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Message: [QUOTE="RegisteredUconn, post: 4124020, member: 1477"] [I]As usual, Paige was Paige. I may mention this all year, but anyone who left her out of the NPOY discussion in favor of "others" seriously had a screw loose. Did they think she was great by accident last season? That her play all year long was an aberration or luck?[/I] I was one of the naysayers, Eric. But in answer to your question, I didn't think her absence from the NPOY discussion would be attributed to Paige not being Paige. (I may, in fact, have a screw loose but that's a thread for another day.) One of the characteristics that makes Paige outstanding is that she's mutable. She does so many things so well she can't be pigeonholed. I felt her characteristic unselfishness (a requirement to be the team leader she is) would cost her points on a team chock full of "shooters" (yes, I drank the Boneyard Kool-Aid). Scoring (almost) always tops the list of attributes that make a basketball player great. Diminished scoring diminishes a player's chances of being NPOY. My reasoning was that simple. Those shooters seem to be struggling at the moment, especially from downtown and the foul stripe. If we don't figure those things out, they will cost us games (yes, plural) this year...unless the defense can dominate talented teams (something not demonstrated thus far). Last evening, for example, poor shooting (<19% on 3's and 60% on free throws conservatively cost us 15 points. That's almost a full quarter's output. It's tough to outscore good teams when you spot them 15 points. Thus far, shooting struggles have forced Paige to be the scorer she was last year and that, together with last year's performance) has rewarded her with the "pole position" in this year's NPOY race. If the shooters are making shots in practice, we are one final click away from the combination that unlocks this team. Unlocked, we are a 90 ppg offensive beast. Unlocked, Paige can become more the facilitator she desires to be. Paige is a natural manager, a person who accomplishes things by directing the efforts of others, by putting them in a position where success is inevitable. If not, NPOY is hers to lose. [/QUOTE]

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