[81alum]

Disappointing for the team.

Unfortunately, an accomplished 3-pt shooter (52% over 15 international games on 22 for 42 shooting and 4 for 7 in 2 games for Stanford) sat on the bench the last 2 games.  In order to strengthen the inside game, the team needs more than 1 credible threat from outside to spread the defense.

On the final play, I'm surprised the coaches did not load up on 3pt shooters given they needed a 3 to tie?  They needed more options - I'm pretty sure everyone in the building knew who the ball was going to.

As I said, I thought Brewer should at least have been out there for the last play.

I understand why Brewer hasn't been out there more, though.  Tara has become a defensive-minded coach over the years, and playing good team defense at the college level takes time to learn.  Tara plays frosh less than most other coaches, and then she works them in gradually over the course of the year.  Brewer got 16 minutes in the exhibition and I thought her stroke was good--she went 2/5.  But her defense was seriously flawed--she got completely hung up on screens, having problems either going over or under them, leading to some very awkward switches, or catching up to her man many seconds too late.  She even joked a little about that herself at the behind the bench talk when she was introduced, so I'm pretty sure she knows it is one of those skills she needs to learn to be able to play defense.  If there is one thing I know about Tara, she will never sacrifice defense for more offense.

All that said, none of that would have applied on the last play of the game.  There was no reason she should not have been in on a play which needed a three and in which defense was irrelevant.

That last play was so awful that I have to believe that it was some sort of bizarre play drawn up on the whiteboard during the time out.  I can't believe Alanna would have made that pass on her own, unprompted.  Whatever it was, it was not executed well, but my guess is that that one should be on the coaches and not the players.

[81alum]

Disappointing for the team.

Unfortunately, an accomplished 3-pt shooter (52% over 15 international games on 22 for 42 shooting and 4 for 7 in 2 games for Stanford) sat on the bench the last 2 games.  In order to strengthen the inside game, the team needs more than 1 credible threat from outside to spread the defense.

On the final play, I'm surprised the coaches did not load up on 3pt shooters given they needed a 3 to tie?  They needed more options - I'm pretty sure everyone in the building knew who the ball was going to.

As I said, I thought Brewer should at least have been out there for the last play.

I understand why Brewer hasn't been out there more, though.  Tara has become a defensive-minded coach over the years, and playing good team defense at the college level takes time to learn.  Tara plays frosh less than most other coaches, and then she works them in gradually over the course of the year.  Brewer got 16 minutes in the exhibition and I thought her stroke was good--she went 2/5.  But her defense was seriously flawed--she got completely hung up on screens, having problems either going over or under them, leading to some very awkward switches, or catching up to her man many seconds too late.  She even joked a little about that herself at the behind the bench talk when she was introduced, so I'm pretty sure she knows it is one of those skills she needs to learn to be able to play defense.  If there is one thing I know about Tara, she will never sacrifice defense for more offense.

All that said, none of that would have applied on the last play of the game.  There was no reason she should not have been in on a play which needed a three and in which defense was irrelevant.

That last play was so awful that I have to believe that it was some sort of bizarre play drawn up on the whiteboard during the time out.  I can't believe Alanna would have made that pass on her own, unprompted.  Whatever it was, it was not executed well, but my guess is that that one should be on the coaches and not the players.