Well, it is hard to learn a lot about our team from a game like this, but there were a few interesting bits of information that became clearer.
Chalk Talk
First, at the chalk talk, Kate Paye addressed the crowd. She was as happy and upbeat as I have ever seen her. The good team chemistry seems to be infecting the coaches. I asked about the triangle and she seemed eager to answer. Yes, we are running the triangle now, but not all the time. She reviewed the history of our offenses and noted that we ran the triangle from the days of Brooke to the graduation of Chiney, then we used some continuity offenses and the Princeton for 6 or 7 years. Interestingly, she said last year we tried several offenses and none of them worked. We all knew that, but it was nice to hear it confirmed by a coach.
Paye said the Triangle can be thought of as a "3 around 2" offense, meaning three players out and around two posts. The Princeton, she said, is more of a "4 around 1" offense. She said that when we have both Brink and Iriafen in the game together, we tend to play the triangle, and when we have just one of those two, we tend to play the Princeton.
She also was asked specifically about two of the freshmen. She said Agara came in with a three point shot and had to be encouraged to start driving to the basket instead. Of course, that is where we have seen her shine. But her three point shot will also come along, and Paye said we might even see her playing point guard some day. Note: I seem to recall that she played guard for a long time in high school but grew 4 inches in one year? I think I read something along those lines, which would explain her guard-like moves in that large, tall body.
Paye was also asked about Ogden. She noted that Ogden had had one bad shooting game but they all knew she was an excellent shooter. Apparently Stanford played a closed scrimmage with Saint Mary's earlier this season, and Ogden led with something like 27 points. Paye also praised her defense--the second chalk-talk coach to do so.
Paye also commented on Iriafen's improvement. The strength and conditioning coach apparently said that Iriafen was the strongest female athlete at Stanford. I noticed when she was on the court next to one or two equally tall SLO players that her biceps looked twice the diameter. She really looks strong, and that strength shows with her explosive moves through bodies around the basket.
The Game:
The atmosphere at the game was somewhat improved. It was a shame that the band, cheerleaders, and dollies were all absent for Indiana, but they were all present for this game. Attendance, of course, was much diminished tonight.
As for the performances of players, these are my biggest take-aways:
- Bosgana performed well on offense and defense and has a well rounded stat line to prove it. She has improved indeed.
- Harriel was the biggest surprise of the night. She played 25 minutes, was 4/6 from three point range, and even had 4 rebounds and 3 steals. She looks like a quite capable point guard.
- Iriafen continues on her tear.
- Ogden broke out of her slump.
- Demetre did not really break out of her prolonged slump and this worries me now. However, she continued to rebound extremely well--something she has been fairly consistent with.
- Clardy is human, going 0/6. I think our freshmen are terrific, but most freshmen are a bit inconsistent, and Clardy and Ogden have each had hot and cold spells.
- Agara played quite well and even hit one of those threes.