And even though Shepard was pretty darned good when she arrived, she added 29 points to her shooting percentage from junior to senior seasons and improved from 8.1 rebounds per game to 10.3 even though ND's #1 career rebounder was added to the lineup for Shepard's second season at ND.

I'm not sure what you're questioning.

Turner might be the most highly-rated post player ND has ever successfully recruited. She was the 2014 Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year, she was ranked as the #2 recruit in the country by Hoopgurlz (ESPNW), trailing only A'ja Wilson. She was (and is) an immensely talented player who had her ups and downs at ND because of injuries.

She played much of her early years at ND with an injured shoulder, tore her ACL, then had continued shoulder issues. Her excellent play late in her career came at a time when she was finally healthy. We'll never know, but without her injuries, Turner may have been as good a player as the program has ever seen.

None of this is offered as a criticism of Carol Owens. I don't pretend to know how effectively she develops post players. I just think in Turner's case, it's likely that good health had more to do with her late success than coach-driven development. The talent was already there.

There is still only one basketball. Having Jess there meant sharing points and rebounds her last season. She also had to change her game from what would have been the focal point underneath to working with Jess.

I don't think the WNBA can afford to draft on potential, so being the #11 pick overall tells you what they think of her skills regardless of her stats

Yes on Westbeld.

2014-15: 13.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 65.2%, 2.5 blocks, 0.33 assist/turnover

2015-16: 14.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 59.3%, 3.0 blocks, 0.66 assist/turnover... played most of the season in pain with a shoulder that required offseason surgery

2016-17: 15.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 61.9%, 2.5 blocks, 0.58 assist/turnover... cleared to work out just before practice started, wasn't at full strength until mid-January; ACL tear in her final game

2018-19: 14.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 63.1%, 2.8 blocks, 1.1 assist/turnover

Turner's stats were steady throughout her career except in one area - handling the ball in an offense that runs through its post players. She reduced turnovers each season while tripling her yearly assists over the course of her career. That jibes with what I observed watching her career. She was a far more polished all-around player at the end of her college career.

of the 2017 season. In that NCAA contest vs Purdue, she had taken over the game right before the ACL injury. If Bianna had stayed healthy, I have no doubt that the Irish would have made the Final Four and had a good shot at the title.

Not talking just stats. Turner was same player as when she arrived, skill wise. My opinion. Thats what I base on. Did she improve? Sure they all do with training and coaching. Skills were not expanded. Jess just had a huge year with an outstanding group. She was polished coming in.

...except for ball handling and passing (which ain't trivial). My opinion backed up with supporting data.

it, this has been a guard dominated offense - Arike, Diggs, Lloyd, McBride, and probably many more that I can’t think of. We don’t need bigs to develop into scorers, need a big to play sound defense and clean up the boards. Not sure we have the guard on the roster that can dominate every night, but I’m confident with what we have coming in the future, we’re going to get there

Without Ruth Riley, no '01 championship.
Without Jess Shepard, no '18 championship.

Elite post play is consistently what wins championships in the league. I love MM but she never seemed to understand that recruiting post players is paramount to success. She was obsessed - truly obsessed - with recruiting guards. This is how Sam Brunelle wound up playing the four this past season when she would have been much better on the wing.

You have to be obsessed with post players to remember the 2018 championship that way.

Jess was excellent but I recall Jackie torching UConn and Arike's buzzer beaters far more strongly.

Sam is a 4 through and through. She's doesn't have the speed or ball handling required of a full-time wing.

Her FT shooting remained spotty until senior year and even then, as I recall, she was shaky until later in the year and the NCAA's. Great player, no doubt. But never an offensive force in the half court so much, but an excellent scorer off lobs, the break and offensive rebounds.

Better than Marina Mabrey's 69.4%.

Turner never really developed an offensive repertoire at ND.

But I think she gets a little bit of a pass because of the ACL injury that knocked her out for a season.

Westbeld and Nelson improved tremendously. Shepard played much better at ND than she had at Nebraska.

Almost every fan base complains of lacking enough good bigs. Baylor is pretty much the only clear exception. There just aren't many young ladies that are 6'3+ and can actually play.

Also, we just recruited a 6'3 HS All-American and another 6'5 player ranked in the top-50.

Post recruiting isn't solely or even primarily Owens' responsibility but even if it was we just brought in some very talented recruits.