The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

[jackmd]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

I'd guess UND and USD will have some success in D1. Our experience has shown that women athletes from this region are very much nationally competitive. There's no reason to think that UND and USD won't be successful. That's not to say they would be competitive with our very deep and athletic team, but they won't struggle in WBB like they will in other sports.

Thank you for making this point. You can't have it both ways. If we're going to be optimistic about a last place finish in our league and 20 loss seasons then Lavin, Boots, and USD fans have every right to be optimistic that their current success will translate to DI. The people I've spoken to this morning only see that we lost another game and this time it was to NDSU at Frost. You can only win or not lose the games you play if you want to be judged successful.

[juice]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

He's a short-termer so he can say what he wants. Wherever UND falls in the scheme of things, there's no way they would stay on the court with SDSU. The little I watched -- the highlights -- on TV tells me that.

UNDS and USD have nice teams in their league. I'd take our bench vs USD or UND any day. We're too fast and too physical.

It's tough to argue with you, being that you have seen some UND highlights and all, but believe me they are a very good team. And JacksNL, I don't think you can just say UND isn't very good, just because they beat the only DI team they played by 14 points. In fact, that doesn't even make sense.
USD is very good this year as well. I personally know Tanya Warren, the UNI head coach, and she said USD would beat SDSU this year by double figures. Granted, she probably hasn't seen some highlights on TV, like JackJD did, but she did coach against both teams this year, which brings a little credibility to her statements.
I know you want to believe that there is no way UND could be a top 30 DI team, and you want to believe that there is no way any DII team can be better than a DI team. SDSU's women are having another great year, but your 2003 team would beat this year's team by 15 points. I've seen both play and it wouldn't even be a contest. DII women's teams around here have been getting DI talent for quite some time. Your women were better last year, when they were being led by their DII recruit (Vogel). So don't think that just because a team is DII that they can't beat a lot of DI teams, you guys of all people should know better.

By the way, you guys can't take it so personally every time Lavin gives UND a compliment. You guys hyped out last year when he said a similar thing about UND. Every time he gives them a compliment, you guys take it as a personal insult towards SDSU.

[JackJD]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

Juice: My comments were certainly subject to attack because, as you've pointed out, I watched UND on TV highlights. Fair enough. Sometimes I think like a fan. But, based on hearsay, the source for much of conventional wisdom in sports talk (and taking a page from our Black Hills State friend, JoeBoo), I have talked with people who have watched both UND and USD. Having watched some of the top 30 DI teams play, it's incomprehensible to me that UND would be considered a top 30 team. The little snippet from the UND v USD game on TV showed a team that is noticeably slower than the DI teams I have been watching.

There's also no question in my mind that UND and USD would beat some of the DI teams I've watched.

In any event, that's one of the great thing about sports. We can always argue about who's better but there's no way you're going to convince many people that UND (or USD), as solid as those teams are, could stay on the court with the Jackrabbits this season.

Post-script: I've always gotten along well with Chad...have known him since high school days. I was saddened to hear he was retiring from USD.

[2002jack]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

On the subject of top 30 teams....I see the Gophers recieved one vote in USA Today/ESPN poll. Then again, I see Pam Borton is on the voting board of coaches. I choose to believe we are better team than the Goofers.

[Drake]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

The Jackrabbit women would absolutely bury the Yoties. USD is pretty good but painfully slow and not very deep. Mr. Lavin would be wise to bail out now, before the transition starts. By gosh, I guess he is. Just like the USD head soccer coach, who is leaving the Yoties to take a D-II job at St. Cloud.

USD women beat UNI by 30 in Cedar Falls in the first game of the year. SDSU beat UNI by 10 in Brookings a few weeks ago.

I agree with the quote that the 2003 SDSU would bury this years Jack team.

[State_fan]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

USD is very good this year as well. I personally know Tanya Warren, the UNI head coach, and she said USD would beat SDSU this year by double figures. ...
I know you want to believe that there is no way UND could be a top 30 DI team, and you want to believe that there is no way any DII team can be better than a DI team. SDSU's women are having another great year, but your 2003 team would beat this year's team by 15 points. I've seen both play and it wouldn't even be a contest. DII women's teams around here have been getting DI talent for quite some time. Your women were better last year, when they were being led by their DII recruit (Vogel). So don't think that just because a team is DII that they can't beat a lot of DI teams, you guys of all people should know better.

I'm not sure when you last saw SDSU play this year, but when we played UNI we weren't playing at the level we are now. We were still coming back from a bunch of injuries to our post players, and quite frankly the team was in a state then where people didn't know their roles entirely, where we were still adjusting to the post-Vogel era. With the way this year's team is playing right now, and with the high quality depth that we have now (case in point, Grimsrud started last year, and she doesn't start this year, although she still gives up quality minutes off the bench) I would take this years team over anything from the past.

I don't dispute that high quality DII teams from the area such as UND and USD will be quite successful in the move to DI in womens basketball, and you are correct when saying that we had very good teams in the past at DII. But our depth is better now more than ever, and it can break teams down whether they want to admit it or not. We just have too many options; if one girl is off one night, somebody else steps up and drops in 18-20. I don't recall ever having having an SDSU team that can rotate 10 players and not have a let down.

[jacksfan29]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

It's tough to argue with you, being that you have seen some UND highlights and all, but believe me they are a very good team. And JacksNL, I don't think you can just say UND isn't very good, just because they beat the only DI team they played by 14 points. In fact, that doesn't even make sense.
USD is very good this year as well. I personally know Tanya Warren, the UNI head coach, and she said USD would beat SDSU this year by double figures. Granted, she probably hasn't seen some highlights on TV, like JackJD did, but she did coach against both teams this year, which brings a little credibility to her statements.
I know you want to believe that there is no way UND could be a top 30 DI team, and you want to believe that there is no way any DII team can be better than a DI team. SDSU's women are having another great year, but your 2003 team would beat this year's team by 15 points. I've seen both play and it wouldn't even be a contest. DII women's teams around here have been getting DI talent for quite some time. Your women were better last year, when they were being led by their DII recruit (Vogel). So don't think that just because a team is DII that they can't beat a lot of DI teams, you guys of all people should know better.

By the way, you guys can't take it so personally every time Lavin gives UND a compliment. You guys hyped out last year when he said a similar thing about UND. Every time he gives them a compliment, you guys take it as a personal insult towards SDSU.

What is it with USD fans? They always personally know someone and that person just happens to believe USD is the greatest at something. The SDSU women would physically manhandle USD and by SDSU running 10 USD would be worn down by the middle of the third if not before half. The star for USD is a former DI player who SDSU manhandled while she was at DI. Let's talk about USD being better at something when they actually begin playing someone. A full DI schedule night in and night out. Note to USD fans, that goes for football, men's bb, etc. etc. etc.

[Drake]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

I just don't buy the argument that this SDSU team is better than some of the previous ones, regardless of how deep they are. I think Rotert was a great class A player from a small school. As a freshman she is one of the top players on this years team. If this years team is so good a freshman who was not widely recruited would not be one of the top players.

[West-River_Jack]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

I just don't buy the argument that this SDSU team is better than some of the previous ones, regardless of how deep they are. I think Rotert was a great class A player from a small school. As a freshman she is one of the top players on this years team. If this years team is so good a freshman who was not widely recruited would not be one of the top players.

You beg a couple of good points here:

Point 1) If she is one of the top players, there are about nine other top players. You may not buy the depth argument and neither do some of the opponents who have left the floor after the game knowing that they have been royally whipped.

Point 2) There are probably a lot of head coaches who now know that she should have been recruited much more vigorously.

[jacksfan29]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

I just don't buy the argument that this SDSU team is better than some of the previous ones, regardless of how deep they are. I think Rotert was a great class A player from a small school. As a freshman she is one of the top players on this years team. If this years team is so good a freshman who was not widely recruited would not be one of the top players.

from Argus at her signing

McCook Central standout Kristin Rotert has verbally committed to play women’s basketball at South Dakota State.

Rotert, a 6-foot guard/forward who will be a senior this fall, said she told Coach Aaron Johnston over the weekend that she will join his Jackrabbits for the 2007 season.

“I wanted to play this year and not have to worry about where I was going to play in college,” Rotert said. “SDSU has a great program that’s really going in the right direction. That’s something I want to be part of.”

One of the state’s top long-range shooters, Rotert made 80 3-pointers and shot 45.4 percent from behind the arc in 2006. She averaged 22.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.8 steals and 3.1 blocks a game for the Cougars.

The Salem native was one of the Argus Leader’s First Five selections this winter and a member of the South Dakota Elite girls team this summer. She said she chose SDSU over four or five other Division I colleges.

You know though, she really wasn't heavily recruited. Again, USD and their fans simply need to wait till they actually play someone. As for Rotert's skills, I'll trust AJ, he has a pretty good track record.

[jacksfaninne]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

If this years team is so good a freshman who was not widely recruited would not be one of the top players.

Ask Notre Dame football about what "widely recruited" players gets you.

[filbert]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

Folks, as many of you know, I closely follow Tennessee's women's basketball team (by marriage).

I know what good D-I women's basketball looks like. I've been to the past three Women's Final Fours (and, as long as I'm married to my Lady Vol wife, I'll continue to go, I think).

SDSU is NOT a top 25 women's basketball team, yet.

They are now, quite possibly, a top 50 team. UNI's coach did not see a complete SDSU team, so his/her opinion regarding the comparative levels of SDSU and USD need to be considered in that context.

USD is a very, very, very good Division II team.

SDSU is a very, very good Division I team.

I think that SDSU's women this year are generally, stronger, quicker, and better-shooting than USD. If the teams played ten games this year, USD might win one. Maybe two. That's my considered opinion. Others are free to differ.

I really don't think USD fans have a good idea how GOOD the top level of D-I teams are. SDSU is NOT a top D-I team, yet. But they're about one 6'5" athletic center away from being a Top 25 team. That's how good SDSU is. Go talk to some of the players and coaches in top programs in D-I, like I have. They are all quite aware of what SDSU can do.

I really don't want to take anything away from what USD has done this year. They're very, very good.

But a team like Tennessee or Baylor would undoubtedly run USD completely out of whatever building the teams might be playing in. I think it's fair to say that USD would have NO SHOT at Tennessee.

Tennessee would probably run SDSU out of the building too, but if the Jacks' 3's are falling and Tennessee didn't bring their A game, SDSU has the team quality and depth to make life difficult for the Lady Vols. That's where things are right now. Tennessee is to SDSU as SDSU is to USD.

The education regarding the strength of Division I vs. Division II of USD fans will begin next year. I hope they're ready for it.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

Rotert did not play at all Saturday night because of an injury, and SDSU beat NDSU by 20 points. The Jacks have two seniors on the team, and only one starts. SDSU is still a young team on the rise.

[JackJD]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

Have to give rep points to filbert on his analysis. Well stated.

With respect to Rotert and recruiting. AJ knows talent and I think he spots talented athletes that other coaches are missing. He also develops raw talent into players other teams wished they had recruited.

Many of us remember a time when a fellow named Mark Tetzlaff was recuited to SDSU from Hamlin High School. He had a good high school career but was not heavily recruited by colleges. The kid was fabulous. He was simply overlooked by most coaches.

Recently, Illinois overlooked Steve Holdren in their own backyard.

The list of overlooked or under-recruited players could go on and on. Rotert will have many school records when she concludes her senior year.

[JimmyJack]

Re: The Official USD to D-I Smack Thread

AJ knows talent and I think he spots talented athletes that other coaches are missing. He also develops raw talent into players other teams wished they had recruited.

I think AJ and Melum have some kind of time-machine hidden over there in Frost somewhere. They're able to project years down the road what kind of potential they can be expecting from these players, and then they do what it takes to help those young women achieve their potential. Look at somebody like Morgan Meier. Role player last year. Now she's a defensive specialist contributing in every game this year. Look at the end of the bench this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Alison Anderson and Laura Nielsen contributing a lot of quality minutes next year.

The point is that they're constantly developing players who are ready when their turn comes to step up. That's why we haven't seen any major drop-off year-to-year in the program. It's really remarkable.

Oops, forgot this is a smack thread. USD is very good, but UNI's coach doesn't strike me as someone who knows much about D1 talent. Just look at her team. SDSU is four years ahead of USD in this process. I have no doubt that USD's women's program will get there, but it just takes time. And with a new coaching staff, it'll set them back a bit. Five years from now, though, there's no reason why USD won't have a very competitive D1 women's basketball team. Now, though. We'd beat them with our depth and athleticism.