Adam so graciously posed this question to me the other day - who would win in a game: the five best high school basketball players or the five best WNBA players.
Let's take a quick look at the rosters of the two teams:
High School Team
G - Austin Rivers 6'4 189
G - Bradley Beal 6'4 205
F - Anthony Davis 6'10 200
F - Michael Gilchrist 6'7 210
F - James McAdoo 6'8 216
WNBA Team
G - Diana Taurasi 6'0 183
G - Cappie Pondexter 5'9 175
F - Tamika Catchings 6'1 185
F - Candace Parker 6'4 193
F - Tina Charles 6'4 193
First thing is first - I very easily could have made up all of the names for the WNBA team because I have never met an avid WNBA follower, but I assure you that I did my research. Those are indeed the five best WNBA players. The high school team is the top five recruits according to ESPN.com.
Let's look at a few key categories.
Size: Already, you will notice that the WNBA team would struggle in the size category. Their tallest player is as tall as the high school teams shortest player. This one is pretty easy to decide. Advantage - High School
Athleticism: Surprisingly, this one is a bit closer than you would expect. These WNBA players are quicker than you think they are. They have a little speed to them, and can break your ankles with a few of their moves. Plus, Candace Parker can dunk which shows her athleticism. However, the high school athletes (while not completely honed athletically due to poor conditioning and lifting at high schools compared to college and NBA) are probably a little more athletic. Slight Advantage - High School
Basketball IQ - This is where the WNBA starts making its case. For most of these high school players, they had at most five set plays. 90% of the time they had the ball in isolation and would create their own shots. While effective in high school, five players who only know iso plays would not do well against a set defense. WNBA players can't always work of isolations, and have a much more advanced knowledge of how to play basketball than the high school players. Advantage - WNBA
Shooting - One thing we must keep in mind is that the high school players are still HIGH SCHOOL players. If you have ever watched high school basketball, these kids rely more on their athleticism than they do anything else. Most of these players are not great shooters yet. The WNBA team has honed their shooting prowess effectively. With all that said, I still see this one being pretty even. Advantage - Push
Overall - The high school team holds advantages in most categories in terms of individual basketball - athleticism, size, quickness, etc. However, the greatest advantage for the WNBA is basketball IQ and team play. In a game like this, it would be five individuals (high school) versus a team (WNBA). In my mind, team play is greater than individual play. Great teams play as a TEAM, not as an individuals. In my honest opinion, I would take the WNBA team over the high schoolers, because they have more experience and truely understand how basketball is played. The high school team would be just too selfish and egocentric.
Team > Individuals
WNBA > High School
9 years ago
