With the #1 class coming in, everyone from last season returning, and now the addition of 5* 6'7 Cardoso, It's safe to say will be Staley's best and deepest team ever and could rival the Pat Summit teams. I don't see how anyone can beat us
2021-2022 WBB Team
- Thread starter Cocky 45
- Start date
Whoa my brother/sister:
UConn has everything important coming back. They also picked up a transfer back-up at post.
Many services rank their incoming class #1 ahead of us.
They already have two top-5 ranked prospects committed for the 2022 class to our zero commits.
UConn is the gold standard in wbb not Pat Summit's teams.
Both of us need to worry about Stanford and getting past the Final Four.
What has happened this off season is that there are now 4 teams that have stuffed their rosters to become super teams: UConn, Stanford, NCSU and our Gamecocks. Throw in Baylor, which was predicted a #1 seed before Mulkey left and Maryland, that is your power 5 champs and 6 of the elite 8. Everybody else is playing for a participation trophy.
I would lower Baylor with a new coach out of the preaseason Elite 8 until they prove themselves. Plus, I don't think the transfer window has closed on their roster.
We won't see them next year unless it's deep in the tournament ilke final Four this year.
We return everybody as well, and were screwed at the end of the UConn game last year (boston was fouled) in a year where we had no depth. I doubt it will even be close at Colonial life next season.
Why is Stanford afraid to schedule us? We play all the other top teams, scared? They play nobody in the regular season and then have the refs rig the Final Four game for them, not impressed.
I hope you are right, but Geno has a roster that matches ours.
Stanford is not afraid to schedule us. They have done a home and home with us in the DS era.
A lot of it has to do with logistics. It has to be pre conference. You can’t go west coast for a midweek or even weekend game during conference play. Generally it would be best for the game to be an add on to a thanksgiving or Christmas tournament. We did that several years ago, played in a Hawaii tourney, flew out early and played both UCLA & USCW.
OR you get it to be a neutral site made for TV game.
We really should be better top to bottom than any team Summit ever had, maybe better than any team ever.
First of all though Uconn has been the standard, the have not won a championship in 5 years now, a product of other teams catching up to them in recruiting and play on the court. In most services the Gamecock Class is #1 and the majority of our recruits are ranked higher than their incoming recruits. With the addition of Cardoso we will trump the Transfer they brought in to help them deal with Boston, which they were not equipped to do before. Also this will be our second #1 class in three years, so we will have more talent top to bottom as a number of their players were not deemed ready to see the court last year, when our team was thin on depth. We bring in a McDonalds All American at every position with this new class to back up what was already on our squad. Stanford lost two starters and another senior that got major minutes which is why they were already projected below us in way to early polls. If South Carolina plays to their potential they will not need to worry about anyone next year. it is just the way it is. Teams to include Uconn will not be able to double or triple Boston with a 6'7 on the other block at times, thus spelling trouble for anyone in their path.
With the team, Dawn should press the entire game. Up and down the court, pushing the ball. Everybody plays.
I’ve seen several people mention this...I’d be really surprised. While I do expect the up-tempo style to continue and progress, I think it would be a mistake for Dawn and her program to try to become something they are not.
I actually thought the defense we saw the 2nd half of this season was the best defense of Dawn’s tenure. I’ve never thought she was a great defensive coach, but the scheme used this year worked. Trying to change the DNA of who you are doesn’t often work.
Besides, pressing looks great against teams with weak ball-handlers. We should kill those teams anyway. The UCONN’s, Stanford’s, etc can handle pressure.
Let's just say that the 2021-2022 wbb season will be very good nationwide
All excellent points. We played with great fundamentals and an integrated scheme this past season
I know what this will sound like..... “yea I know she is beautiful, But her toes are a little off, and there’s that little scar on her shoulder and I wish she had red hair.”
To which your buddy says, “Good God man, she’s Miss America, got a 4.0 and she won Mega Millions last week.”
BUT we had weaknesses on D last year
because of depth we rarely if ever pressed. We asked too many minutes of our starters.
If Boston got into foul trouble our low post D was vulnerable to a player who had width and height.
We were susceptible to teams with tall guards.
The influx of talent can fix all these little problems. Depth will allow us to press. We will get some more steals, but just as importantly we can shorten the shot clock for our opponents
Cardoso and Feagin mean EVERY shot can be challenged because you got 25 fouls to give at the 4 and 5 spots
We will have more situational flexibility to combat tall lineups
I view it not as changing DNA but as extending what’s already there. We will be able to just break some teams. Good and excellent teams will be under even more pressure to make every possession count.
Rival, nothing. This will be the greatest collection of college WBB talent in history.
A ton of CT fans love to say that we were lucky to win the 2017 championship because we didn't play CT for it. Yeah, we didn't play them - we played the team that BEAT them. We took care of our responsibilities - CT did NOT take care of theirs. That should NOT equate as a negative towards USC: it was CT that failed, not USC.
But if we took THEIR OWN logic, we could say that Stanford was lucky to win the championship last season because we had the ball at the goal in the final seconds, and had the last shot to beat them. Had we made it, we most likely would have beaten Arizona. But no matter - we didn't make the shot, and Stanford won the title.
The 2019 #1 class at the time was heralded not ONLY as the #1 class, but as possibly the greatest single class of talent of all time. Now two years have gone by without a championship - one through no fault at all of the team's - but they still have 2 more years to capitalize.
We're bringing in arguably another #1 ranked class to assist that first class, and also adding a very talented 6-7 post. I'm glad I'm not Dawn Staley because I have NO idea how she's going to manage minute distribution for this team - I had no idea prior to Cardoso joining, and when it was understood that Grissett was leaving due to graduation.
Before, I felt that it would be a 1st team of 4-5 with Saxton and Boston, a 2nd team of Feagin and Amihere, and Grissett adding in from time to time - she can also play the 3 and even 2 spots in certain match-up scenarios. We also had Wesolek for her senior year. It seemed like pretty solid depth.
Now perhaps it will be still Saxton and Boston, and then Cardoso and either Amihere or Feagin?? Leave Grissett for the 3 and 2 spots, and Wesolek getting whatever minutes are left??? Seems possible: in 2014-15 we rotated Aleighsa Welch at 4 and Elem Ibiam at 5 with A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates, and that worked great - it got us to the program's first ever Final Four where we ALSO lost that one by 1 point with the ball in our hands and a chance at the basket in the closing seconds.
The Wilson-Coates substitution was very impactful to our offense: the offensive flow never had a hiccup, and most times it seems the offense even picked up when they came in. But Ibiam gave way minutes to Coates as the season moved along: I very much doubt that Boston is giving way any minutes to anyone.
After next season, a lot of my concerns vanish: Grissett, Saxton, and Wesolek will have graduated, clearing out a LOT of post depth from the 4 and 5 spots. Just hope that the players don't get frustrated during this next season....
Only thing I wish we had to make the team truly unbeatable would be to have a sure fire consistent threat from three point range. If we get one consistent with that, there would be no way to guard us. If we are inconsistent from there then inside could face a bunch of bodies making it annoying but not impossible for our girls. Maybe zia and raven will both be consistent from three and if so then go ahead and write the ending of the story
Cooke and Henderson were both around the 40% mark. Littleton is not too bad.
Johnson, Rivers, Hall, Feagin and Cardoso will be a formidable starting 5 when Boston and her class move on.
We lost in the tournament due to the lack of post depth. That issue has been addressed (Cardoso, Feagin, a healthy Lele), and then some.
Most importantly, they hit the 3's WHEN IT MATTERED MOST -- in the Final Four.
We lost in the tournament due to the lack of post depth. That issue has been addressed (Cardoso, Feagin, a healthy Lele), and then some.
If you want to hear some discussion of next season's roster, listen to this podcast episode.
I definitely agree with them that Dawn's biggest challenge is how to distribute front-court minutes. Investing in early playing time for Feagin could payoff come tournament time.
I definitely agree with them that Dawn's biggest challenge is how to distribute front-court minutes. Investing in early playing time for Feagin could payoff come tournament time.
This is a great podcast. Coach Hunt made me even more excited to see Cardoso and Raven added to the mix.
So many UConn posters on Boneyard think what they'll have it over us next season.
I think it's a case of "whistling by the graveyard" as they don't want to remember their last visit to CLA.
I think it's a case of "whistling by the graveyard" as they don't want to remember their last visit to CLA.
They are used to winning and expect to win at the highest level. That's the attitude that winning begets. It's also why people are so outdone with the state of our baseball program right now. It never should have gotten this way and people know it.
So shocking that the fans of one of the greatest sports dynasties ever have confidence in returning players from a final 4 team joined with arguably the number 1 freshman class have confidence in the coming season. Just shocking.
What happened in CLA two seasons ago is barely relevant. They have added a superstar since then. And what happens in CLA this coming February won't be a huge deal. What happens next March is what will matter.
They look as good as us on paper. We have a right to be excited and so do they
Thank you! So many on this board are rightfully excited about our future. We should make the next 4 final fours. National championships are harder to come by.
For the next season NCSU, UCONN, and Stanford all have rosters that are as good or almost as good as ours AND all three beat us.
Baylor(for now) and Maryland are just a cut below but have enough talent to beat us if they have a good/great night.
I will predict right now these 6 teams all win their conferences and make the elite 8.
I don’t see anybody beating us in the SEC unless they have a great night AND we have a really bad night. Talent, Depth and height make it dang near impossible for an SEC team to beat us the next two years
After re-watching the South Carolina/Stanford game, I'm not as high on Stanford next season as some. Zia absolutely torched Ana Wilson. I thought Destanni waited too late to go at Kianna Williams. She really could have taken it to her more. Although, it should be said that Williams played 40 minutes, like she did in most of Stanford's tournament games. She could have been tired. Stanford was really short on perimeter defenders and Williams and possibly Wilson are gone.
So unless Stanford picks up some help via the transfer portal, I wouldn't put them in the same category as Carolina or UCONN. The next tier of teams are still really good, though.
So unless Stanford picks up some help via the transfer portal, I wouldn't put them in the same category as Carolina or UCONN. The next tier of teams are still really good, though.
Agreed, I think UCONN and USC are on their own tier. The loss of Kianna Williams is huge for them, thats a 4 year starter and 14 PPG. That would be the equivalent of us losing Ty and not having Henderson to fill in at the point. There will still be about 8-10 really highly competitive teams but on paper it's looking like it's either UCONN or USC's to lose.
The two players that torched us, Jones and Hull are back. They signed two 5* wings that are 6’2. They shoot from the outside and can penetrate. They have a commitment from 6’7” Lauren Betts for ‘22. She is the #1 player. Wilson is coming back. They are loaded, we are loaded, UConn is loaded, NCSU is loaded.
I want to win but it ain’t going to be as easy as a lot of people on this board think
Hull was 4 of 17 from the field, so I wouldn't say she torched us. Now, Jones...she TORCHED us. But with additional depth, Dawn will have more defensive options.
You are correct but leave out she was 2-2 on 3pt and 8-8 from the line, had 13 rebounds, led Stanford in assists and seemingly got every loose ball. Don’t let a bad fg % fool you, she torched us.
Personally, I think of high shooting percentage when someone says "torched." I didn't mean to imply she didn't play well because she did. In addition to everything else you mentioned, she also switched on to Zia late in the 4th quarter and she did a better job than Wilson, by a lot. Our forwards were not much of a threat to score, especially with Amihere having to play the 5 because of Boston's foul trouble, so that was an option. In 2021-22, Dawn will have more matchup options. Wish we could play them during the regular season.
Great assessment. Our weaknesses last year were very few,
•our forwards could not generate offense consistently outside of putbacks and fast break
•our guards while being excellent defenders had great difficulties with tall guards(UT, UCONN, Stanford, and NCSU)
The freshman will solve most all of this. Feagin at the 4 has an outside shot even a three pointer. Hall, Rivers, and Johnson give the height on D, and if Beal does not up her O, Rivers will see rising minutes at the 3
Beal is a great defender and rebounder and is a real blue collar baller. All she is missing is a consistent outside shot. They all need work on lay ups and free throws.
They may have been "used to winning it" but it hasn't happened in 5 years. Since then we've seen 5 different teams win it all. Speaks to how other teams have caught up.
But they have won as no one else has - and they are still there in contention every year. The fanbase hasn't had time to become unaccustomed to winning big.
