[2006alum]

Wasn't awake for the game itself and only woke up to see the final score, so that might color my view since I really didn't expect we'd win, but overall, I'm pretty pumped about how close we played them given that we're missing our star player.

Alanna having a Stanford Bigs of Past type game is super encouraging - it gives us another weapon inside and another way to force defenses to keep us honest. Last night was more of what I was hoping/expecting for from her after her breakout during the NCAA tournament last season. I know she came to Stanford more comfortable playing more of a wing/stretch-4 type position, so it's great to see her killing it in the paint and also grabbing so many offensive rebounds. We'll need more of that now that Bird is gone.

Also loving the Wilson coming out party. We'd heard so much about her promise, and got a glimpse of it against Yale last year, but the concussion at the McDonald's AA game coupled with her foot problems meant we never really saw what she was capable of, just flashes. And just think - she's basically midway through her freshman year in terms of her playing experience. The announcers during the Bakersfield game seemed to suggest they think she would be successful petitioning for a medical hardship waiver should she want a fifth season, notwithstanding the discouraging view Tara seemed to have last spring. Has something changed? Do any insiders know more about this? Regardless, if she can be a reliable threat from outside, that really will change how defenses need to guard us, and punish zone defenses that give us trouble.

Carrington really does seem like the second coming of McPhee in terms of streaky shooting. It seems like she either takes over a game or kind of disappears, very similarly to McPhee. Many of McPhee's best games have come when the rest of the team is off and she just wills herself to keep us in it, and Carrington very much played that role against UConn and Kent State. My lingering question is how to use them at the same time. OTOH, when McPhee graduates we know exactly who will take over her position.

Also encouraging to hear that Romano was so effective on defense. She really seems to be growing into the Bri role - awesome defense, solid ball handling, and enough offense to keep opposing defenses honest around the perimeter. She also has probably the prettiest mid-range jump shot of anyone I've seen on the team, albeit rarely deployed.

Glad to see Sniezek keeps shooting. I honestly don't understand why she doesn't like to do it, because her shooting percentage really isn't that different from most of the team. She makes about 1/3 of her treys, above our team average of .277. Last season she had a shooting % of .376. Not outstanding, but more than sufficient to keep defenses honest. I wonder if it's some psychological thing? I do think our improved performance the last few games can be attributed in part to her looking to make shots herself.

Finally, interesting to see Jerome get so much playing time with a relatively quiet stat line. I know Tara believes that defense is what gets you playing time (see the big minutes for Johnson), so I assume Jerome is our strongest frosh on defense?

Finally, for anyone who watched the game, who did Jerome and Wilson sub in for? I couldn't tell from the box score alone.

All in all, I'm feeling much better about this team than 3 games ago, and as I find myself saying at multiple points every season, so incredibly impressed with Tara's and the other coaches' ability to see how to use players and re-tool our team over the course of the season. This team has so much raw potential but was starting from a relatively low floor, so I now better understand why Tara seemed especially excited about this season even with the desultory results of our first few games.

[2006alum]

Wasn't awake for the game itself and only woke up to see the final score, so that might color my view since I really didn't expect we'd win, but overall, I'm pretty pumped about how close we played them given that we're missing our star player.

Alanna having a Stanford Bigs of Past type game is super encouraging - it gives us another weapon inside and another way to force defenses to keep us honest. Last night was more of what I was hoping/expecting for from her after her breakout during the NCAA tournament last season. I know she came to Stanford more comfortable playing more of a wing/stretch-4 type position, so it's great to see her killing it in the paint and also grabbing so many offensive rebounds. We'll need more of that now that Bird is gone.

Also loving the Wilson coming out party. We'd heard so much about her promise, and got a glimpse of it against Yale last year, but the concussion at the McDonald's AA game coupled with her foot problems meant we never really saw what she was capable of, just flashes. And just think - she's basically midway through her freshman year in terms of her playing experience. The announcers during the Bakersfield game seemed to suggest they think she would be successful petitioning for a medical hardship waiver should she want a fifth season, notwithstanding the discouraging view Tara seemed to have last spring. Has something changed? Do any insiders know more about this? Regardless, if she can be a reliable threat from outside, that really will change how defenses need to guard us, and punish zone defenses that give us trouble.

Carrington really does seem like the second coming of McPhee in terms of streaky shooting. It seems like she either takes over a game or kind of disappears, very similarly to McPhee. Many of McPhee's best games have come when the rest of the team is off and she just wills herself to keep us in it, and Carrington very much played that role against UConn and Kent State. My lingering question is how to use them at the same time. OTOH, when McPhee graduates we know exactly who will take over her position.

Also encouraging to hear that Romano was so effective on defense. She really seems to be growing into the Bri role - awesome defense, solid ball handling, and enough offense to keep opposing defenses honest around the perimeter. She also has probably the prettiest mid-range jump shot of anyone I've seen on the team, albeit rarely deployed.

Glad to see Sniezek keeps shooting. I honestly don't understand why she doesn't like to do it, because her shooting percentage really isn't that different from most of the team. She makes about 1/3 of her treys, above our team average of .277. Last season she had a shooting % of .376. Not outstanding, but more than sufficient to keep defenses honest. I wonder if it's some psychological thing? I do think our improved performance the last few games can be attributed in part to her looking to make shots herself.

Finally, interesting to see Jerome get so much playing time with a relatively quiet stat line. I know Tara believes that defense is what gets you playing time (see the big minutes for Johnson), so I assume Jerome is our strongest frosh on defense?

Finally, for anyone who watched the game, who did Jerome and Wilson sub in for? I couldn't tell from the box score alone.

All in all, I'm feeling much better about this team than 3 games ago, and as I find myself saying at multiple points every season, so incredibly impressed with Tara's and the other coaches' ability to see how to use players and re-tool our team over the course of the season. This team has so much raw potential but was starting from a relatively low floor, so I now better understand why Tara seemed especially excited about this season even with the desultory results of our first few games.

[81alum]

Very nice commentary, 2006, and I agree with you on all counts.

I'm also left thinking that, with McPhee out and Dodson getting plenty of minutes, we are seeing next year's team. 

As for Carrington replacing McPhee--probably.  But Jerome and Moschkau and the Hull twins are going to complicate things.  I don't really know where in the 2-3-4 range all those pieces of the puzzle will wind up fitting.  Jerome is a 4-3, Moshkau seems like a 3, I would have suspected the Hulls are wings but don't really know, and Carrington is certainly a wing.  But Tara has show a willingness to go with small lineups.  The old-fashioned Princeton would rotate 4 of the players interchangeably--so maybe this will work.

For those who had eyes on the game last night, I am curious about two things.  How much of the night did tOSU play zone?  And was our offense recognizable as the Princeton?  The radio announcer mentioned an Ohio State zone and the Stanford Princeton but did not say much more.

[81alum]

Very nice commentary, 2006, and I agree with you on all counts.

I'm also left thinking that, with McPhee out and Dodson getting plenty of minutes, we are seeing next year's team. 

As for Carrington replacing McPhee--probably.  But Jerome and Moschkau and the Hull twins are going to complicate things.  I don't really know where in the 2-3-4 range all those pieces of the puzzle will wind up fitting.  Jerome is a 4-3, Moshkau seems like a 3, I would have suspected the Hulls are wings but don't really know, and Carrington is certainly a wing.  But Tara has show a willingness to go with small lineups.  The old-fashioned Princeton would rotate 4 of the players interchangeably--so maybe this will work.

For those who had eyes on the game last night, I am curious about two things.  How much of the night did tOSU play zone?  And was our offense recognizable as the Princeton?  The radio announcer mentioned an Ohio State zone and the Stanford Princeton but did not say much more.

[BobK]

I don’t recall much Ohio State zone

Well Smith was outside then cutting behind screens to the hoop.  That’s Princeton. 
Part of the Princeton offense is waiting for a cut so I don’t think we are stagnant but the real school of Princeton offense was patient

Wilson did hit her head on the floor.  Big concern as it took a minute for her to mostly recover.  Hope she is fine.  We will know Wednesday but after 2 concussions we must be super careful.    That said she seemed fine

Smith is incredible.  Took her awhile to recover from
No McCall but she was fantastic.  And of course if fouled , she wasn’t, but if on her 4th Qtr game tying Shot we win. 

[BobK]

I don’t recall much Ohio State zone

Well Smith was outside then cutting behind screens to the hoop.  That’s Princeton. 
Part of the Princeton offense is waiting for a cut so I don’t think we are stagnant but the real school of Princeton offense was patient

Wilson did hit her head on the floor.  Big concern as it took a minute for her to mostly recover.  Hope she is fine.  We will know Wednesday but after 2 concussions we must be super careful.    That said she seemed fine

Smith is incredible.  Took her awhile to recover from
No McCall but she was fantastic.  And of course if fouled , she wasn’t, but if on her 4th Qtr game tying Shot we win. 

[BobK]

Now defense.  So it’s not in the box but it’s half the game

Ohio State has awesome firepower and we played great until fouling Mitchell.  Mitchell’s threes were great shots made or miss. So quick or step back.  That’s why she could well go # 1 in the draft

Loved our D effort by all.  If Carrington was up or down or “Bring on home “ Jerome quiet they were great on D. 

So close so great to be present and missing the ND game in person and tv last 19 minutes

Some tounovrrs sloppy.  Not paying attention to an Ohio State player close by.  Boom ball is gone. 

Met some great fans.  Quite a three game adventure

[BobK]

Now defense.  So it’s not in the box but it’s half the game

Ohio State has awesome firepower and we played great until fouling Mitchell.  Mitchell’s threes were great shots made or miss. So quick or step back.  That’s why she could well go # 1 in the draft

Loved our D effort by all.  If Carrington was up or down or “Bring on home “ Jerome quiet they were great on D. 

So close so great to be present and missing the ND game in person and tv last 19 minutes

Some tounovrrs sloppy.  Not paying attention to an Ohio State player close by.  Boom ball is gone. 

Met some great fans.  Quite a three game adventure

[CompSci87]

Bob, how was the press break? Radio guy mentioned press a couple of times and it sounded like that caused turnovers. That's been a problem for many Cardinal WBB teams.

[CompSci87]

Bob, how was the press break? Radio guy mentioned press a couple of times and it sounded like that caused turnovers. That's been a problem for many Cardinal WBB teams.

[TheFarm07]

Wilson did hit her head on the floor.  Big concern as it took a minute for her to mostly recover.  Hope she is fine.  We will know Wednesday but after 2 concussions we must be super careful.    That said she seemed fine

Wilson cannot seem to catch a break! Even with a breakout game, to get that type of injury again, based on her past history, that's terrible to hear. I hope she's fine.

Very nice commentary, 2006, and I agree with you on all counts.

I'm also left thinking that, with McPhee out and Dodson getting plenty of minutes, we are seeing next year's team. 

As for Carrington replacing McPhee--probably.  But Jerome and Moschkau and the Hull twins are going to complicate things.  I don't really know where in the 2-3-4 range all those pieces of the puzzle will wind up fitting.  Jerome is a 4-3, Moshkau seems like a 3, I would have suspected the Hulls are wings but don't really know, and Carrington is certainly a wing.  But Tara has show a willingness to go with small lineups.  The old-fashioned Princeton would rotate 4 of the players interchangeably--so maybe this will work.

We certainly have a lot of depth at the 2-3-4 positions and it will give Tara a lot of options to work with over the next couple of years. And with a HoF coach, it's never a bad thing when you give them plenty of possibilities to tinker with.

[TheFarm07]

Wilson did hit her head on the floor.  Big concern as it took a minute for her to mostly recover.  Hope she is fine.  We will know Wednesday but after 2 concussions we must be super careful.    That said she seemed fine

Wilson cannot seem to catch a break! Even with a breakout game, to get that type of injury again, based on her past history, that's terrible to hear. I hope she's fine.

Very nice commentary, 2006, and I agree with you on all counts.

I'm also left thinking that, with McPhee out and Dodson getting plenty of minutes, we are seeing next year's team. 

As for Carrington replacing McPhee--probably.  But Jerome and Moschkau and the Hull twins are going to complicate things.  I don't really know where in the 2-3-4 range all those pieces of the puzzle will wind up fitting.  Jerome is a 4-3, Moshkau seems like a 3, I would have suspected the Hulls are wings but don't really know, and Carrington is certainly a wing.  But Tara has show a willingness to go with small lineups.  The old-fashioned Princeton would rotate 4 of the players interchangeably--so maybe this will work.

We certainly have a lot of depth at the 2-3-4 positions and it will give Tara a lot of options to work with over the next couple of years. And with a HoF coach, it's never a bad thing when you give them plenty of possibilities to tinker with.

[qwerty49]

Jeez I'm really pulling for Wilson.  It's been a tough road for her and she is so talented.

[qwerty49]

Jeez I'm really pulling for Wilson.  It's been a tough road for her and she is so talented.

[BobK]

We couldn’t even inbound when Ohio State pressed.  First time 5 second call.  Then finally a time out said my friend too late Tara said another.    Trouble second time then ok after that but made us fans nervous.  We were hestitate for sure

[BobK]

We couldn’t even inbound when Ohio State pressed.  First time 5 second call.  Then finally a time out said my friend too late Tara said another.    Trouble second time then ok after that but made us fans nervous.  We were hestitate for sure

[TheFarm07]

Carrington really does seem like the second coming of McPhee in terms of streaky shooting. It seems like she either takes over a game or kind of disappears, very similarly to McPhee. Many of McPhee's best games have come when the rest of the team is off and she just wills herself to keep us in it, and Carrington very much played that role against UConn and Kent State. My lingering question is how to use them at the same time. OTOH, when McPhee graduates we know exactly who will take over her position.

I think to get to the next level, Brit and DiJonai must recognize that they need to draw more fouls if they can, possibly by driving more when their shot was off. I remember looking at the stat lines for players like Odyssey Sims or Skylar Diggins when they were still playing collegiate ball. They may not always shoot a high percentage, but even when they have a 4/14 night or something to that effect, they often go to the FT line 10 or 12 times as well. So they still consistently score 15-20 points every game even if they have a poor shooting night.

[TheFarm07]

Carrington really does seem like the second coming of McPhee in terms of streaky shooting. It seems like she either takes over a game or kind of disappears, very similarly to McPhee. Many of McPhee's best games have come when the rest of the team is off and she just wills herself to keep us in it, and Carrington very much played that role against UConn and Kent State. My lingering question is how to use them at the same time. OTOH, when McPhee graduates we know exactly who will take over her position.

I think to get to the next level, Brit and DiJonai must recognize that they need to draw more fouls if they can, possibly by driving more when their shot was off. I remember looking at the stat lines for players like Odyssey Sims or Skylar Diggins when they were still playing collegiate ball. They may not always shoot a high percentage, but even when they have a 4/14 night or something to that effect, they often go to the FT line 10 or 12 times as well. So they still consistently score 15-20 points every game even if they have a poor shooting night.

[martyup]

[quote author=martyup link=topic=18122.msg214890#msg214890 date=1511675934]
OT.  76-76 at end of regulation

Nice to see you here. Got any gifs for WBB?  8)
[/quote]

[martyup]

[quote author=martyup link=topic=18122.msg214890#msg214890 date=1511675934]
OT.  76-76 at end of regulation

Nice to see you here. Got any gifs for WBB?  8)
[/quote]

[qwerty49]

[quote author=2006alum link=topic=18122.msg214944#msg214944 date=1511691661]
Carrington really does seem like the second coming of McPhee in terms of streaky shooting. It seems like she either takes over a game or kind of disappears, very similarly to McPhee. Many of McPhee's best games have come when the rest of the team is off and she just wills herself to keep us in it, and Carrington very much played that role against UConn and Kent State. My lingering question is how to use them at the same time. OTOH, when McPhee graduates we know exactly who will take over her position.

I think to get to the next level, Brit and DiJonai must recognize that they need to draw more fouls if they can, possibly by driving more when their shot was off. I remember looking at the stat lines for players like Odyssey Sims or Skylar Diggins when they were still playing collegiate ball. They may not always shoot a high percentage, but even when they have a 4/14 night or something to that effect, they often go to the FT line 10 or 12 times as well. So they still consistently score 15-20 points every game even if they have a poor shooting night.
[/quote]

I think that’s an excellent observation. And it’s also true that McPhee and Carrington are the only two players on the team who are equipped to drive the lane.

If Alanna ever developed that move from the high post, she would be unstoppable.

[qwerty49]

[quote author=2006alum link=topic=18122.msg214944#msg214944 date=1511691661]
Carrington really does seem like the second coming of McPhee in terms of streaky shooting. It seems like she either takes over a game or kind of disappears, very similarly to McPhee. Many of McPhee's best games have come when the rest of the team is off and she just wills herself to keep us in it, and Carrington very much played that role against UConn and Kent State. My lingering question is how to use them at the same time. OTOH, when McPhee graduates we know exactly who will take over her position.

I think to get to the next level, Brit and DiJonai must recognize that they need to draw more fouls if they can, possibly by driving more when their shot was off. I remember looking at the stat lines for players like Odyssey Sims or Skylar Diggins when they were still playing collegiate ball. They may not always shoot a high percentage, but even when they have a 4/14 night or something to that effect, they often go to the FT line 10 or 12 times as well. So they still consistently score 15-20 points every game even if they have a poor shooting night.
[/quote]

I think that’s an excellent observation. And it’s also true that McPhee and Carrington are the only two players on the team who are equipped to drive the lane.

If Alanna ever developed that move from the high post, she would be unstoppable.

[BobK]

Smith has done great driving moves from the high post my good friend  :)

[BobK]

Smith has done great driving moves from the high post my good friend  :)

[qwerty49]

The first move is always good but she's had difficulty finishing with the left hand, at least in the two games I saw on TV.

[qwerty49]

The first move is always good but she's had difficulty finishing with the left hand, at least in the two games I saw on TV.

[BobK]

At the Ohio state Gabe a friend asks is Alanna left handed?  I said no.  After her 5th or 6th basket with her left my friend says no she must be left handed. 

She is great with her left 😳😎

[BobK]

At the Ohio state Gabe a friend asks is Alanna left handed?  I said no.  After her 5th or 6th basket with her left my friend says no she must be left handed. 

She is great with her left 😳😎

[81alum]

Alanna was right handed but broke her right wrist in 7th grade.  Rather than waiting for it to heal, she taught herself to play left handed and has been ambidextrous ever since. 

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/arti...870266.php

I think she drives pretty well, as is evident on her fast breaks. 

In the pantheon of Stanford greats, I would say she is performing at a higher level than Ruef and Tinkle at their best.  If she has a few more games like the last one, we will have to start talking about her in the company of Appel and Brooke Smith and the Ogwumikes.  Even they had "off" games along the way.  Jayne averaged 14.5 ppg for her career, Brooke 14.8, Nneka 17.2, and Chiney 19.2.  This year Alanna is averaging 15.1.  We will see if she can keep it up and be consistent for the whole season.

[81alum]

Alanna was right handed but broke her right wrist in 7th grade.  Rather than waiting for it to heal, she taught herself to play left handed and has been ambidextrous ever since. 

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/arti...870266.php

I think she drives pretty well, as is evident on her fast breaks. 

In the pantheon of Stanford greats, I would say she is performing at a higher level than Ruef and Tinkle at their best.  If she has a few more games like the last one, we will have to start talking about her in the company of Appel and Brooke Smith and the Ogwumikes.  Even they had "off" games along the way.  Jayne averaged 14.5 ppg for her career, Brooke 14.8, Nneka 17.2, and Chiney 19.2.  This year Alanna is averaging 15.1.  We will see if she can keep it up and be consistent for the whole season.

[mbdude]

hopefully she gets scoring help from more than 1 other so teams can't focus on stopping just her; and take some of the pressure off her

[mbdude]

hopefully she gets scoring help from more than 1 other so teams can't focus on stopping just her; and take some of the pressure off her

[chimera]

Some late observations because I was at the games and did not get home until today.  I thought the key point in the Ohio State game was when they started pressing and we struggled with it, Tara did not call a time out soon enough.  We had a nice little lead but it evaporated at that time.  Then we could not even inbound the ball and turned it over.  THEN Tara calls time out.  So why not use it to avoid the 5 second call and save the possession?  I thought we needed settling down but it happened too late, after we let them get ahead.  Anna Wilson had some shooting game.  She can't do that all the time, nobody could, but maybe she can play some as a shooting guard and really help spread the floor.  Overall I thought the team improved quite a bit over just the past week or so, great to see.  If McPhee comes back soon, she should find herself on a much better offensive team. 

It was fun watching teams like Belmont play well too.  They took third I believe.  Gonzaga has some injuries and did not look that great compared to previous seasons.

[chimera]

Some late observations because I was at the games and did not get home until today.  I thought the key point in the Ohio State game was when they started pressing and we struggled with it, Tara did not call a time out soon enough.  We had a nice little lead but it evaporated at that time.  Then we could not even inbound the ball and turned it over.  THEN Tara calls time out.  So why not use it to avoid the 5 second call and save the possession?  I thought we needed settling down but it happened too late, after we let them get ahead.  Anna Wilson had some shooting game.  She can't do that all the time, nobody could, but maybe she can play some as a shooting guard and really help spread the floor.  Overall I thought the team improved quite a bit over just the past week or so, great to see.  If McPhee comes back soon, she should find herself on a much better offensive team. 

It was fun watching teams like Belmont play well too.  They took third I believe.  Gonzaga has some injuries and did not look that great compared to previous seasons.