Aja Wilson Visit.

#380
#380
Amb3096 said:
So next year, SC is going to continue to bring Coates off the bench? No way. Her and Ibiam will be starting, and Welch will be moved to the wing. That's a harder lineup to crack then Tennessee, where the rest of the players competing for the same position will be beneath Wilson in terms of incoming accolades or proven college experience.

Tennessee has a wide open 3 spot waiting. Nared has to earn it as much as Wilson. Burdick probably won't provide much resistance to either.
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Coach Staley is still building her program, and still building the depth. During the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, USC won 25 gms with rosters that had huge holes in depth and overall scholarship numbers. Last season, USC won the SEC with only 10 out of 15 scholarship spots filled - 1 of those graduating for 2014-15.

Staley has tried to compensate by rotating and matching what players she has, and playing ferocious team defense. In the past, it was utilizing 6-0/6-1 SFs as best we could against opposing true PFs and Cs, and relying on deep perimeter G play from Sutton, Grant, and Walker. Against all but the elite opponents with deep talent at the Post, USC succeeded.

Now those outside shooters at G have all graduated, while USC's depth in the post has improved substantially. But Staley has had to compensate for lack of depth along the perimeter, using SGs Mitchell, Davis, and Roy as depth behind Sessions for ball handling and distribution. Mostly Ibiam and Coates alternated at C/PF in games, and about split the minutes 50-50, while Ibiam started and Coates was 1st player in off the bench. Sometimes both got into gms at the same time, but doing so cut down on perimeter scoring because both Welch and Mitchell are our top 2 players and they NEED to be on the floor at same time. So it would be Welch, Mitchell, Ibiam, Coates (our top 4 offensive players), then perhaps Sessions at the 1 or Davis & Roy at the 1, or Dozier at the 2/3 with Mitchell serving as the PG (she led the team in assists per gm last season).

If any of the SGs plus Dozier struggled shooting from the outside, then USC's offense struggled with both Ibiam & Coates in at the same time, unless they were able to consistently lob the ball into the big girls, which in several games they were and those 2 dominated. But with some opponents - the really deep, talented opponents who had enough size to collapse on our post players - it made it difficult if we didn't have perimeter shooters hitting their shots at a high %. One such opponent that effectively succeeded at this was UNC, who had few true P players but has a ton of 6-0 to 6-2 W and SF players that are physical. Remember Ibiam was a 1st-time starter, and Coates was a 1st-time player at the college level...

Next season will be Ibiam's last, as well as Welch's last too. Coates wasn't a starter all season long, but she averaged around 20 mpg, just like starter Ibiam. Wilson may be a top player off the bench next season, but still averaging 20 mpg like Coates. I imagine if we can get more consistent outside scoring from our perimeter starters, we could see a regular rotation of Ibiam & Coates on the right side, with White playing the left side of the paint. Have 2 of the 3 on the floor at all times.

I see Duckett platooning more with Mitchell at the 2, and Cuevas platooning with Sessions at the 1. That leaves the 3. Welch and Wilson could platoon there, with Welch sliding over to the 4 (which she's played for most of her career at USC) alongside Wilson at times when only one of Ibiam, Coates, and White man the post. That would give USC a lineup with one of the 6-4 Ps (Ibiam, Coates, or White), 6-0 Welch who is a fierce battler in the paint and top rebounder for USC, and 6-5 Wilson who is...well, she's 6-5 for Pete's sake....as the big 3 for USC, with any two-player combo of Mitchell, Duckett, Cuevas, and Sessions manning the perimeter along with Wilson. It's a case of where Wilson will have ample opportunity to play primarily the 3 (what she wants), with Welch playing the 4/3 which is basically her career description at USC, and the post girls rotating in.

And that's only for one season, mind you. Then Welch and Ibiam graduate, which clears out more minutes for a 2nd-year Wilson and White, and 3rd-yr. Coates.

If Wilson chooses UT, she comes in with another 5* W player Nared and competes for court time with her for NOT 1 year, but for her entire career at UT. Plus Dunbar, plus Tucker, plus Jackson, etc. etc. Staley is surely going to continue to bring in elite talent into USC, and surely there will be more wing players. But the skies look clearer there now than they do for Wilson at UT IMO.....
 
#381
#381
Voluble2 said:
How about academics? I know SC is not very well thought it in that department. NC just went through a huge academic cheating scandal where athletes were just given grades for no-show courses. So while it is a good school you have to think an athlete who gets a degree there will have an asterisk attached to it for purposes of employment.

I think UConn and UT have the edge there along with the fact that they have put so many players into the pros, broadcasting, coaching etc... SC may do that eventually, but that would be in the future because they haven't done it to this point. They are still a bit of an unknown. What have they had? One good season? I really don't know because they have been irrelevant for as long as I can remember and this is the first year I remember them being any sort of impediment for us.
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No offense, but Tennessee (or UConn for that matter) would not be perceived as having a significant edge academically over South Carolina for this to matter. UNC does. And who cares what the do for their men's bball teams, because they sure as he'll wouldn't do it for their women. UNC is in a separate league academically.

Agree on your second point to an extent, but SC has Staley who knows what it takes to play in the WNBA. That will count for something in the minds of the players, and she's got Candice Dupree as her showpiece for how she develops players into WNBA stars.
 
#382
#382
ruggy1 said:
SOMETHING sure is missing of that there is no doubt.It's really a down right shame.LV were always in the top10.now it turnovers,some players hastate to shoot.passing stinks pieod. doesn't seem to be a team effort,, Something is missing
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My first guess would be a proper spellchecker app....
 
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#383
#383
LurkerExposed said:
If Wilson chooses UT, she comes in with another 5* W player Nared and competes for court time with her for NOT 1 year, but for her entire career at UT. Plus Dunbar, plus Tucker, plus Jackson, etc. etc. Staley is surely going to continue to bring in elite talent into USC, and surely there will be more wing players. But the skies look clearer there now than they do for Wilson at UT IMO.....
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No way Welch, Ibiam or Coates comes off the bench for USC, especially with White on the bench in case one of the bigs gets in foul trouble. Welch needs to develop at the three since that would be her projected position in the WNBA. She has ball handling skills and a jump shot. She's played post out of necessity, not because it's her natural spot. She doesn't have this restriction with Coates and now White coming aboard. Besides, Wilson doesn't solve your perimeter shooting concerns any more than Welch does. She's not an outside shooter.

Wilson could start at Tennessee on the first day. Burdick is weak, Jones is inconsistent, Dunbar won't see the court much next year, Tucker will play SG so that really just leaves Nared, who probably is a notch below Wilson. IMO Tennessee can give Wilson the position she wants and the minutes she wants right from the get go.
 
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#384
#384
I see Wilson playing a lot like Parker. She can go down low in the blocks or step out and shoot a three. Seems like a pretty versatile player.
 
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#385
#385
Amb3096 said:
And who cares what the do for their men's bball teams, because they sure as he'll wouldn't do it for their women. UNC is in a separate league academically.
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The whistle blower learned of the no show classes "when she was asked to work with a female athlete on a paper." That paper was a cut and paste job for which she was given a B. So it wasn't just men's basketball or football. Maybe they have cleaned it up now. Who knows. But I would think it should play into a decision as to which university takes academics seriously for their athletes.

We will simply disagree as to how prestigious an education from SC is. Why, I am sure we can all name lots of their alumni who have gone on to make names for themselves off the field or court, such as... well... then there's... ok, but how about...

I think I will need a Snicker's. I will be right back.
 
#386
#386
Amb3096 said:
No way Welch, Ibiam or Coates comes off the bench for USC, especially with White on the bench in case one of the bigs gets in foul trouble. Welch needs to develop at the three since that would be her projected position in the WNBA. She has ball handling skills and a jump shot. She's played post out of necessity, not because it's her natural spot. She doesn't have this restriction with Coates and now White coming aboard. Besides, Wilson doesn't solve your perimeter shooting concerns any more than Welch does. She's not an outside shooter.

Wilson could start at Tennessee on the first day. Burdick is weak, Jones is inconsistent, Dunbar won't see the court much next year, Tucker will play SG so that really just leaves Nared, who probably is a notch below Wilson. IMO Tennessee can give Wilson the position she wants and the minutes she wants right from the get go.
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Well this is an interesting response as I never made any indication that Welch or Ibiam comes off the bench....although Ibiam did kind of peter out towards the end of the season, and Coates was producing more than Ibiam despite averaging no more mpg. Ibiam has developed quite a bit, and the announcers during USC's games in the NCAAT stated that she was getting serious evaluations from WNBA scouts who like her size and defensive presence in the paint.

I don't know how Elem feels about a future in the WNBA (with the men it's a ridiculous question to ask for 99.999% of them), but if she's interested she should work this off-season to improve her strength and physicality with her post moves, as she was sometimes manhandled by more physical peers in games...

I just don't think Coach Staley and the staff trust going to a two-girl lineup in the post until they feel more confident that they have a dependable presence from the perimeter, and can provide a better defensive presence in the full-court transitional defense: too many missed jump shots turn into fast-break runs to the other end that Ibiam, Coates and most likely White won't be able to keep up with if any 2 of them are on the floor at the same time...

Aleighsa has improved her 15-17 ft. jump shot, and I'm sure she'll continue to work on it. But I doubt she'll ever be a consistent 3-pt shooter. She attempted one single 3-pt. shot in 2012-13 (she made it), and only one this past season (she made that one too, lol). That's going to be the extent of her contributions from that distance. Welch has always been a stellar rebounder in the sense that Dennis Rodman was: not the biggest, tallest player, but had an uncanny nose for going after the caroms and bagging them. This was one of Welch's top skills even in high school. And that's where she'll most contribute to the USC team...

Burdick is more experienced than Dozier is, and by far a bigger contributor to the LVs than Dozier has been for the Gamecocks. She's your #2 leading rebounder, for heaven's sake, and averages almost dbl-digit ppg....

And while Tucker may play PG, you mention Nared but conveniently leave out the other 2 4* Wing players as well. That's a lot of depth at the W trying to divvy up minutes on the floor for possibly FOUR (4) Wing players - all being highly rated prospects who would be expected to be starters for most major programs they chose, and playing together for most if not all their college careers.....
 
#387
#387
Voluble2 said:
The whistle blower learned of the no show classes "when she was asked to work with a female athlete on a paper." That paper was a cut and paste job for which she was given a B. So it wasn't just men's basketball or football. Maybe they have cleaned it up now. Who knows. But I would think it should play into a decision as to which university takes academics seriously for their athletes.

We will simply disagree as to how prestigious an education from SC is. Why, I am sure we can all name lots of their alumni who have gone on to make names for themselves off the field or court, such as... well... then there's... ok, but how about...

I think I will need a Snicker's. I will be right back.
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Well one is the owner of the NFL Houston Texans. He's looking at drafting Jadeveon Clowney...

You could also google one Darla Moore as well......
 
#391
#391
she could be THE star in Ktown. but just one of the bit players in gee no ville.

welcome to Knoxvegas, Ms. Wilson
 
#393
#393
UConn does not expect to get Wilson. The program is not getting the subtle messages that would indicate it is. If it does, it will be a happy surprise to them. Things that usually happen when a kid is intent on attending UConn have not transpired regularly enough in Wilson’s case. There hasn’t been a lot of chatter, let’s put it that way.
 
#394
#394
She still isn't giving it away says she is thinking a lot about a school, but dang she is secretive.
 
#395
#395
But the biggest indication may very well be the passage of time between her official visit last autumn and Wednesday’s announcement. Most kids that visit UConn quickly reach for the pen to sign. Some [like Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis] don’t even make official visits. Wilson’s recruitment has dragged on for months..
 
#396
#396
"No offense, but Tennessee (or UConn for that matter) would not be perceived as having a significant edge academically over South Carolina for this to matter. UNC does. And who cares what the do for their men's bball teams, because they sure as he'll wouldn't do it for their women. UNC is in a separate league academically. "

2014 Academic rankings for public universities -

UNC #5
UConn #19
UT #47
USC #55

There does appear to be a significant "edge" academically. Fifty schools between USC and UNC. Thirty six between USC and UConn. My guess - Wilson goes to UNC.
 
#397
#397
Volfan2012 said:
She still isn't giving it away says she is thinking a lot about a school, but dang she is secretive.
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doesn't it seem like it would be a bit hard to coach this player?after all taking this long to make up ones mine.what is her age 17? I mean like if a coach wer to get into her face ,would it take all day to see what he/she wanted?

Uconn is a tough place to play,Geno always finds the soft spot,makes you break down,cry,calls you the worst player he ever seen.We lost a few players in there first year.
If they get by the first year>>>most become good,great,and super players
 
#398
#398
I get the impression she is a prima donna because she was making some demands like position she needed to play. She is still gonna be a great player, but may be a coaches nightmare for several reasons.
 
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#399
#399
I don't really think Geno would go as far as offer her a guaranteed position. I think he wants to stick her in a post position and she will have to like it if she wants to play at UConn. I agree with this player should play where coach wants her to. I am thinking the other three told her the three is fine just sign.
 
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#400
#400
brassie said:
"No offense, but Tennessee (or UConn for that matter) would not be perceived as having a significant edge academically over South Carolina for this to matter. UNC does. And who cares what the do for their men's bball teams, because they sure as he'll wouldn't do it for their women. UNC is in a separate league academically. "

2014 Academic rankings for public universities -

UNC #5
UConn #19
UT #47
USC #55

There does appear to be a significant "edge" academically. Fifty schools between USC and UNC. Thirty six between USC and UConn. My guess - Wilson goes to UNC.
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well good question,will she stay south or go north?

North is pretty in the summer,not as hot as it is here.AND no dam fire ants,hard to find those confounded dam grits ,Lol not that bad in the winter ,just cold,
South, chicken everywhere ,grits, weather nice{hot as hell sometimes} strange bees.
 
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