As the unfortunate denizens of the ADB slack are far too familiar with, Meghan and Peter love a good debate. From the mundane to the important, these two will engage in verbal fisticuffs with little provocation. Ya know, for funsies. We have channeled that spirit into some #content, posing the all important question to the Bards: Which all-time great current player is better, Katie Lou Samuelson or Napheesa Collier? So without further ado, here is the definitive debate on who will be remembered as the best, via this slack conversation, produced in full below.
Peter [9:15 PM]
hello
how are we doing this
Meghan [9:16 PM]
Well, we have a convo in this here slack and then post it on a dime back dot com
Peter [9:16 PM]
ok
Meghan [9:17 PM]
You want to take Collier and I will argue on behalf of my client Ms. Katie Lou Samuelson
Peter [9:17 PM]
sure
Meghan [9:17 PM]
feel like I should put my hair in a bun
Peter [9:18 PM]
do what you gotta do
Meghan [9:18 PM]
ok, ready. Why do you believe that Collier is the best?
Peter [9:20 PM]
She’s generally more consistent. Her game doesn’t rely as much on jump shooting, which is the least reliable skill from game to game. She’s extremely good in almost every game with very little variation.
Meghan [9:22 PM]
I was musing on the differences between Collier and Lou, because I think we can agree that they are both: good
I feel like Collier has really refined her game over the course of her career. She has roughly the same skillset as she came in with (which is a good one!), while Lou has expanded her game. She did start out as a straight up three point shooter, but Lou has really become a complete player. She can play back to the basket in the post, she can rebound, she can play defense, she can get out in transition, and goddamn can she pass.
And she has found ways to contribute on days when her shot wasn’t falling.
Peter [9:25 PM]
Certainly that’s true, but Collier does several of those things better than Samuelson does. She’s significantly better in the post, she’s better on the boards, and she’s better on defense. She has the absolute best hands I’ve ever seen from a college basketball player. Just tonight I counted 3 or 4 blind lobs into her in the post and she converted on all of them. Her ability to go from catching a pass to finishing at the basket is absurd. I’m not sure this team has ever had a player this skilled in the post before.
Meghan [9:29 PM]
Collier is positively balletic in the lane. I fully concur on her hands, they really are the best hands I have ever seen in college basketball, regardless of gender. She does have the ability to catch and put the ball up in one fluid motion all while cutting through the lane. That said, when she had to play with a real post player (Azura) her stats suffered. I feel like her game is predicated on getting some room to move, and she struggled with that last year.
And there isn’t a game where Lou hasn’t made a real impact. She might get cold occasionally (Lou did seem to have the yips for a second but lol that’s over) but then you’ll look and she has 8 assists and 10 rebounds
Also
Lou is more vocal, and more of a leader on the court
Geno was letting her draw up plays, and she’s the one talking in the huddle, and teaching and coaching the freshman
Peter [9:36 PM]
Collier and Samuelson are very different leaders. Samuelson definitely is the more vocal of the two, but Collier’s quiet consistency is important for the young players, too. And most players would love to say that 16 and 7 and 58 percent from the floor is “struggling.” And she definitely didn’t struggle on the defensive end (and still doesn’t), leading the team in blocks+steals (which she is doing again this year).
[Long pause]
Peter [9:43 PM]
I’m out of ideas.
And I’m realizing that talking about which one is better isn’t nearly as interesting as talking about why they’re so good together.
Meghan [9:43 PM]
The thing I find most interesting about the two is how complimentary their games are, even though they don’t seem like they should be on their face. Lou isn’t a true guard and Pheesa isn’t a true post player, so they sort of overlap. But they are both very good passers (I give Lou the edge here) and are both good at passing from all over the floor and finding each other. They both look for each other, and let the other go off if she’s having a night. They’re both probably top ten all time (which is insane) but
lol that’s where I’m going
Peter [9:44 PM]
hahaha
Meghan [9:44 PM]
But! They somehow both managed to have superb careers without stepping on each other at all
Peter [9:45 PM]
The fact that both are great at moving without the ball AND both are great passers is one of the biggest reasons for that.
Meghan [9:46 PM]
I really love that they find each other, so intentionally. They aren’t fighting for their shot or their stat. If Lou’s hitting her threes, Collier will get the defense to collapse on her and find Lou on the perimeter all. night. long.
And if Lou isn’t feeling it, she’s setting screens and making a pass to Pheesa from the high post
Peter [9:47 PM]
And when they’re not, Collier finds space in the post and scores 30 points on like 11 shots.
Meghan [9:47 PM]
There’s a really beautiful give and take between their play
And they both work their asses off
Peter [9:49 PM]
I really hope they win the title this year, because those two only winning one seems like an injustice.
Meghan [9:49 PM]
Strong agree
I want them to crush ND in the finals
CRUSH
THEM
Peter [9:49 PM]
And there you have it. The answer to “which of KLS or Collier is the better UConn player” is “both, because this is women’s college basketball.”
Meghan [9:50 PM]
You know they’re both good when even you and I can’t argue about which is better
Peter [9:51 PM]
Can this become a thing someone would read? We’ll find out!
