Aquira Decosta had a double-double ! 10 points 12 rebounds in 13:52 minutes played! USA 85 - 44 Mexico

http://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2015/06/usa-u16-women-rout-host-mexico.aspx

These games seem so uneven, i think you could get more by watching a good high school game where say St. Marys plays Mater Dea.

vitbear- Which is why it has always been easy to coach the USA team. Well they had a game where it required some in game adjustments and that staff failed miserably. Brazil just kicked their tails. The coach Dora Oldecker from Mt Leb kept methodically running her rotation irregardless of the effectiveness of the players and match ups in respect to the opposition. The first team was famous for a lack of ball movement through out the tourn. but their talent always prevailed. Well in this game they USA was down by fifteen early twenty at the half. Dora still, however stuck to her game plan. Brazil was too quick and compounded with the slower players the USA kept on the floor they built that lead. The USA made a comeback to get within reach but good old Dora put back the slows again.

I couldn't say it any better willtalk... And coach Oldecker had Decosta only in the 3rd quarter of the game and for like 5 minutes!

It's Dori Oldaker, by the way ...

And sure, a loss is embarrassing, and surprising, but the games that matter are in the medal round. If the USA doesn't win gold, then we can do some serious complaining ...

Well they certainly won't be winning gold as they lost in the semis. UGGGly. Acosta had one decent game but she did not look good in the others. Seemed to be used as a wing which is not a position she is good at. May have been due to the fact that USA had so many posts but it would have been nice to see her in the paint as the other posts were not particularly good finishers.

Califan- If I were to speculate I believe a lot has to do with the system. There just isn't enough ball movement. In the games I was able to watch I noticed that often DeCosta got open but they didn't pass her the ball except for the end of the first mexico game. In the other games mostly she had to get her touches on rebound and other thing steals. This did not just apply in the case of Acosta. Ball movement and hustle always improved as the starters were replaced. Number 8 and another player who where the first off the bench always stood out in contrast to the rest of the starters who stayed in. In the Brazil game Moore who is good by the way just took too many shots rather than trying to get a team game flow going. She wasn't hitting and was 1 for 7 but just continued to go one on one. I don't really blame her but the coach's who should have called more time outs while Brazil built on their early lead. In the one they called I remember the assistant coach telling the team they need to pass the ball more and just not jack up shots. After they went in the first player who got their hands on the ball throw up a 25 footer. This coach also stuck with a couple players who had not produced since the first game. I am referring to the starting center who was a defensive liability because she was really slow which the athletic Brazil team took advantage of. I think Dora ( I call her Dora because of the fish in Finding Nemo. I think it fits). The first team has not really been productive since the first game and that was an illusion because Moore was hot an hitting her shots. When she went cold the first team really struggled to produce. From what I heard from other people is that she plays favorites and her rotation in the Brazil game seemed to validate that. I haven't watched it yet but someone must have gotten on her case because she changed two players in the starting lineup. She inserted Prince who I thought was a much better defensive presence which is what they needed against Brazil. The other starter today only played one minute against Brazil. I think they need to make some changes with the coaching staff. None of this is on any of the players.

I think you are referring to Morris!

You cannot blame the coach for players who can't make layups or shots but I also wasn't sure what the scheme was. Just all around bad basketball with noone standing out or stepping up and showing any passion.

Could hoops politics play a bigger role in the coaching staff's selection than coaching acumen. USA Basketball should feel badly about the team's performance, which fell considerably short of expectations, as the young women team members, themselves. Accountability is required.

Received wisdom suggests that any 12 of the top 40 players at the U16 trials should be able to win gold ... and easily. Clearly, however, that did not happen, so the first question to me would be

Was Brazil really that good?

There was a time when Brazil's national team was a world power, and in fact beat the U.S. in the 1994 World Championships behind Hortencia and Magic Paula, so it's possible that there's talent enough again.

Or it could be that Dori Oldaker did a terrible job of coaching, which is almost impossible to know unless you're at practice every day. It could have been one really bad day for a team that otherwise did fine, or it could have been an example of how poorly she led the team. (Oldaker, by the way, has had a great career at Mt. Lebanon HS in Pennsylvania, so it's not as if she's some rookie who had no clue.)

Or it could be that the American players in this year's crop weren't up to previous standards, and there just wasn't as much talent as before.

Or, most likely, a combination of all three, plus maybe some chemistry issues.

Regardless, a nasty black eye for all involved ...

Clay K- Watch the replay of the game...I think "...most likely, a combination of all three, plus maybe some chemistry issues."

DeCosta is also Blue Star's #1 for 2018 at the moment. Kiara Jefferson also on their radar. The list is a bit messy, but it appears she's around #30 for them. And keep in mind we were just visited by McKenzie Forbes of Folsom HS (#23 by PN). Throw in a great post and who knows, maybe we get the #1 class for 2018 :cheer

kat0189;842510954 said:

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DeCosta is also Blue Star's #1 for 2018 at the moment. Kiara Jefferson also on their radar. The list is a bit messy, but it appears she's around #30 for them. And keep in mind we were just visited by McKenzie Forbes of Folsom HS (#23 by PN). Throw in a great post and who knows, maybe we get the #1 class for 2018 :cheer

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McKenzie Forbes & mom, is now being followed by coachG & coachKai. Also maybe because Valerie Higgins is up here now (playing for Calstars) she is now recently been added to coachG's following list.

85 Fly;842510905 said:

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Clay K- Watch the replay of the game...I think "...most likely, a combination of all three, plus maybe some chemistry issues."

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Put into context with all the other games, the rotational methods used and the words of the coaches during time outs I would put the vast majority of the blame of the coaches.Oh! Clay I would differ with your assessment of Oldeker career at Mt. Leb. as being great.

From 2006 to 2013, Mt. Lebanon never won fewer than 24 games, and had a 31-0 and 29-2 mark thrown in. That's a pretty impressive run, and though the last two years have been ordinary, it's hard to ignore such a long stretch of success.