USA v Japan 9/10/18

[Carnac]

Dang I forgot to set my VCR

Any game replays can be found here if USA makes them available.

 

[Shades]

Sylvia appears to be out, but the USA might have enough height with the following players: Griner, Nneka, Tina, Stewie, and EDD.

Are those your 5 post players of choice? Already nixing Wilson after giving her high praise?

If EDD joins, how about slotting her at SF (she’s listed as a G/F on the Mystics roster), and using Wilson as one of the 5 posts?

I like that. I like that a lot.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Are those your 5 post players of choice? Already nixing Wilson after giving her high praise?

If EDD joins, how about slotting her at SF (she’s listed as a G/F on the Mystics roster), and using Wilson as one of the 5 posts?

I like that. I like that a lot.

Damn! It was late. I thought I had forgotten someone. Please add A'ja to that list. She adds height and bulk. That's 6 players of 6'3" or taller:

Tina--outside shot, including 3-pointer, great hook shot, runs the floor, great passer

Brittney--can shoot from 20', has a nice hook, excellent shot blocker

A'ja--great shot up to 15', draws fouls, strong rebounder, very strong body

Elena--stronger than she looks, shot blocker, elite shooter from anywhere, draws fouls, great FT shooter

Stewie--MVP in "God mode" per Sue, does it all, can handle the ball, solid from the arc, nice hook shot

Nneka--rebounder and inside scorer extraordinaire, Energizer Bunny

 

[VAMike23]

Deshields, Dolson and O. Sims were dropped off the list today, leaving 16 names:

Sixteen Finalists Named for USA Women's BB Pool - Sept 11, 2018

Bird
Taurasi
Griner
Charles
EDD
N Ogwumike
Stewart
Wilson

the 8 above appear to be locks -- here are the remaining 8 still fighting/scrapping/clawing:

Clarendon
Collier
Loyd
Plum
K. Mitchell
T. Mitchell
Tuck
E. Williams

 

[Reypl21]

Deshields and Dolson were dropped off the list today, leaving 16 names:

16 names remaining in pool

Bird
Taurasi
Griner
Charles
EDD
N Ogwumike
Stewart
Wilson

the 8 above appear to be locks -- here are the remaining 8 still fighting/scrapping/clawing:

Clarendon
Collier
Loyd
Plum
K. Mitchell
T. Mitchell
Tuck
E. Williams

I would take Plum and Loyd for the guards. I wouldn't take either Mitchell's. E. Williams would be a good option in the post. The third person is tough. I would take Collier

 

[VAMike23]

I would also take Loyd and Plum, the latter based on her recent play. That gives the team Bird, Taurasi, Loyd & Plum at the guard spots.

Stewie & EDD as stretch forwards who give you a lot from both the perimeter and the paint

Nneka O., Wilson and Charles who are strongest from 12-ft and in but are still versatile scorers (and rebounders)

Griner as a true 5 will be needed to match up against Cambage for sure

2 spots left

I think you need a slasher who can put it on the floor and do something in the midrange, e.g. Collier. She still gives you rebounding and defense. Morgan is good at this too and has more exp, but I just give Collier a slight edge here, and I think Dawn likes her a lot. Also she could be more reliable in the medal round where there are 3 games in 3 days.

After witnessing Japan's 3-point heavy offense in DC last night, I would actually be contrarian with my last pick and take Tiffany Mitchell. She is a very impressive athlete in person and works awfully hard on the perimeter. She also rebounds pretty darned well. I think she has the length and motor to make it tough on 3-point shooters that abound in the Int'l game. This is where I would have plugged Tiffany Hayes in for the 12th spot but unfortunately she is not in the pool. If the committee wants another big body for rebounding, offensive boards and paint protection, E. Williams would be the obvious pick. I think it comes down to perimeter D vs. inside D for this last pick (Tiffany Mitchell / E. Williams).

 

[UConnCat]

Deshields, Dolson and O. Sims were dropped off the list today, leaving 16 names:

Sixteen Finalists Named for USA Women's BB Pool - Sept 11, 2018

Bird
Taurasi
Griner
Charles
EDD
N Ogwumike
Stewart
Wilson

the 8 above appear to be locks -- here are the remaining 8 still fighting/scrapping/clawing:

Clarendon
Collier
Loyd
Plum
K. Mitchell
T. Mitchell
Tuck
E. Williams

So Mitchell was kept over Sims whose stock has dropped over the past year. I wasn't impressed with Mitchell this past season for the Fever and here she is with a legit shot at making the World Cup team.

 

[Orangutan]

Interesting remark from Staley:

“I’m always grateful for every player who made the commitment to come out. Obviously, to be a part of USA Basketball is pretty special. And, to sacrifice your time after your WNBA season, being away from your family for a week, another week, that is pretty special in itself, because not everybody was here, for one reason or another. But the ones who came, chose to come and sacrifice some quality time with their families and that’s why USA Basketball is always a place in which we appreciate those players who are willing to give up their time to help us win.”

(emphasis mine)

 

[MilfordHusky]

Deshields, Dolson and O. Sims were dropped off the list today, leaving 16 names:

Sixteen Finalists Named for USA Women's BB Pool - Sept 11, 2018

Bird
Taurasi
Griner
Charles
EDD
N Ogwumike
Stewart
Wilson

the 8 above appear to be locks -- here are the remaining 8 still fighting/scrapping/clawing:

Clarendon
Collier
Loyd
Plum
K. Mitchell
T. Mitchell
Tuck
E. Williams

I agree with your 8 locks. Tina, as we noticed, is not 100%, but she's willing and able to play. Nneka is presumably recovering from mono, but she looked at or near the top of her game. The other 6 are no-brainers. Elena may need treatment, but I expect her to be there.

I think Dee and Britt didn't come to D.C., so that the committee could evaluate the other players more thoroughly. Smart move!

I'm disappointed that Tiffany is not coming. She would have made the team as the lead defensive guard and world-class slasher.

I think there is enough height and bulk with 6 of the 8 locks. If we want additional insurance against Griner, we take Williams or possibly Tuck.

Do we take 4 guards or more? I think a 5th guard is advisable, especially against Spain, the likely Finals opponent. However, I think Elena or Stewie could play SG if needed.

Of the 6 non-locks who are in camp, Plum has been the most impressive to me. I like WNBA or college team pairings on this squad, so Plum together with Wilson makes sense.

I don't see Kelsey Mitchell at all. I'm surprised she made the group of 16.

Clarendon has done fairly well. I don't see her as an elite PG, but she's possible.

I haven't seen much from Tiffany Mitchell on offense, but Dawn likes her and she did play defense last night, including in the crucial 4th quarter.

Given the other candidates, I like Jewell Loyd, especially because she has familiarity with Sue and Stewie.

I think the back-up guards are Plum and Loyd. Of the remaining 6 players for 2 slots, I'd take Tuck or Collier. If they want to go for youth, Collier would be a good pick. I think that Tuck, as a more experienced pro and long-time USAB player, may have the inside track. She could also play the Asjha Jones role against Cambage.

The U.S. had some trouble scoring against Canada. I think one solution to that would have been named Lou. If healthy, she would be on the team, in my opinion.

 

[MilfordHusky]

So Mitchell was kept over Sims whose stock has dropped over the past year. I wasn't impressed with Mitchell this past season for the Fever and here she is with a legit shot at making the World Cup team.

I haven't liked Tiffany's offensive game in Indiana or in camp, but she played hard defense last night, if not over-aggressive. As I noted, she picked up no foul calls when attacking the Japanese guards like a free safety at full speed.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[UConnCat]

Wow. Good thing this didn't happen last night.

 

[UConnCat]

Update

 

[MilfordHusky]

Hmmm. Elena is saying that she can't practice. It's legit, so I wouldn't hold that against her. If she plays as she did against Seattle, she's still our best option.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Update

So it dropped only a few feet. Whew! It's not as if it nearly fell during last night's game. If it had, it should have wiped out part of Team USA, part of ESPN, and part of the Boneyard.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Some more thoughts on last night's game ...

It was a back and forth game for 30+ minutes, with neither team leading by more than 7 or so. Overall, Japan led for longer than the U.S. did.

Japan's drive and kick offense gave us lots of trouble. They were nearly unstoppable over the first 3 quarters. We finally got some stops in the 4th quarter and got out in transition. Perhaps, Japan got tired as well.

After watching UConn switching screens, I found it strange that U.S. defenders were running around screens last night. I'm not sure if I like Dawn's defensive strategy. Our players were beaten off the dribble repeatedly, with no rim protector on the back line.

Keep in mind that some of the foreign teams play together for months. Though we have far more talent, games are not always won on talent. It's arrogant for us to think that our second team could win Gold. We barely beat Canada and Japan--on our soil--with our second unit. Our first unit includes some all-time greats. The second and third units reflect a significant drop-off in talent.

A'ja and Nneka were really good last night. Perhaps it was partly the competition. Tina played pretty well, despite shooting 5-12, but looked slightly hurt. Stef (now cut) didn't show a lot. Morgan looked pretty good, drawing the start. Pheesa was fairly passive early on, but put the ball on the floor and got to her spots for shots later in the game.

Elizabeth Williams played very little. On one play near us, she came out on a 3-point shooter and fully extended to block the shot. But the high-arcing shot found nothing but net, which surprised and impressed me.

Clarendon and Sims played hard. The speed and physicality are apparent when sitting a few feet off the court. But I thought Plum looked best at PG.

Diamond is a phenomenal athlete, but needs to have her basketball abilities and decision-making catch up. She was spectacular on one drive when she got to the rim in just 2 dribbles (and I mean literally rim high) and also battled hard on defense in one brief stretch. She is thinner than she looks on TV.

I didn't see a lot out of Gray or K. Mitchell. T. Mitchell, as noted, played tough, intense defense.

I had no objections to the USAB cuts. I wish Lou, Renee, Moriah, and Tiffany were there.