Derica or Kornet

May be a close call.

I think Kornet is a little more athletic and a good shot but maybe not as good a shooter as Wyatt. Nicole seems to still be adjusting to the speed of the game. Not always under control with her moves.

I think Derica is a better passer and already seems to have adjusted to Div I action. Of course she is not really tested against the likes of Louisville and Gonzaga. Derica's game will be the trey and the pull up jumper. Nicole gets to the hoop better but still does not finish well.

Both should be good defenders and Nicole by far the better rebounder.

Kornet probably has a little more upside but she has to start hitting treys, cut down on her fouls and finish around the hoop.

But is Derica can continue to hit outside shots against the top competition then her overall game is good enough to allow her to seriously challenge Kornet.

Possibly Carter is a better comp to Kornet. Nicole is probably potentially a better long range shooter but she hasn't done it with any consistency. Her rhythm and shot selection is still not there.
 
I don't know that we know enough about Derica or NIcole to have much of an idea yet, and I'm not sure that they compare to each other. Which was better, DRob or Courtney? It kind of depends on what you need.

Derica looks to me to be the most D-1 ready of any of our freshmen, although it didn't look that way initially. She doesn't look like she is quick enough or moves well enough. Yet, she seems to be where things happen. She does get some rebounds, tips others, passes well, and rarely loses the ball. We haven't seen her against a good opponent yet. Sherri keeps wanting her to shoot. In the second half, they were covering her like she was Vegas. It opened up some people, and she made the right passes. They just couldn't make the shots. I will be interested to see if she can do it against UCLA.

Nicole came in with a reputation. It surprises me what type of player she is. She has a lot more athletic ability than I had anticipated, but she isn't as pure of a shooter as I had heard. She has a nice shot. It just isn't falling. Yet, when I see her overall game, I want her to stay on the floor. She does things that others aren't doing, like block out. She hustles. She tries. I think she appears to be losing a little confidence, but she just needs to relax and let it flow. She is doing it right. She seems to need more time to get ready for D-1 ball, but can only get it by playing. She just isn't what I expected, although I must admit that I like what I see. I just hope the shots start falling.

Derica and Nicole are so different that I don't think of them as an either/or situation. You may well need both. If Derica can play D-1 ball, any team would want her shot. She would open up everyone else with her propensity to hit threes. She is a free throw expert as I had heard. So, she misses her first FT?
 
I think DW is like Larry Bird-not quick, not fast, not spectacular appearing but...........
Nicole is too good an athlete not to find her footing eventually and be just short of incredible. Who knows how long it will take but just remember what I say. She will break out big time.
 
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I believe that both Derica and Kornet were recruited to play the 3 so I would say that is a better comparison than Courtney and DRob. However, that was not the question as I was asking which player has the higher ceiling.

I would pick Derica. She is very smooth and gives the appearance of having a higher basketball IQ than Kornet. Derica plays under control. She limits her mistakes. She doesn't often dribble into trouble. She doesn't make careless passes. She plays with solid fundamentals. No one on the team has a better shooting stroke than Derica. The rotation she puts on the ball is amazing.

Kornet is a bit more careless with the ball. She appears to lose focus before getting her head back in the game. She is more athletic than Derica but smarts cannot be understated. Derica reminds me somewhat of Whitney who was a smart player and neither one is highly athletic. Will Derica be as good as Whitney? Doubtful. But, Derica has the potential to be a very good reserve player. Until Kornet regains her shot, her minutes will likely become more and more limited.
 
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