U19 Women's World Cup

[BobbyJ]

Random thoughts on this game not previously mentioned.
Van Lith still has too much dribble in her game and many times appeared to push off with her off hand.
Jeff seriously? It is good that you know your players name but start actually coaching then up instead of yelling their names or "GET IN IN!" every damn time down the court.
Rhyne Howard could be an AA this coming season.
Fran Belibi might be this coming season Rhyne Howard aka National Freshmen Of the Year.
Paige's court vision and the ability to deliver the ball is very very elite.
I saw a couple of USA post players ( Boston, Egbo, Brink) dogging it and not getting back on defense-I didn't see that when Karla was coaching the team-just sayin Jeff!
Couple of great glue players on this squad that are going to do well in college because -they are glue players, very skilled and will do what ever the team needs (Diamond Miller & Celeste Taylor)
Not looking forward to a rematch here, Australia is running a very good guard oriented attack and mostly zone defenses. USA did not have a single player shoot over 50%. US post players shot 10 for 29 for the game. In a rematch USA post players will need to shoot at least 50%.
Queen Egbo was active but not as productive as she could have been. One more basket and she would have led the team is scoring. There were at least 4 rebounds that went off her finger tips out of bounds that went to Australia.

A couple things I saw. Game was a good example of why the pool of posts is so small for Auriemma. I didn't see any that would be an IMPACT player at UConn. Other than maybe Hillman, very little offensive skills other than setting screens. Brink has no clue out there.
Hailey Van Lith's head is down way too much, has to stop her dribble to look for someone and I think she'll have serious problems getting her shot off in college. Set up and delivery is much too slow.
Without Bueckers for glue and getting layups for others besides scoring, the US could've very easily lost this game.
A lot of these kids are getting very little offensive skill coaching. Guess the coaches are too busy "putting in their systems" and have no time. I know the kids should be doing it on their own and if they are they're not getting much quality direction. The post moves and shooting are non existent.

 

[awhom111]

Video for the USA game against South Korea at 1am ET Sunday:

 

[CocoHusky]

Game was a good example of why the pool of posts is so small for Auriemma. I didn't see any that would be an IMPACT player at UConn. A lot of these kids are getting very little offensive skill coaching. Guess the coaches are too busy "putting in their systems" and have no time. I know the kids should be doing it on their own and if they are they're not getting much quality direction. The post moves and shooting are non existent.

I generally agree that the UCONN pool of "impact" post player is relatively small. I also believe that might be the problem in that UCONN might be looking for something that is not there and may never be. At its best the UCONN offense has been run through the PF position ( Lobo, Maya, Stewie, Gabby) doesn't mean it has to remain so. At one point it was run pretty efficiently through a certain ball hog chick. UCONN best player is CW and she is closer to that ball hog chick than she is to Maya or Stewie. Geno is smart enough to figure how to run the offense through her. Ball hog chick like reinforcement are on the way in the form of Paige.
IMO there are 6 players on this USA basketball team that would be competing for a starting F position this season if they were at UCONN (Belibi, Boston, Howard, Egbo, Hillmon-Baker & Brink). I agree that none of these would be "impact" players at UCONN but any could be an adequate starter and that might be enough because the rest of the UCONN roster is pretty damn good.

 

[victor64]

Still amazes me that Haley Jones didn't make the U19 team.

What guard would not have made it if Azzi was available?

 

[BobbyJ]

I generally agree that the UCONN pool of "impact" post player is relatively small. I also believe that might be the problem in that UCONN might be looking for something that is not there and may never be. At it's best the UCONN offense has been run through the PF position ( Lobo, Maya, Stewie, Gabby) doesn't mean it has to remain so. At one point it was run pretty efficiently through a certain ball hog chick. UCONN best player is CW and she is closer to that ball hog chick than she is to Maya or Stewie. Geno is smart enough to figure how to run the offense through her. Ball hog chick like reinforcement are on the way in the form of Paige.
IMO there are 6 players on this USA basketball team that would be competing for a starting F position this season if they were at UCONN (Belibi, Boston, Howard, Egbo, Hillmon-Baker & Brink). I agree that none of these would be "impact" players at UCONN but any could be an adequate starter and that might be enough because the rest of the UCONN roster is pretty damn good.

Agree on Hilmon and Egbo competing. Boston by default for size and setting screens. Very surprised at her lack of skills given the amount of experience she has in this program. IMO Brink is way overrated. Noticeable lack of skills and court awareness to go with lack of strength. I really like Howard and Belibi but thought they were more of a wing. Both very nice players.

 

[UcMiami]

I am hoping the USA has a good practice today - so far not impressed with either the play or Jeff's coaching, not sure which is the problem, but they were ragged on defense and disjointed on offense. To some degree with Australia collapsing in the post with two and three defenders it was a hard game for the posts to excel in. But the ball movement for USA was SLOW - that kind of defense with crisp passing should have left multiple players wide open on ball reversals.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[JordyG]

I am hoping the USA has a good practice today - so far not impressed with either the play or Jeff's coaching, not sure which is the problem, but they were ragged on defense and disjointed on offense. To some degree with Australia collapsing in the post with two and three defenders it was a hard game for the posts to excel in. But the ball movement for USA was SLOW - that kind of defense with crisp passing should have left multiple players wide open on ball reversals.

Can't agree more. The U17 team with Jones , Horston, Buckets, and Fudd was a better team than this one. The guards were more composed, better distributors, better on the press, and better on defense. The forwards were quicker and faster from their baseline and in the quarter court. Jones was better than any forward on this team in the lane and had better ball handling skills. Cooke wasn't such a great distributor, but she was better than Clarke off the dribble and a better cutter in the lane. Once the ball gets into Van Lith or Clarke's hands either their decision making on the pass is slow or they're looking to set up their own shot, while barely thinking about ball reversal. There is no player on this team with Horston's skills. Many of the forwards were poor screeners and poor on the roll to the hoop making the guards afraid to make the poket pass and leaving them with poor passing lanes. As for the coaching it seems clear to me Ms. Berube is greatly missed. So let's say there is plenty of room for improvement.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Can't agree more. The U17 team with Jones , Horston, Buckets, and Fudd was a better team than this one. The guards were more composed, better distributors, better on the press, and better on defense. The forwards were quicker and faster from their baseline and in the quarter court. Jones was better than any forward on this team in the lane and had better ball handling skills.

Very strange that Jones didn't even make the team. She definitely was not overly impressive in this year's McD's game, but she looked stellar in the Jordan Brand classic, so it's a bit mystifying.

 

[Boreifs]

The South Korean point guard walks every single time she has the ball. Takes two steps before the dribble hits the floor.

 

[Alydar]

At the start Korea passed the ball very well, several touch passes, nice motion. But I think when they saw U19 they thought that meant inches. Bueckers has to be 7 inches taller than that No 3 girl guarding her.

Did anyone notice that pass Bueckers made from behind the half court line to an open Belibi under the basket? Hit her in the hands ... and then went out OB. Too bad she wasn't looking and never saw it coming. Another Stanford genius.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The South Korean point guard walks every single time she has the ball. Takes two steps before the dribble hits the floor.

If you're talking about #2, I'd call it more of a hop than a step.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The US won 89-67.

The Americans tend to play too fast and just force things all over the court. They also don't do a good job of coming back to help their bigs against pressure in the backcourt.

Paige couldn't buy a shot the first half. She made a few of her patented passes, but nothing was falling. Made a jumper, a three, and a fastbreak layup in the 2nd half. Finished with 7 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Rhyne Howard was making threes all over the place. Belibi's a very good player too. Egbo had a very effective game. The US size is one place they have a nice advantage in the tourney.

For an elite prospect, Caitlin Clark has one awkward looking shot.

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19women/2019/game/2107/Korea-USA#tab=boxscore

 

[soxfan23]

The US won 89-67.

The Americans tend to play too fast and just force things all over the court. They also don't do a good job of coming back to help their bigs against pressure in the backcourt.

Paige couldn't buy a shot the first half. She made a few of her patented passes, but nothing was falling. Made a jumper, a three, and a fastbreak layup in the 2nd half. Finished with 7 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Rhyne Howard was making threes all over the place. Belibi's a very good player too. Egbo had a very effective game. The US size is one place they have a nice advantage in the tourney.

For an elite prospect, Caitlin Clark has one awkward looking shot.

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19women/2019/game/2107/Korea-USA#tab=boxscore

Belibi is so new to the game and raw but, if she develops her game and BB IQ, she will be scary good! The kid is only just using her freakish athleticism right now, and still dominating at times. If she can learn the nuances of the game, like positioning, how to move with and without the ball, defender tendencies, etc., she will be really special.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

After losing to Latvia the Canadians survive a comeback attempt by Mozambique to win 60-59. Aaliyah Edwards didn't get the ball much, finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

Canada v Mozambique boxscore - FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2019 - 21 July - FIBA.basketball

The official website of FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and the governing body of Basketball. FIBA organises the most famous and prestigious international basketball competitions including the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the FIBA World Championship for Women and the FIBA 3x3 World...

www.fiba.basketball

 

[Wbbfan1]

I hope Jeff is not happy with how his team played. This team looked like a bunch of players that just got together today to play a game of pickup basketball. Team had 29 turnovers. Also only shot 57% from the Free Throw line ( 11-19 )


Paige had 12 points, 7 Assists and had an efficiency of 31 the highest of the USA players.

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19women/2019/game/2107/Korea-USA#tab=boxscore

It was a tough game to watch, the time seemed to be crawling with so many stoppage of plays.

 

[rvwsleep]

The US won 89-67.

The Americans tend to play too fast and just force things all over the court. They also don't do a good job of coming back to help their bigs against pressure in the backcourt.

Paige couldn't buy a shot the first half. She made a few of her patented passes, but nothing was falling. Made a jumper, a three, and a fastbreak layup in the 2nd half. Finished with 7 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Rhyne Howard was making threes all over the place. Belibi's a very good player too. Egbo had a very effective game. The US size is one place they have a nice advantage in the tourney.

For an elite prospect, Caitlin Clark has one awkward looking shot.

http://www.fiba.basketball/world/u19women/2019/game/2107/Korea-USA#tab=boxscore

Yes, the South Korean press gave the U.S all sorts of problems early in the game.
I couldn't find individual stats, but the U.S. did have 29 !! turnovers as a team. Van Lith seemed to be the main offender in this category.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Paige had 12 points, 7 Assists and had an efficiency of 31 the highest of the USA players.

Bueckers had 7 points as I mentioned above. The 31 was her +/- rating. Her efficiency stat was actually 15.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Paige had 12 points, 7 Assists and had an efficiency of 31 the highest of the USA players.

Actually Egbo led all Americans with 22 efficiency, just nipping Belibi with 21. And Belibi led all Americans in scoring with 18 points on 8/8 shooting. Can't wait to see her in Cardinal red.

And Bueckers' highest +/- was in part a function of her being on the court far more than any other players. In games where the outscoring is evenly paced in favor of one team across all four quarters, presence on the court generally corresponds to higher +/-. But she's clearly the best guard on the team, which is precisely why she got the minutes she did.

 

[awhom111]

The last game in the group stage can be seen here live at 1am ET on Tuesday or as a replay:

 

[CocoHusky]

What guard would not have made it if Azzi was available?

Short answer: Any of them.
Longer answer: Most likely to least likely to not have made the team: Ashley Joens, Diamond Miller, Celeste Taylor, Hailey Van Lith, Caitlin Clark, Paige

 

[TheFarmFan]

Short answer: Any of them.
Longer answer: Most likely to least likely to not have made the team: Ashley Joens, Diamond Miller, Celeste Taylor, Hailey Van Lith, Caitlin Clark, Paige

Just skim watched the S. Korea game and what was apparent to me was how much more Bueckers was looking to distribute and not just make plays. Most of the other memorable guard action I saw was play-making, not play-creating. And her handle on the ball is a step function better than every other ball handler I watched on the US team. I'd trade one Bueckers for almost any school's whole recruit class.

Someone else mentioned a pass from Bueckers to Belibi that went straight through her hands in the last game, and there was another one I noticed in the S. Korea game - I would bet a lot of that is that Belibi just simply isn't used to receiving such lightning fast passes. Bueckers passes the ball about as quickly as any high schooler I've seen, and Belibi really only has about a year of national-level experience under her belt, so I suspect she'll adjust as she's used to receiving passes from top-level guards.

All things considered, I was more impressed by our bigs than our guards - Belibi, Boston and Egbo were all solid, and Boston and Belibi in particular had a nice high-low thing they did a few times. I think I mentioned this earlier this year after the Jordan Brand Classic, but Boston is a terrifically intuitive player who seems to know where and when to pass to her teammates. She had a similar inside out dynamic in the Jordan Brand Classic with Jones that made it look like they had been longtime teammates. She's going to be something special in the college game.

 

[Itsreallyok]

Ezi's DOB is August 13, 1999 she is eligible for this U19 squad.

Ezi is considered too old. There are quite a few American players who are considered too old because their birthdays are in 1999. Players on this U19 team can be under 19 or born after 2000, not 19 and born in 1999. ( the older players on the team , college players, turned 19 after Jan 2019 because they were born in early 2000).
I believe the rule changed last year and a lot of players in that 2018 class are considered too old.

 

[Alydar]

What has been clear is that most of these elite guards haven't spent much time learning man to man defense. And often when they got beat the posts failed to help. If Korea had had any size this would have been a close game because they played their system better than the US did their's. No 3 had to be 6" shorter than Bueckers and No 2 was even shorter.

Hopefully Jeff knew these first games were walk-overs and is building towards the medal games. And maybe this is what you get with a 10 player rotation*.

* an aside to those yearning for Geno to play a larger rotation.

 

[DaBball]

I would agree that this team could use Jordan Horston. She was, IMO, the best on U17, but that was a really talented team at every position. Horston led in efficiency and assists, was second in rebounds, and third in scoring. That team had elite talent and size and/or athleticism at every position.

Another thought, though not impressed with Jeff’s coaching (and I wasn’t at U18 either) this team also might look a little different if Christyn, Olivia, and NaLyssa decided to play. Don’t think they necessarily would have had huge impacts if they even made the team, but Rickea Jackson and Zia Cooke both would have fought for a spot too.