Mulkey

[Mac]

ESPN had an article about Azurá Stevens of Duke and how at 6'6 she has guard skills and 3point range, putting her in the mode of Candace Parker 6'4, Elena Delle Donne 6'5, Breanna Stewart 6'4 and Aja Willson 6'5, all are the height of traditional centers but can play on the perimeter. So it got me thinking based on what Skill has been saying about Mulkey that she can be a player similar to those listed above...

Not sure how strong her ball handling is but if she's willing to put in the work, she could be a player none other, a match up nightmare...

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

ESPN had an article about Azurá Stevens of Duke and how at 6'6 she has guard skills and 3point range, putting her in the mode of Candace Parker 6'4, Elena Delle Donne 6'5, Breanna Stewart 6'4 and Aja Willson 6'5, all are the height of traditional centers but can play on the perimeter. So it got me thinking based on what Skill has been saying about Mulkey that she can be a player similar to those listed above...

Not sure how strong her ball handling is but if she's willing to put in the work, she could be a player none other, a match up nightmare...

Interesting thoughts, Mac.

I think many of us wonder exactly what her best skills will be. Will she turn out to be a game changer? Her height alone means she should be able to do things others can only think about.

What skills will be her strengths? What kind of things will develop over the years? It is fun to think about.

I am especially confident her defense in the lane will have a major impact on other teams. Typical 6'4" to 6'5" opponents have never had to deal with anything like her. A player like Nina Davis who is not so tall and has lived inside will have to find a new way to score I expect. I guess we will see before long.

 

[sybarite]

What scouts say is often an exaggeration. Guard skills? The tallest person that I have seen with point guard skills is Maddie. What do they mean by guard skills?

Stewart can dribble---against the forwards that normally guard her. She is a pretty good ball handler for a tall player. But, a good guard would steal it from her rather easily if she tried to bring the ball up court. A'Ja Wilson isn't as good at handling the ball as Stewart. They have some perimeter skills in that Stewart can make the three and handle the ball some. Yet, if you look at how they make their points, they are mostly pretty close to the basket.

I've seen comments made about some tall prospects that have guard skills. Really? I've seen a lot of them, and they don't have guard skills. They can dribble OK for someone their size. Nancy is a pretty good ball-handler, and she has brought the ball up court. But, a good point guard would steal it from her, and she'll lose it if she tries to dribble into traffic. She can dribble very well, for someone 6-9. She can pass as well as a point guard, but not dribble. Some of these highly rated prospects exist only in a fantasy world.

 

[SOONERGRAD]

I think Mulkey will be a better version of Alyssa Dehann that played at Michigan State. No where near the players listed above. She will be a shot blocking presence inside. That's what we have the guards for to do the dribbling.

 

[sybarite]

When Wilt Chamberlain came up, they couldn't deal with him. He led the league in scoring and rebounding, doubling the scores and rebounders of other top players. In the 62-62 season, he averaged 50.5 points and 25.7 rebounds. Nobody can come close. But, he wasn't winning titles.

When he went to LA and started winning titles every year, he had a better supporting cast. But, he also quit scoring so much. He still rebounded very well, and he shot better percentages from the field (lower from the line). But, he was a dominant force on defense in the middle, winning titles by scoring 10-13 points per game.

Nancy has some offensive skills. She can dribble---for a tall player. She can shoot pretty well, for any player. She is a better rebounder than the statistics show. She can get it when she wants it. What she can do that nobody else in college basketball is doing right now is to take the lane away from an offense. We have seen how difficult it is for our centers to score over the Texas post. At 6-6 or 6-7, she is a problem.

Nancy is taller than the average post by five inches, and she has longer arms. She reaches probably a foot higher than the average posts before jumping. She has good mobility with one or two steps. She can block a shot on one side of the lane, and block a second on the other side without doing anything other than shifting her weight. She can essentially take the lane away. They will score some inside, but they will miss a lot that they would normally make simply fearing that the shot will be blocked. She doesn't have to leap around. She just has to stand their with her arms up, and she can do better than that. She will be OK on offense. She will be devastating on defense.

 

[Mac]

Mulkey really isn't a back to the basket type player... I wouldn't expect Mulkey to dribble the ball up court unless she jumps out in a passing lane or out running on a fast break. But at 6'9 if she could post up a smaller player and bring a big player away from the hoop it would give teams a hard time trying to Game plan for her or double team her.

And Aj'a Wilson isn't the shooter that some of the other players are, but she can put the ball on the floor from high post and get to the basket.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I really don't know what to expect from Nancy. Her scoring, rebounding, assists, and blocks are all very moderate in high school. One would think at 6'9", she would completely dominate in high school against smaller lineups with 20+ points and 15 boards per game. She will play against taller and more athletic players in college. Will her numbers increase at the D-1 level? I'm not sure.

 

[skilledserv]

I really don't know what to expect from Nancy. Her scoring, rebounding, assists, and blocks are all very moderate in high school. One would think at 6'9", she would completely dominate in high school against smaller lineups with 20+ points and 15 boards per game. She will play against taller and more athletic players in college. Will her numbers increase at the D-1 level? I'm not sure.

To your point go look at Turner and Wilson high school stats. 20 plus points and 11 plus rebounds. They both did pretty good there freshman year but did not dominate so what can you expect from Mulkey.

I went to the game yesterday to watch Richards vs Mulkey but didn't realize Richards was out. It was still a good game and Cy ranch had 4 starters out. Final score 62-52

 

[MisterF]

Dr. Lanny Anderson use to tell people when he played against Wilt (as a 6 ft 5 in Center at OU) he held hm to 50 points one night. Dr. Andeson went on to be a great transplant surgeon.

 

[OKUman]

I really don't know what to expect from Nancy. Her scoring, rebounding, assists, and blocks are all very moderate in high school. One would think at 6'9", she would completely dominate in high school against smaller lineups with 20+ points and 15 boards per game. She will play against taller and more athletic players in college. Will her numbers increase at the D-1 level? I'm not sure.

Probably not. Modest stats now, probably same in college. Didn't play with back to basket, why? Who coaches these days, the players?