11-26-2021, 05:53 PM
I only looked at stats, did not see the game, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Gotta agree with those who say the subbing is not helping the team. Having a deep roster doesn't mean Belibi plays well and decent minutes one game then two minutes the next, for example. Players need a little (or a lot) more consistent minutes, not this 18 minutes one game, barely play the next, not for players who have experience and even if they make an early mistake, can correct that if not yanked. Not good for Iriafen to have two games in a row where she plays a minute and pulled. That will not help her grow her game or confidence. Rebounding was poor, so maybe give Iriafen more of a shot? If Jones is ill or dinged up or has some other issue that if affecting her play, cut her minutes more or let her sit and recuperate. She is vital. Let her heal if that needs to happen. I am glad Demetre got some playing time. She has done well when given the chance, even if she did make a late mistake that hurt.
Heck I don't want to try to figure out this game, except to say that this scheduling for the week is a killer. Do we lose to USF like this if not 9 AM game on the east coast in the middle of three top 25 games in three games where the opponents do not have three in three? Kinda think not. It is not growth if you play games like this where the rotation is a mess, the players are tired, and they know they have to do it all again tomorrow. We have two brutal east coast trips this year. One is enough, thanks. We are not going to beat So Car without playing a whole lot better, and even a whole lot better may not do it.
Looking at a few factors like the odd rotation choices of the coaches, the FT shooting woes, all the stuff we talk about here, I think the team, coaches and players alike, are still a little hangover from last season, if that makes sense. Nobody seems mentally sharp right now. Poor FT shooting is mental. I think missing Williams is important but not because Lacie is doing a poor job. She is doing ok. The problem is more that we are missing Williams' leadership and scoring. We are not a good offensive team, or not nearly as good as we could be, because the line-up choices have a hitch to them. Can't get scoring from the perimeter with the experienced players enough to offset the loss of Williams.
Lacie is not a big scorer, has not been and will not be. That is ok, if she fills in well at the point. As we have noted previously, we can't play her and Wilson too much together because we basically have no guard scoring. Add in that Lexie has never been that efficient as a scorer (she is shooting in the lowish 30's this season and did last year too) or consistent, and you have trouble. I love the Hulls. They play smart and hustle like mad. However, I don't think they have another gear. They are already maxed out in effort and intensity. They are what they are. Our guards and wings if they are mostly Lacie, Lexie, and Anna Wilson, are great at "the little things" but not great enough at one big thing- scoring, which means consistency and efficiency. Last year, we had Williams shooting threes and scoring 14+ a game, which allowed the other guards as a group to do other things like be defensive stoppers. We lost that 14 points and nobody is picking up the slack from the perimeter. Even with all the offensive issues, defense has not been super great thus far either.
I think the team has so far not really been able to gel, and the schedule is hurting rather than helping them. I don't buy that this prepares them for the P-12 tournament. By then everything will be different. Rotation will be much more locked in, roles defined, etc. Now it just wears them out. The losses will stick. Nobody is going to give them a break and say well they were playing such a tough schedule. They will seed the team with the 12-0 or 11-2 non-conference record ahead of Stanford if we lose more, which given we play MD, at So Car, and at TN, we may well. Seeding does matter. Worse seed = harder NCAA opponents = more chance to lose and also more wear and tear even if you do advance.
This may all turn around. It is still early. Or this could be a sort of lost year, where the team just doesn't quite have it, especially faced with a brutal non-conference load and a very tough conference. The FTs keep getting to me as do the slow starts. They are a sign. I have never seen a Stanford team shoot FTs like that, certainly not for three games in a row. Something is off mentally. Shoot FTs and this game was a W. To be blunt, I don't think a team that plays a lot with the line-ups we've been using is all that great. Would surely help a lot if Jones gets back to herself, but even still, guard scoring needs to improve a lot. When a team shuts ya down you need your guards to make things happen.
All that said, I intend to enjoy the season. I want to see how they regroup for tomorrow and for the rest of the non-conference games. I want to see how the frosh develop. I want to see how the team improves and hopefully makes everything I wrote above irrelevant, if not downright silly (please, make me look silly!). I want to see the coaches figure out how to get all the young talent into games better than is happening now so in a couple of months they are confident and contributing more. I want to see Van Gytenbeek play. She played more last year even with Williams taking so many minutes. What's up with her????? I want to see what Harriel can do. She hasn't played a lick yet. I am enjoying Brink playing well but we can't put so much on her as we have the last two games. I want to see a healthy and happy Haley Jones back and hitting those crazy spinning shots. I want to see players like Belibi, who have played mostly well, in a more settled rotation.
Ah, I give up. I don't understand this season. I am lost, like maybe the team is a little bit.
Heck I don't want to try to figure out this game, except to say that this scheduling for the week is a killer. Do we lose to USF like this if not 9 AM game on the east coast in the middle of three top 25 games in three games where the opponents do not have three in three? Kinda think not. It is not growth if you play games like this where the rotation is a mess, the players are tired, and they know they have to do it all again tomorrow. We have two brutal east coast trips this year. One is enough, thanks. We are not going to beat So Car without playing a whole lot better, and even a whole lot better may not do it.
Looking at a few factors like the odd rotation choices of the coaches, the FT shooting woes, all the stuff we talk about here, I think the team, coaches and players alike, are still a little hangover from last season, if that makes sense. Nobody seems mentally sharp right now. Poor FT shooting is mental. I think missing Williams is important but not because Lacie is doing a poor job. She is doing ok. The problem is more that we are missing Williams' leadership and scoring. We are not a good offensive team, or not nearly as good as we could be, because the line-up choices have a hitch to them. Can't get scoring from the perimeter with the experienced players enough to offset the loss of Williams.
Lacie is not a big scorer, has not been and will not be. That is ok, if she fills in well at the point. As we have noted previously, we can't play her and Wilson too much together because we basically have no guard scoring. Add in that Lexie has never been that efficient as a scorer (she is shooting in the lowish 30's this season and did last year too) or consistent, and you have trouble. I love the Hulls. They play smart and hustle like mad. However, I don't think they have another gear. They are already maxed out in effort and intensity. They are what they are. Our guards and wings if they are mostly Lacie, Lexie, and Anna Wilson, are great at "the little things" but not great enough at one big thing- scoring, which means consistency and efficiency. Last year, we had Williams shooting threes and scoring 14+ a game, which allowed the other guards as a group to do other things like be defensive stoppers. We lost that 14 points and nobody is picking up the slack from the perimeter. Even with all the offensive issues, defense has not been super great thus far either.
I think the team has so far not really been able to gel, and the schedule is hurting rather than helping them. I don't buy that this prepares them for the P-12 tournament. By then everything will be different. Rotation will be much more locked in, roles defined, etc. Now it just wears them out. The losses will stick. Nobody is going to give them a break and say well they were playing such a tough schedule. They will seed the team with the 12-0 or 11-2 non-conference record ahead of Stanford if we lose more, which given we play MD, at So Car, and at TN, we may well. Seeding does matter. Worse seed = harder NCAA opponents = more chance to lose and also more wear and tear even if you do advance.
This may all turn around. It is still early. Or this could be a sort of lost year, where the team just doesn't quite have it, especially faced with a brutal non-conference load and a very tough conference. The FTs keep getting to me as do the slow starts. They are a sign. I have never seen a Stanford team shoot FTs like that, certainly not for three games in a row. Something is off mentally. Shoot FTs and this game was a W. To be blunt, I don't think a team that plays a lot with the line-ups we've been using is all that great. Would surely help a lot if Jones gets back to herself, but even still, guard scoring needs to improve a lot. When a team shuts ya down you need your guards to make things happen.
All that said, I intend to enjoy the season. I want to see how they regroup for tomorrow and for the rest of the non-conference games. I want to see how the frosh develop. I want to see how the team improves and hopefully makes everything I wrote above irrelevant, if not downright silly (please, make me look silly!). I want to see the coaches figure out how to get all the young talent into games better than is happening now so in a couple of months they are confident and contributing more. I want to see Van Gytenbeek play. She played more last year even with Williams taking so many minutes. What's up with her????? I want to see what Harriel can do. She hasn't played a lick yet. I am enjoying Brink playing well but we can't put so much on her as we have the last two games. I want to see a healthy and happy Haley Jones back and hitting those crazy spinning shots. I want to see players like Belibi, who have played mostly well, in a more settled rotation.
Ah, I give up. I don't understand this season. I am lost, like maybe the team is a little bit.