Paige is the most valuable NCAA athlete on social media

[diggerfoot]

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say, Paige has not yet shown she will be outstanding against collegiate level talent, Boston has. I believe most coaches who be more comfortable with the more experienced player. Paige may very well become an outstanding collegiate player and make the choice between the two players difficult but as of today I think Boston is the obvious choice. As for Dawn being jealous, I think there are many who would love to have the team she has today.

A number of scouts have declared that Bueckers is ready to play in the WNBA right now. Perhaps scouts are saying the same thing about Boston, making the choice of either one difficult for all but the fans of their respective teams.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Think about it, if you could trade Paige for Boston, would you do it. I do not see Dawn being envious of any other team’s players.

Would not trade Paige for Dawn. I think that of the two, Paige is the “generational” talent.

 

[bballnut90]

A number of scouts have declared that Bueckers is ready to play in the WNBA right now. Perhaps scouts are saying the same thing about Boston, making the choice of either one difficult for all but the fans of their respective teams.

Boston wouldve been the #2 pick after Ionescu if draft eligible this year.

 

[CTisballers]

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say, Paige has not yet shown she will be outstanding against collegiate level talent, Boston has. I believe most coaches who be more comfortable with the more experienced player. Paige may very well become an outstanding collegiate player and make the choice between the two players difficult but as of today I think Boston is the obvious choice. As for Dawn being jealous, I think there are many who would love to have the team she has today.

But if Paige can play up on the same USA team as Boston and win tournament MVP, I’ll say she’ll be just fine at the collegiate level

 

[CTisballers]

Boston wouldve been the #2 pick after Ionescu if draft eligible this year.

Definitely not. Anybody else agree that Sabally would of been pick # 2 still

 

[eebmg]

Definitely not. Anybody else agree that Sabally would of been pick # 2 still

And probably Carter at #3. Not sure in today's WNBA a post dominant center has as much value as it used to?

 

[SECbbfan24]

Not to derail this thread, LSU has a freshmen gymnast named Olivia Dunne who has a massive social media following. Close to 700K on Instagram and has just under 3 million followers on Tik Tok. She use to be a popular elite gymnast when she was younger but dealt with injuries later in her career. Maybe its because she looks like a real life barbie doll but its crazy to me the following some of these kids get.

 

[Alydar]

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say, Paige has not yet shown she will be outstanding against collegiate level talent, Boston has. I believe most coaches who be more comfortable with the more experienced player. Paige may very well become an outstanding collegiate player and make the choice between the two players difficult but as of today I think Boston is the obvious choice. As for Dawn being jealous, I think there are many who would love to have the team she has today.

I agree with your point about "proven against college players" but I also don't think Bueckers will have any difficulty with college level play. Maybe that is just my homerism showing but I don't normally count on freshmen for much more than a minor contribution and I've watched Bueckers for 3 years and she is different.
And remember, if there is a tournament Bueckers will have as much experience in the ncaa's as any of last years Gamecock freshmen despite their coaches claim.

 

[Carnac]

That’s nice. I’d prefer she be the MVP in women’s college basketball between the lines. According to Geno (and you, I‘ll take your word for it), she’s the real deal. Even though I’m from Missouri, I recognize and respect the fact that so many posters that have seen her play either on TV or in person, all say the same thing. I believe she will grow and mature quickly and adapt to play at this level. I’m very happy she chose to fly UConn.

 

[Bigboote]

. . . As for Dawn being jealous, I think there are many who would love to have the team she has today.

I for one am looking forward to UConn-South Carolina games for the next few years. I hope this year's happens and that they're able to schedule each other in following years.

 

[jabstep]

That's why I say she'll be here three years then she gone. There will be zero reason to stay.

I disagree. Paige wants championships. She got cheated out of one last year in HS because of COVID.

 

[Geew1992]

That's why I say she'll be here three years then she gone. There will be zero reason to stay.

she did say she wants to win 4 championships

 

[Alydar]

I would think that allowing athletes to profit from their fame while staying in school would lead to fewer early exits to the pros.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I would think that allowing athletes to profit from their fame while staying in school would lead to fewer early exits to the pros.

If a player can leave early and make millions they are going to. Gotta capitalize while you physically can. It would be dumb not to. A lot of these players earn their degrees in three years already, and they aren't going to benefit much from an extra year of college coaching.

 

[Watchdog]

I'll preface this by saying that I'm an old guy. But what exactly is an "influencer"? And what can Paige or any college athlete do or say on social media that will earn money? Endorsements? Use of her likeness? She hasn't played one minute of college basketball and, as much as those of us who populate boards like these love WBB, it's not a sport with a wide fan base. My guess is that many casual sports fans know who Trevor Lawrence is but couldn't name a WBB player on a bet. Don't take any of this negatively - I'm looking for enlightenment.

Not sure how it works with other platforms, but I watched a video on YouTube by a guy who posts instructional material and said he's making $20,000 per month doing so. I've heard of kids that do fun videos making enormous money too and it's all tied in to how many "views" they get and whether or not they have sponsors in addition to the money YouTube pays per "view".
In the example I'm giving, the guy said he gets a penny per view so if he posts a ten minute video and it attracts 500,000 "views" he'll be paid $5,000. It might have been a half penny per "view" but it's in the ball park.
He also has sponsors that pay a fee in return for him doing a 15 or 30 second promo for their products. It'd be easy to see Paige doing a ten minute instructional video for kids interesting in learning about ball handling or some other aspect of play and having Nike or another manufacturer pay a sizeable sponsor fee.
It's the free market at its best (worst?) and here to stay as long as everyone involved benefits. Paige would for sure, UConn would as well as the exposure will attract players, students excited to go to such a well known school and fans/advertisers for UConn women's basketball.
Mark Emmert will likely benefit too as he will probably issue an executive order requiring all kids active on an NCAA team to pay a flat 20% of their earned income because of the exposure the NCAA provides..................

 

[hoopsfan22]

Mark Emmert will likely benefit too as he will probably issue an executive order requiring all kids active on an NCAA team to pay a flat 20% of their earned income because of the exposure the NCAA provides..................

Hadn't even thought of this, but definitely could see it happening especially if revenue is way down.

 

[BostonBay]

Think about it, if you could trade Paige for Boston, would you do it. I do not see Dawn being envious of any other team’s players.

Easy choice for Boston. She's already proven to be a generational player...Paige might be. Also, Boston is a better fit position wise for UConn - who needs a better balance of Bigs and PGs.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Easy choice for Boston. She's already proven to be a generational player...Paige might be. Also, Boston is a better fit position wise for UConn - who needs a better balance of Bigs and PGs.

How has she proven to be a generational player? How many POYs and championships has she won? You gotta get at least one, and probably at least two, of each to be in that conversation IMO.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Easy choice for Boston. She's already proven to be a generational player...Paige might be. Also, Boston is a better fit position wise for UConn - who needs a better balance of Bigs and PGs.

As far as I can see, you are the only one that Boston has "proven" to that she is a generational player.

 

[JRRRJ]

If a player can leave early and make millions they are going to. Gotta capitalize while you physically can. It would be dumb not to. A lot of these players earn their degrees in three years already, and they aren't going to benefit much from an extra year of college coaching.

Not everyone sees the world from a transactional viewpoint. There are many people for whom having enough is enough and for whom money is not the point of life.

Maya Moore is but one example.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Not everyone sees the world from a transactional viewpoint. There are many people for whom having enough is enough and for whom money is not the point of life.

Maya Moore is but one example.

It's a different world. Leaving early wasn't really a consideration back when Maya played. There weren't transfer portals. Kids weren't making millions as social media influencers before graduating high school as some do now. Social media was in fact just getting started in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Now there is a much greater incentive to leave school ASAP because there are more avenues from which to earn a living, and you have to strike while the iron's hot. At the end of the day, every player, from T-Law to Maya, needs to earn a living somehow, and that window to capitalize on fleeting ability is narrow.

 

[j66kicker]

It's a different world. Leaving early wasn't really a consideration back when Maya played. There weren't transfer portals. Kids weren't making millions as social media influencers before graduating high school as some do now. Social media was in fact just getting started in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Now there is a much greater incentive to leave school ASAP because there are more avenues from which to earn a living, and you have to strike while the iron's hot. At the end of the day, every player, from T-Law to Maya, needs to earn a living somehow, and that window to capitalize on fleeting ability is narrow.

Kids aren't making millions as social media influencers. Under today's rules (soon to be obsolete) if they actually took money that would compromise their amateur status and disqualify them from becoming college athletes. The estimates of their earning power are based primarily on their # followers.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Kids aren't making millions as social media influencers. Under today's rules (soon to be obsolete) if they actually took money that would compromise their amateur status and disqualify them from becoming college athletes. The estimates of their earning power are based primarily on their # followers.

Not athletes, just regular kids is what I mean. That possibility is there for any kid which was not there when Maya played.

 

[Alydar]

Easy choice for Boston. She's already proven to be a generational player...Paige might be. Also, Boston is a better fit position wise for UConn - who needs a better balance of Bigs and PGs.

Not proven. Too soon to anoint her. Generational players (like Stewart for ex.) prove it in NCAA tournaments.
I'd love to have her on UConn but not at the cost of losing Bueckers.

 

[JRRRJ]

It's a different world. Leaving early wasn't really a consideration back when Maya played. There weren't transfer portals. Kids weren't making millions as social media influencers before graduating high school as some do now. Social media was in fact just getting started in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Now there is a much greater incentive to leave school ASAP because there are more avenues from which to earn a living, and you have to strike while the iron's hot. At the end of the day, every player, from T-Law to Maya, needs to earn a living somehow, and that window to capitalize on fleeting ability is narrow.

I wasn't talking about staying for 4 years -- I was talking about quitting playing the sport she loves and was getting paid for to work on a social justice case.