It is interesting how few back to the basket centers there are, and even fewer are impact players of any quality.
At one time, we had four McDonald's All-Americans who were pretty much limited to a five-foot ring around the basket for effectiveness: Courtney, Ashley, Abi, and Amanda. Amanda wasn't a back-to-the-basket center, but had very limited range. Before you get excited, look at her shooting percentages.
Stanford has had some back-to-the-basket centers, but it really hasn't been all that good for them. It wasn't Tinkle that got them to the Final Four. They have been strengthened by some very good power forwards.
Ohio State keeps having Davenports and Lavendars. But, beyond winning early season games, how far do they actually get in the playoffs. Even with an All-American point guard, they didn't make the Elite Eight.
Texas got two at the same time, and it didn't even get them into the first division in the Big Twelve. Now, they have one that is even taller. We'll have to see how she turns out.
Baylor and OU had two of the best in history, and it only resulted in one title between them. Kansas State has had some dominant centers in the past, without making the Final Four.
A&M did have a couple of centers when they won, but it wasn't the centers who took that team to a title. They were there as a presence, but the scoring was mostly from the guards and Adams.
UConn has had some good centers. Tina Charles really didn't dominate like they thought she would until her senior year. Then, she had Maya giving her an inside/outside look. But, Heather Buck was never the great center that she was projected to be, and Dolson, although very valuable, is not the player that UConn is built around.
When Baylor won in 2005, they had a very good center in Blackmon who really is a forgotten player on that team. She was a role player.
Duke keeps getting back-to-the-basket centers, but it doesn't get them to a title any more. Maryland had one who was on their title team, although some think of her as a power forward.
Notre Dame is as good as anyone, and they simply use two strong forwards. They beat UConn five times in a row (?) with no player over 6-2. Louisville had a center. How much did she play?
It isn't likely that you'll get a strong back-to-the-basket center, and it is probably more likely that you will get a role player in that position, like a Blackmon, Griffin, or even Dolson who is not the stereotypical back-to-the-basket center. You kind of need athletes who can play basketball, and hopefully, two or three are big enough to rebound and have some control over the middle.
Curiously, we may have a fairly decent situation as far as having some control. According to opposing coaches, Griffin has always been difficult to shoot over. She is a presence. She isn't all that physical, but she is very long-armed. I remember Sherri's comment prior to last year that we had what we needed since we were a long-armed team. Well, we lost some of those arms. But, long arms do affect shooters and cut down on passing lanes. Unless there is someone 6-10, that's probably about what you are likely to get.
At one time, we had four McDonald's All-Americans who were pretty much limited to a five-foot ring around the basket for effectiveness: Courtney, Ashley, Abi, and Amanda. Amanda wasn't a back-to-the-basket center, but had very limited range. Before you get excited, look at her shooting percentages.
Stanford has had some back-to-the-basket centers, but it really hasn't been all that good for them. It wasn't Tinkle that got them to the Final Four. They have been strengthened by some very good power forwards.
Ohio State keeps having Davenports and Lavendars. But, beyond winning early season games, how far do they actually get in the playoffs. Even with an All-American point guard, they didn't make the Elite Eight.
Texas got two at the same time, and it didn't even get them into the first division in the Big Twelve. Now, they have one that is even taller. We'll have to see how she turns out.
Baylor and OU had two of the best in history, and it only resulted in one title between them. Kansas State has had some dominant centers in the past, without making the Final Four.
A&M did have a couple of centers when they won, but it wasn't the centers who took that team to a title. They were there as a presence, but the scoring was mostly from the guards and Adams.
UConn has had some good centers. Tina Charles really didn't dominate like they thought she would until her senior year. Then, she had Maya giving her an inside/outside look. But, Heather Buck was never the great center that she was projected to be, and Dolson, although very valuable, is not the player that UConn is built around.
When Baylor won in 2005, they had a very good center in Blackmon who really is a forgotten player on that team. She was a role player.
Duke keeps getting back-to-the-basket centers, but it doesn't get them to a title any more. Maryland had one who was on their title team, although some think of her as a power forward.
Notre Dame is as good as anyone, and they simply use two strong forwards. They beat UConn five times in a row (?) with no player over 6-2. Louisville had a center. How much did she play?
It isn't likely that you'll get a strong back-to-the-basket center, and it is probably more likely that you will get a role player in that position, like a Blackmon, Griffin, or even Dolson who is not the stereotypical back-to-the-basket center. You kind of need athletes who can play basketball, and hopefully, two or three are big enough to rebound and have some control over the middle.
Curiously, we may have a fairly decent situation as far as having some control. According to opposing coaches, Griffin has always been difficult to shoot over. She is a presence. She isn't all that physical, but she is very long-armed. I remember Sherri's comment prior to last year that we had what we needed since we were a long-armed team. Well, we lost some of those arms. But, long arms do affect shooters and cut down on passing lanes. Unless there is someone 6-10, that's probably about what you are likely to get.
