The Next step for Mississippi State is.......

[Justavisitor]

There's no rationale for making her eligible in January. The waiver is from the year-in-residence requirement. She'll either be eligible immediately or have to wait until she fulfills that requirement. Staley tried the half-a-loaf argument last year and was shut down.

Considering Cooper's circumstances and the fact it was an incident (fighting), I could still see more consideration being given for a January start, especially since she didn't play at all in the 2nd semester. However, with the NCAA, who knows. They seem to shoot from the hip and have zero consistency.

 

[UConnCat]

Would everyone here be irked if AEH was granted eligibility ?

As long as other waiver petitions continue to be denied, I will be irked.

 

[Shades]

 

[oldude]

Would everyone here be irked if AEH was granted eligibility ?

I don’t have a strong opinion on AEH’s eligibility one way or another. What I will say is that Geno’s statement to a group of UConn boosters in Philadelphia, when he stated, “She’s gone because I wanted her gone” lends support to her waiver petition.

 

[JellyBean]

Y'all can sleep on Mississippi State all you want too but I see them being right back in the Final Four race again this season. A lot depends on how well they all adjust and develop their team chemistry. Sure they lost a lot. Some articles where they lost 80%-90% of their three-point shooting but the cast of players they have now and they amount of skill development they put in over the summer, should pay off this season. The Lady Bulldogs just might crash another Final Four party and claim that prize.

 

[DanishBulldog]

MSU will have a lot of talent on the floor this year, but it will be a very different team from last year. I think it is better to compare this year's team to 2 years ago when the 3-pt shot wasn't as big of a feature of the offense.

Inside play is going to improve with the addition of Anriel Howard. If Promise Taylor gets her waiver, the front court is going to improve a lot. A lot of people don't realize that Promise has a 7-ft wingspan. As a freshman, she was 3rd in the SEC in blocked shots, and she shot 65% in league play. Chloe Bibby looks to be in much better shape this year than last, but I don't see her going inside to mix it up a lot.

The guards are fast, and they will play better defense than William and Schaefer. Those 2 were hard-nosed players, but they were small and not particularly fast. Holmes has a pretty good shot from the 3. Danberry does not shoot well, but she is a match-up problem for teams that want to keep her from going to the basket. I expect a lot of pick-and-roll offense when she is on the court with Howard setting high screens. If AEH gets a waiver to play, she will be first off of the bench. She has a ton of potential, but if you play for Vic, your defense has to be solid, or you will get reduced minutes.

 

[donalddoowop]

It's something how some people think other team's returning players have improved because of their Summer work but don't think UConn's returning players have improved at all. Will MS have the chemistry they will need? Maybe, maybe not.

 

[willtalk]

Does it occur to anyone that the NCAA does not want a clear definable criteria for transfers because it allows them more wiggle room in respect to accountability for their decisions.?

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I am always cautiously optimistic when it comes to athletics. MSU women's basketball has been terrific the last two years. I wasn't sure a FF was in the cards last season due to their lack of depth but fortunately the team avoided injuries. The four seniors who are gone took with them a tremendous amount of leadership and experience. McCowan has grown into one of the best players in the country but for this team to be successful some of the new pieces must be ready to step in immediately and contribute. I do think potential is there for another big year but FF may be a a little higher goal than is achievable.

ND, UConn, Baylor, Oregon, Louisville, Texas, SC, Maryland and Stanford will likely be among the leaders this season. MSU is probably on the fence of the upper tier and middle tier. The university community there has definitely embraced the women's program with much better attendance and support. I'm hoping that trend continues this year as well even if they aren't quite as successful.

 

[cbraarj]

Not dissing the Bulldogs, but South Bend has a loaded, senior led team that makes Notre Dame the clear favorite. Everyone else will be chasing them; their only problem could be sharing the basketball.

This year ND has the players back that were injured. IMO, MM played to many players when the tournament comes around but last year with the short bench helped them tremendously. Yes The Irish are the team to beat this year but dont forget Uconns 2001 team was loaded and everyone thought they would repeat but they didnt.

 

[boontonbomber]

in an intra-squad scrimmage Tuesday AEH led all scorers with 29 points, 10 of 17 shooting, 6 of 11 three pointers.

 

[oldude]

in an intra-squad scrimmage Tuesday AEH led all scorers with 29 points, 10 of 17 shooting, 6 of 11 three pointers.

It seems odd that MS St published stats for an intra-squad scrimmage?

 

[DanishBulldog]

It was the Maroon vs White game. It was set up like a real game with refs, fans, press, etc. AEH was 5 for 5 from the 3 in the first half and 1 for 6 in the 2nd half.

McCowan had 19 pts and 18 rebounds. Howard had 13 pts and 9 boards. Holmes and Danberry had 13 pts each as well.

MSU has an exhibition game on 11/2 and their first game on 11/6.

 

[j66kicker]

It seems odd that MS St published stats for an intra-squad scrimmage?

It's to build a case for AEH's eligibility appeal. Their premise is, "Yeah, but she's so good."

 

[meyers7]

Vivians had much better shot selection her senior year, hence why she shot 48.5% from the floor and over 40% from deep. If AEH is anything like Vivians, Mississippi State will be in good shape. They need 3pt shooting badly.

not sure you can predict a player's career based on how they play in their first few games of their freshman year....

Yea, but expecting a Soph who didn't play much as a Fresh to replace a 1st AA Senior is a pretty big leap. IF that's what Miss St is banking on, it may not be that great of a year.

 

[meyers7]

Would everyone here be irked if AEH was granted eligibility ?

I wouldn't be.

 

[Shades]

Yea, but expecting a Soph who didn't play much as a Fresh to replace a 1st AA Senior is a pretty big leap. IF that's what Miss St is banking on, it may not be that great of a year.

Since Howard is playing Vivians’ position this year, she’d be the one to replace Vivians. In some aspects like rebounding Howard is better than Vivians, in others she may not be as good. But it doesn’t have to be the exact same team as last year for them to achieve success.

 

[meyers7]

Since Howard is playing Vivians’ position this year, she’d be the one to replace Vivians. In some aspects like rebounding Howard is better than Vivians, in others she may not be as good. But it doesn’t have to be the exact same team as last year for them to achieve success.

Ok?????

 

[Orangutan]

Since Howard is playing Vivians’ position this year, she’d be the one to replace Vivians. In some aspects like rebounding Howard is better than Vivians, in others she may not be as good. But it doesn’t have to be the exact same team as last year for them to achieve success.

Howard is nowhere near Vivians as a scorer/shooter. Howard shot 44% last year and 30.8% from 3 on 39 attempts. Vivians shot 48.5% and 40.4% from 3 on 171 attempts.

My question is - how will Mississippi State score enough points to win? If AEH doesn't get the waiver, will they have any spacing at all? Do they just throw the ball at the rim and hope McCowan or Howard can get a putback?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I wouldn't be.

A few days/week ago Geno said, without much elaboration, that unrestricted transfers "would be the beginning of the end." Anyone see this explored in greater depth by The Wise One?

 

[Shades]

Howard is nowhere near Vivians as a scorer/shooter. Howard shot 44% last year and 30.8% from 3 on 39 attempts. Vivians shot 48.5% and 40.4% from 3 on 171 attempts.

My question is - how will Mississippi State score enough points to win? If AEH doesn't get the waiver, will they have any spacing at all? Do they just throw the ball at the rim and hope McCowan or Howard can get a putback?

I don’t know, we’ll have to see what they come up with. Maybe some of these players will shoot better than expected. Nobody expected Vivians to do well her senior year based on her junior year. Now everybody seems to think she’s so irreplaceable even though MSU went to the Finals the previous year when Vivians wasn’t as good. ‍♂️

 

[triaddukefan]

It seems odd that MS St published stats for an intra-squad scrimmage?

Its not odd...... Duke does it. We had our Blue/White scrimmage this past Sunday. Im sure other schools do it as well.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I wouldn't be.

I would like to know the rationale for the waiver. She’s good and they just want one?

She’s moved like 1500 miles farther away from home right? Sorry if I missed this discussion earlier.

If it’s a matter of coach conflict explain why Te’a Cooper wouldn’t get it.

My thing is : have a rule that applies the same way to everyone.

Don’t let some committee play favorites based on who presents the best heart string pulled this week. Or how good their week’s going. This shouldn’t be a subjective process. It’s a little unfair.

Personally I like the sit out rule as a nice compromise between player freedom and roster protection.

They should remove all coach and school discretion from the process. If they want to make exceptions for coaching changes or whatever fine. Just let it apply to everyone.

 

[DanishBulldog]

I don't even know what MSU wants with AEH. They may be asking for her to be eligible 2nd semester. She will have sat for a year by the end of the first semester.

 

[meyers7]

A few days/week ago Geno said, without much elaboration, that unrestricted transfers "would be the beginning of the end." Anyone see this explored in greater depth by The Wise One?

She basically lost a year last year, to make her sit out another??? I guess I'm just not that cruel.

 

[DanishBulldog]

My question is - how will Mississippi State score enough points to win? If AEH doesn't get the waiver, will they have any spacing at all? Do they just throw the ball at the rim and hope McCowan or Howard can get a putback?

I don't think AEH is a projected starter even if available for game 1.

McCowan and Howard did combine for 10.7 offensive boards per game last year. That will clean up some of the shooting issues.

 

[Orangutan]

I don’t know, we’ll have to see what they come up with. Maybe some of these players will shoot better than expected. Nobody expected Vivians to do well her senior year based on her junior year. Now everybody seems to think she’s so irreplaceable even though MSU went to the Finals the previous year when Vivians wasn’t as good. ‍♂️

It's true that Vivians became much more efficient last year. "Nobody expected Vivians to do well her senior year based on her junior year" is just plain untrue. For example, she was ranked #16 in ESPN's preseason top 25 players last year.

It's not just that they lose Vivians. They also lose William, Johnson, and Schaefer. That's four senior guards who represent four of their top five scorers last year. I think it's fair to ask the question of how they replace that.

It's not that Vivians or any of the others are irreplaceable, but that's a lot to replace in one offseason. Certainly not impossible, though...could just be a case of "next man up" and the others will ably replace them given the opportunity.

We'll see in due time!

 

[nwhoopfan]

My question is - how will Mississippi State score enough points to win?

They might not need to score very much to win, their defense has been very stingy in recent years.

Do they just throw the ball at the rim and hope McCowan or Howard can get a putback?

As simplistic as it is, if the other team can't stop it then it's a perfectly workable strategy. I've seen games where it was impossible to keep McCowan off the O boards.

 

[Orangutan]

They might not need to score very much to win, their defense has been very stingy in recent years.

As simplistic as it is, if the other team can't stop it then it's a perfectly workable strategy. I've seen games where it was impossible to keep McCowan off the O boards.

Against 90% of the teams defense and rebounding alone may be enough. Not sure you can win the national championship that way, though.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

She basically lost a year last year, to make her sit out another??? I guess I'm just not that cruel.

I just chose your post to ask a question, not criticize it. I'm always conflicted by these transfer questions. Most of my annoyance about it stems from the seemingly erratic - no, not seemingly at all - bestowing of largess by the disgusting NCAA; the epitome of it being reached with a certain center last year. I can understand that Geno, as a tough, my way or the highway guy, does not want a rule that allows a kid to call a taxi after practice to head to her next port of call. Geno puts "the hump" in front of you and wants you to get over it, not drive around it.