[81alum]

A write-up about Hamilton from the Northwestern point-of-view.

https://www.insidenu.com/2021/4/16/22386...n-hamilton

Hamilton was best on defense and very good on steals.  Her three point average was sub-par and she never consistently scored in double digits.  At 3.2 assists per game she was pretty good, but she also had 2.2 turnovers per game which was pretty bad for her minutes played.


Of course, all those stats were amassed in a different system, and may not be relevant to how she will do in this (to her) new system.


For what it is worth, which isn't a great deal:


Hamilton this year has played 15 minutes and has 0 assists and 2 turnovers.


Lacie Hull has played 41 minutes and has 2 assists and 3 turnovers.


Anna Wilson has played 49 minutes and has 2 assists and 4 turnovers.


Haley Jones has played 57 minutes and has 7 assists and 8 turnovers.


The only person on the team with a positive assist/turnover ratio so far is:  Fran Belibi, with 3 assists and 2 turnovers.


In any case, I think under Tara's system that the person who brings the ball up the court does not need to be the person who gets the assists.  Any of the players can get assists in a movement offense if it is working, and Haley appears to be the person who has to have the ball at the end of the shot clock when the offense is stagnant.  She basically said this in answer to my question to her at the zoom event--she said rather than thinking of a "point guard" we need to think of a "play maker."


So we do not need a "point guard" in the classic sense, we need a good ball handler who can bring the ball up the court reliably even when pressed,  and who at least has a credible threat to shoot the three if left unguarded.  Once the half court offense starts we have various people who can get assists, although Jones will be "play maker in chief."  


Most of turnovers against Texas were not while we were trying to bring the ball up the court, but were on errant passes.  And our ball handlers never developed the credible three point threat.  So it is a somewhat different problem than the bad old days of 2010 etc.

[81alum]

A write-up about Hamilton from the Northwestern point-of-view.

https://www.insidenu.com/2021/4/16/22386...n-hamilton

Hamilton was best on defense and very good on steals.  Her three point average was sub-par and she never consistently scored in double digits.  At 3.2 assists per game she was pretty good, but she also had 2.2 turnovers per game which was pretty bad for her minutes played.


Of course, all those stats were amassed in a different system, and may not be relevant to how she will do in this (to her) new system.


For what it is worth, which isn't a great deal:


Hamilton this year has played 15 minutes and has 0 assists and 2 turnovers.


Lacie Hull has played 41 minutes and has 2 assists and 3 turnovers.


Anna Wilson has played 49 minutes and has 2 assists and 4 turnovers.


Haley Jones has played 57 minutes and has 7 assists and 8 turnovers.


The only person on the team with a positive assist/turnover ratio so far is:  Fran Belibi, with 3 assists and 2 turnovers.


In any case, I think under Tara's system that the person who brings the ball up the court does not need to be the person who gets the assists.  Any of the players can get assists in a movement offense if it is working, and Haley appears to be the person who has to have the ball at the end of the shot clock when the offense is stagnant.  She basically said this in answer to my question to her at the zoom event--she said rather than thinking of a "point guard" we need to think of a "play maker."


So we do not need a "point guard" in the classic sense, we need a good ball handler who can bring the ball up the court reliably even when pressed,  and who at least has a credible threat to shoot the three if left unguarded.  Once the half court offense starts we have various people who can get assists, although Jones will be "play maker in chief."  


Most of turnovers against Texas were not while we were trying to bring the ball up the court, but were on errant passes.  And our ball handlers never developed the credible three point threat.  So it is a somewhat different problem than the bad old days of 2010 etc.