UConn v All Star Team

[Icebear]

Nope like always it was a rotation of UCONN players. Kelly did spend significant time on Thomas.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

A few years back both UCONN and Tennessee played exhibition games with the USA national women's team. Both UCONN and Tennessee had immense talent, but both still lost to the USA team. That's really the only example you could use to try and "guess" how well UCONN would fare against an all star team. Tennessee came close to beating the national team, but just didn't have the depth to finish it out and at one point had the lead. I'm not sure how UCONN fared, but I think they played the national team pretty good as well. It'd be interesting to see that same situation happen again, especially with this year's UCONN team. I think they could compete with the national team and it would be an entertaining game. I don't why they stopped doing it. Maybe they will bring it back

 

[Icebear]

But there was a big difference in physical maturity playing against that National team of experienced professionals not a college All Star team. Consider the difference of Maya, Sylvia, and Catch today vs their own college yeas. Plus we were talking best in the nation across much longer than 4 years and some are the best All Time and numerous Hall of Famers to be. I would give the current UCONN team a 1-9 maybe 2-8 chance against that team.

BTW, UCONN lost 90-74. Video Clip

 

[Suebird10fan]

But there was a big difference in physical maturity playing against that National team of experienced professionals not a college All Star team. Consider the difference of Maya, Sylvia, and Catch today vs their own college yeas. Plus we were talking best in the nation across much longer than 4 years and some are the best All Time and numerous Hall of Famers to be. I would give the current UCONN team a 1-9 maybe 2-8 chance against that team.

BTW, UCONN lost 90-74. Video Clip

If it were truly the best pros and they had a few weeks to practice I'd go with 0-10, maybe, maybe 1-9. But UConn would have a better shot than most of the opponents on this year's schedule will have vs the Huskies!

 

[Suebird10fan]

I can understand what you all are saying but honestly IMO if Thomas were coached by Geno the same amount of time as KML..Thomas wins IMO. I understand this is a UCONN Messageboard and I am in no way belittle KML, whom I personally think is very much under the radar one of the best players in WCBB, but I think Thomas' length, versatility, skillset, and athleticism is just on a different level than KML. Yes I think KML is a better shooter I don't think you will find many that are better, but just all around? Thomas gets my unbiased vote.

I'm dubious that Geno could make such a huge difference. But even if so it's not all that relevant to the original question.

 

[Icebear]

If it were truly the best pros and they had a few weeks to practice I'd go with 0-10, maybe, maybe 1-9. But UConn would have a better shot than most of the opponents on this year's schedule will have vs the Huskies!

I agree. If the pro team had time to practice and prepare as a unified team 0-10 is a very real possibility. Look at the list of the list of the 2008 Olympic team pool. A devastating group.

Guards: Taurasi, Bird, Cappie, Whelan, K Smith
Wings: Parker, Augutus, Catchings
Posts: Leslie, Fowles, Thompson

That is a completely different premise from a college All Star team.

 

[UcMiami]

Any college team or college all star team would get stuffed by the national team 10 out of 10 times and it wouldn't be close - of the college all star team maybe 4 of the 12 players will mature into national team players and another few will make the national team pool at some point during their careers - you are just dealing with a much smaller pool of talent when you are limited to 4 years vs the national team that is culling the best of the best from the last 15 years and who have much more experience and have fully honed their skills playing in the W and internationally and against much stronger competition. It would sort of be like choosing an all freshman team and sending them up against an all senior team of college players - you might have a few Stewart like players on the freshman team that might hold their own, but the seniors would be physically and mentally much stronger and with a much more mature skill set.
And I love our team, but against an all star team that did not match the same age breakdown of the Uconn team you would end up with many of the same issues. I would give Uconn a couple of wins and against an age balanced team they might get a couple more but I doubt they would get to 5-5.

 

[reno tony]

Haven't heard anyone talk about defense. I think UCONN will play as an experienced team should and will play typical big defense. To be fair, the all stars should only carry nine players.... I'm not going to count our two walk-ons. Forget about the nonsense of Geno coaching the all stars.... pick someone else. He is a UCONN coach first. They can have anyone else.... it won't matter. Matching up player to player might be fun to do, but UCONN will play as a team and not a group of stars. That is why they will win more than they lose. That is why they probably end the season with a 46 game winning streak and Number Nine. The only thing that stops them this year will be serious injury issues.

 

[UcMiami]

Haven't heard anyone talk about defense. I think UCONN will play as an experienced team should and will play typical big defense. To be fair, the all stars should only carry nine players.... I'm not going to count our two walk-ons. Forget about the nonsense of Geno coaching the all stars.... pick someone else. He is a UCONN coach first. They can have anyone else.... it won't matter. Matching up player to player might be fun to do, but UCONN will play as a team and not a group of stars. That is why they will win more than they lose. That is why they probably end the season with a 46 game winning streak and Number Nine. The only thing that stops them this year will be serious injury issues.

Reno - the original premise was that any all star team got 6 months of practice with say Muffet as coach. So in six months an all star team should be playing as organized an offense and defense as Uconn. The talent throughout all the USA teams from under 16 - national has been good enough to gel and win gold with extremely limited practice time which says great things about those teams and how smart the players are. But that is the exception - as the men proved a few times in the not so distant past.