Wade Trophy finalists

[Plebe]

DURR, GUSTAFSON, IONESCU, MCCOWAN FINALISTS FOR 2019 WADE TROPHY

 

[Plebe]

3 are also finalists for the Naismith.
McCowan "replaces" Ogunbowale in this list.

 

[Topsail]

This is incredible, No Pheesa!!! I am beginning to wonder if she makes 1st team all American now..

 

[hoopsfan22]

This is incredible, No Pheesa!!! I am beginning to wonder if she makes 1st team all American now..

If not she definitely makes the second team.

 

[Topsail]

She is getting royally........ you know what on this....

 

[ctfjr]

This should be a great incentive for her

 

[PacoBlaze]

Definitely hurts Pheesa because UConn plays "team" bball.
If we didn't, then one of our players could score 30+ points in every game instead of having 3 or 4 players scoring 10 points a game.

However from the list, I am guessing that Sabrina is the choice, she has the best all-around game.

 

[hoopsfan22]

She is getting royally... you know what on this....

I think we will look back on this season as the point where being in the AAC takes its first bite out of UConn WCBB. Seems like if you're not in a P5 conference this season you might as well not exist.

 

[Vowelguy]

I think we will look back on this season as the point where being in the AAC takes its first bite out of UConn WCBB. Seems like if you're not in a P5 conference this season you might as well not exist.

Nah, it's UConn having a down year and having a lot of great players contending. If UConn were undefeated, she'd be on the list.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Nah, it's UConn having a down year and having a lot of great players contending. If UConn were undefeated, she'd be on the list.

Geez 33-2 is a "down" year.
What did Holly have?

 

[TheFarmFan]

TBH, I think what's hurting Pheesa is that UConn only had four high profile games this season (yes, in large part due to the AAC schedule): Notre Dame, Baylor, Louisville, and South Carolina. Those are the four games I think shape the narrative around UConn's season. Y'all went 2/2, which I think was an underperformance in terms of media expectations, especially after the Notre Dame romp.

The media perception is that the Notre Dame win was because of Williams, which is more or less true. So Pheesa is not seen as having been a play maker in what was easily UConn's "best" win. (And Pheesa was 7-13 for 16 points, which is fine, but not especially notable.)

Pheesa went 6-18 against Baylor for 16 points, and UConn was basically out of that game by midway through the 4th quarter, which is pretty uncharacteristic. Not a finalist-worthy performance, and the Baylor bigs in that game kind of made her look human.

Pheesa was 9-16 for 20 points & 8 rebounds against Louisville, which was a team high, but again, UConn was basically out of it by midway through the 4th and that game was the Asia Durr show, so Pheesa didn't stand out especially from the standpoint of "game narrative."

Finally, she did have an epic performance against South Carolina, going 15-23 for 31 points and 16 rebounds, but with the Gamecocks down this year, and the game seemingly over by midway through the 3rd, I don't know how much of an impression that game left on voters re: Pheesa, especially when Lou went off for 29 points herself, so it wasn't like Pheesa was heads and tails over her teammates.

So my sense is the fact that (a) UConn plays team ball; (b) Pheesa isn't the only player who stands out in your two wins; and (c) in your losses, Pheesa's performances were pretty average, shaped the narrative. I'm totally sympathetic to you guys - she is clearly one of the 4-5 best players in the country, but I think UConn is suffering from what a lot of the West Coast teams have long suffered from - only a few opportunities to get in front of media voters to leave an impression.

 

[hoopsfan22]

So how does Gustafson get on all these POY lists but Pheesa does not?

 

[IWearShoes]

So how does Gustafson get on all these POY lists but Pheesa does not?

Have you looked at Gustafson's stats? She's done that despite being the near sole focus of the opponent's D. Take the blinders off. She should be in every POY conversation.

 

[Plebe]

Nah, it's UConn having a down year and having a lot of great players contending. If UConn were undefeated, she'd be on the list.

Agreed. Even if it's just subliminal, a UConn player is graded on a somewhat different scale than anyone else. Call it a side effect of sustained unparalleled excellence. And in a year when UConn looks less extraordinary than at any time in the past 6 years, the sense that it's "other people's year" may be hard for many voters to avoid.

 

[meyers7]

Geez 33-2 is a "down" year.
What did Holly have?

A year to get fired.

 

[Vowelguy]

Geez 33-2 is a "down" year.

First time in a decade+ not having a #1 seed. Uhh, yeah, compared to that, this is a down year.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Have you looked at Gustafson's stats? She's done that despite being the near sole focus of the opponent's D. Take the blinders off. She should be in every POY conversation.

You thinking Gustafson is taken ahead of Collier in the draft?

 

[the Q]

In a year without a Griner type contender, this is a travesty.

This decision won’t age well

The only true contender to her is Gustafson

 

[ABCDFE]

She and Geno would prefer the NC hardware to these individuals...just saying

 

[wbball novice]

I don't think Collier is bothered by being left off the list; she's a player. If that's the case, it won't affect her game for better or worse. This applies to the team as a whole. The tournament competition is such that they'll be -- and should be -- focused on getting past UCLA.

 

[eebmg]

Based on the advanced stats approach where more effort is made to take into account the complete player, Megan and Naphessa should be running 1-2 so it is a travesty she is not on any of the top 4 lists. This was pointed out in a previous thread.

Further in the linked article

NCAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Candidates by Win Shares


View attachment 41492

 

[IWearShoes]

You thinking Gustafson is taken ahead of Collier in the draft?

No idea, but that's not remotely what NPOY in college is about. There are plenty of examples.

 

[hoopsfan22]

No idea, but that's not remotely what NPOY in college is about. There are plenty of examples.

So what is NPOY about? I always thought it goes to the best player in the country, so long as they had a great year, played an MVP type role for their team, and didn't miss a ton of time due to injury. We've seen various statistical comparisons in this very thread (and the other one), and Gustafson edges Collier in some categories, with Collier better in others. I guess I'm missing what makes Gustafson so much better and a much more qualified candidate for NPOY than Collier. My opinion is some late press for Gustafson is what put her over the top.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Not to upset anyone, but as someone who watched only the "big" UConn games and casually skims the BY, I would never have realized how great she has been for you guys this year and how deserving of contending for the honors.

I think some comments are correct - the exposure is (a little) less than it was, UConn has multiple "stars" with different strengths, and perhaps to the casual observer, she just didn't stand out.

Gustafson - say what you want - stood out. At the beginning of this year, I couldn't have told you what she looked like, even though I watch a fair amount of B1G games on the Big Ten Network and, because of how well they treated CVS, have always routed on the side for Iowa. But she sure was promoted this year - and proved worthy of the hype.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Nah, it's UConn having a down year and having a lot of great players contending. If UConn were undefeated, she'd be on the list.

I agree with this, but it shouldn't be the case. It's not as if any of the other players are on undefeated teams.