Questions to be answered in 2020 (and 2019)
Jul 9, 2019 20:07:15 GMT -8
411500, believeinthebeavs, and 5 more like this
Post by 2ndGenBeaver on Jul 9, 2019 20:07:15 GMT -8
Earlier threads are devolving, so I will start anew......with all sorts of rampant speculation (disclaimer - it *is* the off season).
Here are my questions (and stabs at answers) for the upcoming season, in no particular order:
Which player makes the "Kolbie leap"?
Kolbie was a player that went from playing sparingly to becoming a major factor on the floor. The "Kolbie leap" is my shorthand for that phenomenon.....
So our potential candidates are Trish, Jazz, Janessa or Maddie (though one could argue Maddie doesn't fit "played sparingly", relatively speaking). I think Trish makes the Kolbie leap. Why? Mostly because we need her to, and she showed some tantalizing flashes (Cal and uo game). Also, I was hoping Jazz would "blow up" playing for Australia this summer, and that hasn't happened (note there may be many explanations for that). Janessa is very scrappy and energetic but I don't see her going from injured on the bench to 8 ppg/6 rpg overnight. And Maddie is likely not going to grow 4 inches, though if she could bottle her USC game (I said the same thing about KTMac's Lamar game, never happened)
Which established player or players "take it to the next level"?
Mik's stats are already amazing, just getting *that* again with improved paint players would be great. DS might harmonize better with the team/coach, but I don't know if that will add huge numbers of points/assists. I think Aleah might gain the most from this summer's 3x3 experience in terms of adding more slashing and driving along with outside shooting.......but I actually think the formula for us "taking it to the next level" as a team is to get back Aleah, DS and Mik even at last year's levels, but make the KTMac replacement more of a scoring threat (we have had this "glue player" role that IMHO has left something to be desired in tight games: KTMac and Gabbie could give you 10 points, or they could give you no points......if we get someone in that spot that similarly provides good D/glue but also a consistent scoring punch......) and add a paint player with hands and moves (I am/was a big Jo fan, and she made huge strides, but her hands and mobility limited her a bit), we will be in the top 4 or 5 of the Pac-12.
Does AA play?
I'm going to say "yes" with absolutely no information other than 1) her engagement and body language on the bench 2) the potential AA represents for our team. And the fact I want to see a dunk in a Gill WBB game by a Beaver before Stanford's Fran Belibi throws one down.
When does Kat come back, and to what degree?
I actually hope Kat's NCAA petition has a successful outcome, because I think it took Kat more than a season to get comfortable in her driving, taking contact etc. (recall she had a similar injury in HS). So I think Kat returns to form during the 20-21 season. I sure hope Kat can come right back and be the same old Kat, but hope is not a strategy and change is not a destination, so I am estimating conservatively that she is back after Thanksgiving, but in a spot-up shooter role.......but even that will be huge for our team, though maybe too late for our pre-season NIT games.
What roles do the newbies play this season?
I am really looking forward to Jelena's GT interview (which I hope is coming soon), because we don't know much about her from social media other than 1) she played in some games and worked out 2) she rode in an ambulance or at least was injured but with the traditional athlete "thumbs up", 3) she attended a prom 4) she was on crutches with a leg brace of some sort and 5) she is definitely here in the US. I suspect she redshirts. I think Taylor starts out backing up Trish in the middle, but I am hoping that she ends up splitting time with Trish by season end. I think the level of competition she faced in HS along with learning our systems will require some time for growth/seasoning, but I hope I am eating those words big time by year end. I think Kennedy starts, and is the player who gets KTMac's minutes (though I wonder if we try out Jazz at that spot, or where Kat is at in terms of recovery). Kennedy has played/practiced with players who are going to the blue blood schools and held her own, I expect her size and versatility get her on the court sooner rather than later. I sure hope AA is splitting minutes with her in that spot.....
What about Taya?
Has Taya plateaued, or is she going to also deliver Mik-like stats this season? I really think Taya has the potential to enhance her numbers, but I think there are going to be so many other options on the floor that she will end up "only" getting similar to slightly better stats, but more efficiently. She needs to drive more, but she seems to have a quota on the number of drives per game. Her greatest gift to the team is her outstanding entry passing.....speaking of....
Can we get better at the entry pass into the paint?
This was (along with lack of a truly dominating post player for the first time in ~7 seasons) a key weakness - we weren't great at entry passing. I suspect our hands and mobility in the paint will improve this season, and hence the confidence of the passer, and our likely upgrade in height at the KTMac position will help, but I think this is a key for us, along with identifying exactly who in the paint we will be passing to, and what they are capable of doing with the ball next.
So, do we win the Pac-12?
I think we will be in the top 4, but I think we have a better chance of getting hot and winning the Pac-12 tourney than the regular season title.....the trip to Italy might have me revising my answer to this one, but I suspect the trip to Italy will provide more about team bonding than gelling on rotations, especially if 2-3 of our players are hobbled.
What about the team down south?
Don't know, don't care, this is a Beaver board......but I do know I will be rooting against them in every game, hope they exit the NCAA tournament before we do, and that what happened in baseball is what happens in WBB - they collect talent, we collect trophies. A good day is when we win, a great day when we win and they lose.
Go Beavers!
Here are my questions (and stabs at answers) for the upcoming season, in no particular order:
Which player makes the "Kolbie leap"?
Kolbie was a player that went from playing sparingly to becoming a major factor on the floor. The "Kolbie leap" is my shorthand for that phenomenon.....
So our potential candidates are Trish, Jazz, Janessa or Maddie (though one could argue Maddie doesn't fit "played sparingly", relatively speaking). I think Trish makes the Kolbie leap. Why? Mostly because we need her to, and she showed some tantalizing flashes (Cal and uo game). Also, I was hoping Jazz would "blow up" playing for Australia this summer, and that hasn't happened (note there may be many explanations for that). Janessa is very scrappy and energetic but I don't see her going from injured on the bench to 8 ppg/6 rpg overnight. And Maddie is likely not going to grow 4 inches, though if she could bottle her USC game (I said the same thing about KTMac's Lamar game, never happened)
Which established player or players "take it to the next level"?
Mik's stats are already amazing, just getting *that* again with improved paint players would be great. DS might harmonize better with the team/coach, but I don't know if that will add huge numbers of points/assists. I think Aleah might gain the most from this summer's 3x3 experience in terms of adding more slashing and driving along with outside shooting.......but I actually think the formula for us "taking it to the next level" as a team is to get back Aleah, DS and Mik even at last year's levels, but make the KTMac replacement more of a scoring threat (we have had this "glue player" role that IMHO has left something to be desired in tight games: KTMac and Gabbie could give you 10 points, or they could give you no points......if we get someone in that spot that similarly provides good D/glue but also a consistent scoring punch......) and add a paint player with hands and moves (I am/was a big Jo fan, and she made huge strides, but her hands and mobility limited her a bit), we will be in the top 4 or 5 of the Pac-12.
Does AA play?
I'm going to say "yes" with absolutely no information other than 1) her engagement and body language on the bench 2) the potential AA represents for our team. And the fact I want to see a dunk in a Gill WBB game by a Beaver before Stanford's Fran Belibi throws one down.
When does Kat come back, and to what degree?
I actually hope Kat's NCAA petition has a successful outcome, because I think it took Kat more than a season to get comfortable in her driving, taking contact etc. (recall she had a similar injury in HS). So I think Kat returns to form during the 20-21 season. I sure hope Kat can come right back and be the same old Kat, but hope is not a strategy and change is not a destination, so I am estimating conservatively that she is back after Thanksgiving, but in a spot-up shooter role.......but even that will be huge for our team, though maybe too late for our pre-season NIT games.
What roles do the newbies play this season?
I am really looking forward to Jelena's GT interview (which I hope is coming soon), because we don't know much about her from social media other than 1) she played in some games and worked out 2) she rode in an ambulance or at least was injured but with the traditional athlete "thumbs up", 3) she attended a prom 4) she was on crutches with a leg brace of some sort and 5) she is definitely here in the US. I suspect she redshirts. I think Taylor starts out backing up Trish in the middle, but I am hoping that she ends up splitting time with Trish by season end. I think the level of competition she faced in HS along with learning our systems will require some time for growth/seasoning, but I hope I am eating those words big time by year end. I think Kennedy starts, and is the player who gets KTMac's minutes (though I wonder if we try out Jazz at that spot, or where Kat is at in terms of recovery). Kennedy has played/practiced with players who are going to the blue blood schools and held her own, I expect her size and versatility get her on the court sooner rather than later. I sure hope AA is splitting minutes with her in that spot.....
What about Taya?
Has Taya plateaued, or is she going to also deliver Mik-like stats this season? I really think Taya has the potential to enhance her numbers, but I think there are going to be so many other options on the floor that she will end up "only" getting similar to slightly better stats, but more efficiently. She needs to drive more, but she seems to have a quota on the number of drives per game. Her greatest gift to the team is her outstanding entry passing.....speaking of....
Can we get better at the entry pass into the paint?
This was (along with lack of a truly dominating post player for the first time in ~7 seasons) a key weakness - we weren't great at entry passing. I suspect our hands and mobility in the paint will improve this season, and hence the confidence of the passer, and our likely upgrade in height at the KTMac position will help, but I think this is a key for us, along with identifying exactly who in the paint we will be passing to, and what they are capable of doing with the ball next.
So, do we win the Pac-12?
I think we will be in the top 4, but I think we have a better chance of getting hot and winning the Pac-12 tourney than the regular season title.....the trip to Italy might have me revising my answer to this one, but I suspect the trip to Italy will provide more about team bonding than gelling on rotations, especially if 2-3 of our players are hobbled.
What about the team down south?
Don't know, don't care, this is a Beaver board......but I do know I will be rooting against them in every game, hope they exit the NCAA tournament before we do, and that what happened in baseball is what happens in WBB - they collect talent, we collect trophies. A good day is when we win, a great day when we win and they lose.
Go Beavers!
