[Jskass]

Saw both games today.

First featured Shannon Coffee and Marta Sniezek (please excuse any spelling errors). Shannon got more aggressive in second half both with shots and rebounds. Unusual big in that she has soft hands and an outside shot. Didn't always make it down the court quickly - the contrast to Kaylee Johnson later which was very apparent. Marta Sniezek is sneaky fast - doesn't look it but gets there fast, and I mean to the rim. Aggressive and fearless in the Kokenis-Thompson mold. Fun to watch.

Next game featured Kaylee Johnson and Brittany McPhee vs. Tess Picknell and Alexa Romano. Kaylee looking better on offensive along with her usual rebounding and shot blocking. Got into foul trouble mainly because of 2 unnecessary fouls followed by a bad call on a beautiful block. But she's added some moves (some of which came at Tess' expense). Brittany McPhee looked very good - aggressive to the basket but also had some very nice 3 point shots. Her balance is wonderful -- even knows how to fall cleanly after getting hit. She looks like a sure starter.

Tess had a rough first half and looked very tentative (especially since she matched up against Kaylee) but surer on rebounds and shooting the 2nd (okay, third and fourth quarters). Alexa Romano seems quick and made some good defensive plays, but didn't have much opportunity to create offensively. I should add that the team she and Tess played for had twice as many players as Kaylee/Brittany's so there was little play time for most players.

[Jskass]

Saw both games today.

First featured Shannon Coffee and Marta Sniezek (please excuse any spelling errors). Shannon got more aggressive in second half both with shots and rebounds. Unusual big in that she has soft hands and an outside shot. Didn't always make it down the court quickly - the contrast to Kaylee Johnson later which was very apparent. Marta Sniezek is sneaky fast - doesn't look it but gets there fast, and I mean to the rim. Aggressive and fearless in the Kokenis-Thompson mold. Fun to watch.

Next game featured Kaylee Johnson and Brittany McPhee vs. Tess Picknell and Alexa Romano. Kaylee looking better on offensive along with her usual rebounding and shot blocking. Got into foul trouble mainly because of 2 unnecessary fouls followed by a bad call on a beautiful block. But she's added some moves (some of which came at Tess' expense). Brittany McPhee looked very good - aggressive to the basket but also had some very nice 3 point shots. Her balance is wonderful -- even knows how to fall cleanly after getting hit. She looks like a sure starter.

Tess had a rough first half and looked very tentative (especially since she matched up against Kaylee) but surer on rebounds and shooting the 2nd (okay, third and fourth quarters). Alexa Romano seems quick and made some good defensive plays, but didn't have much opportunity to create offensively. I should add that the team she and Tess played for had twice as many players as Kaylee/Brittany's so there was little play time for most players.

[TheFarm07]

Thanks for the recap.  That's very promising news for the upcoming season if the game's results carry over to a few months from now.  With Amber's departure, we'll need Sniezek to give us depth behind Lili and Roberson.  Hopefully Kaylee's and Erica's experiences this summer have given them some more offensive prowess to will give our frontcourt some more offensive oomph this season and if McPhee has developed this well, our 3 will be very dangerous with her and Karlie's 3-point shooting.

:)

[TheFarm07]

Thanks for the recap.  That's very promising news for the upcoming season if the game's results carry over to a few months from now.  With Amber's departure, we'll need Sniezek to give us depth behind Lili and Roberson.  Hopefully Kaylee's and Erica's experiences this summer have given them some more offensive prowess to will give our frontcourt some more offensive oomph this season and if McPhee has developed this well, our 3 will be very dangerous with her and Karlie's 3-point shooting.

:)

[BobK]

Ah great to hear. Thanks

[BobK]

Ah great to hear. Thanks

[BobK]

I understand McPhee scored 37 and Coffee 28

[BobK]

I understand McPhee scored 37 and Coffee 28

[CompSci87]

Thanks for the report. I'm hoping to attend next week.

[CompSci87]

Thanks for the report. I'm hoping to attend next week.

[BobK]

I'll be in Oregon for the End of Trail tourney with 220 Girls Travel Teams.    The teams are this year sadly only from the Rockies west and will not have the team that Carrington and West are on. 


If anyoe I should see let me know. 


Tourney starts Sunday. 

[BobK]

I'll be in Oregon for the End of Trail tourney with 220 Girls Travel Teams.    The teams are this year sadly only from the Rockies west and will not have the team that Carrington and West are on. 


If anyoe I should see let me know. 


Tourney starts Sunday. 

[81alum]

Thank you for the analysis!  It makes me wonder if Tara will find a way to play Karlie and Brittany at the same time.  It also gives me some hope that Coffee may turn out to be another brilliant Tara discovery.  I am a bit wary, though.  Last year didn't McCall absolutely shine in this league?  And of course we discovered that the regular season was an entirely different beast and there seemed to be little carry-over.  Or rather, this league seems to show potential much like high school play does, but to realize the potential requires an adjustment to the college game that this league seems not to measure.

So good to hear that Kaylee has some more offensive moves.

[81alum]

Thank you for the analysis!  It makes me wonder if Tara will find a way to play Karlie and Brittany at the same time.  It also gives me some hope that Coffee may turn out to be another brilliant Tara discovery.  I am a bit wary, though.  Last year didn't McCall absolutely shine in this league?  And of course we discovered that the regular season was an entirely different beast and there seemed to be little carry-over.  Or rather, this league seems to show potential much like high school play does, but to realize the potential requires an adjustment to the college game that this league seems not to measure.

So good to hear that Kaylee has some more offensive moves.

[BobK]

I'm confused.  We sat in Chalk Talks where coaches, Tempie and Kate, said we had few to no plays for the posts.  How were they supposed to look good offensively?      Then we had a few plays late in the season and both McCall and Kaylee made plays.  Depsite that they played 41 minutes per game shot 52% and averaged 11.5 points per game.    Free our Posts!!!!  8) :)

[BobK]

I'm confused.  We sat in Chalk Talks where coaches, Tempie and Kate, said we had few to no plays for the posts.  How were they supposed to look good offensively?      Then we had a few plays late in the season and both McCall and Kaylee made plays.  Depsite that they played 41 minutes per game shot 52% and averaged 11.5 points per game.    Free our Posts!!!!  8) :)

[BobK]

More and even more on the ProAm


http://fbccardinalnews.blogspot.com/2015...shmen.html

[BobK]

More and even more on the ProAm


http://fbccardinalnews.blogspot.com/2015...shmen.html

[81alum]

I'm confused.  We sat in Chalk Talks where coaches, Tempie and Kate, said we had few to no plays for the posts.  How were they supposed to look good offensively?      Then we had a few plays late in the season and both McCall and Kaylee made plays.  Depsite that they played 41 minutes per game shot 52% and averaged 11.5 points per game.    Free our Posts!!!!  8) :)

Bob, the idea that our posts are good offensive posts but that the nature of the offense prevented them from showing it has some merit.  It is true that at the beginning of the season the offense was deliberately channeled through the guards as we buried the old "feed it to Ogwumike inside" triangle offense.  We had to do this to break old habits and learn the new guard oriented offense.  It also was not practical to do too much inside when Bonnie was switched to the stretch 4 position since we would have only a single post inside, who was often mobbed by two or more defenders who were waiting for rebounds.

All that said, neither Erica, nor Kaylee, nor Kailee had good back-to-the-basket moves when the season began.  We asked Tempie about that at a Chalk Talk and she reminded us that Chiney had only one move as a frosh, too, and that she expanded her offensive moves considerably as she moved from frosh to sophomore to junior season.  But she acknowledged the problem and said they were working on the bigs to expand the number of moves. 

Early in the year McCall and Kaylee seemed to score only after getting feeds that allowed her to face up, or on offensive put-backs.  They did not seem to be able to face the entrance pass and then drop step or otherwise move around a defender to the rim successfully.  Kaylee also seemed to get the ball immediately under the basket quite a few times--often because of her amazing rebounding prowess-- but she did not have a move that allowed her to step out and around for a layup.  Otherwise she would have converted many more of those O boards she got.

At the end of the season I saw more plays designed to feed the ball to the posts--mainly because the roll part of the pick and roll began to work a bit more--when it was a complete failure for the first half of the season.  But I don't remember any deliberate entrance passes to set up a back-to-the-basket move, which was of course the bread and butter play of the triangle when the Ogwumikes were featured.  However, by the end of the season, I saw both Kaylee and Bird attempt and sometimes execute a few dropstep moves.  So there were the first glimmerings of progress.

Something else that Bird could accomplish over the summer that would be very useful--she needs to dramatically improve her free throw shooting, and if she could develop the 8-10 foot jumper that she sometimes executed last season, that would do her a world of good. 51% free throw shooting is just not going to get it done. 

Kaylee was 55% on free throws, also not where it should be.  Karlie, by the way, was shockingly 14/29 on free throws for the season.  You just don't expect that from such an accomplished sharp shooter, even if the comparison with her sister's 91% is perhaps unfair.  I have to believe it was related to injury.

[81alum]

I'm confused.  We sat in Chalk Talks where coaches, Tempie and Kate, said we had few to no plays for the posts.  How were they supposed to look good offensively?      Then we had a few plays late in the season and both McCall and Kaylee made plays.  Depsite that they played 41 minutes per game shot 52% and averaged 11.5 points per game.    Free our Posts!!!!  8) :)

Bob, the idea that our posts are good offensive posts but that the nature of the offense prevented them from showing it has some merit.  It is true that at the beginning of the season the offense was deliberately channeled through the guards as we buried the old "feed it to Ogwumike inside" triangle offense.  We had to do this to break old habits and learn the new guard oriented offense.  It also was not practical to do too much inside when Bonnie was switched to the stretch 4 position since we would have only a single post inside, who was often mobbed by two or more defenders who were waiting for rebounds.

All that said, neither Erica, nor Kaylee, nor Kailee had good back-to-the-basket moves when the season began.  We asked Tempie about that at a Chalk Talk and she reminded us that Chiney had only one move as a frosh, too, and that she expanded her offensive moves considerably as she moved from frosh to sophomore to junior season.  But she acknowledged the problem and said they were working on the bigs to expand the number of moves. 

Early in the year McCall and Kaylee seemed to score only after getting feeds that allowed her to face up, or on offensive put-backs.  They did not seem to be able to face the entrance pass and then drop step or otherwise move around a defender to the rim successfully.  Kaylee also seemed to get the ball immediately under the basket quite a few times--often because of her amazing rebounding prowess-- but she did not have a move that allowed her to step out and around for a layup.  Otherwise she would have converted many more of those O boards she got.

At the end of the season I saw more plays designed to feed the ball to the posts--mainly because the roll part of the pick and roll began to work a bit more--when it was a complete failure for the first half of the season.  But I don't remember any deliberate entrance passes to set up a back-to-the-basket move, which was of course the bread and butter play of the triangle when the Ogwumikes were featured.  However, by the end of the season, I saw both Kaylee and Bird attempt and sometimes execute a few dropstep moves.  So there were the first glimmerings of progress.

Something else that Bird could accomplish over the summer that would be very useful--she needs to dramatically improve her free throw shooting, and if she could develop the 8-10 foot jumper that she sometimes executed last season, that would do her a world of good. 51% free throw shooting is just not going to get it done. 

Kaylee was 55% on free throws, also not where it should be.  Karlie, by the way, was shockingly 14/29 on free throws for the season.  You just don't expect that from such an accomplished sharp shooter, even if the comparison with her sister's 91% is perhaps unfair.  I have to believe it was related to injury.