Which women's basketball prospect could be the next...

[DefenseBB]

For what it’s worth, Sabrina Ionescu believes that Paige Bueckers will be the next Sabrina Ionescu....maybe with a few more at least one championships to show for it...,,

There, I fixed it for you.

 

[willtalk]

Skylar is one of the two or three best-known women's basketball players today. She made three final fours and has twice been first team All-WNBA as a pro.

Consider the source, but to me Skylar is clearly the defining college pg of the 2010s. Jefferson won more but was overshadowed by Stewie and the overall team dominance of UConn.

UConn is always stacked with great talent top to bottom and plays team basketball which makes it harder for great individuals to stand out.

But it also makes it easier for them to win a National Championship.

 

[MSGRET]

Bueckers herself has said she wasn't going to be the next "anyone", but make her own mark.

It's become routine now for ESPN to ignore UConn in their articles. Possible reasons:

1.They hate us.

2.They truly believe the dynasty is over.

3.They truly believe the dynasty is back and don't want to make the rest of the country sick of seeing UConn stories and features in the summer.

4.They don't want to help a team under the FOX Sports umbrella.

I believe that it is #4 that drives them the most over the past year. ESPN had just agreed with the AAC to telecast a majority of their conference games on ESPN+, which in the long run hurt UConn. Uconn did not like that they were going to have a major reduction in money coming into their coffers even though when it came to WBB they were the main attraction. ESPN was so peeved when it was announced that UConn was joining the Big East and that all of their conference games were Nationally televised on either Fox or CBS networks. With SNY stepping in a getting the rest of the non Nationally televised games it leaves ESPN to only a few games a year that they will be able to show the Huskies.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Skylar is one of the two or three best-known women's basketball players today. She made three final fours and has twice been first team All-WNBA as a pro.

Consider the source, but to me Skylar is clearly the defining college pg of the 2010s. Jefferson won more but was overshadowed by Stewie and the overall team dominance of UConn.

UConn is always stacked with great talent top to bottom and plays team basketball which makes it harder for great individuals to stand out.

Why? Did she win a lot of championships? Lead a team to the most wins? Set records in one or more of the big statistical categories?

 

[EdSaid]

The great players aren't comparable to anyone. They blaze their own trail.

Food for thought. Stop comparing everyone to Ionescu. Sure she's great, and I'm not trying to knock her, but the triple double thing has become larger than her. She started as a freshmen at a good program that had a free wheeling style. Lots of triple doubles for her. Had she gone elsewhere (UConn, SC, Baylor, ND) she probably would have never had a triple double, but she would have a NC or two. Would she have traded for that? You Betcha.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The great players aren't comparable to anyone. They blaze their own trail.

Food for thought. Stop comparing everyone to Ionescu. Sure she's great, and I'm not trying to knock her, but the triple double thing has become larger than her. She started as a freshmen at a good program that had a free wheeling style.

The same could be argued of Magic Johnson but that doesn't take away from his greatness. Ionescu was a tremendous player regardless.

 

[Alydar]

Skylar is one of the two or three best-known women's basketball players today. She made three final fours and has twice been first team All-WNBA as a pro.

Consider the source, but to me Skylar is clearly the defining college pg of the 2010s. Jefferson won more but was overshadowed by Stewie and the overall team dominance of UConn.

UConn is always stacked with great talent top to bottom and plays team basketball which makes it harder for great individuals to stand out.

Maybe you define "defining college pg" differently but I would think winning would be part of the equation.

one of the two or three best-known women's basketball players today

Name recognition = "defining college pg"???????????? Come on.

Jefferson won more but was overshadowed by Stewie and the overall team dominance of UConn.

Yeah right. Being on a weaker team increases your status as a "defining college pg"? So I guess that if Diggins were to have played for say Providence, she would have been even better?

Now if you want to define "defining college pg" as having the most Twitter followers .... maybe.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Had she gone elsewhere (UConn, SC, Baylor, ND) she probably would have never had a triple double

How can you possibly make a definitive statement like that? She accumulated 26 at one school, but if she'd chosen another school she would have had zero? That seems extremely unlikely to me.

 

[hoopsfan22]

How can you possibly make a definitive statement like that? She accumulated 26 at one school, but if she'd chosen another school she would have had zero? That seems extremely unlikely to me.

Think of all the great players to play at UConn over the last 25 years. We've had a grand total of five triple doubles: Laura Lishness way back in 1989, 2013 (Stef), 2014 (KML), 2015 (Kiah), and 2016 (Gabby). Do you think Taurasi, Bird, Moore, Stewart, et al simply weren't good enough to ever get a single triple double, or was it by design?

 

[nwhoopfan]

Think of all the great players to play at UConn over the last 25 years. We've had a grand total of five triple doubles: Laura Lishness way back in 1989, 2013 (Stef), 2014 (KML), 2015 (Kiah), and 2016 (Gabby). Do you think Taurasi, Bird, Moore, Stewart, et al simply weren't good enough to ever get a single triple double, or was it by design?

Somewhere between 26 and 0 lies a lot of ground. I find it almost impossible to believe that Ionescu wouldn't have gotten a single triple double if she'd gone elsewhere, regardless of which school.

 

[Carnac]

Help me. What year was Diggins' championship?

That’s the one piece of hardware missing from her Notre Dame trophy case.

 

[HuskylnSC]

How can you possibly make a definitive statement like that? She accumulated 26 at one school, but if she'd chosen another school she would have had zero? That seems extremely unlikely to me.

I think the zero might not be accurate but is appropriate to bring perspective into the inflated minutes she played. At UConn she probably would have had fewer minutes per game providing a smaller window for triple doubles. Also be aware that her rebounding prowess would have been severely limited in that she would have fewer opportunities to track down the long rebound from missed 3's.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I think the zero might not be accurate but is appropriate to bring perspective into the inflated minutes she played. At UConn she probably would have had fewer minutes per game providing a smaller window for triple doubles. Also be aware that her rebounding prowess would have been severely limited in that she would have fewer opportunities to track down the long rebound from missed 3's.

The inflated minutes fallacy again? Dangerfield, Williams and Walker all played more mpg than Ionescu this last season.

2 seasons ago Ionescu played about 1 mpg more than Dangerfield and 2-2.5 mpg more than Collier and Samuelson. Damn, Ionescu must've had a really productive 1 or 2 extra minutes on the floor to totally inflate her numbers eh?!

So, when is this fallacy gonna end? Never maybe...

 

[Alydar]

I think the zero might not be accurate but is appropriate to bring perspective into the inflated minutes she played. At UConn she probably would have had fewer minutes per game providing a smaller window for triple doubles. Also be aware that her rebounding prowess would have been severely limited in that she would have fewer opportunities to track down the long rebound from missed 3's.

The only problem I see with TD's is double digit points. That may have been a big deal when scores rarely went over 50 but it just doesn't measure up like 10 rbs or 10 assists.
I haven't access to stats but I wouldn't be surprised if TD's were tied to the No. of possessions a team gets. More opportunities to rebound and assist must be a factor. But Ionescu's record-shattering career is truly amazing.

 

[Mdoggie]

Skylar is one of the two or three best-known women's basketball players today. She made three final fours and has twice been first team All-WNBA as a pro.

Consider the source, but to me Skylar is clearly the defining college pg of the 2010s. Jefferson won more but was overshadowed by Stewie and the overall team dominance of UConn.

UConn is always stacked with great talent top to bottom and plays team basketball which makes it harder for great individuals to stand out.

Definitely best known to ND fans. I would argue that DT, Candace Parker and Sue Bird are probably known by even the casual fan more than Diggins.

 

[EdSaid]

How can you possibly make a definitive statement like that? She accumulated 26 at one school, but if she'd chosen another school she would have had zero? That seems extremely unlikely to me.

In Muffett's 33 years there were 5 triple-doubles at ND, Kim Mulkey's 19 years at Baylor 6 Triple-doubles, Vanderveer's 34 years at Stanford 8 Triple doubles, Pat Summitt 2 triple-doubles, and 5 at UConn during Geno's time. Its by design. Those five coaches account for 26 NC.

Ionescu had 1 triple-double in her career against a top 10 team. That was against Stanford late in the season.

Your # 1, if she is up high, is transitioning back to play defense. Never thinking about a rebound. Team defense. Not giving easy points in transition is good defense. good defense wins championships.

I do not dislike Ionescu. I think she is a great player. She is good for women's basketball. Great players are never about stats. The media/ESPN took the triple-double thing and ran with it.

I don't believe she will have triple-doubles in the WNBA. And, I will say it again, she would trade them all for a National Championship.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Vanderveer's 34 years at Stanford 8 Triple doubles

And those were all by one player, Nicole Powell. Ionescu smashed her Pac 12 record during her soph season. Your point that triple doubles are rare stands, but Ionescu is fairly unique in her ability to score, get assists, and rebound.

How about this? How many former UConn stars would've amassed 26 triple doubles if they had played for Graves at Oregon (I know most of them played before he was there, but never mind that)? I would guess none of them.

And what does Ionescu only having one triple double against a top 10 team have to do with anything? NOBODY plays games exclusively against top 10 teams. UConn's conference games during the AAC era...well I don't even need to say it.

edit--I took a quick peak at stats, the vast majority of Ionescu's rebounds were defensive, not offensive, so your point about the PG getting back on D is irrelevant.

 

[HuskylnSC]

The inflated minutes fallacy again? Dangerfield, Williams and Walker all played more mpg than Ionescu this last season.

2 seasons ago Ionescu played about 1 mpg more than Dangerfield and 2-2.5 mpg more than Collier and Samuelson. Damn, Ionescu must've had a really productive 1 or 2 extra minutes on the floor to totally inflate her numbers eh?!

So, when is this fallacy gonna end? Never maybe...

The stats typically quoted to substantiate Sabrina as one of the greatest are stats over her four year career. To validate your claim using two year stats is to deviate from the narrative and therefore inconsequential to the discussion. Perhaps instead of general comment about production ("Damn, Ionescu must've had a really productive 1 or 2 extra minutes ...") an analysis of the players' performance would have vindicated your claim.

 

[Jmsdawg]

Madison Booker, she is class of 2023 and has already been offered by MSST. 6-1 and still growing. I saw some videos of her play for last season and she is fearless, strong, and has a decent shot. She is a sleeper for now, but certainly one to watch.

 

[nwhoopfan]

The stats typically quoted to substantiate Sabrina as one of the greatest are stats over her four year career. To validate your claim using two year stats is to deviate from the narrative and therefore inconsequential to the discussion. Perhaps instead of general comment about production ("Damn, Ionescu must've had a really productive 1 or 2 extra minutes ...") an analysis of the players' performance would have vindicated your claim.

What are you talking about? Two years is half of her career. That is very statistically significant. Your response...there's nothing there really. Try again.

 

[HuskylnSC]

What are you talking about? Two years is half of her career. That is very statistically significant. Your response...there's nothing there really. Try again.

It's obvious you don't understand simple data analysis. Comparative totals must be for the same time period. Two years is half a career. I'm glad you understand that. My statements were for a full career. I hope you can understand the bad logic of your statements.

 

[nwhoopfan]

It's obvious you don't understand simple data analysis. Comparative totals must be for the same time period. Two years is half a career. I'm glad you understand that. My statements were for a full career. I hope you can understand the bad logic of your statements.

I apologize for my previous response to you, it was a bit rude.

Here's where I'm coming from. The last 2 seasons I've seen numerous complaints on the BY about Ionescu's amount of playing time. I pointed out that several UConn starters were playing approx. the same number of minutes both seasons. If it wasn't excessive for UConn, then it wasn't excessive for Oregon either. I'm not sure if the complaints about her minutes were the same during her Fr. and Soph seasons. Her minutes were fairly consistent throughout her career.

 

[Alydar]

I apologize for my previous response to you, it was a bit rude.

Here's where I'm coming from. The last 2 seasons I've seen numerous complaints on the BY about Ionescu's amount of playing time. I pointed out that several UConn starters were playing approx. the same number of minutes both seasons. If it wasn't excessive for UConn, then it wasn't excessive for Oregon either. I'm not sure if the complaints about her minutes were the same during her Fr. and Soph seasons. Her minutes were fairly consistent throughout her career.

I'm not trying to diminish Ionescu but maybe you would understand UConn fans' lack of awe better this way. There was a game where Stewart was 1 assist from a TD with a few minutes left in the 3rd period. She sat because the lead was large. KLS had made 10 consecutive 3's but sat the 4th period. Most other teams let their players stay in when that sort of thing has a chance of happening. I also remember all the games where Paris was short a couple pts or rbs from a DD and would stay in the game till the end even though Okl had a 30 point lead.

Other team's stars set records. UConn teams just win.

 

[newfrontier]

The same could be argued of Magic Johnson but that doesn't take away from his greatness. Ionescu was a tremendous player regardless.

Sabrina like Magic Johnson? He won a National Championship. He may have won a second if he had played more than just 2 seasons in college. Yes, I can speculate on this, just as others speculate on Sabrina even getting 1, which she never did.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Sabrina like Magic Johnson? He won a National Championship. He may have won a second if he had played more than just 2 seasons in college. Yes, I can speculate on this, just as others speculate on Sabrina even getting 1, which she never did.

I was comparing Johnson's stats on a "free-wheeling" team to Ionescu doing the same, not really thinking of Magic's college years. I don't know what a lack of a national title has to do with a player's ability though. Saniya Chong won three titles and only lost two games in four seasons but I don't rate her as quite the player Ionescu was.