Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before

[Orangutan]

USA Basketball continues search for Sue Bird's successor

You have to appreciate Sue's longevity. I feel like this same article will come out once a year until about 2040 at this rate

 

[BostonCanuck]

Such a shame about Moriah Jefferson's recent injury problems. Had she stayed healthy, I believe she would have been the definitive front-runner to succeed Sue in this regard. The timing would have been perfect, too. As it is, her absence did create a void for USA Basketball, with no obvious solution yet in sight. Under the circumstances, it's good that Sue seems ready to remain, maybe even long enough to compete in another Olympics. More time is probably just what is needed for this to shake out properly.

 

[CocoHusky]

 

[CocoHusky]

Regarding Sue replacement on the national team one person who seems to have fallen out of consideration is Odyssey Sims who actually made the 2014 World Championship team beating out Skylar Diggins among others. Any insight into why no Odyssey even at the trials.

 

[paisan]

Regarding Sue replacement on the national team one person who seems to have fallen out of consideration is Odyssey Sims who actually made the 2014 World Championship team beating out Skylar Diggins among others. Any insight into why no Odyssey even at the trials.

I believe she is more shooter than set up guard

 

[CocoHusky]

I believe she is more shooter than set up guard

Probably but I was more interested in why she seems to have dropped out of the selection process altogether after making a World Championship team.

 

[JordyG]

Such a shame about Moriah Jefferson's recent injury problems. Had she stayed healthy, I believe she would have been the definitive front-runner to succeed Sue in this regard. The timing would have been perfect, too. As it is, her absence did create a void for USA Basketball, with no obvious solution yet in sight. Under the circumstances, it's good that Sue seems ready to remain, maybe even long enough to compete in another Olympics. More time is probably just what is needed for this to shake out properly.

There's still time for Moriah. It ain't over.

 

[Orangutan]

Regarding Sue replacement on the national team one person who seems to have fallen out of consideration is Odyssey Sims who actually made the 2014 World Championship team beating out Skylar Diggins among others. Any insight into why no Odyssey even at the trials.

She was listed among those "unable to participate in camp due to injury or other commitments". The nature of that injury or other commitment is not apparent to me. She played in Turkey last year but only through December. If she is carrying an injury, I can't find it reported anywhere.

 

[meyers7]

Just hand the keys to Jefferson already. Geez, how hard is it? Hell even this board figured that out. (see PG poll)

 

[bballnut90]

Some of the top candidates I’d pick would be Vandersloot, Gray, Diggins and Jefferson. Ionescu could be a candidate for 2020 if she continues to tear it up and gets national team experience.

2020 looks like it will probably be the first Olympic roster without a Tennessee player since before Pat Summitt ever coached a game. Another “streak” or record that likely ends in the Holly era.

 

[CocoHusky]

Some of the top candidates I’d pick would be Vandersloot, Gray, Diggins and Jefferson. Ionescu could be a candidate for 2020 if she continues to tear it up and gets national team experience.
2020 looks like it will probably be the first Olympic roster without a Tennessee player since before Pat Summitt ever coached a game. Another “streak” or record that likely ends in the Holly era.

Courtney took herself out of USA basketball consideration by joining the Hungarian National team.
Courtney Vandersloot now a part of Hungary’s national team program
Gray and Jefferson have not been healthy enough to have a fighting chance with one of these teams.
Always though the guard spot would go to Odyssey, KMac or Skylar. Also think KLS is well ahead of Ionescu for USA basketball National team consideration and would have easily taken the spot that Kelsey Mitchell took for this exhibition against China.

 

[Orangutan]

Some of the top candidates I’d pick would be Vandersloot, Gray, Diggins and Jefferson. Ionescu could be a candidate for 2020 if she continues to tear it up and gets national team experience.

2020 looks like it will probably be the first Olympic roster without a Tennessee player since before Pat Summitt ever coached a game. Another “streak” or record that likely ends in the Holly era.

Sadly Vandersloot is Hungarian now. If you ever see a post by me that says "I hear Budapest is nice this time of year" that's what I mean. I thought she would have been perfect for USAB as a pass-first player.

Diggins looked okay last night but was the PG for USA's worst stretch. Clarendon was probably a little bit better. I want to see what a healthy MoJeff can do with USAB. Ionescu is an interesting one. I wonder if USAB sees her more as a point guard or as an off guard.

 

[Orangutan]

Always though the guard spot would go to Odyssey, KMac or Skylar.

KMac is little bit different than the other two. Hopefully the powers that be took note that she was the leading scorer in EuroLeague this year. I would like to see her stay healthy and carry that form over to the WNBA. It helps that Wilson gives the Aces a legit front court talent to take some pressure off the guards.

 

[CocoHusky]

Sadly Vandersloot is Hungarian now. If you ever see a post by me that says "I hear Budapest is nice this time of year" that's what I mean. I thought she would have been perfect for USAB as a pass-first player.

Diggins looked okay last night but was the PG for USA's worst stretch. Clarendon was probably a little bit better. I want to see what a healthy MoJeff can do with USAB. Ionescu is an interesting one. I wonder if USAB sees her more as a point guard or as an off guard.

Maybe I'm the only one but I have given up on the idea that the next guard(s) for USA basketball needs to be a "pass first" type PG. And to a certain extent I think that is why Vandersloot did not work out. At the international level you have to be primarily a scoring threat, Sue Bird and Lindsay Whalen certainly were. The other players on the team with very few exception are good enough to create their own shot and are good enough passers to hit open teammates. Just don't think you need a traditional PG as much as you need scoring threats. That is why I like Skylar, Kmac and KLS as the future guards for USA basketball.

 

[Orangutan]

Maybe I'm the only one but I have given up on the idea that the next guard(s) for USA basketball needs to be a "pass first" type PG. And to a certain extent I think that is why Vandersloot did not work out. At the international level you have to be primarily a scoring threat, Sue Bird and Lindsay Whalen certainly were. The other players on the team with very few exception are good enough to create their own shot and are good enough passers to hit open teammates. Just don't think you need a traditional PG as much as you need scoring threats. That is why I like Skylar, Kmac and KLS as the future guards for USA basketball.

I don't think that the point guard for USAB needs to be "pass-first" either but that's always been the argument against Diggins. Vandersloot scored 13.7 pts/36 last year. Sue Bird's career pts/36? 13.7. Sloot is enough of a scoring threat to keep defenses honest while at the same time being one of the best facilitators in the world. But anyway that's in the past.

I'm certainly in favor of Skylar, KMac and Lou as well.

 

[Undercovervol]

Maybe I'm the only one but I have given up on the idea that the next guard(s) for USA basketball needs to be a "pass first" type PG. And to a certain extent I think that is why Vandersloot did not work out. At the international level you have to be primarily a scoring threat, Sue Bird and Lindsay Whalen certainly were. The other players on the team with very few exception are good enough to create their own shot and are good enough passers to hit open teammates. Just don't think you need a traditional PG as much as you need scoring threats. That is why I like Skylar, Kmac and KLS as the future guards for USA basketball.

I agree, Sue Bird is a great player, but she's still a better passer than scorer, and it seems like this is what is necessary to form a cohesive unit with so many talented scorers. In that sense Mo Jefferson should be the successor.

 

[UConnCat]

Maybe I'm the only one but I have given up on the idea that the next guard(s) for USA basketball needs to be a "pass first" type PG. And to a certain extent I think that is why Vandersloot did not work out. At the international level you have to be primarily a scoring threat, Sue Bird and Lindsay Whalen certainly were. The other players on the team with very few exception are good enough to create their own shot and are good enough passers to hit open teammates. Just don't think you need a traditional PG as much as you need scoring threats. That is why I like Skylar, Kmac and KLS as the future guards for USA basketball.

I think there's some misunderstanding about what "pass-first" means in the context of USA BB. As you said, Sue Bird has always been a scoring threat. I'm not sure there's any player in WNBA history who has hit more big shots than Sue Bird. I think "pass first" in the context of USA BB means are you comfortable being the 5th scoring option on the floor? Are you comfortable being asked to organize the team, initiate the offense and make big shots when other options might not be available? Can you play effectively in an offense in which you're not dominating the ball and either scoring or assisting? That's the issue for Diggins. Both in college and the pros, she has more or less dominated the ball and led her team in scoring except for maybe a couple of years. She has to play differently for USA BB and it's not as easy a transition as some think to change what you've always done. The other question is how will she play under duress. She's played in one playoff game since college. She doesn't play overseas.

 

[dogged1]

Maybe I'm the only one but I have given up on the idea that the next guard(s) for USA basketball needs to be a "pass first" type PG. And to a certain extent I think that is why Vandersloot did not work out. At the international level you have to be primarily a scoring threat, Sue Bird and Lindsay Whalen certainly were. The other players on the team with very few exception are good enough to create their own shot and are good enough passers to hit open teammates. Just don't think you need a traditional PG as much as you need scoring threats. That is why I like Skylar, Kmac and KLS as the future guards for USA basketball.

Why is that? From what I've seen (at the college level ), Geno prefers that all positions have the ability to score, but we have seen him use a traditional point guard, shooting guard combo over and over. Is there a rule difference or is it a competitive difference that makes it a necessity at the international level?

 

[CocoHusky]

Why is that? From what I've seen (at the college level ), Geno prefers that all positions have the ability to score, but we have seen him use a traditional point guard, shooting guard combo over and over. Is there a rule difference or is it a competitive difference that makes it a necessity at the international level?

As far as the why I think you have it pretty much correct it is strictly a matter of the competitive difference -meaning that a weakness, no matter how small, gets magnified the higher you go in competition. Very similar to Moriah Jefferson as a sophomore where teams would play off of her and dare her to beat them from distance. No team executed that strategic successfully in her sophomore but many teams tried it.
This whole discussion is about USA basketball in the post Sue Bird era which also happens to be the post Geno era. It really not much debate if you have Sue Bird you use her because she gives you the best of all possible worlds. But in the search for Sue's replacement I want to make sure we are not locked into finding a "clone" of Sue. I like @UConnCat explanation of what USA basketball is looking for: "Can you play effectively in an offense in which you're not dominating the ball and either scoring or assisting?" Even with that being the standard though I think USA basketball could have committed to Courtney, Odyssey, Skylar in 2014 or Kmac by 2016 as a young pipeline guard. As things stand right now USA basketball is looking at integrating possibly 2 guards into the 2020 Olympic team-BOTH of which might have to start.

 

[dogged1]

As far as the why I think you have it pretty much correct it is strictly a matter of the competitive difference -meaning that a weakness, no matter how small, gets magnified the higher you go in competition. Very similar to Moriah Jefferson as a sophomore where teams would play off of her and dare her to beat them from distance. No team executed that strategic successfully in her sophomore but many teams tried it.
This whole discussion is about USA basketball in the post Sue Bird era which also happens to be the post Geno era. It really not much debate if you have Sue Bird you use her because she gives you the best of all possible worlds. But in the search for Sue's replacement I want to make sure we are not locked into finding a "clone" of Sue. I like @UConnCat explanation of what USA basketball is looking for: "Can you play effectively in an offense in which you're not dominating the ball and either scoring or assisting?" Even with that being the standard though I think USA basketball could have committed to Courtney, Odyssey, Skylar in 2014 or Kmac by 2016 as a young pipeline guard. As things stand right now USA basketball is looking at integrating possibly 2 guards into the 2020 Olympic team-BOTH of which might have to start.

Enlightening, as always. Thanks