Saturday, March 14, 2020

Doggy's Doghouse 3/14/20








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                

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 With all the craziness and scary shit going on, basically quarantining myself just because, it always perks me up to see the grandboys. I hope it perks you up too! 
The boys having a busy day!!!

And taking a little nap after!!!

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UConn junior Megan Walker has declared for the WNBA draft and will not be returning to the Huskies for the 2020-21 season.

I'll admit it. I was wrong. I really didn't think she would do this and I said so in a blog about a month ago. Sad for the fans, but thrilled for Megan. She is going to be a great pro.

The latest mock draft has her as No. 6 to Minnesota where she would have a chance to play with Napheesa Collier!

At 6'1" and a strong WNBA ready body, Megan is the prototypical small forward. 

With her improved three point shooting skills and her ability to drive and get her shot off with contact, I expect her to be quite successful in the league.

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A walk down memory lane!

Megan Walker HS Highlights


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If you read many of the post on the UConn message board and on Facebook, you would think Megan was a bench player declaring for the draft. At first I was just surprised to see so many negative comments about her leaving, but then I got more angry than surprised.     

Many talk about that she is too slow to be a guard and too small to be a forward. That is just wrong. She is quicker than people think. And she is a strong player, strong enough to play small forward in the WNBA.  

From Voepel in 2013 in describing the WNBA small forward. 

"Need someone to mix it up in the paint? Shoot 3-pointers? Slash to the rim? Rebound? Handle a big scoring load or set up teammates or both? Defend players bigger or smaller or the same size? That is the WNBA small forward".  

And that is Megan Walker. 

Other say she has more to learn and could use another year at UConn. Well, I suppose that is true. But if you are going to be drafted top ten, why not learn in the WNBA and earn some money? I'm not even sure what more she would learn at UConn. She would maybe improve her draft stock by staying? But I think she is ready. And apparently so does she.

It just seems to me that some fans look at the three games against Oregon, South Carolina and Baylor and think that defines Megan and her future. I call bullshit on that. She had terrific stats this season. She showed what she could do. Fortunately, the teams in the WNBA won't be so myopic about her ability. 

I could cut and paste all the stupid posts about Megan. It would certainly fill my blog. But they don't deserve repeating. 

I'm so happy for Megan. She gave us plenty of thrills and pleasure over her three years. No, she did not disappoint me one bit. Her junior year she played like the No. 1 recruit that she was.  

 And when the voting is done, she will be the AAC player of the year, and an All-American. She is ready for the WNBA, no matter what the naysayers say.

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So Megan is leaving UConn for the WNBA. It's true. How does she compare to the current batch of small forwards in the WNBA? What are the expectations for her in the WNBA? 

Let's start with the expectations. Will she be as good as Collier? Doubtful she will be ROY with Ionescu as a rookie. But will she contribute to a team from off the bench. No doubt in my mind.

I tried to think of some players that came into the league that remind of her physically and with the same type of skills. The best  I could come up with was former Tennessee Lady Vol Shekinna Stricklen.

Stricklen was the No. 2 pick in the 2012 draft and has now played 8 years in the league. I believe Walker was a better college player. Her junior year was better than any season that Stricklen had. But they both are very good three point shooters, with a decent handle and a strong body. They just seem to be similar players to me.

 Stricklen in her 8 years in the WNBA, played for Istanbul overseas and made a terrific living in basketball. And only averages 7.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, .5 APG while shooting 40.5% from the field, 37.5% on threes. For anyone to think that Walker can't match and exceed those stats just doesn't understand what this young woman can do.

 And please don't jump all over her decision when her rookie numbers are lower than what you think she should be doing. Camille Little, another 6'2" forward who just retired this year, played 13 years after having a rookie year where she averaged 3.9 PPG and 4.5 RPG. THIRTEEN YEARS. 

 Good luck Megan. Knock em dead!!  

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Over the next few week, I'll be posting videos, interviews, articles and general information about the players that will be added to the UConn roster next season and their possible impacts. Now that Megan Walker has declared for the WNBA draft, the new players are more and more important. I will also give my opinion on the returning players as well. 

I'm so excited about the 2020-21 season. Great players and competing for a National Championship is in the future. 

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Paige with Azzi

 No last names needed 



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Great interview with Geno

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Friday, March 13, 2020

Doggy's Doghouse 3/13/20








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                

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Yep, I'm still here. And as long as David sends me stats and I can find links and there is something I can find to write about I'll post something. 

I'm sure there will be days that I don't post a blog entry. But today is not that day!! 

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It was Saturday March 19, 2016 when my wife and I was lucky enough to get great seats to UConn's first NCAA tournament game in the 2015-16 season. As you can see by the picture on the right, we were captured by the TV cameras. UConn won that game 101-49 over 16 seed Robert Morris. It was a fun game to watch. 

After the game, with my jacket in hand, I spotted a 2016 recruit in the stands. None other than the lovely Molly Bent. Look how young she looks there. Maybe just compared to me?

I also got to meet her dad, who couldn't be more excited about her coming to UConn. He was a great guy and I was really happy for the both of them and for UConn fans. I knew she would be a fan favorite!!

Her dad George had a lot to say about the sudden end of the season.  Enjoy the article I linked below. 


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And Molly's fellow senior Kyla Irwin posted this.

Broken elbow, finger and in a boot.

ONE TOUGH COOKIE!!

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In the article I linked below, the NCAA has agreed to give spring athletes another year of eligibility after cancelling all the spring sports. 

According to this article, the NCAA is also looking into giving the winter sports athletes an additional year of eligibility as well.

Crazy, huh. 

So, the question is, will the players take them up on it?

I would guess that the players that have a future in professional basketball would seriously think about it. A player like Sabrina Ionescu would probably still leave and to into the draft. But players that just love the game, their teammates and have no future in pro ball certainly might consider coming back. 

Western Kentucky University men’s basketball coach Rick Stansbury said seniors should receive a “blanket waiver,” according to the Bowling Green Daily News.

“Those seniors who want to come back, let them come back and set up that opportunity,” he said. “If they want to leave and get a job, let them leave and get a job. If they want to leave and start playing professionally, let them do that. But don’t take an opportunity away from them that they could’ve had.”

Lots to think about with this one!!  



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By David in Naples!!!!


With the 2019-20 season ended, here's a quick look at what UConn loses to graduation and how that compares to new additions to the team. This analysis matches each loss with a semi-corresponding arrival. No offense to any of the seniors. 

1. Crystal Dangerfield graduates, Paige Bueckers arrives. - Crystal is the 5th leading assist leader all-time. Paige has great passing talent, but it will take time to learn the offense and where the others players are moving to/from. Crystal will be missed until someone steps up and fills her passing AND scoring role. This is a negative for next year.

2. Molly Bent graduates and Nika Muhl arrives. - Molly deserves all the praise possible for playing a supporting role for the last 4 years. Nika is a better passer, floor leader and possibly a more prolific scorer. She certainly has more confidence and experience, playing professionally in Croatia. Net positive for UConn.

3. Kyla Irwin graduates, Aaliyah Edwards arrives. - Kyla worked her way up to be an early season starter with endless hard work. Athletically, Kyla was undersized and less physically talented than most opponents. Edwards is a 6'3" physically gifted power forward. She can score inside and from the 3 points arc. She is a rebounding beast. Net advantage for UConn.

4. Evelyn Adebayo graduates, Piath Gabriel arrives. - Evelyn was never able to contribute significant minutes in relief of Olivia. Piath will face the same task. She is bigger than Evelyn, but lacks the 4 years of college experience. She has been described as a "project with good potential." Short term, this is net neutral. Longer term it should be a positive.

5. Batouly Camara graduates, Mir McLean arrives. - Camara was bitten by the injury bug and never reached her previous potential shown at Kentucky. She was expected to replace Napheesa or at least play 15-20 minutes at forward. McLean is an undersized small forward cut in the mold of Aubrey Griffin. She is physically gifted and can jump out of the building. Given Batouly's injuries and limited playing time, this is an upgrade for UConn. 

The biggest negative for UConn is the loss of Crystal. That might be offset by a healthy Evina Westbrook. Her two years at Tennessee were very productive and in Geno's system, she should thrive. A lot depends on the health of her knee and her grasp of the offense. She won't be asked to do too much, like at Tenn. If healthy, this will help cover for the loss of Crystal.

The biggest positive for the Huskies is the return of four starters. Anna will be a sophomore, Liv & Squeaks will be juniors and Megan the only senior. All should be improved from their performances this year. Hopefully, all will be stronger, smarter and more confident. That is a great core four to start the year with..!!

Net-net, the roster will be deeper, more talented and physically more gifted. That is never a bad thing..

Go Huskies..!!

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Thursday, March 12, 2020

Doggy's Doghouse 3/12/20








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                

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AND
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I would have never believed this could happen if you asked me a couple of weeks ago. It's almost beyond comprehension.

Sports is such a big part of the fabric of this nation. We basically match up the seasons with the sports. Baseball - spring training and the Boys of Summer. Football starts in earnest in the fall and carries  through the heart of the winter. Pro basketball and hockey are long seasons and are a basically winter sports.

And of course, March madness, the culmination of the college basketball season for the men and women teams.

We watch the games, read the articles, record and watch again. For the folks that read this blog, I know we share a passion for UConn women's basketball and to have it ripped away from us just when the tournament was going to start is painful. So painful.

For me it's doubly painful. I will miss the games for sure. But I will miss writing my blog every day. My friend who continue to work because they don't know how to fill their time if they stop ask me how I do it. I seem to happy in retirement. Well, I work part time for my catering friend. I babysit for the grandkids. I golf. And golf. And golf. And of course writing my blog.

I would guess that I spend around 15-20 hours a week writing, google searching, and just pondering how I can fill up this space. There are times where I have no idea what I am going to write about. I peruse the message boards looking for ideas. I'll look at some of the articles that I find and see an interesting topic that I can opine about. Sometimes I'll just look at the team stats and see something that grabs my attention and I'll share it here.

So now what? How to I fill that time? Well, I was going to stop in a month anyway as the season would have been over.  So I'll go into post season mode a little earlier. I get my 7-10 PM time back. I'm sure my wife will be happy to have my attention more often. Maybe. I still might get the itch and find something UConn to write about and you can bet I'll share it with you.

I will really miss the interaction I get from many of you and the reaction to what I post every night.

More importantly, please take this virus seriously. Do what the CDC says in regards to washing hands, staying away from crowds, and the other rules they have suggested here.

We are all in this together. Take care of each other. Be smart. Be sure. Be careful.

Doggy 

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Geno always puts it best

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Well, something to write about. Paige Bueckers' high school team Hopkins played in the Minnesota state Girls semi-final game and easily beat Stillwater 66-40.

Paige's official stats were 18 Points, 7 Rebounds 4 Assists although I think she had a few more. I found these stats. 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. I'm not sure which are correct. I'll just take the best of each one and say she had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.  

They move on to the finals and I'll add if they have them. I am kinda surprised that they played this game with all the sports that have been cancelled and that many high schools and colleges are totally closed. There was a big crowd there Thursday night. Crazy.

So, guess who was in attendance at this game? Paige's BFF Azzi Fudd, only the No. 1 player in the class of 2021 and the previous Gatorade HS POY as a sophomore. When I see things like the following tweet, it's hard to believe they won't be playing together for three years.



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By David in Naples!!!!

DAVID'S FINAL STATS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT WAS CANCELLED

Lately, UConn has been running the offense through Anna Makurat just as much as Crystal Dangerfield. So how do their stats compare this season? Despite playing 218 fewer minutes, Anna's raw numbers are comparable. For example, Crystal has 118 assists & Anna is at 105. Crystal has 52 turnovers vs 57 for Anna. Rebounds are close, but favor Anna 126 to 111. Crystal has more steals, 55 to 47. Some of the stats are different, but the extra minutes often played explain it.

For example, Crystal has scored 448 points in 1,061 minutes. That is a point every 2.36 minutes. Anna has 252 points in 843 minutes. That is 3.34 points per minute. But, if you compare shots per minute, the difference is simple, Crystal shoots more. As far as accuracy, both have hit 41% of their three-point shots. Inside the arc, Crystal has a slightly better shooting %. Crystal is a senior and has taken on an increased scoring role. Anna is a freshman and is just finding her role on the team. But, she is gaining confidence and that helps the Huskies immensely in the NCAA tournament. 

Go Huskies..!!

Rankings and RPI Sites


Message Boards

UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!! 
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