Who Will Be The Face of Women's College Basketball For The 2023-24 Season? | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Who Will Be The Face of Women's College Basketball For The 2023-24 Season?

Who Will Be The Face of Women's College Basketball For The 2023-24 Season?

  • Angel Reese

    Votes: 20 12.1%

  • Caitlin Clark

    Votes: 56 33.9%

  • Paige Bueckers

    Votes: 80 48.5%

  • Azzi Fudd

    Votes: 3 1.8%

  • Someone Else (Say Who)

    Votes: 6 3.6%
  • Total voters
    165
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Not open for further replies.
To me I would say Caitlin Clark. She's clearly the best player to come along in women's basketball since Diana and she has the personality to put the game on her shoulders and carry it. The only other player that is even close in my opinion would be Paige if she is healthy but like some have said I think her time might be during the season not leading up to the season. Brink and Cardosa are decent players but nothing in their games really excite the crowd and that is what the face of your game must bring.
 
It’ll likely be some competitive media bantering between Clark and Reese to start the season, but I think Paige will get her share as well, as will the entire UConn team.

The UConn redemption story arc will be particularly strong this year, even though there’s nothing for Connecticut to actually redeem since they’ve been strong the past few years… an injury or two away from a title perhaps.

I’m not sure we have those media personalities on the team (South Carolina) this year. We have a team full of lowkey, hardworking, and talented young women this year.. which I don’t mind. Maybe somebody will have a big enough year to standout. Who knows..

The player I want to be the face over the next few years is JuJu Watkins. So I’m hoping USC comes on strong so that can position them for more nationally prominent games in subsequent years all the while elevating JuJu.
 
fireford said:
When ESPN & other networks are promoting WCBB for the 2023-24 season, which player will be most prominently featured in these promotions (i.e., the face of the game)?
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It has to be a player(s) that is recognizable to the masses, i.e., Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers or Angel Reese.
 
SCGamecock said:
It’ll likely be some competitive media bantering between Clark and Reese to start the season, but I think Paige will get her share as well, as will the entire UConn team.

The UConn redemption story arc will be particularly strong this year, even though there’s nothing for Connecticut to actually redeem since they’ve been strong the past few years… an injury or two away from a title perhaps.

I’m not sure we have those media personalities on the team (South Carolina) this year. We have a team full of lowkey, hardworking, and talented young women this year.. which I don’t mind. Maybe somebody will have a big enough year to standout. Who knows..

The player I want to be the face over the next few years is JuJu Watkins. So I’m hoping USC comes on strong so that can position them for more nationally prominent games in subsequent years all the while elevating JuJu.
Expand ...

I'll be interested in whether Watkins or Williams becomes the better player. I have no idea who will be superior.
 
As of right now, the clear answer has to be Clark! She is far and away the top player at this time. Paige has a chance to make this a two-headed snake if she plays up to her freshman season’s level. I really don’t see anyone else capable of even challenging Clark! As for Clark vs Paige, they play on such different teams and are asked to do such different things for their teams that it is difficult to compare them.
 
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ucbart said:
It's going to be interesting because the three best players in the country(Caitlin, Paige, and Azzi) play on teams that have no affiliation with ESPN. The B1G's contract with Fox starts this year and ESPN, especially the on air coverage, will stick to it's own athletes, so I suspect that Reese, Brink, and whoever the best player in the ACC is, will get the most coverage. Print wise, Clark, Paige, and Azzi will certainly get a lot of coverage, but that's it.
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Your underlying premise is, for better or worse, pretty much the way I thought of this: Who will ESPN be broadcasting? So -- along with the fact that Angel Reese was the face of the National Champs -- think SEC star first. However, Caitlin Clark is the reigning National Player of the Year so her "cat(lin)" is out of the bag: she'll be covered. A lot. Things come in three, so I think Paige will be highlighted (UConn's strength as a program and her coming back from injury are both draws), as well.

This is the start of the season. After that, the play's the thing, although I think the teams that play well will push certain players forward, such as S. Carolina (Cardoso), Va. Tech (Elizabeth Kitley), Stanford (Cameron Brink), Indiana (McKenzie Holmes), UConn (Fudd, Edwards, besides Bueckers). An interesting ??? is Notre Dame. They've got players, for sure, but their best one -- Oliva Miles -- is in the midst of a recuperation. So, the Irish could be a "they" for the near term.
 
Dillon77 said:
An interesting ??? is Notre Dame. They've got players, for sure, but their best one -- Oliva Miles -- is in the midst of a recuperation. So, the Irish could be a "they" for the near term.
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I like Citron’s game and her personality. If things break a certain way, she could definitely find the spotlight. She and Cass could develop some super chemistry and then the sky’s the limit. And when Olivia returns that will be one formidable backcourt.
 
sun said:
I think it'll be Angel.
She was featured in SI, won the Espy for Best Breakthrough Athlete & her popularity has skyrocketed.

Expand ...

You might have noticed, while Angel was accorded the 'breakthrough athlete,' Caitlin won the award for 'college sports (all sports) athlete of the year.'
 
Bone Dog said:
Last remarks about Paige:

1. Freshman year Paige was the NPOY even though Caitlin had better basic stats (Paige had way better complex stats), and TV personalities put some energy into trying to get some of Paige's stardust to rub off on her. "They're close friends" etc.
2. The next season, hobbled Paige carried her team to the NC and Caitlin did nothing noteworthy other than mamas some stats.
3. The following season, with no Paige again, Caitlin managed to carry her team to the NC -- this was an awesome achievement given her supporting cast -- and finally deserved the NPOY and all the recognition.

See the pattern here? With Paige back and a team that might run the table, no way Caitlin can hold the spotlight. Every media eye will be on Paige and what she might do next.
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2. 'Caitlin did nothing noteworthy other than amass some stats'?

Hmmm, maybe, if you consider leading Iowa to the Big Ten regular season and tournament title that season as nothing.

By the way, hobbled Paige did not lead her team to the NC, only to the NC championship game... there's a ton of difference there, as both Paige and Caitlin would attest.

Yes, Bone Dog, Caitlin amasses stats, but along the way has led the Hawkeyes to dozens of exciting wins over very good teams during her career.

To me, her greatest accomplishment has been in sparking Iowa to team accomplishments, as she always makes a point of after each big win (and as Paige is all about, too).
 
Rowdy831 said:
To me I would say Caitlin Clark. She's clearly the best player to come along in women's basketball since Diana and she has the personality to put the game on her shoulders and carry it. The only other player that is even close in my opinion would be Paige if she is healthy but like some have said I think her time might be during the season not leading up to the season. Brink and Cardosa are decent players but nothing in their games really excite the crowd and that is what the face of your game must bring.
Expand ...
Perhaps better said 'the best guard since Diana'... I'd have Maya and Stewie both in there in the 'best player' debate, and, as much as it won't be popular here, also Candace Parker.
 
The deacon said:
You might have noticed, while Angel was accorded the 'breakthrough athlete,' Caitlin won the award for 'college sports (all sports) athlete of the year.'
Expand ...

It's a business decision & Angel's 2.2 million Instagram followers is 3 times more than Caitlin's 730K.
 
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The deacon said:
2. 'Caitlin did nothing noteworthy other than amass some stats'?

Hmmm, maybe, if you consider leading Iowa to the Big Ten regular season and tournament title that season as nothing.

By the way, hobbled Paige did not lead her team to the NC, only to the NC championship game... there's a ton of difference there, as both Paige and Caitlin would attest.

Yes, Bone Dog, Caitlin amasses stats, but along the way has led the Hawkeyes to dozens of exciting wins over very good teams during her career.

To me, her greatest accomplishment has been in sparking Iowa to team accomplishments, as she always makes a point of after each big win (and as Paige is all about, too).
Expand ...
@The deacon i don’t disagree that Caitlin is a great player — and you’ve defended her name stoutly these last three years. But the fact is her only truly great achievement was last season, and she rightly was recognized for it with the NPOY. I stand by my statement that prior to last season all she really accomplished was stats. The very fact that Paige won the NPOY in their freshman year despite Caitlin’s numbers is the confirmation of it. Gaudy stats are not enough. Yes, a conference title is something to be proud of, but I guarantee you that she was disappointed in the results of her first two seasons.

And now Caitlin has finally matched Paige’s achievements, and if we are all very lucky this coming season will be their moment to shine in competition with each other. Neither has actually won an NC (sorry I mistyped above) and it’s high time one of them actually did. Merely making it to an NC game is not enough for either of these great competitors.

But this is all old news and we’ve argued this out before. The question before us is which of them will be the media darling headlining this season. This is not simply a matter of who’s better, but also of who has more star power. In this matter, I don’t believe there’s any competition. Paige’s charisma and the excitement of a comeback story will just be too great for anyone else to overshadow.
 
wingsfan055 said:
Paige's "Comeback" would make a great story. You know ESPN/media is hoping for that as it will sell.
Expand ...
I don't know about ESPN, they aren't exactly the greatest UConn cheerleaders. But if Paige has anything like her freshman year the rest of the media will go ape-poop :) The one thing the media does really well is construct and amplify a story that sells. A Paige comeback is a story that would be taylor made to explode. It really wouldn't matter what Clark does.
 
Bone Dog said:
@The deacon i don’t disagree that Caitlin is a great player — and you’ve defended her name stoutly these last three years. But the fact is her only truly great achievement was last season, and she rightly was recognized for it with the NPOY. I stand by my statement that prior to last season all she really accomplished was stats. The very fact that Paige won the NPOY in their freshman year despite Caitlin’s numbers is the confirmation of it. Gaudy stats are not enough. Yes, a conference title is something to be proud of, but I guarantee you that she was disappointed in the results of her first two seasons.

And now Caitlin has finally matched Paige’s achievements, and if we are all very lucky this coming season will be their moment to shine in competition with each other. Neither has actually won an NC (sorry I mistyped above) and it’s high time one of them actually did. Merely making it to an NC game is not enough for either of these great competitors.

But this is all old news and we’ve argued this out before. The question before us is which of them will be the media darling headlining this season. This is not simply a matter of who’s better, but also of who has more star power. In this matter, I don’t believe there’s any competition. Paige’s charisma and the excitement of a comeback story will just be too great for anyone else to overshadow.
Expand ...
Well said all the way through, Bone Dog, although Clark's achievements even before last season were consequential.

Otherwise, I'm agreed, on the proviso that Paige is healthy. If she is, and rises to the levels we all hope for, I'm in line with you that she has potential star power even beyond that of the magnetic and charismatic Caitlin (you need to watch Clark's interaction with fans and media more often if you think she's lacking in that regard). Paige also has star personality, but the built-in edge of playing for the Huskies.

I'll just add that, if she has a healthy season, Clark will likely challenge for and probably achieve legendary status as an 'amasser' of both assists and scoring stats. Those pursuits will not be overlooked by the media, regardless of what the Hawkeyes manage as a team.

This is fun. I get to talk about two amazingly gifted young women who happen to play for two of my favorite teams. Cool stuff...
 
Dillon77 said:
Your underlying premise is, for better or worse, pretty much the way I thought of this: Who will ESPN be broadcasting? So -- along with the fact that Angel Reese was the face of the National Champs -- think SEC star first. However, Caitlin Clark is the reigning National Player of the Year so her "cat(lin)" is out of the bag: she'll be covered. A lot. Things come in three, so I think Paige will be highlighted (UConn's strength as a program and her coming back from injury are both draws), as well.

This is the start of the season. After that, the play's the thing, although I think the teams that play well will push certain players forward, such as S. Carolina (Cardoso), Va. Tech (Elizabeth Kitley), Stanford (Cameron Brink), Indiana (McKenzie Holmes), UConn (Fudd, Edwards, besides Bueckers). An interesting ??? is Notre Dame. They've got players, for sure, but their best one -- Oliva Miles -- is in the midst of a recuperation. So, the Irish could be a "they" for the near term.
Expand ...
I think you need to consider personality. I don't mean good or bad, but BIG. Cardoso, Kitley, Holmes, Fudd don't have big personalities (and I like them all). Clark, Bueckers, Reese, Brink all have big personalities, so ESPN will consider that when considering whether to push them.

Another thing is, Brink plays in the Pac and gets very little exposure on the East Coast, although she has the Curry Connection that adds to her panache.

It was awhile ago, but recall the Three to See (yeah, this doesn't support either point I made above). Diggins was he only big personality, although Griner was VERY well-known and someone unlike anything we'd seen before. Delle Donne was also something we hadn't seen before -- an incredible player on a mid (or even low?) major team. Delle Donne and Griner were both pretty withdrawn personalities who let their play do all their talking.
 
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ESPN will focus on the SEC and ACC. I hope so. I think they need to have Reese write a daily blog. remember when Duke was ESPN's darling and Abbie Wainer (sic) had her "Diary" blog on ESPN. She made three enties or so when the Duke season deflated but ESPN kept on pushing her onto the public stage.

I'm in favor of ESPN closely following LSU all season. Maybe put Voepel on a season-long assignment. Not many super teams come around so they should take advantage of this rare opportunity. :rolleyes:
 
I'd find it hard for ESPN to not focus on Paige. The NPOY and winner of every award she was eligible for, as a freshman, is coming back for her senior season after two years where she was either injured for a large portion, her sophomore year, or out for the entire junior season and coming into this year when UConn has as good a chance of winning it all as anyone else. If that isn't the story line of the season, I'd be awfully surprised.
 
Alydar said:
I'm in favor of ESPN closely following LSU all season. Maybe put Voepel on a season-long assignment. Not many super teams come around so they should take advantage of this rare opportunity.
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It would be interesting, especially if Voepel got some insider access to practices. The key with LSU will be if they can keep from imploding, and seeing how they hold it together, or not, would be fascinating.
 
Bigboote said:
I’d be fine with that, but only if they play a big-kid schedule. ;)
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I know what you mean. But even if they play a creampuff schedule like last season, the added attention would be embarrassing for them.
 
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sun said:
Here's some news about LSU's SEC schedule.

www.usatoday.com

LSU women's basketball's 2023-24 SEC schedule highlighted by home game vs. South Carolina

Reigning national champions LSU women's basketball learned its 2023-24 SEC schedule Wednesday. Here are the highlights.
www.usatoday.com www.usatoday.com
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It looks like the conference schedules in the SEC are going to be stronger just because the conference is inching towards parity. Of course, we still know very little about Kim's OOC schedule, though they will be participating in the SEC-ACC tournament which looks really promising.
 
It looks like half of Hailey Van Lith's outfit is missing.

And Brink looks like she's wearing a cosplay outfit, only she isn't at ComiCon.

I guess they are ready for the WNBA, where bizarre attire is the norm!
 
nwhoopfan said:
It looks like half of Hailey Van Lith's outfit is missing.

And Brink looks like she's wearing a cosplay outfit, only she isn't at ComiCon.

I guess they are ready for the WNBA, where bizarre attire is the norm!
Expand ...
Meow, meow, meow
 
After watching Jana in the FIBA U19 games I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes “the face of WCBB” soon enough.
 
sun said:
Here's some news about LSU's SEC schedule.

www.usatoday.com

LSU women's basketball's 2023-24 SEC schedule highlighted by home game vs. South Carolina

Reigning national champions LSU women's basketball learned its 2023-24 SEC schedule Wednesday. Here are the highlights.
www.usatoday.com www.usatoday.com
Expand ...
Who really cares about their SEC schedule, they have to play those teams. No surprise. I would like to see who they play in OOC. That will show me if they have the balls to play good teams, especially since they are the defending National Champs, and I don't mean teams that are at tournaments. I mean teams that they schedule for future home and home series.
 
oldhusky said:
All of the top three for different reasons. Caitlin is the returning superstar that is probably the most popular player that fans want to watch. Paige is very close and the obviously biggest comeback story in the country. And Angel will be the player who puts herself in the limelight with the stage of a defending national champion and her sometimes controversial behavior.

All three will get a ton of attention as the main individual storylines of the season.
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Will be interesting. Limelight vs popularity vs talent vs team success, all play into it. And whoever ESPN decides is in their best interest to hype. Their "algorithm" for that isn't necessary the same as fans. I won't be surprised if it's SEC, SEC, SEC, LSU all season. Maybe more Team LSU or Team Mulkey than Angel's LSU. I don't think she is even the best player, or even most valuable, on that team for the upcoming season.
 
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