This ridiculous obsession with dunking in WBB

[Sonny44]

Yep, many would still feel the same because most of didn't like it before Parker because it adds nothing to the game itself. This board had a significant number who were against dunking long before Parker or even Snow.

Griner being able to dunk is largely irrelevant specifically because there is about one or two women at any point in the college game who can even sniff the possibility of dunking. None to date has been able to do so like Griner. It is not healthy for a sport to be dominated by a set of outlier physical characteristics based on a set of one. Therefore is can have no enduring impact on how the game is played and therefore is not a game changer. In the end the game is still about putting the ball in the basket by the masses not one or two.

If one wants the women's game to emulate the men's game then lower the rim to 9' and then there would be numerous players who could dunk and not a dog and pony show. A situation where Griner or Parker would likely still be the best but not the oddity or crio their efforts are today.

We used to do that on the adjustable baskets of the playground or the fixed 8 foot rims of the grade school courts and soon tired of it. But then we used to play lots of odd games for fun and skill development like "bank ball," a version of hoops where every shot had to be off the backboard, lay up or jumper. And then there was "swish" where the only hoops that counted touched nothing but net.

For many the men's college game was better in the era of Alcindor and Walton when the dunk was banned. It forced different skills to be developed.

I still think it should be called goaltending because the hand is on the ball within the cone of the rim. But that's just me.

Yep, many would still feel the same because most of didn't like it before Parker because it adds nothing to the game itself. This board had a significant number who were against dunking long before Parker or even Snow.

Griner being able to dunk is largely irrelevant specifically because there is about one or two women at any point in the college game who can even sniff the possibility of dunking. None to date has been able to do so like Griner. It is not healthy for a sport to be dominated by a set of outlier physical characteristics based on a set of one. Therefore is can have no enduring impact on how the game is played and therefore is not a game changer. In the end the game is still about putting the ball in the basket by the masses not one or two.

Not so Icebear; I'm with you.

If one wants the women's game to emulate the men's game then lower the rim to 9' and then there would be numerous players who could dunk and not a dog and pony show. A situation where Griner or Parker would likely still be the best but not the oddity or crio their efforts are today.

We used to do that on the adjustable baskets of the playground or the fixed 8 foot rims of the grade school courts and soon tired of it. But then we used to play lots of odd games for fun and skill development like "bank ball," a version of hoops where every shot had to be off the backboard, lay up or jumper. And then there was "swish" where the only hoops that counted touched nothing but net.

For many the men's college game was better in the era of Alcindor and Walton when the dunk was banned. It forced different skills to be developed.

I still think it should be called goaltending because the hand is on the ball within the cone of the rim. But that's just me.

 

[Sonny44]

People go wild on here for a back door cut, or a touch pass, or anything the UConn posts do that is a thing of beauty to watch. Well, the men do that too.

So why the backlash over the dunk. The dunk is important because it is the highest percentage shot when you can make it comfortably. For Griner, it's a high percentage shot. She is the first woman that can claim that. She can go up, at will, in traffic, and throw it down. THE FIRST EVER. That's why it's important.

As for the game, it's even more important to her teammates. Not so much the second, because it was already a blow out, but that first dunk changed the game. It was a demoralizing dunk to the opponent, and her team was as fired up as I've seen all season.

There is no doubt that the dunks were special plays in my mind. None at all. I still wonder if Parker had never done it against UConn if people would feel the same way here.

Simple, because here at UCONN we value teamwork over showboating.

 

[Dairyair]

The best donuts i've ever had......from a local place called Donut World. They had the audacity to open up a shop 2 blocks away from the biggest Krispy Kreme store in Greensboro. If we win tonight... imma celebrate by picking up a dozen in the morning. If we lose...... i'll settle for only a half a dozen.

And yes.... I take pics of donuts.... to taunt to friends who live out of state and cant visit Donut World

TriDuke, head to Canada...donut shop on ever corner, eh? (and in between, too!).

 

[Alydar]

Freud would explain it's popularity as synbolic of coitus. The hoop is obviously symbolic. The fascination of some women announcers with dunks would be simply a case of ***** envy. Personally I'm not a freudian but it does explain the excitement

 

[DaddyChoc]

Yeah, it was the end of men's basketball for many of us. Just no one new it yet.

who probably couldnt dunk

 

[DaddyChoc]

During one of the Geno Shows, Geno guaranteed Breanna would dunk at UConn.

a thread stopper... thanks Nan

 

[Goodies07]

Hoopgurlz has video of her 2nd dunk on their front page. She has some hops. As simple as it was, I can see why she got a perfect score considering the attempts by the first two girl "dunkers"

 

[jermy201]

Breanna not only dunked, she caught alley-oop passes... I've never seen that EVER on the women's side.... Moriah to Breanna for the lob....wow. Uconn fans & WBB fans across the nation will see something in storrs that has never been seen before. Mo breaking ankles left & right & a lanky white girl throwing it down....evolution at its best.

 

[GrizBear]

In terms of grace and athleticism, Maya's swooping layups impress me more, even of they're below the rim.

Maybe McDonald's is missing out by not having a swooping layup competition during halftime.

Honestly, I like great defense and blocked shots at least as much as I like dunks. In women's basketball, dunks and half-court shots make the highlight reel because they're rare. What's wrong with that?

 

[DaddyChoc]

Maybe McDonald's is missing out by not having a swooping layup competition during halftime.

Honestly, I like great defense and blocked shots at least as much as I like dunks. In women's basketball, dunks and half-court shots make the highlight reel because they're rare. What's wrong with that?

hahahaha love it

 

[DaddyChoc]

Breanna not only dunked, she caught alley-opp passes... I've never seen that EVER on the women's side.... Moriah to Breanna for the lob....wow. Uconn fans & WBB fans across the nation will see something in storrs that has never been seen before. Mo breaking ankles left & right & a lanky white girl throwing it down....evolution at its best.

that is special... that Stewart girl has some talent

 

[alexrgct]

Maybe McDonald's is missing out by not having a swooping layup competition during halftime.

Honestly, I like great defense and blocked shots at least as much as I like dunks. In women's basketball, dunks and half-court shots make the highlight reel because they're rare. What's wrong with that?

um...because it accentuates a facet of the women's game that can and will never be on par with the men's? As I've said plural times in this thread?

And what do half-court shots have to do with anything? Did I miss when they became common in the men's game?

 

[alexrgct]

a thread stopper... thanks Nan

how is that a thread stopper? When Geno said that, I said, "who gives a crap?"

 

[alexrgct]

I gotta say, I find it amusing that the implication by some posters is that if it were a Uconn story, we'd be eating it up. We won't be. I'm buying a ticket to see Breanna win championships. If I want to watch dunking, I'll get tickets to the men's games.

 

[jermy201]

Yikes ^^^^^^

 

[DaddyChoc]

I gotta say, I find it amusing that the implication by some posters is that if it were a Uconn story, we'd be eating it up. We won't be. I'm buying a ticket to see Breanna win championships. If I want to watch dunking, I'll get tickets to the men's games.

Alex we got it

but...its going to keep happening, why get your BP up over this issue?

You and others love the "below the rim" game... cool. (shrugs)

 

[DaddyChoc]

how is that a thread stopper? When Geno said that, I said, "who gives a crap?"

oh.. you dont agree with everything he says?

 

[Kait14]

Hoopgurlz has video of her 2nd dunk on their front page. She has some hops. As simple as it was, I can see why she got a perfect score considering the attempts by the first two girl "dunkers"

I know she didn't actually get a dunk down, but the fact that a 5'9" chick can dunk is insane

 

[Kait14]

But I do think the fact that McD's AA and ESPN continues to feel the need to put girls in the dunk contest with boys is beyond degrading.. So because a girl can just barely get her hand above the rim to put the ball through the hoop, she gets a 10.. If Shabazz Muhammed did the same dunk that Breanna did, he would have gotten a 1 from each judge. But because Bre is a girl, she gets 10's across the board.. I know many won't see it this way, but it's incredibly degrading

 

[Scotter]

But I do think the fact that McD's AA and ESPN continues to feel the need to put girls in the dunk contest with boys is beyond degrading.. So because a girl can just barely get her hand above the rim to put the ball through the hoop, she gets a 10.. If Shabazz Muhammed did the same dunk that Breanna did, he would have gotten a 1 from each judge. But because Bre is a girl, she gets 10's across the board.. I know many won't see it this way, but it's incredibly degrading

Dunks are largely graded on degree of difficulty. Given that and how difficult it is for a girl to dunk as evidenced by the two girls that didn't come close before Breanna, it is not that much different from when shorter guys get higher scores for doing the exact same dunk as taller guys. And it is not just dunks, we typically judge the greatness of an athletic achievement on a relative scale. When Maya Moore would make a scooping finger roll I didn't dismiss it because there are at least hundreds of guys capable of the same athletic feat. I recognized it as spectacular because I recognized the relative difficulty. Still while it would have been great for Breanna to connect on her final dunk a large part of me was glad that there wouldn't be the awkwardness of a repeat of Candace Parker's dunk championship.

The reality is almost every boy and GIRL that plays basketball dreams of being able to touch the rim and dunk. Almost every kid starts out just trying to touch the bottom of the net by jumping. The rim is a clear goal that hangs there overhead and a dunk a clear sign of achievement of that goal. Personally I hate the media hype over dunking and thinks it detracts from the game given that the women's game will always be played below the rim. That said I can't ignore that the players who actually play the game almost universally do see a fellow female dunking as special. And that it is mostly men telling women and girls that dunking shouldn't be for them. That bothers me even if some of the men universally dislike dunking. So while I hate the dunking hype, I try to remember it is not all about me. There are also all those girls that dream of being able to dunk and enjoy seeing one of their peers achieve what they cannot.

 

[Icebear]

who probably couldnt dunk

Some of us could.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Some of us could.

they did it? shame on them

 

[DaddyChoc]

The reality is almost every boy and GIRL that plays basketball dreams of being able to touch the rim and dunk. Almost every kid starts out just trying to touch the bottom of the net by jumping. The rim is a clear goal that hangs there overhead and a dunk a clear sign of achievement of that goal. TOTALLY AGREE

Personally I hate the media hype over dunking and thinks it detracts from the game given that the women's game will always be played below the rim. That said I can't ignore that the players who actually play the game almost universally do see a fellow female dunking as special. And that it is mostly men telling women and girls that dunking shouldn't be for them. That bothers me even if some of the men universally dislike dunking. So while I hate the dunking hype, I try to remember it is not all about me. There are also all those girls that dream of being able to dunk and enjoy seeing one of their peers achieve what they cannot. thanks, well said

 

[Icebear]

Well, this year I watched the UConn men and yelled at Alex Oriakhi to just dunk the damn ball rather than toss up floaters. Dunks have their use.

Yeah, the dunk would have been more predictable. So would developing a reliable skill.

 

[Icebear]

they did it? shame on them

You are confusing ability with finding it interesting. You like it watch it, lot's of us find it completely uncompelling. I am not suggesting to anyone they shouldn't watch it if they like. You on the other hand want to poke and ridicule those who don't like it or lament excessive focus on it.