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Post by rmancarl on Nov 20, 2019 20:44:30 GMT -8
Thanks to the Italy trip, 3 exhibition games, and now the WNIT tourney, we've had some opportunity to get a glimpse of what this version of the Beavs will be like this season. I'd like to hear your thoughts, but here's a few impressions I'm getting so far:
Two players (Janessa and Jazz) have shown noticeable improvement this year. I could see Janessa providing some key help at times this year, and Jazz has already made me feel much better about next year.
The freshmen are good and will help the Beavs win games, but they may also be the reason for a loss along the way.
Kat could be the difference in this team being a good team or a great team.
Taya's injury may hurt this team badly.
If Taya is healthy, there is every reason to think this team should be better, and deeper, than last year.
In the WNIT, the Beavs opponents seemed to outscrap the Beavs, or maybe the Beav reactions were just a bit slower. or maybe I am wrong.
I still don't have a grip on how good this team will be defensively. I also don't have a grip on how Taylor will perform this year if she is pushed away from the basket. I think her future is bright, and she is going to be a star, but I haven't seen anything yet that has shown me she will be effective away from the basket this year.
If Kennedy can just get the mid-range and 3pt shot down, she will be amazing. So far, she hasn't shown that she will hit those shots consisitently this year, but you can tell she's not far off.
You can tell Aleah handles pressure much better than she did two years ago during her freshman year.
Normally you always expect every player to improve from year to year, but can we expect Mik to play any better than last year? It's almost impossible, but she is off to a good start.
Despite how good the freshmen are playing, I'd feel much better if Taya were in the starting lineup. The experience the freshmen are getting is going to be valuable come tournament time.
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Post by lotrader on Nov 21, 2019 7:10:38 GMT -8
Not having Taya weakens the Beavers for sure. Taya is a somewhat invisible steady hand, and would have made our post rotation so good. If we get Taya back this year, at some point, it will help us greatly in the PAC-12 and NCAA Tournaments. Having Kat back is tremendous--please stay healthy! Destiny has shown flashes of playing under control, and then, she goes out of control (when running the point). But Destiny is playing better defense and shooting the 3-pointer beautifully this year. I believe Destiny will continue to improve, especially now that we have Kat back in the line-up. BTW, Kat is just as important on the defensive perimeter. Kat will help us guard some of the taller opponents on the perimeter. Aleah has most impressed me this year with her defense. What a dramatic improvement from her freshman/sophomore years. Opponents are no longer blowing by Aleah. Aleah fights through screens, and keeps her feet in front of her opponent. Aleah also has great defensive hands. She took the ball from Missouri States #23 twice as she went to shoot. If Rueck can get consistent offensive production from Kennedy and Jas, that will help the Beavs a great deal. Jas has shown in last 2 games, that she can make the 3-point shot (in Gill anyway). Hopefully, Kennedy's shot will start falling soon. Defensively, it may be the zone that keeps us in the tight games this year, until we have more players that can defend 1v1. But against teams like Stanford & UO, that is going to be a challenge.
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2ndGenBeaver
Sophomore
Posts: 1,828 
Grad Year: 1991 (MS/CS) 1999 (PhD/CS)
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Post by 2ndGenBeaver on Nov 21, 2019 8:52:53 GMT -8
While Taylor is getting lots of attention right now (and she has already garnered as many Pac-12 FOTW awards as Mik, Syd or Jamie, so another indicator of her potential), I will say that I am watching Kennedy closer - especially with the uncertainty with Taya's health. Kennedy leads the Pac-12 in blocked shots.
Kennedy is actually doing really well setting screens (Taylor is still a work in progress in this department - along with our guards need to improve on their wait for the screener to set before they move, as well as directing the defender more solidly into the screener and not force the screener to lean or perceive to move). But I have been heartened with how well she is picking up on the intricacies of our plays (I also noticed we have a "staggered elevator" play that was freeing up Kat for 3s that Kennedy participated in nicely).
Where Kennedy needs to improve is the outside/midrange shots. There will be games where Taylor won't be able to drop 20 from the post, whether it is a Pac-12 post or fouls that lead to that, and there will be (likely fewer, thanks to Kat return) games where the outside shot will not necessarily carry us, and if in that scenario there is a 6'5" player that can manufacture midrange (or drive on a shorter defender) points, we will really be a load. Note that Taya was not giving us a lot of midrange points, but I see that Kennedy does have a midrange game, so this might actually turn out to be an improvement from last year.
We are still not firing on all cylinders on D (esp. zone), and we are not getting scoring in all the ways we anticipate we could this season (esp. if Jalena joins the fray). I still think there is potential for this team to become the most dangerous team we have fielded in the SR era, and that is pretty exciting!
Go Beavers!
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Post by greybeav on Nov 21, 2019 9:19:19 GMT -8
Nice, tons of info to chew on !
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beav74
Freshman
Posts: 741
Grad Year: OSU 1974
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Post by beav74 on Nov 21, 2019 11:55:01 GMT -8
Agree with everything said.. and I agree that Taya's injury is going to hurt. A nagging hamstring! With the help of trainers, PT... I would think we might see her back during Pac-12 season. Jasmine and Patricia both look like they've improved. The freshman will be a great help inside. I'm just hoping that we see AA sometime during the year. Should be a great Pac-12 season.
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Post by pitbeavs on Nov 21, 2019 12:56:30 GMT -8
The KAT is BACK!!
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Post by ricke71 on Nov 21, 2019 12:59:36 GMT -8
4-6 on 3 pt shots. 4 rebounds. And what really impressed was her lateral mobility on defense. I HOPE she isn't pushing her recovering leg too much !! |
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Post by believeinthebeavs on Nov 21, 2019 13:00:19 GMT -8
After today's game we might have to start adding Mannen to "the freshman". Granted she might not be at the level of Brown and Jones but when she gets in she plays smart. She can also shoot, according to Destiny Mannen often wins at shooting threes. 10 points including 2 threes and 2 free throws to go with 3 rebounds in 13 minutes is a good day.
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Post by pitbeavs on Nov 21, 2019 13:12:11 GMT -8
After today's game we might have to start adding Mannen to "the freshman". Granted she might not be at the level of Brown and Jones but when she gets in she plays smart. She can also shoot, according to Destiny Mannen often wins at shooting threes. 10 points including 2 threes and 2 free throws to go with 3 rebounds in 13 minutes is a good day. But it was "garbage" time against a seriously inferior foe. |
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Post by believeinthebeavs on Nov 21, 2019 13:25:46 GMT -8
She played in both halves. Also had an assist and committed no turnovers. The threes were contested shots, she drove to the basket and finished for her two, and hit a pair of free throws. She wasn't gifted any points.
Will she be a major contributor this year? Probably not but maybe in a year or two.
Since we won over a "seriously inferior foe" does that discount Mik's 18 rebounds? Or Kat and Aleah's four triples? They played the same inferior foe during garbage time.
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Post by baseba1111 on Nov 21, 2019 13:34:19 GMT -8
She played in both halves. Also had an assist and committed no turnovers. The threes were contested shots, she drove to the basket and finished for her two, and hit a pair of free throws. She wasn't gifted any points. Will she be a major contributor this year? Probably not but maybe in a year or two. Since we won over a "seriously inferior foe" does that discount Mik's 18 rebounds? Or Kat and Aleah's four triples? They played the same inferior foe during garbage time. Discount completely? No. But, that was not a elite HS team. So... whatever stat you want means zero for future quality teams. Ex except of course for padding stats. |
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Post by bennyskid on Nov 21, 2019 13:52:34 GMT -8
Let's not get carried away about Noelle. I only caught a couple plays on the livestream. I saw her nail a three, and I also saw her get beat twice on defense - one getting a foul. She's not a Pac-12-level player, but over time I imagine that the coaches will find situations where she can be successful and help the team. I love her attitude and anything we get from her is pure bonus.
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Post by pitbeavs on Nov 21, 2019 14:09:13 GMT -8
She played in both halves. Also had an assist and committed no turnovers. The threes were contested shots, she drove to the basket and finished for her two, and hit a pair of free throws. She wasn't gifted any points. Will she be a major contributor this year? Probably not but maybe in a year or two. Since we won over a "seriously inferior foe" does that discount Mik's 18 rebounds? Or Kat and Aleah's four triples? They played the same inferior foe during garbage time. Mannen is not Mik, Aleah, or Kat. They can do those things against stiff competition. Mannen? I didn't see her turning in ten point nights vs. Missouri State [Ranked 22], DePaul [Ranked 19], or Pacific. You a parent or a BF? |
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Post by mbabeav on Nov 21, 2019 14:16:55 GMT -8
For goodness sake! They did what they were supposed to against this team, and even better, in front of 8000 wildly screaming high octave, high energy kids. I don't care who you are playing, you still have to knock down the shots, play the defense, and not play to the level of the team you are playing. It's almost like what's worse for our teams - when they lose, or when they win?
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Post by ricke71 on Nov 21, 2019 16:09:09 GMT -8
She played in both halves. Also had an assist and committed no turnovers. The threes were contested shots, she drove to the basket and finished for her two, and hit a pair of free throws. She wasn't gifted any points. Will she be a major contributor this year? Probably not but maybe in a year or two. Since we won over a "seriously inferior foe" does that discount Mik's 18 rebounds? Or Kat and Aleah's four triples? They played the same inferior foe during garbage time. Discount completely? No. But, that was not a elite HS team. So... whatever stat you want means zero for future quality teams. Ex except of course for padding stats. I am not an EXPERT on "elite HS teams" - so I'll likely will be educated by bb1111. But, just for fun, I looked up the high school histories of (only the starting 5) Southern Utah players: Cardenas - El Paso Times (newspaper) Player of the Year, league MVP Harley - no bio Fano - Utah 1st Team All State (not aware of which 'division') in both 2018 and 2019. Chatman - 2 time All-District 1st Team (not aware which 'division') Armato - Australia...no other bio. The "Thunderbirds" are D-1 (Big Sky), and came into the game at 3-1, including wins over UNLV & Cal State Fullerton. I'm uncertain what all this means....but I have a hunch that someone out there may help my understanding. |
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