WHO SAYS THIS IS THE OFF SEASON? MAJOR THINGS ARE GOING ON ACROSS THE WORLD IN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL!!

In my most recent post, I covered our Under 16 girls team playing in the World Cup of the Americas in Mexico. The Gold Medal game with Canada was what a lot of the people were waiting to see. The undefeated Canadians seemed light years ahead of the kids on the other teams in the tournament who had been completely undone by Sue Phillips' (Archbishop Mitty H.S. in San Jose, CA) full court press.

But no, the kids from up north withered and wilted, as well. Cassandre Prosper, a 6'-2" forward, emerged, to me, as the MVP of their team. Turns out almost no girls on their team, or any of the other teams in the tournament, could handle the press executed by the kids who had USA across the front of their jerseys, who were quick as hell and could anticipate where the next pass was going. A few minutes in, the games all seemed to turn into a layup drill. 

Those two qualities pretty much defined the girls in red, white and blue. They ended up winning the Gold Medal game by 60, and Coach Sue shut down the press in the third quarter and played her least lethal players from there on. The quickest of our numerous quick guards was Jaloni Cambridge (#4), a 15 year old 5'-5" projectile who accelerates like something shot from an electric rail gun. She brings Aari McDonald to mind - how Aari must have played when she was 15.

At the same time, in Debrecen, Hungary the FIBA U18 3X3 women's World Cup tournament was happening. I was particularly interested in watching Kiki Rice ( #7.) She's the highest ranked point guard in the 2022 class and was locked in a series of six great basketball battles. 

Kiki is being as heavily recruited as Lauren Betts was by all the major powerhouse schools, including Stanford - but Kiki hasn't made her decision yet. My sources tell me that Stanford had a coach at that tournament and that her folks have deep ties to The Farm. She seems to me like a Kiana with a bigger frame. She's 5'-11", built strong, able to play through contact, and can shoot. Here's hoping Kiki picks up the Cardinal colored hat on signing day. 

The USA 3X3 team was made up of three of the top ranked recruits in the Class of 2022 and one in the Class of 2023. Only one of which has committed, to date. Ayanna Patterson (#4) has verbally committed to UConn. The other three were Kiki Rice, Janiah Barker (#11), and Mikaylah Williams (#12) (2023).  (Janiah is a beast!)

You should treat yourself to watching some of all the games our 3X3 team played this past week on YouTube. It was a brutal gauntlet - nothing like the cakewalk our U16 5X5 team enjoyed. You had the feeling, watching the USA/Russia 3X3 quarter-final contest that the Russian players' families might lose their homes or their careers, if they lost. It was no game for anyone with weak knees or a faint heart. The refs had to stop the play several times and warn the players to reduce the level of contact - and handed out technical fouls, as well, trying to moderate the level of physicality. Bodies were strewn about the tarmac now and again. The Russians won in overtime, but I think it took so much out of them they lost their semi-final game.

We played the Spanish team for the Gold Medal. They played great basketball and were the European 3X3 champs. Winning that Gold Medal was a massive accomplishment. My hat is off to those four brave indefatigable American warriors.  

Anyway, who says this is the off season?

COME TO STANFORD, KIKI, AND HELP US WIN!! AND TREAT YOURSELF TO THE BEST UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD (AND NEEDS A GREAT POINT GUARD!!)

        

THE USA U16 GIRLS TEAM IS CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THE FIBA AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP IN MEXICO.

The US players now competing in Mexico in the FIBA U16 Americas Championship are entering their junior year of high school. The coach is Sue Phillips, the head coach at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. Besides helping to develop Haley Jones' skill set, her teams have won a number of California state titles and is a perennial powerhouse. 

I recommend watching a game or two on YouTube to gain familiarity with the next "generation" of basketball stars. None have yet committed to a college team - that's probably a year away. 

The most outstanding player is Judea "Juju" Watkins who is averaging 21 points in the first two games in limited minutes. She's also the number one ranked recruit in the 2023 class. For her first  year of high school she played for Vanessa Nygaard at the Windward School in Los Angeles. Recently, she transferred to Sierra Canyon ahead of her junior season. Last year she was named Los Angeles Player of the year.

Last season Coach Nygaard took a leave of absence from Windward to be the assistant coach of the WNBA Las Vegas Aces. From 1993 to 1997 she was a star player for the Cardinal. Seems like Stanford might have an inside track in recruiting Juju - with the help of Ms. Nygaard. 

Another key player for the US U16 team is Breya Cunningham, a 6'-4" player from La Jolla Country Day in La Jolla. Wonder if Candice Wiggins might be willing to take in some games at her old high school next season and talk to Breya about her years as a Cardinal. While she's at it, Jada Williams, a terrific guard prospect, is also a member of the current US U16 team and is Breya's teammate at Country Day.

While you're watching check out Delaney Thomas a leader in both scoring and rebounding, Margaret Mendelson, a 6'-6" post prospect, and Olivia Olson an all-around gifted player. The other teams in the tournament they've played, so far are weak, but Canada will provide more of a challenge. I haven't seen the Canadian team play yet, but hopefully we'll have a shot at some of their star players in a year, or so.

Anyway, its great to have a bunch of California kids playing for a great California coach and representing the USA. Do you think they know where Haley played in high school? And what team won the national championship last season? I think so, too.

STANFORD IS ON THE MOVE!! LET'S WIN IT AGAIN!!       

LAUREN BETTS IS THE YOUNGEST MEMBER OF THE USA UNDER 19 FIBA WORLD CUP BASKETBALL TEAM!!

From August 7th to the 15th we were provided a glimpse into Stanford women's basketball future. The FIBA U19 women's basketball World Cup tournament was played in Hungary. You can still see some of the games on YouTube. 

Lauren Betts is 17 years old and 6'-7". She was the youngest player on the USA team, the number one ranked recruit in the 2022 Class, and as you know, she's committed to Stanford. The team had five post players, but two got 90% of the minutes - Lauren Ware, who will be a sophomore at Arizona next month and Lauren Betts, who will be a senior in high school. 

Sania Feagin got some playing time and is entering South Carolina as a freshman top five recruit. Amari DeBerry, also a top five recruit is entering UConn, and Jersey Wolfenbarger, a seventh ranked recruit that has signed with Arkansas, got into games once they were safely in the "win" column. The USA won all six of their games in the tournament, and beat Australia in the gold medal game 70 to 52.    

The level of competition was obviously challenging for Lauren.  Grandview High School in Centennial, Colorado doesn't play national teams like our U19 team faced last week - Australia, Italy, Russia, France, Canada, etc. In the first game she had 17 points and 15 rebounds in about twenty-five minutes. So, she's pretty good, even when she's playing against 19 and 20 year old college women. The age limit is nineteen or younger on January 1, 2021. Te'Hine Paopao, the US starting point guard, will be a junior at Oregon in September. That's a stretch for a girl like Lauren Betts, who just finished her junior year in high school.

As you would expect, her game shows room for improvement, but in her case it's called incredible upside potential! It will be interesting to watch her development during her senior season and the 2022 off-season. I get the feeling she's focused and motivated. 

She plays AAU basketball for the same team that Ashton played for - coached by ex-NBA All Star and versatile big man - Keith Van Horn. He's constantly pushing Lauren to new limits and already has her working hard on her perimeter shooting, dribbling, and passing - when she's not perfecting her moves in the paint. Lauren's dad has been her greatest source of inspiration to become a player. Andrew is 7'-1" and played for Long Beach State and professionally in Europe. 

She has friends on the Cardinal team in Fran Belibi and Jana VanGytenbeek, who come from the same area of Colorado. In fact, Jana's high school, Cherry Creek, and Lauren's high school, Grandview, could be battling next season for the state championship.

See what I mean, when in numerous blog pieces I've said the magnetic poles in the women's NCAA basketball world are reversing from the east coast to the west coast? All the powerhouse teams were recruiting Lauren Betts for all they were worth - UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Louisville - but she chose Stanford before she'd even set foot on the campus. The best new coaches are coming to the PAC12 - and so are many of the best players.

In the 2022 Recruiting Class, as I mentioned above, Lauren Betts is ranked number one. Six of the top eleven ranked players are committed to PAC12 schools and three haven't committed yet. So six of the eight, who have signed, are coming to the PAC12. The tectonic plates of the WBB world of the NCAA are definitely tilting toward the west coast.

An interesting side note: the number one recruit in the nation for 2021, Azzi Fudd, who has signed with UConn, did not shine in Hungary. She started every game, played sound defense, made numerous turnovers, and was passive on offense. Caitlin Clark (Iowa) was the tournament MVP and Sonia Citron (Notre Dame) was named, along with Clark, to the All Tournament team. Lauren Betts, Payton Verhulst (Louisville), and Diamond Johnson (N.C. State) were standout players, as was Paopao (Oregon). 

If I was Geno - I'd be pondering several questions: Alright we got Fudd, but how did we miss out on Clark, Citron, and Verhulst? And Betts!! Yee Gads, she's going to make my life miserable until 2026!!      

LET'S GO STANFORD!!             

I PREDICT BAYLOR WILL NOT BE A ONE SEED NEXT MARCH AND OREGON WILL BE NEXT SEASON'S ARIZONA!!

Charlie Creme and the ESPN pundits are all figuring Baylor to be a one seed in the 2022 tournament, currently ranked number four in the nation behind UConn, South Carolina, and Stanford. Even after Kim Mulkey left for her dream job at LSU and took Moon Ursin and Hannah Gusters (a 6'-5" center) with her - and after Didi Richards and DeJonai Carrington left for the WNBA. 

NyLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo are very good players, but in my opinion the eastern pundits place them on much too elevated a pedestal. In their minds, even though the Hall of Fame coach and the core of last year's team have gone - they think NyLyssa and Queen and their role-players will make the Bears a number one seed in 2022. I respectfully disagree.

In 2020 the bears recruited two top 100 recruits. Sarah Andrews will be a sophomore guard next season and Hannah Gusters transferred to LSU, as mentioned above. In 2021, all the top 100 recruits have committed and one (listed as committed to Marquette) is going to Baylor. In 2022, to date, about half the top 100 have committed and none to Baylor. There's time, but Baylor needs to do some serious recruiting. Who is lurking in the Transfer Portal that can lift the Bears to a number one seed?

In 2021, Trinity Oliver a 5'-8" guard transferred from Baylor to Washington and Ja'Mee Asberry transferred from Oklahoma State to Baylor. One freshman, Kendra Gillispie a 6'-2" Forward, a four star recruit ranked #58 has signed at Baylor for the 2021/2022 season

So, my thought is that Nicki Cullen (Baylor's new coach) definitely has her work cut out. I think all of the two seeds and some of the three seeds (Maryland, Louisville, N.C. State, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Iowa, and Oregon) of next season's projected bracket could beat the Bears as presently constituted. And during the Big Twelve season, I think Texas will finally beat'em. 

So, who do I think the fourth number one seed should be? 

Oregon. 

In March, Oregon went into the tournament without their point guard. Te-Hina Paopao is back from her season-ending injury and was recently named to the USA Under 19 team that will compete in Hungary next month. She will return from that experience better than ever. Endiya Rogers is an All PAC12 slashing scoring problem for any defense. Her decision to transfer from USC to Oregon was a major coup for Kelly Graves. Nyara Sabally and Sedona Prince will come back next season ready to be a dominant force in the paint. 

They've got the coach and the team and by March they'll be battle-hardened and ready for the bright lights on the big stage. All along I've been predicting that Oregon (currently a three seed) will be next season's Arizona - so, watch out UConn, South Carolina and Stanford! 

COME ON CARDINAL!! LET'S GO BACK TO BACK!!

 

NEXT SEASON THE SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS WILL BE TOUGHER THAN EVER!

South Carolina is ranked second, behind UConn, but that was before Dawn Staley announced the transfer of the ACC Freshman of the Year Kamilla Cardoso,  a 6'-7" Post from Syracuse (Montes Claros, Brazil). Kamilla was All ACC in her freshman season and averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. Playing beside Aliyah Boston they will be one of the best paint duos in the country.

The Gamecocks return all of their starters from last season and bring in the number one recruiting class in the country as follows:

Raven Johnson 5'-8" Point Guard is a five star recruit ranked number two in the nation (Atlanta, GA.)

Saniya Rivers 6"-0" Guard is a five star recruit ranked number three in the nation (Wilmington, N.C.)

Sania Feagin 6'-4" Forward is a five star recruit ranked number four in the nation (Ellenwood, GA.)

Aubryanna ("Bree") Hall 5'-11" Guard is a five star recruit ranked number fourteen in the nation (Dayton, Ohio.)

Lele Grissett 6'-2" Grad Student Guard is returning for her second senior year granted by the NCAA.

In women's basketball, success breeds success and Dawn Staley continues year after year to bring in four or five of the best players in the nation. It's also helpful that the university admits 69% of it's applicants. As you know, Stanford admits 4%. 

They've scheduled a game against UConn again next season that is being thought of as the Battle of the Titans. Last season USC (the eastern one) lost on a last second jump shot by Paige Bueckers falling out of bounds on the right baseline, heavily guarded. 

By March 2022, the Gamecocks will be an awesome contender for Dawn's second National Championship. They've made the Final Four in 2015, 2017, and 2021 and won the title in 2017.  

Look for a starting lineup that looks something like this:

Aliyah Boston 6'-5" Junior First Team All American Post Player.

Kamilla Cardoso 6'-7" Sophomore All ACC Power Forward.

Zia Cook 5'-9" Junior Guard NCAA All Tournament Team in 2021.    

Raven Johnson 5'-8"Freshman Guard 

Destanni Henderson 5'-7" Senior Point Guard

Last April, Tara said we managed to win the semi-final even though we didn't play our "A" game. In the first quarter, we got off to a 15 to 4 rough start. In the second quarter, we shot 5 for 18 or 28%. For the game, we missed twenty contested driving layups, most of which we ordinarily make. We shot 5 of 8 three pointers - while in the previous four games of the tournament, we shot an average of 11 of 25. Thank goodness in the semi-final our "A" game was happening on the defensive end of the floor.  

When we beat this sure-to-be-improved Gamecock team next April, you can bet your bottom dollar Stanford will play it's "A" game on both ends of the floor. And I can't wait!

GO CARDINAL!! LET'S GO BACK TO BACK!!     

WHAT KIND OF A CHALLENGE WILL THE OTHER TOP RANKED TEAMS PRESENT TO THE CARDINAL NEXT SEASON? WE'LL START WITH UCONN.

Over the next month or so I'll preview the other top teams in the country - and try to project what the Stanford Cardinal will be up against in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

The top team in the pre-season rankings is - to the surprise of no one - the UConn Huskies. Next season they'll be loaded and tough to beat.

Basically, all their starters from last season return. Plus, they have a dynamite freshman class coming in and a powerful grad transfer in                                   Dorka Juhasz, a 6'-5" veteran post player from Ohio State (Pecs, Hungary.) 

Azzi Fudd is a 5'-11" freshman guard and a five star recruit rated #1 in the country (Arlington, VA.)

Caroline Ducharme is a 6'-2" freshman guard and a five star recruit rated #5 in the nation (Milton, Mass.)

Amari DeBerry is a 6'-5" freshman post player and a five star recruit rated #15 in the nation (Williamsville, N.Y.) 

Saylor Poffenbarger is a 6'-2" freshman guard and a four star recruit rated #30 in the nation (Middletown, Md.)

Their sophomores were also a top-rated recruiting class in 2020:

Paige Bueckers is a 5'-11" sophomore guard and was the number one ranked recruit in the nation (Hopkins, Minn.) In 2021, as a freshman she was named the AP Player of the Year, first string All American, and the Wooden Award winner.

Piath Gabriel is a 6'-5" sophomore post player (Manchester, N.H.)

Aaliyah Edwards is a 6'-3" sophomore post player (Kingston, Ontario, Canada.)

Nika Mull is a 5'-10" sophomore guard (Zagreb, Croatia.)

Mir McLean is a 5'-11" sophomore guard (Baltimore, Md.)

Their sole junior player is Ashley Griffin a 6'-1"forward (Ossining, N.Y.)

Their three seniors are:

Christyn Williams is a 5'-11" guard (Little Rock, Ark.)

Evina Westbrook is a 6'-0" guard (Salem, Ore.)

Olivia Nelson-Ododa is a 6'-5" post player (Winder, Ga.)

Obviously, the Huskies will be a very powerful team next season. Their first team will be practicing every day against their second team, which will probably be the fourth or fifth best team in the country. Most of their games will be total blowouts, however they have scheduled several preseason games against high-powered teams like Tennessee, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, and Louisville.

Look for a starting lineup that looks something like this:

Christyn Williams a 5'-11" senior guard

Azzi Fudd a 5'-11" freshman point guard

Paige Bueckers a 5'-11" sophomore shooting guard

Dorka Juhasz a 6'-5" grad transfer post player

Amari DeBerry a 6'-5" freshman power forward

Stanford will have their work cut out to defeat this group, but they can and will.

GO CARDINAL!! 

 

THE ARIZONA WILDCATS WILL BE THE SURPRISE LURKING IN THE SHADOWS OF THE PAC12 NEXT SEASON!!

Charlie Creme and just about everyone else in the WBB world has written off the Wildcats as "one hit wonders." To them, Aari and Arizona were just a one time shooting star in the basketball firmament. It was great while it lasted, but they've moved on now, back to the humdrum Wildcats . . . Aari's gone. Charlie just projected Arizona as an eight seed in his too early 2022 bracket, along with DePaul, Georgia, and Florida Gulf Coast. 

Wait just an everlovin minute, people! 

Adia Barnes is no "one hit wonder." She's an exceptional person and an even better recruiter and coach. There's passion and fire behind those dark eyes. Great players can feel it. That's why Aari left Washington with her . . . and the two of them transformed a perennial cellar-dweller down in the desert into a national supernova. 

Not-so-great players can feel it too - and want to be part of what she's puttin down. When she winks and smiles at them for putting out super maximum effort - they catch fire and shock the country by whipping UConn on nationwide TV. That's what she does . . . and major recruits watched it happen and want to be part of it. 

I'll give you an inkling of how enormous that upset was. Because the eastern sports media was so overwhelmingly positive that Paige Bueckers and her team of Huskies would win the 2021 NCAA Women's Tournament, you had to bet $450 in Vegas on the Huskies - in order to win $100. Or you could bet $350 on the "field" (the other 63 teams) and if any one of those other teams won the tournament, you would win $100. In other words, Stanford, South Carolina, N.C. State, Maryland, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Louisville (the other one and two seeds) were all just chopped liver in the eyes of the WBB establishment and the odds-makers.  

The pundits have all moved on, but I think Tara knows the truth about Adia Barnes. You hear about players who will run through a wall for a coach. That's the calibre of coach we're talking about down in Tucson.

How hard is it to replace a scorer like Aari McDonald?   

It's hard. But Adia doesn't mind hard, and she's well on her way. She just got a firm commitment from Anna Gret Asi, an Estonian 5'-10" star who is a prolific three point shooter. She's also mobile and aggressive off the dribble - has a deadly pull-up jump shot and a lethal hook shot with either hand. A fantastic freshman prospect.    

Aaronette Vonleh is a five star recruit, the No.# 38 player in the 2021 class. She's a 6'-3" post player who is built large, quick, powerful, and nimble. Her older brother's in the NBA.

Madison Conner is a 5'-11" four star freshman recruit who averaged 20 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds for her senior season in high school. She's a good three point shooter and can score right or left off the dribble.

Koi Love is a 6' junior forward transfer from Vanderbilt who averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds last season in the SEC.

Taylor Chavez is a senior guard transfer from Oregon who will be a strong back-up point guard for Shaina Pellington.

Ariyah Copeland is a 6'-3" grad transfer from Alabama who was a double/double machine in the paint last season and had the 3rd highest shooting percentage in the nation at 61%.

Gisela Sanchez is a 6'-3" freshman forward from Spain. She's talented, agile, and committed. She comes from the same team in Spain as Helena Pueyo.

Trinity Baptiste graduated and signed with a Russian pro team for the next season. 

The returning players from the national runner-up team in 2021: 

Sam Thomas 6' grad student, captain, and emotional leader. Next season she'll increase her scoring average to make up for the loss of Aari. 

Cate Reese is a 6'-2" post player with a lot of talent and an even bigger heart. She'll increase her scoring average next season. 

Bendu Yeaney is a 5'-10" guard. 

Lauren Ware is a 6'-5" post player.

Helena Pueyo is a 6' junior guard.

Shaina Pellington is a 5'-8" senior point guard understudy of Aari McDonald. She's super fast and ultra quick, much like her mentor.

Marta Garcia transferred to Florida Atlantic.

Tara Manumaleuga transferred to TCU.

There is no available information on the remaining players from the 2021 roster: Mara Mote, Derin Erdogan, or Semaj Smith.

By March of next year, Arizona will be rounding into shape as a dangerous challenger to the Stanford Cardinal. Expect to see a starting lineup something like this:

Sam Thomas 6'-0" grad student guard.

Shaina Pellington 5'-8" senior point guard

Anna Gret Asi 5'-10" freshman guard

Cate Reese 6'-2" senior forward

Aaronette Vonleh 6'-3" freshman post player

Adia will have this team playing like Wildcats. Next season will be one to remember. I've got my season tickets - do you?