Besides the Massey twins, the US was torched multiple times by Lisowa and also blew alot of assignments on defense. Lisowa had the speed to take advantage. Don't see anyone on the Aussie side that can do that. I expect a more comfortable win in the finals.
You also said Belgium would offer no real test though...Belgium looked very raggedy and will not offer any real test. I guess the same with the Aussies who I think we will meet in the finals
Besides the Massey twins, the US was torched multiple times by Lisowa and also blew alot of assignments on defense. Lisowa had the speed to take advantage. Don't see anyone on the Aussie side that can do that. I expect a more comfortable win in the finals.
You also said Belgium would offer no real test though...
The U19 World Cup begins today, or technically after midnight in half the US. A double-digit time difference means you'll have to stay up late to watch the early games live.
The first game for Paige Bueckers and the USA against Australia begins at 1:15 AM Eastern Saturday:
Rebound and steals came early but still overall a strong game.Hailey Van Lith and Hillmon-Baker both led in the +/- category with +14. They struggled in the sequence those two were on the bench.
Rhyne Howard's 3 was the play of the game. HUGE shot.
Paige had an all-around solid game. 13 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists/3 turnovers, 3 steals. Can stuff a stat sheet.
Got outrebounded 44-37. Our bigs had some trouble with the Massey twins. I was a little surprised because both are undersized at 6'1", not super athletic PF/C, but monster rebounders.
Where do most of these Belgium girls play ball when they are not playing for the U19 Belgium team? They seem to be a better passing team than the US. Paige seems to force a lot of drive in the first half of the game.
I spent a lot of time in Belgium on business 20+ years ago. Basketball is incredibly popular. There are club teams and rec leagues everywhere. A number of colleagues I worked with played basketball every Wednesday night. I joined them on several occasions and was quite impressed with their skill levels.Where do most of these Belgium girls play ball when they are not playing for the U19 Belgium team? They seem to be a better passing team than the US. Paige seems to force a lot of drive in the first half of the game.
Just the norm for International players although Belgium seems to do it particularly well. The emphasis is on ball skills and passing and less on developing athletic one on one skills. I remember Makurat saying the kind of physical training that UConn expects is not the norm in international teams and is the biggest difference she has experienced. So they are not trying the build world class athletes as much as developing team play.
I spent a lot of time in Belgium on business 20+ years ago. Basketball is incredibly popular. There are club teams and rec leagues everywhere. A number of colleagues I worked with played basketball every Wednesday night. I joined them on several occasions and was quite impressed with their skill levels.
The best thing about a bunch of guys playing basketball after work in Belgium is that afterwards everyone heads to a nearby establishment to drink beer, and the Belgians make the best beer in the world.