Weekly Roundup: Feb. 16
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Haven’t subscribed to the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter yet?
The Roundup
Yesterday, all 10 semifinalists for the 2020 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award were in action and they put up some impressive numbers. Rider’s Stella Johnson did Stella Johnson things with 27 points and seven rebounds. Micaela Kelly (Central Michigan) finished two assists away from a triple-double. Ellie Harmeyer (Belmont) outscored an entire team through the first 28 minutes of a game! Of course, Johnson and her Division I leading 25.0 points per game will get national recognition, but the other elite mid-major players still deserve more recognition.
ESPN recently released its top 25 players list, and there wasn’t a single mid-major player to be found. In fact, Princeton’s Bella Alarie fell out of the ranking after starting the season ranked No. 16. Among the 50 student-athletes named finalists for their respective positional awards, only three (Johnson, Alarie, and Drake’s Sara Rhine) play for mid-majors. That obviously isn’t to say the other 47 players aren’t deserving, just that the recognition gap shouldn’t be that large.
If you take a player like Alarie or South Dakota’s Ciara Duffy and place them on a team like South Carolina or Baylor, the increase in exposure alone would propel them into the national conversation. That is the problem here, and they deserve more respect than they are given. Last season when South Dakota State and Missouri State made surprise Sweet 16 runs that weren’t exactly shocking to people who paid attention. Don’t be surprised if a team like Princeton or South Dakota makes a run of their own this season. They are legitimate teams with legitimate stars. It is time we all treat them like it.
What We’re Working On
Amari Dryden released Part 2 of her Hometown Heroines series, this time about Murray State and Baylor’s hometown players. (Part 1)
Ben Dull looked at Arizona and their rise to prominence in a very strong Pac-12, led by star player Aari McDonald and head coach Adia Barnes.
Jenn Hatfield discussed the impact NC State head coach Wes Moore has had on the power dynamic between the North Carolina ‘Triangle’ teams.
Taking some inspiration from Shea Serrano, Christopher Zwart set out to answer a question—Which Diana Taurasi season is the best Diana Taurasi season?
Weekly Series
In the weekly Her Hoop Stats Unplugged Podcast, Megan Gauer, Aaron Barzilai and Richard Cohen talked WNBA Free Agency, Olympic Qualifiers in Belgrade, and much more.
I wrote about my Top 25 ballot with just over a month until selection Monday, and how I would adjust my ranking in the context of bracketology.
You can support our work by subscribing to herhoopstats.com. For just $20 per year, you’ll get access to in-depth, easy to access statistics for women’s basketball. A subscription is perfect for coaches and players of all levels, SIDs, broadcasters, and fans.
What We’re Reading
Seth Davis at The Athletic ($) profiled the Triple-Double Queen, Sabrina Ionescu, and what led her to become the nation’s top player.
Gabe Ibrahim for Winsidr broke down the Skylar Diggins-Smith trade from all angles and what it means for Phoenix and Dallas going forward.
All statistics via herhoopstats.com and are up to date as of February 16, 2020.