Stanford Postgame Thread

[jeff30189]

I just finished watching the second half. Nika gives up 6 inches to Brink but that's all she gives up. Just a testament to her courage & determination to do whatever it took to help her team win. And look Coach no stupid fouls!!!

I am only partially kidding when I say that, when ONO and AE get into foul trouble against Boston on Sunday night, Gene looks down the bench and says "Nika, go get her."

I'm no coach, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems like a good defense would be a post player behind Boston and a guard in front to deny entry passes and to double every time she touches the ball.

 

[DefenseBB]

I distinctly remember Tara's refusal to acknowledge Rebecca's bball talents by playing her during the olympics. My impression was that Tara and Pat S saw Geno as a party crasher into women's basketball, and he was both brash and, worse still, successful. Back then those two were THE reigning coaches.

Again, another false narrative that has been discussed on this forum many, many times. Lobo has dispelled this notion in at least 2 written articles and the fact that she was the Youngest player on that team by 2 years at age 22, should note to anyone how stacked that team was. Dawn Staley, age 27 didn’t even start. Go look at that roster, the bigs on that team-Lisa Leslie-24, Venus Lacey-29, Katrina McClain-30, Carla McGhee-28 all who had significantly more International experience. But hey, never let the truth get in the way of a good story…

 

[hoophuskee]

-Surprised the past two games Geno couldn't have figured out how to stop the drives to the basket. 1-2 more layups or fouls could have turned this game. In Geno we trust - it worked out.

If he didn't figure it out then how did UCONN win? The number 2 and number 3 ranked teams are a combination of both incompetent coaches and players?

 

[TeamFirst!]

I nearly always agree with your points, TeamFirst, but I'm a big advocate of Haley Jones, in general and that she definitely deserved All-American recognition. She is one of those players for whom the numbers sometimes don't measure up to her contributions. Last night, during a game in which her teammates all struggled, Haley had 20 and 11 against a defensively superb UConn team.

And if you remember, while agreeing Haley is not an especially good three-point shooter, at least three of those five misses were rather hurriedly hoisted up in the final minutes when Stanford absolutely had to fire up threes.

If I had my druthers (and I know I don't... LOL), Haley would join Paige, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark among the first five players I'd have on my team. The fifth? Maybe NaLyssa Smith?

I think she’s a great player but if as a guard you can’t shoot outside well or defend above average you are not an All American. She shot 27 % from 3. And I have been a huge fan of Haley. She just didn’t have a good year. Last year yes.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Haley didn’t shoot a good percentage yesterday. The should have gone to Brinks over and over.

 

[eebmg]

Haley didn’t shoot a good percentage yesterday. The should have gone to Brinks over and over.

Like Paige did.

 

[dabears17]

Again, another false narrative that has been discussed on this forum many, many times. Lobo has dispelled this notion in at least 2 written articles and the fact that she was the Youngest player on that team by 2 years at age 22, should note to anyone how stacked that team was. Dawn Staley, age 27 didn’t even start. Go look at that roster, the bigs on that team-Lisa Leslie-24, Venus Lacey-29, Katrina McClain-30, Carla McGhee-28 all who had significantly more International experience. But hey, never let the truth get in the way of a good story…

Had to do some searching online to find playing time information for the 1996 Olympics. Website is slow, but I found it here:

http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/statistics/p/lid_38165_cp/2/rpp/50/sid/2951/sp/ALL/srid/ALL/ss/PPG/tid/379/_/1996_Olympic_Games_Tournament_for_Women/player-leaders.html

Stanford's two players on the team played 10.8 and 13.1 MPG, vs Lobo's 8.9 MPG. Look at the bios of the team:

Basketball at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's team rosters - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The only recent college grad (Christian Laettner) on the 1992 Dream team only played 7.6 MPG.

Rebecca Lobo (UConn) 8.9 MPG
Katy Stedding (Stanford) 10.8 MPG
Jennifer Azzi (Stanford) 13.1 MPG
Dawn Staley 15.1 MPG
Lisa Leslie 23 MPG
Katrina McClain 22.2 MPG
Sheryl Swoopes 23.4 MPG
Ruthie Bolton 22.4 MPG
Nikki McCray 16.2 MPG
Carla McGhee 10.2 MPG
Teresa Edwards 22.8 MPG
Venus Lacy 11.9 MPG

 

[Cuango]

I have to disagree. There was no way they were overconfident. Confident yes and rightfully so. They were defending national champions and like so many previous UConn teams coming in to a final four, had earned that level of confidence. I think the Stanford players frustration or disbelief ensued from their inability to “turn it on” much like they had all year. Part of it was UConn’s dedication to making it difficult for them to execute their offense early in each possession, taking time off the clock, thus forcing them into shots their normally efficient offense avoids.

Rather than knock Stanford, this game is testament to how much UConn has grown as a team. Last year against Arizona, they didn’t play their best game, but did’t possess the will to impose themselves when their offense wasn’t clicking. This year, the growth is evident. The will is clearly there. It was a case of UConn’s will imposing themselves in a game that was offensively challenging for both teams. Evina & Nika played huge roles. Azzi had a tough game but made her free throws. Christyn struggled most of the night but responded just at the right time. Both Liv and Aaliyah performed levels above last year’s game against Arizona.

While SC is formidable, UConn can’t be counted out. There is a toughness and determination to this team. As Geno has stated many times, you don’t have to be the best team, you have to be the team that plays best that game. I have a belief that somehow they will find a way to win on Sunday. It could be another NC St type game or they can win ugly like last night.

Let’s go.

I have to disagree. I think they were overconfident. However,
I don’t see that as a “knock” on Stanford. They were clearly the favorite and would be again if they played tonight! I think, just as UConn underestimated Arizona last year, they believed this game was their’s for the taking and as the game went on and they were unable to get ahead, they became more and more frustrated. Even in the post game presser they were attributing the loss largely to their own actions rather than UConn’s defense.

 

[Cuango]

Well said. She is a class act.

Agreed! She can be classy and still despise Geno though.

 

[jazz]

I'll take credit for calling it a clunker, because that's what it was, and anyone that disagrees lives on another planet. What else do you call a game that is 39-37 after three quarters?

yes but a beautiful clunker considering the final score!

 

[oldude]

I am only partially kidding when I say that, when ONO and AE get into foul trouble against Boston on Sunday night, Gene looks down the bench and says "Nika, go get her."

I'm no coach, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems like a good defense would be a post player behind Boston and a guard in front to deny entry passes and to double every time she touches the ball.

I seem to recall in last year’s game against SC at Storrs, Nika got caught in a switch on Boston. Nika was like a pit bull, throwing her body into Boston, trying to root her out of the paint when a shot went up. It was both an amusing and inspiring sight.

 

[HopJim]

If he didn't figure it out then how did UCONN win? The number 2 and number 3 ranked teams are a combination of both incompetent coaches and players?

The past two games have seen a virtual shuttle line of opposition guards driving by their UConn defenders for layups. Jones especially was very skilled at getting through the lane most times that she wanted. How did UConn win? At times, Stanford took Jones out and stopped driving. UConn's defense held Stanford at one point to 2 for 16 (I believe this is correct) outside shooting until their 3 pointers at the end of the game. UConn made 15 of 16 foul shots. UConn executed their offense and made shots when needed. This was a response to what we want to see in the championship game. Since I don't expect Stanford to shoot 2 for 16 or UConn to make 15 straight four shots (and I expect UConn to win), I do not want to see as many SC layups, particularly knowing that Boston is there for put-backs.

 

[oldude]

The past two games have seen a virtual shuttle line of opposition guards driving by their UConn defenders for layups. Jones especially was very skilled at getting through the lane most times that she wanted. How did UConn win? At times, Stanford took Jones out and stopped driving. UConn's defense held Stanford at one point to 2 for 16 (I believe this is correct) outside shooting until their 3 pointers at the end of the game. UConn made 15 of 16 foul shots. UConn executed their offense and made shots when needed. This was a response to what we want to see in the championship game. Since I don't expect Stanford to shoot 2 for 16 or UConn to make 15 straight four shots (and I expect UConn to win), I do not want to see as many SC layups, particularly knowing that Boston is there for put-backs.

Against a really good team like Stanford or NCSt, you can’t defend everything. UConn held Stanford to 58 pts, one of their lowest totals of the season.

Haley Jones is not a guard. She is a forward with exceptional ball handling skills and a baby hook shot that is unique and extremely difficult to defend. For the most part, Jones was defended by Aaliyah.

While Jones got the better of Aaliyah a few times, Aaliyah also came up with a huge defensive play late in the 4th qtr. As Jones spun to her right in the lane, Aaliyah beat her to the spot, drawing a critical charging call on Jones. It was a great defensive play by Aaliyah and one of the biggest plays of the game.

 

[jazz]

I am only partially kidding when I say that, when ONO and AE get into foul trouble against Boston on Sunday night, Gene looks down the bench and says "Nika, go get her."

I'm no coach, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems like a good defense would be a post player behind Boston and a guard in front to deny entry passes and to double every time she touches the ball.

got to go big on big. a guard isnt enough. possible to have EW or CD as the front player too.

 

[jchusky]

Against a really good team like Stanford or NCSt, you can’t defend everything. UConn held Stanford to 58 pts, one of their lowest totals of the season.

Haley Jones is not a guard. She is a forward with exceptional ball handling skills and a baby hook shot that is unique and extremely difficult to defend. For the most part, Jones was defended by Aaliyah.

While Jones got the better of Aaliyah a few times, Aaliyah also came up with a huge defensive play late in the 4th qtr. As Jones spun to her right in the lane, Aaliyah beat her to the spot, drawing a critical charging call on Jones. It was a great defensive play by Aaliyah and one of the biggest plays of the game.

earlier this season some poster said that Brink has not lived up to her potential and after this game I agree, she was not aggressive and to me she was too passive. She could have asserted her will in this game but she didn't. Funny reminds me of another player that I hear labeled "soft" around these parts.

This game imo is going to come down to SC guards Destanni Henderson/Brea Beal/Zia Cooke if they hit their shots. If Boston gets her 20/20 that's fine, it's what the rest of the team scores that will determine this game. The thing with SC is that even if Boston gets in foul trouble they have that arsenal on the bench that is Cardozo. It's funny how things work, I remember in the offseason Cardoso coulda possibly gone to Uconn, but if she hadn't there was one school that Uconn could not afford her to go to and that was SC giving them 2 twin towers. This is the game where Dorka is really going to be missed, alltho I think Westbrook has filled in nicely when they have gone small.

 

[oldude]

earlier this season some poster said that Brink has not lived up to her potential and after this game I agree, she was not aggressive and to me she was too passive. She could have asserted her will in this game but she didn't. Funny reminds me of another player that I hear labeled "soft" around these parts.

This game imo is going to come down to SC guards Destanni Henderson/Brea Beal/Zia Cooke if they hit their shots. If Boston gets her 20/20 that's fine, it's what the rest of the team scores that will determine this game. The thing with SC is that even if Boston gets in foul trouble they have that arsenal on the bench that is Cardozo. It's funny how things work, I remember in the offseason Cardoso coulda possibly gone to Uconn, but if she hadn't there was one school that Uconn could not afford her to go to and that was SC giving them 2 twin towers. This is the game where Dorka is really going to be missed, alltho I think Westbrook has filled in nicely when they have gone small.

I absolutely agree with your take on the SC game. As for Brink, I thought she played well on offense, when her teammates got her the ball in the post. Credit to UConn’s defense for limiting her touches.

 

[BRS24]

Again, another false narrative that has been discussed on this forum many, many times. Lobo has dispelled this notion in at least 2 written articles and the fact that she was the Youngest player on that team by 2 years at age 22, should note to anyone how stacked that team was. Dawn Staley, age 27 didn’t even start. Go look at that roster, the bigs on that team-Lisa Leslie-24, Venus Lacey-29, Katrina McClain-30, Carla McGhee-28 all who had significantly more International experience. But hey, never let the truth get in the way of a good story…

IMHO, the tradition of putting a college student/recent grad on the olympic team was for some experience, projecting a future roster spot, and bridging b/w the national team and the larger player pool and younger teams. Stewie got some PT in 2016, but nothing great, and didn't complain.

If you do a player comparison with EDD or others, she didn't get as much time, but not a big deal.

FIBA Archive

 

[hoophuskee]

The past two games have seen a virtual shuttle line of opposition guards driving by their UConn defenders for layups. Jones especially was very skilled at getting through the lane most times that she wanted. How did UConn win? At times, Stanford took Jones out and stopped driving. UConn's defense held Stanford at one point to 2 for 16 (I believe this is correct) outside shooting until their 3 pointers at the end of the game. UConn made 15 of 16 foul shots. UConn executed their offense and made shots when needed. This was a response to what we want to see in the championship game. Since I don't expect Stanford to shoot 2 for 16 or UConn to make 15 straight four shots (and I expect UConn to win), I do not want to see as many SC layups, particularly knowing that Boston is there for put-backs.

If UCONN couldn't stop either team from getting in the lane then why did each team ever bother to pass the ball outside to players who couldn't hit? Again - was it it both incompetent coaching and dumb players from the number 2 and number 3 ranked teams?

I'm not arguing that they don't struggle but you are making it seem like UCONN was helpless. For example, Jones vs Edwards, Jones is quicker. Jones can elevate. There were times Edwards was right there and she just elevated with her jump shot. She is going to get in the lane. That's what makes her an A/A. She is special with the ball and her size.

 

[hoophuskee]

earlier this season some poster said that Brink has not lived up to her potential and after this game I agree,

I think what happens on here is that some UCONN fans get frustrated when their team isn't perfect and think the opposing team has all these super super players as if they are WNBA All-Stars. The opposing teams have great players and great players too but similarly the coaches are human and the players are just like UCONN - 18+ young kids that have flaws and are not pros too.

 

[UConnCat]

I think what happens on here is that some UCONN fans get frustrated when their team isn't perfect and think the opposing team has all these super super players as if they are WNBA All-Stars. The opposing teams have great players and great players too but similarly the coaches are human and the players are just like UCONN - 18+ young kids that have flaws and are not pros too.

Some of the UConn fans on this board excel as making perfection the enemy of the good.

It's exhausting.

Let's enjoy the end to what's been a rocky but fun-filled ride.