Saturday, April 30, 2016

DoggyDaddy's Dailies 5/1/16


 
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As I said earlier this week, Marisa Mosley and Chris Daily BOTH started following Azura Stevens on twitter.  Mosley and more so Daily following players is very unusual. They don't do this lightly. As I said this looked really good for UConn. It was clear where this was headed.
 
I really thought she would be a great fit for the Huskies. At 6'6 and with the ability to run the court and hit the three pointer,  I was really hoping she decided to come to UConn. I've felt that since I first heard of her leaving Duke. Dreams do come true!!

This is an unbelievably great pickup for UConn. They only get two years with this incredibly talented young lady, but she comes in as a ready made superstar. Despite missing the last 8 games with an injury, she was All-ACC 1st team, and her stats were off the charts. She was second in scoring in the conference and first in rebounds at 18.9 and 9.6.

I just lover her game. She shot 36% on threes. That is probably going to go up with UConn. She can handle the ball well too, although not as good as Stewart did. But at 6'6", she will add a different type of inside presence that Butler can't provide.

UConn will have some great flexibility on their roster in 2017-18. They will have tremendous size and some great speed as well. I don't want to jump too far ahead as 2016-17 will be awesome as well, but wow. What a great addition.

"Words can't express how excited I am to have this opportunity to be part of the UConn family,” Stevens said.  "I appreciate the hospitality that my teammates and coaches showed to me this weekend. I am eager to start journey with the Huskies and can't wait to get back up to Storrs this summer."
"We don’t usually get involved in transfer situations but this particular one was intriguing," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said.  “Getting the chance to speak with Azurá and having her on campus to meet with the coaches and the players really convinced us and her that this was the right place for her going forward.  We are excited and anxious to get Azurá up here and start summer school and look forward to her being a part of our team.”

Enjoy these videos!


Here is her High School highlights. Amazing for a 6'6" player. And she is much better now than then.


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By the way, No. 1 2017 recruit, Megan Walker Retweeted the news of Azura transferring to UConn. Stay Tuned!!!!

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 By David in Naples
 
  


 
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                     Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else

Friday, April 29, 2016

DoggyDaddy's Dailies 4/30/16



 
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Arrived in Tampa at 6:30 and then went out to dinner with my son and his family. It was so great to see them!!

Tomorrow at 11:00 am,  my granddaughter's team competes in this big event. Hopefully they make the cut and get to do it again Sunday.

I'll keep you posted!!!!

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For those (like me) waiting to hear about Azura Stevens plans for coming to UConn, it won't be until next weekend. Her finals at Duke are over on May 7th. She will need to enroll in time for summer classes.

For a frame of reference, Natalie Butler announced her transfer on May 7th, 2014 and had the process completed on My 14th. Look for similar dates if she does decide to come to UConn. Still feeling really good about that happening.
    
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My buddy David in Naples put together this really unique way to view the controversy over the USA Women's basketball roster announcement.

There are nine players from the 2012 Olympic roster who are also on the 2016 roster. That means only 3 players have been replaced. They are Swin Cash, Aajha Jones and Candace Parker. Those three have been replaced with Elena Delle Donne, Britney Griner and Breanna Stewart. Let's look at what the 5 members of the USA selection committee decided and the resulting uproar:

1. They left off 2 UConn alumni (Jones & Cash) and added only 1 (Stewie). (Where is the UConn protest?) 8-)
2. They replaced players who are 6'1", 6'3' and 6'4" with players who are 6'4", 6'5" and 6'9".
3. They replaced players who are 36, 36 and 30 with players who are 26, 25 and 21.
4. Obviously, the big beef is with Parker not being on the team. Question: If you play EDD, Griner or even Stewie in exactly the minutes Parker would have played, how is the game impacted ? Does USA lose?
5. The complaint about 5 UConn players being on the team ignores the FACT that 2 are guards (Bird & Taurasi) and 1 is a center (Charles). Parker plays neither position.  The other two are Maya Moore and Stewie, for goodness sake..!! ;)
6. The "Tennessee is getting screwed" theory ignores the FACT that Tamika Catchings, who many say should have been cut, is ALSO from Tennessee. Dumb a$$es. >:D
7. The "Geno is behind this" theory supposes he would screw his chances of getting a GOLD metal on purpose. And, if leaving Parker off wouldn't hurt USA's GOLD medal hopes, why are you people bitching>?
8. Parker posted a video of a 2007 dunk against UConn. Geno has NOT  posted video of National Championship wins in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. :D

Finally, if you are coaching in a 3 vs 3 tournament and the winner gets $1,000, are you happy with the team of EDD, Stewie and Griner? Quit your bitching..!!

Go USA...!!
 
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 By David in Naples
 
 Saniya Chong and Tierney Lawlor are the two seniors on next season's UConn squad. Both have unique stories and have become fan favorites. Saniya for persevering through the devastating death of her older brother Andrew and TLAW for making the UConn team as a freshman walk-on. The two are off the court buddies and have quiet, but effective leadership skills. Saniya has struggled with injuries, but is an talented ball handler and accurate three point shooter. In three years, Chong has made 35% of her 243 three point shots, including the clutch three against Maryland last season. In 1,798 minutes of play, Saniya has just 90 turnovers or one every 20 minutes. At the same time, her 168 assists gives her a 1.86 assist to turnover ratio.

Tierney is the feel good story of the decade. A three sport star at Ansonia High School in Connecticut, TLAW responded to Stewie's tweet inviting walk-on players to fill out the Husky roster. According to Shea Ralph, Lawlor impressed in try outs with her shooting skills and relentless effort. Two years later, Geno awarded her a full scholarship reflecting her work ethic, hustle and contributions as a teammate. Lawlor is a 32% career three point shooter who thrills the crowd when she enters the game, usually in the fourth quarter. TLAW has seen action in 94 games for the Huskies and dressed for every game, three consecutive seasons.

Saniya and Tierney will lead a very young UConn team with four juniors, two sophomores and three freshman. Wait until you hear the cheers for these two special players on Senior Night..!!

Go Huskies..!!
 
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UCONN LINKS
 
Kia Nurse's influence extends beyond basketball Road to Olympics

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Message Boards
 
UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!! 
College Fans Only - WCBB board where no holds are barred
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board    
CockyTalk - The upstart South Carolina women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
                     Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else

Thursday, April 28, 2016

DoggyDaddy's Dailies 4/29/16



 
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My wife and I are flying to Tampa to watch my granddaughter's cheer team compete in the prestigious D2 Summit NSPA Championship. There will be a ton of teams and screaming young girls piercing my eardrums!!!

The athleticism of these young ladies is off the charts and the precision on their routines shows the hard work they put in it. Great teamwork and some wonderful individual tumbling.

Hoping they come home with a medal but this experience will be amazing for my 9 year old. I'm so proud!!!! 

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Just one more genius post from VolNation about Parker not being selected to the USA Olympic team.

Could Candace Parker Play For Another National Team? I truly don't know the answer. I don't know what steps would be needed for her to take. I know other American players have done so in the past. This USA Basketball organization doesn't really represent America anymore! It's a Gestapo unit based mainly in a tiny state in the Northeast part of the country! I would route for Candace and her team...and I think many who really know what's transpiring with USA basketball would do the same. The writer who took so much flack when he wrote the article that UConn is bad for women's game was spot on...a very well respected reporter in his field also. Geno needs to be removed from any connection with the Olympic team!

My god..comparing USA basketball to Nazis? Unbelievable. And this idiot would "route" for another country? Please, move now. We don't want you here.
  
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I've done some poking around about the Parker situation and this is what I've heard.  

The decision not to include Candace Parker on the 2016 Olympic team seems to be a USA BB decision and not one that can be pinned solely on Geno Auriemma.  It appears that USA BB did not like that Parker chose not to play in the 2010 world championships or the 2014 world championships, opting instead to have surgery and not miss any time playing overseas. The Olympics are obviously a more glamorous event but many players feel they need to play in the less desirable world championships in order to have a shot at making the Olympic team. 

USA BB understands the need for the players to maximize their earnings by not missing time overseas where they make the bulk of their money. But that's an issue for all of the players, including those who've chosen to play in the world championships. Well, it seems that some players complained to USA BB about Parker getting special treatment. I would guess that USA BB already didn't like that Parker passed on the worlds and when other players complained they didn't feel right about putting her on the Olympic team again in 2016 (she made the team in 2012).

All this then raises the question of what type of surgeries did Parker have in 2010 and 2014 and was the timing elective. In 2010, Parker had shoulder surgery in June and missed the last 24 games of the WNBA season and, of course, the world championships. Remember she had shoulder problems while at Tennessee. Those problems persisted and 10 games in to the 2010 WNBA season she reinjured it going up for a rebound. It was described as a dislocation. Her shoulder used to pop out and in this instance did so without contact. She had the surgery in June and then decided to have relatively minor knee surgery while rehabbing her shoulder. Interestingly, there was an article in the LA Times that said she intended to have that shoulder surgery after the WNBA season in any event and decided to push it up after the injury. The Sparks were also 3-7 at the time and likely going nowhere under Jen Gillom. So, perhaps USA BB was aware of Parker's original surgery plans and knew she would miss the world championships. In any event, it seems USA BB gave her the benefit of the doubt as she made the Olympic team in 2012.

In 2014, Parker elected to have knee surgery after her team exited the WNBA playoffs in the first round. She played in 30 regular season games and 2 playoff games for the Sparks. After the season ended but before the 2014 world championship team was announced, Parker announced that she would miss the competition because of knee surgery. An ESPN story said the surgery was "minor" and Parker addressed the issue on twitter saying "My focus now is to get healthy and strong. I wish USA Bball the best and will be rooting them on in our quest for gold!" Apparently this didn't sit too well with some of her Team USA teammates and they let USA BB officials know about it.

So, Parker made her bed and now has to lie in it. She put money ahead of USA basketball by missing the 2014 world games and the powers that be made her the 13th player.

I'm sure that folks that support Parker or are from Tennessee will poo poo this, but I'm very comfortable with what I am presenting here.

Many folks that know me and my postings over the years know I have little appreciation for Parker. She is a real diva. A diva before Diggins was even thinking of being one. This USA team will be fine. Maybe she can get back in good graces with USA basketball before she retires, but she might have seen her last Olympic games.

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 By David in Naples
 
  Two mainstays of next year's UConn team will be sophomores Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams. Together, they both played in every game this season and started 50 times. They scored a combined 690 points and averaged over 18 pts per game. Although Gabby and Kia are comparable in size and disposition, they bring very different talents to the Huskies. Consider:

1. Nurse broke the 100 assist level in each of the last two years, with 104 this season and 108 in 2014-15. Gabby had 51 this year and 50 the prior year.
2. Gabby is a rebounding machine with 213 this past season, after 218 in 2014-15. Nurse's boards fell off to 74 after 122 last year.
3. Nurse has been a steady free throw shooter with accuracy rates of 72.2% and 75.4%. Williams made huge jump from 46.2% to 75%.
4. Both are physical defenders, with Kia fouling opponents 57 times this past season, while Gabby had 60. Neither fouled out of a game this most recent season.
5. Gabby is the better thief with 72 steals vs 50 for Kia. She is also the better shot blocker with 13 vs 6 for Nurse.
6. The Gabulous one is a monster on the offensive boards. Her 75 offensive rebounds exceeds Kia's 74 total rebounds.
7. Nurse, on the other hand, has made 104 three point baskets in two seasons. Gabby has tried 1 three in two years and missed it.

Kia and Gabby are best friends and two very free spirits on the Huskies. They both will be key contributors next season for the Huskies. But, their talents are very different. Each will need to continue to do what they do well and improve where they aren't quite as excellent. In both cases, the best is yet to come..!!

Go Huskies..!!


 
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 WNBA /USA TEAMS LINKS
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Message Boards
 
UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!! 
College Fans Only - WCBB board where no holds are barred
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CockyTalk - The upstart South Carolina women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
                     Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

DoggyDaddy's Dailies 4/28/16



 
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In case you hadn't heard, Geno was on the road recruiting this week. It appears he had the flu and it turned into a bronchial infection.

"It started the week of the Final Four. It got worse when I got home," Auriemma told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. "I thought I was over it and then I was laid up for three or four days.

 "Lot of tests, lot of fluids, lot of different things that I was just exhausted and run down. The flu part was real. The bronchial infection was real. The other stuff. Maybe I was holding it back for a month. Just got me."


Link in the UConn section.

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First of all, congratulations to the 12 players selected for Team USA and the 2016 Olympic Women's Basketball team. All great players and well deserving of this honor.

Yesterday I said I was going to write more about the Olympic team roster and Parker being left off when I have all the facts. Well, I have no other facts than the fact that Parker is not on the team. No comments from Geno or any of the five panel selection committee.

Well, there is this comment from Carol Callen, head of USA women's basketball -

 “We don’t get into specifics speaking about each player publicly.  Needless to say there are a lot of deliberations. We have a committee for a reason. … What it does speak to is that we have incredible depth on this team. … We’re looking at depth and talent at each position, and there are just a lot of numbers games that are played at that three-four position that is the strength of our team. We appreciate Candace. It’s not an easy call to make.”

Still, no one has the facts yet they post like they do. No one knows if it was Parker or Stewart. No one knows why they cut Parker. No one knows what Geno said to the Committee.

So, as I said, my suggestion is to stop complaining and root for the good ole USA!

That being said, there are some really nasty things being said about Geno. On the Tennessee fan board, Volnation (I have the link at the end of the blog) there are some really ugly words being said. But not only are some of them trashing Geno, they are hoping that Team USA loses. How un-American.  It's hard to believe that this is really how these fans feel.

"Geno smoking crack"
 
"Geno is a Devil. All he want is everyone to believe that UCONN win it all.  I pray they lose it all."  
 
"You knew he would sacrifice one of the former Lady Vols to make way for Stewart. To me it sounds personal. I wonder does this still lingers in his mind and he had to pay her back some way? "
 
"I will not be rooting for USA Women's Basketball this Olympics"
"Genno and that group can kiss my big fat (I love the emoticon!)
 
"if I were Catchings I would tell ass hole geno I no longer wanted to be considered for team. I refuse to watch the team play in rio."
 
" F the Olympics and f that little gee no cheater"

"Other than being a womanizer, a cheat, a jerk, a walking turd...he's a nice guy..."

"I wouldn't piss on his head if his brains were on fire." 

Yeah, that's enough.

People can be pretty disgusting when they hide behind their keyboards.
 
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One can dream, can't they????

2017-18 Starting Lineup.

5'5 PG Sophomore Dangerfield
6'   SG Senior Nurse
6'3 SF Junior Samuelson
6'6 PF Transfer Junior Stevens
6'5  C  Transfer Senior Butler

Off the bench

6'1   PF Junior Collier
5'11 SF Senior Williams
5'8   PG Sophomore Bent
6'2   PF Sophomore Irwin
6'     SG Senior Ekmark
6'1   SF Freshman Walker
5'11 SF Freshman Gordon
5'10 SG Freshman Espinoza-Hunter

Size, quickness, great shooting.

Mark it down. Another championship.
 
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 By David in Naples
 
 With all the controversy about the Women's Olympic Basketball team selection, it might be nice to examine some facts and stats, rather than stupid & juvenile BS. Consider:

1. Olympic winning streak - USA has not lost since 1992 and currently has a 41 game winning streak.
2. 2012 Olympics - USA went 8-0 at the London games and won by an average margin of 34.4 pts per game.
3. UConn - The four UConn players who played in 2012 finished #1, #3, #5 and #8 in scoring and #1, #2 & #3 in assists.
4. Scoring averages - Taurasi led scoring with 12.4 per game average. Five players were next with average between 8.0 and 10.9 per game.
5. Missing players - Brittney Griner, Elena Delle Donne were not on the team in 2012.

Next, let's look at the 2015 European tour stats.

1. USA went 4-0 with average margin of victory of 30.5 points and shot 53.8% from the field.
2. The leading scorers were Angel McCoughtry (56 pts) and Elena Delle Donne (55 pts).
3. Brittney Griner arrived late, but averaged 12.7 pts per game (3rd on team) & tied for the most free throws with 12.
4. Taurasi, Tina Charles did not make the trip.
5. Stewie scored 31 points (6th) and had 18 rebounds (3rd).

USA could field two teams and win Gold and Silver medals. Teams will have no answer for Griner, Maya, EDD, Charles, or DT. The inclusion or omission of one player, on a roster of superstars will not impact final results at all. Bitching about the selection is as dumb as trying to pick a favorite from your kids.  8-)
 
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Message Boards
 
UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!! 
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ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
                     Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

DoggyDaddy's Dailies 4/27/16


 
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I'm going to write more about the Olympic team roster and Parker being left off when I have all the facts. The official roster will be out Wednesday, and I'm sure that the USA committee that made the call will have their spin. There are five members and rumor has it that three of them didn't vote for Parker.

I will say that the hate coming from the Tennessee fans is palpable. I'm disgusted by many of these fans. They are too vulgar for my blog, and that is saying something.

I am more disappointed in the UConn fans that accuse Geno of bias in not selecting Parker, as if he is holding some grudge against her or is petty enough that just the fact that she went to Tennessee would be a factor. AND he doesn't have the final say. Sure he has his input, but anyone that thinks he would directly tell the committee to leave Parker off the roster is a blithering idiot.

Like I said, I'll have more to say in the next blog when we all know more.

 
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So, looks like my thoughts on both the possibility of Megan Walker committing to UConn and Azura Stevens transferring to UConn have been mirrored on the message boards. The responses to the idea that the tweets mean anything are at times over the top.

One poster is using every "follow" by every recruit to belittle the logic I used  (actually my friend Cat, but we are of like minds on this) and saying that each tweet means a player is going to a specific school. Acting like a real jerk.

What he doesn't understand is that it's not that players are following the coaches, it's that specifically UConn coach Chris Daily only follows players they are interested in. And with a transfer, that is a BIG deal as UConn rarely takes them. It shows mutual interest. And you can glean some info from that.

Some people just don't like to have others feel good about a possibility. They need to downplay any positive news. Maybe they are afraid of being disappointed. But I don't see the need to ruin it for others. I try to stay away from people like that.

As I said yesterday, I'm feeling really good about Walker and Stevens coming to UConn. No matter what the negative nellies say!
 
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 By David in Naples
 
 
UConn played 38 games last season and started 5 players each game. So a total of 190 player starts were available (38 x 5). The graduating seniors started 105 of those available slots. Still, UConn returns a number of players who started games last year and have experience in the "hard minutes" when the outcome was undecided. Consider:

1. Kia Nurse was the only Husky to start all 38 games last season.
2. Katie Lou Samuelson started 22 games and was an established starter by the NCAA tournament.
3. Gabby Williams started 12 games and only came off the bench because Geno loved her spark on defense and on the offensive boards.
4. Napheesa Collier was a starter 9 times and developed into the first or second player off the bench.
5. Saniya Chong was a spot starter, beginning the game on the court 3 times.
6. Natalie Butler had 1 start when Geno opened the Cincinnati game with 5 subs.

The starting lineup will get quite an overhaul with Stewie, Moriah and Morgan leaving. But, two regular starters and two frequent starters return. Geno and company will have their work cut out for them, but the roster is full of talented players who have seen game action.

Go Huskies..!!
 
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UCONN LINKS
 
UConn's Stewart named Honda Award winner Jim Fuller


WCBB LINKS
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Message Boards
 
UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!! 
College Fans Only - WCBB board where no holds are barred
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board    
CockyTalk - The upstart South Carolina women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
                     Rebkell - WCBB for everyone that thinks they are smarter than everyone else