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Originally posted by usagre
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Kansas had imo a bit stronger and more experienced roster than Purdue, and added two players (Nic Moore of SMU and Julian DeBose of FGCU) to fill open positions. Purdue lost Caleb Swanigan from its 2016-17 roster with no additions other than its own freshmen. Anyway, I'm sure a single college with maybe a couple of additions can win at WUG and be more competitive than a today's NCAA All-Stars team. -
Unlike the men's tournament, USA/Maryland women though finishing 5-1 didn't win any kind of medal.
Unfortunately, Maryland's wasn't the same 2016-17 roster, missing two key players (both 1st round WNBA draftees) and the addition of Michigan State's Jankoska was not enough especially in terms of size. Quite a young roster, with some promising players (Charles, Fraser, Watson) but without a big controlling the boards.
Here, in the women's tournament, USA Basketball really missed an opportunity to send an All-Stars team made of the best college prospects (also in a future Sr NT perspective!). What's strange is that USA Basketball did select a U23 team, but just to send it to that U24 Tournament in Japan, where btw it beat WUG's gold & silver medal teams, even without its best players! A great missed opportunity in all senses, imo.Comment
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That's a great point. I think in general that is the case that if you take a top existing team amateur or professional and just fine tune it with a couple of upgrades but don't drastically change the makeup, you will have a better team than an all star team just thrown together.Originally posted by carlo View PostSilver medal 2012 Olympics prediction game.Comment
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I didn't expect our team would win so confident in a final game against Americans. Better team work and 17 offensive rebounds was a huge thing in the game - great job.Comment
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I was surprised such a solid crowd attended the games. It was a great tournament because of them as well. It's always a pleasure to see basketball being cared in one or another way.Originally posted by locdogjr View PostComment
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The debate on the use of single colleges at the WUG has led me to an "historical" finding I’d like to share.
Long before the first US team was sent to the WUG (1965), a case happened of a single college which could have represented USA back in 1959 at the WUG in Turin, Italy.
There is no confirmation from anywhere in the USA on this case, afaik, but it surfaced from the Italian press of that time (La Stampa Sera, Turin, 08/22/1959, page 7 & Tuttosport, Turin, 08/23/1959).
The 1st Universiade (2nd WUG) was organized in Turin, Italy, and set to be held August 26 – Sept 7, 1959.
World University Games had been previously played in 1957 (Paris) but the 1959 games were the first under the new label and attended by a record 43 nations and 1400 athletes worldwide. They were originally planned to be held in Rome, but the venues there were under preparation for the 1960 Olympics and the choice went to Turin. Unfortunately, the 1959 WUG dates overlapped with the 3rd Pan American Games in Chicago and no US athletes attended the Turin Universiade other than a couple of fencers.
Basketball tournament, that accounted as many as 16 invited nations was also affected by the decision of the US official body (AAU) to not send another team as one would already be competing at the Pan Am Games (but f.i. Brazil did participate in both events and actually USA could have sent at least 10 other competitive teams).
The Turin Universiade organization however had a creative idea, why not to invite a strong US college alone representing the nation?
Here is what told by the Italian press.
Contacts were established with the Tennessee State University in Nashville (led by the legendary coach John McLendon to three consecutive NAIA national titles). Italian press reported that the club was one of the best among US colleges and its “mostly black players” were regarded as the “Harlem Globetrotters of colleges” for their talent.
The participation was reportedly confirmed but there were financial problems behind it (trip funding). As a matter of facts a solution couldn’t be reached in time and unfortunately the expected arrival of the US college came to nothing.
What about Tennessee State team at that stage? Compared to the 1958-59 champs, the Tigers had lost their highly prized trio of seniors, as well as coach McLendon, who had left to pursue a new career in the National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL/AAU). Dick “Skull” Barnett, their leading scorer and three time All-American had joined the pros (NBA, ABL and again NBA) for a long brilliant career. John “Rabbit” Barnhill joined McLendon and his NIBL club (later becoming pro in the ABL) and then played in the NBA as well as in the ABA & EBA. Jim Satterwhite played in a minor pro league, the Midwest Basketball League.
How good would have been the 1959-60 team? Though not at the same level of the 1959 champion team, it actually was still strong, and all of its top players went later to the pros. Very likely would have been a memorable WUG participation.
The newly appointed coach was Harold Hunter, former assistant to McLendon.
Most notable players were:
- #53 George Finley, a 7-footer (would have been the tallest at the Turin Universiade, by far) who would play for the Tigers until 1961 and then join the ABL after being drafted in the 4th round by NBA;
- #44 Ben Warley (6-7, some sources 6-5 or 6-6) a good shooter and powerful rebounder who left TSU just before the end of 1959-60 season to join McLendon in the NIBL, from where he was drafted in the 1st round by NBA in 1961. He played as a pro first in the ABL then for several years in the NBA, ABA and EBA;
- #41 Gene Werts (6-6), who graduated in 1962 after missing the previous season for illness and would play shortly in the MBL pro league before pursuing a successful coaching career;
- #43 Mel “Trick” Davis (6-5), a forward who played one and half year in the ABL after college and then joined the Harlem Globetrotters for several years;
- #52 Rossie Johnson (6-4), who was drafted in the 5th round by NBA in 1961 but joined the ABL;
- #31 Porter Meriwether (6-2), a soph in the 1959-60 team, was drafted by NBA in 1962 and played one season there.
The Tigers would finish the 1959-60 season with a 28-5 record and a 3rd place at the NAIA tournament. Three of them, Johnson, Meriwether and Werts were named to the NAIA All-Star team that competed at the 1960 Olympic trials and upset the powerful NCAA champ Ohio State in the first day of the tournament. Meriwether was then named as an alternate of the famous 1960 Olympic team.
http://www.tnstate.edu/library/documents/1960yb.pdf (pages 164-167)Last edited by carlo; 09-01-2017, 11:37 PM.Comment
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University sports games are cool events. atching university sport games is very interesting for university members and even for people who are not university members, members of colleges in which students have to study for two years, members of more advanced colleges in which students should study for four years, members of schools , members of lyceums, and members of other educational institutions. Participation in university sports is not only interesting for students, but also something of which a student can be proud, something about which a tudent can tell other people . There is a problem in this world. So interesting cool respected occupation is not evaluated by the authorities of the states, by the authorities of the cities, by the authorities of the local educational institutions, by the services. But I believe that the state authorities, the cities authorities, the governments authorities, the districts authorities, local educational institutions authorities, services, shops and companies that are educational-related should respect and provide special conditions for students who are participants of the university sports events. From which company the state authorities,the cities authorities , the districts authorities , the local educational institutions authorities and other companies , other services and shops should take an example in providing special conditions for students who are students of university sports events? The best article review writing service uk.papersowl.com provides a discount for students who are not only participants of university sports events but also are participants of teams that belong to colleges in which there is a need to study for 2 years, more advanced colleges in which there is a need to study for 4 years in lyceums in schools and in other educational institutions. In conclusion, I want to say that you published this post for which you created a new branch is commendable and I like the fact that you created a separate branch and a separate post in a new branch.Originally posted by carlo View PostComment
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Bolstering a domestic league with more homegrown talent.Originally posted by carlo View PostComment
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Really agree with you. I would like to see a good game played by the women's team, especially as I don't think there have been any good teams at all for a long time. University football does not seem to be that popular among students. Maybe that's because more and more students are going to work?Originally posted by carlo View PostUSA Basketball won't send any team to women's tournament either, and University of Maryland will represent USA at Taipei WUG.
It's a strange decision, as USA had no problems in assembling good women national teams at least in the last four WUG editions, always taking gold. Maybe the late schedule of the event (19-30 Aug) or the relationships USA Basketball/US-IUSF have played a role in this. Unfortunately, a big gap is growing between Senior and youth national teams (up to U19), with college players almost disappearing from international competition.
USA women at WUG were previously represented by UNC Charlotte in 2007 and by a Big 12 Conference all-star team in 2003, both finishing 6th.Comment
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