The Guru: Geno and EDD together at last

[pap49cba]

Mel Greenberg ‏@womhoopsguru 3h
#NCAAW #USAWBB #WNBA Together at last: Geno and Elena: -- She's got the invite to go to Vegas for USA training next week.

 

[easttexastrash]

There are some on the Baylor board saying that BG chose not to play in the Olympics because she did not want to play for Geno. I cannot imagine that to be the truth. Has anyone ever heard that? This was the first I had heard of it and can't believe it to be true because they really seemed to have clicked with their personalities, with BG even going to Geno's home town with him.

 

[HGN]

I haven't heard that or read it anywhere........However, the thought that she just didn't want to play for Geno at the 2012 Olympics did cross my mind. Probably nothing against Geno , just didn't want to give him too much intel on her strengths and weaknesses while still playing for Baylor was my thought. But I can't imagine that she will give up the opportunity in the upcoming Games. She's older , more mature , and probably realizes that such opportunities don't come along too often.

 

[Blakeon18]

Griner has never played for any USABasketball teams in international competition. That strikes me as beyond curious.
Maybe she didn't want to play for any of the age group coaches who would have been involved. Yeah...right!

 

[bruinbball]

Griner played for Geno on the 2011 US National Team European tour, so I doubt that was really a factor. They seemed to hit it off per some articles. http://www.usab.com/womens/national/11_wnt_euro_stats.html

 

[Icebear]

Nope, just myth making by folks who don't have a clue.

 

[Blakeon18]

Bruin: I will stand corrected if I am wrong....but that tour was composed of exhibition games. Not official FIBA sponsored competition. If a minor leaguer for the Red Sox plays in a spring training game in Ft. Myers but never during the regular season, he never played for the Red Sox in a game that counted.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Mel Greenberg ‏@womhoopsguru 3h
#NCAAW #USAWBB #WNBA Together at last: Geno and Elena: -- She's got the invite to go to Vegas for USA training next week.

New summertime record. First reply post went somewhere else. Or you meant Griner, right?

 

[DobbsRover2]

Bruin: I will stand corrected if I am wrong....but that tour was composed of exhibition games. Not official FIBA sponsored competition. If a minor leaguer for the Red Sox plays in a spring training game in Ft. Myers but never during the regular season, he never played for the Red Sox in a game that counted.

But still playing under Geno, no?

I thought this subject had been discussed to death months ago after some ETT (or other Baylor fan) comments about the 2012 Olympics, and it was thrown back to him that Griner had stated that she needed to be near home then because her mother was undergoing a long period of illness and that Griner needed to catch up on schoolwork by taking summer courses. I think we sometimes forget that these athletes are also students and that the sports demands both inside and outside of college can cause some setbacks on time spent in classrooms.

 

[DriveLH]

Has anyone thought that Griner didn't go because of Mulkey? I'm wondering after all of the changes since Griner graduated.

 

[Icebear]

Cat, that pretty much says it all doesn't it.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Geno will work Elena hard and get her to shore up her weaknesses. But in games, he'll do everything to play to her strengths. I fully expect to see her in Rio in 2016. God willing, I will literally see her there.

This thread was about EDD, n'est-ce pas?

 

[meyers7]

Mel Greenberg ‏@womhoopsguru 3h
#NCAAW #USAWBB #WNBA Together at last: Geno and Elena: -- She's got the invite to go to Vegas for USA training next week.

Damn! Vegas? Now we'll never know what goes on at this training camp.

 

[easttexastrash]

Geno will work Elena hard and get her to shore up her weaknesses. But in games, he'll do everything to play to her strengths. I fully expect to see her in Rio in 2016. God willing, I will literally see her there.

This thread was about EDD, n'est-ce pas?

This thread was also about the USA WBB. Sorry that it did not remain on course to your liking.

I think it will be interesting to see if EDD and BG develop enough to be on the team. BG was hampered by injuries and is still adjusting to the speed of the WNBA, which I think accounts for a lot of her foul trouble. EDD had a great season but was fairly ineffective in the second half of each playoff game, providing little offensive support to her team.

I would love to see Geno get to work with both.

 

[MilfordHusky]

This thread was also about the USA WBB. Sorry that it did not remain on course to your liking.

I think it will be interesting to see if EDD and BG develop enough to be on the team. BG was hampered by injuries and is still adjusting to the speed of the WNBA, which I think accounts for a lot of her foul trouble. EDD had a great season but was fairly ineffective in the second half of each playoff game, providing little offensive support to her team.

I would love to see Geno get to work with both.

Relax, ETT. I forgot the smiley face.

Yes, Griner, with all her talent, is a big topic. But Elena's history with UConn plus her talent is probably a bigger story. Especially to the Philly-based Guru and many BYers.

 

[easttexastrash]

Despite what happened with EDD at UCONN, I can only imagine that Geno is really looking forward to working with her. She has such a beautiful game and I am sure that there will be some "what if" converstaion between them at some point.

 

[Rb335]

This may come as a surprise, but IMO Griner does not make the Olympic squad at the current moment. I think her play in the WNBA has shown where she stands against top competition. I know her knee has slowed her down, but I wasn't as impressed with her rookie campaign as the hype. Yes, she has had a great rookie season but I don't think she is a top 15 American basketball player just yet. That could change by 2016 of course.
Whalen, Taurasi, Moore, Bird, Fowles, EDD, Parker, Augustus, McCoughtrey, Charles, Ogwumike, Catchings, Brunson, and a handful of college players have a chance at 2016 as a short list. Lots of competition.

 

[easttexastrash]

Relax, ETT. I forgot the smiley face.

Yes, Griner, with all her talent, is a big topic. But Elena's history with UConn plus her talent is probably a bigger story. Especially to the Philly-based Guru and many BYers.

Agreed...it is very intriguing and I would love to be a fly on the wall to see that.

 

[easttexastrash]

This may come as a surprise, but IMO Griner does not make the Olympic squad at the current moment. I think her play in the WNBA has shown where she stands against top competition. I know her knee has slowed her down, but I wasn't as impressed with her rookie campaign as the hype. Yes, she has had a great rookie season but I don't think she is a top 15 American basketball player just yet. That could change by 2016 of course.
Whalen, Taurasi, Moore, Bird, Fowles, EDD, Parker, Augustus, McCoughtrey, Charles, Ogwumike, Catchings, Brunson, and a handful of college players have a chance at 2016 as a short list. Lots of competition.

Hopefully she will be like Stewart was this year...where she has an "ok" season and then kicks some major ass the rest of the way.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Despite what happened with EDD at UCONN, I can only imagine that Geno is really looking forward to working with her. She has such a beautiful game and I am sure that there will be some "what if" converstaion between them at some point.

Geno doesn't like "what ifs," but others will be asking. Tina Charles, Maya Moore, and Elena DelleDonne, plus supporting cast, could have rewritten the record books even more than the UConn teams did.

I forgot the exact quote, but when EDD submitted her LOI, Geno went on record as saying that she had more ability to score from certain places on the floor than anyone he had ever seen.

 

[easttexastrash]

This may come as a surprise, but IMO Griner does not make the Olympic squad at the current moment. I think her play in the WNBA has shown where she stands against top competition. I know her knee has slowed her down, but I wasn't as impressed with her rookie campaign as the hype. Yes, she has had a great rookie season but I don't think she is a top 15 American basketball player just yet. That could change by 2016 of course.
Whalen, Taurasi, Moore, Bird, Fowles, EDD, Parker, Augustus, McCoughtrey, Charles, Ogwumike, Catchings, Brunson, and a handful of college players have a chance at 2016 as a short list. Lots of competition.

And I agree about Brunson. I really felt that she was robbed this past year by not being selected.

Age may be a factor for Bird and Catching by then.

 

[meyers7]

Whalen, Taurasi, Moore, Bird, Fowles, EDD, Parker, Augustus, McCoughtrey, Charles, Ogwumike, Catchings, Brunson, and a handful of college players have a chance at 2016 as a short list. Lots of competition.

Yea, lot's of talent, but she is not competing with all of them. She's a 5 and is competing with Charles, Fowles, Appel, maybe Dolson, Williams, Langhorne, Vaughn??? They will take 2-3 for that position. 2012 it was Charles, Fowles and Jones as a 5/4.

If healthy, I think Charles and Fowles are locks. Charles can play the 4 some too.

 

[ChicagoGG]

I am sure it must be an oversight, but I just read JA's item in the Courant blogs, and EDD's name is not in the article about camp invites....but interestingly, Cappy is on the list...

 

[UConnCat]

I am sure it must be an oversight, but I just read JA's item in the Courant blogs, and EDD's name is not in the article about camp invites....but interestingly, Cappy is on the list...

In another thread I linked the USA BB press release which of course includes EDD's name. Who knows what's going on with JA but his blog is not the first place I'd go for accurate information.

 

[UcMiami]

On Griner's pro career - Phoenix was in a world of hurt the first half just playing terrible ball and ignoring Griner. When they fired the coach things started to turn but by then Griner had a bad wheel, so I think it was a no-win situation for BG. With a good system and a disciplined and very talented National team roster I think Griner would thrive. I am pretty sure that Geno wanted her on the team this past year and I am pretty sure health permitting she will be on both the WC and Olympic teams.
EDD playing for Geno will definitely be fun.