What is the identity of this team? We are not a great three point shooting team. We don't even have one really great shooter. Clardy is the best as far as percentage with enough shots per game for it to matter. Ogden is ok but doesn't take that many. Lepolo is good but barely shoots. Amborn can shoot but is not in the rotation. Swain and Somfai were good shooters before college IIRC but right now they are not hitting enough. If this offense needs a three ball floor spreader, they need to get Amborn out there a bit more and live with whatever else she doesn't do so well. Maybe the frosh starters will hit better as they get more comfortable. Can't count on that though.
We are not an inside team. We don't throw passes to a big down low very often. We don't have a lot of size inside except Eschmeyer, who doesn't play that much (yet?). Agara needs space to operate. She is a 4, not a 5. A clogged paint hurts her game. Somfai has the size and can score inside but somehow we don't post her up much, and she has been taking too many outside shots that right now she is not making or trying to drive into a crowded lane. Stevenson doesn't have the size or the offense. Who do we have that we successfully post up?
We are not a defense leads to offense team, or not enough of one to make a living that way. We don't put enough pressure on teams to be that. We are still more a position defense sort of team.
So what is the identity? Could we be a high execution, high intensity, high hustle team that just out works and out executes the other team, playing tough defense and very smart basketball? That would be good. But we are not that either. We have too many turnovers, too many games where the focus doesn't seem to be there, and too often the offense is too slow, not crisp and well executed. The defense is better than last year but not good enough to be a hang your hat on defense. The offense is not sharp enough to overcome good defenses.
The wins against Oregon and Washington were encouraging. The NC State game feels like a repeat of the road struggles of last year.
We are not an inside team. We don't throw passes to a big down low very often. We don't have a lot of size inside except Eschmeyer, who doesn't play that much (yet?). Agara needs space to operate. She is a 4, not a 5. A clogged paint hurts her game. Somfai has the size and can score inside but somehow we don't post her up much, and she has been taking too many outside shots that right now she is not making or trying to drive into a crowded lane. Stevenson doesn't have the size or the offense. Who do we have that we successfully post up?
We are not a defense leads to offense team, or not enough of one to make a living that way. We don't put enough pressure on teams to be that. We are still more a position defense sort of team.
So what is the identity? Could we be a high execution, high intensity, high hustle team that just out works and out executes the other team, playing tough defense and very smart basketball? That would be good. But we are not that either. We have too many turnovers, too many games where the focus doesn't seem to be there, and too often the offense is too slow, not crisp and well executed. The defense is better than last year but not good enough to be a hang your hat on defense. The offense is not sharp enough to overcome good defenses.
The wins against Oregon and Washington were encouraging. The NC State game feels like a repeat of the road struggles of last year.