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Post by 411500 on Dec 9, 2023 16:22:06 GMT -8
Game time in about 2 hours.....
Hopefully, we'll see gradual improvement in all phases of the Beaver's game tonight.
They've played enough games to start executing like a unified whole...
Talia has yet to truly step up - maybe tonight will be the night. Or, maybe Rueck will continue to keep her game under wraps to place more responsibility on other perimeter players....
Don't know enough about Jackson State to know what to expect from them....But I'm ready for a few pleasant surprises from the Beavs...
If A.J. can show offensive punch in back to back games that would be good start...
GO BEAVS!!
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Post by 411500 on Dec 10, 2023 14:53:57 GMT -8
There are several comments on another thread more polished and insightful than this one here. Nevertheless, here are a few of my post-game observations.
GOOD:
1. To my eye, this is the best the Beavs have looked as a team this season.
2. Team passing is good and getting better - especially in open court.
3. Breaking the press via the pass rather than the dribble was impressive.
3. Rees & Gardiner both showed some impressive flashes against a smaller but quicker opponent.
4. The rookie guards gave us reason to believe they both will be very good as sophomores.
NOT SO GOOD:
1. Team speed on both offence and defense is lacking - not as slow as last year, but far from either quick or fast.
2. Thus far, no one has emerged as a good perimeter shooter. Rees & Hansford can shoot when wide open and squared up, but no one is in the category of Tudor, Goodman, or Slocum....Gardiner has the quickest release of all the shooters and if anyone nails 3 3s on a given night she is the most likely candidate.
I'm still in watch-and-learn mode on this team. I'm hoping Rueck can make the whole greater than the sums of its parts, and he still has time.
BOTTOM LINE: The Beavs really must improve significantly from 3 in order to offset their lack of quickness and speed.
If you are not quick, and not dangerous from 3, you're pretty much toast in the Pac.
GO BEAVS!!
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Post by grad1973 on Dec 10, 2023 16:07:16 GMT -8
There are several comments on another thread more polished and insightful than this one here. Nevertheless, here are a few of my post-game observations. GOOD: 1. To my eye, this is the best the Beavs have looked as a team this season. 2. Team passing is good and getting better - especially in open court. 3. Breaking the press via the pass rather than the dribble was impressive. 3. Rees & Gardiner both showed some impressive flashes against a smaller but quicker opponent. 4. The rookie guards gave us reason to believe they both will be very good as sophomores. NOT SO GOOD: 1. Team speed on both offence and defense is lacking - not as slow as last year, but far from either quick or fast. 2. Thus far, no one has emerged as a good perimeter shooter. Rees & Hansford can shoot when wide open and squared up, but no one is in the category of Tudor, Goodman, or Slocum....Gardiner has the quickest release of all the shooters and if anyone nails 3 3s on a given night she is the most likely candidate. I'm still in watch-and-learn mode on this team. I'm hoping Rueck can make the whole greater than the sums of its parts, and he still has time. BOTTOM LINE: The Beavs really must improve significantly from 3 in order to offset their lack of quickness and speed. If you are not quick, and not dangerous from 3, you're pretty much toast in the Pac. GO BEAVS!! Well you forgot post presence. We have one up on alot of teams between reagon and our bigs. I have always known we are slow to slower with talia out there. Dom needs to start to get the fastest players together. But coach feels the need for very slow leader on court. He will see when pac 12 begins. So will he rest of you. |
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Post by believeinthebeavs on Dec 10, 2023 17:04:22 GMT -8
For being so slow Talia was able to drive around a "quicker" player to finish at the hoop. And in this game she did it more than once iirc. And she finishes strong, doesn't get blocked very often. She commented that she needs to start getting into the scoring game of mind because that is what the team is going to need. She has been concentrating on getting everyone involved. Her calmness on the court has a real positive effect on her teammates. She plays solid defense and don't send her to the charity stripe because she will make you pay.
That said, there is no way Dom will start before Talia, I highly doubt she would get the nod over AJ either. Off the bench Lily is better at scoring and on defense. If Kennedie continues to improve she may end up getting some minutes from someone other than Donovyn. I'd like to see Dom pull up and shoot a midrange jumper. I do like her speed and think she can develop into a really good player, she just needs to work on it more.
The three freshman guards as a group have the potential to be really good. They each have areas to improve on, outside shooting is one they can all improve on.
Why no Adlee? I'm starting to wonder if there is some underlying injury we don't know about. No way she should go from starter to benchwarmer the next year. I know she plays fast and loose on defense but she showed last year that she can get back to her assignment regardless.
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Post by believeinthebeavs on Dec 10, 2023 17:49:02 GMT -8
I just watched the first half again and Dom had a better outing than I was giving her credit for. She still missed a couple layups but her game is coming along. She hit a three, a couple free throws, and a drive.
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Post by greybeav on Dec 10, 2023 17:53:42 GMT -8
I just watched the first half again and Dom had a better outing than I was giving her credit for. She still missed a couple layups but her game is coming along. She hit a three, a couple free throws, and a drive. Right, and she's setting up other players nicely, smart player, only credited with 1 assist, seemed like more. |
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Post by lotrader on Dec 10, 2023 17:59:45 GMT -8
Dom's upside potential is massive. Dom is the fastest player we have had in years. And she is 6'1". I was glad to see that Rueck is giving her more minutes. Having Dom on the perimeter defensively is a huge plus as well. She is adjusting to the quick guards on defense, and I can see her improving every game. Many may not remember that Aleah Goodman was a liability on defense her freshman year, and by her senior year a very solid defensive guard. This freshman class is a lot better than many realized.
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Post by grayman on Dec 10, 2023 18:16:24 GMT -8
Agree that Dom's speed combined with her height makes her a pretty high potential player.
I think Talia is finding her legs now and I expect her to continue to get back to the scoring threat she was in the past.
IMO, having Talia out there with Beers makes for a more effective half-court offense. I would be interested in seeing more of Dom along with Rees and each of the freshmen guards, etc. It seems like some versions of that lineup can really get out and push the pace while staying relatively under control at the same time. I really hope Rueck uses that to the team's advantage and throws both styles at Pac-12 defenses.
Also, I think Lily is playing pretty solid defense. She has that length that can make for a tough matchup for defenders but also can block shots, etc. on defense. And while her shot wasn't dropping against Jackson State, she's a shooter. All of the shots she took looked good. I think she's going to make a lot as the season moves forward. Would like her to take the ball to the hoop every now and then, though.
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Post by rmancarl on Dec 12, 2023 22:30:58 GMT -8
Was just watching the 1st half again. My first impression is that if this sophomore and freshman class can stick together they'll be a pretty good team down the road. The question these days is can you keep this group together the next few seasons?
I really think Talia watched Dom play the last few minutes of the first quarter and the first three minutes of the second quarter and said to herself 'Hey, I can do that'. She came out immediately and drove to the hoop with success just as Dom had done and may have had her best quarter of the year.
Dono and Kennedie are complete opposites. Dono is solid, handles the ball well, passes well, and doesn't make mistakes, but doesn't have good ability driving to the hoop or shooting the 3. Kennedie brings high energy. Dono may be the better developed talent right now, but Kennedie has future potential written all over her. Almost as soon as Kennedie came in the Beavs ran what must have been a designed play where Kennedie curled around inside and screened out two defenders so Kelsey could get the inside pass and shoot without being defended. The three youngins are growing quickly and are a great compliment to the sophomore group of five.
I have no idea how good this team will be this year. I thought they passed the ball better in the Western Kentucky game, but improved passing continues and Dom, Kennedie, and Dono showed how the freshman can help. They really have played a weak schedule and have only played at home, so we will likely see the ugly side in weeks to come, but this team likes each other, wants to learn and win, and has every reason to make us believe they will battle it out most nights.
I'm just going to try and enjoy watching these players grow. They are a fun bunch. I'm not expecting miracles, but I think there is a real shot at more is season growth this year than there was the last two.
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Post by bvrbooster on Dec 12, 2023 23:41:11 GMT -8
Definitely more potential and signs of growth. I've posted this elsewhere, but bringing Timea in as '6th man' provides punch we simply haven't had off the bench' 80 minutes for 3 bigs - 30 to Raegan, 25 each to Timea and Kelsey - and Kelsey is a superb addition.
AJ is showing signs of why she was a top 65 recruit, and is more aggressive than in years past. The backcourt flows very nicely with Donovyn and Talia, and the 3 others off the bench (Dom, Kennedie, and Lily) look better all the time. I know some here want Adlee playing, but, being honest, whose minutes does she take?
All these kids might get schooled big time when we get into conference, but I think they're gonna be OK.
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Post by believeinthebeavs on Dec 13, 2023 20:31:08 GMT -8
The Kennedie screen certainly looked like a set play to me. As soon as she turned her arms were crossed over her chest in the classic screen position. The part to take notice of is that she was able to keep two significantly larger players out of the play.
I was really impressed with her ability to get through screens, apparently she can set them too.
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Post by rmancarl on Dec 17, 2023 22:24:13 GMT -8
There are several comments on another thread more polished and insightful than this one here. Nevertheless, here are a few of my post-game observations. GOOD: 1. To my eye, this is the best the Beavs have looked as a team this season. 2. Team passing is good and getting better - especially in open court. 3. Breaking the press via the pass rather than the dribble was impressive. 3. Rees & Gardiner both showed some impressive flashes against a smaller but quicker opponent. 4. The rookie guards gave us reason to believe they both will be very good as sophomores. NOT SO GOOD: 1. Team speed on both offence and defense is lacking - not as slow as last year, but far from either quick or fast. 2. Thus far, no one has emerged as a good perimeter shooter. Rees & Hansford can shoot when wide open and squared up, but no one is in the category of Tudor, Goodman, or Slocum....Gardiner has the quickest release of all the shooters and if anyone nails 3 3s on a given night she is the most likely candidate. I'm still in watch-and-learn mode on this team. I'm hoping Rueck can make the whole greater than the sums of its parts, and he still has time. BOTTOM LINE: The Beavs really must improve significantly from 3 in order to offset their lack of quickness and speed. If you are not quick, and not dangerous from 3, you're pretty much toast in the Pac. GO BEAVS!! Your comments about perimeter and 3pt shooting got me curious. That's probably not a good thing. Last year I posted a few times, comparing the team last season with the 2012/2013 10 win, 21 loss team. My thoughts were that the team last year probably wouldn't end up with as bad as record as the 2013 team did, and also that we would see improvement this year much like the 2013/2014 (24 wins) team, but not necessarily to the point of 24 wins. So, I had to compare the 3pt shooting. In 2012/2013, the Beavs shot .292 from 3. Their opponents shot .318. After that year, the Beavs outshot their opponents from 3 for 9 straight seasons until last year when the Beavs shot .311 and their opponents shot .321. It doesn't tell the whole story, but is none the less interesting that the Beavs had winning seasons every year they had better 3pt shooting percentage than their opponents. The Beavs also held their opponents under .300 3pt shooting from that 2013/2014 season until the covid shortened 20/21 season, when they allowed their opponents to shoot .355 from 3. The Beavs went 12-8 that year, and was the first big sign of the program heading the wrong direction. The next season the opponents 3pt percentage went back done some, but still stayed about the .300 mark at .304. The Beavs went 17-14. Last year the Beavs only shot .311 from 3 while their opponents shot .321 and marked the first losing season for the Beavs since the 2012/2013 season, which was also the last time their opponents shot better than the Beavs did. Through 8 games this year, the Beavs are shooting .352 from 3, and their opponents are shooting .258. The lowest the Beavs have ever held their opponents in 3pt shooting in .282 in both the 2014 and the 2017 season. In the final 4 season the Beavs held their opponents to .284. The Beavs actually had what was a subpar 3pt shooting year during the final four season by only shooting .355. That was the Beavs lowest 3pt shooting season between the 13/14 season and the 20/21 season. Ok, enough for now, but it looks like holding opponents to low 3pt shooting percentage is a huge factor leading to winning seasons. |
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Post by beaveragain on Dec 18, 2023 1:58:15 GMT -8
The Beav's are shooting an EFG% of 54.9, good for 14th in the country, and their opponents are shooting an EFG% of 37.1, good for 8th in the country.
And on quickness/speed. The fans of every team in the country complains about how their teams are unathletic and slow. I've never heard a coach or player comment about how the other team was faster or more athletic. Really, it's not a thing. Paige Bueckers was asked about Uconn's speed on defense and she looked very impatient and said "it's got nothing to do with speed. It's about knowing where you are supposed to be, getting there when you are supposed to be there, watching your lanes, and playing with heart." I think every D1 coach in the country would agree with her.
"95% of D1 players have all the speed they need to be good defenders". I can't remember if that's a Wooden or a Knight quote.
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Post by rmancarl on Dec 18, 2023 9:33:29 GMT -8
The Beav's are shooting an EFG% of 54.9, good for 14th in the country, and their opponents are shooting an EFG% of 37.1, good for 8th in the country. And on quickness/speed. The fans of every team in the country complains about how their teams are unathletic and slow. I've never heard a coach or player comment about how the other team was faster or more athletic. Really, it's not a thing. Paige Bueckers was asked about Uconn's speed on defense and she looked very impatient and said "it's got nothing to do with speed. It's about knowing where you are supposed to be, getting there when you are supposed to be there, watching your lanes, and playing with heart." I think every D1 coach in the country would agree with her. "95% of D1 players have all the speed they need to be good defenders". I can't remember if that's a Wooden or a Knight quote. I'm one of the few that agree with you about speed. It never hurts to have speed, but just because you have seed doesn't mean it helps. I haven't seen anybody on the floor this year for the Beavs who can get up and down the court as fast as Bendu did last season, but Bendu was always just an average player, especially offensively. She could drive to the hoop, but in her 5 years of playing college ball, she never became a great finisher at the basket. She'd beat me any day of the week, though. Team quickness is mostly about anticipation, being in the right place, and recognizing what is going on. I always think about Mik. She didn't have flashy speed or great jumping ability, but she was a great rebounder because she knew where to be, anticipated where the ball would come off the rim, and knew how to position herself. |
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Post by lotrader on Dec 18, 2023 11:06:06 GMT -8
I think Dom goes 0 to 60 quicker than anyone I can remember from OSU WBB past. We haven't seen enough of Dom on the floor, but there have already been a few times where Dom blew by multiple defenders coast-to-coast.
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