03-17-2021, 11:36 AM
Going back to the theme of the no-Stanford-All-Americans, there are a number of factors at play.
As some have noted, an unselfish and sharing team is less likely to have one or two players stand out. Beyond that, it is a question of the team's depth and balance. Stanford has both. When players like Belibi, Lacie Hull, Jump, and Prechtel are coming off the bench, there's not much drop off in performance, so the starters tend to get less time. A great example was the USC tournament game, when those four bench players got lots of minutes, scoring 47 points and grabbing 22 rebounds.
And dominance. Stanford's 25 point average margin was the second highest ever for Stanford. When a team dominates, the starters are likely to be out of the game for a substantial part, or all, of the fourth quarter. Kiana Williams averaged 31.7 minutes per game. No other Stanford player reached the 28 minutes per game average. I'm betting that most of the all-american disignees were high up into the 30 minute range.
Recall Lexie and Lacie Hull's dominant high school team. If I remember correctly, neither of them were named high school all-americans, yet their team was dominant, losing just one game in the last two seasons and winning that illustrious post season tournament in NYC. Along the way, they defeated teams that did have high school all-americans. In most of their games, the Hulls did not see much time in the fourth quarter, so their numbers were less impressive. Here's hoping that this year's Stanford team can do what the Hulls' high school team did.
Should the All-American selection process be altered to allow a player like Kiana Williams a better chance to be selected? One way this might be done is to pay more attention to points, boards, and assists on a per minute basis, and less on the per game average. That might provide a better measurement of quality.
As some have noted, an unselfish and sharing team is less likely to have one or two players stand out. Beyond that, it is a question of the team's depth and balance. Stanford has both. When players like Belibi, Lacie Hull, Jump, and Prechtel are coming off the bench, there's not much drop off in performance, so the starters tend to get less time. A great example was the USC tournament game, when those four bench players got lots of minutes, scoring 47 points and grabbing 22 rebounds.
And dominance. Stanford's 25 point average margin was the second highest ever for Stanford. When a team dominates, the starters are likely to be out of the game for a substantial part, or all, of the fourth quarter. Kiana Williams averaged 31.7 minutes per game. No other Stanford player reached the 28 minutes per game average. I'm betting that most of the all-american disignees were high up into the 30 minute range.
Recall Lexie and Lacie Hull's dominant high school team. If I remember correctly, neither of them were named high school all-americans, yet their team was dominant, losing just one game in the last two seasons and winning that illustrious post season tournament in NYC. Along the way, they defeated teams that did have high school all-americans. In most of their games, the Hulls did not see much time in the fourth quarter, so their numbers were less impressive. Here's hoping that this year's Stanford team can do what the Hulls' high school team did.
Should the All-American selection process be altered to allow a player like Kiana Williams a better chance to be selected? One way this might be done is to pay more attention to points, boards, and assists on a per minute basis, and less on the per game average. That might provide a better measurement of quality.
(03-14-2021, 10:41 PM)TheFarm07 Wrote: I agree that I don't think it was a snub that none of our players were named All-Americans. I could see Kiana as a second or third team, though.
Kiana, Haley and Cameron all have All-American talent and they have had All-American kind of games this season, but they haven't strung together enough games deserved of a season's award.
Kiana has been too streaky in her career. If I had a nickel every time someone has wondered on this forum where her shot has gone or if something more serious has affected her accuracy over the last four years, I would be a bit richer. Fortunately, she's on one of her hot streaks right now and I hope that it continues into the NCAA tournament.
Haley needs to be more selfish, IMO. I feel like a lot of her turnovers are her forcing the ball to teammates, most of them when they were not in a necessarily better position than she was. She needs to remember she was the #1 recruit in the country for a reason. She has the strength and shiftiness to drive to the basket, she has touch on those teardrop shots and she has accuracy on her midrange jumpers. She needs to learn how to take over a game, which I think she can do.
Cameron's propensity to foul is what is currently holding her back, even when she doesn't foul out, Tara is not hesitant to pull someone if they pick up an early foul. Plus she did not start a game until halfway through the season and I don't think you can name a player as an All-American if they only started half of their team's games unless they have an extraordinary, record-setting second half and although Cameron has had a very fine end to the regular season, she didn't have enough standout games to warrant an award this season. If Cameron can learn how to defend without fouling as much, the sky is the limit for her, especially if she picks up a few more shooting lessons from Dell Curry and be a more consistent outside shooter.
(03-14-2021, 08:56 PM)81alum Wrote: By the way, has anyone else noticed that Tara frequently points out that Jones is basically a freshman, and then with Brink she points out that Brink "never played like a freshman"?
What do you make of it, 81alum? IMO, Tara is alluding to the silly head-scratching turnovers Haley makes and the fearlessness and aggression Cameron plays with, in her comments. Though Cameron still needs to adjust to the fouling situation, she has played with confidence and assuredness that makes you think this wasn't her first collegiate season.