The #TeamPSB Analysts: 2013-14 Dream Team Selections – Nov. 12, 2013

Former No. 1 free paper writing service class of 2012 prospect Breanna Stewart was picked by three of our four analysts.
*Courtesy of UConn Athletics

To help kick off the 2013-14 season the #TeamPSB Analysts take on some important topics of this young season. But first each was tasked with putting together a six player team that each would choose based on playing a game tonight with the following rules:

– Maximum of one returning Conference Player of the Year
– Maximum of one player from any conference
– At least one player must be from a non football BCS conference

* denotes Conference Player of the Year selection last season.

TEAM KEIL MOORE

G Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis 5-11 JR (Connecticut) – Lewis is the best shooter in the country and posted ridiculous stats last season. She came just a couple made free throw’s short of the 50-40-90 club. The only other player in all of basketball that shot that well was Kevin Durant of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. My team will be small and Lewis’ impressive rebounding numbers, 6.3 per game, will be much needed.

G Rachel Banham 5-9 JR (Minnesota) – Our style of play is to have playmaking guards who can spread the floor as threats to make perimeter jumpers and still make plays off the bounce as well. Minnesota’s Banham is a perfect addition to our team. At 20 points per game last season she is a capable scorer and with Sims right next to her she will have the freedom to make plays with and without the basketball.

G Odyssey Sims 5-8 SR (Baylor) – Sims is the best point guard in the country, and with two shooters like Lewis and Banham around her, she should have a ample room to operate and make plays off the bounce. We will use Simms and Thomas in a high volume of ball screen situations to try and force a switch. Simms is capable of making quality reads each possession.

F Basharra Graves 6-2 SO (Tennessee) – Graves will be our post player and her ability to rebound the ball on both sides of the floor will be vital for our team. Offensively she will have a ton of room to operate around the basket and should be able to score with all of the one-on-one coverage she gets due to our elite perimeter shooting.

F Alyssa Thomas* 6-2 SR (Maryland) – In my opinion Thomas has the most versatile set of skills you can find in college basketball this season. We’ll use her in a variety of ways and she should create a ton of match-up issues for opposing defenses.

SUB Artemis potato clock research paper Spanou 6-0 SR (Robert Morris) – Spanou was third last season in double-doubles but first in rebounding. At 6-0 she grabbed 15 rebounds a game and her ability to both score and rebound the ball will be vital in our small ball lineup.

TEAM BRANDON CLAY

PG Odyssey Sims 5-8 SR (Baylor) – Sims had a busy off-season after a disappointing loss to end to the 2012-13 season. The senior point guard finished with 12.9 points, 5.8 assists and 2.9 steals per last year. Sims ended her pre-season prep in grand fashion being invited to workout with the Senior National Team in Las Vegas in early October.

SG Maggie Lucas* 5-10 SR (Penn State) – Lucas is a logical choice. The 2012-13 Big Ten Player of the Year has been a constant force in her first three seasons. Last year, she put up video game numbers with 20.3 points per game on 43 percent from beyond the 3-point line and 90 percent from the free throw line.

SF Crystal Bradford 6-0 JR (Central Michigan) – Bradford gives us a bigger option on the wing. Fresh off of 2013 World University Games appearance, Bradford looks to improve on a season that ended with 36 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists versus Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

PF Breanna Stewart 6-3 SO (Connecticut) – Stewart finished the 2012-13 campaign on the highest of high notes with 29 in the national semifinal, en route to the Huskies eighth national title. She was the consensus No. 1 prospect coming out of high school and word has it that Stewart went toe-to-toe in workouts against 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year Elena Delle Donne during the Senior National Team workout in October.

C Elizabeth Williams 6-3 JR (Duke) – Williams finished the 2012-13 season with 15.2 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per as well. A true interior force, Williams was first team All-ACC and controlled the paint for the Blue Devils averaging 3 blocks a night as well.

SUB Bashaara Graves 6-2 SO (Tennessee) – Graves lived up to her billing as the nation’s No. 5 prospect coming out of Clarksville (Tenn.) High, coming off of a fantastic rookie campaign in which she was named All-SEC Freshman of the Year. The post option was as productive as any freshman nationwide averaging 13.2 points and 8 rebounds per game last season.

TEAM JONATHAN HEMINGWAY

PG Odyssey Sims 5-8 SR (Baylor)

SG Christina Foggie 5-9 SR (Vanderbilt)

SF Breanna Stewart 6-3 SO (Connecticut)

PF Chiney Ogwumike* 6-3 SR (Stanford)

C Elizabeth Williams 6-3 JR (Duke)

SUB Alexis Govan 5-10 JR (Western Kentucky)

When choosing a team order essay papers online that would take the floor today, I always want to start with the best returning player in the country. Outside of the “Three to Watch” from last year, Ogwumike was the most valuable for her Stanford team last year. Her ability to dominate the paint on both ends by scoring and rebounding makes her a player that any team can be built around. Then looking to pair Ogwumike along with another strong post player like Williams from Duke would make this team nearly impossible to defend on the interior. I believe that by controlling the game from 10 feet and in gives you the best chance every night to win versus any team.

Next I looked to get a quality ball handler that not only can control the tempo as I would like, but also a play-maker from the point position. Sims from Baylor is arguably the best point guard in the country. She is strong and can make plays at the end of the shot clock. Pairing her with a skilled shooting guard like Foggie from Vanderbilt will give most any team difficulties in scouting report sessions. Foggie is a skilled kid who can knock down the open shot while also being able to create her own shot as well. This “1-2” combination in the backcourt will be hard to deny.

Lastly, I looked at the final forward position as a place where I want versatility. I want a player who can stretch the floor with the jumper, but can also be a play creator with the ball. With the type of interior players that we have there will be plenty of open looks for the small forward on the floor. Stewart is the optimal player in this position. She showed last season that she could easily be one of the best players in the game this year. Also given her length, she would be able to slide down to the 4-position if there was foul trouble. Off the bench player I found Govan from Western Kentucky who is a 5-11 wing who can fill it up. She averaged 20.3 points per game and would provide instant offense for our squad. She will definitely be an asset to this team and a versatile piece that could play multiple positions.

TEAM CHRIS HANSEN

C Chiney Ogwumike* 6-3 SR (Stanford)

PF Breanna Stewart 6-3 SO (Connecticut)

SF Jordan Hooper 6-2 SR (Nebraska)

SG Alexis Jones 5-8 SO (Duke)

PG Aaryn Ellenberg 5-7 JR (Oklahoma)

SUB Temi Fagbenle 6-4 RFR (Harvard)

With my frontcourt I put an emphasis on length and mobility. With Stewart’s ability to stretch the floor and pay someone to do homework for me both Ogwumike and Fagbenle being able to make interior passing and driving lanes disappear I think I would be able to match up with teams that emphasize post scoring while also being able to close out on shooters for teams that spread the floor. Ogwumike is one of the best offensive rebounders in the game and scores well inside and Stewie, as she is called by her teammates, can score both inside and out as she proved in the NCAA tournament last season.

In the backcourt either of my guards can play the point position at a high level allowing me the flexibility to go big and since both can also score the ball from the perimeter and have incredible first steps, it will be hard to sag or shade towards the bigs in the post. Ellenberg averaged 18.7 points per game and shot 41.4 percent from 3-point range for the Sooners last season. Jones stepped in valiantly for the injured Chelsea Gray last season and the touted scorer in high school was phenomenal in the assist category as a freshman.

Adding a 6-2 wing who shoots it was well as Hooper makes this team potentially unguardable. This team has length, speed, shotmakers and versatility.

Brandon Clay is the owner of the JumpOffPlus.com International Report, Peach State Basketball, Inc., and ProspectsNation.com. The JumpOffPlus.com is picked up by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. He serves as the Executive Camp Director for the Elite Basketball Academy Camps. Clay has been involved in the community since 2001. You can reach him at [email protected]

Chris Hansen is the managing editor for Peach State Media. In addition to serving as a contributor to the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report, Hansen also covered girls’ basketball and women’s college basketball prospects nationally for ESPN.com. A graduate of the University of Washington with a communications degree, he has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a high school and club coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He is a member of the McDonald’s All-American team selection committee. He can be reached at [email protected].

Jonathan Hemingway is the Assistant Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com. The service is used by more than 150 colleges and universities nationwide. He also serves on the selection committee for the EBA All-American, Fab Five and Super 64 Camps. He has been involved in the community since 2002 as a coach, camp director and evaluator. You can reach him via email at [email protected] and follow him on twitter @JLHemingwayPSB

Keil Moore is the Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com International Scouting Report – a division of Peach State Basketball, Inc. Moore has been involved in the community since 2007 as a recruiting analyst and trainer. He can be reached at [email protected].