Stricklen Injury

[easttexastrash]

Any updates on this? Never good to see a player carried into the locker room. This would be devastating for Tennessee if she is out for a long stretch. She is undoubtedly the glue for that team.

I am not sure that I would not take her over Nneka with the first pick in the draft. I think that Stricklen will play better in the WNBA than Nneka because she is almost as tall, can handle the ball, can take it to the hole, has a nice pull-up jumper and can shoot the 3. I think she is the most well-rounded player in college basketball.

 

[alexrgct]

I think Stricklen and Glory may well prove to be excellent WNBA pickups because the skill set is obvious and they seem like they'd both benefit from a change of scene. But Nneka is more of a sure thing.

 

[easttexastrash]

I think Stricklen and Glory may well prove to be excellent WNBA pickups because the skill set is obvious and they seem like they'd both benefit from a change of scene. But Nneka is more of a sure thing.

Johnson is so gifted physically. She will surely go high in the draft and I think will perform well at the next level. I hope she spends a lot of time practicing that 12 to 15 footer because she is likely going to play the 4 and will need that shot in her arsenal.

It will be interesting to see how much better Griner gets when she goes pro. If she has any talent around her to the point where teams can't double team her then she is going to have monster numbers. I can hardly wait to see her on the court with the best point guards in the world during the Olympics. I can only imagine her playing with Sue Bird and Lindsey Whalen, who can pass the ball. The Baylor guards still make some bad passes (too low or poor leads). If she plays with a guard that can feed her the ball where she is most effective, it will be something to watch.

 

[speedoo]

Stricklen certainly does many things well and she is long. But her defense is below average IMO. It will be interesting to see a) where she is drafted and b) whether she can really become as good an all around player as she is a good offensive player. I think Nneka is the best senior and will be drafted first.

 

[cardfan]

Stricklen certainly does many things well and she is long. But her defense is below average IMO. It will be interesting to see a) where she is drafted and b) whether she can really become as good an all around player as she is a good offensive player. I think Nneka is the best senior and will be drafted first.

Speedo is right. Nneka has shown she can hit the 15 ft foot, added more moves in the paint, and can SKY for blocks and boards. She is the best Sr. and will have great pro and Olympian career. Glory and Strick will definitely go high and have great careers in the WNBA and EU too.

 

[DaddyChoc]

ummmmm injury update?

I think Glory will go to the Storm, reason for the Cash trade JMHO

 

[pap49cba]

"Stricklen arrived on crutches with her right knee wrapped in ice. She went down after banging knees with a Vanderbilt player while going after a rebound with just about 3 minutes left. Stricklen hit the ground clutching her knee and screaming. The initial prognosis was that Stricklen suffered a sprain of her right knee. She will be re-evaluated today."
""All I remember, I was going up for the ball,'' she said. "I don't know, her knee hit my knee and I came down wrong. I probably hyperextended it but I really don't know. ... I'm not sure.""

LINK

 

[Rayvin56]

I wish Stricklen the best and hope it's only a hyperextension. With that said, I'm with alex, speedo and others--Nneka is hands my pick between the two...

 

[Sonny44]

I wish Stricklen the best and hope it's only a hyperextension. With that said, I'm with alex, speedo and others--Nneka is hands my pick between the two...

Love your avatar!

 

[EricLA]

Stricklen is not really even close to Nneka. Stricklen and Tiff are very similar in their stats, playing time, etc. aside from Parker, Catch, and to a lesser extent Lawson and Anosike, name a single former Tennessee player who's truly excelled at the next level. Hornbuckle, Jackson, Robinson, Ely, Bjorkland, Moore, and Fuller were all top 5 kids coming out of high school who all had decent to very good careers at Tennessee. for the most part, those who made it to the WNBA, not one is a consistent starter nor putting up big #'s in the W.

i'm not saying Stricklen will end up like most of those kids - role playes on whatever WNBA team takes them, but Strick's numbers are no better than Tiff's. she will probably go higher than Tiff in the draft, but there are about 5-6 kids i think will go ahead of her.

having said that, i HATE reading about injuries to players. Williams, Spani and now Stricklen. it remains to be seen how serious it is and how soon she can come back.

 

[alexrgct]

Eric, one thing to consider regarding the girls from the 2008 LV recruiting
class is that they've been through a unique set of circumstances. They came along just as a champion-tough group of young women were leaving, with a coach who may or may not have already been starting to battle her own health issues. As a result, their development may not have been what it could have, plus there has to be some mental exhaustion associated with being the scapegoats for the LVs not meeting expectations the past few years. I really think a change of scenery and some different coaching could do Stricklen and Glory a world of good. Nothing is guaranteed, but I don't think their potential has been close to tapped.

 

[HuskyNan]

Michelle Snow has had a nice pro career although her numbers are down in recent seasons.

 

[EricLA]

don't necessarily disagree Alex, but i think Stricklen is not in the same league as Nneka any more than Tiff Hayes is. i actually think Johnson has more potential than Stricklen in the WNBA. but time certainly will tell. my point is not to pick on Shekinna, especially since she's injured. it's to stop the crazy assertions that she's in the same league as Nneka, any more than Tiff is.

And yes, Nan, Snow is another one who's had a pretty decent career. as has Zolman (Crossley) when she's not been injured. but how many of those top 5 tennessee players have been consistent all stars or starters for their respective teams?

 

[easttexastrash]

don't necessarily disagree Alex, but i think Stricklen is not in the same league as Nneka any more than Tiff Hayes is. i actually think Johnson has more potential than Stricklen in the WNBA. but time certainly will tell. my point is not to pick on Shekinna, especially since she's injured. it's to stop the crazy assertions that she's in the same league as Nneka, any more than Tiff is.

And yes, Nan, Snow is another one who's had a pretty decent career. as has Zolman (Crossley) when she's not been injured. but how many of those top 5 tennessee players have been consistent all stars or starters for their respective teams?

I completely disagree. Stricklen is also deserving of first team All America honors and I think she will be better than Nneka in the pros. Nneka is going to match up against much bigger players and won't find it very easy to get to the rim, which is where most of her points come from. Stricklen will be big for a WNBA guard and will find it much easier to transition.

As far as the comparison to Hayes, there is no comparison. Stricklen is miles ahead of Hayes. Stricklen, to me, is the most versatile player in college ball and is going to be an incredible WNBA player.

I guess time will tell.

 

[bruinbball]

Stricklen, to me, is the most versatile player in college ball and is going to be an incredible WNBA player.

To you...to me, it's Kelly Faris :0)

 

[speedoo]

Holdsclaw would have been a great pro if not for her issues with depression. She was the anchor for 3 NC's for TN and basically the greatest player of the 90's. IMO a mentally healthy Holdsclaw would today be regarded right alongside Catchings, Bird, Parker and Taurasi as the best of the best in recent times. Maya will be among that group in a few years as well.

 

[speedoo]

I completely disagree. Stricklen is also deserving of first team All America honors and I think she will be better than Nneka in the pros. Nneka is going to match up against much bigger players and won't find it very easy to get to the rim, which is where most of her points come from. Stricklen will be big for a WNBA guard and will find it much easier to transition.

As far as the comparison to Hayes, there is no comparison. Stricklen is miles ahead of Hayes. Stricklen, to me, is the most versatile player in college ball and is going to be an incredible WNBA player.

I guess time will tell.

Time WILL tell.. But if you are right, that has to be a very strong indictment of the Tennessee staff, because all that versatility should certainly have at least gotten them to a couple of FF's during Stricklen's tenure.

And, you seem to be ignoring her mediocre defense.

 

[DaddyChoc]

As far as the comparison to Hayes, there is no comparison. Stricklen is miles ahead of Hayes.
I guess time will tell.

I kinda agree but I wouldnt say miles...

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I would agree that exact college success and exact WNBA success are simply not equal. Stricklin may (and I am only saying "may") make a better WNBA player than one would think. Neka "may" struggle a bit for the reason given above.

Look back through draft lists at who has flourished, who has not, and who took a time to come along and you will get a feeling for all of this.

 

[EricLA]

I completely disagree. Stricklen is also deserving of first team All America honors and I think she will be better than Nneka in the pros. Nneka is going to match up against much bigger players and won't find it very easy to get to the rim, which is where most of her points come from. Stricklen will be big for a WNBA guard and will find it much easier to transition.

As far as the comparison to Hayes, there is no comparison. Stricklen is miles ahead of Hayes. Stricklen, to me, is the most versatile player in college ball and is going to be an incredible WNBA player.

I guess time will tell.

well clearly we disagree. Stricklen has had 4 years to "prove" herself and her numbers are simply not any better than Tiff's. additionally, IIRC, even fans on the Summitt have questioned her heart and effort in some of their losses (i believe it was the last game to Kentucky where several bemoaned that only Glory and Vicki showed up and called out Stricklen). i have only seen a few tennessee games so i don't nearly have the comparison numbers that someone who's watched every game has, but per minute production, Tiff has better numbers in every single category with the exception of rebounds/game where the per 40 minute totals are 7.7 vs. 7.4.

Shekinna averages 33 minutes per game vs. 29 for Tiff. not a huge difference, but once you average in the production per minute, Tiff is better in points, assists, steals, and her assist/TO ratio is much better. so it seems the belief that somehow Shekinna is having a much better year than Tiff is completely false. it's simply a fact. now you can argue that she has more potential or something, but after 3.5 years of college, you'd think she'd somehow be achieving some of that potential. it's simply a myth that some people seem to want to perpetuate and i don't really get the reason for it.

so if you are going to say Stick is "miles" ahead of Tiff, the stats show completely the opposite. i guess you have some super secret knowledge up your sleeve that no one else does. i am constantly amazed at how little credit UCONN fans give Tiff. it's unfortunate she gets so much criticism and so little praise, relatively speaking.

 

[tennfanatic00]

well clearly we disagree. Stricklen has had 4 years to "prove" herself and her numbers are simply not any better than Tiff's. additionally, IIRC, even fans on the Summitt have questioned her heart and effort in some of their losses (i believe it was the last game to Kentucky where several bemoaned that only Glory and Vicki showed up and called out Stricklen). i have only seen a few tennessee games so i don't nearly have the comparison numbers that someone who's watched every game has, but per minute production, Tiff has better numbers in every single category with the exception of rebounds/game where the per 40 minute totals are 7.7 vs. 7.4.

Shekinna averages 33 minutes per game vs. 29 for Tiff. not a huge difference, but once you average in the production per minute, Tiff is better in points, assists, steals, and her assist/TO ratio is much better. so it seems the belief that somehow Shekinna is having a much better year than Tiff is completely false. it's simply a fact. now you can argue that she has more potential or something, but after 3.5 years of college, you'd think she'd somehow be achieving some of that potential. it's simply a myth that some people seem to want to perpetuate and i don't really get the reason for it.

so if you are going to say Stick is "miles" ahead of Tiff, the stats show completely the opposite. i guess you have some super secret knowledge up your sleeve that no one else does. i am constantly amazed at how little credit UCONN fans give Tiff. it's unfortunate she gets so much criticism and so little praise, relatively speaking.

I think when people talk about Stricklen, they admire her versatility. She can score from everywhere in the halfcourt.

The problem is, she cannot maintain a consistently high level of intensity throughout a game. She goes through patches where she loses focus (primarily on defense) and when her shot isn't falling, she lets it affect other aspects of her game.

Now, she has gotten a bit better at providing more spark this season, but she isn't where she needs to be at this juncture IMO.

I really believe that if she had played all 4 years at her natural position, she would be in the top 2-3 all time in points scored at UT.
In the right system in the pros, I think she could really excel. Lack of intensity doesn't seem to bother WNBA coaches as much as it does PHS.

 

[easttexastrash]

Let's compare the stats vs the two common top 4 teams as top tier talent is really the only way to compare the two. I allow the stats to be analyzed for what they are worth.

Stanford
Stricklen: 27 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 TOs
Hayes: 9 points, 6 assists, 13 rebounds, 1 TO

Baylor
Stricklen: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 TO
Hayes: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 TO

Hayes is typically good for about 10 points a game against higher quality teams. She had 10 points and 5 rebounds against ND. Stricklen had 22 and 9 against Rutgers, but had Hayes-like numbers against Kentucky, with 11 and 5.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Let's compare the stats vs the two common top 4 teams as top tier talent is really the only way to compare the two. I allow the stats to be analyzed for what they are worth.

Stanford
Stricklen: 27 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 TOs
Hayes: 9 points, 6 assists, 13 rebounds, 1 TO

Baylor
Stricklen: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 TO
Hayes: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 TO

really doesn't prove anything... do they have the same teammates?

 

[easttexastrash]

really doesn't prove anything... do they have the same teammates?

They are both seniors and I guess if she were capable of performing at that level then she would.

Surely as educated fans, you guys know that stepping it up a notch against high caliber talent is what defines you, not how you perform against the patsies where you get to bump up your averages.

 

[easttexastrash]

To you...to me, it's Kelly Faris :0)

If Faris were a better scorer I would entertain that discussion. But her offensive skills are too far behind those of Stricklen.