01-06-2013, 08:43 PM
MT--
They may chase the dribbler, but what I was looking for was simply the "hard hedge" - stepping out from behind the pick to force the dribbler higher and away from a direct cut at the basket, forcing the "roll" of the pick and roll to be the operative offense. Today, I saw quite a few instances where the curl off the pick directly into the lane worked for the Utes; I thought it was because Mikaela and Joslyn were caught a little too upright and tight to the pick player, on her inside hip and thus held by the breadth of her body away from the dribbler as she came around them. Most of the time it was Rodrigues who seemed to get free. Of course, then it becomes a question of the division of responsibility or the response to that play - was trying to assess why it was working so well for them, and didn't want to put it all on the on-ball defender (mostly Amber or Sara).
One other additional good thing - more PT for Jasmine Camp, and some added development, including some of both Jasmine and Amber in the backcourt. Jasmine appears to be a bit better/more willing of a distance shooter than Amber, so that would be a nice combination. A post I considered after the UConn game was going to talk about one of the under-appreciated downsides of playing such a tough OOC preseason; a lot less minutes where Tara appears comfortable going deep into her bench, or playing non-normal lineups. Even if the reason is Toni's knock, it's good to see.
In any case, hope they're working on defending that move in practice tomorrow; given da Bares' relative dearth of outside shooting and the quickness and athleticism of their guards and posts, I'll bet they see more of it. Along with some zone defenses and ball pressure, I have a feeling.
VG
They may chase the dribbler, but what I was looking for was simply the "hard hedge" - stepping out from behind the pick to force the dribbler higher and away from a direct cut at the basket, forcing the "roll" of the pick and roll to be the operative offense. Today, I saw quite a few instances where the curl off the pick directly into the lane worked for the Utes; I thought it was because Mikaela and Joslyn were caught a little too upright and tight to the pick player, on her inside hip and thus held by the breadth of her body away from the dribbler as she came around them. Most of the time it was Rodrigues who seemed to get free. Of course, then it becomes a question of the division of responsibility or the response to that play - was trying to assess why it was working so well for them, and didn't want to put it all on the on-ball defender (mostly Amber or Sara).
One other additional good thing - more PT for Jasmine Camp, and some added development, including some of both Jasmine and Amber in the backcourt. Jasmine appears to be a bit better/more willing of a distance shooter than Amber, so that would be a nice combination. A post I considered after the UConn game was going to talk about one of the under-appreciated downsides of playing such a tough OOC preseason; a lot less minutes where Tara appears comfortable going deep into her bench, or playing non-normal lineups. Even if the reason is Toni's knock, it's good to see.
In any case, hope they're working on defending that move in practice tomorrow; given da Bares' relative dearth of outside shooting and the quickness and athleticism of their guards and posts, I'll bet they see more of it. Along with some zone defenses and ball pressure, I have a feeling.
VG