[Maple Leaf]

As Notre Dame / Maryland game winds down, Jenna Brown has just come in, about a minute to go. She made a basket. Interesting that she ends her WBB career at Notre Dame, the school she originally committed to before she de-committed and switched to Stanford. Glad to see her go out on a positive note with that basket. As for the game, I have mixed feelings about the outcome, Maryland winning 76-59. I might have been strongly for Maryland if the brackets were different, with potential for Maryland to meet LSU and Angle Reese before the national final, unlikely that either will get there. Had Reese not transferred from Maryland to LSU, I think that Maryland would have had a legitimate shot at being competitive with S Carolina.

She averaged 8 mpg for Notre Dame.  Doesn't she have another year of eligibility left, at least?  She played two for us and one for Notre Dame, so if her MA is not finished yet, couldn't she come back for another year, almost Wilson-like?  And that would not involve a COVID year.  Unless I am not remembering correctly....

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Tying your observation back to previous commentary about recruiting, I don't think it might be too big of a stretch to potentially connect this limitation with perhaps being a common factor among the elite guards choosing elsewhere (not saying it's the only criteria but it could influence it). If I was a highly ranked guard who has had success creating plays on my own and using my talent to create my own shot and then seeing a system where I would be limited in utilizing these skills, I would be inclined to pick a program that would let me to continue to do so.

I wonder about the chicken/egg phenomenon.  Do we not run more aggressive guard play because we don't have aggressive guards, or is a non-aggressive style of guard play the reason we have not recruited aggressive guards?

I'm more inclined to think the former.  We've had many highly aggressive guards in the Tara era--Lexie and Williams most recently, McPhee and Thompson a little further back, and of course all the distant greats like Wiggins, Pohlen, Azzi, etc.--so it is hard to believe that Tara is averse to this. 

I'm Hoping Courtney Ogden next year will bring that attitude and skillset--although she is a 2-3/wing more like Lexie.  I'm also hoping that Tara's rule that freshman to sophomore development marks the greatest improvement holds true for Lepolo and Nivar.  And while I am most optimistic about Ogden, Agara or Clardy could surprise us and challenge Lepolo or Nivar.

Unless you are an elite pg coming out of high school, the transition to playing is college can be challenging, especially when playing against a top 30 team.  Ole Miss pg was a 5 year senior, UCLA pg is a 4 year senior, South Carolina pg is a Senior.  I am optimistic that Lepolo and Hivar will be vastly improved next year.

[Maple Leaf]

As Notre Dame / Maryland game winds down, Jenna Brown has just come in, about a minute to go. She made a basket. Interesting that she ends her WBB career at Notre Dame, the school she originally committed to before she de-committed and switched to Stanford. Glad to see her go out on a positive note with that basket. As for the game, I have mixed feelings about the outcome, Maryland winning 76-59. I might have been strongly for Maryland if the brackets were different, with potential for Maryland to meet LSU and Angle Reese before the national final, unlikely that either will get there. Had Reese not transferred from Maryland to LSU, I think that Maryland would have had a legitimate shot at being competitive with S Carolina.

She averaged 8 mpg for Notre Dame.  Doesn't she have another year of eligibility left, at least?  She played two for us and one for Notre Dame, so if her MA is not finished yet, couldn't she come back for another year, almost Wilson-like?  And that would not involve a COVID year.  Unless I am not remembering correctly....

---

Tying your observation back to previous commentary about recruiting, I don't think it might be too big of a stretch to potentially connect this limitation with perhaps being a common factor among the elite guards choosing elsewhere (not saying it's the only criteria but it could influence it). If I was a highly ranked guard who has had success creating plays on my own and using my talent to create my own shot and then seeing a system where I would be limited in utilizing these skills, I would be inclined to pick a program that would let me to continue to do so.

I wonder about the chicken/egg phenomenon.  Do we not run more aggressive guard play because we don't have aggressive guards, or is a non-aggressive style of guard play the reason we have not recruited aggressive guards?

I'm more inclined to think the former.  We've had many highly aggressive guards in the Tara era--Lexie and Williams most recently, McPhee and Thompson a little further back, and of course all the distant greats like Wiggins, Pohlen, Azzi, etc.--so it is hard to believe that Tara is averse to this. 

I'm Hoping Courtney Ogden next year will bring that attitude and skillset--although she is a 2-3/wing more like Lexie.  I'm also hoping that Tara's rule that freshman to sophomore development marks the greatest improvement holds true for Lepolo and Nivar.  And while I am most optimistic about Ogden, Agara or Clardy could surprise us and challenge Lepolo or Nivar.

Unless you are an elite pg coming out of high school, the transition to playing is college can be challenging, especially when playing against a top 30 team.  Ole Miss pg was a 5 year senior, UCLA pg is a 4 year senior, South Carolina pg is a Senior.  I am optimistic that Lepolo and Hivar will be vastly improved next year.