04-01-2012, 11:51 AM
I think the key word is dominant. Griner will not be the most skilled player on the court tonight - Nneka will - though Griner does have surprisingly good skills.
But Griner has an enormous impact on the game, especially defensively. It's not just that she is so much taller than everyone else on the court, she's also very athletic. I didn't see Wilt Chamberlain play, but I imagine that he had this kind of impact on the NBA. Ralph Sampson when he was a college player at Virginia might be another good comparison.
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I'm not saying that Baylor can't be beaten. One thing that I think the national media has been overlooking is that Tara has been preparing her team for this one game for two entire seasons. She's apparently been bringing a 6'8" man to Stanford practices, to simulate Griner's play, since the 2010-2011 season. I highly doubt that Baylor has prepared for Nneka and Chiney for anywhere near as long, or with anywhere near the same level of focus. If you're looking for reasons for hope, I think that's a good one.
But Griner has an enormous impact on the game, especially defensively. It's not just that she is so much taller than everyone else on the court, she's also very athletic. I didn't see Wilt Chamberlain play, but I imagine that he had this kind of impact on the NBA. Ralph Sampson when he was a college player at Virginia might be another good comparison.
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I'm not saying that Baylor can't be beaten. One thing that I think the national media has been overlooking is that Tara has been preparing her team for this one game for two entire seasons. She's apparently been bringing a 6'8" man to Stanford practices, to simulate Griner's play, since the 2010-2011 season. I highly doubt that Baylor has prepared for Nneka and Chiney for anywhere near as long, or with anywhere near the same level of focus. If you're looking for reasons for hope, I think that's a good one.