USA -France U 17 final

[Carnac]

U18 kids have a scrimmage tomorrow in Mexico. ONO and CW. Don’t fret. More basketball is on then way

Thank goodness. I've been so caught up in the U17 team, I completely forgot about the U18 team. They should provide plenty of interest, conversation, observations and opinions much like the U17 team. Plus this team features two of UConn's own, me likey.

 

[JordyG]

Thank goodness. The U18 team should provide plenty of conversation, observations and opinions. Me likey.

Me likey too so much. I record every U game I can every year and watch them over and over. I really love seeing these kids and finding the ones that jump off the screen. We know which one that was this year. At the U18's let's see which player is a real playa. As i write this I'm watch the game in its entirety on ESPN+. Loving it. By the way 8-1-18, USA vs Argentina.

 

[Charliebball]

Let's just hope all the U18's including the UConn freshmen play well and stay healthy in the days ahead........

 

[CocoHusky]

Future Huskies.

 

[HopJim]

She seemingly is an extremely talented player but a free wheeling one. She indicated in her interview together with Horston, that's the style she wants to play.
Trying to wheel that style player would both not be good for the player themselves and surely for the team. Opening up this can of worms, even if it means losing Horston, who may well be the best player in the whole 2019 class, is not now, never has been and never will be worth it.
While the issues are different they risked losing Brunelle and maybe with her Bueckers & Fudd, if they also choose to follow friendship over other factors.
This should not be viewed as Geno needing to be more flexible or being too rigid. I see it as the U Conn program has been the most successful in history because of their structure, rules, values, and the consistency they stick with them. Once they start making exceptions it might well all go away with it.
And throughout my life, I prefer to stretch limits, break rules, make exceptions but there's always a price.
Bronx23

A few misc thoughts:
-Tournament pointed out the fallacy of evaluating strictly based on frosh year. Horston appears to have grown the past 6-12 months in both skills and basketball IQ. Few, myself included, could have predicted her performance.
-Many initially commented on Diana Taurasi using the same words - "free wheeling, undisciplined etc." - used for Cooke. I know little about her but suspect Geno would love the challenge of molding another DT. Playing for Geno seems to have been a good match for Diana as well.

 

[Charliebball]

Future Huskies.

from your keypad to God's ears............

 

[Dillon77]

from your keypad to God's ears..

Wrong team.....

 

[Charliebball]

Wrong team.....

if you guys truly had a direct line, I'd have thought you'd have a heck of a lot more championships!!!!!!!..........

 

[enigmatic]

Future Huskies.

I sure do hope so

 

[Dillon77]

if you guys truly had a direct line, I'd have thought you'd have a heck of a lot more championships!!!!!!!.....

Good point. Hmm, perhaps the extended stay in purgatory (Final 4 losses) made the second coming even better!

 

[Charliebball]

Good point. Hmm, perhaps the extended stay in purgatory (Final 4 losses) made the second coming even better!

ahhhh perhaps the man upstairs sometimes has another plan in mind for the Fighting Irish..........and every other team for that matter............winning isn't the only thing after all...........

 

[JordyG]

ahhhh perhaps the man upstairs sometimes has another plan in mind for the Fighting Irish.....and every other team for that matter..winning isn't the only thing after all......

Okay I'll bite. Here's a 2nd choice.

 

[UConnCat]

USA's 2018 U17 team won Gold after the 2016 team lost to Australia.

The next opportunity to reclaim a world championship will be the U19 championships in 2019 at a site to be determined. The US has not hosted this event since 1985. Isn't it time?

Team USA for the U19 world championships is often a blend of kids from the U17 world championship team and kids from the U18 FIBA Americas team. The competition for the U19 team should be fierce. Does USA BB ask Carla to coach that team as well?

 

[JordyG]

The USA's 2018 U17 team won Gold after the 2016 team lost to Australia.

The next opportunity to reclaim a world championship will be the U19 championships in 2019 at a site to be determined. The US has not hosted this event since 1985. Isn't it time?

Team USA for the U19 world championships is often a blend of kids from the U17 world championship team and eligible kids from the U18 FIBA Americas team. The competition for the U19 team should be fierce. Does USA BB ask Carla to coach that team as well?

Man I hope so. She has a nice, even handed approach, which is similar to Geno's. Except of course when it isn't. She is however unafraid to read her team the riot act when necessary.

 

[CocoHusky]

A few misc thoughts:
-Tournament pointed out the fallacy of evaluating strictly based on frosh year. Horston appears to have grown the past 6-12 months in both skills and basketball IQ. Few, myself included, could have predicted her performance.
-Many initially commented on Diana Taurasi using the same words - "free wheeling, undisciplined etc." - used for Cooke. I know little about her but suspect Geno would love the challenge of molding another DT. Playing for Geno seems to have been a good match for Diana as well.

I agree with everything you said but I refuse to like your post until you change that avatar.

 

[Dorf]

Man I hope so. She has a nice, even handed approach, which is similar to Geno's. Except of course when it isn't. She is however unafraid to read her team the riot act when necessary.

I don't get all the love for her. Yeah, they won convincingly but that squad would have won with just about anyone at the helm. Her reluctance to run really bothered a lot of people. Horston and Jones both played PG for their respective HS teams yet she insisted that Fudd, Cooke, VL come back to the ball instead of filling lanes and letting the forwards bust out when the quick outlet wasn't available. She reprimanded the team for getting excited on the bench on a Belibe breakaway while up 35+. Just all and all a wet blanket that always told you what you were doing wrong and never mixing in any positive reinforcement.

 

[Dorf]

Naming the all tournament team:
Boston, Horston and Jones.
Rupert from France was named also; though the way she didn't show up today could have disqualified her entirely.
Horston MVP of the tournament !!!

Yeah, I thought Ruppert should have been left off for possibly the shooter (#4). She got shut out in the Final as well as missing almost an entire game and part of another due to injury.

 

[Cheddie]

Carla did an awesome job! In yesterday’s game, we were up by about 20 early, and someone left the opponent open in the corner for a made three. She was pi$$ed. Sounds like her former coach. The defense was stifling.

Horston is not under the radar now. She has a rare combo of size, speed, skill, energy, and intelligence. I want her in Storrs big time!

I hope it's a long way in the future, but when Geno retires, I really want Carla Berube to be considered as his successor if she's interested in returning to her alma mater for the challenge.

 

[UConnCat]

I did a little research in to the rosters of recent U19 teams.

In 2011, seven of the 12 team members played on the 2010 U17 championship team. Those 7 players were Stewart, Tuck, Mosqueda-Lewis, Burdick, Adams, Massengale and E. Williams. The head coach of the U19 team was Jennifer Rizotti who also was head coach of the 2010 U18 team.

In 2013, only 2 players (Turner and Harper) played on the 2012 U17 championship team while 5 played on the 2012 U18 team (Stewart, Tuck, Jefferson, Agee and Graves). Alexis Jones played on the 2011 U19 team. The head coach of the U19 team was Katie Meier who also was head coach of the 2012 U18 team.

In 2015, 2 players (Anigwe and Cox) played on the 2014 U17 championship team; Lou would have been the 3rd but she missed the championships for family reasons. Only 2 players played on the 2014 U18 team. The head coach of the U19 team was Dawn Staley who also was head coach of the 2014 U18 team.

In 2017, no players came from the 2016 U17 team while 5 players were on the 2016 U18 team. The head coach of the U19 team was Suzie McConnell-Serio who also was head coach of the 2016 U18 team.

Precedent suggests two things: First, the head coach of next year's U19 team will be Jeff Walz. Maybe Carla gets to coach the U18 team in 2020. Second, USA BB is willing to promote very talented players from its U17 team to the next year's U19 team as it did in 2011 when 7 of the 12 players came from the U17 team. Given the talent on this year's U17 team, I can see USA BB doing that next year.

 

[Reypl21]

I did a little research in to the rosters of recent U19 teams.

In 2011, seven of the 12 team members played on the 2010 U17 championship team. Those 7 players were Stewart, Tuck, Mosqueda-Lewis, Burdick, Adams, Massengale and E. Williams. The head coach of the U19 team was Jennifer Rizotti who also was head coach of the 2010 U18 team.

In 2013, only 2 players (Turner and Harper) played on the 2012 U17 championship team while 5 played on the 2012 U18 team (Stewart, Tuck, Jefferson, Agee and Graves). Alexis Jones played on the 2011 U19 team. The head coach of the U19 team was Katie Meier who also was head coach of the 2012 U18 team.

In 2015, 2 players (Anigwe and Cox) played on the 2014 U17 championship team; Lou would have been the 3rd but she missed the championships for family reasons. Only 2 players played on the 2014 U18 team. The head coach of the U19 team was Dawn Staley who also was head coach of the 2014 U18 team.

In 2017, no players came from the 2016 U17 team while 5 players were on the 2016 U18 team. The head coach of the U19 team was Suzie McConnell-Serio who also was head coach of the 2016 U18 team.

Precedent suggests two things: First, the head coach of next year's U19 team will be Jeff Walz. Maybe Carla gets to coach the U18 team in 2020. Second, USA BB is willing to promote very talented players from its U17 team to the next year's U19 team as it did in 2011 when 7 of the 12 players came from the U17 team. Given the talent on this year's U17 team, I can see USA BB doing that next year.

Very informative and thorough. Wow.

One thing I wanted to comment on was there seemingly reluctance to put younger players on the team. In 2013, the young players were Turner, Wilson, and Gabby Green. In 2015 they were Dangerfield, Cox, and Slocum (added in for Samuelson). In 2017 it was just Williams.

This interests me because the class of 2018 hasn't been able to win a gold medal for USA. USAB has passed on a lot of good younger talent in the past to put in older players that finished their Freshman college season (for the U19 team). A question I think about is do they do that next year? The 2019/20 class has shown to be more talented and deep than the 2018 class. We will see how the u18 does this year.

 

[UConnCat]

Very informative and thorough. Wow.

One thing I wanted to comment on was there seemingly reluctance to put younger players on the team. In 2013, the young players were Turner, Wilson, and Gabby Green. In 2015 they were Dangerfield, Cox, and Slocum (added in for Samuelson). In 2017 it was just Williams.

This interests me because the class of 2018 hasn't been able to win a gold medal for USA. USAB has passed on a lot of good younger talent in the past to put in older players that finished their Freshman college season (for the U19 team). A question I think about is do they do that next year? The 2019/20 class has shown to be more talented and deep than the 2018 class. We will see how the u18 does this year.

The U18 team will win every game by a lot. I expect the average MOV to be 30-40 points. This is the FIBA Americas tournament, not the world cup. No team will challenge Team USA. Team USA has not lost one of these games since 1996. Team USA scrimmaged Canada yesterday and won by 30.

Next year's U19 team will be a blend of players from the U18 team and the U17 team. A few of the 2018 players will have the advantage of playing a year of college basketball.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I doubt Jeff will be the coach of the U19 World Championship team. I suspect Carla will be the head coach. Less complaints from other College Coaches if Carla coaches. I wonder if USA Basketball will now only select College coaches as the two recent losses (u16 & U17 ) were coached by a HS Coach. I would like to see USA Girls Basketball hire a permanent coach to coach the U17 and U19 World Championship teams.

 

[UConnCat]

I doubt Jeff will be the coach of the U19 World Championship team. I suspect Carla will be the head coach. Less complaints from other College Coaches if Carla coaches. I wonder if USA Basketball will now only select College coaches as the two recent losses (u16 & U17 ) were coached by a HS Coach. I would like to see USA Girls Basketball hire a permanent coach to coach the U17 and U19 World Championship teams.

The past 4 U19 teams were coached by D1 coaches, including Dawn Staley 2 years ago. All coached the U18 team the previous year. Are you saying other coaches are complaining about Jeff but didn't raise similar complaints about Staley or Meier? USA BB may eventually change its approach to selecting U19 coaches but I doubt it singles out Jeff and treats him differently than the coaches who came before him.

 

[oldude]

I don't get all the love for her. Yeah, they won convincingly but that squad would have won with just about anyone at the helm. Her reluctance to run really bothered a lot of people. Horston and Jones both played PG for their respective HS teams yet she insisted that Fudd, Cooke, VL come back to the ball instead of filling lanes and letting the forwards bust out when the quick outlet wasn't available. She reprimanded the team for getting excited on the bench on a Belibe breakaway while up 35+. Just all and all a wet blanket that always told you what you were doing wrong and never mixing in any positive reinforcement.

I couldn’t disagree more with your post. Getting a group of star HS players to play together as a team, with a limited amount of time to prepare, is a terrific accomplishment. It has been pointed out here that several top HS coaches have previously fallen short with the Under 16 & 17 teams in world championships.

Yes, this team was extremely talented, and may well have won the tournament with a lesser coach, but Carla Berube deserves a great deal of credit for molding them into a dominating group that played for each other. If you believe that’s easy, take a look at Tenn & tOSU who consistently fall short of expectations despite loaded rosters.

 

[Alydar]

I doubt Jeff will be the coach of the U19 World Championship team. I suspect Carla will be the head coach. Less complaints from other College Coaches if Carla coaches. I wonder if USA Basketball will now only select College coaches as the two recent losses (u16 & U17 ) were coached by a HS Coach. I would like to see USA Girls Basketball hire a permanent coach to coach the U17 and U19 World Championship teams.

I don't hear much complaining about who gets to coach USA teams. While players get to know that coach better than others that can cut both ways. And I would think that it's important for continuity to keep a coach for the 2 year cycle. If unfairness is the issue then perhaps the thing to look at is the disparity in recruiting budgets among the schools.

 

[JordyG]

I don't get all the love for her. Yeah, they won convincingly but that squad would have won with just about anyone at the helm. Her reluctance to run really bothered a lot of people. Horston and Jones both played PG for their respective HS teams yet she insisted that Fudd, Cooke, VL come back to the ball instead of filling lanes and letting the forwards bust out when the quick outlet wasn't available. She reprimanded the team for getting excited on the bench on a Belibe breakaway while up 35+. Just all and all a wet blanket that always told you what you were doing wrong and never mixing in any positive reinforcement.

Well firstly she chose "That Squad". How about giving her credit for not bowing to the polls and instead choosing a team of players, some of which were barely on peoples radar, and molding them into a team? Secondly, if you think it's easy to get a bunch of all stars to play unseĺfish basketball on offense AND defense, especially players of their age, all of which are THE guy on their teams, you are woefully misguided.

So if the transition basket wasn't there you still wanted her to push up on every play regardless? From what I saw she instead chose to play at a fast pace, especially in the half court. Your quote that her refusal "bothered a lot of people" is either gross over estimitization or delusional. Where were these botherd people? On what forum? At which venue?

She reprimanded the team. Again I think you fail to understand perspective. The team had just finished over the course of several days pounding every team in the tournament like they were grade schoolers. Meanwhile the USA fans in attendance, from my perspective occasionally behaved like ugly Americans. So here's our team, up by a billion, jumping up and down as if they'd just taken the lead in OT. Perhaps not rubbing it in too deep was a good idea?

How about her calm, positive, and insightful TO speeches? How about knowing her players, getting their best, while making timely substitutions? How about Carla treating her charges like adults and not babies? How about you coaching a team of young women and doing a better job?

 

[victor64]

I don't get all the love for her. Yeah, they won convincingly but that squad would have won with just about anyone at the helm. Her reluctance to run really bothered a lot of people. Horston and Jones both played PG for their respective HS teams yet she insisted that Fudd, Cooke, VL come back to the ball instead of filling lanes and letting the forwards bust out when the quick outlet wasn't available. She reprimanded the team for getting excited on the bench on a Belibe breakaway while up 35+. Just all and all a wet blanket that always told you what you were doing wrong and never mixing in any positive reinforcement.

My guess is that you are a family friend or relative or even a parent of one of the team members. Specifically, one of the members that didn't play as much as the others. Your post is the main reason why coaching is impossible today. People are sitting in the bleachers critiquing, judging or second guessing every move the coach makes often with a negative slant because their individual needs aren't being met. I coached for over thirty years and from my view, I don't know or care what her relationship with the kids was off the court but her on the court conduct and strategy was top notch.

 

[Crossover]

I don't get all the love for her. Yeah, they won convincingly but that squad would have won with just about anyone at the helm. Her reluctance to run really bothered a lot of people. Horston and Jones both played PG for their respective HS teams yet she insisted that Fudd, Cooke, VL come back to the ball instead of filling lanes and letting the forwards bust out when the quick outlet wasn't available. She reprimanded the team for getting excited on the bench on a Belibe breakaway while up 35+. Just all and all a wet blanket that always told you what you were doing wrong and never mixing in any positive reinforcement.

Troll alert!!!

 

[UConnCat]

I don't get all the love for her. Yeah, they won convincingly but that squad would have won with just about anyone at the helm. Her reluctance to run really bothered a lot of people. Horston and Jones both played PG for their respective HS teams yet she insisted that Fudd, Cooke, VL come back to the ball instead of filling lanes and letting the forwards bust out when the quick outlet wasn't available. She reprimanded the team for getting excited on the bench on a Belibe breakaway while up 35+. Just all and all a wet blanket that always told you what you were doing wrong and never mixing in any positive reinforcement.

Her reluctance to run? The team did run...a lot. Certain fans here commented that the fast pace the team played at was not a good fit for certain players, yet you're citing complaints that the team didn't run enough? "A lot of people were bothered?" Who exactly?

Your point about the guards and filling lanes makes no sense.

She reprimanded the team about not celebrating too much when up 35 points. Maybe she was trying to make a point about sportsmanship. Is that such a bad thing?

Who told you that all she did was tell players what they did wrong?

The team won gold in convincing fashion and did so by playing unselfish basketball. Instead of celebrating that, you've chosen to register here yesterday so you can post complaints about the coach. The weird thing is you don't even own up to the complaints, instead attributing them to "a lot of people" or even the players themselves. Come on. You gotta do better than that.

 

[JordyG]

My guess is that you are a family friend or relative or even a parent of one of the team members. Specifically, one of the members that didn't play as much as the others. Your post is the main reason why coaching is impossible today. People are sitting in the bleachers critiquing, judging or second guessing every move the coach makes often with a negative slant because their individual needs aren't being met. I coached for over thirty years and from my view, I don't know or care what her relationship with the kids was off the court but her on the court conduct and strategy was top notch.

Critiquing a 50 point victory! Real talk. Preach V-man, preach!