UConn Women Vs. UCLA

[Cannon Shell]

The Uconn team is so stacked that they SHOULD win every game. It would be like taking the NBA All Star team and playing D league teams. They are playing top 10 schools who have no players that could make their team. Gino has created a monster program and certainly can recruit. But womans basketball is just not that competitive of a sport at the highest level and while it is a notable accomplishment, the idea that it is the equal of a mens streak is laughable.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

The Uconn team is so stacked that they SHOULD win every game. It would be like taking the NBA All Star team and playing D league teams. They are playing top 10 schools who have no players that could make their team. Gino has created a monster program and certainly can recruit. But womans basketball is just not that competitive of a sport at the highest level and while it is a notable accomplishment, the idea that it is the equal of a mens streak is laughable.

Merry Christmas Chuck.

[Slewbopper]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

The Uconn team is so stacked that they SHOULD win every game. It would be like taking the NBA All Star team and playing D league teams. They are playing top 10 schools who have no players that could make their team. Gino has created a monster program and certainly can recruit. But womans basketball is just not that competitive of a sport at the highest level and while it is a notable accomplishment, the idea that it is the equal of a mens streak is laughable.

This is simply not true, at least not this year. Maya was the #1 highschooler in the country as a junior and senior. Of the rest of the roster, none were ranked higher than #10. Other programs (Tennessee, Duke, UNC) are more "stacked" according to HS rankings. Tennessee presently has a roster of at least 6 players that were ranked in the top 10 in HS. Why haven't they even been able to reach the Elite 8 the last two years? Coaching.

Geno goes after players that will fit into his system....essentially a team of unselfish role players....players who were stars in high school, but buy into his team concept.

Prior to the '08-'09 season, UConn signed the #1 HS player in the country, a 6'5 guard named Elena Della Donne. She is probably the greatest pure shooter in the history of the women's game. She attended a pre-season two week get together in June when the team held voluntary uncoached scrimmages and practices. She packed her bags and went home to Delaware after two days. She knew at the time she would be unable to give the intensity needed to play at UConn. In August, she officially left UConn and enrolled at Delaware. She is now playing there in obscurity with little chance of ever making it to the NCAA tournament, and if she does it will be as a 13 to 16 seed. We certainly haven't missed her.

[slotdirt]

^^^ Seriously, and this is completely sexist and I'll openly admit it, but who follows chickball this closely?

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

^^^ Seriously, and this is completely sexist and I'll openly admit it, but who follows chickball this closely?

People who go to UConn, girls 12-16 who play basketball and maybe some men whose daughters play basketball.

I'm not trying to be sexist, but I find woman's basketball (on any level) to be totally unwatchable. Then again on certain night I feel the same way about the NBA.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

People who go to UConn, girls 12-16 who play basketball and maybe some men whose daughters play basketball.

I'm not trying to be sexist, but I find woman's basketball (on any level) to be totally unwatchable. Then again on certain night I feel the same way about the NBA.

It's horrific to watch...I agree.

[Slewbopper]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

People who go to UConn, girls 12-16 who play basketball and maybe some men whose daughters play basketball.

I'm not trying to be sexist, but I find woman's basketball (on any level) to be totally unwatchable. Then again on certain night I feel the same way about the NBA.

Math.....The first I heard of a female basketball player was Ann Meyers (David Meyers older sister and Mrs. Don Drysdale) when she was at UCLA in the mid 70s. About '79, I became curious about women playing bball when I read an article about Nancy Lieberman in the NY Times playing against boys on the playgrounds in Brooklyn. As a point guard she was the first great player in the women's game. I started watching on TV the once or twice a year games were shown, mostly in the Final Fours of the then AIWA. Until UConn came to prominence in the early '90s, I remained a curious fan. In that 15 or so year period of time, the players improved by leaps and bounds.

With the '94 baseball strike, I became basically fed up with the greed of professional sports as well as the college bballers leaving early for the NBA. As someone that went to UConn who has lived in CT most of my life, I gravitated to the Huskie women. What I think I appreciate the most is the girls stay at the school for four years. As a fan, I knew Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi would be playing at UConn through their senior years. If I lived anywhere else and had not attended UConn, I would probably still only have the casual interest that I did prior to their emergence as a powerhouse.

Edit: To put it into perspective, I am willing to bet that the ratings on Tuesday night were higher than some Breeders Cups

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by Slewbopper

Math.....The first I heard of a female basketball player was Ann Meyers (David Meyers older sister and Mrs. Don Drysdale) when she was at UCLA in the mid 70s. About '79, I became curious about women playing bball when I read an article about Nancy Lieberman in the NY Times playing against boys on the playgrounds in Brooklyn. As a point guard she was the first great player in the women's game. I started watching on TV the once or twice a year games were shown, mostly in the Final Fours of the then AIWA. Until UConn came to prominence in the early '90s, I remained a curious fan. In that 15 or so year period of time, the players improved by leaps and bounds.

With the '94 baseball strike, I became basically fed up with the greed of professional sports as well as the college bballers leaving early for the NBA. As someone that went to UConn who has lived in CT most of my life, I gravitated to the Huskie women. What I think I appreciate the most is the girls stay at the school for four years. As a fan, I knew Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi would be playing at UConn through their senior years. If I lived anywhere else and had not attended UConn, I would probably still only have the casual interest that I did prior to their emergence as a powerhouse.

Edit: To put it into perspective, I am willing to bet that the ratings on Tuesday night were higher than some Breeders Cups

Let's be honest, they stayed in school for all four years because there is no money to be made in the WNBA. If the WNBA pay scale was 1/3rd of what the NBA is, I would think that there would be very little chance that many of these girls would be there for all 4 years.

I understand what you are saying, but you are obviously vested/genuinely interested in the program as you attended college and from the sounds of it live in the area/state.

As a sports fan from a nearby state, I could honestly say I just don't find women's basketball interesting. They could win 1000 in a row and while I acknowledge that it's an accomplishment, I honestly couldn't care less. I just don't find the sport interesting.

I do enjoy certain womans sports, just basketball isn't one of them.

[Slewbopper]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

Let's be honest, they stayed in school for all four years because there is no money to be made in the WNBA. If the WNBA pay scale was 1/3rd of what the NBA is, I would think that there would be very little chance that many of these girls would be there for all 4 years.

I understand what you are saying, but you are obviously vested/genuinely interested in the program as you attended college and from the sounds of it live in the area/state.

As a sports fan from a nearby state, I could honestly say I just don't find women's basketball interesting. They could win 1000 in a row and while I acknowledge that it's an accomplishment, I honestly couldn't care less. I just don't find the sport interesting.

I do enjoy certain womans sports, just basketball isn't one of them.

There is an age limit of 22 for entering the WNBA, the same as there was in the NBA years ago. Remember Wilt jumping to the Globe Trotters from Kansas after his junior season? The exceptions to the rule are the player has completed 4 years of college or is not an American. Underage foreigners can play in the W but few do because as you said, there is just no money here. Diana Taurasi and a few other American gals are making $1 mil a season playing in Russia during the winter. There is also good money to be made in Spain, Turkey, and Israel. Weird, eh? Then they play in the W in the summer under a salary cap that only allows salaries of $40,000 to $100,000 a season.

[GPK]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

Let's be honest, they stayed in school for all four years because there is no money to be made in the WNBA. If the WNBA pay scale was 1/3rd of what the NBA is, I would think that there would be very little chance that many of these girls would be there for all 4 years.

I understand what you are saying, but you are obviously vested/genuinely interested in the program as you attended college and from the sounds of it live in the area/state.

As a sports fan from a nearby state, I could honestly say I just don't find women's basketball interesting. They could win 1000 in a row and while I acknowledge that it's an accomplishment, I honestly couldn't care less. I just don't find the sport interesting.

I do enjoy certain womans sports, just basketball isn't one of them.

Women's Beach Volleyball has a tendency to capture my attention.

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by Slewbopper

Prior to the '08-'09 season, UConn signed the #1 HS player in the country, a 6'5 guard named Elena Della Donne. She is probably the greatest pure shooter in the history of the women's game. She attended a pre-season two week get together in June when the team held voluntary uncoached scrimmages and practices. She packed her bags and went home to Delaware after two days. She knew at the time she would be unable to give the intensity needed to play at UConn. In August, she officially left UConn and enrolled at Delaware. She is now playing there in obscurity with little chance of ever making it to the NCAA tournament, and if she does it will be as a 13 to 16 seed. We certainly haven't missed her.

I saw something about her on ESPN. Didn't she leave because she was essentially burnt out and didn't return to basketball for 2 years?

[Slewbopper]

Originally Posted by Dahoss

I saw something about her on ESPN. Didn't she leave because she was essentially burnt out and didn't return to basketball for 2 years?

Yes. Her family is filthy rich and she had been pushed by her "stage dad" father. She had a personal trainer at age 8. T%he one thing that she never was taught is work ethic. She relies totally on her shooting ability and ball handling skills. As a freshman at Delaware, she played volleyball. She is now a redshirt soph for basketball.

I went to see her at Yale a month ago. She rarely runs, and never all out. She trots. She does not rebound much despite being the tallest player on the team. She scored 40 against Yale but was gassed at every time out. She saw the writing on the wall when she visited UConn. She was unwilling to put in the necessary work to play at UConn's level. She would have spent her career in Geno's doghouse

She prefers being the big fish in the little pond

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by Slewbopper

Yes. Her family is filthy rich and she had been pushed by her "stage dad" father. She had a personal trainer at age 8. T%he one thing that she never was taught is work ethic. She relies totally on her shooting ability and ball handling skills. As a freshman at Delaware, she played volleyball. She is now a redshirt soph for basketball.

I went to see her at Yale a month ago. She rarely runs, and never all out. She trots. She does not rebound much despite being the tallest player on the team. She scored 40 against Yale but was gassed at every time out. She saw the writing on the wall when she visited UConn. She was unwilling to put in the necessary work to play at UConn's level. She would have spent her career in Geno's doghouse

I guess my point was not playing for more than 2 years sort of implies she really was burnt out and not just not wanting to put in the necessary work. Not the first time we've seen a parent ruin a sport for their child.

[horseofcourse]

I came across this...was this just a family excuse for the situation??

It turns out, though, that Delle Donne’s biggest reason for returning to Delaware emerged: She really missed her sister Lizzie. Lizzie was born blind, deaf and with cerebral palsy, and she and Elena have a tremendous bond.

For me, that would be a tough situation to deal with, being as physically gifted as she is and having to witness the complete opposite in her sister every day of her life. I'd feel some guilt. This thread is the first time I have ever heard of this Delle Donne girl.

[Slewbopper]

Originally Posted by horseofcourse

I came across this...was this just a family excuse for the situation??
It turns out, though, that Delle Donne’s biggest reason for returning to Delaware emerged: She really missed her sister Lizzie. Lizzie was born blind, deaf and with cerebral palsy, and she and Elena have a tremendous bond.

For me, that would be a tough situation to deal with, being as physically gifted as she is and having to witness the complete opposite in her sister every day of her life. I'd feel some guilt. This thread is the first time I have ever heard of this Delle Donne girl.

Not an excuse at all. During the reruiting process, UConn, Villanova , and Tennessee were the frontrunners. I always thought she would go to Villanova for a nuimber of reasons. It was 30 miles from home. They run a Princeton style offense which is basically slow down basketball that depends heavily on three point shots.....perfect for her

By chosing UConn which I am sure was Daddy Dearest's choice she put herself in a position due to a special Big East rule to never be able to play the sport she signed a letter of intent for at any other Big East school.

This is all a smoke sdcreen....of course I have a biased opinion
http://www.usatoday.com/video/index....nt/51404007001

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Slewbopper

This is simply not true, at least not this year. Maya was the #1 highschooler in the country as a junior and senior. Of the rest of the roster, none were ranked higher than #10. Other programs (Tennessee, Duke, UNC) are more "stacked" according to HS rankings. Tennessee presently has a roster of at least 6 players that were ranked in the top 10 in HS. Why haven't they even been able to reach the Elite 8 the last two years? Coaching.

Geno goes after players that will fit into his system....essentially a team of unselfish role players....players who were stars in high school, but buy into his team concept.

Prior to the '08-'09 season, UConn signed the #1 HS player in the country, a 6'5 guard named Elena Della Donne. She is probably the greatest pure shooter in the history of the women's game. She attended a pre-season two week get together in June when the team held voluntary uncoached scrimmages and practices. She packed her bags and went home to Delaware after two days. She knew at the time she would be unable to give the intensity needed to play at UConn. In August, she officially left UConn and enrolled at Delaware. She is now playing there in obscurity with little chance of ever making it to the NCAA tournament, and if she does it will be as a 13 to 16 seed. We certainly haven't missed her.

I have to admit that I don't watch but I find it shockingly hard to believe that the highest profile school in the country with a 90 game win streak that regularly beats teams by 30+ points doesnt have a huge talent disparity when compared to the other "top" teams.

http://www.wnba.com/features/confere...9_bigeast.html

When looking at the 24 WNBA players from the BIG EAST, the 12 players from the University of Connecticut jump off the page. We could have easily created an All-UConn squad that probably could have competed with some other conference squads.