|
Post by paloalto on Jul 30, 2014 12:26:13 GMT -5
Easily the best MB/MH in the country I would say athletically the only one challenging her maybe Khat Bell but Ajanaku can jump out the gym. She's so fast and is a blocking machine. She will be more of a threat. Stanford maybe seeing the rise of another Foluke here. She ain't that good. Many of your comments are so unclear it is not worth responding. I will make an exception here. Are you saying Inky ain’t that good in general? Are you saying Inky as a sophomore was not as good as Foluke is after many years of international experience? That would be a useless comparison. I will assume you think Inky is not as good as Foluke was when Foluke was a sophomore. I would disagree with that assessment. I think Inky was a stronger player as a freshman and at least on equal footing with Foluke as a sophomore. How many times did you see Foluke play as a sophomore and how much do you remember about it? I suspect very little. Will Inky continue to improve along the same path as Foluke did her junior and senior year? I don’t know and I doubt anyone does at this point.
|
|
|
Post by lionsfan on Jul 30, 2014 12:27:53 GMT -5
And, all things on the table, while I think that Ajanaku is very skilled and athletic, being the best MB this year isn't really saying much, especially when your national competition are from players like McCage, Grant, Ogbogu, Haggerty and a bunch of freshmen. My hopes are not high for many dominate MB's this year. Aren't you a Washington fan?
|
|
|
Post by ay2013 on Jul 30, 2014 12:43:06 GMT -5
Many of your comments are so unclear it is not worth responding. I will make an exception here. Are you saying Inky ain’t that good in general? Are you saying Inky as a sophomore was not as good as Foluke is after many years of international experience? That would be a useless comparison. I will assume you think Inky is not as good as Foluke was when Foluke was a sophomore. I would disagree with that assessment. I think Inky was a stronger player as a freshman and at least on equal footing with Foluke as a sophomore. How many times did you see Foluke play as a sophomore and how much do you remember about it? I suspect very little. Will Inky continue to improve along the same path as Foluke did her junior and senior year? I don’t know and I doubt anyone does at this point. I like Inky a lot, and as a long time Pac-10( ) fan, I saw a lot of foluke all throughout her career. Once you factor in level of competition (which, IMO was much stronger in the second half of the 2000's than it is now) I think, to date, Foluke had more control in her game and was better at transitioning from the net from defense to offense.
|
|
|
Post by volleyguy on Jul 30, 2014 12:49:14 GMT -5
Ajanaku isn't better than Foluke now (she may never be), but in terms of potential, having better timing would conceivably help her in both attacking and blocking. Why do you think she has better timing? How do you even measure that? I'm using the term timing to include moving and/or adjusting to the trajectory of the ball. I'm saying that in general Ajanaku moves and adjusts to the set more fluidly than Foluke. Foluke's physical abilities give her a greater margin of error--she can swipe or push the ball to an open spot more easily, which she does quite frequently. Anecdotally, one can look at the number of times Foluke hits with a bent elbow or with the ball at shoulder or chest level. The setter, and the set, obviously have something to do with that, but so does the attacker's timing. It's less of an issue with blocking, where Foluke's reach can make up for a slight misreading of the play, or when they avoid her altogether. The point is not simply to make a direct comparison, but to point out a factor in the longer term potential for Ajanaku as she develops.
|
|
|
Post by paloalto on Jul 30, 2014 12:53:30 GMT -5
Many of your comments are so unclear it is not worth responding. I will make an exception here. Are you saying Inky ain’t that good in general? Are you saying Inky as a sophomore was not as good as Foluke is after many years of international experience? That would be a useless comparison. I will assume you think Inky is not as good as Foluke was when Foluke was a sophomore. I would disagree with that assessment. I think Inky was a stronger player as a freshman and at least on equal footing with Foluke as a sophomore. How many times did you see Foluke play as a sophomore and how much do you remember about it? I suspect very little. Will Inky continue to improve along the same path as Foluke did her junior and senior year? I don’t know and I doubt anyone does at this point. I like Inky a lot, and as a long time Pac-10( ) fan, I saw a lot of foluke all throughout her career. Once you factor in level of competition (which, IMO was much stronger in the second half of the 2000's than it is now) I think, to date, Foluke had more control in her game and was better at transitioning from the net from defense to offense. I know you watched Foluke a good deal during her college career so I give much weight to your opinion. One thing some people might forget is Foluke was somewhat unpolished her freshman year. With a rapid learning curve and a great work ethic, Foluke became a dominating presence by the end of her college career. Inky still has two years to go before evaluating her overall legacy as a college player.
|
|
|
Post by ay2013 on Jul 30, 2014 13:07:47 GMT -5
I like Inky a lot, and as a long time Pac-10( ) fan, I saw a lot of foluke all throughout her career. Once you factor in level of competition (which, IMO was much stronger in the second half of the 2000's than it is now) I think, to date, Foluke had more control in her game and was better at transitioning from the net from defense to offense. I know you watched Foluke a good deal during her college career so I give much weight to your opinion. One thing some people might forget is Foluke was somewhat unpolished her freshman year. With a rapid learning curve and a great work ethic, Foluke became a dominating presence by the end of her college career. Inky still has two years to go before evaluating her overall legacy as a college player. True. I'm certainly not saying that Inky isn't a stand out MB, because she is, but I think technically Foluke, entering her junior year, was a bit more polished in transition and had more variety in her shots. This may be unfair because Foluke ran the slide a lot whereas Inky doesn't get that opportunity to, and Kehoe forced the middle more which also forced Akinradewo to be more creative. It may also just be that Akinradewo LOOKED more mature out there. Even as a college freshmen she physically looked mature, whereas Inky looks like she's still stuck at the prom. Now I say that with no disrespect, Inky is incredibly athletic, but just pointing out that physical maturity (or lack there of) carries some weight in our perception, and Akinradewo "looked" more mature. It may also just be that Akinradewo was/is my favorite non husky volleyball player, I dunno. Obviously Akinradewo's junior year is when she ascended into worship territory, and it's obviously in Stanford's best interest for Ajanaku to do the same. I just relocated to the bay area so I'll be at many Stanford games and get to see a lot more of Inky in person and maybe we can come back to the Foluke-Inky debate next offseason. Speaking of Stanford, I'm actually heading down there later today, gonna try and sneak a picture with Serena Williams.
|
|