02-05-2023, 07:46 PM
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After watching all of the games (not including the pre-season scrimmage), my assessment of the players as of the loss to Washington is as follows:
Jones – She seems to coast in unimportant games. Still the player to count on in most games. I do not especially like her at point guard, but on this team she may be the best option. However, at Washington I do believe she was the best person for that slot at the end.
Brink – Better than last year. She seems like a natural four and will only get better. Still the best defensive player we have. May be the best player in the country. However, against Washington she looked lethargic (understandable given her bad cold). She was a step slower and not as strong.
Iriafen – Improved over last year. Great scorer. Still needs to improve defensively. She does not do well against players as tall or taller defensively, Looks like she could learn to play the four.
Belibi – Seems to below par right this year. She can still run the court and is always a threat to score. She can defend any interior player shorter than her and probably up to two inches taller than her but bigger players can dominate her. She can guard the perimeter but does not shoot except under the basket. In the summer 3x3 she actually had a fairly good three point shot.
Prechtel – Her height gives her many advantages and she can certainly shoot the 3. She is not a great defender or rebounder for her size but she presents a serious match up problem for any team. Underutilized so far this year.
Demetre – Very good shooter, decent rebounder. A little slow on defense. Very good 3 point shooter, Very good passer. Should get much better with playing time. Needs to play more because of her three point shot.
Betts – Agile for her size and a very good shooting touch. She will be dominant in the next few years but even today a real asset. A little slow running the court but you can build a team around her. Underutilized so far.
Jump – Perhaps the best 3 point shooter in college. Quick release although she does shoot from the waist so can be defended. Adequate to good on defense. However, she is wasted without another three point shooter on the floor. Has not learned to use screens well.
Emma-Nnopu – A solid player. Very good on defense but not our best (IMO). Underrated on offense. Very unselfish. Needs to overcome her reluctance to shoot. I would use her to guard a hot shooter but until she does more on offense she should remain on the bench for much of the game.
Lepolo – Surprisingly good for a freshman. Adequate on defense if her opponent is small. Not adequate in guarding a taller opponent. Adequate to good shooter, but very reluctant. Very good playmaker at times; at other times she seems to disappear. Should get better and better. Not the PG you want in the tournament at this time.
Nivar -Another surprisingly good freshman. Good defenisve player, Good shooter. Should continue to improve. Does not seem to have a major weakness. However, at the moment she is not a big asset. She does not seem to see the court as well as you would like for a point guard. I think over the next three years she should grow into a really good player.
Bosgana- Greatly improved this year. Probably our best defender (IMO) outside the paint. Good quickness and anticipation. Great length. Her offense is good although I think she sometimes looks for her shot before looking for a pass. Seems to be about a 35% 3 point shooter. If we had to play UConn again she would be the best defender on Buechers (if she were healthy). Does not get to play enough. Would have been a real asset against Washington.
Harriel- Underrated. She seems to be solid at everything. Good shooter, Good defender. Good on assists. When playing PG she pushes as well as Lepolo. Seems to see the court well (as do Jones and Lepolo). I wish she had played more early in the season to see if she improved. An underutilized asset. Maybe better (maybe a lot better) than what we now use at PG but maybe not – we don't know for sure
I have not seen enough of Papadaki or Green to have much of an opinion. They both seem to have potential. Papadaki in particular seems very athletic.
If I were the coach I would play both Brink and Jones a lot (as Tara does). Jump is a constant threat but is wasted without another three point shooter. We will not win the NC and maybe not go far if either Lepolo or Nivar is the PG. Contrary to popular opinion on this board I would play Jones at PG if the other team does not press. I would do that to get Demetre and Bosgana into the lineup, not because Jones is especially strong at PG. I think our strongest lineup is Brink, Demetre, Bosgana, Jump, and Jones. I would like to see Harriel get more opportunity but it may be a little late in the season for that. I would use Prechtel as a sub more frequently than she is currently used. Betts and Iriafin are good subs depending on the opponent, Betts for bigger centers, Iriafin for less agile opponents, I would use Belibi to rest Brink but only if another big is in. Nivar and Lepolo can provide depth at guard (as I said earlier I would like to see more of Harriel) If the other team presses we need Lepolo, Nivar or Harriel in the game at PG. I would use Emma-Nnopu as a defensive specialist if a smaller guard is severely hurting us with 3 point shooting
After watching all of the games (not including the pre-season scrimmage), my assessment of the players as of the loss to Washington is as follows:
Jones – She seems to coast in unimportant games. Still the player to count on in most games. I do not especially like her at point guard, but on this team she may be the best option. However, at Washington I do believe she was the best person for that slot at the end.
Brink – Better than last year. She seems like a natural four and will only get better. Still the best defensive player we have. May be the best player in the country. However, against Washington she looked lethargic (understandable given her bad cold). She was a step slower and not as strong.
Iriafen – Improved over last year. Great scorer. Still needs to improve defensively. She does not do well against players as tall or taller defensively, Looks like she could learn to play the four.
Belibi – Seems to below par right this year. She can still run the court and is always a threat to score. She can defend any interior player shorter than her and probably up to two inches taller than her but bigger players can dominate her. She can guard the perimeter but does not shoot except under the basket. In the summer 3x3 she actually had a fairly good three point shot.
Prechtel – Her height gives her many advantages and she can certainly shoot the 3. She is not a great defender or rebounder for her size but she presents a serious match up problem for any team. Underutilized so far this year.
Demetre – Very good shooter, decent rebounder. A little slow on defense. Very good 3 point shooter, Very good passer. Should get much better with playing time. Needs to play more because of her three point shot.
Betts – Agile for her size and a very good shooting touch. She will be dominant in the next few years but even today a real asset. A little slow running the court but you can build a team around her. Underutilized so far.
Jump – Perhaps the best 3 point shooter in college. Quick release although she does shoot from the waist so can be defended. Adequate to good on defense. However, she is wasted without another three point shooter on the floor. Has not learned to use screens well.
Emma-Nnopu – A solid player. Very good on defense but not our best (IMO). Underrated on offense. Very unselfish. Needs to overcome her reluctance to shoot. I would use her to guard a hot shooter but until she does more on offense she should remain on the bench for much of the game.
Lepolo – Surprisingly good for a freshman. Adequate on defense if her opponent is small. Not adequate in guarding a taller opponent. Adequate to good shooter, but very reluctant. Very good playmaker at times; at other times she seems to disappear. Should get better and better. Not the PG you want in the tournament at this time.
Nivar -Another surprisingly good freshman. Good defenisve player, Good shooter. Should continue to improve. Does not seem to have a major weakness. However, at the moment she is not a big asset. She does not seem to see the court as well as you would like for a point guard. I think over the next three years she should grow into a really good player.
Bosgana- Greatly improved this year. Probably our best defender (IMO) outside the paint. Good quickness and anticipation. Great length. Her offense is good although I think she sometimes looks for her shot before looking for a pass. Seems to be about a 35% 3 point shooter. If we had to play UConn again she would be the best defender on Buechers (if she were healthy). Does not get to play enough. Would have been a real asset against Washington.
Harriel- Underrated. She seems to be solid at everything. Good shooter, Good defender. Good on assists. When playing PG she pushes as well as Lepolo. Seems to see the court well (as do Jones and Lepolo). I wish she had played more early in the season to see if she improved. An underutilized asset. Maybe better (maybe a lot better) than what we now use at PG but maybe not – we don't know for sure
I have not seen enough of Papadaki or Green to have much of an opinion. They both seem to have potential. Papadaki in particular seems very athletic.
If I were the coach I would play both Brink and Jones a lot (as Tara does). Jump is a constant threat but is wasted without another three point shooter. We will not win the NC and maybe not go far if either Lepolo or Nivar is the PG. Contrary to popular opinion on this board I would play Jones at PG if the other team does not press. I would do that to get Demetre and Bosgana into the lineup, not because Jones is especially strong at PG. I think our strongest lineup is Brink, Demetre, Bosgana, Jump, and Jones. I would like to see Harriel get more opportunity but it may be a little late in the season for that. I would use Prechtel as a sub more frequently than she is currently used. Betts and Iriafin are good subs depending on the opponent, Betts for bigger centers, Iriafin for less agile opponents, I would use Belibi to rest Brink but only if another big is in. Nivar and Lepolo can provide depth at guard (as I said earlier I would like to see more of Harriel) If the other team presses we need Lepolo, Nivar or Harriel in the game at PG. I would use Emma-Nnopu as a defensive specialist if a smaller guard is severely hurting us with 3 point shooting