[stopandpop]

With the season just a few days away, I've been giving thought to how we get back to the Championship game and win.  Here are my keys to the rings, some of which Tara may have already identified, so this is just for fun.

1) Cam and Haley must score more, especially in crunch time.  Cam 15-18 ppg; Haley 18-20.

2) Put 2 players at pass outlets when we take the ball out of bounds after an opponent (who presses us) scores.

3) Step on the accelerator- Not talking about when the reserves come in at the end, but when we get a big lead and sometimes we take our foot off the pedal and let them come back.

4) Throw wrinkles in the Princeton offense, especially when we are really pressured on the perimeter; not just backdoor plays.

5) Cam is able to consistently play with only 1 foul going into the 3rd. quarter.  I mention the 3rd. Q because if she picks up a foul (especially with no fouls), Tara tends to keep her in the game. The fact she is moving to power forward might have its own challenges because she may be guarding shorter and perhaps quick players.  Cam has to play defense with her feet.

6) Whenever possible, screens for Hannah which (I believe) will up her 3pt. shooting to the mid-40s.

7) An emerging guard who handles the ball, allowing Haley more rest, counter the pressure defense by penetrating into the key and (most important) pass or score.

What are your keys for a championship season?

1) With Betts joining the team and Irafen's impressive development, Brink will likely be playing farther away from the basket than last season (perhaps even at the 3). Fouls will be down and minutes and 3 point shot attempts will be up. So it is likely that her total points scored will go up. Jones will score as needed. We've got a lot of players to score. Most important is that Jones continue to facilitate scoring (she had 3.7 assists per game last season compared to Williams' 3.1 per game her senior year) and maintain her ability to score when needed, especially in crunch time.
2) I trust Tara to draw up whatever plays are best.
3) We've got a deep team.  I'm not worried about holding leads.
4) Again, I trust Tara
5) Not worried about Brink's quickness, especially when she's got a 6'7" center to back her up
6) I'm sure Tara's on it
7) Jones is our starting point guard. Nivar will be a more than adequate backup (especially when teams go small).  It would be great if Jones' ballhandling could improve, but that is not necessary for this team to win this championship. She had only 2 turnovers each in the losses to UConn and South Carolina last season (that's not why we lost those games).  And last season Jones had an assist to turnover ratio of 1.27 (compared to the Stanford team's 1.13 ratio and South Carolina's ratio of 0.96). Tara encourages aggressive passing, which leads to turnovers (but also leads, more often than not, to points). With a 6'7" center (with good hands) on the floor and the expected increased minutes from Brink (farther away from the basket) I predict both Jones' and the team's assist to turnover ratio will improve.
The key to this season will be how fast we can integrate/develop the new players and how quickly players adjust to their new roles.  I'm not as worried about UConn this season.  They had three #1 recruits and one #2 recruit that played against us in the Final Four game last season. With injuries and the absence of any blockbuster transfers, they haven't been able to reload as in the past.  That South Carolina roster is insane though.  It'll come down to matchups.  But no matter what happens, I can't wait to watch these incredible athletes compete!

We're all looking forward to seeing Betts and I think we agree about her potential in becoming a truly dominating post, if not by season's end then certainly by her sophomore year.  But she needs to develop more arm strength and more explosiveness going up for her shot.  That's what Kiki does for us now.

Regarding Brink; well over 90% of her scoring came from her low post game and while she may start out further away from the basket, I'm sure Cam's skill sets on the block are not lost on Tara and while she may be attempting more 3-pointers and mid-range shots, I think we will continue to see Cam posting up smaller players who are defending her when those opportunities arise.  Tara is placing a big emphasis on rebounding, including offensive boards.  Our best offensive rebounder last season by far was Cam so that suggests she will not be relegated to staying on the outside.

Judging by Tara's comments, it's conceivable we might be seeing Lepolo early and often.

[stopandpop]

With the season just a few days away, I've been giving thought to how we get back to the Championship game and win.  Here are my keys to the rings, some of which Tara may have already identified, so this is just for fun.

1) Cam and Haley must score more, especially in crunch time.  Cam 15-18 ppg; Haley 18-20.

2) Put 2 players at pass outlets when we take the ball out of bounds after an opponent (who presses us) scores.

3) Step on the accelerator- Not talking about when the reserves come in at the end, but when we get a big lead and sometimes we take our foot off the pedal and let them come back.

4) Throw wrinkles in the Princeton offense, especially when we are really pressured on the perimeter; not just backdoor plays.

5) Cam is able to consistently play with only 1 foul going into the 3rd. quarter.  I mention the 3rd. Q because if she picks up a foul (especially with no fouls), Tara tends to keep her in the game. The fact she is moving to power forward might have its own challenges because she may be guarding shorter and perhaps quick players.  Cam has to play defense with her feet.

6) Whenever possible, screens for Hannah which (I believe) will up her 3pt. shooting to the mid-40s.

7) An emerging guard who handles the ball, allowing Haley more rest, counter the pressure defense by penetrating into the key and (most important) pass or score.

What are your keys for a championship season?

1) With Betts joining the team and Irafen's impressive development, Brink will likely be playing farther away from the basket than last season (perhaps even at the 3). Fouls will be down and minutes and 3 point shot attempts will be up. So it is likely that her total points scored will go up. Jones will score as needed. We've got a lot of players to score. Most important is that Jones continue to facilitate scoring (she had 3.7 assists per game last season compared to Williams' 3.1 per game her senior year) and maintain her ability to score when needed, especially in crunch time.
2) I trust Tara to draw up whatever plays are best.
3) We've got a deep team.  I'm not worried about holding leads.
4) Again, I trust Tara
5) Not worried about Brink's quickness, especially when she's got a 6'7" center to back her up
6) I'm sure Tara's on it
7) Jones is our starting point guard. Nivar will be a more than adequate backup (especially when teams go small).  It would be great if Jones' ballhandling could improve, but that is not necessary for this team to win this championship. She had only 2 turnovers each in the losses to UConn and South Carolina last season (that's not why we lost those games).  And last season Jones had an assist to turnover ratio of 1.27 (compared to the Stanford team's 1.13 ratio and South Carolina's ratio of 0.96). Tara encourages aggressive passing, which leads to turnovers (but also leads, more often than not, to points). With a 6'7" center (with good hands) on the floor and the expected increased minutes from Brink (farther away from the basket) I predict both Jones' and the team's assist to turnover ratio will improve.
The key to this season will be how fast we can integrate/develop the new players and how quickly players adjust to their new roles.  I'm not as worried about UConn this season.  They had three #1 recruits and one #2 recruit that played against us in the Final Four game last season. With injuries and the absence of any blockbuster transfers, they haven't been able to reload as in the past.  That South Carolina roster is insane though.  It'll come down to matchups.  But no matter what happens, I can't wait to watch these incredible athletes compete!

We're all looking forward to seeing Betts and I think we agree about her potential in becoming a truly dominating post, if not by season's end then certainly by her sophomore year.  But she needs to develop more arm strength and more explosiveness going up for her shot.  That's what Kiki does for us now.

Regarding Brink; well over 90% of her scoring came from her low post game and while she may start out further away from the basket, I'm sure Cam's skill sets on the block are not lost on Tara and while she may be attempting more 3-pointers and mid-range shots, I think we will continue to see Cam posting up smaller players who are defending her when those opportunities arise.  Tara is placing a big emphasis on rebounding, including offensive boards.  Our best offensive rebounder last season by far was Cam so that suggests she will not be relegated to staying on the outside.

Judging by Tara's comments, it's conceivable we might be seeing Lepolo early and often.