[AndyCardinal03]

The burst of enthusiasm on this thread for this team and coach is refreshing after having witnessed the disappointments of the past two seasons. And, the unbridled enthusiasm that I witnessed on the sidelines from our players tonight on the Tara VanDerveer Court is still filling my mind with electric optimism. 
As my wife and I drove out of the Maples parking lot tonight, this thought came to me:
We may have lost a star in the off-season, but we have gained a team.

Not picking on Baez here, but this Board was pretty enthused about the spirit of last year's Cam/Kiki/Hannah team throughout the season after what was a truly disappointing end to the 22-23 season with Haley stagnating at the end of her Stanford career and Betts' mercurial presence and subsequent departure from the team. I don't want to forget how joyful the team was at times last year, during Tara's record celebration and Kiki & Cam's many heroics, especially. It's nice to open the season on a high note here against an inferior opponent, but it's too early to say whether this team is any more cohesive or exuberant than previous versions. 

I didn't get to watch last night here on the East Coast, but I watched the highlights & am encouraged by what I see in the box score. Here's what I've learned about this team so far this season, based on Kate's preseason pressers, the exhibition game, and now a real one in the books.

1.) Nunu and Brooke are the starting front court. If Stevenson or Umeh really come on strong, then maybe either could start at the 5 and Nunu could shift down to the 3, but Brooke and Nunu are the only guaranteed starters I see on the squad for the season. 

2.) Harriel is one of our top 3 guards. I wasn't sure how this would look coming into the season, but she's really stood out so far. Plus, she was quietly our best guard in the second half of last year, once Lepolo got hurt and Hannah seemed to wear down over the season. To me, Harriel has proved herself as a defender and a shooter, and that's enough to guarantee her playing time. Hopefully she's the starting 2 guard and they just let her play 30 min a game. 

3.) Clardy is improved. 5 for 8 from 3 over the two games. She couldn't shoot at all last year. I thought her makes against Le Moyne looked less pure than some of the other shooters on the highlights, so I'm not convinced that this is real just yet, but she was 2 for 20 all year last year, so clearly she's improved a lot, even if we don't know what her real level is yet. She also looked stronger to me. 

4.) Lepolo is something to worry about. If she hasn't regained her speed and athleticism yet, I worry about counting on her for much as the season goes along because we know she's a streaky/shaky shooter. This team isn't nearly good enough around her and there are enough other comparable (or better) players at her position that she could really hinder the team if the coaching staff tries to let her play through her rehab. Lepolo playing through injury, unfortunately, was a big problem with the team at the end of last season. I love her as a competitor and a presence in the huddle, but I'm worried about her on the court again to start the season. 

After that, it's tons of question marks for me, but that's to be expected after only 1+ games. We'll learn a lot more during this next week. But like others, I'm excited with the start of KP era!

[AndyCardinal03]

The burst of enthusiasm on this thread for this team and coach is refreshing after having witnessed the disappointments of the past two seasons. And, the unbridled enthusiasm that I witnessed on the sidelines from our players tonight on the Tara VanDerveer Court is still filling my mind with electric optimism. 
As my wife and I drove out of the Maples parking lot tonight, this thought came to me:
We may have lost a star in the off-season, but we have gained a team.

Not picking on Baez here, but this Board was pretty enthused about the spirit of last year's Cam/Kiki/Hannah team throughout the season after what was a truly disappointing end to the 22-23 season with Haley stagnating at the end of her Stanford career and Betts' mercurial presence and subsequent departure from the team. I don't want to forget how joyful the team was at times last year, during Tara's record celebration and Kiki & Cam's many heroics, especially. It's nice to open the season on a high note here against an inferior opponent, but it's too early to say whether this team is any more cohesive or exuberant than previous versions. 

I didn't get to watch last night here on the East Coast, but I watched the highlights & am encouraged by what I see in the box score. Here's what I've learned about this team so far this season, based on Kate's preseason pressers, the exhibition game, and now a real one in the books.

1.) Nunu and Brooke are the starting front court. If Stevenson or Umeh really come on strong, then maybe either could start at the 5 and Nunu could shift down to the 3, but Brooke and Nunu are the only guaranteed starters I see on the squad for the season. 

2.) Harriel is one of our top 3 guards. I wasn't sure how this would look coming into the season, but she's really stood out so far. Plus, she was quietly our best guard in the second half of last year, once Lepolo got hurt and Hannah seemed to wear down over the season. To me, Harriel has proved herself as a defender and a shooter, and that's enough to guarantee her playing time. Hopefully she's the starting 2 guard and they just let her play 30 min a game. 

3.) Clardy is improved. 5 for 8 from 3 over the two games. She couldn't shoot at all last year. I thought her makes against Le Moyne looked less pure than some of the other shooters on the highlights, so I'm not convinced that this is real just yet, but she was 2 for 20 all year last year, so clearly she's improved a lot, even if we don't know what her real level is yet. She also looked stronger to me. 

4.) Lepolo is something to worry about. If she hasn't regained her speed and athleticism yet, I worry about counting on her for much as the season goes along because we know she's a streaky/shaky shooter. This team isn't nearly good enough around her and there are enough other comparable (or better) players at her position that she could really hinder the team if the coaching staff tries to let her play through her rehab. Lepolo playing through injury, unfortunately, was a big problem with the team at the end of last season. I love her as a competitor and a presence in the huddle, but I'm worried about her on the court again to start the season. 

After that, it's tons of question marks for me, but that's to be expected after only 1+ games. We'll learn a lot more during this next week. But like others, I'm excited with the start of KP era!