Other PAC 12 WBB contenders

It is a very good thing that Oregon lost to Michigan State ( a team about the same caliber as Gonzaga, or maybe just a slight tad lower), or the Ducks might be #1 (or #2) right now too (assuming Stanford and all others in the top 10 have the records they do have right now)

I read or heard the other day that DS got absolutely no reps at the PG in practice last year as she was not going to be on the floor - all the reps went to Mik and then to Aleah.......Aleah's chemistry with Jo is because they were both practicing together a lot with the second team......again, I wish I could source where I heard this, but I can't. If this is true, then we can hope she will become less of a "turnover machine" over time. 

That said, I have been quite impressed with Aleah and how much she has improved year over year.....

Also, you are absolutely correct - DS needs to finish at the rim after those spectacular blow bys. I am not sure what is going on there, she blew a couple of easy shots against Duke that were real head-scratchers.

My wife and I have been pondering (at all the home games) whether DS will be able to temper her free-wheeling style to fit SR's structure, or whether SR wants things to be more free-wheeling when she is on the floor. Right now, Aleah seems to have a better handle on the structured flow, while DS really thrives on the break and in blowing by her opponent. What a luxury to be able to alternate those two for these next 3 seasons!

My prediction - after a year of growth and tempering, DS emerges as POY material next year and the year after, when she has 5 star talent at every position on the floor. DS can get a shot anytime, something we have not had in the past, and can blow by her opponent at will (also a quality in short supply on the Beavers). And she really pushes the ball up the floor. That will keep her on the floor enough for her to get the seasoning SR wants.....

This year, however, we are going to see periods of "growth", a'la the Duke game.

Go Beavers!

The major problem that I see in respect to Destiny can be corrected with time. Although the question still is how much time it will take. She has the point guard skills but not the point guard mentality. She certainly did not have it at Maryland. What I am referring to is prioritizing dictating offensive flow and assists as opposed to working for her own shots. A lot of this is a carry over from very good players from their high school days.

In high school most star players usually ended up having to carry their teams offensively and that mindset pattern is often hard to break.The become too ball dominant and focused on their shots first with their team mostly a second option. It should be the other was around even if they are capable of scoring each time they have the ball. They also tend to want to dominate the way they did in high school so they end up playing beyond their actual capabilities at the next level. That is where Slocum is at right now and where Pivec was for the first part of last season. Once the light came on for her Pivec became a very capable point guard.

I know a lot of fans like to see players exhibit flash and dominate scoring with one on one plays, but a point guards primary role is to run the offense which involves getting all the players on the floor involved in the offensive flow. This is especially true on a team that has as many scoring options as Oregon State.

This teams strength lies in the number of scorers it has on it's team. One or two players can have off nights and the team will still have enough players that are on to win any game. To take advantage of that strength you have to have a team that shares the scoring.  

Slocum needs to focus on playing the point first and being a scoring off guard second. When a player has the ball in their hands constantly, they need to make more of an effort to play unselfishly. They should not just take every opportunity they come across. When the ball is dropping that sort of attitude does not seem harmful, but when it is not it really hurts the team. The time for one on one flash is when the shot clock is winding down. The rest of the time it should be getting other players involved. I think people can see better ball movement with the second unite run by Goodman.

What's really cool is that Aleah is learning how to drive from Destiny and Destiny is learning the softer touch from Aleah. And on Destiny practicing with the team last year. Kat mentioned in an interview how the team was having to learn how to deal with her passes. If she practiced with them last year why would Kat say that. Seems she was just playing the opposition last year. One of the reasons they improved so much as the season went along.

I think everyone is underplaying DS right now. We have played a lot of teams basically for fun. A player like her is a big game player, when it matters I think she will deliver. Everyone around her is dangerous and can go off at any night as well. Like I said, we will be toe to toe for the Pac-12 title.

Could be a game of attrition, neither team is very deep. Starters play a ton of minutes. Advantage schmucks since they get to sleep in their own beds.

However they will have to play better than they did against uw.