[old spanish trail]

Thanks 81 for starting this thread about next season.



I know we won't definitely fall off a cliff, but with the Hull twins and Wilson leaving, I am concerned whether our team's defense will take a step back. Though Jones & Brink got the awards and accolades the last couple years, those three were a significant part of why we won so many games.



They did all the little things that often times don't show up in the box score, especially on the defensive end. They made life miserable for our opponent's best guards and wings.



Didn't Maryland's Brenda Frese call Wilson a "defensive pest" or something to that effect when their best three point shooter Benzan was held without one the entire game in the Sweet 16? I took pride in our team's defensive reputation and effort whenever I hear those types of comments.



In these big games, I often worry more about our offense than our defense (which unfortunately was very true with last night's game), because I was confident that while we had Brink and Belibi anchoring the post, the Hull twins and Wilson would be patrolling the perimeter and making life hard for an opponent's backcourt.



I hope that the returning and incoming players will take a page out of their books and carry on that defensive legacy they leave behind.

Farm, of course you are right--we were the fourth best defense in the nation this year and it was largely due to those three guards.  They were elite defensive guards but only 1 of them was an elite offensive guard.



Emma-Nnopu can be an elite defensive guard, but I don't think we know enough about her offense to know how she will do there.  I think she can be as good as Lacie on the defensive end.  So that is part of how we replace them.



If JVG gets the nod as starting point guard in the Wilson slot then I think we will be getting better offense but losing some defense.  



Lexie I think gets replaced by a big, by playing more 3-big sets with Jones/Demetre at the 3.  That will take advantage of our size and athleticism among the 4/5s.



It is going to look quite different from this year's team, and it probably will be weaker on defense.  Although even that is not certain.  We might not have the guards to keep opposing players from breaking to the rim, but with 6'7" Betts joining Brink we could become a deeper and more comprehensive shot blocking team.  Meanwhile, on offense we went through much of this year with 2 players on the court who rarely scored double digits, and 1 other who went hot and cold on offense.  When Lexie was hot, we had blowout wins, when she was cold, we either eeked out wins or lost.  There were games when Lacie and Wilson seemed to break out and score double digits--but those were rare and inconsistent so that production was never sustained.  That can change and our 3 headed hydra could become a 4 headed or 5 headed one.



Question:  With Brink established and the #1 post coming in, is it time to bring back the Triangle?  We implemented the motion offense for Amber/Lili in a year when we had to emphasize guard play.  Seems the time might be right to migrate back to the offense from the old Appel/Nneka/Chiney days.  "Positionless basketball" might fit Jones very well, but if our 6'7" freshman is all she is cracked up to be, it would seem appropriate to create a system designed to feed Brink and Betts the ball down low as often as possible.

Good post. Jana is going to shoot lights out when we play teams without two quick guards. At 5'7" she will struggle against taller guards who are also quick. Witness Anna at 5'9", who was an excellent D player couldn't stay on the court vs taller guards who could both shoot and guard. Hoping that Nijar, 5'11" and listed as a combo guard, can be just that. Score as a shooting guard and step in at pg when necessary. I think Lepolo, a pure pg, will give Jana a contest in running the team, but I don't think she's near the shooter that Jana is.

Demetre plays best at the Hayley position so she probably won't see alot of time again next year. She could play the 2 if opponent doesn't have quick guard. Nnopu is indeed an excellent defensive player. Look for her to continue to practice 3's and jumpers. Hayley will also be shooting alot of 3's in practice.

Nobody can equal our depth at the 3, 4 and 5, even more so as Betts conditions with the team. Fwiw, when watching videos, I wondered if her feet hurt.

[old spanish trail]

Thanks 81 for starting this thread about next season.



I know we won't definitely fall off a cliff, but with the Hull twins and Wilson leaving, I am concerned whether our team's defense will take a step back. Though Jones & Brink got the awards and accolades the last couple years, those three were a significant part of why we won so many games.



They did all the little things that often times don't show up in the box score, especially on the defensive end. They made life miserable for our opponent's best guards and wings.



Didn't Maryland's Brenda Frese call Wilson a "defensive pest" or something to that effect when their best three point shooter Benzan was held without one the entire game in the Sweet 16? I took pride in our team's defensive reputation and effort whenever I hear those types of comments.



In these big games, I often worry more about our offense than our defense (which unfortunately was very true with last night's game), because I was confident that while we had Brink and Belibi anchoring the post, the Hull twins and Wilson would be patrolling the perimeter and making life hard for an opponent's backcourt.



I hope that the returning and incoming players will take a page out of their books and carry on that defensive legacy they leave behind.

Farm, of course you are right--we were the fourth best defense in the nation this year and it was largely due to those three guards.  They were elite defensive guards but only 1 of them was an elite offensive guard.



Emma-Nnopu can be an elite defensive guard, but I don't think we know enough about her offense to know how she will do there.  I think she can be as good as Lacie on the defensive end.  So that is part of how we replace them.



If JVG gets the nod as starting point guard in the Wilson slot then I think we will be getting better offense but losing some defense.  



Lexie I think gets replaced by a big, by playing more 3-big sets with Jones/Demetre at the 3.  That will take advantage of our size and athleticism among the 4/5s.



It is going to look quite different from this year's team, and it probably will be weaker on defense.  Although even that is not certain.  We might not have the guards to keep opposing players from breaking to the rim, but with 6'7" Betts joining Brink we could become a deeper and more comprehensive shot blocking team.  Meanwhile, on offense we went through much of this year with 2 players on the court who rarely scored double digits, and 1 other who went hot and cold on offense.  When Lexie was hot, we had blowout wins, when she was cold, we either eeked out wins or lost.  There were games when Lacie and Wilson seemed to break out and score double digits--but those were rare and inconsistent so that production was never sustained.  That can change and our 3 headed hydra could become a 4 headed or 5 headed one.



Question:  With Brink established and the #1 post coming in, is it time to bring back the Triangle?  We implemented the motion offense for Amber/Lili in a year when we had to emphasize guard play.  Seems the time might be right to migrate back to the offense from the old Appel/Nneka/Chiney days.  "Positionless basketball" might fit Jones very well, but if our 6'7" freshman is all she is cracked up to be, it would seem appropriate to create a system designed to feed Brink and Betts the ball down low as often as possible.

Good post. Jana is going to shoot lights out when we play teams without two quick guards. At 5'7" she will struggle against taller guards who are also quick. Witness Anna at 5'9", who was an excellent D player couldn't stay on the court vs taller guards who could both shoot and guard. Hoping that Nijar, 5'11" and listed as a combo guard, can be just that. Score as a shooting guard and step in at pg when necessary. I think Lepolo, a pure pg, will give Jana a contest in running the team, but I don't think she's near the shooter that Jana is.

Demetre plays best at the Hayley position so she probably won't see alot of time again next year. She could play the 2 if opponent doesn't have quick guard. Nnopu is indeed an excellent defensive player. Look for her to continue to practice 3's and jumpers. Hayley will also be shooting alot of 3's in practice.

Nobody can equal our depth at the 3, 4 and 5, even more so as Betts conditions with the team. Fwiw, when watching videos, I wondered if her feet hurt.