What do you think is tougher, leading a team of young kids that miss lay-ups under the basket to a 15w/15l season or having a wealth of talent and depth and contributing 20 points a game.

 

I am not sure which is tougher. But I do know that if Hope played on a team with less talent than the one she has now, her numbers would look different. She would average more than 20 points per game without question. Does that make her, or Heaton, any better of a player? No. Heaton does have D-1talent. Hope has a D-1 scholarship, signed and delivered. I wish Caldwell all the luck for the rest of the season. I would love to see them make a run in the postseason. And I hope Heaton ends up with a scholarship, in whichever sport, that allows her to get an education at a good university.

^^ Great user name!

Spelled just like it sounds...

Himmelfarb, great post and I couldn't agree w/you more on most points. As you state there are several girls that would wear the crown of Miss Basketball and most would not complain. I have seen the Heaton girl play and I am sure she is very good. I have seen Gray and Queen play and they too are most talented.

 

My vote still goes to Gray. I think she does it all on both ends of the floor. North Carolina must feel she is the best, not that this makes any difference where an athlete goes to college but going to NC, IMO, is very impressive. However, let me say this, I think it is very impressive for any athlete to go on to college and play ball.

Himmelfarb, great post and I couldn't agree w/you more on most points. As you state there are several girls that would wear the crown of Miss Basketball and most would not complain. I have seen the Heaton girl play and I am sure she is very good. I have seen Gray and Queen play and they too are most talented.

 

My vote still goes to Gray. I think she does it all on both ends of the floor. North Carolina must feel she is the best, not that this makes any difference where an athlete goes to college but going to NC, IMO, is very impressive. However, let me say this, I think it is very impressive for any athlete to go on to college and play ball.

 

Thanks. As regards your first point, I would again suggest that there at least be some attempt to measure such an opinion. For example...and it is rather simple to do...look at rebounds (clearly an indicator of work on "both ends of the floor"), steals and assists (I put this . These stats are kept by most programs. When the impact of rebounding on a team's ability to control the ball is taken into consideration (and how many coaches pull their hair out trying to get kids to make the effort), one can better measure, what I like to call, a player's game productivity. When one compares players, just compare their respective overall game numbers...if for no other reason than to reinforce why it is that coaches teach and coach all aspects of the game...and drill for every skill. Again, this is really overthinking...but truth be told, it takes more time to explain than actually make the comparison.

 

With respect to North Carolina, I don't know what they "feel" and, as you stated, it doesn't speak to the question at hand. What is obvious by their selection is that they wanted a big shooting guard. One could just as easily assume that Middle Tennessee feels the same about Queen...which, by the way, they do...but that is no reason to vote for her over another player.

In an attempt to edit my last post, I was timed out and chose not to contact the Administrator. Let me add this:

 

Disregard the partial parenthetical comment on "assists." Such a qualification would have really stretched this discussion.

 

I also wanted to cite one example of my frustration...the Cat's Pause article about the Miss Basketball selection. The writer stated that Rebecca Gray was the clear frontrunner...with no close second...and implied that the selection was a foregone conclusion. He then used her career scoring and rebounding figures as support for her being the frontrunner...which would be the proper thing to do except that Queen's numbers were better at the time...and remain so. I'm no journalist, but I think I would have demonstrated the gap between the numbers of the clear frontrunner and the others being given consideration. The implication was that Gray's numbers were better.

 

The unfortunate aspect of this discussion is that I'm forced to appear that I'm arguing against Gray's selection. I am not. I applaud her accomplishments to date and will offer my congratulations should she be the choice.

I think it would be interesting to see a side-by-side comparison of several of the supposed Miss Basketball candidates.

 

Himmelfarb has provided the following statistics for Emily Queen. Does anyone have comparable statistics for Melly Heaton, Rebecca Gray, Laura Terry, etc.?

 

Emily Queen

’06-‘07: 24.3 pts, 13.4 rebs (To date)

'05-'06: 16.7 pts, 11.3 rebs

'04-'05: 22.7 pts, 11.5 rebs

'03-'04: 24.8 pts, 13.2 rebs

Career totals: 2530 pts, 1337 rebs

Gray was crowned by the media as Miss Basketball long ago. It appears that no one else will get fair consideration. That does, indeed, make it a popularity contest where your proximity to the big media areas gives you a distinct advantage.

 

I, too, would be interested in Gray's statistics both for this year and for her high school career. One fact is for sure and that is that, regardless of the reason, her state tournament statistics are all zeroes.

 

I can't imagine that her numbers, for this year or for her career, are comparable to those of Queen and, since the award is supposed to be based on high school achievement, I would think the scholarship to NC is completely meaningless.

After doing about 5 minutes of research on the KHSAA web site:

 

Rebecca Gray has 2,425 total career points. This season she has 278 points in 11 games or 25.2 points per game.

 

In the 2005 Sweet 16 she had 17 points against Henderson County and 29 points against Lexington Catholic in the semi finals as a sophomore.

Senior forward Lindsey Waters had 35 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks as McCreary Central (5-9) beat Barbourville 56-25.

 

 

Averaging over 25 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game. Last year, McCreary played Rockcastle County, the eventual 12th region champions, and she put up 44 points, 23 rebounds, 11 blocks.

 

She is also considered the unanimous 12th Region #1 Player.

After doing about 5 minutes of research on the KHSAA web site:

 

Rebecca Gray has 2,425 total career points. This season she has 278 points in 11 games or 25.2 points per game.

 

In the 2005 Sweet 16 she had 17 points against Henderson County and 29 points against Lexington Catholic in the semi finals as a sophomore.

 

What kind of a rebounder is she?

Senior forward Lindsey Waters had 35 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks as McCreary Central (5-9) beat Barbourville 56-25.

 

 

Averaging over 25 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game. Last year, McCreary played Rockcastle County, the eventual 12th region champions, and she put up 44 points, 23 rebounds, 11 blocks.

 

She is also considered the unanimous 12th Region #1 Player.

 

Thanks. Are you able to provide her career numbers?

What kind of a rebounder is she?

 

From the Cats Pause article about Rebecca Gray:

 

As a sophomore - 20.8 pts, 5 rebs

 

Last year - 20.3 pts, 4.1 rebs, 3.3 asts, 3.2 stls

 

With respect to rebounds...keep in mind, she is a guard.

Having posted one year's assists and steals stats for Rebecca Gray (and would request career totals), I thought it proper to report Queen's and spent a few minutes myself researching some of the following on the KHSAA website.

 

Here again are Queen's stats, with assists and steals added to the figures above, as well as one other interesting tidbit of info:

 

'05-'06: 16.7 pts, 11.3 rebs, 2.5 asst, 3.0 stls

'04-'05: 22.7 pts, 11.5 rebs, 3.0 asst, 3.4 stls

'03-'04: 24.8 pts, 13.2 rebs, 3.5 asst, 3.1 stls

 

With career totals of 2530 points and 1337 rebounds, she is currently averaging 24.3 pts and 13.4 rebs...a pace which, should she continue (and top 2900 points and 1500 rebounds), would place her in the top 25 all-time scorers in the state's history (something which the Cats Pause article pointed out to be the case with Gray, but failed to mention with respect to Queen) and in the top 10 all-time rebounders as well...something only three other players have ever done...two of which were named Miss Basketball (the third graduating the same year as one of the other winners).

 

I've found all of this quite interesting and can honestly say that at this point, I'm more confused why such things aren't better reported than that Gray is thought of as the clear frontrunner with no close second by most who will have an opporunity to vote.

 

All of this takes far too much focus off on one's team and what it takes to win as a team, but goals and one's individual performance are a part of what young girls think about when they are alone and working at the game they so enjoy and what coaches, moms, dads, friends and fans use to measure and encourage a player.

 

I hope others find it as interesting.

I agree. I think it is a disservice to Queen and a few others to read where Gray has already been declared Miss Basketball by the media. The numbers don't seem to indicate that she is the clear choice.

 

Of course, if she leads Scott County out of the 11th Region (highly doubtful with LexCath also in the region) and to a state championship (I'll take LexCath), I would better see her predestined choice. As for her lack of rebounds being explained by the fact that she is a guard, it should be mentioned that Queen also spends much of her time playing guard. That doesn't seem to hamper her rebounding numbers.

 

My post is not to cast dispersions at the ability of Gray. It is merely my intention to point out that she is not out there by herself.