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WBB: Scrimmage - 81alum - 10-31-2021
Today season ticket holders were invited to come watch our team in a red vs. white scrimmage, played with officials and in a normal game format.
The players shifted between teams, so the score was meaningless but this was the best competition we are apt to face in a game for quite some time, since we are far deeper and more talented than most of our opponents.
Overall impressions:
As one might expect, the defense is out in front of the offense at this stage. The fact that our players know each other so well and
that the lineups kept shifting did not make for a lot of pretty offense. However, there were moments, and it was fun to see the new players for the first time and the development of our returning players. But the defense was quite impressive. It seemed to me as if the defensive intensity and the closeness of defenders had been turned up a few notches. There was very little sagging and a whole lot of close defense.
Who played:
We have 17 on the roster this year. Freshman Jzaniya Harriel and Sixth year Anna Wilson warmed up and did the drills but did not play. Redshirt junior Jenna Brown did not warm up or play, but she came in uniform and with a long leg brace in place. The other 14 players all played.
Impressions of the returners:
Jerome, Prechtel, the Hulls, and Jump I won't comment on, except to say they seemed solid to me. Jerome hit a nice trey, Jump might have been a bit off today, but I did not notice anything to make me think any of them were radically different players than a year ago.
Fran Belibi looked quite good around the basket, as she often has. She also seems to have developed a mid range jumper and was clearly trying to use it. Reminded my of the jumper Nadia Fingall developed from the outer corner of the key to defeat zones. This bodes very well from Belibi, in my opinion, if she is able to diversify her offense in this way. Plus many Princeton plays get initiated from the corner of the key by a big with the ball there--passing to back door cuts. If she is able to score from that position, it complicates opponent's defenses.
Haley Jones has developed a three point shot. She was hitting about half of them in practice, and then she went on to hit a couple in the scrimmage. Like Fran's mid-range, giving Jones another arrow in her quiver will make her that much more difficult to defend, and allow her to adapt to whatever the defense throws at her. I was impressed with that, although the rest of her game today seemed familiar.
Cameron Brink did not have her best day. She racked up 3 fouls, including a flagrant foul when she threw her elbows. Later she settled down and played well--but we have all known that the key to her success is staying out of foul trouble and this was a problem again today.
Jana Van Gytenbeek looked like the best point guard on the floor today. Anna Wilson did not play, so there is no way for me to know how Anna might have done. But Jana brought the ball up with speed and made quick passes. Her three point shot went through most of the time in practice--I don't recall her scoring during the actual scrimmage though.
Agnes Emma-Nnopu was a great surprise. Last year I remember the coaches talking about using her as a defensive stopper. Well, she was fantastic on defense. Every time she locked on to a point guard, the pg had problems even passing the ball. She got numerous deflections and a couple of steals, one resulting in a fast break layup. Her speed, nimbleness, and long reach are tough to get around. Think of Anna Wilson with six more inches of reach in all directions. After the first half I remarked on her defense to a friend and wondered aloud if she could hold her own on offense. In the second half, she was (I think) 3/3 from three point range. If Agnes can defend that well and keep up the three point percentages, I expect we are going to see a lot more of her than we expected.
Newcomers
Jordan Hamilton, grad transfer. Jordan was an accomplished point guard before coming to Stanford, so I was surprised at how hard a time she had. I think the problem may have been that Agnes was defending her much of the time, and Jordan was not long enough or tall enough to get around Agnes. We should all reserve judgment--what is a single scrimmage worth, anyway, but I did not get the sense that Hamilton was clicking in our offense.
Elena Bosgana, freshman guard. Bosgana in the first half drove at the basket every chance she could get. Most of the drives did not result on baskets, but it was predictable that she had a driving, scoring mentality no matter where she got the ball. In the second half she did much better, she made some good passes and took and made a couple of threes. She is quite talented--a guard who can drive, shoot treys, and pass is priceless, and I expect she will improve markedly as she learns to discipline her skills in Tara's system.
Brooke Demetre, freshman guard. I did not get to watch her as carefully as I would like, but she has a sweet three point stroke. She is also tall enough that she was defending Prechtel at times. Another tall three point weapon--certainly a nice addition to the team.
Kiki Iriafen, freshman forward. A very impressive athlete. While it is clear that she is learning the system and the game has not yet slowed down for her, her skillset looks very good. Excellent moves around and under the basket and a big, strong, athletic body. I think I saw a decent jump shot from her too.
Conclusion:
I am excited about this team! It is loaded with new talent and it will be fun to see Tara once again fitting the jigsaw pieces together again. This may be the most athletic group, top to bottom, that we have ever had. Defense could be a big strength of this team. We will see how the offense develops, how quickly the newcomers contribute, how consistent our three point shooting is, and whether Anna Wilson becomes the point guard, and if she does, how effective she will be in that role. So many unanswered questions, but today's scrimmage promises a very interesting season ahead!
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - BobK - 10-31-2021
Appreciate. Thanks
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - bl82 - 10-31-2021
Great stuff 81alum. Many thanks.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - KenCard - 10-31-2021
(10-31-2021, 02:14 PM)81alum Wrote: Today season ticket holders were invited to come watch our team in a red vs. white scrimmage, played with officials and in a normal game format.
The players shifted between teams, so the score was meaningless but this was the best competition we are apt to face in a game for quite some time, since we are far deeper and more talented than most of our opponents.
Overall impressions:
As one might expect, the defense is out in front of the offense at this stage. The fact that our players know each other so well and
that the lineups kept shifting did not make for a lot of pretty offense. However, there were moments, and it was fun to see the new players for the first time and the development of our returning players. But the defense was quite impressive. It seemed to me as if the defensive intensity and the closeness of defenders had been turned up a few notches. There was very little sagging and a whole lot of close defense.
Who played:
We have 17 on the roster this year. Freshman Jzaniya Harriel and Sixth year Anna Wilson warmed up and did the drills but did not play. Redshirt junior Jenna Brown did not warm up or play, but she came in uniform and with a long leg brace in place. The other 14 players all played.
Impressions of the returners:
Jerome, Prechtel, the Hulls, and Jump I won't comment on, except to say they seemed solid to me. Jerome hit a nice trey, Jump might have been a bit off today, but I did not notice anything to make me think any of them were radically different players than a year ago.
Fran Belibi looked quite good around the basket, as she often has. She also seems to have developed a mid range jumper and was clearly trying to use it. Reminded my of the jumper Nadia Fingall developed from the outer corner of the key to defeat zones. This bodes very well from Belibi, in my opinion, if she is able to diversify her offense in this way. Plus many Princeton plays get initiated from the corner of the key by a big with the ball there--passing to back door cuts. If she is able to score from that position, it complicates opponent's defenses.
Haley Jones has developed a three point shot. She was hitting about half of them in practice, and then she went on to hit a couple in the scrimmage. Like Fran's mid-range, giving Jones another arrow in her quiver will make her that much more difficult to defend, and allow her to adapt to whatever the defense throws at her. I was impressed with that, although the rest of her game today seemed familiar.
Cameron Brink did not have her best day. She racked up 3 fouls, including a flagrant foul when she threw her elbows. Later she settled down and played well--but we have all known that the key to her success is staying out of foul trouble and this was a problem again today.
Jana Van Gytenbeek looked like the best point guard on the floor today. Anna Wilson did not play, so there is no way for me to know how Anna might have done. But Jana brought the ball up with speed and made quick passes. Her three point shot went through most of the time in practice--I don't recall her scoring during the actual scrimmage though.
Agnes Emma-Nnopu was a great surprise. Last year I remember the coaches talking about using her as a defensive stopper. Well, she was fantastic on defense. Every time she locked on to a point guard, the pg had problems even passing the ball. She got numerous deflections and a couple of steals, one resulting in a fast break layup. Her speed, nimbleness, and long reach are tough to get around. Think of Anna Wilson with six more inches of reach in all directions. After the first half I remarked on her defense to a friend and wondered aloud if she could hold her own on offense. In the second half, she was (I think) 3/3 from three point range. If Agnes can defend that well and keep up the three point percentages, I expect we are going to see a lot more of her than we expected.
Newcomers
Jordan Hamilton, grad transfer. Jordan was an accomplished point guard before coming to Stanford, so I was surprised at how hard a time she had. I think the problem may have been that Agnes was defending her much of the time, and Jordan was not long enough or tall enough to get around Agnes. We should all reserve judgment--what is a single scrimmage worth, anyway, but I did not get the sense that Hamilton was clicking in our offense.
Elena Bosgana, freshman guard. Bosgana in the first half drove at the basket every chance she could get. Most of the drives did not result on baskets, but it was predictable that she had a driving, scoring mentality no matter where she got the ball. In the second half she did much better, she made some good passes and took and made a couple of threes. She is quite talented--a guard who can drive, shoot treys, and pass is priceless, and I expect she will improve markedly as she learns to discipline her skills in Tara's system.
Brooke Demetre, freshman guard. I did not get to watch her as carefully as I would like, but she has a sweet three point stroke. She is also tall enough that she was defending Prechtel at times. Another tall three point weapon--certainly a nice addition to the team.
Kiki Iriafen, freshman forward. A very impressive athlete. While it is clear that she is learning the system and the game has not yet slowed down for her, her skillset looks very good. Excellent moves around and under the basket and a big, strong, athletic body. I think I saw a decent jump shot from her too.
Conclusion:
I am excited about this team! It is loaded with new talent and it will be fun to see Tara once again fitting the jigsaw pieces together again. This may be the most athletic group, top to bottom, that we have ever had. Defense could be a big strength of this team. We will see how the offense develops, how quickly the newcomers contribute, how consistent our three point shooting is, and whether Anna Wilson becomes the point guard, and if she does, how effective she will be in that role. So many unanswered questions, but today's scrimmage promises a very interesting season ahead!
I certainly concur with this insightful commentary on the scrimmage. Point guard remains the position of most interest based on this scrimmage. Van Gytenbeek has lowered my concern about her bringing up the ball. She seemed just to pick a direction and take off, a technique reminiscent of Tony Kokenis. Backup point guard might be Jones, though I'm hoping Brown or Harriel can put themselves into the mix. Emma-Nnopu looks like a rotation player to me. She has the same strengths as Wilson, "3 and D." Iriafen could be in the rotation, too. She moves with a purpose and good effort. Once she gets stronger, she will be even more valuable. I noticed Prechtel took and made a little jump hook in the lane. If she uses it when it's available, that could help her inside game this year.
This year's going to be fun!
Baez87 - Baez87 - 10-31-2021
I will second that analysis, 81!
Jordan Hamilton's initiation to an audience at Maples was probably her most horrendous day ever on the basketball court. She had to do it against our most improved player in Agnes Emma-Nnopu. Jordan's every move was harassed by Agnes's aggressive play. But, I don’t think that Jordan should necessarily be judged on that performance. It actually seemed to be a statement game by Agnes. She was the only player who did not get to make an appearance on the court as a player in San Antonio. I’m sure she had plenty of time to think about that during the off-season. In the pre-scrimmage warmups today, she hit seven consecutive three pointers. And that caught my attention! In the second half of the scrimmage, her offense came alive and, as '81 observed, she added offense to her tenacious defense. She proved herself by making three straight three-pointers in the fourth quarter. I really hopes she gets quality playing time this year. It will be to everyone’s advantage — except our opponents!
I also concur with '81’s observation of Fran Bilibi. Fran seem confident and smooth, which was a pleasure to see, given her let down and reduced playing time at the end of last season. I’m sure that Fran spent time thinking during the off-season about her reduction in playing time last spring (and her miscue in our loss to Colorado). It appeared, from her performance today, that she also spent plenty of time honing her skills on the court this summer. Her fluidity and determination were evident!
The other player that caught my eye today was freshman Kiki Iriafen. She played toe to toe with our much more experienced players. For her efforts she managed to deter several players from making easy shots under the basket. Even when she was up against someone as athletic as Cameron Brink, she didn’t back down. I think that Kiki actually got under Cam's skin a bit, and consequently took a hard elbow to the face, for which Cam received a technical foul (and Kiki had to be administered to by the trainer). (I’m sure that Cam’s frustration probably was a carry-over from practice.) Kiki also delivered well as an accomplished offensive post and made several shots from under the basket against stiff competition. For those of you that saw the video of Kiki's effortless dunk this summer, it is apparent that she will bring a ton of game to Maples in the next four years!
And the rest of our players were a kick to watch after a long absence from basketball at Maples.
For those that were unable to attend, today's scrimmage was a double treat. Either of the two teams that paired off against each other today would be strong enough to defend Stanford’s role this year as national champions. I can’t wait for the games to begin!
And I look forward to a family's trip to the Bahamas in just over three weeks to see our women play! Get your booster and be a booster!
This promises to be quite a year for Stanford Women’s Basketball.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - chimera - 10-31-2021
Not much to quibble about from the posts above. Agree with the takes. Overall I have always found these open practices/scrimmages to be a bit on the ugly side offensively for the reasons stated above - team knows each other and all the plays so well that the defense has an advantage. I don't put a ton of stock in how the day went other than to see what skills a player may have improved or added. The returning players who played a lot mostly looked fine, even if some did not have the best day hitting shots or had a few turnovers. They were subbed in and out so much it may have been hard to get a rhythm.
Belibi definitely improved her mid-range shooting. She scored a lot in the scrimmage on a variety of moves to get around her defender and a few mid-range shots that she did not hit last season. She looked good. If she plays this way, she will play a lot. We have a wealth of talent inside. When the team split into bigs and wings/guards, the five who were in the post group (pre-scrimmage) were Brink, Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen and Demetre. That puts Jones, who played the 4 some last year, and Jerome, who filled in at the post last season, with the wings, which I thought interesting.
Agree about Iriafen. She looked very, very promising. She finished tough with contact, really worked hard, and I don't recall her turning the ball over too much while trying to work inside. I did not notice Demetre so much, but that may reflect on my attention, not her play. She took a few nice looking threes and made one or two I believe. I do think it may be tough for her to get that much playing time given the number of experienced 3/4 players on the roster.
Bosgona is an interesting player. She is really lanky and tall for a guard but seems pretty quick for her height. I think she has some adjusting to do, as do most frosh, but she can shoot threes and drive (she was a bit wild finishing some of them today and missed), and if she can get her ballhandling a bit better, she may turn out to be quite good.
Also have to agree Hamilton had a rough day. She is not that tall, so some of our taller guard defenders like Emma-Nnopu gave her trouble. I don't want to judge harshly on one scrimmage, plus she is still learning our system, so wait and see is what I think. Van Gytenbeek did better I thought. Generally there were more turnovers than we would want to see in a real game, and she had a few, but mostly she looked ok, moved the ball quickly, all that, though I don't recall her scoring much. That is one area I do worry about - who will score of our guards. Shouldn't be an issue, even if whoever plays the point is not a big scorer, because we have so many capable scorers at other positions, as long as the pg is a threat who must be guarded. We did not get to see Wilson run the show. she did all the warm ups and looked basically ok with no limp, brace, boot, or whatever, but did not play the scrimmage. We also did not get to see Harriel, who also looked basically ok and did all the full speed drills I believe, but did not play in the scrimmage.
What else? The Hulls did their thing - tons of hustle, steals, drives, tight D, all that. Prechtel looked fine, the jump hook maybe a nice addition. Jones did not have her best game at all, tried some drives that produced tough shots that did not go in, but did make a three or two and otherwise was fine. We know what she can do. Same with Brink, who as mentioned above, did appear frustrated with the reffing. She made some nice plays and did score, so not a bad day, just not a really good one. Our bigs make things very hard for each other. they play tough. Jump was relatively quiet. she does look in even better shape, and I think we know what she is capable of doing.
Emma-Nnopu might have been the star of the show along with Belibi and maybe Iriafen. She really worked hard on defense to great effect, and made some nice looking threes. If she can shoot like that when it counts, she may find some minutes, even with such a deep roster.
Not sure if I missed anyone. Poor Brown did not participate in any of the drills, and after all this time I doubt she is able to contribute this season. Will it be her last? A shame if so. My only disappointment, other than the two who did not play and seeing that Brown was still rehabbing, was the Tara talk at the end was three minutes and see ya next game. I hoped for some Q&A or more info on how she sees the team shaping up.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - CompSci87 - 10-31-2021
Lots of great observations, not much for me to add.
Lacie played quite a bit of point guard. It was mentioned in the Athletic story that she could play some 1 (point guard) this year. Lacie showed a good handle but is almost too tall for the position, though she bends well to keep her dribble low and hard to pick off.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - WBB fan - 11-01-2021
Great analyses. Thanks all. I really enjoyed being there, and want to echo some of what's written above. I thought Fran was a real star. It wasn't just those mid-range shots, which were so great to see, but also she seemed to have gotten confidence back. And she made some very sweet moves near the basket. She still hesitates at times, but so much better than last year. If she can play this way, she's going to be on the court a lot and will really contribute. And then there's Agnes. For me, as some others commented, by far the most improved player out there. Her defense was fierce and smothering, inducing frustration in those she was defending. The perfect combination. And then she added offense to that. She can be a serious contributor at both ends of the court. I was also positively impressed with Bosgana's potential. Very raw right now, but she's a player. Iriafen, yes, athletic and powerful, and should get time. The team is deep this year and with past players who have really improved. Also fast, which is great. Demetre showed a really smooth stroke on her shots, very pretty -- more potential there as well. This is going to be a strong three point shooting team, I think, but also with a really tough inside presence. Should be hard to defend -- and at the time time, Stanford is going to be really tough on defense itself. Exciting season to come.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - Phogge - 11-01-2021
So they can play defense. Can any of them play linebacker or safety?
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - teejers1 - 11-01-2021
(10-31-2021, 02:14 PM)81alum Wrote: Today season ticket holders were invited to come watch our team in a red vs. white scrimmage, played with officials and in a normal game format.
A little anecdote. Chatted a bit with some women's hoopsters and friends Saturday night pre-UW game. They relayed that the team was having a scrimmage tomorrow that was open to the public. I looked at them and said: "Thanks. It may not look like it, but I have a life. So I'll pass on watching an intra-squad scrimmage." It was a joke, which they "got" and appreciated.
But then, as pointed out above, this was probably the best display of high quality hoops we'll see as Cardinal fans in quite a while. Joke's on me! Doh! Anyway, thanks for all the commentary - which sounds interesting and exciting. BTW, Emma is not a big surprise. I'm confident she'll get some meaningful minutes this season (and perhaps a lot of PT if that O stroke is as reported).
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - crackpot - 11-01-2021
Thanks, 81 (and everyone else). Couldn't make it, but very excited to read this.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - 81alum - 11-01-2021
A note about Jones's three point shooting.
Last year she was 6/17 from three point range, while 183/335 overall. So her treys were roughly 5% of her shots. Hitting 6 all year is simply not enough to force opponents to scheme against it. But if she increases that significantly--makes a couple in each game--she will be impossible to defend. Whenever she has the ball on the perimeter her defender will have to come out on her, and that will make it easier for her to drive or drive-and-dish. In short, Jones is the centerpiece of the offense--even though she may not always lead in points--and having her increase her versatility will make a big difference in loosening up the whole defense and preventing muggings.
A note about the "BIGS"
I really am curious as to whether Tara very often finds a way to put 3 bigs on the floor together. Brink, Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafan, and even Demetre all are highly talented individuals who were practicing as "BIGS" before the scrimmage. I predict a lot of who plays will be defense and defensive matchups, fouls situations, etc. I think several of them had blocks against their teammates yesterday.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - magnus - 11-01-2021
(11-01-2021, 11:55 AM)crackpot Wrote: Thanks, 81 (and everyone else). Couldn't make it, but very excited to read this.
Agreed.
Though, the concern about how we're going to bring the ball up against harassing Ds is still out there. Hopefully Emma-Nnopu and the Hulls can provide a lot of in-practice reps for our guards.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - acerep - 11-01-2021
My report on the scrimmage has been posted on the Fast Break Club site, www.stanfordfbc.org, under Richter Reports.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - mbdude - 11-02-2021
"action" from practice today (?) - Fran mic'd up.
Stanford Women's Basketball (@stanfordwbb) • Instagram photos and videos
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - CompSci87 - 11-02-2021
Cool to see how vocal she is.
RE: WBB: Scrimmage - WBB fan - 11-02-2021
(11-02-2021, 07:35 PM)mbdude Wrote: "action" from practice today (?) - Fran mic'd up.
Stanford Women's Basketball (@stanfordwbb) • Instagram photos and videos
Thanks so much for posting. This is wonderful, and I agree, seeing how into it she is -- terrific. I was so impressed by her play in the scrimmage, so very improved from how she played in the latter part of last season. If she can play this well in real games, wow, she's going to be a contributor.