U17 World championship USA vs Columbia 7/25/18

[oldude]

No minutes for Brunelle in the first half-only USA player not to see the floor.

Brunelle indeed looked like the slowest and least athletic player on our team. She has skills and intelligence, but I'd take Jones in a heartbeat.

Only 7 minutes of PT for Hoopgurlz #1 rated player in a 56 pt blowout?

 

[CocoHusky]

Only 7 minutes of PT for Hoopgurlz #1 rated player in a 56 pt blowout?

Yea, Samantha is not doing very much to either silence her critics or shut up her haters. At best even some of her most ardent supporters have concluded that this team's style of play (up tempo) is not a good match for her skill set.

 

[oldude]

Yea, Samantha is not doing very much to either silence her critics or shut up her haters. At best even some of her most ardent supporters have concluded that this team's style of play (up tempo) is not a good match for her skill set.

I came across a Twitter post to SB yesterday from well-respected former UVA coach Debbie Ryan that reads in part:

“U may feel like you are in a slump but get excited because you are about to have a breakthrough.”

While I’m sure that Coach Ryan has followed SB’s HS career in VA for years, and it’s great that she is being supportive, the post is curious to say the least.

 

[Dillon77]

Yea, Samantha is not doing very much to either silence her critics or shut up her haters. At best even some of her most ardent supporters have concluded that this team's style of play (up tempo) is not a good match for her skill set.

Gosh, been a long time since I've been called ardent.... Thanks!

A bit hard to rectify a situation when you don't get to show your stuff, no?
Is that a slump? Or a misplaced part in an otherwise sleek machine?

Well, regarding pace: I wrote exactly that this past weekend and also wondered why the Selection Committee chose Sam and/or Cameron if they knew in advance that the strategy was to play with pace.

If so, the logical choice would've been to get another wing who plays long and with speed...Rickea Jackson? (And, if they choose the team in a total vacuum, well...why?)

In regards to Sam, I also pointed out that I do think that she will do very well in the system that she committed to. Does she have elements to improve on? Sure, who doesn't?

As a fan of all WBB basketball, I'll continue to root for the entire team and then do the same for the U18s, paying attention to the entire team, but keeping an eye on Anaya Peoples, like UConn boosters will with Ms. Williams.

I then look forward to Sam joining Aliyah, Paige and Hailey Van Lith in the 3 x 3 championships later in the year.

 

[Charliebball]

Gosh, been a long time since I've been called ardent.... Thanks!

A bit hard to rectify a situation when you don't get to show your stuff, no?
Is that a slump? Or a misplaced part in an otherwise sleek machine?

Well, regarding pace: I wrote exactly that this past weekend and also wondered why the Selection Committee chose Sam and/or Cameron if they knew in advance that the strategy was to play with pace.

If so, the logical choice would've been to get another wing who plays long and with speed...Rickea Jackson? (And, if they choose the team in a total vacuum, well...why?)

In regards to Sam, I also pointed out that I do think that she will do very well in the system that she committed to. Does she have elements to improve on? Sure, who doesn't?

As a fan of all WBB basketball, I'll continue to root for the entire team and then do the same for the U18s, paying attention to the entire team, but keeping an eye on Anaya Peoples, like UConn boosters will with Ms. Williams.

I then look forward to Sam joining Aliyah, Paige and Hailey Van Lith in the 3 x 3 championships later in the year.

I think UConn would love to have Brink on their squad no matter how many minutes she's getting in that tournament...........word from the USA tryouts was that she dominated at the trials hitting from all over the court and being disruptive defensively............

 

[Dillon77]

I think UConn would love to have Brink on their squad no matter how many minutes she's getting in that tournament......word from the USA tryouts was that she dominated at the trials hitting from all over the court and being disruptive defensively..

And I wouldn't doubt that ND would love to have her, as well. (One tourney does not make a career.)

 

[donalddoowop]

Only 7 minutes of PT for Hoopgurlz #1 rated player in a 56 pt blowout?

That is the same question people had about Megan in the game Geno kept her and Coombs on the bench in a UConn blowout.

 

[oldude]

That is the same question people had about Megan in the game Geno kept her and Coombs on the bench in a UConn blowout.

Different situation imo. Geno was clearly sending a message to his 2 freshmen that will presumably benefit them over their 4 year stay at UConn. I doubt that Coach Berube has a similar intention. Her only goal is to blend the talents of her 12-player team in order to win the tournament.

 

[Orangutan]

Only 7 minutes of PT for Hoopgurlz #1 rated player in a 56 pt blowout?

Well, I figured y'all didn't need me getting defensive about Brunelle here, but as long as the conversation is already rolling...

Consider that the other players who are playing the 4 position are Horston and Jones (my observation is that Horston plays 3 when Jones is on the floor and plays 4 when she isn't). Then, consider that Jones and Horston are ranked #1 and #2 on ProspectsNation (Brunelle #5) and #2 and #3 on BlueStar (Brunelle #4).

Through my emerald tinted glasses, I'm impressed with the skills Sam has shown in her limited play. There was one play against Italy where she got the ball in transition from Hailey Van Lith and saw a defender coming on quick. She calmly decelerated, dribbled behind her back, and dished it to Fudd. In the fourth quarter against Colombia, her first two offensive touches were pinpoint passes to set up layups for Brink and Belibi (Belibi missed but Sam scored on the ensuing out-of-bounds play). I like her shot selection although she's missed some makeable shots, including a bunny against Italy after she fooled her defender with a beautiful up fake.

The issue with respect to this team is that Horston and Jones can do everything she can do and a couple things she can't. For example, Horston can grab a rebound and become a one-woman fastbreak. They are also both more athletic than she is and are only an inch or so shorter. Horston is ranked by PN as their #1 point guard and she is playing the 3 and 4 here, which shows you how ridiculous her athleticism and skill set are.

Sam's passing, ballhandling, and shooting are advanced for her height and age. She's an elite talent. She's just behind a couple of girls who are a little bit better and certainly better-suited for the uptempo 4-out style of this team.

 

[Mdoggie]

It doesn't matter how SB is doing now or will do at ND. She didn't go to ND for basketball. I read somewhere she said her choice was for the education and the lifetime connections and contacts.

 

[CocoHusky]

Gosh, been a long time since I've been called ardent.... Thanks!

A bit hard to rectify a situation when you don't get to show your stuff, no?
Is that a slump? Or a misplaced part in an otherwise sleek machine?
Well, regarding pace: I wrote exactly that this past weekend and also wondered why the Selection Committee chose Sam and/or Cameron if they knew in advance that the strategy was to play with pace.
If so, the logical choice would've been to get another wing who plays long and with speed...Rickea Jackson? (And, if they choose the team in a total vacuum, well...why?)
In regards to Sam, I also pointed out that I do think that she will do very well in the system that she committed to. Does she have elements to improve on? Sure, who doesn't?
As a fan of all WBB basketball, I'll continue to root for the entire team and then do the same for the U18s, paying attention to the entire team, but keeping an eye on Anaya Peoples, like UConn boosters will with Ms. Williams.
I then look forward to Sam joining Aliyah, Paige and Hailey Van Lith in the 3 x 3 championships later in the year.

Quick revision: At best even some of her most ardent supporters ( including me)! Because I definitely count myself among Samantha's supporters.

 

[JordyG]

Yea, Samantha is not doing very much to either silence her critics or shut up her haters. At best even some of her most ardent supporters have concluded that this team's style of play (up tempo) is not a good match for her skill set.

The issue really is that the #1 player need not look great under every system. However the best needs to look at least decent. To her credit I haven't seen any poor body language, nor have I seen her dogging it. To her discredit her hustle hasn't resulted much in the way of results either. As one of the older players on the squad one would have hoped for better.

It does show however how good this and the next class are. There's some real talent out on the floor for the US of A. Nevertheless, every time she's on the floor I keep rooting for her to go off. As when late in the game against China, US up by 53 she does a nice step through and misses an open bank shot inside. This after finally hitting an open jumper on the right inside the arc. Nothing about her game seems fluid. Everything looks like work. She hasn't so far shown the ability to hit two shots in a row. Since she isn't the fastest or most athletic on the floor she has to show consistency in most things, and she hasn't.

I would caution however this doesn't mean she won't at the next level. I root hard for this kid every time she hits the floor. To me there's just something about her that I like, something about her personally. Unless she somehow becomes a UConn killer, or shows some heretofore unseen chippy side, that won't change.

 

[JordyG]

And I wouldn't doubt that ND would love to have her, as well. (One tourney does not make a career.)

Or unmake. Hear that Sam haters?

 

[Bretski]

Well, I figured y'all didn't need me getting defensive about Brunelle here, but as long as the conversation is already rolling...

Consider that the other players who are playing the 4 position are Horston and Jones (my observation is that Horston plays 3 when Jones is on the floor and plays 4 when she isn't). Then, consider that Jones and Horston are ranked #1 and #2 on ProspectsNation (Brunelle #5) and #2 and #3 on BlueStar (Brunelle #4).

Through my emerald tinted glasses, I'm impressed with the skills Sam has shown in her limited play. There was one play against Italy where she got the ball in transition from Hailey Van Lith and saw a defender coming on quick. She calmly decelerated, dribbled behind her back, and dished it to Fudd. In the fourth quarter against Colombia, her first two offensive touches were pinpoint passes to set up layups for Brink and Belibi (Belibi missed but Sam scored on the ensuing out-of-bounds play). I like her shot selection although she's missed some makeable shots, including a bunny against Italy after she fooled her defender with a beautiful up fake.

The issue with respect to this team is that Horston and Jones can do everything she can do and a couple things she can't. For example, Horston can grab a rebound and become a one-woman fastbreak. They are also both more athletic than she is and are only an inch or so shorter. Horston is ranked by PN as their #1 point guard and she is playing the 3 and 4 here, which shows you how ridiculous her athleticism and skill set are.

Sam's passing, ballhandling, and shooting are advanced for her height and age. She's an elite talent. She's just behind a couple of girls who are a little bit better and certainly better-suited for the uptempo 4-out style of this team.

I unliked your post just so I could re-like it, Orangutan keep dropping knowledge

 

[donalddoowop]

Different situation imo. Geno was clearly sending a message to his 2 freshmen that will presumably benefit them over their 4 year stay at UConn. I doubt that Coach Berube has a similar intention. Her only goal is to blend the talents of her 12-player team in order to win the tournament.

I agree with your comment. However, it was still said.

 

[LoTrader]

Scott Rueck and Dawn Staley in attendance.

Watch out for Rueck. He is a sneaky good recruiter! Rueck also finds unearthed gems and then polishes them to perfect brilliance. GO BEAVS!

 

[CocoHusky]

Well, I figured y'all didn't need me getting defensive about Brunelle here, but as long as the conversation is already rolling...
Consider that the other players who are playing the 4 position are Horston and Jones (my observation is that Horston plays 3 when Jones is on the floor and plays 4 when she isn't). Then, consider that Jones and Horston are ranked #1 and #2 on ProspectsNation (Brunelle #5) and #2 and #3 on BlueStar (Brunelle #4).
Through my emerald tinted glasses, I'm impressed with the skills Sam has shown in her limited play. There was one play against Italy where she got the ball in transition from Hailey Van Lith and saw a defender coming on quick. She calmly decelerated, dribbled behind her back, and dished it to Fudd. In the fourth quarter against Colombia, her first two offensive touches were pinpoint passes to set up layups for Brink and Belibi (Belibi missed but Sam scored on the ensuing out-of-bounds play). I like her shot selection although she's missed some makeable shots, including a bunny against Italy after she fooled her defender with a beautiful up fake.
The issue with respect to this team is that Horston and Jones can do everything she can do and a couple things she can't. For example, Horston can grab a rebound and become a one-woman fastbreak. They are also both more athletic than she is and are only an inch or so shorter. Horston is ranked by PN as their #1 point guard and she is playing the 3 and 4 here, which shows you how ridiculous her athleticism and skill set are.
Sam's passing, ballhandling, and shooting are advanced for her height and age. She's an elite talent. She's just behind a couple of girls who are a little bit better and certainly better-suited for the uptempo 4-out style of this team.

Samantha was & remains a terrific basketball player. Given the number of players that have demonstrated better performances at the Forward position I would no longer consider her "elite".
An elite player would finds a way to make more of an impact at this level of basketball, regardless of the style being played.
Compared to Horston & Jones many (perhaps all) will fall short as Samantha has. However, on this team Samantha is also being outplayed by Fan Belibi at the Forward position and last summer she was outplayed (statistically) by Diamond Miller and Kylee Watson also at forward position.
An elite player has a skill that travels. If we are to consider Sam's elite skill shooting, that skill has been MIA for three straight years now. 2016 (.308), 2017 (.291) 2018 (.312) are Samantha's shooting percentages from her three USA basketball appearances. In 2017 this percentage was the worst on the team. For 2018 it is also currently the worst on the team. In 2017 she led the team in shot attempts in both 2016 and 2018 she was among players with the fewest shot attempts.
Her age cannot (shouldn't?) be used to elevate her status. On this 2018 team Samantha is the 2nd oldest player and the most experienced USA basketball player. In 2017 she was 3rd oldest and the only player with USA Basketball experience.

 

[BobbyJ]

Samantha was & remains a terrific basketball player. Given the number of players that have demonstrated better performances at the Forward position I would no longer consider her "elite".
An elite player would finds a way to make more of an impact at this level of basketball, regardless of the style being played.
Compared to Horston & Jones many (perhaps all) will fall short as Samantha has. However, on this team Samantha is also being outplayed by Fan Belibi at the Forward position and last summer she was outplayed (statistically) by Diamond Miller and Kylee Watson also at forward position.
An elite player has a skill that travels. If we are to consider Sam's elite skill shooting, that skill has been MIA for three straight years now. 2016 (.308), 2017 (.291) 2018 (.312) are Samantha's shooting percentages from her three USA basketball appearances. In 2017 this percentage was the worst on the team. For 2018 it is also currently the worst on the team. In 2017 she led the team in shot attempts in both 2016 and 2018 she was among players with the fewest shot attempts.
Her age cannot (shouldn't?) be used to elevate her status. On this 2018 team Samantha is the 2nd oldest player and the most experienced USA basketball player. In 2017 she was 3rd oldest and the only player with USA Basketball experience.

" An elite player finds a way to make more of an impact at this level." That's your key point to me. And as far as her shooting ability, I never saw her as more than an average shooter. Highlight videos are deceiving, you don't see all the misses. And at this level, most of her shots are contested.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Sam is a good player. She's playing for USA Basketball. But she looks like the least athletic and one of the least effective of the 12 on the team. She probably was mis-ranked, which is not her fault. She looks like a top-10 or top-15 player to me.

 

[oldude]

Sam is a good player. She's playing for USA Basketball. But she looks like the least athletic and one of the least effective of the 12 on the team. She probably was mis-ranked, which is not her fault. She looks like a top-10 or top-15 player to me.

SB represents one of the age-old challenges in evaluating recruits. She developed a superior skillset at a young age. She has size and she is smart. In HS she put up big numbers starting early in her career against generally lesser opponents. But now, other more athletic players are starting to develop and pass her by.

Having watched some of the Under 17 games, I believe SB will be a very good player at ND, but Jones, Horston and others clearly have a much greater upside. While Aliyah Boston clearly remains the player I would most want to see in a Husky uniform based on need in the post, I have now been converted to the belief that Jordan Horston will be the best college player in the Class of 2019, even better than Haley Jones. There is no better athlete in the class of 2019. She does a little bit of everything on the court.

 

[Orangutan]

Samantha was & remains a terrific basketball player. Given the number of players that have demonstrated better performances at the Forward position I would no longer consider her "elite".

I'm not particularly committed to that word. Let's say it this way - she's a very good prospect for the next level who is not playing very much because the other players at her position are outplaying her. That's what I was trying to convey.

The shooting is an interesting issue for me. To my eye, it looks like she has decent form and a fairly quick release. So I think there is some ability there, though perhaps it needs refinement.

Personally, I would say that all the players you mentioned (Jones, Horston, Belibi, Miller, Watson) are elite, but there are obviously levels here. They're all Avengers, but Thor and Iron Man are more powerful than Hawkeye and Black Widow, you know? I feel like that's been Sam's summer. She's spent a lot of time playing against top competition (EYBL, 3x3 trials, Spokane Hoopfest, U17 Worlds) and her teams have generally done well, but she's been more Black Widow than Iron Man.

 

[Dillon77]

I'm not particularly committed to that word. Let's say it this way - she's a very good prospect for the next level who is not playing very much because the other players at her position are outplaying her. That's what I was trying to convey.

The shooting is an interesting issue for me. To my eye, it looks like she has decent form and a fairly quick release. So I think there is some ability there, though perhaps it needs refinement.

Personally, I would say that all the players you mentioned (Jones, Horston, Belibi, Miller, Watson) are elite, but there are obviously levels here. They're all Avengers, but Thor and Iron Man are more powerful than Hawkeye and Black Widow, you know? I feel like that's been Sam's summer. She's spent a lot of time playing against top competition (EYBL, 3x3 trials, Spokane Hoopfest, U17 Worlds) and her teams have generally done well, but she's been more Black Widow than Iron Man.

Since reading comments on her shot since last summer, I've been watching her shooting quite a bit, as well and have come to the same general conclusion as you. However, I noted in the 3x3 tourneys she had better success when she shot her jumper from a little closer (elbow, foul line) and/or took just a bit more time. (I think the one shot she hit today was just inside the foul line.)

My gut is that in the ND offense she'll be shooting more from the elbow/line and be put in positions to have a smidge more time for the release.

 

[oldude]

Since reading comments on her shot since last summer, I've been watching her shooting quite a bit, as well and have come to the same general conclusion as you. However, I noted in the three on three tourneys she had better success when she shot from a little closer (elbow, foul line) and/or took a bit more time. (I think the one shot she hit today was just inside the foul line.) My gut is that in the ND offense she'll be shooting more from the elbow/line and be put in positions to have a smudge more time for the release.

Watching today’s game vs Spain (Admittedly a small sample) your analysis of SB’s shot is spot on. She was 1/3. She missed a shot from 3 that didn’t have much arc to it, hit a nice soft jumper from the foul line and missed a bunny under the basket that she rushed.