Anticipations

[sybarite]

I have spent a few weeks watching some of the games of last year recently. I had hoped that I might get a better feel for where we are in our development. Since we changed a bit during the season, I decided to look strongly at the last ten games in which we were 6-4. But, by this time, we knew who we were going to play. The minutes and scoring were interesting.

Minutes:
366 Peyton
337 Gabbi
291 Sharane
251 Kaylon
233 Gioya
176 Maddie (missed almost one game)
110 Vivi
071 T'Ona
060 Nicole
041 McKenna (8 games)

It seems obvious that Sherri leaned on seven people with T'Ona getting a little time. One of those is gone, Sharane.

The scoring was somewhat surprising to me:
147 Kaylon
141 Peyton
095 Sharane
085 Gioya
081 Gabbi
054 Maddie
044 Vivi
023 T'Ona
016 McKenna (8 Games)
013 Nicole (9 games)

Peyton hit the first three of these ten games for 73 points, being held to 68 in the last seven.

We thought of Gioya as a leading scorer. But, she only scored in double digits four times in the last ten games (20-12-12-11). In the other six games, she scored a high of 7. If Peyton and Gioya are scorers, they need to step up a bit more consistently.

I noticed that we lost games when we were shooting 25-32% as a team. You don't win a lot shooting like that. One of the problems was that we were not getting open looks. When they entered the lane, Sharane, Gioya, and Peyton had their shots blocked a lot. They couldn't jump over the defense. Maddie can, but she doesn't shoot that much. Our most effective at getting shots off in the lane were Kay Kay, Maddie, and Gabbi.

It helps if Gabbi or Maddie can penetrate and kick out to Gioya or Peyton. They are better spot up shooters than they are at creating their own shots. I thought that was supposedly Peyton's strength.

The good news is that the players coming back can play very effective defense. We had a bit of a problem against the Texas size. I anticipate that a year's experience by Vivi will help in that regard. EJ would be a nice prospect for containment. But, we will put six players out there, at least, who have enough experience to do the job. I wonder how many teams know that they will have that much?

Since scoring is a need, it would help if Maddie was willing to shoot more this year. She can get above the defenders, which not everyone can.

 

[SoonerSpock]

Add rebounds to Syb's totals and you see that statistically K-K played better than most think considering the mistakes she frequently makes. She led in both scoring and rebounding the last 10 games. Also Gabbi was the second leading rebounder for the last 10 games. Also ViVi averaged one rebound for every 3.05 minutes about on par with K-K's 3.3 m/rb. Maddie was third at 5.61.

76 K-K
42 Gabbi
36 ViVi
31 Peyton
31 Maddie
27 Gioya

 

[Oliver Hardy]

I'll say it until i'm blue in the face: Maddie is our second best rebounder, if she's in a position to rebound. It is my opinion she has to play the four and we need a lot more out of her offensively (which I think we might get this year especially if she's at the 4).

Your point guard SHOULD NOT be your second leading rebounder. Ever.

 

[sybarite]

When you study the games, some things tend to jump out at you. I don't know how accurate these observations might be:

---Gioya scores ninety percent of her points in the first three minutes of the first or second half. After that, she tends to disappear.

---Vivi seems to be more of a solid defender than Kay Kay.

---Gabbi's dribbling rarely leads to anyone getting open. Everyone stands around as she dribbles.

---Maddie penetrates and dishes off better than Gabbi.

---You may catch Gabbi in a trap. You won't catch Maddie. The only way she loses it is if she dribbles it off her leg. Trying to steal from Maddie is a waste of time.

---Vivi ended the season looking like one of our better free throw shooters, good form.

---Once Sherri brings Maddie into the game, she tends not to sub for her. Like in the WV game, she came in after about two minutes in each half and never left. Sharane, Vivi, Gioya, and Peyton would get relief.

---It makes Kay Kay into a much better player with relief from Vivi. She is less likely to foul out, and she is more active upon re-entry.

---Peyton is better than she thinks she is.

 

[O-State2009]

According to twitter, Nicole Kornett is leaving the team. Seems late for a transfer. But I think she probably saw the writing on the wall.

I wonder if she stayed through the summer to graduate so she is immediately eligible if she chose another D1 program?

 

[SoonerNorm]

According to twitter, Nicole Kornett is leaving the team. Seems late for a transfer. But I think she probably saw the writing on the wall.

I wonder if she stayed through the summer to graduate so she is immediately eligible if she chose another D1 program?

That does not surprise me at all. I wish her the best.

 

[sybarite]

Has this been confirmed? It isn't exactly a surprise. I doubt that she intends to transfer to play basketball. I think she was happy here. But, I don't think she was basketball-crazy. There was a lot that she didn't learn, and I suspect that other things were more important to her value system. I suspect that she may graduate. If she transfers, I think it might be due to a life plan rather than an attempt to play. I think she would have had some minutes this year if she had stayed, probably about the same as last year.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Can someone provide the tweets? Can't find them.

Also doesn't surprise me. She's a great young woman, but I've personally never felt she was devoting her all. It was like she was having too much fun in college and didn't want to concentrate.

When you add not playing onto that, I can see where she might go somewhere else.

She got recruited over, and as Syb said, she never learned.

She has an infectious smile and personality and she's a beautiful young woman, and I'm sure she's intelligent.

She will have a great life and future.

Thank you Nicole for everything.

 

[O-State2009]

https://twitter.com/BrandonClayPSB/status/632237042068549632

There is a link.
It was favorited by Tracy Kornet, I assume this is her mother?

 

[BigT14]

Sorry to hear about Kornet. She was one of my favorites. Nothing but best wishes for her.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Here's another confirmation from her mom... Starting to find a lot more stuff.

Tracy Kornet ‏@WSMVTracyKornet 5h5 hours ago Nashville, TN
P.S. So prefer these pix! Lol @CBS11BillJones @billjones33 Will miss this precious teammates. But onward & upward! (Pictures of Nicole and teammates were included in the tweet)

 

[SoonerNorm]

Nicole has been doing some traveling this summer (Cali and other places). She has probably been checking out other schools.

 

[sybarite]

Since her mother is in Nashville, and the girl from Prestonwood is at Bryant, I wonder if she isn't thinking about going there for a year. Didn't I hear that she and Kornet were friends?

With Nicole leaving, that opens up time for EJ, Shaya, and McKenna to show what they can do.

 

[BigT14]

Maybe Vandy? That is where her brother attends.

 

[sybarite]

Maybe Vandy? That is where her brother attends.

Quite possible. But, if she goes to Vandy, she probably would not be playing basketball. She could at Bryant. I just don't know what is important to her right now.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Maybe Vandy? That is where her brother attends.

You could be right. I think she will go wherever she thinks she can start. I just don't think she would have left her good friend, Peyton, unless she believed she still had one good year to show she could still play starter minutes.

 

[j2d2]

I'll say it until i'm blue in the face: Maddie is our second best rebounder, if she's in a position to rebound. It is my opinion she has to play the four and we need a lot more out of her offensively (which I think we might get this year especially if she's at the 4).

Your point guard SHOULD NOT be your second leading rebounder. Ever.

Amen and amen!!

 

[j2d2]

If she leaves, I wish her all the best.