Derica

[SoonerNorm]

Do you expect to see improvement in Derica's play this year? How many minutes per game would you guess she will get?

 

[soonermike22]

Playing time for Derica (as well as Shaya. Nicole K, and maybe LaNesia) depends somewhat on how much they improve, but more so on how well Gileysa and Ijeoma are able to play early on. Maddie will play according to how well she heals to her pre-injury status, KayKay then Vivi, and some of McKenna will get the inside spot(s). Gabbi will play a lot, including all crunch time, backed by T'ona. Gioya and Peyton will almost certainly start and get most of important minutes. That leaves one starting spot, and back up minutes for 7 players to compete for-Maddie, Gileysa, Ijeoma, Shaya, Nicole, LaNesia, and Derica + maybe McKenna. Mop up minutes but who starts, who subs in for rest and foul trouble?
I do not have any idea who will step up, who has improved enough to force playing time for themselves, or how the 2 new players will do. So I will say 7 players, , and say Maddie will start and get 25 minutes, and the other six will average 6 minutes each.

 

[BigT14]

Do you expect to see improvement in Derica's play this year? How many minutes per game would you guess she will get?

We saw glimpses of how good Derica can be. I think it's a matter of consistency, the more consistent she is the more minutes she should get. There is an open starting spot I'm very interested in seeing who gets it.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Derica is a smart player and she normally doesn't make dumb mistakes. The problem is, she isn't a great outside shooter nor is she athletic enough to penetrate and she doesn't crash the boards.

I would say the best way for her to get more than a few minutes per game is, to make 500 shots BTA per day this summer and increase her 3 point shooting percentage.

 

[sybarite]

Derica is in the same situation as a number of our players. She was recruited, I think, for her three-point prowess. She is a decent ball-handler and can get a shot off quickly in the paint. But, she has to stand out at her specialty. When you have Maddie, Peyton, Gioya, and Gabbi all capable of hitting threes at 35%, she needs to be at 40-45% to justify her time on the floor.

This is a year in which I think players will find that they need to step up their game just to get time on the floor. Derica will be competing with Peyton, Gioya, LaNesia, Maddie, and Gileysa for playing time, maybe Nicole. She has to do something better than they do..