We are just two weeks away from the start of preseason practice and preseason projections are starting to pop up.
Still #1
ESPN released its “Way-Too-Early Top 25” Monday - not to be confused with the “Way-Too-Early Top 25” it released back at the end of March - and, as expected, South Carolina took the top spot.
Stanford was second, same as the Cardinal was in March, followed by Baylor, UConn, and Louisville. Mississippi State dropped from third in March to sixth. That reflects the coaching change from Vic Schaefer to Nikki McCray, starter Chloe Bibby’s decision to transfer to Maryland, and the loss of incoming freshman DeYona Gatson, who chose to follow Schaefer to Texas.
Around the SEC, Kentucky was ranked 11th, Arkansas was 13th (making a big jump from 19th after adding Destiny Slocum), and Texas A&M was 14th. It is strange to see Tennessee not make the cut, but also not surprising.
Read the full article HERE
Also #1
Following the Top 25 rankings, ESPN released its first team rankings for the 2021 recruiting class. Again, as expected, South Carolina led the field. South Carolina’s four committed players, Raven Johnson, Saniya Rivers, Sania Feagin, and Bree Hall, are ranked in the top 15, and the first three are ranked second, third, and fourth overall in the class. The biggest surprise might have been the description of South Carolina as a “traditional powerhouse,” something Dawn Staley would certainly disagree with.
North Carolina is ranked second, and the Schaefer effect is already at work in Austin, with the Longhorns ranked fourth. UConn is ranked third, but will likely jump to second if, as expected, the Huskies land top-ranked Azzi Fudd.
Tennessee is ranked 14th, Mississippi State is 19th, and Arkansas is 25th. Ole Miss, which had the league’s top-ranked class in 2020, did not make the cut.
Read the full article HERE
Aunt Sania
Speaking of Feagin, she became an aunt this week. Congratulations to her sister, who gave birth to a six pound, eight ounce son named Kahlin Jamir Dawson. Mother and son are apparently doing well.
Amihere’s potential
The Gamecocks have been releasing hype videos of each player on social media. They are nice, well-done videos that are fun to watch and loved by the players, but they don’t offer much insight. Laeticia Amihere’s video was interesting, though. It spotlighted her dribble-drive ability, which is not something she is necessarily known for. It would have been more impressive if Amihere were driving on, say, Brea Beal than Elysa Wesolek, but the video is another reminder that Amihere has tantalizing potential. She goes into this season fully healthy and, as the heir apparent to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan’s stretch four role, increased playing time is hers to lose. What she does with it will be exciting to watch.
More honors for A’ja
The WNBA All-Defense teams were announced Tuesday. A’ja Wilson, who led the league in blocked shots, was named to the second team. The teams were voted on by the league’s coaches. It was the first defensive honor in the WNBA for Wilson, who was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was twice named to the SEC All-Defense team.
Headed to the finals
Tuesday night, Wilson led Las Vegas to a 66-63 win over Connecticut in game five of the semifinals. The win moves the top seeded Aces to the Finals against the second-seeded Storm. Wilson has upped her regular season averages to 21.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and 2.6 assists in 36.2 minutes. That’s an increase over her regular season averages of 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 2.0 assists in 31.7 minutes.
Wilson’s fourth quarter against the Sun was an incredibly dominant performance that had to be seen to be appreciated. Wilson did not get a single rest, playing every second of the game. The Aces trailed by as much as 16 in the first half and by one going into the fourth. Facing repeated triple-teams (not double-teams, legit triple teams), Wilson picked apart the Sun. She single-handedly outscored the Sun 11-9 by splitting the defense and drawing fouls to get to the free throw line, where she went 9-10. Wilson was even partly responsible for the Aces’ only other basket: a putback by Carolyn Swords on a Wilson runner that rimmed out.
Wilson finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. She led the Aces in each category. Game 1 of the WNBA Finals is Friday at 7 pm on ESPN2.
