What? No BAD-ASS?

[msf22b]

On the post-game, after Pheesa, Lou, Z, they finally mentioned my nomination.

Kia Nurse

No, she didn't score a lot. in a way was pretty invisible.
Scored 8 points, 4 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block...not too shabby

She guarded our opponents, top gunner, averaging 21+ points a game
Ms Laksa had 0 (I mean zero points on 0-11 shooting...no rebounds, steals, assists; ok, 1 block

Using the MSF (patented) plus-minus method:

Lets's give Kia +21 for stopping Laksa cold, +8 for her points, +10 for her assists. +1.5 for her 3 steals, blocks,
+2 for her boards (based on our 50% scoring efficiently).

If my fingers are right that makes +42.5

And ladies and gentlemen, that's the ball game!

 

[connie]

On the post-game, after Pheesa, Lou, Z, they finally mentioned my nomination.

Kia Nurse

No, she didn't score a lot. in a way was pretty invisible.
Scored 8 points, 4 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block...not too shabby

She guarded our opponents, top gunner, averaging 21+ points a game
Ms Laksa had 0 (I mean zero points on 0-11 shooting...no rebounds, steals, assists; ok, 1 block

Using the MSF (patented) plus-minus method:

Lets's give Kia +21 for stopping Laksa cold, +8 for her points, +10 for her assists. +1.5 for her 3 steals, blocks,
+2 for her boards (based on our 50% scoring efficiently).

If my fingers are right that makes +42.5

And ladies and gentlemen, that's the ball game!

You make a strong case. And I concur. Kia is having an AA year, and may be the hardest working and best defensive guard in WCBB. The play well into the 4th quarter when she went to the floor to fight for a loose ball says it all. Up by over 40 and still fighting on every play.

Where would we rank her at this point in terms of best all-around guard in UConn WCBB history? Is she in the top five?

 

[oldude]

Kia definitely BA for the game. Honorable mention for Pheesa.

 

[Rema64]

Pheesa-the silent assassin. She consistently goes out and performs under the radar game after game.

 

[Intpseeker]

Whole-heartedly agree with Kia as B-A for the game. Grab the replay and isolate on her. Simply amazing

The Bad-Ass plaque for Kia and all the other recipients:

 

[HopJim]

You make a strong case. And I concur. Kia is having an AA year, and may be the hardest working and best defensive guard in WCBB. The play well into the 4th quarter when she went to the floor to fight for a loose ball says it all. Up by over 40 and still fighting on every play.

Where would we rank her at this point in terms of best all-around guard in UConn WCBB history? Is she in the top five?

With due respect to both Kia as well as past UConn guards, would see Kia as in Top10. Her skill set is perfect for this team. I could fill the page with her skills BUT she has issues with quick guards dribbling around her (Mo Jeff the best ever) and is not the best at creating her own shot (Diana T best ever). Interesting conversation to rank her, particularly since she is proven at Olympic level against best pros. Also difficult to always understand what position Geno has his players (i.e. is KLT sometimes the 2 guard).

 

[Husky fanatic]

Kia definitely BA for the game. Honorable mention for Pheesa.

“D” (Kia) and Phee

 

[oldude]

With due respect to both Kia as well as past UConn guards, would see Kia as in Top10. Her skill set is perfect for this team. I could fill the page with her skills BUT she has issues with quick guards dribbling around her (Mo Jeff the best ever) and is not the best at creating her own shot (Diana T best ever). Interesting conversation to rank her, particularly since she is proven at Olympic level against best pros. Also difficult to always understand what position Geno has his players (i.e. is KLT sometimes the 2 guard).

My gut impression is to agree with you, but when I actually try to come up with 10 UConn guards who are better than Kia, it gets a little murky.

Certainly Jen, DT, Sue, Renee, Mo and Maya if you consider her a guard rather than a wing. But after that, Svet & Shea were great but dealt with serious injuries. Bria, Kelly and others I come up with all had skill levels similar to Kia, but I have difficulty saying that any of them were better.

 

[Sonny44]

Kia.

 

[bags27]

Kia, for sure.

But a huge shout out to Molly, who has really struggled to translate all that gym-rat time into game productivity. Even before her first 3, I was shouting: "shoot it" as she passed it. Finally, she got so wide open that she had no choice but to let it fly. Hoping that this success will lead to more. As Geno said when he signed her: "I've won national championships with players like Molly." Molly would have been a star at Brown or Princeton (both heavily recruited her), so very much hoping that she gets increasing playing time.

 

[Golden Husky]

Putting a bagel on the Latvian Launcher is beyond impressive: Kia.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Putting a bagel on the Latvian Launcher is beyond impressive: Kia.

Good one.

 

[MSGRET]

Kia, that was the best lock down defense this year. Don't forget she did the same to Mitchell last year when she was guarding her.

 

[BostonCanuck]

Kia Nurse! And that really says something about the way she played today, because other players like Pheesa and Lou were great.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Precious by far

 

[Bigboote]

Napheesa gets my vote. Kia played a great game, but I was just amazed by Napheesa's game.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Pheesa was great, Lou, Z, Gabby and Danger were real good, Walker, Bent and Kyla were good but the BA was Kia...to bring a player that scored 21.5 point on average and had 11 of 11 from the 3 not that long ago to a 0-11 with 0 points is beyond impressive.

 

[Carnac]

I originally voted for Napheesa (I was a prisoner of the moment), however.............upon further review and reflection, I'm going to change my vote to Kia. We must remember that to be a Bad-Ass, does not mean you have be the team's leading scorer. While it's true that Kia did not light it up on the offensive end of the court last night, she did do work on the defensive end.

Anytime you can slowdown a player that's averaging 20+ points a game, you're playing good defense. When you can shutdown a player that averages 20+ ppg, you're playing great defense. Kia threw a blanket over Kitija Laksa (0-11) and throughly frustrated her all evening, and thus worthy of BA recognition.

We've seen Kia lock down other players before. Kia is one of the hardest UConn players to beat. She can keep her man in front of her. BTW, have you noticed how much better Crystal has become at keeping her man in front of her this year? She's following right in Jefferson's footsteps. She still has a ways to go to get to where Mo was as a senior, but she's on the right track.

We were not the only ones that took note of Kia's efforts yesterday. WNBA coaches and GM's did also. Kia will be coveted by several clubs in the April draft. There will be several other guards coming out this year that can score. Few of them play defense at the level Kia does. DeShields, Brooke McCarty, Lexie Brown, Jordin Canada and Kelsey Mitchell will also be available for the draft this year.

Which one gets drafted first?. It depends on a team's needs, and their assessments of these six as to which one would fit best in their particular system. Lou will also be high on every team's want list. We'll debate and predict the draft order, and who goes where after we hoist the championship trophy (and cut down some nets) in Columbus in April. First things first!! Here's a link to DraftSite.com that features a 2018 mock draft for the WNBA for your perusal.

This mock draft has Gabby going 4th in the first round to the Sky, and Kia going 4th in the 2nd round to the Sun. I'll bet Bill Laimbeer (Las Vegas) ends up with 2 picks in the first round.

 

[jaundicedeye]

I originally voted for Napheesa (I was a prisoner of the moment), however...upon further review and reflection, I'm going to change my vote to Kia. We must remember that to be a Bad-Ass, does not mean you have be the team's leading scorer.

I agree with Scoop as Kia's defensive game epitomized bad-ass in much the same way as most of Gabby's games do. Their actions speak louder than points.

 

[meyers7]

Collier and it's not even close. Heck it was over by halftime.

12-15 shooting (that's 80% from the field. 80), 25 pts, 11 rbs, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 0 TO's. I mean really? Is there any question? Probably one of the best all around games this season.

 

[Carnac]

Kia, that was the best lock down defense this year. Don't forget she did the same to Mitchell last year when she was guarding her.

Yes, I remember that game. She held Mitchell to 8 points.

 

[Shorty Dee]

No doubt....anyone who can shut down the other teams leading scorer is the baddest in the land, so with that...my vote is for Kia.
Honable mention goes to Napheesa.

 

[cbraarj]

My gut impression is to agree with you, but when I actually try to come up with 10 UConn guards who are better than Kia, it gets a little murky.

Certainly Jen, DT, Sue, Renee, Mo and Maya if you consider her a guard rather than a wing. But after that, Svet & Shea were great but dealt with serious injuries. Bria, Kelly and others I come up with all had skill levels similar to Kia, but I have difficulty saying that any of them were better.

Nykesha, Rita Williams and Laura Lishness are a few more! Wendy Davis had 3pt record until KML came along!

 

[Carnac]

I'm not discounting or minimizing what Napheesa did Saturday. Napheesa did what she does. She ran the floor, filled the lanes on fast breaks, and scored in the paint and on mid-range shots. Just another day at the office.

I remind everyone that Laksa is not a scrub. There are players in division one that are close to unstoppable, no matter what. She is one of them. Laska can score the basketball. Kia took her out of the game, which is one of the reasons why the margin of victory was so large.

No one else has been able to do that before. During several possessions, Laksa didn't even touch the ball, as Kia denied her access. That's much harder than putting a shot up. That entails playing defense the entire duration of a given possession.

Most of the time, unless an announcer mentions it, viewers are not aware that a player has not scored. When a player throws a blanket over an opponent, it does not show up in the box score or the highlight reel. Scoring 25 points will easily over shadow any defensive effort or accomplishment. Kia Nurse was the badass of Saturday's game. My hat is off to Ms. Nurse for a job Well done.

 

[oldude]

I'm not discounting or minimizing what Napheesa did Saturday. Napheesa did what she does. She ran the floor, filled the lanes on fast breaks, and scored in the paint and on mid-range shots. Just another day at the office.

I remind everyone that Laksa is not a scrub. There are players in division one that are close to unstoppable, no matter what. Kia took her out of the game, which is one of the reasons why the margin of victory was so large.

No one else has been able to do that before. During several possessions, Laksa didn't even touch the ball, as Kia denied her access. That's much harder than putting a shot up.

Most of the time, unless an announcer mentions it, viewers are not aware that a player has not scored. When a player throws a blanket over an opponent, it does not show up in the box score or the highlight reel. Kia Nurse was the badass of Saturday's game. My hat is off to Ms. Nurse for a job Well done.

There was a play in the game when Laksa received the ball at the arc on what looked like your basic catch and shoot 3-pt shoot, only to have Kia come flying at her with her arm extended. Kia’s momentum caused her to go crashing into UConn’s bench, but it also caused Laksa to double clutch on her shot, before finally releasing it. With her timing off, Laksa put up a clanker, part of her 0-11 shooting night.

Now that’s what I call BADASS!