RebKell's Junkie Boards

[Oldfandepot2]

So Collier, leads the team in scoring (22) rebounds (10) and steals (4 -damn lousy defense!) Second in assists. Yeah, bad game for her. The only starter who is an underclassman. To the trash heap with her, by God.

_________________
Cave Canem!
We must listen to each other no matter how much it hurts. Bishop Desmond Tutu.

[GlennMacGrady]

I'm seeing magic in Napheesa Collier. Heady, hustle, touch, nose for rebounds.

Most importantly, Collier makes things happen by aggressively attacking the paint (the center of crowd mass) with or without the ball. Consequently, she ends up with rebounds, putbacks and layups. In contrast, lots of other name players tend to shy away from the crowd mass and habitually fade away to the perimeter, hoping others will make something happen and then pass them the ball. This was the difference between Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis, for example, at Duke. To use UConn examples, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart continuously attack crowd mass and the paint; Mosqueda-Lewis and Katie Lou Samuelson tend too often to fade away from paint contact to the perimeter.

USA vs. Canada Box

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/MagicBusBasketball

[linkster]

love the way USA covered half the team picture with jibber jabber.

http://www.usab.com/womens/u18.aspx


How are we going to see who is actually taller than whom?

[GlennMacGrady]

[linkster]

In the picture you posted further up the page Wilson looks like Turner's big sister. She actually looks smaller in the team photo.

USA is one of the only places that lists player weights. Wilson is 25 pound up on Turner and Collier, despite being 2 inches shorter has 8 pounds on Turner.

[Oldfandepot2]

A'ja's height also raised suspicion last year when you look at the 2013 U-19 team. Candice Agee was in the middle who is by all accounts 6'6". On her left facing the camera was Breanna Stewart who is clearly 6'4" and not 6'5" as some indicated. On Agee's right was A''ja'clearly three inches shorter than Candice. To the right of A'ja was Brianna Turner whom most list as 6'3" tops. She is the same height as A'ja in the picture

And waaayyy down at the end in front is Moriah Jefferson listed at 5'7". Not even if she wore platform sneakers.

_________________
Cave Canem!
We must listen to each other no matter how much it hurts. Bishop Desmond Tutu.

[Oldfandepot2]

Sorry.

_________________
Cave Canem!
We must listen to each other no matter how much it hurts. Bishop Desmond Tutu.

[Oldfandepot2]

Sorry, double post.

_________________
Cave Canem!
We must listen to each other no matter how much it hurts. Bishop Desmond Tutu.

[ArtBest23]

Looks like a rematch with Canada is on the horizon. Canada beat Brazil 67-60.

[Nixtreefan]

When they play some competition better than JV then you can praise what they can do. All this shows is what they can't do and it's against JV comp. and yes Collier as with the majority of the team plays lousy D. She gave up several 3s, and 1 back door and let 2 players go by her resulting in fouls on the bigs. She is not the only one. She also benefitted from the opponents packing it in on Turner and Wilson/Shepard.

We see again v Argentinia, Shepard can't stay in the game as she keeps fouling.

Turner is the only one I see battling around the rim with a couple defenders. At least she has the respect of drawing a double and still battling.

Wilson got blocked by a little person. No doubt that Wilson is a paint player.

FYI not singling I was just posting while watching, and obviously looking at negatives, as when you play against no D you should be producing.

What contact are you talking about 90% of those lay ups were unguarded- perspective.

Not impresses at all with Mompremier or McCowan.

What happens a lot, is players crowd the paint and have bad spacing which hinders players like Turner and Wilson.

Second half is woeful, Argentina out rebounding the US and the US again showing bad D against the 3.

Shepard you are not a guard stop dribbling.

[Oldfandepot2]

[ClayK]

It would seem to be pretty hard to be pumped up playing in games in which you can name the score, especially defensively.

At the high school level, you run into those games -- especially if you're a good team in a weak league -- and they're very difficult. At least then you can point to tougher games later as motivation; at FIBA Americas, it's just more of the same.

Of course, Canada could make it a better game as they'll come in fired up and the Americans are just punching the clock before they head home, but really, this is no measure of anything.

_________________
Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā

[GlennMacGrady]

Here's another photo. A'ja Wilson's height is very confusing. She may be a variable height medieval shapeshifter or a latter day Eel O'Brian.

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/MagicBusBasketball

[Nixtreefan]

Just because you want something to be good doesn't make it good. These teams are not being held to anything they are just bad.

Canada's D could be worse than the US. But none of the us can guard Canada driving.

Wilson finally using her height.

[PhillyCat]

[GlennMacGrady]

USA wins gold, defeating Canada 104-74.

Here are my five favorite players of the five game tournament, a combination of objective statistics and subjective preferences.

5. Mariya Moore. Not elite in any aspect of the game but proficient in all, especially passing. Moore led the team with 20 assists, and I thought she made the most "wow" assists. She also led the team in FT% at 90%. Moore is a really good team-first player.

4. Jessica Shepard. A really aggressive low post player, if somewhat undersized and overweight. She has a killer fake-left/go-right back-to-the-basket move. She led the team in FTA's because of her aggressiveness in paint traffic and hit 66% of her field goals. She could be a college AA if she loses about 15 pounds and develops left hand shots and moves.

3. Brianna Turner. Very effective shooter, rebounder, putbacker and FTA drawer in the low paint. Can run the floor and handle the ball. Needs a better off-hand. If she has a mid-range jump shot, she didn't show it in this tournament.

2. A'ja Wilson. Objectively, Wilson would likely be most people's #1 choice. She was the tournament MVP. She led the USA team in scoring, was second in rebounding and FTA's, and shot an amazing 76% from the floor. She, too, is very aggressive in traffic. She showed an impressive left side drive move from the high post, and even a right side drive move. She also likes to dribble the ball all the way down court to the basket. Wilson's high post drive moves and jump shot separated her skill-wise from Turner.

1. Napheesa Collier. I'm giving my favorite nod to Collier because I was very impressed by her overall versatility and have a subjective interest in following her career at UConn. She was the top rebounder on the team, especially dominating the offensive glass. She put up the most shots, all of good quality, and was the second high scorer. Collier is a very good entry and fast break passer, and she was fourth on the team with 17 assists. To complete her superb versatility, Collier was the best three-point shooter at 55% and was third in steals and blocks. She shot 56% from the field, many of her shots being mid-range jumpers and runners.

Collier is silk, like Jamaal Wilkes. I think she may be the second most talented 6-1-ish player ever to enter UConn, behind only Maya Moore. More specifically, I expect she will be at least as good as Svetlana Abrosimova, Swin Cash, Ann Strother and Morgan Tuck.

Four plays in the video of the first Canada game demonstrate Collier's versatility. First, watch the three consecutive USA possessions beginning at 10:00 and ending at 11:30 (9:41 to 8:35 on the first quarter game clock). Collier hits a three; then gets the rebound, dribbles the entire court lefty on a fast break, dropping a perfect paint pass to A'ja Wilson (who is a great floor runner); and then drives on her defender and stops and pops a mid-range jumper in the defender's face.

Finally, watch the play at 1:38:10 (6:09 remaining in the 4th quarter). At the top of the arc Collier passes to Caldwell who shoots a three, which bounces off the front of the rim. Collier dives to the rim as Caldwell shoots, grabs the rebound in her left hand with a Dr. J-like running strato-snatch, and in one smooth motion puts the ball back in the hole with her right hand.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ld3YhYKf11g?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Collier is an IMPRESSIVELY VERSATILE player, and is a year younger than Wilson and Turner. She won't get the college publicity of Wilson because she'll have to share the UConn limelight with her classmate Katie Lou Samuelson--who together may combine to be the highest scoring four-year duo in UConn history.

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/MagicBusBasketball

[Fighting Artichoke]

Glen, Collier was very impressive in the tournament, but she is only 2 months younger than Turner and only 1 month younger than Wilson. She is a grade lower, though.

[GlennMacGrady]

Thanks. I meant a grade younger.

Two "n's", please.

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/MagicBusBasketball

[ArtBest23]

I think you can tell about as little from those games as you can from the McDonalds game.

Although Tiffany Mitchell may be wondering if she's ever going to get to touch the ball again the rest of her career at S. Carolina.

The enduring memory I have of these games is seeing Wilson raising her hand and waiving it around begging for the ball the moment she crossed midcourt. All I could think of was Hermione Granger in Potions class.

[GlennMacGrady]

Good one, Art.

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/MagicBusBasketball