11-25-2020, 02:36 PM
Wow. What a great way to open the season. Last year the team had problems scoring, especially when Jones was injured. And we never crossed the 100-point mark the entire season. This year we score 108 in our very first game! These are the kinds of blowout games that national title contenders have, similar to what we saw from Oregon and South Carolina last year.
Here are some thoughts on individual play:
Hayley Jones - She is clearly the best player on the team. She knows she has to lead the team on offense and she rose to the challenge. She is so smooth and strong when driving to the basket. Seems like Tara likes Jones in the 4-spot vs the 3-spot. I think the idea is to exploit the speed matchup Jones is likely to have vs a PF and have Jones drive around her player for a layup.
Kiana Williams and Lexie Hull - Lexie was the leading scorer with 19. Combined with Williams to score 64% from 3. Love that Williams only played 26 minutes. Last year she had to stay on the floor all the time and we need her fresher at the end of games.
Hannah Jump - Looks like her fitness has improved a lot. Last year she was only a 3-point shooter. This year she is sprinting down the court in transition for layups
Jana Van Gytenbeek - Great vision. Both in transition and in the half court. But you also need to score as a PG and her 3-point shot looked really good.
Emma-Nnopu - May be the forgotten member of the freshman class. But Tara will certainly take notice of her 5 offensive rebounds in only 15 minutes of game time.
Cameron Brink - She looked nervous in her first few minutes of play. But once she settled in, she was very very good. We had heard about her defensive skills and her great timing as a shot blocker. BUT, she was so much quicker on offense than I expected. Her drives from the high post to the basket reminded me of Satou Sabally from Oregon
Here are some thoughts on individual play:
Hayley Jones - She is clearly the best player on the team. She knows she has to lead the team on offense and she rose to the challenge. She is so smooth and strong when driving to the basket. Seems like Tara likes Jones in the 4-spot vs the 3-spot. I think the idea is to exploit the speed matchup Jones is likely to have vs a PF and have Jones drive around her player for a layup.
Kiana Williams and Lexie Hull - Lexie was the leading scorer with 19. Combined with Williams to score 64% from 3. Love that Williams only played 26 minutes. Last year she had to stay on the floor all the time and we need her fresher at the end of games.
Hannah Jump - Looks like her fitness has improved a lot. Last year she was only a 3-point shooter. This year she is sprinting down the court in transition for layups
Jana Van Gytenbeek - Great vision. Both in transition and in the half court. But you also need to score as a PG and her 3-point shot looked really good.
Emma-Nnopu - May be the forgotten member of the freshman class. But Tara will certainly take notice of her 5 offensive rebounds in only 15 minutes of game time.
Cameron Brink - She looked nervous in her first few minutes of play. But once she settled in, she was very very good. We had heard about her defensive skills and her great timing as a shot blocker. BUT, she was so much quicker on offense than I expected. Her drives from the high post to the basket reminded me of Satou Sabally from Oregon