DES MOINES — As McNeese State of Louisiana prepared to face top-ranked Baylor and its 6-foot-8 center, Brittney Griner, in December, the Cowgirls had no way to simulate Griner’s height and reach on a basketball court. So their coach took a kayak paddle to practice.
“We duct-taped a pad around the paddle to swat shots,” Coach Brooks Donald-Williams said.
Never has a collegiate women’s player possessed the combination of Griner’s size, mobility, soft shooting touch, effortless dunking and elegant obstructiveness, which allows her to block shots while hardly ever drifting into foul trouble.
As men’s teams did in the 1960s for U.C.L.A. and the 7-footer Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, women’s teams have resorted to exotic preparation and props to mimic Griner’s intimidating 88-inch wingspan. Success has been modest against a player whose standing reach is 9 feet 2 inches, only 10 inches below the rim.
Approaching the semifinals of the Des Moines Region on Saturday, Baylor (36-0) is four victories from becoming the first N.C.A.A. basketball team to win 40 games in a season.
Just her standing in the middle of the paint, you see her, and going at her is a hard thing to do.”
And when Griner has the ball, it can be a humbling experience.
“It’s really tough, but you’ve just got to be able to hold your ground and keep her from burying you,” Iowa State forward Chelsea Poppens said. “I mean, no one wants to get dunked on.”
Griner’s ability to play above the rim as a high schooler made her a YouTube sensation. Her evolving skills as a shooter and shot blocker leave WNBA teams wondering just how good she can become.
“Every time Brittney Griner gets a repetition, whether it’s in practice or it’s in a game, she’s growing in her understanding,” Burke said. “And that’s probably the most important piece to the puzzle.”
In some ways, Griner is an extension of past greats.
“For me, the first truly dominant center that I ever watched on television was Anne Donovan,” Burke said of the Old Dominion all-American from the early 1980s. “Brittney sort of combines the size of an Ann Donovan with the athleticism and mobility of a Lisa Leslie.”
When Sports Illustrated previewed this year’s NCAA Tournament, the magazine devoted three pages to Griner — the only player in history, male or female, to score 2,000 points and record more than 500 blocks.
“We duct-taped a pad around the paddle to swat shots,” Coach Brooks Donald-Williams said.
Never has a collegiate women’s player possessed the combination of Griner’s size, mobility, soft shooting touch, effortless dunking and elegant obstructiveness, which allows her to block shots while hardly ever drifting into foul trouble.
As men’s teams did in the 1960s for U.C.L.A. and the 7-footer Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, women’s teams have resorted to exotic preparation and props to mimic Griner’s intimidating 88-inch wingspan. Success has been modest against a player whose standing reach is 9 feet 2 inches, only 10 inches below the rim.
Approaching the semifinals of the Des Moines Region on Saturday, Baylor (36-0) is four victories from becoming the first N.C.A.A. basketball team to win 40 games in a season.
Just her standing in the middle of the paint, you see her, and going at her is a hard thing to do.”
And when Griner has the ball, it can be a humbling experience.
“It’s really tough, but you’ve just got to be able to hold your ground and keep her from burying you,” Iowa State forward Chelsea Poppens said. “I mean, no one wants to get dunked on.”
Griner’s ability to play above the rim as a high schooler made her a YouTube sensation. Her evolving skills as a shooter and shot blocker leave WNBA teams wondering just how good she can become.
“Every time Brittney Griner gets a repetition, whether it’s in practice or it’s in a game, she’s growing in her understanding,” Burke said. “And that’s probably the most important piece to the puzzle.”
In some ways, Griner is an extension of past greats.
“For me, the first truly dominant center that I ever watched on television was Anne Donovan,” Burke said of the Old Dominion all-American from the early 1980s. “Brittney sort of combines the size of an Ann Donovan with the athleticism and mobility of a Lisa Leslie.”
When Sports Illustrated previewed this year’s NCAA Tournament, the magazine devoted three pages to Griner — the only player in history, male or female, to score 2,000 points and record more than 500 blocks.
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