The coming battle for the National Championship

[ctfjr]

Yawn. . . Dreamers all in Palmetto country

 

[Cuango]

I share the same level of optimism as most of you as far as UConn's chances to repeat with what they are returning and what they picked up. However, it seems a lot of us are overlooking the impact that the loss of Ashlyn Watkins had on SC last year in terms of shot-blocking and rim protection and she'll be back next season. She was money in their 2024 championship run and if she can get back to close to 100% in 2026 that's not an addition for them to be taken lightly.
Also, I can't help but flash back to how UConn beat Mississippi State 98-38 in 2016 and managed to lose to them in 2017. Teams that UConn blew out (i.e., UCLA and SC) in 2025 will have a huge chip on their shoulder and it can't be taken for granted that what happened last year will automatically happen again this year.

I agree that last year’s results have no bearing on the coming year’s games and if they did, you’d have say advantage SC, UCLA, and Oklahoma. Having said that though, I just do not think that advantage, assuming it exists, is going to be enough. In other words, I just see our team as being the best team in the country as things stand now! Could things change? Sure! We’ve been down that road before (for four long years) and I’m pretty sure all UConn fans are fully aware of how quickly and ruthlessly it can all be taken away. However, based on a fully healthy roster, I’m not afraid/ashamed to say that I think we have the best team in all of women’s basketball.

 

[Charliebball]

South Carolina finally has a consistent scorer in Latson, and their frontcourt will be formidable.........I assume the NC will be won by either South Carolina, UConn, UCLA, LSU, Texas or perhaps Oklahoma.......I can't think of any other teams that are on par with these programs....

 

[Woof 101]

One little thing about this year's championship game. When Dawn wasn't hopping up and down, or screaming bomb, did she call a time out?

I could be wrong, I was once but I think she left three on the table. Not good for a coach at any level. With all due respect she was completely out of sorts and control. She took the part of one to bitch and complain about her players rather than coach them.
While a great overall record, it was a sad day in the legacy of Dawns coaching carrier.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Alisha Gray and Ty Harris may disagree with you on this point.

How'd that work out? Alisha Gray plays for Atlanta I think. Ty Harris for the Sun? Fulwiley had a team leading four assists as she makes some spectacular moves but is hardly team oriented and is someone elses problem now. For those two guards of the past, even a blind squirrel finds a chestnut now and then. It's not a guard oriented offense and even Dawn, marvelous recruiter that she is, just does not see the best guard prospects. My chief point is she's not losing any sleep over it. This from an All Star guard. May the blind spot remain hers.

 

[cancontent]

How'd that work out? Alisha Gray plays for Atlanta I think. Ty Harris for the Sun? Fulwiley had a team leading four assists as she makes some spectacular moves but is hardly team oriented and is someone elses problem now. For those two guards of the past, even a blind squirrel finds a chestnut now and then. It's not a guard oriented offense and even Dawn, marvelous recruiter that she is, just does not see the best guard prospects. My chief point is she's not losing any sleep over it. This from an All Star guard. May the blind spot remain hers.

If you're going to list her resume don't gloss over her other accomplishments like her Olympic medals, All-star nods and All-Star Skills and 3 point shooting awards. Those indicate she's a "pesky savy guard" to me, which was the point I was replying to.

The fact Coach Staley's offence isn't guard oriented is irrelevant in my opinion. Obviously Staley did something right for Gray to be at the level she is currently.

 

[Bone Dog]

There have been great guards at SC. Even recently, Raven is a good example, and Tessa could be another, depending on how she develops next season. But Dawn seems to focus more on bigger, more muscular players. I guess there’s something natural (or ironic, or both) in one of the great guards being so good at recruiting and coaching bigs, more so than littles.

 

[BobbyJ]

How'd that work out? Alisha Gray plays for Atlanta I think. Ty Harris for the Sun? Fulwiley had a team leading four assists as she makes some spectacular moves but is hardly team oriented and is someone elses problem now. For those two guards of the past, even a blind squirrel finds a chestnut now and then. It's not a guard oriented offense and even Dawn, marvelous recruiter that she is, just does not see the best guard prospects. My chief point is she's not losing any sleep over it. This from an All Star guard. May the blind spot remain hers.

To claim that Gray, Harris, Henderson, and Cooke were not "pesky savvy" guards means that you had no idea what you were watching. All were lead guards on NC teams and Henderson flat killed UConn in the 2022 NC game. Staley "sees" all the best guards in the country (Bueckers was her top priority) just like Auriemma "sees" all the best bigs. They just don't get them all.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

If you're going to list her resume don't gloss over her other accomplishments like her Olympic medals, All-star nods and All-Star Skills and 3 point shooting awards. Those indicate she's a "pesky savy guard" to me, which was the point I was replying to.

The fact Coach Staley's offence isn't guard oriented is irrelevant in my opinion. Obviously Staley did something right for Gray to be at the level she is currently.

Additionally, using the team a player plays for as a put down, is completely irrelevant since pro players do not have a transfer portal and therefore have no useful ability to control what team holds their contract.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

If you're going to list her resume don't gloss over her other accomplishments like her Olympic medals, All-star nods and All-Star Skills and 3 point shooting awards. Those indicate she's a "pesky savy guard" to me, which was the point I was replying to.

The fact Coach Staley's offence isn't guard oriented is irrelevant in my opinion. Obviously Staley did something right for Gray to be at the level she is currently.

Yes Dawn was all of those things making her not valuing the guard game all the more puzzling.

For the first time in my experience on the Board a sentence was dropped. After Fulwiley I said 5 other players had 1 assist each. 9 assists in a National championship game. The blind squirrel was a reference to the 5 players. As far as Gray, the exception can prove the rule.

 

[visitingcock]

Yes Dawn was all of those things making her not valuing the guard game all the more puzzling.

For the first time in my experience on the Board a sentence was dropped. After Fulwiley I said 5 other players had 1 assist each. 9 assists in a National championship game. The blind squirrel was a reference to the 5 players. As far as Gray, the exception can prove the rule.

We get it.
The third most accomplished coach in the game at this time is a crap coach in your opinion who has only :

• made11 straights sweet 16s ( not counting a 32-1 season (w 5 wins over top 8 teams without a tournament)
• made 5 straight Final Fours (among 7 total) during that 11 game stretch
• won 3 championships and one runnerup during that 11 game stretch.

She'll be a hell of a coach if she can ever coach a guard.

And with that, I'm outta' this thread (which is kinda turning into a bad/defend Dawn topic) before @HuskyNan boots me.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

We get it.
The third most accomplished coach in the game at this time is a crap coach in your opinion who has only :

• made11 straights sweet 16s ( not counting a 32-1 season (w 5 wins over top 8 teams) without a tournament)
• made 5 straight Final Fours (among 7 total) during that 11 game stretch
• won 3 championships and one runnerup during that 11 game stretch.

She'll be a hell of a coach if she can ever coach a guard.

And with that, I'm outta' this thread before @HuskyNan boots me.

You misunderstand me on this but I appreciate your accuracy and your loyalty. No, I believe she obviously is a coach with a gift for connecting with her player the gift that first manifests itself in her superior recruiting talents. She and Mulkey both. But the game she coaches is pretty one dimensional and it is the superior talent she recruits in that system than keeps her afloat near the top of the game. There isn't anyone with a knowledge of the game who would say she has a balanced offense with any emphasis on guard play. The dominant Big or 2 and she's a winner 'cuz it's what she knows. A health talented guard oriented team will carve her up when she doesn't have truly dominant bigs.

I'm done with this. I hate arguing on the Board. This is my happy place.

 

[mhshuskies]

Just an addendum to what I said above. Most of us, and especially me, are focusing our hopes on Blanca among the new kids and for good reason. But wouldn’t it be amazing if Kelis surprised us all by proving herself ready for D1 competition on day one? I mean, we have a pretty good idea what Azzi KK Ash and Kayleigh will bring. And Kelis is still a mystery, as most freshmen are before they’ve had a chance to show what they’ve got.

And in the same vein, I’m not expecting great things from Gandy. But her raw athleticism could well provoke all the front court players to up their games. If she pressures all of them to play their best in practice, that could be wonderful.

There have only been a handful of freshmen that have had very significant contributions so I would not put great expectations on any of the three. I would expect more impact from all the other twelve, with the caveat of those returning from injury, than any of the freshmen.

 

[Geew1992]

There have been great guards at SC. Even recently, Raven is a good example, and Tessa could be another, depending on how she develops next season. But Dawn seems to focus more on bigger, more muscular players. I guess there’s something natural (or ironic, or both) in one of the great guards being so good at recruiting and coaching bigs, more so than littles.

Raven??? Not with that offensive game

 

[Cuango]

To be fair, very few people would call Raven a “great guard.”

 

[donalddoowop]

To be fair, very few people would call Raven a “great guard.”

When I saw her in high school, I thought she was going to be great. Being injured her freshman season did not help.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

There have only been a handful of freshmen that have had very significant contributions so I would not put great expectations on any of the three. I would expect more impact from all the other twelve, with the caveat of those returning from injury, than any of the freshmen.

Well I would not rule out another dose of lightning in a bottle. Not after Sarah. Yeah, she was number 1, but she didn't perform like a number 1. She didn't perform like any number. So the rules may just be out the window. Maybe one of the best parts of this game.

 

[Bone Dog]

To be fair, very few people would call Raven a “great guard.”

Raven is a great player. She’s just not a great scorer, but in every other aspect of the PG position she excels: assists, defense, rebounding and generally running the team at both ends. As I recall, Geno had someone named Nika with a similar skill set.

 

[Bone Dog]

As for UCLA, Lauren Betts just had her best season yet, by a significant margin, and I expect she'll surpass it next season, if only because her sister will be by her side. What I mean is, Sienna will probably get some minutes and I expect great things from her down the road. But her most important contribution next season may be moral support for Lauren who has gone on record about her struggles with depression over the last few seasons. Having her sister near may give her an important emotional boost. A fully engaged, happy Lauren Betts could be pretty amazing.

The only real question for me is whether Kiki can become the leader this team needs. She has all the physical skills, but whether she can be the PG for a championship team is still an open question. She'll have another important weapon in Kneepkens alongside Betts, Dugalic, Gardner and Jaquez. Now can she use her to best advantage?

I know some folks think Leger-Walker will completely change the picture at UCLA, but I really don't see it. Her best seasons at WSU aren't as good as Kiki's, though she's scored more. But that is mainly because she was the primary scorer on the team. It doesn't tell us much about how her skills as a PG will fit at UCLA, which is loaded with better scoring options than her. She was also used to getting >36 minutes at WSU, which will definitely not happen at UCLA. Kiki got 28 mins last season, and I expect that to continue, which means ~12 mins for Leger-Walker. Whatever she adds to UCLA will probably have to happen in those reduced minutes as the backup PG. And she has no experience piloting a top-4 team through the tournament.

 

[Geew1992]

As for UCLA, Lauren Betts just had her best season yet, by a significant margin, and I expect she'll surpass it next season, if only because her sister will be by her side. What I mean is, Sienna will probably get some minutes and I expect great things from her down the road. But her most important contribution next season may be moral support for Lauren who has gone on record about her struggles with depression over the last few seasons. Having her sister near may give her an important emotional boost. A fully engaged, happy Lauren Betts could be pretty amazing.

The only real question for me is whether Kiki can become the leader this team needs. She has all the physical skills, but whether she can be the PG for a championship team is still an open question. She'll have another important weapon in Kneepkens alongside Betts, Dugalic, Gardner and Jaquez. Now can she use her to best advantage?

I know some folks think Leger-Walker will completely change the picture at UCLA, but I really don't see it. Her best seasons at WSU aren't as good as Kiki's, though she's scored more. But that is mainly because she was the primary scorer on the team. It doesn't tell us much about how her skills as a PG will fit at UCLA, which is loaded with better scoring options than her. She was also used to getting >36 minutes at WSU, which will definitely not happen at UCLA. Kiki got 28 mins last season, and I expect that to continue, which means ~12 mins for Leger-Walker. Whatever she adds to UCLA will probably have to happen in those reduced minutes as the backup PG. And she has no experience piloting a top-4 team through the tournament.

The 2025-2026 season will tell use exactly what kind of coach Close really is

 

[Bone Dog]

The 2025-2026 season will tell use exactly what kind of coach Close really is

I think Cori may have been the perfect coach for Lauren just because she seems to be very kind, and that may have been just what she needed.

 

[MSGRET]

We get it.
The third most accomplished coach in the game at this time is a crap coach in your opinion who has only :

• made11 straights sweet 16s ( not counting a 32-1 season (w 5 wins over top 8 teams without a tournament)
• made 5 straight Final Fours (among 7 total) during that 11 game stretch
• won 3 championships and one runnerup during that 11 game stretch.

She'll be a hell of a coach if she can ever coach a guard.

And with that, I'm outta' this thread (which is kinda turning into a bad/defend Dawn topic) before @HuskyNan boots me.

1. UConn has made the Sweet Sixteen every year since the 1993-94 season, that's 32 straight years.

2. Has made the Elite Eight in 29 of the last 32 years.

3. Advanced to the Final Four 22 of the last 32 years.

4. Appeared in 13 Championship games including their first National Title in the 94-95 season winning 12 of them.

5. The only loss in the Championship game was to SC in MN with the Huskies missing their starting center Dorka after she broke her wrist in the Final Four.

 

[visitingcock]

1. UConn has made the Sweet Sixteen every year since the 1993-94 season, that's 32 straight years.

2. Has made the Elite Eight in 29 of the last 32 years.

3. Advanced to the Final Four 22 of the last 32 years.

4. Appeared in 13 Championship games including their first National Title in the 94-95 season winning 12 of them.

5. The only loss in the Championship game was to SC in MN with the Huskies missing their starting center Dorka after she broke her wrist in the Final Four.

Uh.?? Yes. , all true.

I think I acknowledged the fact that Geno is the greatest coach that ever lived. That was not what my post was about. My response was to those few insinuating that Dawn is a crap coach who, particularly , can’t coach guards. And I only asserted that Dawn is the “third most accomplished” coach today.

Am I wrong?

This time I’m really out of the thread.

 

[Cuango]

The 2025-2026 season will tell use exactly what kind of coach Close really is

I think 2024-25 and many seasons before that have already shown us what kind of coach she is and I must say, it’s not pretty. She is clearly not a top tier coach. She has underachieved throughout her time at UCLA and notwithstanding their run to the final four, she did so again last year. She will have a tremendously talented roster next season with Bettsx2, Rice, Kneepkens, and Leger-walker. Perhaps so talented that they win it all in spite of Close, but I doubt it.

 

[cancontent]

1. UConn has made the Sweet Sixteen every year since the 1993-94 season, that's 32 straight years.

2. Has made the Elite Eight in 29 of the last 32 years.

3. Advanced to the Final Four 22 of the last 32 years.

4. Appeared in 13 Championship games including their first National Title in the 94-95 season winning 12 of them.

5. The only loss in the Championship game was to SC in MN with the Huskies missing their starting center Dorka after she broke her wrist in the Final Four.

Dorka's injury happened before the Final Four, not during. It happened against NC State.

 

[oldude]

1. UConn has made the Sweet Sixteen every year since the 1993-94 season, that's 32 straight years.

2. Has made the Elite Eight in 29 of the last 32 years.

3. Advanced to the Final Four 22 of the last 32 years.

4. Appeared in 13 Championship games including their first National Title in the 94-95 season winning 12 of them.

5. The only loss in the Championship game was to SC in MN with the Huskies missing their starting center Dorka after she broke her wrist in the Final Four.

On that loss to SC, I have always acknowledged that SC was the better team. But at the same time, I would have loved to see UConn completely healthy in that game with Geno’s ability to prepare a team to play its best in the biggest game.

You mention Dorka, who was a big loss. But UConn’s injuries and illness for that championship game went well beyond Dorka. Azzi was sick as a dog and hadn’t practiced for several days. She tried to play, but was ineffective. Liv was nursing a pulled hamstring. As a result, she couldn’t brace herself when boxing out against SC’s bigs and UConn was overwhelmed on the boards. Finally, E injured her leg early in the 1st half and was also ineffective.

SC was certainly a deserving champion. But we will never know what the outcome might have been if a healthy UConn team had shown up.

 

[HopJim]

Not sure I’d claim that. Dawn is the only coach to beat Geno in the championship and prior to this year won 5 of the last 6 head to head.

Old Dude's assessment is spot on and applies to South Carolina's rare losses from UConn AND other teams. Spread the floor, play up tempo and tough defense. Recency bias says that after several years of SC dominance that the trend may be moving back UConn's way, but Dawn's teams are well coached and she has done an outstanding job of recruiting the past 10+ years. Mark SC down as a top 5 team and hope we get the opportunity to play them in the Final 4.

 

[MSGRET]

Dorka's injury happened before the Final Four, not during. It happened against NC State.

Brainfart!

 

[MooseJaw]

I think Cori may have been the perfect coach for Lauren just because she seems to be very kind, and that may have been just what she needed.

wisdom my friend, I agree 100%. Players need different things, some need a drill instructor, some need a cheerleader. A good coach should know what their players need and motivate accordingly. The best coaches recruit players that they feel fit their program. Glad Lauren found the right coach for her.

 

[Cuango]

If you're going to list her resume don't gloss over her other accomplishments like her Olympic medals, All-star nods and All-Star Skills and 3 point shooting awards. Those indicate she's a "pesky savy guard" to me, which was the point I was replying to.

The fact Coach Staley's offence isn't guard oriented is irrelevant in my opinion. Obviously Staley did something right for Gray to be at the level she is currently.

Although she is most definitely not my cup of tea, I have mad respect for Dawn’s accomplishments both as a player and a coach. Her results speak for themselves. However, to be fair here, Gray played two years for Sylvia Hatchell before she went to SC. She then played one year under Dawn at SC. She has now been in the W for nine years and is having, by far, her best season this year. Perhaps Hatchell had some influence? Or, maybe, just maybe, she has simply gotten better after nine years as a Pro!

I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that Dawn’s strengths as a coach so far are recruiting, front court dominance and program development. Like Pat Summit, she has developed a system that relies greatly on intimidating defense, front court dominance, and physical superiority. Guards in her program are usually not the stars but rather are there as defensive support for the front court. That is why it is going to be extremely interesting to see how this “Latson” experiment is going to go.