[TheFarm07]

[quote author=chimera link=topic=17930.msg211991#msg211991 date=1510418043]
The way too early take from this game for me is feeling excited about the freshmen class and a bit disappointed in the sophs.  May not be fair, but I had hoped to see a lot more from the sophs at this point.

I share this a little bit. For as highly touted as Fingall, Carrington, and Wilson were, they have all basically been non-factors thus far in their careers. This is even more true for Brewer, who hasn't really played at all. Between that and the limited play of Coffee and Romano, our combined 8 sophomore and junior players have only really produced 2 consistently valuable players, Smith and Sniezek. 25% is a pretty low rate of return.

It's early, still, especially for the sophomores, and part of this is the result of a senior class that only has one really significant contributor (McPhee), but it makes me think we may have multiple freshmen starting by the end of the season if something doesn't change. As much as we all loved McCall, Karlie, and Roberson for their teamwork and attitude, I think I, at least, may have underestimated just how critical they were to our success, especially on defense.
[/quote]

I thought Carrington was blocked by Karlie at the #2 last year, so she didn't really get a chance to play and also we had Bri, so sometimes Tara played a 2-guard set and pushed Karlie to the #3, also reducing DiJonai's playing time.

Fingall showed promise when Kaylee was out with an injury during the non-conference schedule last year and put up good numbers, but she took a step back when Johnson returned during conference play and her minutes got reduced. Nadia had some very efficient shooting games early on, but then her offensive prowess receded.

Wilson was dealing with her injuries last year and had that great debut against Yale, but unfortunately her ailments limited her time. I can imagine how difficult it can be struggling with all of that plus adjusting to college as well.

So I am still hopeful that the sophomores will improve once they have more playing time. After UConn, we have two games at home against Riverside and Bakersfield, which we should beat comfortably. Hopefully that will give us confidence and the first game or two in the Vegas tourney against Kent State and the winner of Belmont/Gonzaga, while potentially tough, are not at the level of the Buckeyes or Huskies.

With our juniors, Sniezek and Smith obviously have been our two major contributors. For Coffee, I feel like our tall posts, whether it's her or Tess Picknell or Sarah Boothe before her, never really have a chance to integrate fully into the rotation beyond when we need a presence in the paint to absorb some fouls or relieve our frontcourt starters like the Ogwumikes or McCall.

With our depth at guard the last couple seasons, it was tough for Romano to find significant minutes somewhere too when we had Sniezek and Bri. And with the guards, you need someone who has experience running the offense and making the right decisions, so giving Alexa minutes when a game was still undecided was tough.

[TheFarm07]

[quote author=chimera link=topic=17930.msg211991#msg211991 date=1510418043]
The way too early take from this game for me is feeling excited about the freshmen class and a bit disappointed in the sophs.  May not be fair, but I had hoped to see a lot more from the sophs at this point.

I share this a little bit. For as highly touted as Fingall, Carrington, and Wilson were, they have all basically been non-factors thus far in their careers. This is even more true for Brewer, who hasn't really played at all. Between that and the limited play of Coffee and Romano, our combined 8 sophomore and junior players have only really produced 2 consistently valuable players, Smith and Sniezek. 25% is a pretty low rate of return.

It's early, still, especially for the sophomores, and part of this is the result of a senior class that only has one really significant contributor (McPhee), but it makes me think we may have multiple freshmen starting by the end of the season if something doesn't change. As much as we all loved McCall, Karlie, and Roberson for their teamwork and attitude, I think I, at least, may have underestimated just how critical they were to our success, especially on defense.
[/quote]

I thought Carrington was blocked by Karlie at the #2 last year, so she didn't really get a chance to play and also we had Bri, so sometimes Tara played a 2-guard set and pushed Karlie to the #3, also reducing DiJonai's playing time.

Fingall showed promise when Kaylee was out with an injury during the non-conference schedule last year and put up good numbers, but she took a step back when Johnson returned during conference play and her minutes got reduced. Nadia had some very efficient shooting games early on, but then her offensive prowess receded.

Wilson was dealing with her injuries last year and had that great debut against Yale, but unfortunately her ailments limited her time. I can imagine how difficult it can be struggling with all of that plus adjusting to college as well.

So I am still hopeful that the sophomores will improve once they have more playing time. After UConn, we have two games at home against Riverside and Bakersfield, which we should beat comfortably. Hopefully that will give us confidence and the first game or two in the Vegas tourney against Kent State and the winner of Belmont/Gonzaga, while potentially tough, are not at the level of the Buckeyes or Huskies.

With our juniors, Sniezek and Smith obviously have been our two major contributors. For Coffee, I feel like our tall posts, whether it's her or Tess Picknell or Sarah Boothe before her, never really have a chance to integrate fully into the rotation beyond when we need a presence in the paint to absorb some fouls or relieve our frontcourt starters like the Ogwumikes or McCall.

With our depth at guard the last couple seasons, it was tough for Romano to find significant minutes somewhere too when we had Sniezek and Bri. And with the guards, you need someone who has experience running the offense and making the right decisions, so giving Alexa minutes when a game was still undecided was tough.