U16 FIBA Championship | The Boneyard

U16 FIBA Championship

Don't know if UCONN has any interest but Letycia Vasconcelos 6'7" & ranked #8 by ESPN in the class of '23 is on the Brazil roster for this tournament.
 
CocoHusky said:
Don't know if UCONN has any interest but Letycia Vasconcelos 6'7" & ranked #8 by ESPN in the class of '23 is on the Brazil roster for this tournament.
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It's been about 11 months since she tore her ACL, and I believe she missed the entire summer of AAU. Will be interesting to see what she looks like.

Also interested to see how Cassandre Prosper of Canada fares against the US wings.
 
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CocoHusky said:
Don't know if UCONN has any interest but Letycia Vasconcelos 6'7" & ranked #8 by ESPN in the class of '23 is on the Brazil roster for this tournament.
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Finally a chance to see this kid in action. There's precious little of her on YouTube.
 
USA with a full court press, the entire first half, over the host team.
This despite having a 49 point halftime lead and Chile having close to 30 turnovers at the half.
That 30 figure is not an exaggeration. They had 21 turnovers 13 minutes into the game.
59-10 at the half.
 
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Such a one sided mismatch, it's hard to draw conclusions.
However, Cunningham, Williams, Olson and Donovan have impressed.
 
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Well, not the best outside shooting team I've ever seen. As for Chile, they played hard, but most of the game they looked like an endless stream of orange cones. Watkins is smooth as hell. Very impressive inside and off the dribble.
 
Watkins will never have to be told to be aggressive. Neither will Williams.

Very quick US team. Half court offense always the weakest point with players that young and unfamiliar with each other.
 
JuJu Watkins had 10 steals!!! 10!!

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Watkins was very active. She also took a shot a minute, partly due to the steals, partly because she likes to shoot. Not sure how she'd fit in at UConn.

Thought Azzi's high school teammate Delaney Thomas was very solid. She strikes me as fundamentally sound, dependable, and efficient. Maybe a lesser version of Napheesa Collier in some aspects.
 
Some quick impressions after game one:
Sue Phillips is a really really good coach. Tons of players rotating into the game and each player coming in knew exactly what their assignment was. Sue also utilized her three best athletes ( Booker, Olson and Donovan) at the top of the diamond press=brilliant. Tara successor?
Jada Williams is solid and perhaps underrated early part of the game she was directing the press by telling other players where to go.
Cunningham is big and plays big. On the rare occasions where the US perimeter defense got beat off the bounce she rotated over and played tall with hands straight up so you have to finish over her. She is being well coached not to do too much. She takes the shots that are there don't force anything, good mobility and movement for a big.
I agree with @Sluconn Husky -Don't see Watkins as a good fit for UCONN because she too dependent on having the ball in her hands. Against this team she was able to get touches with steal and breakout layups but in the half court sets she was not doing much to help the team.
Arnold is really quick and moves at a different speed than everyone else. Donovan is "explosively" athletic.
Booker and Olson came out nervous Booker missed some easy layups and Olson rushed some open deep shots early on. Both settled down as the game went on and it was note worthy that Sue played then at the forward positions.
I read recently where Delaney Thomas has acquired the nick name "The Big Fundamental" like Tim Duncan -it definitely fits both in terms of skill set and her demeanor on the the court.
Mendelson is real mobile and nimble around the basket but she is a maddeningly poor finisher.
she finished the game 2 for 6 and that should have been easily 6 for 6.
 
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Williams looks great in the game against Slovenia.
And she's the youngest player on the team. Barker knocking down 3's make the USA unbeatable.
Barker is a riot. She had some kind of flying bug chasing her on the court and she was doing all kinds of gyrations to get away from it. Her teammates were cracking up.
 
I don't understand why people are so quick to label Watkins as a ball hog. Yes she may like to have the ball in her hand... but she is what, 15? 16? Obviously if she comes to UConn, Auriemma will set her straight. Players only become ball hogs if the coaches allow it.

Also, Chile was not a strong opponent. Like may have said, it's hard to get a read on players until they play stronger opponents.
 
Sakibomb25 said:
I don't understand why people are so quick to label Watkins as a ball hog. Yes she may like to have the ball in her hand... but she is what, 15? 16? Obviously if she comes to UConn, Auriemma will set her straight. Players only become ball hogs if the coaches allow it.

Also, Chile was not a strong opponent. Like may have said, it's hard to get a read on players until they play stronger opponents.
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Well, having 2/3 more shots than any other player might have something to do with it
 
Sakibomb25 said:
I don't understand why people are so quick to label Watkins as a ball hog. Yes she may like to have the ball in her hand... but she is what, 15? 16? Obviously if she comes to UConn, Auriemma will set her straight. Players only become ball hogs if the coaches allow it.

Also, Chile was not a strong opponent. Like may have said, it's hard to get a read on players until they play stronger opponents.
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Looking at the stats, she had 20 shot attempts while being on the court for less than 20 minutes. That will give people the impression she's a "get my shot" type of player.

I agree that Chile is not a strong opponent, however this seems to be her style of play. I've watched during the EYBL championships and she seemed to be the primary person with the ball. Ball hog? I didn't take it that way, however others may see it differently.
Cornell Lt said:
Well, having 2/3 more shots than any other player might have something to do with it
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That estimate seems a little high. For this game, it looks to be about 20% (20 out of the 93 shots taken).
 
cancontent said:
Looking at the stats, she had 20 shot attempts while being on the court for less than 20 minutes. That will give people the impression she's a "get my shot" type of player.

I agree that Chile is not a strong opponent, however this seems to be her style of play. I've watched during the EYBL championships and she seemed to be the primary person with the ball. Ball hog? I didn't take it that way, however others may see it differently.

That estimate seems a little high. For this game, it looks to be about 20% (20 out of the 93 shots taken).
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My point was not the overall % of team shots, it was individually (Her 20 shots vs 7 shots for the next highest player(s))
 
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Game 2:

Just about everyone had their moments in the 126-pt effort.

Olson really good in this one; shot looked good, she plays the passing lanes really well, very mobile. Booker has legit passing skills. Watkins very efficient and can no doubt score. Jada Williams leads the all flair team. Cambridge super fast with a big upside. Delaney Thomas has such a smooth shot and calm demeanor. Again, reminds me of a mini Collier in several ways. A much better game from Arnold tonight showing her ability to get to the basket and finish; also an effortless three and a few really good passes.
 
This wasn't a game. I wouldn't even call it a practice. I put these types of games in my..."not much to see here" pile. It's the same pile I put the player hype videos where everyone looks like Michael and Kobe. Oh...and Globetrotter highlights are here too. lol
 
DaBball said:
Cassandre Prosper from Canada is really impressive. She’s got great length and athleticism, and she uses it well.

I’d assume a lot of high major schools will express interest in her.
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I'm really keen on her from what I've seen since she was 13/14. I've heard there has been interest but the family keeps it private. I don't believe she's on social media either.

I'm hopeful that the OSBA league will have a season. She's listed on the roster of Capital Courts in Ottawa. They're the same program which developed Merissah Russell. I am also a big fan of the coach, who is also assisting the U16 squad, Fabienne Blizzard. Has been very successful in Canada. I hope she gets a chance to coach internationally.
 
Cornell Lt said:
My point was not the overall % of team shots, it was individually (Her 20 shots vs 7 shots for the next highest player(s))
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Okay, then maybe it's the phrasing. My brain went to division because you noted 2/3.

I interpreted as percentage out of total shots for the team. Either way, she does shoot the most out of the whole team.
 
Sakibomb25 said:
I don't understand why people are so quick to label Watkins as a ball hog. Yes she may like to have the ball in her hand... but she is what, 15? 16? Obviously if she comes to UConn, Auriemma will set her straight. Players only become ball hogs if the coaches allow it.

Also, Chile was not a strong opponent. Like may have said, it's hard to get a read on players until they play stronger opponents.
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I don't understand why people so quickly and easily mischaracterize what is being said here. I'm well aware how old Watkins is ( she 16 BTW) and don't remember anyone calling her a ball hog. The assessment was based on "fit for UCONN". Players that "like" to have the ball in their hands or "need" to have the ball in their hands to be effective are not a good fit for UCONN. Are you disagreeing that Watkins it that type of player?
Captain Obvious GIF by memecandy
 
More of the same. USA vs Argentina, 32-4 after 1st quarter. I guess we'll have to wait for the Canada game to see any competition.
 
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