A'ja Wilson's play.

[veryolddog]

A'ja Wilson is a great athlete and has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, she is not in a program that will cultivate her and challenge her to live up to her potential. If she had the internal fortitude to join a program like UConn, she would be in a program with a staff that promotes excellence and endurance to the degree of the Navy Seals. She certainly will have an above average college career but nothing like she could have had at UConn.

 

[j66kicker]

Does Geno not need to cater because he's successful or is one of the reasons Geno's successful because he doesn't cater?

I'll go with (b)

 

[CocoHusky]

Does Geno not need to cater because he's successful or is one of the reasons Geno's successful because he doesn't cater?

The latter.

 

[BobbyJ]

Does Geno not need to cater because he's successful or is one of the reasons Geno's successful because he doesn't cater?

I would say the former enables the latter. It's quite possible that Geno may have catered a few times early in his career at UConn. But once he produced a top program it became self perpetuating. Top players were attracted to a winning program where the coach could help them reach their max potential and win championships. And Geno was then in a position where he could dictate the terms of where, when, and how they would play. And I assume they knew those terms before they signed. And if they didn't understand them completely before they came, they became the transfers.

 

[CocoHusky]

A'ja Wilson is a great athlete and has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, she is not in a program that will cultivate her and challenge her to live up to her potential. If she had the internal fortitude to join a program like UConn, she would be in a program with a staff that promotes excellence and endurance to the degree of the Navy Seals. She certainly will have an above average college career but nothing like she could have had at UConn.

Very Old,
Sorry but I can't co-sign the "internal fortitude" part of your post because it questions Wilson's character-like she was not up to the challenge of UCONN. Wilson chose SC over many other schools for many reasons some of which we will never know. She did not choose UCONN for many reason some of which......-let just leave it at that.

 

[CocoHusky]

I would say the former enables the latter. It's quite possible that Geno may have catered a few times early in his career at UConn. But once he produced a top program it became self perpetuating. Top players were attracted to a winning program where the coach could help them reach their max potential and win championships. And Geno was then in a position where he could dictate the terms of where, when, and how they would play. And I assume they knew those terms before they signed. And if they didn't understand them completely before they came, they became the transfers.

I say the latter because he was not catering well before he was successful- He was my High school JV basketball coach back in the day. The success reinforced that he was doing the right thing by not catering.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

A'ja may be listed as a g/f, but 80% of her play is inside.

 

[j66kicker]

A'ja may be listed as a g/f, but 80% of her play is inside.

She will be a beast when she gets over her dislike of contact, beefs up the upper body a little bit, and decides to play where she belongs.

 

[CocoHusky]

At the next level A'ja will never be considered or ask to play guard or for that matter a wing. Dawn should be expanding her game so she has more of a low post presence. However, in fairness to Dawn, she already has three low post players that are better then A'ja in the low post.

Wbbfan1,
By the next level do you mean WNBA? If so I agree with you. A'ja has also not attempted a 3 point shot yet this year which was an advertised strength in high school. Maybe I'm being too critical of Dawn here but I don't see a cohesive SC plan on how she is going to be used and developed for the next level.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Wbbfan1,
By the next level do you mean WNBA? If so I agree with you. A'ja has also not attempted a 3 point shot yet this year which was an advertised strength in high school. Maybe I'm being too critical of Dawn here but I don't see a cohesive SC plan on how she is going to be used and developed for the next level.

She took and made her first 3 pointer of the season tonight and looked good doing it. She also had a career high with 26 tonight. I only recall one other shot outside the paint.

 

[FairView]

Does Geno not need to cater because he's successful or is one of the reasons Geno's successful because he doesn't cater?

Hmmm, I thought it was a rhetorical question.

 

[Intpseeker]

A'ja didn't play the other night the same way she did in the 4-5 games I watched previous to our game with SC. She and Coates were very real reasons for concern, but, at least the other night, they were contained.

 

[Icebear]

They will be contained every time they play UCONN. It is about who they are playing. It is easy too look good in the SEC.

 

[DobbsRover2]

She took and made her first 3 pointer of the season tonight and looked good doing it. She also had a career high with 26 tonight. I only recall one other shot outside the paint.

I guess that's a bit of a start in the right direction, but this is no Sylvia Fowles type LSU team. It's small, with three starters under 6' and no one above 6'2". In fact the 5'9" Ballard tied her teammate Boykin for the tops in rebounds in the game at 12, well ahead of any Gamecock. So Wilson was kind of having her way with a height challenged lineup, and that goes back to the problem for USCar that when you play in a conference like the SEC, it's hard to get the games you need to improve. Too simple to pat yourself on the back after playing at home a team like LSU that has lost to #177 Sagarin team Santa Claus (or Santa Clara, I forget which) and say "We looked great!" Eh, whatever.

 

[jsloanjr]

Wilson will be a star player soon, USC has got t find a way to get her the ball on every play...........She can play!!!

 

[CocoHusky]

She took and made her first 3 pointer of the season tonight and looked good doing it. She also had a career high with 26 tonight. I only recall one other shot outside the paint.

I saw that. She was probably hitting the shot as I was posting. Congrats to her on the 3 and the Career high in points.

 

[UcMiami]

Just FYI Wilson's first USA basketball experience was this last summer - her school calendar had always conflicted with trials for other teams.

Early days for her and I think she will come round. Stewart wasn't that great for most of her freshman year - started strong, lost her way when she started getting bodied around, and the came good for the post season run. Wilson has a lot of time, but I do think Dawn has some work undoing her HS/AAU coach's misinformation.

It is very difficult for any tall person to play guard consistently - their hands are just too high off the ground.

 

[Striper69]

Just FYI Wilson's first USA basketball experience was this last summer - her school calendar had always conflicted with trials for other teams.

Early days for her and I think she will come round. Stewart wasn't that great for most of her freshman year - started strong, lost her way when she started getting bodied around, and the came good for the post season run. Wilson has a lot of time, but I do think Dawn has some work undoing her HS/AAU coach's misinformation.

It is very difficult for any tall person to play guard consistently - their hands are just too high off the ground.

Hmmm...Magic...

 

[meyers7]

I guess that's a bit of a start in the right direction, but this is no Sylvia Fowles type LSU team. It's small, with three starters under 6' and no one above 6'2". In fact the 5'9" Ballard tied her teammate Boykin for the tops in rebounds in the game at 12, well ahead of any Gamecock. So Wilson was kind of having her way with a height challenged lineup, and that goes back to the problem for USCar that when you play in a conference like the SEC, it's hard to get the games you need to improve. Too simple to pat yourself on the back after playing at home a team like LSU that has lost to #177 Sagarin team Santa Claus (or Santa Clara, I forget which) and say "We looked great!" Eh, whatever.

But they "routed" them (per one report) 86-62. Not quite 87-62, but pretty good.

 

[Icebear]

She took and made her first 3 pointer of the season tonight and looked good doing it. She also had a career high with 26 tonight. I only recall one other shot outside the paint.

There is an old saying in archery, "One is luck, two is a coincidence, three is a pattern."

 

[DobbsRover2]

But they "routed" them (per one report) 86-62. Not quite 87-62, but pretty good.

But as Geno would say, you gotta look at what it looked like. And 21 TOs at this time of year against a team like LSU is concerning, with Mitchell, Cuevas, and Coates all with 4. That could be a harbinger of issues in the tournament when opponents put pressure on Mitchell and Cuevas in the back court.

 

[RadyLady]

Unfortunately I think that Wilson is still not convinced. I sincerely hope that she doesn't turn into a diva aka Diggins.

hmmm...anyone notice that she wore her uniform a little differently than the others? It said to me, "look at me - notice me".

Then I remember what Geno said when he answered her question about what it takes to be selected to the USA team.

And something didn't quite fit.

Just my opinion

 

[RadyLady]

Does Geno not need to cater because he's successful or is one of the reasons Geno's successful because he doesn't cater?

Does not cater. Everything is about the team.

 

[EricLA]

hmmm...anyone notice that she wore her uniform a little differently than the others? It said to me, "look at me - notice me".

Then I remember what Geno said when he answered her question about what it takes to be selected to the USA team.

And something didn't quite fit.

Just my opinion

I don't think her shorts are rolled up, I think they are custom made - just shorter than the shorts the rest of the team wears.

 

[RadyLady]

I don't think her shorts are rolled up, I think they are custom made - just shorter than the shorts the rest of the team wears.

so you noticed.