Before I hear all of the reasons why people think I'm biased allow me to list them myself. I am a fan of Sammy Prahalis...yes, I am proudly a supporter of Sammy! I am a Notre Dame hater like most people...false! I have nothing at all against Notre Dame, I happen to like Notre Dame and Skylar Diggins. I own a Notre Dame football jersey as a matter of fact. I am a Buckeyes fan...of course I'm a Bucks fan, but I also like other teams, for example, Florida State is my favorite football team. I assure everyone I am not a Buckeye homer or a Notre Dame hater. Now let's get to the topic.
I feel the Lieberman Award, who is annually given to the best point guard in the country, was unjustly given to Skylar Diggins. It's my personal opinion that the award was a result of a popularity contest as opposed to results on the basketball court. Though it is my opinion that the award was more deserved by Sammy Prahalis, it is also supported by facts.
On the surface and to the casual fan it would seem Samantha would be the better point guard of the two just by looking at stats. Sammy averages 3 full more a game than Skylar and almost a full assist. While Sammy has almost a full turnover more than Skylar. Considering less than 50% of offensive possessions result in scoring it would be safe to say that Sammy costs her team roughly a point more than Skylar. With all the numbers it is accurate to say Sammy directly contributes 4-6 points more per game to her team. Sammy is more proficient in scoring, rebounding and assisting teammates. The website boosts about Skylar's assist to turnover ration which is a very good, 2.15, however Sammy's is a considerably better 1.81. Skylar has about a half a steal a game more than Sammy an is more accurate from the field and the 3-point line. Sammy is 5% better from the foul line, which is very crucial as a ball handling guard.
PRAHALIS DIGGINS
19.8 PTS/GM 16.8
67 STEALS 102
4.1 REB/GM 3.3
6.3 ASTS/GM 5.7
3.45 TO/GM 2.64
1:1.81 AST:TO RATIO 1:2.15
83.8% FT% 78.6%
44% FG% 50%
34.6% 3PT% 35.5%
The Lieberman Award website, www.pointguard.com, indicates criteria emphasized to be qualified for the award. The website points out that they stress floor leadership, play-making, and ball handling skills. With all due respect to Skylar, Sammy is better qualified in all three of those categories. Skylar is also very good in these aspects of the game but I believe the stats and the individual situations of each player show that Sammy is more deserving.
As far as leadership I know both players are great leaders, but let's evaluate each individual situation. Samantha was the lone senior on her team, that featured many young players. Ohio State had a freshman in the starting lineup 30 times this season, not only did Notre Dame not have a freshman make a start this year, Skylar had the privilege of playing alongside two seniors who were drafted in the top 8 picks in this years WNBA draft. Without taking anything away from Skylar, it doesn't take a field general to lead the Irish. Sammy and Skylar aside, OSU had 312 assists and ND had 476. It's obvious Sammy's leadership was a tougher job than Skylar's at Notre Dame.
When it comes to ball handling and play-making Sammy is second to none, in the eyes of anyone who has ever seen her play. I just want to reiterate before I conclude that I admire Skylar and her game, she is a tremendous basketball player with a bright future. However, the award was clearly more deserved by Sammy, Skylar was a very good option for the award, but not the right option. Sammy Prahalis was clearly the best point guard in the country this year.
1 comment:
While I agree with your article in that Prahalis should have gotten that award, you misinterpret the assist to turnover statistic. 2.15 a/t is 2.15 assists for every 1 turnover. Which is better than Sammy's 1.81 assists for every 1 turnover.
But Diggins is playing with a much more talented and experienced crew who are much better than their usual competition which will bump up those numbers superficially. And Prahalis had to deal with defenses almost solely dedicated on stopping her. You can't do that to Diggins on Notre Dame or one of their other great players would burn you.
I pretty much knew Skylar was going to win it because of her popularity. What made me mad was Prahalis wasn't even one of the other 3 finalists. To not have her as one of the top 4 point guards in college is not only ridiculous but pretty much takes away any credibility that award might have had.
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