Just stating the obvious but this is "next year's" WBB team that is playing so well. Add to this team the transfer from Kentucky and the new freshmen and we will keep rolling. What a great time to be a Gamecock! Go Gamecocks!!
Next Year's Gamecock WBB Team is Great!
- Thread starter BedouinCock
- Start date
I agree...This team is terrific with one post on the floor and playing uptempo...We'll be deeper and even more athletic next season
I loved seeing Dawn be able to play everyone today! The chemistry looks great!
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'LL BE BETTER THAN USC...WE ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO BEAT THEM RIGHT NOW
Absolutely not. You could still run the one post offense by subbing Coates for Wilson. She would also add tremendous depth and leadership.
The option for 2 bigs would also still be available to throw teams off.
Her being injured just opened Coach Staley's eyes to this uptempo style we are running. We are actually indebted to Alaina in that way. She was huge in getting us here and we need to remember that.
A lot could hinge on whether Kaela Davis decides to go pro. She is eligible. If she goes, that would be a big loss.
Not this year...But next season we will Alexis Jennings, Ladazia Williams, and KiKi Harrigan will be stronger and tougher..We'll be deeper, faster and better...A'ja will have all the help she needs...If LeLe Grissett makes the adjustment to SEC ball as quick as her talent level suggests, watch out
We'll miss Coates Monday night...But that doesn't mean we wont win...
Go pro for what? Her father is Anthony Davis of NBA fame!! The WNBA doesn't pay any money...KD3 is a mechanical Engineering major that will finish her degree..It's a virtual certainty she will be back
I would be shocked if she left early. The Davis family is in pretty good shape financially I would imagine and the WNBA will not exactly make you rich.
Her degree will be of more value.
No. However, A'ja is the best center in country. At the 4, she can be a defensive liability against quicker lineups. So I don't think we miss Coates most of the time. But if Wilson gets in foul trouble or when we face a physical team like Baylor, Coates will be sorely missed.
I definitely agree with you. I've heard some rumblings to the contrary, so I'm hoping it's not true.. Hopefully she does stay though because that would be a formidable team once again next year. Go Gamecocks!
KD3 is studying Mechanical Engineering? Wow! I am very impressed. I have a BS and Masters in Electrical Engineering from South Carolina and I know what KD3's academic days in the classroom are like; it is a tough grind everyday. If she can handle the engineering classroom demands and the basketball demands, she is a very gifted young lady. She worked the Rubik cube in less than 2 minutes.
She attended Georgia Tech, so she obviously serious about it.
I'll say it. For certain matchups? Yes, we are much better. We run better and play faster when she is not on the court.
Now, when we play a post-heavy team, we miss her, BIG TIME. That said, we will have more depth in the post, and that depth will be faster/more athletic.
Next year's USC team should be the best in school history. I hope they can live up to it.
Exactly right...If Harrigan and Harris will have a great off season on developing to their full potential...If Daz and LeLe Grissett make a quick adjustment to the speed and physicality of the SEC, this team will be awesome...I didn't even mention Bianca Jackson and Haley Troup...If those 2 come ready to help, watch out...Grissett is 6'2" and long like Kaela...She is just as athletic as Kaela and a little quicker..I don't know if she can shoot the 3 like KD3..But that is certainly something she can work on
Coach Staley has us in the final 5 for some impressive bigs in the 2018 class...One is 6'5" and the other 2 are 6'4"...She is also in the top 2 for the best player in the 2019 class just happens to be 6'5"...Obviously the staff has to seal the deal...They can't all go to UCONN...The key is the consistent excellence of our program has grown to the point where it's worth leaving home for...Case in point Tyasha Harris, many fans believed we could not get her out of Iowa because she was a 5 star and would stay closer to home...But Tyasha wanted to play bigtime basketball in games that matter...A lot of the great players will make that choice...Let's hope the players Dawn is recruiting from Texas, California, Georgia and Virginia see the light
Can, and would, Wilson go pro after this year? I don't know how the wnba/college agreement works.
Wilson is not old enough to go pro...I am familiar withe Wilson family...She is not leaving USC without her degree period...Some folks still get it
Good, looked it up myself also. 22 years old or 4 years out of high school. Next year's team should be awesome. I think Coates is a great player, but against certain teams her lack of speed gets exposed. UConn would pull her away from the basket and blow by her for layups.
I'll agree but only to an extent. The current starting five we use are probably our most explosive lineup offensively, but it's a little unfair to say Coates couldn't flourish in it.
No one could argue that Wilson is the better player at the five position. She's arguably the best player in the country. Alaina, however, has never had a chance to play this style of offense and I think she would do very well subbing in for Wilson.
She actually runs the court very well and would have plenty of room to operate in the middle. I don't think there would be a ton of drop off when she's in the game, and if Wilson ever gets in foul trouble we would be elated to still have her around.
I agree. I mean, let's not forget how many games USC won with Alaina as one of the focal points of the offense. Having Alaina now with the understanding that USC can win by playing high-low OR with more pace would make them extrmely dangerous and keep teams off balance. Coates was one of the best "true" centers in terms of ability to run the floor and play offense and defense. So, no, USC is NOT a better team without her. Aja is terrifc, but not as physical as Coates and against the right (or wrong) team, that could come back and bite them ... as it almost did with Arizona State. This team definitely misses her physical presence, especially on the boards. Having Alaina now, after seeing that USC can win playing fast as well as with the traditional "2 bigs" offense would be tough for anyone to handle. Aja is a great player, but I think Alaina is a better true "5" because of her physical play and rebounding ability, while Aja is a tougher matchup because of her versatility on offense - but she is not as physical under the boards.
In any case, it's unfortunate that Coates is out. Hope they can beat FSU. The Noles showed some resliiency yesterday and they've got some terrific shooters in Romero and Thomas. Should be fun.
