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WBB: Two good wins compared with our two losses - Printable Version

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Re: WBB: Two good wins compared with our two losses - Class_of_75 - 01-18-2013

Looks like Sara James will get more playing time.

http://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/Stanford-s-VanDerveer-tweaking-lineup-4204315.php

Re: WBB: Two good wins compared with our two losses - M T - 01-18-2013

WAcard, FYI, Sara rolled her ankle in the first half.  If you recorded the game, you can see it at 13:26 in the first.  At Maples, I saw her testing it during the first half.  She did come back in at 7:26 in the first for 1:45, and then again in the last minute of the game.  I presume the ankle was still bothering her.

As for her performance in the games you mentioned, Sara only played 1:38 total and got 2 points (but of course I wouldn't claim that she would score 48 points in a full 40-min game) at the ends of two of the games.  That doesn't reflect upon her skill directly, but does reflect Tara's apparent opinion of whether she would contribute to the team.

From what Tara said after the last game, and from what is in the UCLA game notes,  I believe Sara will get more time.  I've seen no indication who might get less time.  In any case, Sara is just one player and if she improves the play at one spot, I think there are 3 other spots that could also be improved. [Update: The SFGate article just posted by Class_of_75 indicates 5'10" Sara may start at small forward.  It also indicates Jasmine will relieve Amber more and that Jos has an ankle problem.]

Tonight's game is aired on the PAC-12 channel.  If you can record it, I suggest that you take, say 15:00 to 10:00 in the first half, watch each player during those 5 minutes and note whether at every second they are actively & effectively involved in the offense (getting in position, setting a pick, blocking out, etc. vs standing around where they can't get a pass, standing too close to another offensive player, watching the ball in the air, etc.) when they don't have the ball in their hand, and whether they are where they should/need to be on defense.  I'd really like to know if others see what I've been seeing.

I'm hoping Stanford can get back to winning a game comfortably.  Apparently UCLA is not an easy opponent.  Even if Stanford wins but it is a tough game, I'm afraid it will show we're in for a long season with a possible early ending.  On the other hand, if Stanford can bounce back and have a strong showing, then it may show they can correct the problems.


Re: WBB: Two good wins compared with our two losses - 81alum - 01-18-2013

Quote:"We've been in worse situations than this for sure," VanDerveer said. "We've been 0-2 at the start of the (conference season). We just have to figure out how people can help us. How can Mikaela Ruef help us? How can Tess Picknell help us? How can we play people? They're not Nneka (Ogwumike), no one is. It's a puzzle that we're just working on and working on."
Sounds like Tara is open to playing Tess more, too.  And it was thought at the beginning of the year that Tess would need a few months practice in the system to be ready by the begining of conference play.  Now is the time.

UCLA is a tough team.  USC is too.  They took Cal to overtime at Haas yesterday and led Cal for most of the game.  Without being too melodramatic, I think this weekend is the make-or-break weekend for the season.  If the team bounces back and shows enough resiliance to beat two very good teams after our disappointing loss, then we will be back on track and have a somewhat easier stretch as we prepare for March.  If we drop another game or two this weekend, then I think we can call it a rebuilding year as we wait for our outstanding crop of frosh and redshirts to come in next year.

Re: WBB: Two good wins compared with our two losses - M T - 01-18-2013

The USC team was pretty tough against C.al.  I'm going to try to watch it later to see what they did that was effective. I only caught the last 5 minutes + OT.  Even with a "neutral" game,  it seemed the officials & announcers were working in the favor of C.al.  So Sunday's game is likely to be tough as well.

From what I've seen of Tess and what Tara said after the last game (something to the effect that Tess has a long way to go, and it is a big adjustment from HS to college BB), I still don't see Tess playing too much.

It would be unthinkable if Stanford were to lose both games this weekend.  But if they did, I don't think I'd call the season over.  C.al has barely won their games against Utah, Colorado, and now USC.  They don't seem to be dominating the other teams.  Possibly, C.al will run the table from now on, but they could still lose a game or two when they see the teams the second time.

It is still possible that Stanford will have sole possession of 1st place in the conference after the weekend.  Should that come to be, the world will seem a lot brighter.  Stanford can make sure they are at least tied for 1st.


I'm not surprised at how tough USC is playing.  I do thing USC will be a top tier team soon.  No doubt about it, the PAC-12 WBB has some of the most successful coaches in the country:
Stanford:  Tara VanDerveer  870+ wins, 2 NCAA championships, 1 Olympic championship
USC: Michael Cooper, 2 WNBA championships
Oregon: Paul Westhead, 1 WNBA championship, 1 NBA championship.  I once tried to figure out whether he had more career wins than Tara but I couldn't figure out how many wins he had in a pro league in Japan.
[I believe those are accurate descriptions, but don't quote me!]