[81alum]

The team is back and practicing.

Yay! Can't wait for this season to get going.

Such a fun time of year when we meet the new players and watch Tara the chess master arranging her pieces and experimenting with openings.

I’d be interested in seeing a “big” lineup with Jones at PG, Jump at SG, Demetre at SF, Belibi at PF and Brink at C.  The question mark is can this lineup defend quicker guards.  Jump and Demetre would have trouble staying in front of their respective assignments but maybe Brink blocking shots is enough to overcome that.  It’s on offense where this lineup would shine as both Jump and Demetre would be in the corner as 3-point threats spreading the floor.  This gives Jones, Belibi and Brink a lot of room to operate.  And because this team is so big, they should try and invert the ball to post up Jones or Demetre because one or both of them will have to be guarded by a small guard.  Jones will demolish whomever is guarding her in the post.  I’m not sure I’ve seen enough of Demetre’s post up game but I imagine she could shoot over the smaller guard since she is a good midrange shooter.

I'm sure we will see Tara experimenting with lineups like that, but she will probably also see what Emma-Nnopu, Lepolo, Papadaki, and Harriel can do.  We keep imagining a big lineup, but we don't really know what those four guards may be capable of providing.  Emma-Nnopu is outstanding on defense, and quite often one of our 5 on the floor is a defensive specialist--e.g. Anna Wilson, Bree Roberson, etc.  The others we really have no information on.  And that is not mentioning 5'8" guard Lauren Green, just added to the roster as a walk-on.

Tara is figuring out what she can get out of our guards, right now, in practice.  We are going to have to wait a little longer.

[81alum]

The team is back and practicing.

Yay! Can't wait for this season to get going.

Such a fun time of year when we meet the new players and watch Tara the chess master arranging her pieces and experimenting with openings.

I’d be interested in seeing a “big” lineup with Jones at PG, Jump at SG, Demetre at SF, Belibi at PF and Brink at C.  The question mark is can this lineup defend quicker guards.  Jump and Demetre would have trouble staying in front of their respective assignments but maybe Brink blocking shots is enough to overcome that.  It’s on offense where this lineup would shine as both Jump and Demetre would be in the corner as 3-point threats spreading the floor.  This gives Jones, Belibi and Brink a lot of room to operate.  And because this team is so big, they should try and invert the ball to post up Jones or Demetre because one or both of them will have to be guarded by a small guard.  Jones will demolish whomever is guarding her in the post.  I’m not sure I’ve seen enough of Demetre’s post up game but I imagine she could shoot over the smaller guard since she is a good midrange shooter.

I'm sure we will see Tara experimenting with lineups like that, but she will probably also see what Emma-Nnopu, Lepolo, Papadaki, and Harriel can do.  We keep imagining a big lineup, but we don't really know what those four guards may be capable of providing.  Emma-Nnopu is outstanding on defense, and quite often one of our 5 on the floor is a defensive specialist--e.g. Anna Wilson, Bree Roberson, etc.  The others we really have no information on.  And that is not mentioning 5'8" guard Lauren Green, just added to the roster as a walk-on.

Tara is figuring out what she can get out of our guards, right now, in practice.  We are going to have to wait a little longer.