The New Dynasties

[Billybonggg]

Looking glumly into space as their careers wound down, it had to dawn on Brittany Griner and Skylar Diggins that their net championships were one and zero. The new dynasty is US! Some observations from the championship game: Bria Hartley's blazing speed alone totally neutralized Louisville's press. BTW, Louisville actually played a good game. They had some great interior passing and had us worried for a while. We were simply in the zone. We didn't get a fair shake from the refs, but I still think we're better off now than the June Courteau/ Sally Bell generation. We should be anticipating a repeat treatment to Stewie that DT finally got. She was bumped around repeatedly and the refs got tired of blowing the whistle. Kiah Stokes blocks a lot of shots for the minutes she gets. KML is both stronger and quicker than she looks. Morgan Tuck has some very slick moves around the hoop. Mo Jeff's quickness at times was startling. Stephanie Dolson was simply a warrior. We get Banks back, and Chong will be intersting. She was underneath everyone's radar but ours, since her AAU team didn't play in a league the recruiting services follow.

 

[vtcwbuff]

UConn is not a "new" dynasty. The UConn dynasty is nearly 20 years old. It began in 1995 and it shows no signs of weakening.

8 National Championships
14 Final Fours
18 Thirty win seasons
647-52 Win Loss record

 

[EricLA]

I tend to agree vtcw, but I think the OP was talking about going forward. It's fun to speculate about our future the next few years. There's no real end in sight. Sure we missed out on most of our targets for 2013, but we essentially get 3 new kids (2 new - Pope and Chong, and one back - Banks). 2014 is already shaping up to be a phenomenal recruiting year - 1 kid who I think is under rated in Edwards, and 2 legit top 10 kids in Ekmark and Williams. If we land Wilson, I think it's fair to expect our unprecedented string of straight final 4's to continue for years to come.

Even if we don't land Wilson, were we to land 2 of the Westbeld, Calhoun, Rooks, Drummer quartet, we'd still have a fantastic class.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I'm interested in seeing what UNC and Duke are able to accomplish in the next four years. Both have deep benches with plenty of talent that should enable them to get to the Final Four. If they get to the Final Four then who knows what happens.

UNC is young and have to give them a couple of years to see if this years Recruiting Class is as good as advertised. IMHO with the talent that Duke has, they should reach the Final Four for the next two years as long as they don't end up in UConn's bracket. However, with that said, they have to be able to play a competitive game against UConn at some point and time. After Duke & UNC, have to consider that Stanford & Notre Dame will continue to field good teams capable of getting to the Final Four on a regular basis. If Baylor has a great recruiting class in 2014 they will continue to stay in the mix, if not they'll be just another good team.

 

[Wonkster]

... If we land Wilson, I think it's fair to expect our unprecedented string of straight final 4's to continue for years to come.

Don't tempt the Injury Gods. If we have a few more twists of fate like Banks, Dolson, and Tuck, we'll be known as the Ding Dynasty.

 

[HGN]

I'm interested in seeing what UNC and Duke are able to accomplish in the next four years. Both have deep benches with plenty of talent that should enable them to get to the Final Four. If they get to the Final Four then who knows what happens.

UNC is young and have to give them a couple of years to see if this years Recruiting Class is as good as advertised. IMHO with the talent that Duke has, they should reach the Final Four for the next two years as long as they don't end up in UConn's bracket. However, with that said, they have to be able to play a competitive game against UConn at some point and time. After Duke & UNC, have to consider that Stanford & Notre Dame will continue to field good teams capable of getting to the Final Four on a regular basis. If Baylor has a great recruiting class in 2014 they will continue to stay in the mix, if not they'll be just another good team.

I agree Wbbfan , UNC and Duke have deep talent........I am curious to see how far UNC can go in the 2013-2014 season with all the talent they have accumulated. The key to us at UConn will be our 2014 class of recruits. If we can get Wilson , Westbeld , and Calhoun , UConn will still be the King Of The Hill. I think its going to take UNC at least a year to jell and learn to play together without huge egos surfacing. That year of jelling (2013-2014) will allow us to get in our 2014 class and give Stewart , Tuck , and MoJeff another year to get experience. And if we can add the pieces mentioned above , the winner of a couple of NC will have to go through UConn.

 

[UcMiami]

I do think we have a good chance of continuing the FF run for at least 3 more years. And I do think we have a chance at say 2 out of 3 NCs, always counting on good health. 3 for 3 would be possible but odds against.
There are a number of good teams out there, but generally it takes star power to win an NC and I think Uconn has the most star power. Duke and Stanford have great players, but do those great players elevate their games one more notch? UNC has an incredible class coming in but I am not sure they have a record of developing players. And NCs are usually won by teams that play strong defense and when has that ever described UNC? Maryland - they actually really impressed me this past year. Not sure which assistant changed their defense and offense but I thought they played a different game than recent years. And if the injured players come back strong ...? All the other teams ... not sure they have enough really good players to win an NC. Compete, yes, but win ...

 

[Sonny44]

I'm interested in seeing what UNC and Duke are able to accomplish in the next four years. Both have deep benches with plenty of talent that should enable them to get to the Final Four. If they get to the Final Four then who knows what happens.

UNC is young and have to give them a couple of years to see if this years Recruiting Class is as good as advertised. IMHO with the talent that Duke has, they should reach the Final Four for the next two years as long as they don't end up in UConn's bracket. However, with that said, they have to be able to play a competitive game against UConn at some point and time. After Duke & UNC, have to consider that Stanford & Notre Dame will continue to field good teams capable of getting to the Final Four on a regular basis. If Baylor has a great recruiting class in 2014 they will continue to stay in the mix, if not they'll be just another good team.

Forget about . UNC, we'll see?
ND, possible, Reimer an instant star for them.
MD, our toughest win next year.

 

[speedoo]

I'm interested in seeing what UNC and Duke are able to accomplish in the next four years. Both have deep benches with plenty of talent that should enable them to get to the Final Four. If they get to the Final Four then who knows what happens.

UNC is young and have to give them a couple of years to see if this years Recruiting Class is as good as advertised. IMHO with the talent that Duke has, they should reach the Final Four for the next two years as long as they don't end up in UConn's bracket. However, with that said, they have to be able to play a competitive game against UConn at some point and time. After Duke & UNC, have to consider that Stanford & Notre Dame will continue to field good teams capable of getting to the Final Four on a regular basis. If Baylor has a great recruiting class in 2014 they will continue to stay in the mix, if not they'll be just another good team.

And both Duke and U NC have liabilities for coaches.. There is no other dynasty on the horizon.

 

[pppggg]

Looking glumly into space as their careers wound down, it had to dawn on Brittany Griner and Skylar Diggins that their net championships were one and zero. The new dynasty is US! Some observations from the championship game: Bria Hartley's blazing speed alone totally neutralized Louisville's press. BTW, Louisville actually played a good game. They had some great interior passing and had us worried for a while. We were simply in the zone. We didn't get a fair shake from the refs, but I still think we're better off now than the June Courteau/ Sally Bell generation. We should be anticipating a repeat treatment to Stewie that DT finally got. She was bumped around repeatedly and the refs got tired of blowing the whistle. Kiah Stokes blocks a lot of shots for the minutes she gets. KML is both stronger and quicker than she looks. Morgan Tuck has some very slick moves around the hoop. Mo Jeff's quickness at times was startling. Stephanie Dolson was simply a warrior. We get Banks back, and Chong will be intersting. She was underneath everyone's radar but ours, since her AAU team didn't play in a league the recruiting services follow.

Well Said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Barring injuries, I think we have a real shot at 10 or 11 NC's with this group.

 

[Suebird10fan]

I agree Wbbfan , UNC and Duke have deep talent........I am curious to see how far UNC can go in the 2013-2014 season with all the talent they have accumulated. The key to us at UConn will be our 2014 class of recruits. If we can get Wilson , Westbeld , and Calhoun , UConn will still be the King Of The Hill. I think its going to take UNC at least a year to jell and learn to play together without huge egos surfacing. That year of jelling (2013-2014) will allow us to get in our 2014 class and give Stewart , Tuck , and MoJeff another year to get experience. And if we can add the pieces mentioned above , the winner of a couple of NC will have to go through UConn.

Even if Hatchell were a great coach (which she's not) it's not reasonable to think UNC will contend for the F4 next year. They weren't at all close this year and will probably only have one impact freshman. Maybe they'll be F4 caliber in two years. More likely three.

 

[Tonyc]

Its going to come down to defense and the way UConn has beat up on the ACC I don't see them challenging UConn the next two years. Three years from now depending on our post play will dictate if we win 3 more in a row. Tuck and Stewart will be monsters the next 3 years. I expect Tuck to be the most improved player on the team next season. We will be loaded with guards and wings. Two more years of KML and Breanna will be tuff to beat. Ekmark from what Im told is a stud, with great skills, good defensive and a very good shooter. Next season we could be looking at the most dominate team ever in WCBB.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I'm hoping that Moriah is the most improved player next year as she fills a critical need for next year. Then I want to see great improvement in Kiah's play so that when Stef graduates we won't have to see Morgan or Breanna filling the center position. But I do agree, Morgan was the underrated player in the recruiting class.

Its going to come down to defense and the way UConn has beat up on the ACC I don't see them challenging UConn the next two years. Three years from now depending on our post play will dictate if we win 3 more in a row. Tuck and Stewart will be monsters the next 3 years. I expect Tuck to be the most improved player on the team next season. We will be loaded with guards and wings. Two more years of KML and Breanna will be tuff to beat. Ekmark from what Im told is a stud, with great skills, good defensive and a very good shooter. Next season we could be looking at the most dominate team ever in WCBB.

 

[Icebear]

I'm hoping we can have a good a debate over who the MIP is next year and as hard a decision.

 

[meyers7]

But I do agree, Morgan was the underrated player in the recruiting class.

She was rated 6th. How underrated is that?

 

[Wbbfan1]

I was talking about expectations and what experts/fans were talking about with the three UConn Recruits. Breanna and Moriah were all world and can't miss prospects. Much less was expected of Morgan due to her prior injuries and the hype that Breanna and Moriah received.

She was rated 6th. How underrated is that?

 

[meyers7]

I was talking about expectations and what experts/fans were talking about with the three UConn Recruits. Breanna and Moriah were all world and can't miss prospects. Much less was expected of Morgan due to her prior injuries and the hype that Breanna and Moriah received.

Do you think she will outperform them?

 

[Wbbfan1]

No, I think Breanna will end up as the superstar of the class being named All American two or three years during her UConn career. This presumes no injuries.

I've like Morgan from the very beginning and initially thought she would be the star of the class due to her physicality of play and having a defined role of power forward. I believed she would have a career like Asjha or Tamika and after this year I still believe that. She'll be an All American in her Senior year and I'm hopeful she'll also be recognized in her Junior year. She's being held back because of not starting and I don't think she starts next year.

Moriah I have the most questions about. After this year, will she have a career more like Sue Bird had or more like Lorin Dixon. Moriah was so inconsistent this year and after Banks injury she had the opportunity to play significant minutes and possibly earn the starting role over Caroline. She had good and bad games and the question is can she learn to play more consistently. She has a golden opportunity to grab the starting PG position next year and keep it for her remaining three years. If she doesn't, one of the guards in the 2014 Class may grab it. She's extremely talented and just needs to play within herself and be a great distributor for the others scorers on the team.

Do you think she will outperform them?

 

[Icebear]

She was rated 6th. How underrated is that?

And had been rated at #1 by at least one service prior to her injury.

 

[triaddukefan]

Forget about . UNC, we'll see?
ND, possible, Reimer an instant star for them.
MD, our toughest win next year.

 

[UcMiami]

View attachment 2852

Triad - and absolutely brilliant response!!!

 

[alexrgct]

 

[Artifact]

Before our head's get too big, least we forget, thank you Louisville for helping us in more ways than one, to win our 8th N.C.

 

[Sonny44]

Before our head's get too big, least we forget, thank you Louisville for helping us in more ways than one, to win our 8th N.C.

The way we were playing, we would have spanked Baylor anyway. No one could have stopped our momentum.

 

[easttexastrash]

UConn is not a "new" dynasty. The UConn dynasty is nearly 20 years old. It began in 1995 and it shows no signs of weakening.

8 National Championships
14 Final Fours
18 Thirty win seasons
647-52 Win Loss record

My thoughts exactly. If you are a new dynasty, Baylor is a zygote.