DWBB 2021-22 Season

[dudog84]

shrug. i don't think it's fair to be critical of one of if not the top recruit for wanting to play for what amounts to a more proven team.

we have an unproven coach, a team that didn't play last year, and was bad before that. that's a HUGE amount to risk your college career on.

some might, but it's not a fair ask.

Exactly how is UCLA a "more proven" team? They've made it past the Sweet Sixteen exactly once in the past 20 years.

[uh_no]

Exactly how is UCLA a "more proven" team? They've made it past the Sweet Sixteen exactly once in the past 20 years.

uclas results the past five years are significantly better than duke's.

[dudog84]

uclas results the past five years are significantly better than duke's.

Doesn't answer the question. Damning with faint praise, and considering the coaching change, not an apt comparison. UCLA is nothing in womens basketball. Their recruiting the past couple of years is nothing to write home about. If they make a Final Four in the next 4 years you can call me out, but I'm comfortable with my assessment.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Doesn't answer the question. Damning with faint praise, and considering the coaching change, not an apt comparison. UCLA is nothing in womens basketball. Their recruiting the past couple of years is nothing to write home about. If they make a Final Four in the next 4 years you can call me out, but I'm comfortable with my assessment.

Someone is writing home about it today.

[dudog84]

Y'all can think she make the right decision. That's fair. I don't.

It's her life, I wish her well.

[jimsumner]

we have an unproven coach, a team that didn't play last year, and was bad before that.
.

I think "bad" is a bit of an exaggeration. McCallie's last team was likely to be an eight-seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament had it not been canceled. Not what Duke should strive for but hardly bad.

[awhom111]

How in the world did Texas let Celeste Taylor go?

She wanted to play in a conference where it was easier for her parents to fly to games from New York.

[uh_no]

I think "bad" is a bit of an exaggeration. McCallie's last team was likely to be an eight-seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament had it not been canceled. Not what Duke should strive for but hardly bad.

You're surely right.

I think most of my passion is in response to an attitude that a recruit must be misguided for not having chosen Duke. I find it somewhat condescending to insinuate that a recruit must not be thinking rationally if they were to choose any school other than duke.

Obviously I would love for such recruits, in any sport, to come to Duke and play (even if I admit my own weakness should they choose a certain new england state school), but there's nothing WRONG with visiting a bunch of schools and choosing the one you like best. We were all high schoolers once. We all visited schools and liked or disliked things about them (and no offense meant for those of us who didn't attend college, or didn't have a choice of a school). We all chose some school of those who would have us to attend. That decision may or may not have been for whatever rational or practical reasons, or even the decision we would make with the life experience we have today. For me, I loved the fact that (at the time), duke's housing was simple. You got a number, you picked the room you wanted (among other reasons, of course). Is that a terribly stupid reason to give credit to duke over penn? You bet. But it doesn't mean I was stupid or making the wrong decision, even if I likely would have had great opportunities at Penn as well.

So Kiki said what her reasons are. It's impossible to know whether those are media speak or not. But whatever reasons those are, she feels she might be happier or better off or whatever at UCLA. I'm happy for her having made a decision, as I would be for any high school student who has to make a decision that will shape the rest of her life. I wish her decision were something else, sure, but I can't in good faith suppose that I know what she is thinking.

If she feels she will be happier at UCLA, then she made the right decision.

Go Duke.

[accfanfrom1970]

You're surely right.

If she feels she will be happier at UCLA, then she made the right decision.

Go Duke.

And now if she changes her mind she can transfer anytime she wants.

[Phredd3]

Are we playing mostly man to man defense?

Yes- mostly man

Did we play anything OTHER than man-to-man in the game? I don't think I saw anything else. There was a lot of dynamic switching - which occasionally led to enough confusion to kind of look like zone, as we scrambled to recover - but I don't think I recall us intentionally playing anything other than a man-to-man defense even once the entire game. Perhaps someone has a different recollection?

[DU82]

Did we play anything OTHER than man-to-man in the game? I don't think I saw anything else. There was a lot of dynamic switching - which occasionally led to enough confusion to kind of look like zone, as we scrambled to recover - but I don't think I recall us intentionally playing anything other than a man-to-man defense even once the entire game. Perhaps someone has a different recollection?

That was my recollection as well. Miela got burned a few times out on the perimeter, and the inside bigs didn’t react soon enough to cover. Hopefully, that’s just getting used to playing together, no knowing pluses and minuses of teammates.

One thing I noted was that Jade hasn’t gotten better on fast breaks. She’s nimble, of course, but her hands aren’t great and doesn’t always know what to do once she has the ball running in the key. At least one attempt was thrown up right underneath the basket (take better angles - of course, easy for me to say sitting in the stands.). I think she and Onome will be passed by the other bigs and will slide down the rotation soon.

[jimsumner]

That was my recollection as well. Miela got burned a few times out on the perimeter, and the inside bigs didn’t react soon enough to cover. Hopefully, that’s just getting used to playing together, no knowing pluses and minuses of teammates.

One thing I noted was that Jade hasn’t gotten better on fast breaks. She’s nimble, of course, but her hands aren’t great and doesn’t always know what to do once she has the ball running in the key. At least one attempt was thrown up right underneath the basket (take better angles - of coeurse, easy for me to say sitting in the stands.). I think she and Onome will be passed by the other bigs and will slide down the rotation soon.

There's only one other big. Finklea-Guity is the only other player taller than 6-1. I thought Jade looked much improved in Duke's truncated 2021 season, playing with more confidence and assertion than we had ever seen from her. But she seems to have regressed. One game is a small sample size but she looked like the same hesitant, confused player we saw a few years ago. She was the only Duke player not to score last night and Duke will need her to be better--a lot better--against the meat of the schedule. Finklea-Guity is less skilled and less gifted athletically than Williams. But she's a big who isn't afraid to play like a big and that's going to earn her more playing time and that's going to come at Jade's expense unless she figures it out.

Akinbode-James will compete and defend and that may be enough to keep her in the rotation.

I'm not sure what to think of Lewis. She's a 6-1 power forward who averaged 15 and 9 in the Big 10 last season in the Big 10. So, she has a demonstrated ability to play inside, effectively against good competition. But she didn't make much of an impression last night, positive or negative.

Lawson may be willing to have a deep rotation. She doesn't have a track record to evaluate and my attempts to draw her out on the subject have not been successful. But I can't imagine she's going to have an 11-player rotation, so some winnowing is inevitable. Duke looks absolutely loaded at the perimeter spots. But will one of the bigs step up and give Duke the kind of consistent interior presence it's going to need to compete in the ACC? That's a big question for me.

[chrishoke]

There's only one other big. Finklea-Guity is the only other player taller than 6-1. I thought Jade looked much improved in Duke's truncated 2021 season, playing with more confidence and assertion than we had ever seen from her. But she seems to have regressed. One game is a small sample size but she looked like the same hesitant, confused player we saw a few years ago. She was the only Duke player not to score last night and Duke will need her to be better--a lot better--against the meat of the schedule. Finklea-Guity is less skilled and less gifted athletically than Williams. But she's a big who isn't afraid to play like a big and that's going to earn her more playing time and that's going to come at Jade's expense unless she figures it out.

Akinbode-James will compete and defend and that may be enough to keep her in the rotation.

I'm not sure what to think of Lewis. She's a 6-1 power forward who averaged 15 and 9 in the Big 10 last season in the Big 10. So, she has a demonstrated ability to play inside, effectively against good competition. But she didn't make much of an impression last night, positive or negative.

Lawson may be willing to have a deep rotation. She doesn't have a track record to evaluate and my attempts to draw her out on the subject have not been successful. But I can't imagine she's going to have an 11-player rotation, so some winnowing is inevitable. Duke looks absolutely loaded at the perimeter spots. But will one of the bigs step up and give Duke the kind of consistent interior presence it's going to need to compete in the ACC? That's a big question for me.

All of that is very worrisome.

[jimsumner]

All of that is very worrisome.

Like I said, small sample size. Another data point coming up in a few days.

[Phredd3]

Duke looks absolutely loaded at the perimeter spots. But will one of the bigs step up and give Duke the kind of consistent interior presence it's going to need to compete in the ACC? That's a big question for me.

That was really my primary question as well, and it applied on both ends of the floor. Jade is arguably the most athletically talented and can occasionally have standout games offensively and can defend reasonably well overall, but she has trouble with her hands, has low court awareness, and is, for her height, not a good rebounder. Akinbode-James is a much better defender and a superior rebounder, but she is a virtually always an offensive liability, with very little in the way of post moves or passing ability, and she is turnover prone. I don't know Finklea-Guity as well, but based on last night she is big and strong, with good defensive timing, decent hands, and some good post moves, but she is super slow with knee problems and no vertical ability at all. I don't know that she would have any defensive chance against an opponent who could shoot from 10' or beyond.

Post play is going to be an ongoing problem I fear, and as of now, we don't have a post player coming in for next year, either. We'll have to get by with what we have for now, but hopefully there is a competent transfer out there somewhere.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Make tomorrow night a twofer, by starting off with the women playing against Winthrop at 7 on ACCNX.

https://goduke.com/news/2021/11/8/wo...8Ol6sfgbKl_CMs

[CameronBornAndBred]

Prior to our game, #5 NCSU takes on #1 SC in Reynolds at 5:00. Helluva way for the Pack to start their season. Duke plays both teams later this season (SC in a month), so I'll be paying attention.

[uh_no]

Prior to our game, #5 NCSU takes on #1 SC in Reynolds at 5:00. Helluva way for the Pack to start their season. Duke plays both teams later this season (SC in a month), so I'll be paying attention.

must watch, IMO.

If it weren't for a rehearsal I have at 7:30, i'd be down there.

[dudog84]

Since my predictive powers have proven so great , I'll make some on the coming season.

Kinda strange that a team with 4 McDAAs (Oliver got hurt before the polls came out) didn't get a vote in either poll, but I guess Kara has a lot to prove. I'll say that within a few weeks we'll be getting votes and have a chance to crack the top-25. Won't know a lot until early December when we play Iowa.

I'll also say by the end of the year we'll be ranked top-20, maybe top-15. I'll even say we make the Elite Eight, though I can't see how we would get by SC, UConn, Stanford, and the generic 4th this year (Maryland?) to a Final Four. I just really like the make-up of this team, I think Kara will be a fine floor coach, and getting Beth Cunningham was a master stroke. Getting the assistant who sat next to Muffet McGraw for the past 8 years (during which she was arguably the 2nd best womens coach in the country) was huge.

Even if my predictive powers are truly spotty at best, I just prefer to be optimistic. Speaking of which, as for my supposed snobbery towards Rice not picking Duke, little could be further from the truth. 40 years later I'm sometimes not sure Duke was the right pick for me. Basketball-wise, to me, UCLA made the least sense of her final 5. UConn and Stanford speak for themselves. The UCLA coach took over a program that had finished 2nd in the PAC12 the previous 2 years, apparently poised for excellence. But in her 9 years since they have gotten past the Sweet Sixteen just once. The Arizona coach took over a program that hadn't been to the NCAAs since 2005 and in about half the time had her team in the National Championship game. And though UCLA's recruiting hasn't been great (nobody on their current roster was ranked above around 20th overall, Kara has already done better in her 1st year), they had already signed the #5 PG in the 2022 class and had a commitment from the #5 PG in the 2023 class. Talk about getting recruited over, I'll bet there are a couple of unhappy girls (but can't blame UCLA for snagging Rice).

With only 4 games under her belt, the question is 'can Kara coach'? So if I was a senior serious about Duke, I wouldn't have signed early. See how this season plays out. As for Rice, who knows. Maybe she's interested in the entertainment biz, so where better than L.A. But I truly believe Duke will have better results over the next 4 to 5 years than UCLA. We'll see. Let the games begin!

[CameronBornAndBred]

must watch, IMO.

If it weren't for a rehearsal I have at 7:30, i'd be down there.

South Carolina is huge...wow. Hopefully the old "the bigger they are" addage holds true in Cameron.