[81alum]

Nivar, Hannah, Bosgana, Haley and Brink

Nivar, Hannah, Haley, Brink, Ashten

I am not sold on Nivar at point this year.  I don't think there is time enough left in the year for her to develop into a championship caliber point guard.  In fact, she has been fairly reluctant to shoot and her FG% is 12% lower than Lepolo's.  That's a lot.  Her assist rate is pedestrian, too, with 1 assist every 12 minutes she plays.  She may well develop those skills heading into next year, but they are not there yet.  I am beginning to realize that Jones is probably the best option, despite all the obvious issues with it that we have talked about all year.

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Haley is also a dreadful (not strong enough word IMO) defender on the perimeter. She refuses to come out, get in a defensive stance and guard. She is equally horrible at running out to contest shots.

Being a 1 on offense does not mean defending the opponent's 1 on defense, so I don't see how playing Jones at point would have anything to do with her (curious) defensive lapses.

MT is the other Cardboarder who has often observed Jones' poor perimeter defense, and he has certainly pointed out some whoppers, too.  They are so obvious that I have to think it is by design.  We sag off whichever player we want to take the three, and Jones seems to be the designated sagger.  She is then available to cut off driving lanes and to double whenever the ball comes into the paint. 

What is the alternative interpretation?  That an All-American, #1 ESPN recruit playing for the winningest coach of all time is allowed to commit egregious defensive lapses over and over with no correction?  It just doesn't make sense to me.  It almost seems as if Jones is a rover on defense, leaving the worst opponent open.

In the past, there have been occasional admissions by Tara that we DON'T want to contest every shot--we want to contest all the good shooters and encourage the bad shooters to shoot.  I don't know if this is always what is happening with Jones, but my brain just boggles at any alternative explanation for Jones's frequent decisions not to contest a perimeter shot.  That does not mean that Tara's strategy necessarily works.  Elle Ladine is proof of that.

[81alum]

Nivar, Hannah, Bosgana, Haley and Brink

Nivar, Hannah, Haley, Brink, Ashten

I am not sold on Nivar at point this year.  I don't think there is time enough left in the year for her to develop into a championship caliber point guard.  In fact, she has been fairly reluctant to shoot and her FG% is 12% lower than Lepolo's.  That's a lot.  Her assist rate is pedestrian, too, with 1 assist every 12 minutes she plays.  She may well develop those skills heading into next year, but they are not there yet.  I am beginning to realize that Jones is probably the best option, despite all the obvious issues with it that we have talked about all year.

---

Haley is also a dreadful (not strong enough word IMO) defender on the perimeter. She refuses to come out, get in a defensive stance and guard. She is equally horrible at running out to contest shots.

Being a 1 on offense does not mean defending the opponent's 1 on defense, so I don't see how playing Jones at point would have anything to do with her (curious) defensive lapses.

MT is the other Cardboarder who has often observed Jones' poor perimeter defense, and he has certainly pointed out some whoppers, too.  They are so obvious that I have to think it is by design.  We sag off whichever player we want to take the three, and Jones seems to be the designated sagger.  She is then available to cut off driving lanes and to double whenever the ball comes into the paint. 

What is the alternative interpretation?  That an All-American, #1 ESPN recruit playing for the winningest coach of all time is allowed to commit egregious defensive lapses over and over with no correction?  It just doesn't make sense to me.  It almost seems as if Jones is a rover on defense, leaving the worst opponent open.

In the past, there have been occasional admissions by Tara that we DON'T want to contest every shot--we want to contest all the good shooters and encourage the bad shooters to shoot.  I don't know if this is always what is happening with Jones, but my brain just boggles at any alternative explanation for Jones's frequent decisions not to contest a perimeter shot.  That does not mean that Tara's strategy necessarily works.  Elle Ladine is proof of that.