Non-Lady Vol Basketball News 2023-24

[Gamecockfan77]

Bueckers is the first number one player that seems to be working out for Hoopgurlz in their rankings in a while. Walker was never number one. Williams was never number one, Russell of Tennessee was never number one. Ododa has never deserved the ranking they gave her. Westbrooks number two in that class really? Some of their rankings have been just way wrong. With Bueckers I think they got one right. I'm looking at all the 2021 players and is Fudd really better than Rivers? I don't see it on video. She certainly does not look like the second coming of Bueckers to me. She may be as great a shooter but she is never going to be the rebounder or have the all around game not enough size and length. What you also have to like about Bueckers is the motor she has for forty minutes haven't seen one that works that hard without the ball all year.

All I know is that Fudd was the featured player on the USA National team as a sophomore ahead of older players in Bueckers, Horston, Boston, Cooke and all the rest.
Hailey-Jones was the other featured player on that squad. Everyone else was largely complementary. That was a really good team.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

The NCAA tournament is wide open for several teams to take home the title. UConn needed a huge game out of Bueckers to win last night. If she misses any of those shots she made they lose. The home court still has an influence as well because Arkansas doesn't beat UConn on their home floor. UConn probably does not beat SC on their home floor. UConn needed three huge threes in the fourth quarter to beat Tennessee. I wouldn't go anointing any team as the best right now there are several equal teams out there and any of them can beat the other on a given night.

NC State won in Columbia in a similar game, so it's certainly possible UCONN might have.

I'm still not sure we know how good UCONN or South Carolina are and I think I agree that the tournament is wide open.

 

[Volfan2012]

All I know is that Fudd was the featured team on the USA National team as a sophomore ahead of Bueckers, Horston, Boston, Cooke and all the rest.
Hailey-Jones was the other featured player on that squad. Everyone else was largely complementary. That was a really good team.

Jones has been a really good player for Stanford but she is not the player Bueckers is from what I see. The girl is special as a freshman. She hit 9 out of 10 hard shots down the stretch kept SC from winning. They win if she misses any of them.

 

[Volfan2012]

NC State won in Columbia in a similar game, so it's certainly possible UCONN might have.

I'm still not sure we know how good UCONN or South Carolina are and I think I agree that the tournament is wide open.

A good team can win anywhere but the home court is still some advantage even in this covid season.

 

[mlindsay]

I will also say this not being to critical but just putting out the facts. 6-1 Brea Beal to me and i know Dawn has challenged her to shoot the ball more and i agree she should shoot the ball more. But at some point she needs to start knocking down shots, To me she looked slow last night maybe it`s just me but i really think she looked slow on defense. But in all she needs to pick up her game on the offense end.

One of the things I have noticed about Dawn and what she has been doing on the recruiting trail and this isn't a knock on her nor her team, but she hasn't identified what type of team she wants and seems to recruit the Top Talent ignoring Cohesion. She is truly missing shooters (as you've stated with Beal) and with a player like Boston, you have to make teams pay for doubling and triple teaming her. Littleton is probably the best pure shooter on their team but physically wont provide much if you can't set the proper screens for her.

Brea in high school put the ball on the floor and got to the basket, but it's hard to do that when you don't have the ball in your hands (which she handled the ball a lot in high school). A'Ja Wilson was dominant and had players who could hit clutch jump shots and 3's when needed (Harris, Gray, Davis). SC is missing that right now imo. I would love to see her decide on how she wants them to play, are they gonna get up and down and ignore Boston and her points only come from her rebounding and pick and roll touches or are they gonna involve her in their offense more. Boston should easily be averaging 20 and 10 and last night proved that although she should be the focus of her team. Cooke and Henderson's greenlight harms whatever the team needs/are trying to do.

That's just my assessment

 

[SCspur]

I think it is also fair to say that UCONN played really well defensively and had a hand in creating turnover opportunities and missed bunnies. There is definitely a difference in a missing a breakaway lay up and missing a point blank shot in traffic or in a sea of bodies at the end of a game where 4 starters played 30+ minutes.

The only player on the floor who didn't show a lot of strain was Bueckers who played all 45 minutes and was the entire UCONN offense down the stretch.

I see Feagin, Rivers and Johnson as a big rotation players next year. They all bring key components that this years team is missing. Feagin is a versatile big who has to be guarded all over the court while Rivers is a big guard who can not only stretch the floor and lockdown defensively and then there’s Johnson who will be backup PG next year. She’s what we’re missing the most because she can not only knock down threes but also run the pick and roll more effectively than anyone we have right now. She’s top PG for a reason.

 

[SCspur]

Yes the rebound Saxton got that she came down (she didn't bring the ball down but just came out the air) she should've tipped it back in imo, her coming down, got Boston out of position which made Boston's put back even more difficult because now she was being boxed out when she wasn't at first

Despite that Boston still got fouled as did Saxton on the putback attempt but it is what it is.

 

[LVsinceJV]

ESPN did the same thing with Ogunbowale of ND. UConn fans feel ESPN is biased against them.

Lol still getting bothered every time they show "the shot"...

 

[mlindsay]

Despite that Boston still got fouled as did Saxton on the outback attempt but it is what it is.

They definitely were and the ref was right there and didn't call anything

 

[Gamecockfan77]

One of the things I have noticed about Dawn and what she has been doing on the recruiting trail and this isn't a knock on her nor her team, but she hasn't identified what type of team she wants and seems to recruit the Top Talent ignoring Cohesion. She is truly missing shooters (as you've stated with Beal) and with a player like Boston, you have to make teams pay for doubling and triple teaming her. Little is probably the best pure shooter on their team but physically wont provide much if you can't set the proper screens for her.

Brea in high school put the ball on the floor and got to the basket, but it's hard to do that when you don't have the ball in your hands (which she handled the ball a lot in high school). A'Ja Wilson was dominant and had players who could hit clutch jump shots and 3's when needed (Harris, Gray, Davis). SC is missing that right now imo. I would love to see her decide on how she wants them to play, are they gonna get up and down and ignore Boston and her points only come from her rebounding and pick and roll touches or are they gonna involve her in their offense more. Boston should easily be averaging 20 and 10 and last night proved that although she should be the focus of her team. Cooke and Henderson's greenlight harms whatever the team needs/are trying to do.

That's just my assessment

I think that Dawn hasn't always landed everyone that she has gone after. With the 2019 class, I think Horston and Jackson were probably higher on the wish list than Beal and Cooke.

I do think that Dawn is going to favor athleticism and toughness over shooting when given the choice and that's perhaps not the choice that I would make every time.

I thought last season's team was the best offensive team Dawn has had and the most fun to watch because Herbert-Harrigan was a building project that began with a sweet jump shot. Took her awhile to figure out how to play, but I think she was probably as big a key to that team as Harris. That was the first time that Carolina has really spaced the floor the way it needs to. The title team had Gray and Davis to at least be threats out there, but they were not great shooters. And Harris was not a great shooter either at that point.

 

[Volfan2012]

 

[NeedOrange]

Yes, the dog house for his post players seem to be one that's hard to get out of, his system demands so much from them. Remember all of his Post players have been in the dog house at some point (Charles, Dolson, Stokes, Stevens and even Lobo talked about times that she was in his dog house) I truly think ONO's draft stock is dropping and it wont increase much with a player like Fudd coming in because that will mean fewer touches for her (ONO). It will definitely be interesting to see what happens in the off-season. I have a feeling that there will be a lot of movement this off-season

Everyone is in Geno's doghouse. The players say that if he isn't complaining about you, then you are in trouble.

Fudd, DuCharme, Poffenbarger coming in and the return of a healthy Makurat should mean an uptick in all of Ono's Stats and Edwards also. Geno will have 5 who are deadly from 3. The paint will be wide open. Ono, Edwards, and DeBerry will have little opposition in the paint.

 

[djtee]

One of the things I have noticed about Dawn and what she has been doing on the recruiting trail and this isn't a knock on her nor her team, but she hasn't identified what type of team she wants and seems to recruit the Top Talent ignoring Cohesion. She is truly missing shooters (as you've stated with Beal) and with a player like Boston, you have to make teams pay for doubling and triple teaming her. Little is probably the best pure shooter on their team but physically wont provide much if you can't set the proper screens for her.

Brea in high school put the ball on the floor and got to the basket, but it's hard to do that when you don't have the ball in your hands (which she handled the ball a lot in high school). A'Ja Wilson was dominant and had players who could hit clutch jump shots and 3's when needed (Harris, Gray, Davis). SC is missing that right now imo. I would love to see her decide on how she wants them to play, are they gonna get up and down and ignore Boston and her points only come from her rebounding and pick and roll touches or are they gonna involve her in their offense more. Boston should easily be averaging 20 and 10 and last night proved that although she should be the focus of her team. Cooke and Henderson's greenlight harms whatever the team needs/are trying to do.

That's just my assessment

I agree with you on Brea in HS she put the ball on the floor and got to the basket, As for Dawn recruiting the only think i can say is she is loading up like Geno. But you are correct they need to find a shooter but if you ask me they have one in Destiny Littleton.

 

[SCspur]

One of the things I have noticed about Dawn and what she has been doing on the recruiting trail and this isn't a knock on her nor her team, but she hasn't identified what type of team she wants and seems to recruit the Top Talent ignoring Cohesion. She is truly missing shooters (as you've stated with Beal) and with a player like Boston, you have to make teams pay for doubling and triple teaming her. Little is probably the best pure shooter on their team but physically wont provide much if you can't set the proper screens for her.

Brea in high school put the ball on the floor and got to the basket, but it's hard to do that when you don't have the ball in your hands (which she handled the ball a lot in high school). A'Ja Wilson was dominant and had players who could hit clutch jump shots and 3's when needed (Harris, Gray, Davis). SC is missing that right now imo. I would love to see her decide on how she wants them to play, are they gonna get up and down and ignore Boston and her points only come from her rebounding and pick and roll touches or are they gonna involve her in their offense more. Boston should easily be averaging 20 and 10 and last night proved that although she should be the focus of her team. Cooke and Henderson's greenlight harms whatever the team needs/are trying to do.

That's just my assessment

Agreed! I love that we go after athleticism but a little bit of Fundamentals and IQ needs to be sprinkled in there as well. We missed out big time on Sydney Parrish who could’ve been a great knockdown shooter for us. Can you imagine Boston on that UConn team instead of ONO?? That would be like the Stewart years again IMO. Dawn loves to recruit athletes who can defend and score in transition but she desperately needs her current players to refine their games this offseason or they could lose their starting spots next year. Rivers is a natural 2 guard and at 6’0” is a tough check and doesn’t need the ball to score unlike Cooke. She’s also a better shooter than both Beal and Cooke. She can knock down those same pull up jumpers that Bueckers killed them on last night. She’s going to near impossible to keep out of the starting lineup. As will Feagin and Johnson(although she will likely come off the bench). Feagin provides what Amihere and Saxton lack at this point. A face up game. Don’t bite my head off for this comment but she reminds me of a Young Candace Parker! She’s fluid athletically, has great handle and vision and pretty consistent in her face up jumpsuit. Compliment that to Boston and they could be the answer.

 

[djtee]

Bueckers is the first number one player that seems to be working out for Hoopgurlz in their rankings in a while. Walker was never number one. Williams was never number one, Russell of Tennessee was never number one. Ododa has never deserved the ranking they gave her. Westbrooks number two in that class really? Some of their rankings have been just way wrong. With Bueckers I think they got one right. I'm looking at all the 2021 players and is Fudd really better than Rivers? I don't see it on video. She certainly does not look like the second coming of Bueckers to me. She may be as great a shooter but she is never going to be the rebounder or have the all around game not enough size and length. What you also have to like about Bueckers is the motor she has for forty minutes haven't seen one that works that hard without the ball all year.

Rivers is instant impact she is not short as some may think she now stands about 6-1

 

[djtee]

Agreed! I love that we go after athleticism but a little bit of Fundamentals and IQ needs to be sprinkled in there as well. We missed out big time on Sydney Parrish who could’ve been a great knockdown shooter for us. Can you imagine Boston on that UConn team instead of ONO?? That would be like the Stewart years again IMO. Dawn loves to recruit athletes who can defend and score in transition but she desperately needs her current players to refine their games this offseason or they could lose their starting spots next year. Rivers is a natural 2 guard and at 6’0” is a tough check and doesn’t need the ball to score unlike Cooke. She’s also a better shooter than both Beal and Cooke. She can knock down those same pull up jumpers that Bueckers killed them on last night. She’s going to near impossible to keep out of the starting lineup. As will Feagin and Johnson(although she will likely come off the bench). Feagin provides what Amihere and Saxton lack at this point. A face up game. Don’t bite my head off for this comment but she reminds me of a Young Candace Parker! She’s fluid athletically, has great handle and vision and pretty consistent in her face up jumpsuit. Compliment that to Boston and they could be the answer.

You beat me to it Rivers will be a tough check for any team

 

[Volfan2012]

Rivers is instant impact she is not short as some may think she now stands about 6-1

Just from my view she is as good as anyone in that class. Everything comes to be known when they actually play in WCCB. There are a lot of great player in the 2021 will be interesting to see which ones become top players and which ones are just average.

 

[Amb3096]

I agree with you on Brea in HS she put the ball on the floor and got to the basket, As for Dawn recruiting the only think i can say is she is loading up like Geno. But you are correct they need to find a shooter but if you ask me they have one in Destiny Littleton.

Aren't Zia and Destanni supposed to be shooters as well?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Everyone is in Geno's doghouse. The players say that if he isn't complaining about you, then you are in trouble.

Fudd, DuCharme, Poffenbarger coming in and the return of a healthy Makurat should mean an uptick in all of Ono's Stats and Edwards also. Geno will have 5 who are deadly from 3. The paint will be wide open. Ono, Edwards, and DeBerry will have little opposition in the paint.

I haven't really seen a signature Makurat game, so I don't know that her absence really impacts them much. I think Muhl makes them better.

I'm scared of what I hear about Ducharme. Seems like a great fit for what Geno likes to do.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Aren't Zia and Destanni supposed to be shooters as well?

They're not bad. Henderson is at 38% and Cooke at 42% (but falling). But I think they are both more suited to open looks than off the dribble.

 

[Amb3096]

I haven't really seen a signature Makurat game, so I don't know that her absence really impacts them much. I think Muhl makes them better.

I'm scared of what I hear about Ducharme. Seems like a great fit for what Geno likes to do.

Ducharme seems like another KLS type player. A tall guard that can shoot from anywhere, but she looks like she plays better defense.

Not sure I wouldn't add Makurat to the list of UConn players that will see their PT go down even more next year. We talked about Westbrook and Williams already. I'd add Makurat and McLean (and Poffenberger too) to that list. UConn will have a nice problem to have, but it's doubtful that Geno keeps all of these players happy.

 

[djtee]

Aren't Zia and Destanni supposed to be shooters as well?

Yes

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Agreed! I love that we go after athleticism but a little bit of Fundamentals and IQ needs to be sprinkled in there as well. We missed out big time on Sydney Parrish who could’ve been a great knockdown shooter for us. Can you imagine Boston on that UConn team instead of ONO?? That would be like the Stewart years again IMO. Dawn loves to recruit athletes who can defend and score in transition but she desperately needs her current players to refine their games this offseason or they could lose their starting spots next year. Rivers is a natural 2 guard and at 6’0” is a tough check and doesn’t need the ball to score unlike Cooke. She’s also a better shooter than both Beal and Cooke. She can knock down those same pull up jumpers that Bueckers killed them on last night. She’s going to near impossible to keep out of the starting lineup. As will Feagin and Johnson(although she will likely come off the bench). Feagin provides what Amihere and Saxton lack at this point. A face up game. Don’t bite my head off for this comment but she reminds me of a Young Candace Parker! She’s fluid athletically, has great handle and vision and pretty consistent in her face up jumpsuit. Compliment that to Boston and they could be the answer.

My guess is that Rivers wins a spot as a freshman and Johnson gets a lot of minutes at 1 and 2.

I feel like Feagin is better than Amihere and Saxton, but she has the hardest path to playing time of the three.

I haven't seen enough of Hall to have an idea, but it's hard not to see a Bree with her size from the midwest and not compare her to Beal. I see here shooting has ticked back to 31% after getting to 38% last season. I'm hopeful she's a better shooter, but I'm not sure.

 

[SCspur]

My guess is that Rivers wins a spot as a freshman and Johnson gets a lot of minutes at 1 and 2.

I feel like Feagin is better than Amihere and Saxton, but she has the hardest path to playing time of the three.

I haven't seen enough of Hall to have an idea, but it's hard not to see a Bree with her size from the midwest and not compare her to Beal. I see here shooting has ticked back to 31% after getting to 38% last season. I'm hopeful she's a better shooter, but I'm not sure.

Feagin will see time at the 3 next year as well as the 4 maybe even the 5. Her back to the basket game and face up game is ahead of both Amihere and Saxton and she’s still in High School. Hall is more of an attacker of the paint. To her point she doesn’t play on a team full of talented players so she’s double and triple teamed a lot. Same with Rivers.

 

[87&91ALUM]

The Ladies Softball Schedule is all hosed up on UT Sports webpage. Might want to take a look at that. Go Vols!