With regard to future rotations, defense may make more of a difference than offense.
For example, Kiana is our best offensive guard right now. She has been a good defender at times--I remember her blocking the shot of a taller player more than once, but she is not yet a lock-down defender. Is she going to guard Ionescu, or Kennedy Leonard, or Destiny Slocum? Maybe, but there is a chance the match up won't be favorable for her. If not, and if the opponenet has a couple of quick high-threat guards, then the 2 and the 3 will have to be chosen for defense first. Who are our best defenders against quick guards?
My impressions are that Lexie and Lacie are also very good defensively. They have greater length than most guards. Could either of them keep up with a Slocum? I don't know yet--one of the interesting stories to follow this year will be the development and testing of their defense.
How about Jenna? Perhaps--I'm not sure we have really tested her defense yet. She looks to me as if she should develop into a lock down defender--she is compact and athletic and quick and fast. But college level defense doesn't always come easily, no mater how talented the freshman player is. Watching her defense develop will be another interesting story.
Carrington and Sniezek are our best perimeter defending guards, I think, and this may assure Sniezek of considerable playing time once she comes back.
We will be playing Baylor without Sniezek, of course, and the results against Chloe Jackson and Juicy Landrum may teach us a lot. Those are two very experienced (redshirt senior and a junior), quick guards and they will need to be guarded one-on-one, given that everyone else will be concentrating on the twin towers in the middle. Who will be able to do it? Hopefully Williams and Brown and Wilson will bring their defense up a few notches by the time we play Baylor.
For example, Kiana is our best offensive guard right now. She has been a good defender at times--I remember her blocking the shot of a taller player more than once, but she is not yet a lock-down defender. Is she going to guard Ionescu, or Kennedy Leonard, or Destiny Slocum? Maybe, but there is a chance the match up won't be favorable for her. If not, and if the opponenet has a couple of quick high-threat guards, then the 2 and the 3 will have to be chosen for defense first. Who are our best defenders against quick guards?
My impressions are that Lexie and Lacie are also very good defensively. They have greater length than most guards. Could either of them keep up with a Slocum? I don't know yet--one of the interesting stories to follow this year will be the development and testing of their defense.
How about Jenna? Perhaps--I'm not sure we have really tested her defense yet. She looks to me as if she should develop into a lock down defender--she is compact and athletic and quick and fast. But college level defense doesn't always come easily, no mater how talented the freshman player is. Watching her defense develop will be another interesting story.
Carrington and Sniezek are our best perimeter defending guards, I think, and this may assure Sniezek of considerable playing time once she comes back.
We will be playing Baylor without Sniezek, of course, and the results against Chloe Jackson and Juicy Landrum may teach us a lot. Those are two very experienced (redshirt senior and a junior), quick guards and they will need to be guarded one-on-one, given that everyone else will be concentrating on the twin towers in the middle. Who will be able to do it? Hopefully Williams and Brown and Wilson will bring their defense up a few notches by the time we play Baylor.