2024-2025 WBB Team (2022-present)

[winloseortie]

I think Cardoso is our only true 5 in that group. Feagin and Watkins can play that role when needed but I seem them both as 4s.

Potential wings for next season are Hall, Kitts, Jah and even Tessa Thompson. I would be genuinely shocked if Hall isn't starting next season. I would assume our starting lineup next season would likely consist of at least Johnson, Cardoso and Hall depending on who comes back next season for an extra season.

Because I have committed this mixup several times….. and I love Gamecock WBB AND WestWorld AND Gamekem. Would LOVE to see Tessa Thompson on the court at the CLA, but don’t think she has any eligibility left, having graduated from Santa Monica College.

Tessa Thompson


Tessa Johnson

 

[winloseortie]

I was however, able to find footage of Thompson’s shooting form. Note the full arm extension on the follow through

 

[Gamekem]

Because I have committed this mixup several times….. and I love Gamecock WBB AND WestWorld AND Gamekem. Would LOVE to see Tessa Thompson on the court at the CLA, but don’t think she has any eligibility left, having graduated from Santa Monica College.

Tessa Thompson

View attachment 302220
Tessa Johnson

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What's funny is I literally wrote her full name to not get confused with Raven Johnson and still managed to screw it up.

 

[winloseortie]

What's funny is I literally wrote her full name to not get confused with Raven Johnson and still managed to screw it up.

I got called on it last Sunday when talking about her with buds at the Ark. game.

 

[winloseortie]

Last one, maybe……
She however is foul prone especially hacking

 

[vacock]

I think you are correct. It’s the cost of being on a great team. I think it is also just part of Boston’s nature. I don’t really think awards are what drives her. She is a very smart player, a leader, self aware and mature. The title is the goal.

If you haven’t seen the Ark postgame she and Zia are so modest and self effacing. Neighbors called Boston the smartest player in the college game. His great quote was, “You can do everything right in defending Aliyah, and she still makes you wrong.”

A name I would put forth for NPOY is Mackenzie Holmes of Indiana. 22ppg 8rebounds 1.7 blocks and she is shooting 67%.

Zia would win most improved player if they gave that award. She ups her shooting % a little more and you could put this season up against Tiffany Mitchell’s SEC POY seasons

He was very complementary of AB. He said he was amazed at how she could put the ball in the hoop when she gets fouled every time she shoots.

 

[CockyGirl]

McDonald’s AA just announced. Milaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson made the cut. No Sahnya Jah

Of course we all know Chloe would have made the list if she was still in high school.

 

[DarkCock]

I think Cardoso is our only true 5 in that group. Feagin and Watkins can play that role when needed but I seem them both as 4s.

Potential wings for next season are Hall, Kitts, Jah and even Tessa Thompson. I would be genuinely shocked if Hall isn't starting next season. I would assume our starting lineup next season would likely consist of at least Johnson, Cardoso and Hall depending on who comes back next season for an extra season.

No doubt Cardoso is the 5 next season. I suspect Feagin will start at the 4 with Watkins coming off the bench to relieve either. Watkins has been quite the revelation this season. She is unbelievably strong. I think she can play the 5 and will be the starter at that position when she's a junior. Dawn is constructing a different team than the current one. Two years from now, any number of players will be able to rebound and initiate the fast break: Raven, Cooper. Fulwiley, Kitts, Feagin. Watkins won't be too far behind them with her superior athleticism. They are going to be fun to watch

On defense, Watkins is the new breed of center who can guard multiple positions (a female version of Bam Adebayo). So many teams play small these days (like Kentucky/Mizxou last year) Watkins' versatility will be an asset. How many true back-to-the-basket post players did we face this year? Brink, Jessika Carter? Not many. I think Watkins is strong enough to guard them, even if she's giving up a couple of inches.

Sorry about this rant lol. I'm just very interested in the team coach in constructing.

 

[Gamekem]

Beal finally getting national attention for her defense.

 

[DarkCock]

Beal finally getting national attention for her defense.

About time!

On top of her defense, she's shooting 42% from 3; she also has 46 assists to 17 turnovers.

Offense shouldn't matter for defensive honors, but I think it does at times.

 

[winloseortie]

McDonald’s AA just announced. Milaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson made the cut. No Sahnya Jah

Of course we all know Chloe would have made the list if she was still in high school.

Here is the ESPN take on all 24. When I read the Fulwiley comments I shake my head and say “why isn’t she ranked higher?”

Breaking down the 2023 McDonald's All American girls' basketball recruits

A look at the 24 McDonald's All Americans and what makes each one a top women's college basketball recruit.

www.espn.com

 

[Cockburn]

Here is the ESPN take on all 24. When I read the Fulwiley comments I shake my head and say “why isn’t she ranked higher?”

Breaking down the 2023 McDonald's All American girls' basketball recruits

A look at the 24 McDonald's All Americans and what makes each one a top women's college basketball recruit.

www.espn.com

I know right. With how D is usually played in that game, Milaysia will put on a show .

 

[DarkCock]

Bam Adebayo going off tonight. Watkins has the athletcism to be a female version of this:




The announcers in a game last week made the comment Dawn wanted more out of Watkins. More energy, maybe? More will to dominate? She has the potential to be another Gamecock wbb great, imo. I think Dawn believes the same.

 

[shiverz]

Her mom is Allison Feaster, WBB legend from SC. Supposedly mom was pushing Gamecocks, but her dad played for NCSU and she appears Raleigh bound. It appears we liked others more at her position but you always say that when they don’t choose you.

Allison Feaster daughter is #4 ranked Sarah Strong not Hobbs. Her dad is Danny Strong who played at NC State.

 

[winloseortie]

Allison Feaster daughter is #4 ranked Sarah Strong not Hobbs. Her dad is Danny Strong who played at NC State.

Well damn I screwed that up. Sorry

 

[DarkCock]

So who are you rooting against, UCONN or UT?

 

[CockyGirl]

Ooh thats tough. I guess I would say UT

 

[Cockburn]

man, that's like asking me to pick either tofu or liver for dinner

but if I had to, UT. seems that is the only outcome that potentially helps our resume (if needed) as it would get them ranked back up into the top 20

 

[DarkCock]

Ooh thats tough. I guess I would say UT

I know! That's why I framed it as rooting against since no one on here could root for either. So you want UT to lose?

 

[DarkCock]

I sincerely hope UT finishes 2nd in the conference. I want them to be rewarded for playing a tough out of conference schedule, even though they completely bombed. I definitely don't want to see a team rewarded for playing a joke of an out of conference schedule.

That being said, I'm rooting against them tomorrow night. I want UCONN ranked high for several reasons 1) a loss to them on the road and we most likely remain #1 and 2) I want then to be on the opposite side of us in the tournament bracket.

 

[Gamecock Lincoln]

 

[Gamekem]

I always root against UConn. We have surpassed Tennessee in relevancy in the sport. Every UConn loss is a step closer of USC being seen as the new top dog of the sport for the general public.

 

[Crutcher]

But, but, but, nobody cares about Women's Basketball!

 

[CockyGirl]

I know! That's why I framed it as rooting against since no one on here could root for either. So you want UT to lose?

Yes

I always root against UConn. We have surpassed Tennessee in relevancy in the sport. Every UConn loss is a step closer of USC being seen as the new top dog of the sport for the general public.

I agree with your reasoning. I think for me I still want to believe that Tenn was overrated in the beginning of the year and a loss would continue to prove that point. I also think we win easily over Uconn this year with their current roster so if they beat Tenn then I will feel better about that game as well.

Tenn and LSU scare me this year but I am a nervous nelly when it comes to our games. I know we have the better talent and depth and should win both.

 

[SCcocks4ever]

Haley Jones has her own podcast. Note who her first guest was.

A college basketball star says her biggest rivals are also her 'closest friends' — and that makes her want 'to beat them' even more

"It was taboo in the past to have friends on other teams," the NCAA champ said. "But at least with my friendships, it only fuels my fire to beat them."

www.yahoo.com

 

[winloseortie]

Haley Jones has her own podcast. Note who her first guest was.

A college basketball star says her biggest rivals are also her 'closest friends' — and that makes her want 'to beat them' even more

"It was taboo in the past to have friends on other teams," the NCAA champ said. "But at least with my friendships, it only fuels my fire to beat them."

www.yahoo.com

Nice find! Thanks

 

[vacock]

And the picture of Jones “handling” the ball shows that she has her hand underneath the ball which means she is carrying the ball or walking. Ha
That should be embarrassing but do the refs call it anymore?

 

[Gamecock Lincoln]

Yes

I agree with your reasoning. I think for me I still want to believe that Tenn was overrated in the beginning of the year and a loss would continue to prove that point. I also think we win easily over Uconn this year with their current roster so if they beat Tenn then I will feel better about that game as well.

Tenn and LSU scare me this year but I am a nervous nelly when it comes to our games. I know we have the better talent and depth and should win both.

This. We have 3 games left on our schedule with teams that (on paper) can hang with us. If we play like we have the past several games, we should win all by a comfortable margin.

 

[Crutcher]

And the picture of Jones “handling” the ball shows that she has her hand underneath the ball which means she is carrying the ball or walking. Ha
That should be embarrassing but do the refs call it anymore?

I don't think she is in the act of dribbling, I think she is holding the ball getting ready to call out a play. But you are correct, it is almost never called.

 

[DarkCock]

There is some talk that Horston may not play tonight. I don't know...I'll be surprised if she doesn't play. The Vols need Horston and Jackson to not only score tonight; they also need them to draw fouls. If the Vols don't break up that starting 5, I think UCONN wins.

There's been a lot of commentators talking about Tennessee turned things around. Honestly, though, I think the Vols played a tough non-conference schedule and are now playing a non-tough SEC schedule since they have yet to play Carolina or LSU. Here's an amazing stat on the Vols: they are 13th in block shots during conference play. Yes, they do miss Tamari Key. May not have shown up in the lost column yet, but she is too much of a defensive presence not to be missed.

They key player tonight is Aaliyah Edwards. The Vols REALLY need to get her in foul trouble. Rickea Jackson is a wonderful offensive finesse player, but she isn't physical enough to defend Edwards in the low post, especially with no shot blocking help. I guess we'll see what kind of coach Kelli Harper is tonight. She might have to get creative because she needs Jackson on the floor and not on the bench in foul trouble.

My head tells me UCONN wins. But it is a huge game for UT. With Jackson and Horston moving on next season, this will be the Vols best chance to beat UCONN for a while. They need his one.

 

[winloseortie]

There is some talk that Horston may not play tonight. I don't know...I'll be surprised if she doesn't play. The Vols need Horston and Jackson to not only score tonight; they also need them to draw fouls. If the Vols don't break up that starting 5, I think UCONN wins.

There's been a lot of commentators talking about Tennessee turned things around. Honestly, though, I think the Vols played a tough non-conference schedule and are now playing a non-tough SEC schedule since they have yet to play Carolina or LSU. Here's an amazing stat on the Vols: they are 13th in block shots during conference play. Yes, they do miss Tamari Key. May not have shown up in the lost column yet, but she is too much of a defensive presence not to be missed.

They key player tonight is Aaliyah Edwards. The Vols REALLY need to get her in foul trouble. Rickea Jackson is a wonderful offensive finesse player, but she isn't physical enough to defend Edwards in the low post, especially with no shot blocking help. I guess we'll see what kind of coach Kelli Harper is tonight. She might have to get creative because she needs Jackson on the floor and not on the bench in foul trouble.

My head tells me UCONN wins. But it is a huge game for UT. With Jackson and Horston moving on next season, this will be the Vols best chance to beat UCONN for a while. They need his one.

I want whoever loses to just get crushed. A tuck your tail between your legs and whimper as they slink away in shame. I think that will be UT.

UT starts Striplin, Darby and Puckett. Tall, good shooters and slow. If they play man, UCONN will eat them alive. UConn has better bigs but no depth.

Harper has turned the season around but as you said it has been against the low side of the SEC

UT, LSU and us all take huge hits on graduation. UT got skunked on HS top100 recruits and will need 4-5 portal players. LSU signed a great class but loses 3 starters and 2 of the 3 that really contribute off the bench.talented but young next year. We lose so much but will still have the best roster in the league next year

 

[CockyGirl]

There is some talk that Horston may not play tonight. I don't know...I'll be surprised if she doesn't play. The Vols need Horston and Jackson to not only score tonight; they also need them to draw fouls. If the Vols don't break up that starting 5, I think UCONN wins.

There's been a lot of commentators talking about Tennessee turned things around. Honestly, though, I think the Vols played a tough non-conference schedule and are now playing a non-tough SEC schedule since they have yet to play Carolina or LSU. Here's an amazing stat on the Vols: they are 13th in block shots during conference play. Yes, they do miss Tamari Key. May not have shown up in the lost column yet, but she is too much of a defensive presence not to be missed.

They key player tonight is Aaliyah Edwards. The Vols REALLY need to get her in foul trouble. Rickea Jackson is a wonderful offensive finesse player, but she isn't physical enough to defend Edwards in the low post, especially with no shot blocking help. I guess we'll see what kind of coach Kelli Harper is tonight. She might have to get creative because she needs Jackson on the floor and not on the bench in foul trouble.

My head tells me UCONN wins. But it is a huge game for UT. With Jackson and Horston moving on next season, this will be the Vols best chance to beat UCONN for a while. They need his one.

Is Horston possibly missing bc of illness? I think that's why she missed last game.

 

[DarkCock]

Is Horston possibly missing bc of illness? I think that's why she missed last game.

Yes, illness.

 

[Cockburn]

noticed LSU was off today so I decided to check over the remaining SEC schedules for USC, LSU, and UT.
Tiger Mulkey must have a friend in the SEC offices as LSU has mid-week byes prior to playing both the Vols (1/30) and the Gamecocks (2/12).

a week to prepare and fresh legs for their main competition for the regular season crown. the question is, will it matter?

 

[DarkCock]

noticed LSU was off today so I decided to check over the remaining SEC schedules for USC, LSU, and UT.
Tiger Mulkey must have a friend in the SEC offices as LSU has mid-week byes prior to playing both the Vols (1/30) and the Gamecocks (2/12).

a week to prepare and fresh legs for their main competition for the regular season crown. the question is, will it matter?

To be fair, UT had a mid-week bye as well and chose to schedule UCONN. A definite example of two different philosophies.

 

[CockyGirl]

It could but I also think the time off messes with the flow of the season.
I was separately wondering how we would do against Alabama with a day off and us coming right after a similar team. I wonder if Alabama will have a little bit of an advantage bc of the in game experience against somewhat similar LSU. Of course not enough to win but I don’t want the outcome to be less of a spread than the LSU score. I want to keep winning the margin of scoring against the same opponents

 

[winloseortie]

It could but I also think the time off messes with the flow of the season.
I was separately wondering how we would do against Alabama with a day off and us coming right after a similar team. I wonder if Alabama will have a little bit of an advantage bc of the in game experience against somewhat similar LSU. Of course not enough to win but I don’t want the outcome to be less of a spread than the LSU score. I want to keep winning the margin of scoring against the same opponents

I think Bama had the we are playing in the big time jitters. They just shot horrible, some of that has to be credited to LSU’s D, but BAMA missed a lot of open shots. They were dead even on offensive rebounds and turnovers and close enough in total rebounds.
The scores belies the fact that in many ways BAMA competed. I don’t think they have those jitters Sunday. I also think the margin will be about the same though.

 

[DarkCock]

 

[CockyGirl]

Well that was nicer than I thought she would be but I think she also wants to play the underdog roll!

 

[winloseortie]

Well that was nicer than I thought she would be but I think she also wants to play the underdog roll!

Jewell Spear has 13 points in the first half vs L’ville. Just saying

Up to 24 after 3rd quarter