[M T]

Those missing today:
  Agnes Emma-Nnopu  5'11" guard
  Alyssa Jerome  6'3" forward
  Ashten Prechtel 6'5" forward
  Brooke Demetre  6'3" forward
  Cameron Brink  6'4" forward
  Jzaniya Harriel  5'10" guard (not played this year. Redshirting?)
Jenna Brown 5'10" guard (not played this year. Redshirting?)

While 6'3" Kiki Iraiafen played, Stanford's tallest starter was 6'1".   I wonder when the last time Stanford's tallest starter was 6'1"?

If there were ever a week that Stanford could afford virtually all of their taller plays out, this was it.  (Not that it was planned!)

It concerns me that 4 of our 5 tallest players were all out.  Do they room together?  Was it exposure during post practice?
I hope that Tara chose to keep players out, not because they were sick nor because they were officially close contacts and had to quarantine, but because they were contacts that might get sick that she didn't want to expose the rest of the team.

To put that another way, consider if next week, we lose the Hulls, Jones, Jump, and Wilson (5 players).   IMO, we'd be in a worse position than we were today (and that's before you consider the opponents).  

Stanford, and all schools, should adjust rooming (& carpooling, etc) to put first string tall players with reserve short players. (For, say, swimming, put your best butterfly swimmers with weaker backstrokers, etc.)

[M T]

Those missing today:
  Agnes Emma-Nnopu  5'11" guard
  Alyssa Jerome  6'3" forward
  Ashten Prechtel 6'5" forward
  Brooke Demetre  6'3" forward
  Cameron Brink  6'4" forward
  Jzaniya Harriel  5'10" guard (not played this year. Redshirting?)
Jenna Brown 5'10" guard (not played this year. Redshirting?)

While 6'3" Kiki Iraiafen played, Stanford's tallest starter was 6'1".   I wonder when the last time Stanford's tallest starter was 6'1"?

If there were ever a week that Stanford could afford virtually all of their taller plays out, this was it.  (Not that it was planned!)

It concerns me that 4 of our 5 tallest players were all out.  Do they room together?  Was it exposure during post practice?
I hope that Tara chose to keep players out, not because they were sick nor because they were officially close contacts and had to quarantine, but because they were contacts that might get sick that she didn't want to expose the rest of the team.

To put that another way, consider if next week, we lose the Hulls, Jones, Jump, and Wilson (5 players).   IMO, we'd be in a worse position than we were today (and that's before you consider the opponents).  

Stanford, and all schools, should adjust rooming (& carpooling, etc) to put first string tall players with reserve short players. (For, say, swimming, put your best butterfly swimmers with weaker backstrokers, etc.)

[chimera]

I will not speculate about when or how COVID protocols (apparently) had so many players unable to travel.  I just hope that they are feeling well and will be back soon.  Not ideal even missing practice for a week or so, but I hope that is all it turns out to be.

Nice win.  WSU is not really very good.  Overall they are not fast, and if you slow down the Leger-Walker sisters, ball game.  The key to the game might have been that we did not turn the ball over much after the first quarter, and we did cause them to turn the ball over I think it was 20 times.  The defense really got on them after the half.   We also dominated the boards pretty well even with so many bigs out.  

Generally it was a well played game by us.  There were a few head scratcher missed bunnies and overly ambitious passes that led to turnovers, but nothing egregious.  Jones had a very good game.  She even had to guard their bigs inside some and did it well.  Iriafen had a nice game too.  Seems like she often has a shaky start and then settles in, not unusual for a frosh.  Both Hulls were beasts on defense.  Wilson did a good job and her threes really got the team going and gave them separation at a key time in the game.  Nice to see her take those and make them.  Jump played well.  I don't think anyone played poorly.  Liked seeing Van Gytenbeek get some time and hit a three.  

I hope we have a full team for the Oregon schools next weekend.  The games now and for the next two weeks may not be indicative of much if many games are off and many others played with one or both teams missing players.

[chimera]

I will not speculate about when or how COVID protocols (apparently) had so many players unable to travel.  I just hope that they are feeling well and will be back soon.  Not ideal even missing practice for a week or so, but I hope that is all it turns out to be.

Nice win.  WSU is not really very good.  Overall they are not fast, and if you slow down the Leger-Walker sisters, ball game.  The key to the game might have been that we did not turn the ball over much after the first quarter, and we did cause them to turn the ball over I think it was 20 times.  The defense really got on them after the half.   We also dominated the boards pretty well even with so many bigs out.  

Generally it was a well played game by us.  There were a few head scratcher missed bunnies and overly ambitious passes that led to turnovers, but nothing egregious.  Jones had a very good game.  She even had to guard their bigs inside some and did it well.  Iriafen had a nice game too.  Seems like she often has a shaky start and then settles in, not unusual for a frosh.  Both Hulls were beasts on defense.  Wilson did a good job and her threes really got the team going and gave them separation at a key time in the game.  Nice to see her take those and make them.  Jump played well.  I don't think anyone played poorly.  Liked seeing Van Gytenbeek get some time and hit a three.  

I hope we have a full team for the Oregon schools next weekend.  The games now and for the next two weeks may not be indicative of much if many games are off and many others played with one or both teams missing players.

[BACardinal]

Just like the Cal team missing players versus WSU I think it was because of the holidays when players went home and upon returning or still at home they tested positive so their return could be sooner rather than later if they tested days ago and it just wasn't announced. Stanford is always pretty tight lipped on injury/players missing games.

[BACardinal]

Just like the Cal team missing players versus WSU I think it was because of the holidays when players went home and upon returning or still at home they tested positive so their return could be sooner rather than later if they tested days ago and it just wasn't announced. Stanford is always pretty tight lipped on injury/players missing games.

[BobK]

Oregon has all their players back as they beat Carroll today

[BobK]

Oregon has all their players back as they beat Carroll today

[Card10Fan]

Is Stanford testing student athletes regularly like last year or only if players have symptoms? I hope we can be at full strength next weekend with the Oregon schools coming into town. 

Overall, a great start to conference play with a dominant win on the road. Glad the Hulls were healthy and able to play in front of their family one last time. Our depth is our strength and was on display today. Down so many players and still win by 30+ is impressive.

[Card10Fan]

Is Stanford testing student athletes regularly like last year or only if players have symptoms? I hope we can be at full strength next weekend with the Oregon schools coming into town. 

Overall, a great start to conference play with a dominant win on the road. Glad the Hulls were healthy and able to play in front of their family one last time. Our depth is our strength and was on display today. Down so many players and still win by 30+ is impressive.

[TonyLima]

Cruised in the 2nd half. Great to see. WSU just simply outclassed. Other than the L-W's, they are pretty low on talent. Random other thoughts:

- Found it interesting that Tara played JVG off the ball instead of getting her minutes at point. I thought she did well at the 2, but we will really need her at the 1 next year. 
- Kiki finished way better in the 2nd half. Stinks for her that we are so loaded at the low post. Maybe next year we will play more of a 2 post offense? Cam and Prechtel could be stretch 4's. 
- I think Bosgana will have some big scoring games in her career. Even though she didn't get buckets today, she really looks like she can score it.
- Another game that the Hulls really dominated on the defensive end. Really gonna miss those two!

Also Bosgana is left-handed. May give her a bit of an edge.

[TonyLima]

Cruised in the 2nd half. Great to see. WSU just simply outclassed. Other than the L-W's, they are pretty low on talent. Random other thoughts:

- Found it interesting that Tara played JVG off the ball instead of getting her minutes at point. I thought she did well at the 2, but we will really need her at the 1 next year. 
- Kiki finished way better in the 2nd half. Stinks for her that we are so loaded at the low post. Maybe next year we will play more of a 2 post offense? Cam and Prechtel could be stretch 4's. 
- I think Bosgana will have some big scoring games in her career. Even though she didn't get buckets today, she really looks like she can score it.
- Another game that the Hulls really dominated on the defensive end. Really gonna miss those two!

Also Bosgana is left-handed. May give her a bit of an edge.

[BobK]

Oregon has all their players back as they beat Carroll today

[BobK]

Oregon has all their players back as they beat Carroll today

[M T]

The plaeyrs that weren't at the game are 34 of 68 FT (50%) this year.  Without them, the team was 91 of 135 (67.4%) going into the game.   Today's players were 13 of 16 (81.3%).  Of note, Belibi who was 13 of 22 (59%) was 4 of 5 today.  Lexie had been 11 of 20 (55%) but was  2 of 2 today.  Jones improved on her 82% FT% average with a 4 of 4 today.

12 assists to 11 turnovers is decent.  12 assists on 31 baskets is not so good (Season: 55.2% of goals have assists)

We rebounded 25% of our missed shots (good, but not outstanding) and 81.4% of their misses (good).
Our two blocks were by Lacie and Wilson.

Everyone for Stanford was positive in +/-, naturally led by the player with the most playing time  (Lacie (+38)).
Everyone for WSU was negative.  The two L-W sisters played the most time, so they were the most negative.

I have almost no issue with Lacie playing 38 minutes as she is still learning her position.  Haley got 30 minutes which might have been more than needed.  Next was LVG at 25 minutes.

We struggled a bit from 3PT, hitting only 7 of 21.

[M T]

The plaeyrs that weren't at the game are 34 of 68 FT (50%) this year.  Without them, the team was 91 of 135 (67.4%) going into the game.   Today's players were 13 of 16 (81.3%).  Of note, Belibi who was 13 of 22 (59%) was 4 of 5 today.  Lexie had been 11 of 20 (55%) but was  2 of 2 today.  Jones improved on her 82% FT% average with a 4 of 4 today.

12 assists to 11 turnovers is decent.  12 assists on 31 baskets is not so good (Season: 55.2% of goals have assists)

We rebounded 25% of our missed shots (good, but not outstanding) and 81.4% of their misses (good).
Our two blocks were by Lacie and Wilson.

Everyone for Stanford was positive in +/-, naturally led by the player with the most playing time  (Lacie (+38)).
Everyone for WSU was negative.  The two L-W sisters played the most time, so they were the most negative.

I have almost no issue with Lacie playing 38 minutes as she is still learning her position.  Haley got 30 minutes which might have been more than needed.  Next was LVG at 25 minutes.

We struggled a bit from 3PT, hitting only 7 of 21.

[crackpot]

VanDerveer said five of the six players were out for COVID-19 protocols, the sixth was in a car accident, but is OK.

Per: https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/ar...rylink=cpy

[crackpot]

VanDerveer said five of the six players were out for COVID-19 protocols, the sixth was in a car accident, but is OK.

Per: https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/ar...rylink=cpy

[81alum]

VanDerveer said five of the six players were out for COVID-19 protocols, the sixth was in a car accident, but is OK.

Per: https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/ar...rylink=cpy

Yikes.

The next quote was more encouraging:

“Hoping we'll get people back next week,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “This is the world we live in. I'm really excited that we had a lot of different people ready to play today.”

[81alum]

VanDerveer said five of the six players were out for COVID-19 protocols, the sixth was in a car accident, but is OK.

Per: https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/ar...rylink=cpy

Yikes.

The next quote was more encouraging:

“Hoping we'll get people back next week,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “This is the world we live in. I'm really excited that we had a lot of different people ready to play today.”

[WBB fan]

"Five of the six players . . . " is a comment that makes me wonder. Ten players were at the game. Ten plus six is 16, and Stanford has 17 listed on the roster. We know who five of the missing six were (Brink, Prechtel, Demetre, Emma-Nnopu, and Jerome). That leaves two players who are on the roster but have not seen any minutes this year -- Brown and Harriel. So . . . , the question, which one of these is the 6th that Tara is referring to, and which one is apparently no longer part of the team, or ??? Or was six a mis-statement and it should have been 7, or ???

My guess is that it's Jenna who is the missing player since Harriel has at least been warming up with the team for most games. But if so, what does that mean for Jenna. Does anyone have any insight here?

[WBB fan]

"Five of the six players . . . " is a comment that makes me wonder. Ten players were at the game. Ten plus six is 16, and Stanford has 17 listed on the roster. We know who five of the missing six were (Brink, Prechtel, Demetre, Emma-Nnopu, and Jerome). That leaves two players who are on the roster but have not seen any minutes this year -- Brown and Harriel. So . . . , the question, which one of these is the 6th that Tara is referring to, and which one is apparently no longer part of the team, or ??? Or was six a mis-statement and it should have been 7, or ???

My guess is that it's Jenna who is the missing player since Harriel has at least been warming up with the team for most games. But if so, what does that mean for Jenna. Does anyone have any insight here?

[CompSci87]

VanDerveer said five of the six players were out for COVID-19 protocols, the sixth was in a car accident, but is OK.

Per: https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/ar...rylink=cpy

Yikes.

The next quote was more encouraging:

“Hoping we'll get people back next week,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “This is the world we live in. I'm really excited that we had a lot of different people ready to play today.”

FWIW, the car accident remark doesn't appear in the version of the story on gostanford.com.  https://gostanford.com/news/2022/1/2/wom...g-win.aspx

[CompSci87]

VanDerveer said five of the six players were out for COVID-19 protocols, the sixth was in a car accident, but is OK.

Per: https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/ar...rylink=cpy

Yikes.

The next quote was more encouraging:

“Hoping we'll get people back next week,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “This is the world we live in. I'm really excited that we had a lot of different people ready to play today.”

FWIW, the car accident remark doesn't appear in the version of the story on gostanford.com.  https://gostanford.com/news/2022/1/2/wom...g-win.aspx

[81alum]

"Five of the six players . . . " is a comment that makes me wonder. Ten players were at the game. Ten plus six is 16, and Stanford has 17 listed on the roster. We know who five of the missing six were (Brink, Prechtel, Demetre, Emma-Nnopu, and Jerome). That leaves two players who are on the roster but have not seen any minutes this year -- Brown and Harriel. So . . . , the question, which one of these is the 6th that Tara is referring to, and which one is apparently no longer part of the team, or ??? Or was six a mis-statement and it should have been 7, or ???

My guess is that it's Jenna who is the missing player since Harriel has at least been warming up with the team for most games. But if so, what does that mean for Jenna. Does anyone have any insight here?

I think you may be reading too much into it.  I would think it means that six players that would have come on the trip did not for the reasons stated, but Jenna Brown--the 17th player--was never going to make the trip due to her long-term injury situation--so she did not come to mind when Tara made that statement to the press.  After all, did we see Brown on the sidelines on the last two road-trips?

Question:  Angela Taylor was one of the announcers, and it was pointed out that she had played for Tara.  However, I don't remember her.  Do any of you know?  I wonder if she is a local in the Moscow/Pullman area now, and whether she might have played for the University of Idaho when Tara was there.

[81alum]

"Five of the six players . . . " is a comment that makes me wonder. Ten players were at the game. Ten plus six is 16, and Stanford has 17 listed on the roster. We know who five of the missing six were (Brink, Prechtel, Demetre, Emma-Nnopu, and Jerome). That leaves two players who are on the roster but have not seen any minutes this year -- Brown and Harriel. So . . . , the question, which one of these is the 6th that Tara is referring to, and which one is apparently no longer part of the team, or ??? Or was six a mis-statement and it should have been 7, or ???

My guess is that it's Jenna who is the missing player since Harriel has at least been warming up with the team for most games. But if so, what does that mean for Jenna. Does anyone have any insight here?

I think you may be reading too much into it.  I would think it means that six players that would have come on the trip did not for the reasons stated, but Jenna Brown--the 17th player--was never going to make the trip due to her long-term injury situation--so she did not come to mind when Tara made that statement to the press.  After all, did we see Brown on the sidelines on the last two road-trips?

Question:  Angela Taylor was one of the announcers, and it was pointed out that she had played for Tara.  However, I don't remember her.  Do any of you know?  I wonder if she is a local in the Moscow/Pullman area now, and whether she might have played for the University of Idaho when Tara was there.

[Class_of_75]

"Five of the six players . . . " is a comment that makes me wonder. Ten players were at the game. Ten plus six is 16, and Stanford has 17 listed on the roster. We know who five of the missing six were (Brink, Prechtel, Demetre, Emma-Nnopu, and Jerome). That leaves two players who are on the roster but have not seen any minutes this year -- Brown and Harriel. So . . . , the question, which one of these is the 6th that Tara is referring to, and which one is apparently no longer part of the team, or ??? Or was six a mis-statement and it should have been 7, or ???

My guess is that it's Jenna who is the missing player since Harriel has at least been warming up with the team for most games. But if so, what does that mean for Jenna. Does anyone have any insight here?

I think you may be reading too much into it.  I would think it means that six players that would have come on the trip did not for the reasons stated, but Jenna Brown--the 17th player--was never going to make the trip due to her long-term injury situation--so she did not come to mind when Tara made that statement to the press.  After all, did we see Brown on the sidelines on the last two road-trips?

Question:  Angela Taylor was one of the announcers, and it was pointed out that she had played for Tara.  However, I don't remember her.  Do any of you know?  I wonder if she is a local in the Moscow/Pullman area now, and whether she might have played for the University of Idaho when Tara was there.

Angela played at Stanford. Her brother played football at Stanford. They were from Mountain Home, Idaho.

[Class_of_75]

"Five of the six players . . . " is a comment that makes me wonder. Ten players were at the game. Ten plus six is 16, and Stanford has 17 listed on the roster. We know who five of the missing six were (Brink, Prechtel, Demetre, Emma-Nnopu, and Jerome). That leaves two players who are on the roster but have not seen any minutes this year -- Brown and Harriel. So . . . , the question, which one of these is the 6th that Tara is referring to, and which one is apparently no longer part of the team, or ??? Or was six a mis-statement and it should have been 7, or ???

My guess is that it's Jenna who is the missing player since Harriel has at least been warming up with the team for most games. But if so, what does that mean for Jenna. Does anyone have any insight here?

I think you may be reading too much into it.  I would think it means that six players that would have come on the trip did not for the reasons stated, but Jenna Brown--the 17th player--was never going to make the trip due to her long-term injury situation--so she did not come to mind when Tara made that statement to the press.  After all, did we see Brown on the sidelines on the last two road-trips?

Question:  Angela Taylor was one of the announcers, and it was pointed out that she had played for Tara.  However, I don't remember her.  Do any of you know?  I wonder if she is a local in the Moscow/Pullman area now, and whether she might have played for the University of Idaho when Tara was there.

Angela played at Stanford. Her brother played football at Stanford. They were from Mountain Home, Idaho.

[81alum]

Thanks 75.  I finally found her in the archival records.  She must have been on the 2nd national championship team and perhaps the 1st, she is listed as a senior on the team for 92-93, but she played limited minutes behind Goodenbour and Hedgepeth and Kate Paye that year.  She also seems to have coached for Tara for a few years in the mid 1990s.  She and Kate Paye are rough contemporaries.

That also explains the Idaho connection--she is not listed as a regular for P12 networks, but might live nearby?

Fast Break Club has a bio for her--she was a WNBA executive for a while and is now partner and co-founder of this:

https://dignitasagency.com/the-agency/

---

As for how many were missing, Haley corrects the announcer and notes that there were 7 players missing from the trip:

'It's all coming together’: Stanford's Haley Jones on her 24-point, 16-rebound performance at WSU - YouTube

[81alum]

Thanks 75.  I finally found her in the archival records.  She must have been on the 2nd national championship team and perhaps the 1st, she is listed as a senior on the team for 92-93, but she played limited minutes behind Goodenbour and Hedgepeth and Kate Paye that year.  She also seems to have coached for Tara for a few years in the mid 1990s.  She and Kate Paye are rough contemporaries.

That also explains the Idaho connection--she is not listed as a regular for P12 networks, but might live nearby?

Fast Break Club has a bio for her--she was a WNBA executive for a while and is now partner and co-founder of this:

https://dignitasagency.com/the-agency/

---

As for how many were missing, Haley corrects the announcer and notes that there were 7 players missing from the trip:

'It's all coming together’: Stanford's Haley Jones on her 24-point, 16-rebound performance at WSU - YouTube

[jonnyss]

"Five of the six players . . . " is a comment that makes me wonder. Ten players were at the game. Ten plus six is 16, and Stanford has 17 listed on the roster. We know who five of the missing six were (Brink, Prechtel, Demetre, Emma-Nnopu, and Jerome). That leaves two players who are on the roster but have not seen any minutes this year -- Brown and Harriel. So . . . , the question, which one of these is the 6th that Tara is referring to, and which one is apparently no longer part of the team, or ??? Or was six a mis-statement and it should have been 7, or ???

My guess is that it's Jenna who is the missing player since Harriel has at least been warming up with the team for most games. But if so, what does that mean for Jenna. Does anyone have any insight here?

I think you may be reading too much into it.  I would think it means that six players that would have come on the trip did not for the reasons stated, but Jenna Brown--the 17th player--was never going to make the trip due to her long-term injury situation--so she did not come to mind when Tara made that statement to the press.  After all, did we see Brown on the sidelines on the last two road-trips?

Question:  Angela Taylor was one of the announcers, and it was pointed out that she had played for Tara.  However, I don't remember her.  Do any of you know?  I wonder if she is a local in the Moscow/Pullman area now, and whether she might have played for the University of Idaho when Tara was there.

Angela played at Stanford. Her brother played football at Stanford. They were from Mountain Home, Idaho.

i remember angela. she was on both the national championship teams of the early 90's. she played the 2, and although she did not start, she had considerable minutes. in fact, i have a signed photo of the 1993 usa national team, coached by tara, that i got autographed for my kids, then 9 and 13. i just got it out, and angela (and her signature) are on it, along with molly, jennifer azzi and katy steding. plus dawn staley, lisa leslie, the birge twins, nikki mccray, carla mcgee, etc.

[jonnyss]

"Five of the six players . . . " is a comment that makes me wonder. Ten players were at the game. Ten plus six is 16, and Stanford has 17 listed on the roster. We know who five of the missing six were (Brink, Prechtel, Demetre, Emma-Nnopu, and Jerome). That leaves two players who are on the roster but have not seen any minutes this year -- Brown and Harriel. So . . . , the question, which one of these is the 6th that Tara is referring to, and which one is apparently no longer part of the team, or ??? Or was six a mis-statement and it should have been 7, or ???

My guess is that it's Jenna who is the missing player since Harriel has at least been warming up with the team for most games. But if so, what does that mean for Jenna. Does anyone have any insight here?

I think you may be reading too much into it.  I would think it means that six players that would have come on the trip did not for the reasons stated, but Jenna Brown--the 17th player--was never going to make the trip due to her long-term injury situation--so she did not come to mind when Tara made that statement to the press.  After all, did we see Brown on the sidelines on the last two road-trips?

Question:  Angela Taylor was one of the announcers, and it was pointed out that she had played for Tara.  However, I don't remember her.  Do any of you know?  I wonder if she is a local in the Moscow/Pullman area now, and whether she might have played for the University of Idaho when Tara was there.

Angela played at Stanford. Her brother played football at Stanford. They were from Mountain Home, Idaho.

i remember angela. she was on both the national championship teams of the early 90's. she played the 2, and although she did not start, she had considerable minutes. in fact, i have a signed photo of the 1993 usa national team, coached by tara, that i got autographed for my kids, then 9 and 13. i just got it out, and angela (and her signature) are on it, along with molly, jennifer azzi and katy steding. plus dawn staley, lisa leslie, the birge twins, nikki mccray, carla mcgee, etc.

[2006alum]

Late to this by a mile, but overall, I thought we played really well given that 1/3 of our workforce, much like the country, is currently out sick. Slow start, but I will give the benefit of the doubt to the fact that it's their first game back after Christmas, it's our second worst PAC-12 away game setting (after Colorado), and I'm sure it was a bit of an adjustment to losing half our post players. From Q2 on, I thought we looked pretty great, and Iriafen is looking really solid. What do we do once we have Brink, Iriafen, AND Betts?!

One statistical curiosity concerns the relationship between the number of shots Jones takes in a game, and our winning record:

More than 8 shots: 6-0.
7-8 shots: 1-1.
6 shots: 1-2. 

And of course @Gonzaga, w/o Jones, we won a squeaker.

If I'm Tara, I'm telling Haley to stay aggressive and keep looking to shoot. I know some of us were divided on this, but even with her terrible shooting % against Tennessee, (3 of 18), I still felt like she was dictating the game, controlling the pace, and discombobulating on defense enough to be worth all those missed shots.

[2006alum]

Late to this by a mile, but overall, I thought we played really well given that 1/3 of our workforce, much like the country, is currently out sick. Slow start, but I will give the benefit of the doubt to the fact that it's their first game back after Christmas, it's our second worst PAC-12 away game setting (after Colorado), and I'm sure it was a bit of an adjustment to losing half our post players. From Q2 on, I thought we looked pretty great, and Iriafen is looking really solid. What do we do once we have Brink, Iriafen, AND Betts?!

One statistical curiosity concerns the relationship between the number of shots Jones takes in a game, and our winning record:

More than 8 shots: 6-0.
7-8 shots: 1-1.
6 shots: 1-2. 

And of course @Gonzaga, w/o Jones, we won a squeaker.

If I'm Tara, I'm telling Haley to stay aggressive and keep looking to shoot. I know some of us were divided on this, but even with her terrible shooting % against Tennessee, (3 of 18), I still felt like she was dictating the game, controlling the pace, and discombobulating on defense enough to be worth all those missed shots.

[81alum]

Late to this by a mile, but overall, I thought we played really well given that 1/3 of our workforce, much like the country, is currently out sick. Slow start, but I will give the benefit of the doubt to the fact that it's their first game back after Christmas, it's our second worst PAC-12 away game setting (after Colorado), and I'm sure it was a bit of an adjustment to losing half our post players. From Q2 on, I thought we looked pretty great, and Iriafen is looking really solid. What do we do once we have Brink, Iriafen, AND Betts?!

One statistical curiosity concerns the relationship between the number of shots Jones takes in a game, and our winning record:

More than 8 shots: 6-0.
7-8 shots: 1-1.
6 shots: 1-2. 

And of course @Gonzaga, w/o Jones, we won a squeaker.

If I'm Tara, I'm telling Haley to stay aggressive and keep looking to shoot. I know some of us were divided on this, but even with her terrible shooting % against Tennessee, (3 of 18), I still felt like she was dictating the game, controlling the pace, and discombobulating on defense enough to be worth all those missed shots.

Generally I agree with this.  Jones has been turnover prone at times and it is usually when she is trying too hard to get the ball to teammates.  Take the easy assists when they are available but otherwise manufacture your own shot.  Then the other team is forced to double/triple Jones and THEN the assists become easy as defenders leave their assignments to help on Jones. 

So by thinking about scoring scoring first and assisting second, she might actually wind up with more assists. 

That said, there are certain days when most of her shots are just a little bit off, and they are not falling for her.  On those days we need Brink or Lexie to become more aggressive.

[81alum]

Late to this by a mile, but overall, I thought we played really well given that 1/3 of our workforce, much like the country, is currently out sick. Slow start, but I will give the benefit of the doubt to the fact that it's their first game back after Christmas, it's our second worst PAC-12 away game setting (after Colorado), and I'm sure it was a bit of an adjustment to losing half our post players. From Q2 on, I thought we looked pretty great, and Iriafen is looking really solid. What do we do once we have Brink, Iriafen, AND Betts?!

One statistical curiosity concerns the relationship between the number of shots Jones takes in a game, and our winning record:

More than 8 shots: 6-0.
7-8 shots: 1-1.
6 shots: 1-2. 

And of course @Gonzaga, w/o Jones, we won a squeaker.

If I'm Tara, I'm telling Haley to stay aggressive and keep looking to shoot. I know some of us were divided on this, but even with her terrible shooting % against Tennessee, (3 of 18), I still felt like she was dictating the game, controlling the pace, and discombobulating on defense enough to be worth all those missed shots.

Generally I agree with this.  Jones has been turnover prone at times and it is usually when she is trying too hard to get the ball to teammates.  Take the easy assists when they are available but otherwise manufacture your own shot.  Then the other team is forced to double/triple Jones and THEN the assists become easy as defenders leave their assignments to help on Jones. 

So by thinking about scoring scoring first and assisting second, she might actually wind up with more assists. 

That said, there are certain days when most of her shots are just a little bit off, and they are not falling for her.  On those days we need Brink or Lexie to become more aggressive.