Week 12 - Jan 22 to 28 | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Week 12 - Jan 22 to 28

bbsamjj said:
Who are the other two quality bigs on UCLA flanking Betts? Dugalic is a very solid player but not exactly a world beater (and she was 1-7 against UConn).

I didn't watch the UCLA vs UConn matchup like many here; but Betts only took 7 shots (5-7). Meanwhile, Edwards and Brady went a combined 2-17 from the field and had a combined 5pts and 9 rebounds. Was that because of Betts or they just had terrible games? Probably a combo of both.

We will see how she fares against Stanford, and UCLA gets home games against both CO and Utah coming up. But not exactly sure how many other top teams she needs to play against to prove her worth. If the bar is "She's not as good as Cardoso or Brink"--don't think anyone is really arguing that.
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+1. Yes, wholly agree she's a great post and deserves to start at nearly any D1 program. She's got a feathery touch for a 6'7" post and manages to avoid the problem ONO long suffered from of containing her extraordinarily long arms to avoid foul calls while going for rebounds. But at least last season, she'd get stripped of the ball with shocking frequency after initially getting the rebound, and her full court movement was really lacking. Calling her a step slow was generous. And whereas Brink and Iriafen are often leading the fast break (literally, it's often Brink bringing the ball up to do it!), having Betts means you're entirely dependent on your guards to execute a quick turnaround play.

Again, she's a great player and as they say, "you can't teach height." But I just didn't see the argument for why it was so ludicrous she might be third in our bigs rotation behind Brink and Kiki.
 
TheFarmFan said:
I mean look, I realize I risk a serious accusation of sour grapes here, but there’s a reason I just wasn’t that devastated that she transferred. If anyone wants to make the case for why she should have started over Brink or Iriafen on our squad, I’m waiting… and from her mother’s embarrassingly half-anonymous posts on our fan board made clear, her transfer was predicated on expecting to start this season and leaving when she wouldn’t be given that guarantee.
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It's not sour grapes to me at all. Last year I think Betts was buried behind two very capable post players and two substitute post players who were seniors. The fact two of those were gone and she left anyway struck me as she was unhappy with something in addition to PT. It seemed to me something was going on with the team last year that possibly contributed to their earlier than expected exit but just my own thoughts.

In my limited viewings of her she is talented but still raw. She doesn't come off as actually slow but her footwork and positioning could be better. She's strong with a nice touch though and sure enough you can't teach her size.
 
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bbsamjj said:
Who are the other two quality bigs on UCLA flanking Betts? Dugalic is a very solid player but not exactly a world beater (and she was 1-7 against UConn).

I didn't watch the UCLA vs UConn matchup like many here; but Betts only took 7 shots (5-7). Meanwhile, Edwards and Brady went a combined 2-17 from the field and had a combined 5pts and 9 rebounds. Was that because of Betts or they just had terrible games? Probably a combo of both.

We will see how she fares against Stanford, and UCLA gets home games against both CO and Utah coming up. But not exactly sure how many other top teams she needs to play against to prove her worth. If the bar is "She's not as good as Cardoso or Brink"--don't think anyone is really arguing that.
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When you are the number 1 ranked recruit in high school, I think the bar is Cardoso and Brink. Not saying shes not good compared to the rest of D1 players but I don't think she's as good as billed coming out of high school and as good as some of her family's social media comments in the offseason would have you believe.
 
hoopsnloops32 said:
When you are the number 1 ranked recruit in high school, I think the bar is Cardoso and Brink. Not saying shes not good compared to the rest of D1 players but I don't think she's as good as billed coming out of high school and as good as some of her family's social media comments in the offseason would have you believe.
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And Lee? And Kitley? Angel Reese?

After a year and a half experience, she is 29th in blocked shots and 73rd in rebounds. Scoring at 15.4 per game is pretty good.

There was no way she was gonna be close to Brink in her freshman year, like her family apparently believed,
 
visitingcock said:
And Lee? And Kitley? Angel Reese?

After a year and a half experience, she is 29th in blocked shots and 73rd in rebounds. Scoring at 15.4 per game is pretty good.

There was no way she was gonna be close to Brink in her freshman year, like her family apparently believed,
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I'm not saying those aren't good numbers, certainly as a UConn fan I would LOVE to have Betts or a player with those number. I am just saying there is the reality of the player she is and the social media hype that was fanned by her family over the summer really negatively against Tara and Stanford when its always been obvious to me she isn't on Brink or Kiki's level. She's a good but not generational center who is a key role player right now but not a star on the level of the bigs mentioned above. Maybe as a junior or a senior she will get there but its not where she is now.
 
cancontent said:
Now I haven't seen the game, but KSU beating Baylor without Lee doesn't surprise me for some reason. If there was skepticism about the team being able to compete without Lee, I believe this game is an indication that they have some grit.
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I went to bed last night, and Baylor appeared on its way to a win.

That is a major win for Kansas State, especially without Ayoka Lee.
 
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visitingcock said:
And Lee? And Kitley? Angel Reese?

After a year and a half experience, she is 29th in blocked shots and 73rd in rebounds. Scoring at 15.4 per game is pretty good.

There was no way she was gonna be close to Brink in her freshman year, like her family apparently believed,
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The thing is...Lee, Kitley, Reese, Brink, Cardoso are all seniors. Betts is still just a sophomore.

I can't speak to how good all of the above were as sophomores, but she still has plenty of time to develop into a force.
 
bbsamjj said:
The thing is...Lee, Kitley, Reese, Brink, Cardoso are all seniors. Betts is still just a sophomore.

I can't speak to how good all of the above were as sophomores, but she still has plenty of time to develop into a force.
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Agreed I picked them on purpose. And there is no way she is better - at this time - and NO WAY she was close to BRINK last year. When she is a senior? We'll see. Maybe then, but not now.
 
Also, yes, Betts was the #1 player in her class, but thus far that class is looking just...fine: 2022 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings - espnW 100 - ESPN

Some very good talent, but no one who is playing like an All American yet.

For comparison, you have...this year's freshmen class.

And then there was 2020:

1. Paige
2. Angel
3. Cameron
4. Caitlin
5. Kamila
 
bbsamjj said:
Also, yes, Betts was the #1 player in her class, but thus far that class is looking just...fine: 2022 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings - espnW 100 - ESPN

Some very good talent, but no one who is playing like an All American yet.

For comparison, you have...this year's freshmen class.

And then there was 2020:

1. Paige
2. Angel
3. Cameron
4. Caitlin
5. Kamila
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Great point. One thing I also wonder is whether Cardoso would be where she is now had Syracuse not have imploded.

Similar to what's being said about Betts, Cardoso was very raw as a freshman. Her development has grown dramatically under Coach Staley. Don't know if that would have been the case with Hillsman. Gut feeling is no.
 
bbsamjj said:
Also, yes, Betts was the #1 player in her class, but thus far that class is looking just...fine: 2022 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings - espnW 100 - ESPN

Some very good talent, but no one who is playing like an All American yet.

For comparison, you have...this year's freshmen class.

And then there was 2020:

1. Paige
2. Angel
3. Cameron
4. Caitlin
5. Kamila
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Yeah that 2022 class is looking very mid tier as of this point in their careers. Watkins, Latson, and Flau'jae Johnson are the names that stick out to me. But, it's still early and things can change in a heartbeat
 
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cancontent said:
Great point. One thing I also wonder is whether Cardoso would be where she is now had Syracuse not have imploded.

Similar to what's being said about Betts, Cardoso was very raw as a freshman. Her development has grown dramatically under Coach Staley. Don't know if that would have been the case with Hillsman. Gut feeling is no.
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Hillsman would have done nothing. That program was trending downwards since 2016 and the culture was awful.

Coach FLJ probably could have developed her well, but IMO not as well as Staley.
 
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hoopsnloops32 said:
When you are the number 1 ranked recruit in high school, I think the bar is Cardoso and Brink. Not saying shes not good compared to the rest of D1 players but I don't think she's as good as billed coming out of high school and as good as some of her family's social media comments in the offseason would have you believe.
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When a recruit ranked #1 doesn't seem to be quite that good, but still is very good, I like to say "it's not their fault they're ranked #1" -- meaning, don't judge them too harshly just because someone else's opinion set your expectations very high.

However, by the same token, the family of a #1 player (and the player herself) needs to realize that rankings are just someone's opinion and are based partly on potential future development. They don't mean the player has already made it. One phrase for this mistake is "believing your own press clippings."
 
GamecockFam said:
Yeah that 2022 class is looking very mid tier as of this point in their careers. Watkins, Latson, and Flau'jae Johnson are the names that stick out to me. But, it's still early and things can change in a heartbeat
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This class thus far is giving potential "All Conference First Team" but not "First Team All American."
 
CompSci87 said:
When a recruit ranked #1 doesn't seem to be quite that good, but still is very good, I like to say "it's not their fault they're ranked #1" -- meaning, don't judge them too harshly just because someone else's opinion set your expectations very high.

However, by the same token, the family of a #1 player (and the player herself) needs to realize that rankings are just someone's opinion and are based partly on potential future development. They don't mean the player has already made it. One phrase for this mistake is "believing your own press clippings."
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And HS rankings are just that - ranking players while they are in HS. There’s no guarantee that it will translate to the collegiate level.
 
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Hold on, there are people who think South Carolina vs LSU will be a blow out tomorrow night?
 
Who would've guessed the battle of the cellar dwellers in the Big East, Xavier and Butler both coming in at 0-7, would turn into a 30 point beat down? X going out of their way to prove they are the worst team in the conference. Of course overall records are quite different, Butler has 8 wins and Xavier only 1.
 
What’s going on with Texas? I see a lot of players not suited up.
 
I watched the Cincy/Oklahoma St. game on and off tonight. The score was stuck at 56-56 for like the last 2 minutes ... Cincy won with 2 seconds left after a steal and score. OK St. was looking for a foul on their last shot but the refs clearly weren't interested. Big win for Cincy and a big loss for OK St. -- they could have moved up to the #2 spot in the Big 12 with a win.
 
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Okay, Chicago St. has worst team in D1 locked down, who's next worse? Without looking at everybody's records, 1 win teams Xavier and Seattle U. have to be in the conversation.
 
Two games in OT right now: Villanova/Providence and Maryland/Michigan.

Maryland has a chance to jump Michigan in the Big Ten rankings with a win.
 
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