diggerfoot
Humanity Hiker
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In the last millennium a rule of thumb offered by the pundits was that three players destined for the NBA made for a championship caliber team. I doubt there is any research to verify or refute this rule of thumb, but I offer some logic in support of the claim and how it relates to the UConn women.
One professional caliber player is capable of taking over and winning a game, but if you are relying on just one there is the possibility of that player having an off game at any particular time. Also, there are many teams with at least one professional caliber player, and well coached teams capable of neutralizing even the best player. The odds of having three such players is slim. If a team has three such players, then the odds of all of them having an off game at the same time also are slim, with strategies for neutralizing all three tough to implement.
Then there is UConn. With at least seven professional caliber players on the squad we are likely to always have at least three play up to their abilities in any particular game. Of course, there are games where we've seen more than three do well, but at least three generally suffices for victory, at least according to the pundits.
Even though it does happen, we normally won't see more than three having great games at the same time, especially when a team plays well together. Others will defer and look towards the hot hands. This sometimes gives the appearance of slumps or off games, when really players are just playing smart.
Considering we have a few years of head of > 3 professional players per squad we are likely to make the Final Four consistently and be the probably favorites for future championships.
Oh, and having the best coaches helps a little as well
.
One professional caliber player is capable of taking over and winning a game, but if you are relying on just one there is the possibility of that player having an off game at any particular time. Also, there are many teams with at least one professional caliber player, and well coached teams capable of neutralizing even the best player. The odds of having three such players is slim. If a team has three such players, then the odds of all of them having an off game at the same time also are slim, with strategies for neutralizing all three tough to implement.
Then there is UConn. With at least seven professional caliber players on the squad we are likely to always have at least three play up to their abilities in any particular game. Of course, there are games where we've seen more than three do well, but at least three generally suffices for victory, at least according to the pundits.
Even though it does happen, we normally won't see more than three having great games at the same time, especially when a team plays well together. Others will defer and look towards the hot hands. This sometimes gives the appearance of slumps or off games, when really players are just playing smart.
Considering we have a few years of head of > 3 professional players per squad we are likely to make the Final Four consistently and be the probably favorites for future championships.
Oh, and having the best coaches helps a little as well
.