07-06-2014, 01:31 PM
Many of the girls that we are recruiting just played in the U17 gold medal game and pulled out a narrow US victory over Spain. It was on ESPNU, and so I presume it will be available on ESPN's online replay to watch for any who are interested. It showed me that the US cannot simply be counted on to role over every other team. Spain is very, very good.
Lauren Cox was amazing. As a high school junior she looked to me like the second coming of Jayne Appel. Katie Lou did not look that sharp this game, although she has earlier in the tournament. Anna Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu played sparingly but generally acquitted themselves well. Ionescu hit a magnificent trey from the corner but got her pocket picked a bit later. Anna ran point for a few minutes competently. I did not see if Chou got into the game. Ogunbowale played quite a bit and scored 15. Asia Durr was a star with 19. Naturally, the New Haven press reported that "UConn targets" Cox, Ogunbowale, and Durr lead the team.
It was nice to see Anna Wilson play for the first time--if only for 3 minutes. I will look forward to seeing a lot more of her in a couple of years when she becomes a freshman on a Stanford team headed up by seniors Lili, Karlie, Erica, and Kailee and Briana. I did not learn anything about Chou, but Ionescu played 6 and did show a very sweet three point stroke. But Cox--was a revelation, with 20 points, 12 rebounds, great moves from the high to the low post, and 8 blocks!
However, the very best player in the game--by far--played for Spain. Angela Salvadores scored 40 points! No one could guard her. She was 5/7 from three and had a shifty move that also allowed her to cut to the basket, and she made two point stop-and-pops as well. Everything worked for her. She also stole the ball 4 times. I wonder how her English is, and whether she has ever thought about studying in the United States for college?
Lauren Cox was amazing. As a high school junior she looked to me like the second coming of Jayne Appel. Katie Lou did not look that sharp this game, although she has earlier in the tournament. Anna Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu played sparingly but generally acquitted themselves well. Ionescu hit a magnificent trey from the corner but got her pocket picked a bit later. Anna ran point for a few minutes competently. I did not see if Chou got into the game. Ogunbowale played quite a bit and scored 15. Asia Durr was a star with 19. Naturally, the New Haven press reported that "UConn targets" Cox, Ogunbowale, and Durr lead the team.
It was nice to see Anna Wilson play for the first time--if only for 3 minutes. I will look forward to seeing a lot more of her in a couple of years when she becomes a freshman on a Stanford team headed up by seniors Lili, Karlie, Erica, and Kailee and Briana. I did not learn anything about Chou, but Ionescu played 6 and did show a very sweet three point stroke. But Cox--was a revelation, with 20 points, 12 rebounds, great moves from the high to the low post, and 8 blocks!
However, the very best player in the game--by far--played for Spain. Angela Salvadores scored 40 points! No one could guard her. She was 5/7 from three and had a shifty move that also allowed her to cut to the basket, and she made two point stop-and-pops as well. Everything worked for her. She also stole the ball 4 times. I wonder how her English is, and whether she has ever thought about studying in the United States for college?