Please bear all the normal caveats in mind: it is very difficult to judge player development from a single scrimmage. Every year I attend one of these I get a few fleeting impressions. It was at this event two years ago that I first saw Kiki hitting mid range jumpers, but it took her a full year before those became such an important part of her game. So impressions are just that: impressions only.
First, three players were suited up and exercising on bikes and other low impact activities on the side: Lepolo, who is doubtless coming back from her knee surgery, but also freshmen Shay Ijiwoye and Harper Peterson. So we did not get a look to see if Lepolo shows signs of improvement, nor if Shay is a ready-to-play guard, nor if Peterson can give us some depth inside. Seeing those three in action will have to wait. Betty Anne did note that all were expected back in the near future. Whatever that may mean.
Second, the teams were rounded out by the male practice players but also coach Erika McCall and alum Hannah Jump. It was fun to see Bird and Jump playing, scoring, etc. and to hear Betty Anne's trademark "Jump for Threeeeeee!" Also in the house was pro scout and alum Charli Turner Thorne. I do not believe Tara was present, although it was mentioned that we should be present when the floor is dedicated to her--I think they said November 10.
Third, at this stage, clearly the defense is further along than the offense. The first practice quarter was pretty ugly. Unlike previous years, the referees were not outsiders but were Tempe and Jeanette, and they let a LOT go. After the first quarter the defense was less intense and there was more scoring--that to me is not a good sign. Lots of teams have great defense for a quarter, but sustaining it over four quarters is the ticket to success.
Of the returning players I did not notice any particular changes--but I was not studying them nearly as much as I was watching the newcomers. Demetre played very well as did Nunu Agara--but they have always seemed to play well. I expect those two are foundational for this year's team. Bosgana seemed like the normal Bosgana--some pretty plays both inside and outside but not a consistent scoring threat. Ogden is an enormous talent, but she seems to get flustered at times when driving to the basket--the same thing happened once today. I still feel that she could blossom into a starter much as Iriafen did over time. Clardy did what Clardy did last year--good defense, drove basket to basket, but I don't think I saw her make a jump shot. She did take one, though, which seemed almost unusual from past experience--so maybe she is working on expanding her range.
I was however pleasantly surprised by Stavi Papadaki. She and Lauren Green were put on the "red" team along with McCall, Jump, and the male practice players. She played point guard for the opposition, essentially. And she played remarkably well against our first team. She hit threes, drove successfully to the basket, and seemed to have more accuracy and speed than I remember. The team was into her success. I have no idea if this means she could play more minutes in regulation games, but it certainly made me smile.
But what you really want to know about are the transfers and the one freshman who played. So here are my notes:
Kennedy Umeh (freshman). At first I was unimpressed. She is listed as 6'4" but was clearly shorter than Demetre who is 6'3", and she did not seem speedy. She is, however, solidly built and will be a post that is much harder to push around in the paint than say Brink. As she played I warmed up to her. She has a solid longish mid range jumper, and on one occasion she passed beautifully out from under the basket. She was active on defense--always critical for freshmen posts who want to play minutes, and she made her layups when she had the chance.
Mary Ashley Stevenson (sophomore transfer). She was Big 10 Freshman of the year last year at Purdue before transferring, so clearly we knew she had a strong skill set. She is listed as 6'2" which--after being used to Brink and Iriafen--seemed quite short to me. But she plays with confidence and is clearly far more experienced even than most of our own returning sophomores. She had one nice basket where she shifted from her right to her left to get around a defender under the basket. Her defense was quite active, and she runs the floor very hard.
Tess Heal. Heal is an Aussie junior who transferred from Santa Clara. Last year she was 4th in the nation in made free throws--close behind players like Juju Watkins. Today we learned why. She loves to drive through traffic to the basket. I saw her go left most often, and right once. And yes she did pick up fouls when doing so, and completes her layups at a high rate. She also sank a couple of treys. Her release is somewhat slow and labored, as if she is shooting a mortar. It is a high arcing shot but seems to be accurate. It does, however, seem like the kind of shot that can be defended by a taller defender--except that then she can go around them. As for her speed and ball handling--I can't judge yet, nor did I get enough of a look at her passing. But she is certainly a point guard who can score from two levels--three if you count all the free throws.
I will resist speculating on what any of this means for the year. Just need to see more. But we have a few more data points.
First, three players were suited up and exercising on bikes and other low impact activities on the side: Lepolo, who is doubtless coming back from her knee surgery, but also freshmen Shay Ijiwoye and Harper Peterson. So we did not get a look to see if Lepolo shows signs of improvement, nor if Shay is a ready-to-play guard, nor if Peterson can give us some depth inside. Seeing those three in action will have to wait. Betty Anne did note that all were expected back in the near future. Whatever that may mean.
Second, the teams were rounded out by the male practice players but also coach Erika McCall and alum Hannah Jump. It was fun to see Bird and Jump playing, scoring, etc. and to hear Betty Anne's trademark "Jump for Threeeeeee!" Also in the house was pro scout and alum Charli Turner Thorne. I do not believe Tara was present, although it was mentioned that we should be present when the floor is dedicated to her--I think they said November 10.
Third, at this stage, clearly the defense is further along than the offense. The first practice quarter was pretty ugly. Unlike previous years, the referees were not outsiders but were Tempe and Jeanette, and they let a LOT go. After the first quarter the defense was less intense and there was more scoring--that to me is not a good sign. Lots of teams have great defense for a quarter, but sustaining it over four quarters is the ticket to success.
Of the returning players I did not notice any particular changes--but I was not studying them nearly as much as I was watching the newcomers. Demetre played very well as did Nunu Agara--but they have always seemed to play well. I expect those two are foundational for this year's team. Bosgana seemed like the normal Bosgana--some pretty plays both inside and outside but not a consistent scoring threat. Ogden is an enormous talent, but she seems to get flustered at times when driving to the basket--the same thing happened once today. I still feel that she could blossom into a starter much as Iriafen did over time. Clardy did what Clardy did last year--good defense, drove basket to basket, but I don't think I saw her make a jump shot. She did take one, though, which seemed almost unusual from past experience--so maybe she is working on expanding her range.
I was however pleasantly surprised by Stavi Papadaki. She and Lauren Green were put on the "red" team along with McCall, Jump, and the male practice players. She played point guard for the opposition, essentially. And she played remarkably well against our first team. She hit threes, drove successfully to the basket, and seemed to have more accuracy and speed than I remember. The team was into her success. I have no idea if this means she could play more minutes in regulation games, but it certainly made me smile.
But what you really want to know about are the transfers and the one freshman who played. So here are my notes:
Kennedy Umeh (freshman). At first I was unimpressed. She is listed as 6'4" but was clearly shorter than Demetre who is 6'3", and she did not seem speedy. She is, however, solidly built and will be a post that is much harder to push around in the paint than say Brink. As she played I warmed up to her. She has a solid longish mid range jumper, and on one occasion she passed beautifully out from under the basket. She was active on defense--always critical for freshmen posts who want to play minutes, and she made her layups when she had the chance.
Mary Ashley Stevenson (sophomore transfer). She was Big 10 Freshman of the year last year at Purdue before transferring, so clearly we knew she had a strong skill set. She is listed as 6'2" which--after being used to Brink and Iriafen--seemed quite short to me. But she plays with confidence and is clearly far more experienced even than most of our own returning sophomores. She had one nice basket where she shifted from her right to her left to get around a defender under the basket. Her defense was quite active, and she runs the floor very hard.
Tess Heal. Heal is an Aussie junior who transferred from Santa Clara. Last year she was 4th in the nation in made free throws--close behind players like Juju Watkins. Today we learned why. She loves to drive through traffic to the basket. I saw her go left most often, and right once. And yes she did pick up fouls when doing so, and completes her layups at a high rate. She also sank a couple of treys. Her release is somewhat slow and labored, as if she is shooting a mortar. It is a high arcing shot but seems to be accurate. It does, however, seem like the kind of shot that can be defended by a taller defender--except that then she can go around them. As for her speed and ball handling--I can't judge yet, nor did I get enough of a look at her passing. But she is certainly a point guard who can score from two levels--three if you count all the free throws.
I will resist speculating on what any of this means for the year. Just need to see more. But we have a few more data points.