Some thoughts after the first week of the college WBB season:
1) Sarah Strong is the best player in the country! She’s an absolute handful, and I still don’t think she gets enough touches on the block! Saniyah Hall is the best freshman in the country but Jacy Abil isn’t to far behind. Both fill up the stat sheet! Hannah Hidalgo is the most impactful player in the country. I’ve never seen a player dominate a game defensively the way she does while playing OFF the ball! The amount of space she covers is unreal. But what separates her is her MOTORPASSION! No, I didn’t misspell that. Her motor and passion are a combined skill set I’ve never seen another player possess. She’s truly 1 of 1!
2) The SIZE of these top teams is ridiculous! Kentucky played three 6’5” players together! Most top teams have a 3-guard who is 6’2” or taller. Texas Tech has a 7’1” center! The women’s game is getting taller, longer, and more athletic. Size is becoming a major factor in how teams are built and how they compete.
3) Will defense win the championship, or will the 3-ball be the great equalizer? I suspect it’ll take a combination of both, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the team that cuts down the nets is the one that can consistently knock down threes against elite defensive teams. The 3-point line could ultimately decide the national championship!
4) The international impact on college WBB is only getting bigger! I’ve noticed even more international players making significant contributions this season, and I expect that trend to continue. Many of these players have national team experience, have competed against older competition, and some even have professional experience! Kentucky has a 21-year-old player who has already been drafted into the WNBA, and her class designation is listed as TBD! 😂 Think about that for a second. Recruiting is only going to get tougher for American high school girls, especially when they’re competing for roster spots against players with that level of experience.
4)Are we developing too many scoring guards and not enough players who actually know how to RUN A TEAM? This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and the first week of college WBB has only reinforced it. I’ve been underwhelmed by the overall point guard play. I haven’t seen many PGs who can significantly impact a game WITHOUT scoring. I’m talking about pushing pace, getting the ball up the floor quickly, getting teammates into the right sets, consistently creating quality shots, controlling tempo, recognizing mismatches, and understanding situational basketball. These are skills that don’t always show up in the box score but have a tremendous impact on winning. Somewhere along the way, I think we’ve started valuing how many points a guard can score more than their ability to actually lead and run a team. There’s a difference between being a scoring guard who handles the ball and being a true POINT GUARD! Are we teaching the position anymore, or are we just developing more scorers? I think Sue Bird would absolutely destroy today’s pg’s.
It’s only the first week, and there’s a lot of basketball left to play, but these are a few things that have stood out to me. Interested to hear what others are seeing!
1) Sarah Strong is the best player in the country! She’s an absolute handful, and I still don’t think she gets enough touches on the block! Saniyah Hall is the best freshman in the country but Jacy Abil isn’t to far behind. Both fill up the stat sheet! Hannah Hidalgo is the most impactful player in the country. I’ve never seen a player dominate a game defensively the way she does while playing OFF the ball! The amount of space she covers is unreal. But what separates her is her MOTORPASSION! No, I didn’t misspell that. Her motor and passion are a combined skill set I’ve never seen another player possess. She’s truly 1 of 1!
2) The SIZE of these top teams is ridiculous! Kentucky played three 6’5” players together! Most top teams have a 3-guard who is 6’2” or taller. Texas Tech has a 7’1” center! The women’s game is getting taller, longer, and more athletic. Size is becoming a major factor in how teams are built and how they compete.
3) Will defense win the championship, or will the 3-ball be the great equalizer? I suspect it’ll take a combination of both, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the team that cuts down the nets is the one that can consistently knock down threes against elite defensive teams. The 3-point line could ultimately decide the national championship!
4) The international impact on college WBB is only getting bigger! I’ve noticed even more international players making significant contributions this season, and I expect that trend to continue. Many of these players have national team experience, have competed against older competition, and some even have professional experience! Kentucky has a 21-year-old player who has already been drafted into the WNBA, and her class designation is listed as TBD! 😂 Think about that for a second. Recruiting is only going to get tougher for American high school girls, especially when they’re competing for roster spots against players with that level of experience.
4)Are we developing too many scoring guards and not enough players who actually know how to RUN A TEAM? This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and the first week of college WBB has only reinforced it. I’ve been underwhelmed by the overall point guard play. I haven’t seen many PGs who can significantly impact a game WITHOUT scoring. I’m talking about pushing pace, getting the ball up the floor quickly, getting teammates into the right sets, consistently creating quality shots, controlling tempo, recognizing mismatches, and understanding situational basketball. These are skills that don’t always show up in the box score but have a tremendous impact on winning. Somewhere along the way, I think we’ve started valuing how many points a guard can score more than their ability to actually lead and run a team. There’s a difference between being a scoring guard who handles the ball and being a true POINT GUARD! Are we teaching the position anymore, or are we just developing more scorers? I think Sue Bird would absolutely destroy today’s pg’s.
It’s only the first week, and there’s a lot of basketball left to play, but these are a few things that have stood out to me. Interested to hear what others are seeing!
