, ala Aja Wilson entering college. UConn had sophomore posts who still brought balls down after 2 years of college. In a way I'm glad she's going to Stanford where she has Tara and elite team mates. Who knows, maybe Tara will make her a pg?
It's hard to project based on these games so far. Betts has dominated so far but what is the competition? We could say the same thing about the outside shooting up till now. It's easier to see the hoop when you are 4+" taller than your defender or when shooting over a zone. I didn't watch a lot of this game but I did see that the Taiwan team had skills but were just way too small.

(I still would rather have the dynamic duo of Brady/Patterson and the UConn backcourt).

What have you heard or seen that suggests Betts "dreams of being a guard?" Because she brings the ball down after a rebound?

 

[EricLA]

All just IMHO...

The entire team is actually really quite strong. Every player brings something different, and while each player has things to work on to get better, they all have really good skills to work with.

Seeing as this is a UCONN board, my thoughts on Azzi and Amari

Azzi is otherworldly in her shooting. @MilfordHusky (and others) who have seen her in person have commented that her shooting mechanics are perfection. It takes her literally a fraction of a second to get a shot off - as she's receiving it, she sets her body/feet, and launches within a second (it seems).

Additionally, while Paopao has been starting as the PG, even when Johnson is in, Azzi is often playing the 1. She's a very good ball handle, sees the floor well, and is a good passer. She's no Paige, but it just shows how versatile she is.

On defense she has good lateral movement, works hard on defense, and keeps her arms high. I'd like to see her a little stronger in the post with rebounding, etc. - but I'm not surprised she shuns some physicality based on her past injury. She's not a bulldog in the post (compliment for a guard) like Lindsay Whalen, for example (or Christyn Williams who is very strong in the post).

Amari is solid. She has good fundamentals and mechanics. She can make a layup with either hand. She's tall and mobile. One of the best things about her is she tries to block shots by keeping her arm(s) straight up and does NOT do a tomahawk chop (like Olivia STILL does when blocking a shot).

Amari won't get a lot of playing time this season but it's NOT because she's a huge project. It's because we are stacked at the 4/5 position. Olivia, Dorka, Liya, and even Aubrey/Mir. And assuming Nika starts (which I believe she does), that means Momma E plays the "4" (ie. start 4 guards and 1 post player). Just not enough minutes at that position for everyone, and that's not even including how good Piath may be this season.

I would like to see Amari work on a few things. She gives good effort, but I'd like to see her motor increase. I'd like to see her stronger around the basket rebounding. Often times she will seal off her opponent, but then stand there when the ball comes down not going after it. She has good fundamentals, but needs to be more intense.

I like her a lot. We will see how she develops at UCONN. She's not as good as Ice Brady, who is a year younger, but she has lots of potential. How hard will she work and how much better will she get - I have no idea at this time...

 

[Alydar]

What have you heard or seen that suggests Betts "dreams of being a guard?" Because she brings the ball down after a rebound?

All kids dream of being a star and at the time they are 5' something. I was half serious and half joking.

 

[Zarathustra]

1. Looks like Close might be a BY reader. She started the lineup that several on here (including yours truly) thought was her best five.
2. The last two games have been a borderline waste of time. Egypt and Chinese Taipei were completely outmatched.
3. I wonder how many times Betts has been told not to bring the ball down to her waist when she gets a rebound. She hasn’t figured it out yet.
4. With those shooting mechanics, Amari is going to make a lot of shots facing the basket.
5. Amari was the victim of two phantom calls in the first half.
6. The Chinese have taken the Euro step to new levels. Maybe three full steps with no calls.
7. A small fly in the soup was the foul shooting today was not very good.
8. I would like to see a lineup of Ware replacing Citron with the other four starters. Ware is going to do a lot of nice things in during her career at Arizona.
9. What happened to the USA’s 12th player?
10. If they shoot three’s like they did today, nobody will touch them. Can't wait until they get pushed.

I looked at some of the FIBA USA stats, Sonia Citron had won her starting
position " the old fashion way.... she earned it"! Check her efficiency, rebounding, points per game, hustle, and notice her drives to the basket along the baseline.
She also draws fouls and MAKES her foul shots. Anyway, Lauren Ware is generally
# 1 off the bench and is also doing a great job. I think Amari is going to be
a very good low post player ( she also made a few short jumpers and " clears
the boards" very well. I agree about the Phantom calls and the foul shooting.
The line up will depend on the opponent! How tall is Russia??

 

[MSGRET]

You will laugh out loud when you see the uncalled Chinese hop steps.

On offense they traveled almost every time they had the ball. On defense you could have called fouls on at least two of the players every time, not the same ones, just that it was at least two players fouling every play on defense.

 

[Carnac]

1. Looks like Close might be a BY reader. She started the lineup that several on here (including yours truly) thought was her best five.
2. The last two games have been a borderline waste of time. Egypt and Chinese Taipei were completely outmatched.
3. I wonder how many times Betts has been told not to bring the ball down to her waist when she gets a rebound. She hasn’t figured it out yet.
4. With those shooting mechanics, Amari is going to make a lot of shots facing the basket.
5. Amari was the victim of two phantom calls in the first half.
6. The Chinese have taken the Euro step to new levels. Maybe three full steps with no calls.
7. A small fly in the soup was the foul shooting today was not very good.
8. I would like to see a lineup of Ware replacing Citron with the other four starters. Ware is going to do a lot of nice things in during her career at Arizona.
9. What happened to the USA’s 12th player?
10. If they shoot three’s like they did today, nobody will touch them. Can't wait until they get pushed.

Post players can be taught and “conditioned” not to bring the ball down. I was conditioned to not bring it down in less than a week. At the beginning of official BB practice my freshman year, I was bringing the ball down almost every time, sometimes getting it stripped. This infuriated my coach.

Then he began yelling at me: don’t bring it down. If I did after that, I ran laps on the spot. Every time I grabbed a rebound, he began to yell. Not only was it embarrassing to have coach yelling at me in front of my teammates, I got tired of running needless laps.

Well this went on for 3-4 days. Believe it or not, midway through the fourth day of getting yelled and screamed at, it clicked. I stopped bringing the ball down. I had become ”conditioned“ not to. It was something I didn’t have to think about anymore while in the heat of battle. It was now an unconscious reflex.

To this day, I love that man. He made me a better player. There was other areas of my game he helped me improve. He was a very demanding man. He knew basketball. He would not let you disrespect the game, cheat your potential or cheat the game. He loved to run, and didn’t care who scored. If you couldn’t or were unwilling to play defense, you couldn’t play for him.

The best BB coach I ever had. We were 18-20 year olds, so there was a lot of unabashed cussing during practice, but he had a very humorous side to him that few outside of the team ever saw. He genuinely cared about and protected his players. We stayed in touch for many years after that until his passing. Looking back, I consider it a privilege to have played for him. Post players can be taught/conditioned not to bring the ball down.

 

[Mdoggie]

@Carnac did you play the 5 or 4? How tall are you? I know you personally, this is for the rest of the forum.

 

[Carnac]

@Carnac did you play the 5 or 4? How tall are you? I know you personally, this is for the rest of the forum.

In the early 70’s, (during the no dunking era) after my separation from the military. A back to the basket 5. 6’9” playing weight: 235. I was also blessed with God given hops.

 

[Happydad745]

All just IMHO...

The entire team is actually really quite strong. Every player brings something different, and while each player has things to work on to get better, they all have really good skills to work with.

Seeing as this is a UCONN board, my thoughts on Azzi and Amari

Azzi is otherworldly in her shooting. @MilfordHusky (and others) who have seen her in person have commented that her shooting mechanics are perfection. It takes her literally a fraction of a second to get a shot off - as she's receiving it, she sets her body/feet, and launches within a second (it seems).

Additionally, while Paopao has been starting as the PG, even when Johnson is in, Azzi is often playing the 1. She's a very good ball handle, sees the floor well, and is a good passer. She's no Paige, but it just shows how versatile she is.

On defense she has good lateral movement, works hard on defense, and keeps her arms high. I'd like to see her a little stronger in the post with rebounding, etc. - but I'm not surprised she shuns some physicality based on her past injury. She's not a bulldog in the post (compliment for a guard) like Lindsay Whalen, for example (or Christyn Williams who is very strong in the post).

Amari is solid. She has good fundamentals and mechanics. She can make a layup with either hand. She's tall and mobile. One of the best things about her is she tries to block shots by keeping her arm(s) straight up and does NOT do a tomahawk chop (like Olivia STILL does when blocking a shot).

Amari won't get a lot of playing time this season but it's NOT because she's a huge project. It's because we are stacked at the 4/5 position. Olivia, Dorka, Liya, and even Aubrey/Mir. And assuming Nika starts (which I believe she does), that means Momma E plays the "4" (ie. start 4 guards and 1 post player). Just not enough minutes at that position for everyone, and that's not even including how good Piath may be this season.

I would like to see Amari work on a few things. She gives good effort, but I'd like to see her motor increase. I'd like to see her stronger around the basket rebounding. Often times she will seal off her opponent, but then stand there when the ball comes down not going after it. She has good fundamentals, but needs to be more intense.

I like her a lot. We will see how she develops at UCONN. She's not as good as Ice Brady, who is a year younger, but she has lots of potential. How hard will she work and how much better will she get - I have no idea at this time...

I agree with most everything you said, except Nika starting....With Evina and Paige and Christyn on the floor she is not needed....and I think AE, Olivia and Dorka will be using up a lot of minutes. It is hard to fathom how much good talent we have....and who starts at the beginning of the season might not be starting at the end. I didn't even mention Azzi. Lucky we have Geno.

 

[Cuango]

All just IMHO...

The entire team is actually really quite strong. Every player brings something different, and while each player has things to work on to get better, they all have really good skills to work with.

Seeing as this is a UCONN board, my thoughts on Azzi and Amari

Azzi is otherworldly in her shooting. @MilfordHusky (and others) who have seen her in person have commented that her shooting mechanics are perfection. It takes her literally a fraction of a second to get a shot off - as she's receiving it, she sets her body/feet, and launches within a second (it seems).

Additionally, while Paopao has been starting as the PG, even when Johnson is in, Azzi is often playing the 1. She's a very good ball handle, sees the floor well, and is a good passer. She's no Paige, but it just shows how versatile she is.

On defense she has good lateral movement, works hard on defense, and keeps her arms high. I'd like to see her a little stronger in the post with rebounding, etc. - but I'm not surprised she shuns some physicality based on her past injury. She's not a bulldog in the post (compliment for a guard) like Lindsay Whalen, for example (or Christyn Williams who is very strong in the post).

Amari is solid. She has good fundamentals and mechanics. She can make a layup with either hand. She's tall and mobile. One of the best things about her is she tries to block shots by keeping her arm(s) straight up and does NOT do a tomahawk chop (like Olivia STILL does when blocking a shot).

Amari won't get a lot of playing time this season but it's NOT because she's a huge project. It's because we are stacked at the 4/5 position. Olivia, Dorka, Liya, and even Aubrey/Mir. And assuming Nika starts (which I believe she does), that means Momma E plays the "4" (ie. start 4 guards and 1 post player). Just not enough minutes at that position for everyone, and that's not even including how good Piath may be this season.

I would like to see Amari work on a few things. She gives good effort, but I'd like to see her motor increase. I'd like to see her stronger around the basket rebounding. Often times she will seal off her opponent, but then stand there when the ball comes down not going after it. She has good fundamentals, but needs to be more intense.

I like her a lot. We will see how she develops at UCONN. She's not as good as Ice Brady, who is a year younger, but she has lots of potential. How hard will she work and how much better will she get - I have no idea at this time...

I agree. I think she (Amari) is going to have a nice career at UConn. The tools are there, now it’s a matter of hard work and desire. I believe that we will be pleasantly surprised next season and beyond.

 

[Mdoggie]

In the early 70’s, (during the no dunking era) after my separation from the military. A back to the basket 5. 6’9” playing weight: 235. I was also blessed with God given hops.

What in the heck’s wrong with you? 6’9 is a guard! Back to the basket? You should have been knocking down shots from today’s 3 point area. 235? Lil man. Lol JK

 

[msf22b]

In general, this is one of the most skilled. coherent U-19 team in memory.
Pretty well-coached too.

 

[Bald Husky]

I agree with most everything you said, except Nika starting....With Evina and Paige and Christyn on the floor she is not needed....and I think AE, Olivia and Dorka will be using up a lot of minutes. It is hard to fathom how much good talent we have....and who starts at the beginning of the season might not be starting at the end. I didn't even mention Azzi. Lucky we have Geno.

Nika not needed?? Are you kidding me, how can you just dismiss the contributions that she made to this team last year. You are counting on players that haven't taken the floor for us yet, and inserting current players that haven't made much of an impact when playing the point. Apparently you didn't watch the entire season last year, when the team seemed to jell and take off when Nika was inserted into the line up. Nika not needed, Bull .

 

[victor64]

In the early 70’s, (during the no dunking era) after my separation from the military. A back to the basket 5. 6’9” playing weight: 235. I was also blessed with God given hops.

Did you have your ability to predict future events back then? I bet you were a great defender. Knowing where the next pass was going had to be a huge advantage.

 

[Carnac]

Did you have your ability to predict future events back then? I bet you were a great defender. Knowing where the next pass was going had to be a huge advantage.

Yes, it's a gift. Sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

[PvP]

I agree with most everything you said, except Nika starting....With Evina and Paige and Christyn on the floor she is not needed....and I think AE, Olivia and Dorka will be using up a lot of minutes. It is hard to fathom how much good talent we have....and who starts at the beginning of the season might not be starting at the end. I didn't even mention Azzi. Lucky we have Geno.

Nika is a great kid and highly competitive but the roster this year just has much more talent and many here are just diehard Nikaites insisting that she will start. As you rightly point out including her in the starting 5 means that at least one of the following will sit: Azzi, Evina, Liv, Aaliyah, or Dorka. IMHO unless Nika is dramatically improved this year, every one of those players brings more to the lineup than Nika.

 

[JellyBean]

My general observation from watching these games so far, when all of the "experts" start making the calls about "how the world has caught up with Team USA women's basketball" after a team plays Team USA close, three or four years later. I can always say and believe that our Team USA WBB players are 6 or 8 years ahead of everyone else. Even if we lose players to play for their home teams across the waters, we are still good. Skill Development is off the charts.

 

[Carnac]

My general observation from watching these games so far, when all of the "experts" start making the calls about "how the world has caught up with Team USA women's basketball" after a team plays Team USA close, three or four years later. I can always say and believe that our Team USA WBB players are 6 or 8 years ahead of everyone else. Even if we lose players to play for their home teams across the waters, we are still good. Skill Development is off the charts.

Are we THAT good, or are the other teams THAT bad? I have not been impressed with any of their opponents so far. It's difficult to get an accurate read on just how good a team is if they only play inferior teams. I'd like to see at least one competitive game during this tournament.

 

[Bald Husky]

Are we THAT good, or are the other teams THAT bad? I have not been impressed with any of their opponents so far. It's difficult to get an accurate read on just how good a team is if they only play inferior teams. I'd like to see at least one competitive game during this tournament.

China Taipei, Italy, or Egypt did not qualify for the olympics, so they are that bad. I don't know how many teams are in the tournament, but we have to find someone good real soon. In 19, Australia was the team that took us till the very end in the championship game, but we took care of them pretty easily this year.