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Post by HC13 on Mar 18, 2022 11:32:47 GMT -5
It has been reported, as expected, that AL is officially in the portal. Thanks for everything you've done & best of luck in finding the right spot for you!
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Post by lou on Mar 18, 2022 11:40:08 GMT -5
A special player, and elite talent. She was fun to watch.
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Post by rgs318 on Mar 18, 2022 12:05:22 GMT -5
...and will be, no doubt, wherever she plays next! Thanks for four great years of talent and effort and the legacy you leave behind. 
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Post by breezy on Mar 18, 2022 12:14:21 GMT -5
All best wishes to her! She was someone special at HC!
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Post by purplehaze on Mar 18, 2022 12:35:59 GMT -5
And one last 'thank you' to Canisius which made a coaching change which precipitated AL's switch to HC - for once we got a break and took advantage of it !
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Post by HC13 on Apr 13, 2022 6:33:13 GMT -5
www.telegram.com/story/sports/college/2022/04/12/former-st-peter-marian-star-kosta-drosidis-drives-anna-maria-winning-baseball/7291336001/Nice update by Jen Toland: LaBarbera prepares for Badger life
For the final time last week, Holy Cross senior Avery LaBarbera cleaned out her locker at the Luth Athletic Complex. She laughed as she discovered T-shirts and shorts with the old HC logo from her freshman year, and reflected as she re-read a note from former Holy Cross basketball teammate Lauren Manis that she had tucked away in the locker’s cubby. LaBarbera left the building with a bag full of mementos and four years of memories. “That was tough,” LaBarbera said. “It was sad. Cleaning out my locker was like the last piece.” LaBarbera, who will graduate from Holy Cross next month with a degree in political science, had a sensational senior season while leading the Crusaders to the regular-season Patriot League championship and earning PL Player of the Year honors. With 1,478 points, LaBarbera, a 5-foot-6 guard, finished 13th on HC’s all-time list. Her playing career, though, is not over. LaBarbera will play a graduate year at the University of Wisconsin while working toward a master’s degree in sports leadership. Badgers coach Marisa Moseley was the first to offer LaBarbera when she entered the transfer portal. LaBarbera and Moseley got to know each a other a little bit during Moseley’s three seasons coaching at Boston University, one of HC’s Patriot League foes. “Our first game at BU,” LaBarbera said, “when I was a freshman, she told me after the game she had so much respect for how I played the game. Over the years, when we were warming up and doing layup lines, I would talk to her. “Relationships are huge to me,” LaBarbera said. “I knew I wanted to go to a bigger school and far away from home, and Wisconsin, the Big Ten, it’s one of the best basketball conferences. I want to play and be somewhere where I’m comfortable. The fact that she knows my game will make the transition smoother.” Moseley, who was the 2019 PL Coach of the Year, went 8-21 in her first season at Wisconsin. Before BU, she was an assistant for nine years at UConn. “Avery is a consummate competitor and a phenomenal leader,” Moseley said. “I was able to watch her growth and development throughout the course of her career, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to coach her.” LaBarbera’s mom, Lisa, drove from the family’s home in Harrison, New York, to Worcester for all of HC’s home games. Lisa already booked her flight for Wisconsin’s games in the 2022 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S.Virgin Islands, over Thanksgiving, and she will likely be spending a few nights at LaBarbera’s apartment near campus. LaBarbera was the 2018-19 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, and she earned All-PL honors four times. This season, while leading Holy Cross to 20 wins, she posted 18 double-doubles. The Crusaders suffered a crushing loss to Navy in the PL quarterfinals and came up short of their ultimate goal, capturing the PL tourney and automatic NCAA bid that goes with it, but with her leadership, energy and resolve, LaBarbera, who played for three coaches in four years, left her mark on the HC women’s program. “For me,” LaBarbera said, “I just know I can go through adversity and overcome anything. I had a great four years, but obviously a lot of challenges. I just think the best thing is to rely on people who are in your corner, and I was really fortunate to be part of a great class and have a really great senior class to look up to when I was a sophomore. "I love this place, and I’m definitely going to miss it," she added. "Next year is obviously going to be hard, but I think I can get through it.”
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Post by HC92 on Apr 13, 2022 8:07:33 GMT -5
Interesting that the relationship with Moseley started with a compliment in the handshake line given reports elsewhere of teams not wanting to shake hands for fear other coaches would be whispering to their players about transferring. Nothing nefarious here with Moseley. Just interesting.
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Post by HC13 on Apr 13, 2022 9:31:41 GMT -5
Interesting that the relationship with Moseley started with a compliment in the handshake line given reports elsewhere of teams not wanting to shake hands for fear other coaches would be whispering to their players about transferring. Nothing nefarious here with Moseley. Just interesting. In fairness, sounds like happened before the COVID/Transfer Portal madness began
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Post by Crucis#1 on Apr 13, 2022 10:03:29 GMT -5
Eliminate the hand shake line. Just wave 👋
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Post by HC13 on Apr 13, 2022 10:35:15 GMT -5
Eliminate the hand shake line. Just wave 👋 I think that was pretty much the case this past season - don't remember handshake lines happening, but may have on occasion.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Apr 13, 2022 13:31:18 GMT -5
They should eliminate the hand shake like for men’s games as well, especially if your team is playing Michigan. 😳
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Post by HC13 on Jun 7, 2022 13:28:52 GMT -5
Interesting side note, Katie Nelson will be a graduate assistant at Wisconsin, so AL will have at least one friendly face out at UW.
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Post by HC92 on Jul 27, 2022 18:38:04 GMT -5
Weird to see Avery in another uniform but hope she has a great year for the Badgers. She’s #12.
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Post by timholycross on Jul 28, 2022 8:57:23 GMT -5
They're getting to play a doubleheader (men vs Stanford; women vs K State) in the Brewers stadium. Nice.
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Post by purplehaze on Jul 28, 2022 9:27:17 GMT -5
I wonder where they will play her - Katie Nelson (BU) had a good year handling the point for UW last season - but I don't see Avery having the same ball handling skills that Nelson had - it might not be a good fit for BIG level guard play
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Post by longsuffering on Aug 19, 2022 15:58:47 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Aug 19, 2022 16:18:37 GMT -5
I wonder where they will play her - Katie Nelson (BU) had a good year handling the point for UW last season - but I don't see Avery having the same ball handling skills that Nelson had - it might not be a good fit for BIG level guard play My sense is if UW liked Katie they'll love Avery. Katie was on the all PL team. Avery was PL POY. Katie was a very good PL player, Avery was a great PL player. But we'll have to see how the roster competition is this year with Coach's own recruits compared to last and whether better players on the Badgers improve Avery's play more than better opponents on defense harm it. I didn't pick up on any material ball handling weakness with Avery. She could throw a ball away but she wasn't passing to Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker. Better teammates could cover up small deficits in her ball handling or better defenses could magnify them. I think basketball is basketball and she'll be a strong contributor and leader.
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Post by bfoley82 on Aug 19, 2022 21:49:33 GMT -5
I wonder where they will play her - Katie Nelson (BU) had a good year handling the point for UW last season - but I don't see Avery having the same ball handling skills that Nelson had - it might not be a good fit for BIG level guard play My sense is if UW liked Katie they'll love Avery. Katie was on the all PL team. Avery was PL POY. Katie was a very good PL player, Avery was a great PL player. But we'll have to see how the roster competition is this year with Coach's own recruits compared to last and whether better players on the Badgers improve Avery's play more than better opponents on defense harm it. I didn't pick up on any material ball handling weakness with Avery. She could throw a ball away but she wasn't passing to Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker. Better teammates could cover up small deficits in her ball handling or better defenses could magnify them. I think basketball is basketball and she'll be a strong contributor and leader. Avery is SMALL at only 5'6 so I would expect lots of traps of her coming this season in the Big Ten. She is the second smallest player on Wisconsin's roster this season and last year they didn't have a player as small as her.
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Post by longsuffering on Aug 19, 2022 21:54:50 GMT -5
We'll see how she does. Traps can backfire.
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Post by dharry13 on Aug 19, 2022 22:25:29 GMT -5
Hahaha. This bfoley guy is a clown. He spends his pathetic life trolling other boards.
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Post by purplehaze on Sept 8, 2022 10:49:44 GMT -5
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Post by rgs318 on Sept 8, 2022 10:53:44 GMT -5
Thanks haze for the interesting post. I certainly wish our illustrious alumna well!
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Post by purplehaze on Nov 26, 2022 13:19:24 GMT -5
Avery left UW’s game yday vs Seton Hall with an injury and is not playing in todays game vs VCU. They’re in the Virgin Islands so maybe waiting until they return home to access seriousness -
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Post by hchoops on Nov 27, 2022 8:47:20 GMT -5
Stats for 7 games 31 mpg 9.4 ppg 5.3 rpg 3.6 apg
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Post by sader1970 on Nov 27, 2022 8:53:29 GMT -5
The rebounding always were a pleasant surprise when she played for HC. It’s astounding for a Big10 team.
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