(02-25-2010 03:17 PM)mrmwku Wrote:  Stephen Shirley calls Clark one of the best players to ever wear a uniform in the sunbelt conference? He might want to wait until she is involved in ONE ncaa tournament victory before he makes that statement. Signed, ODU (former NCAA Champion, 3 NCAA Final Fours), La. Tech (two time NCAA champions, 10 NCAA fours) WKU (3 NCAA final fours).

I've seen a lot of women players and Clark is undoubtedly the best at scoring around the basket I've ever seen. She makes shots with both hands that are pretty amazing. And makes good passes to her outside shooters. So there will always be different opinions on who is better than whom. I will say Clark is a fantastic player. I'm hoping her team comes in second in the tournament and gets an at large bid.

(02-25-2010 03:17 PM)mrmwku Wrote:  Stephen Shirley calls Clark one of the best players to ever wear a uniform in the sunbelt conference? He might want to wait until she is involved in ONE ncaa tournament victory before he makes that statement. Signed, ODU (former NCAA Champion, 3 NCAA Final Fours), La. Tech (two time NCAA champions, 10 NCAA fours) WKU (3 NCAA final fours).

Women's basketball is still a sport that is seriously lacking parity, there have been 28 women's championships and only 13 different schools have won it. Women's basketball is better than it's ever been, the players are getting more and more athletic and the product is improving and parity is coming slowly but surely. All that taken into account, it's been over a decade since any of those teams were in the final four and over two decades since any of those teams won the national championships. When those teams were having their success there was absolutely no parity in women's basketball. If it seems like the top teams get all the talent now, it was only worse ten and twenty years ago.

Alysha Clark is an absolute freak with her back to the basket. When it comes to scoring, she's definitely an all time great in this conference.

(02-25-2010 05:09 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(02-25-2010 03:17 PM)mrmwku Wrote:  Stephen Shirley calls Clark one of the best players to ever wear a uniform in the sunbelt conference? He might want to wait until she is involved in ONE ncaa tournament victory before he makes that statement. Signed, ODU (former NCAA Champion, 3 NCAA Final Fours), La. Tech (two time NCAA champions, 10 NCAA fours) WKU (3 NCAA final fours).

Women's basketball is still a sport that is seriously lacking parity, there have been 28 women's championships and only 13 different schools have won it. Women's basketball is better than it's ever been, the players are getting more and more athletic and the product is improving and parity is coming slowly but surely. All that taken into account, it's been over a decade since any of those teams were in the final four and over two decades since any of those teams won the national championships. When those teams were having their success there was absolutely no parity in women's basketball. If it seems like the top teams get all the talent now, it was only worse ten and twenty years ago.

Alysha Clark is an absolute freak with her back to the basket. When it comes to scoring, she's definitely an all time great in this conference.

I'll gladly trade Clark geting POY fin exchange for UALR winning the tournament and going to the NCAA tournament.

If we get to the NCAA with around 27 wins, after winning 20 games or more the past four seasons, some smart AD somewhere is going to think,
"Hey. If this guy can do that at UALR, think of what he could do at my big, wealthy school". I'm not saying he'll leave, but I'd bet money he'd be on somebody's short list.

(02-25-2010 06:08 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  If we get to the NCAA with around 27 wins, after winning 20 games or more the past four seasons, some smart AD somewhere is going to think,
"Hey. If this guy can do that at UALR, think of what he could do at my big, wealthy school". I'm not saying he'll leave, but I'd bet money he'd be on somebody's short list.

I'll admit it, despite being a huge Lady Raider fan, having gone to the last three tournaments(counting down the days to my fourth straight) and Little Rock(06-07 season) is one of three conference mates I've driven to for a Lady Raider game(other two being WKU and Troy) I know absolutely nothing about your coach. What's his story?

We're very fortunate that Rick Insell is in his fifties and is coaching at his alma mater and right where he's lived his whole life and just flat out bleeds Blue Raider Blue. He's not going anywhere, I honestly believe that if Pat Summitt retired tomorrow and they offered him the job he'd turn it down. What's more Insell has two sons who are going to be college head coaches one day. Matt, currently an assistant at Kentucky and Tom who has won an AAU national championship coaching the team that Rick coached before making the jump to the college ranks.

(02-26-2010 01:20 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(02-25-2010 06:08 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  If we get to the NCAA with around 27 wins, after winning 20 games or more the past four seasons, some smart AD somewhere is going to think,
"Hey. If this guy can do that at UALR, think of what he could do at my big, wealthy school". I'm not saying he'll leave, but I'd bet money he'd be on somebody's short list.

I'll admit it, despite being a huge Lady Raider fan, having gone to the last three tournaments(counting down the days to my fourth straight) and Little Rock(06-07 season) is one of three conference mates I've driven to for a Lady Raider game(other two being WKU and Troy) I know absolutely nothing about your coach. What's his story?

We're very fortunate that Rick Insell is in his fifties and is coaching at his alma mater and right where he's lived his whole life and just flat out bleeds Blue Raider Blue. He's not going anywhere, I honestly believe that if Pat Summitt retired tomorrow and they offered him the job he'd turn it down. What's more Insell has two sons who are going to be college head coaches one day. Matt, currently an assistant at Kentucky and Tom who has won an AAU national championship coaching the team that Rick coached before making the jump to the college ranks.

I don't know how the Blue Raider coach got into this conversation, when my post was about Joe Foley. I do admire what the Middle coach has accomplished and he sounds like a very loyal guy. But for those who might not know about Joe Foley, in a nutshell, he has won over 500 games, with some NAIA national championships at D2 Arkansas Tech before coming to Arkansas. He took over a program that had been discontinued for years, and had started back up with disastrous results.
He has built it into a top flight mid major program with four 20+ win seasons in a row, and if he stays around, it will get even better. He coaches a motion offense, which in his own words is "hard to learn, and hard to teach". His demeanor during games is mostly passive. He sits on the bench instead of pacing up and down the sidelines and yelling out instructions. But he will get on folks, and officials, when he feels it's called for. He's a very nice, likeable man with a great sense of humor. I hope we can keep him forever, but one never knows in the coaching profession. We're just lucky to have him.

How does Foley get along with Boyer ? I hear Boyer and WKU HC are tight.

Don't know about Coach Foley, but Coach Boyer and Chas are best buds.

(02-26-2010 09:39 AM)outsideualr Wrote:  I don't know how the Blue Raider coach got into this conversation, when my post was about Joe Foley. I do admire what the Middle coach has accomplished and he sounds like a very loyal guy.

Just bringing up a comparison, there was a fear expressed of losing him to a bigger job and while we both have great coaches, I was merely pointing out that we're very fortunate in that we don't have that worry.

(02-26-2010 05:18 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(02-26-2010 09:39 AM)outsideualr Wrote:  I don't know how the Blue Raider coach got into this conversation, when my post was about Joe Foley. I do admire what the Middle coach has accomplished and he sounds like a very loyal guy.

Just bringing up a comparison, there was a fear expressed of losing him to a bigger job and while we both have great coaches, I was merely pointing out that we're very fortunate in that we don't have that worry.

Yes, it sounds like your coach is where he wants to be, and it just happens to be home. You can't beat that. I personally don't think Foley will leave for a bigger situation. He seems happy here, and he's a ole country boy to boot.