U17 Gold Medal Game: US defeats Spain 77-75 (merged)

[chrissaran]

Katie Lou did not have a good game. Agreed. However, where were the screens to get her open? You knew they were going to be all over her. You can't set screens for yourself. Where was the defense on Salvadores? She went wild without any change in strategy. It never should have been that close. Every time she touched the ball they should have doubled her. Make someone else beat you. Absolutely horrible defensive strategy. pvdoggy, how can you compare a center's game and a small forward's game? Maybe UConn should take their scholarship back. It's nice to know Katie Lou's not perfect, that she has to work on her game. She has admitted to having to work on her ball handling, strength and what she said is the weakest part of her game - defense. No matter how she played today, Katie Lou is going to be a great basketball player for UConn and beyond. rvwsleep, I can't agree more. Asia Durr's quickness would have caused Salvadores fits.

 

[Zorro]

Katie Lou did not have a good game. Agreed. However, where were the screens to get her open? You knew they were going to be all over her. You can't set screens for yourself. Where was the defense on Salvadores? She went wild without any change in strategy. It never should have been that close. Every time she touched the ball they should have doubled her. Make someone else beat you. Absolutely horrible defensive strategy. pvdoggy, how can you compare a center's game and a small forward's game? Maybe UConn should take their scholarship back. It's nice to know Katie Lou's not perfect, that she has to work on her game. She has admitted to having to work on her ball handling, strength and what she said is the weakest part of her game - defense. No matter how she played today, Katie Lou is going to be a great basketball player for UConn and beyond. rvwsleep, I can't agree more. Asia Durr's quickness would have caused Salvadores fits.

Absolutely 110% agreed!!

 

[Kibitzer]

There was, Durr. But the US coach chose not to play man to man until the last few minutes of the game.
What does that tell you ?

I don't need to be told. The USA team defense was neither well conceived nor well executed. It was nothing like what we are accustomed to seeing.

And before anyone offers that lame "The coach only had a couple weeks to prepare" excuse, I invite you to watch the team Geno will coach (for just a couple weeks) and represent USA in Turkey. You can count on tough team defense.

 

[EricLA]

USA got lucky. Poor coaching to not double Salvadores and have someone else take the shots. You make someone else beat you. Salvadores just went wild without much change in the defense against her. Lauren Cox was incredible, as was Asia Durr. Katie Lou didn't play well, but did you see anyone setting picks to get her open? I didn't.

Totally agree. It was an exciting game for sure, but not the best played game.

Lauren Cox was just fantastic. Not only did she start, but proved she deserved to be there along with her older teammates. Best player on the US for this game. She moves much better than I thought from her play in the past, and just seemed to be everywhere - terrific nose for the ball. Nice stroke on her FT motion too. I was surprised she wasn't on the all tourney team.

Asia Durr - she's a special guard. Doesn't play mistake free basketball, but she has nerves of steel and isn't afraid to have the ball in her hands and to make decisions with the game on the line.

Ogunbowale - really grew on me today. Much more offense minded than most, but on a team where no one was really creating anything on offense, her plays were needed.

The rest of the team played OK. Samuelson made the all tourney team along with Holmes, but neither played that well this game. Or I should say neither had as much of an impact. I actually would have put Durr on the all tourney team in place of Holmes, and I thought Cox could have been deserving as well.

For the tourney - Cox, Holmes and Ionescu are all terrific. Being that they are a year behind KLS and Durr, I would almost say that the 2016 class is stronger. I can't say enough about Durr though - how solid I think her play is. But to see the 2016 trio pretty much keeping up with the best from 2015 was eye opening for sure.

My final thoughts - KLS, Durr, Cox and Holmes seemed to be the 4 best overall players on the team. I love the little things Boykin does. We are going to love her at UCONN. Ogunbowale really grew on me and I think she will be terrific in college. Anigwe will be just terrific for Cal. She impressed me a lot too- she's a really strong and active post player. Ionescu is going to be special. Energizer bunny on steroids, that kid is. Mulkey showed moments and certainly has potential - probably needs to grow into her body and gain a little more strength.

Wilson (Stanford), Burke (UCLA), and Chou were the least of the players on the team. I think Chou got the least minutes, and neither Burke nor Wilson did that much when they were in. Nice players for sure though.

As for the team, it's understandable that a group that doesn't get to play much together would lack offensive cohesiveness. I tend to agree with Chris - how do you let the best player on the other team get 38 points? Other teams realized that KLS was the best "shooter" and she had a Spanish player in her shorts almost the entire game limiting her to 7 points. Not sure how many 3's the US gave up, but most of them were wide open. The lack of rotation on defense was noticeable as Spain knocked down one long bomb after another...

I also thought that in a gold medal game, the subbing pattern was suspect at times. US would get a 7-10 point lead, the coaches would sub out and all of a sudden Spain was back in the game. Still, in fairness, you want to give all the players a chance to shine, and it's not like this team has had months to prepare...

Overall a great experience for the players. They were clearly excited and thrilled to win...

 

[Kevin G]

USA had at least 18 turnovers compared to Spain's 9 (going from memory). Spain had noticeable chemistry. Their spacing on offense was great. USA just so athletic.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Don't know who Coach Sue Phillips is, but if she's the one that came up with the style of play for this team, she did a poor job. USA is definitely the more talented team, but Spain played so much better. Hate to think what the outcome of the game would have been if the ref didn't call a foul away from the ball on the Made 3 point shot that would have gotten the game down to one point.

Gutsy win by Team USA. Cox and Durr played up to their Hype and it was needed.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Cox reminds me of Dolson.

With much more quickness and athleticism. She's the one I'd be going all in for if I were on UConn's coaching staff.

 

[HartfordFan]

With much more quickness and athleticism. She's the one I'd be going all in for if I were on UConn's coaching staff.

Championship Trophy presented to KLS.....

Durr and Cox played a fantastic game.

Seems to me Cox deserved to be on all tournament team. Excellent performance today, both offense and defense.

 

[pvdoggy]

Katie Lou did not have a good game. Agreed. However, where were the screens to get her open? You knew they were going to be all over her. You can't set screens for yourself. Where was the defense on Salvadores? She went wild without any change in strategy. It never should have been that close. Every time she touched the ball they should have doubled her. Make someone else beat you. Absolutely horrible defensive strategy. pvdoggy, how can you compare a center's game and a small forward's game? Maybe UConn should take their scholarship back. It's nice to know Katie Lou's not perfect, that she has to work on her game. She has admitted to having to work on her ball handling, strength and what she said is the weakest part of her game - defense. No matter how she played today, Katie Lou is going to be a great basketball player for UConn and beyond. rvwsleep, I can't agree more. Asia Durr's quickness would have caused Salvadores fits.

Lighten up. I don't remember saying anything bad about KLS's game... all I said was I like Cox's game better, at least from what I saw in this game. She brought tremendous energy on both end of the floor.

 

[msf22b]

It seemed like USA went to man to man in desperation in the last 5, eight minutes and it was somewhat more effective than
the zone they were playing which left the 3-point line undefended.
The USA D left a lot to be desired and coaching was slow to respond

But let's remember, these kids are under 17.
And they don't work together much
They came through with lots of astonishing plays, effort and athleticism.
I have a hard time criticizing them; the adults, perhaps.

The Spanish kids are talented and they compete.
Durr and Cox were pretty amazing too,
Katie Lou was in foul trouble all afternoon, effected her game.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Samuelson has a lot going for her on the offensive end, but Cox brings so much on both ends that it's hard not to think she's the better prospect of the two. But then Cox is probably one of the best prospects in recent years. Has anyone had better feet then her at her size? Much more mobility than Brittney Griner. Much better rebounder and more versatile defender as well.

 

[Fightin Choke]

Katie Lou did not have a good game. Agreed. However, where were the screens to get her open? You knew they were going to be all over her. You can't set screens for yourself. Where was the defense on Salvadores? She went wild without any change in strategy. It never should have been that close. Every time she touched the ball they should have doubled her. Make someone else beat you. Absolutely horrible defensive strategy. pvdoggy, how can you compare a center's game and a small forward's game? Maybe UConn should take their scholarship back. It's nice to know Katie Lou's not perfect, that she has to work on her game. She has admitted to having to work on her ball handling, strength and what she said is the weakest part of her game - defense. No matter how she played today, Katie Lou is going to be a great basketball player for UConn and beyond. rvwsleep, I can't agree more. Asia Durr's quickness would have caused Salvadores fits.

Chris, I think you are overreacting here. pvdoggy had just watched Cox's best game this tournament while watching Lou's worst game of the tournament. Lou seemed to struggle on defense while providing little on offense, whereas Cox dominated on both ends. Based on this game, his statement is completely supported. I think Lou looked tired. Of the 5 starters, she had the least energy. Cox and Durr really shined down the stretch and Ogunbowale contributed throughout the game. Just look as the efficiency scores in the box score.

 

[Fightin Choke]

Samuelson has a lot going for her on the offensive end, but Cox brings so much on both ends that it's hard not to think she's the better prospect of the two. But then Cox is probably one of the best prospects in recent years. Has anyone had better feet then her at her size? Much more mobility than Brittney Griner. Much better rebounder and more versatile defender as well.

She is 4" shorter than Griner, so Griner is not "her size," but I was very impressed by Cox in this game. She was outstanding last summer for team USA but had been taking mostly outside shots this year until today. She definitely shines in the paint! And what a shot-blocker!

 

[Kibitzer]

Cox is a center. Samuelson is a wing. Cox is in the class of 2016, KLS class of 2015. KLS has committed and will be in Storrs in a year. And we all know that Geno will go all out to reel Cox in. So much for Cox-KLS comparisons.

And let's have no doubt but that Durr will get the full Geno hospitality treatment when she visits. He can be very persuasive.

My only question? Joyner Holmes.

 

[Kibitzer]

Championship Trophy presented to KLS.....

Durr and Cox played a fantastic game.

Katie Lou is the team captain. Last year, Morgan Tuck was her team's captain, elected by her teammates. Not sure if the team or the coaches selected KLS, but she got the honor since she was the best player.

And that's no knock on Cox or Durr or Holmes.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Salvadores is a smart/heady player but no way should she be allowed to score 40 points. USA let her bring the ball up without any harassment most of the game. The minute she gave up the ball, the player guarding her backed off her and when she got the ball back she was wide open on most of her shots. Don't get me wrong she's a good player, but she's not better then Asia Durr. She made the shots when her team needed her to, if they were to have any chance of upsetting Team USA. USA's lack of team defense immensely contributed to her success. Would I want her on UConn, you bet, she's smart and not afraid to take shots in Huge moments.

I agree with you,one of the few on the forum to say it like it was.With US size should have been a different game.Only big to play big was Cox.And she was a girl with a mans body going against a lot of smaller girls.And she ate them up!I have been saying on this fourm for a while now how good Salvadores is,No.8 is but was sluffed off.Now some may have seen.

 

[JoePgh]

I wonder how Salvadores would feel about going to school in the US.

Specifically in the northeastern part of the US, in a semi-rural setting that is still convenient to New York City and Boston?

 

[JoePgh]

That foul looked pretty obvious to me. An upchuck with crossed fore-arms. You can't let that go just because of the game situation.

I am surprised that this is the only post that even mentioned this call. I think the validity of the call depends completely on whether the Spanish screener moved to her right before the contact with KLS. I thought she did move just slightly to the right, making it a moving screen. But it was a very borderline call, and if the Spanish coach feels that it should have been ignored in the final minute (instead of nullifying a game-changing 3-point score by Salvadores), I think he has a credible case.

I am much more certain of this: if Michaela Mabrey had been the one who was screened in that way and tumbled to the floor as KLS did, everyone on this board would be screaming about flopping. I don't think KLS flopped (at 16, I don't think she is savvy enough to do that -- yet!), but having her in a heap on the floor next to the shooter made it impossible for the referee to avoid making a decision about whether to call the possible moving screen.

There is also no doubt that this call effectively determined the outcome of the game, and caused the USA team to win the gold. Not what the refs would have preferred, I'm sure.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

She is 4" shorter than Griner, so Griner is not "her size," but I was very impressed by Cox in this game. She was outstanding last summer for team USA but had been taking mostly outside shots this year until today. She definitely shines in the paint! And what a shot-blocker!

True, she's not as big as Griner but I would suggest Cox can outrun most if not all of the 6-0/6-1 players on the American team. Even Breanna Stewart looks a bit stiff in comparison. Cox glides like Maya Moore.

Incidentally, your incoming frosh Westbeld moves about as well as any player HER size (6-2) I've ever seen.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Who is recruiting Salvadores? Or should I ask who is NOT recruiting her? She's like Manu Ginobli in his prime.

 

[j66kicker]

I am surprised that this is the only post that even mentioned this call. I think the validity of the call depends completely on whether the Spanish screener moved to her right before the contact with KLS. I thought she did move just slightly to the right, making it a moving screen. But it was a very borderline call, and if the Spanish coach feels that it should have been ignored in the final minute (instead of nullifying a game-changing 3-point score by Salvadores), I think he has a credible case.

I am much more certain of this: if Michaela Mabrey had been the one who was screened in that way and tumbled to the floor as KLS did, everyone on this board would be screaming about flopping. I don't think KLS flopped (at 16, I don't think she is savvy enough to do that -- yet!), but having her in a heap on the floor next to the shooter made it impossible for the referee to avoid making a decision about whether to call the possible moving screen.

There is also no doubt that this call effectively determined the outcome of the game, and caused the USA team to win the gold. Not what the refs would have preferred, I'm sure.

Maybe KLS IS that savvy at 16. Or maybe she's just been watching a lot of World Cup soccer...?

 

[EricLA]

Hard to say vis-a-vis Salvadore vs. Durr. Salvadore took many more shots, or it seemed like she did, and Spain ran better offense AND played better defense. Against a US team that had a chance to spend a month together, I think we might see a very different result. Team USA would have better offense, and play better team defense. Too many times Spain got USA back on their heals with crisp ball movement, and a wide open player drained a shot.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The American perimeter defense was simply slow. Slow to react, slow to stick with movement, just slow. Ionescu and Wilson are exceptions but Wilson is overly aggressive and a foul magnet and the US obviously wanted Durr and Ogunbowale out there for offense. KLS is about the only true wing on the team and she doesn't have the footwork or technique yet to stay with much smaller guards.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I've heard that Salvadores final 3 schools are Duke, Kentucky and Purdue. I'm sure other coaches will try to get in on her before she makes her decision. Holly Warwick, Niele Ivey, Karen Aston and Jose Fernandez were at the game. I'm sure other coaches were as well. This was the only day College coaches could watch the U17 Tournament games. Rest of games were in the Blackout Recruiting period.

Who is recruiting Salvadores? Or should I ask who is NOT recruiting her? She's like Manu Ginobli in his prime.

 

[Bestiarius]

I am surprised that this is the only post that even mentioned this call. I think the validity of the call depends completely on whether the Spanish screener moved to her right before the contact with KLS. I thought she did move just slightly to the right, making it a moving screen. But it was a very borderline call, and if the Spanish coach feels that it should have been ignored in the final minute (instead of nullifying a game-changing 3-point score by Salvadores), I think he has a credible case.

I am much more certain of this: if Michaela Mabrey had been the one who was screened in that way and tumbled to the floor as KLS did, everyone on this board would be screaming about flopping. I don't think KLS flopped (at 16, I don't think she is savvy enough to do that -- yet!), but having her in a heap on the floor next to the shooter made it impossible for the referee to avoid making a decision about whether to call the possible moving screen.

There is also no doubt that this call effectively determined the outcome of the game, and caused the USA team to win the gold. Not what the refs would have preferred, I'm sure.

Katie came across the key in an attempt to get to Salvadores. First, she encountered #9 who definitely was guilty of a moving screen when she took a step to the left to block Katie. Because of this block, Katie was forced into the player that knocked her down. That was a less clear moving screen. So, one way or the other, there was a foul.