Last year, I thought that Derica may have been what I really wanted in a guard, other than she might not be as athletic. She can hit the jumper from anywhere. She can hit from outside. She rebounds surprisingly well, and she seems to be where the ball is, somewhat like a Maddie with a lesser athletic ability.
But, I think she lost confidence in her shot. She became hesitant and didn't flow to her shot late in the year. She began extremely well, but, after missing a few, she never seemed to recover her confidence. Curiously, I think Sherri was using her somewhat for her defensive and ball-handling ability nearer the end of the year because she does seem to have good handles.
A loss of confidence isn't all that uncommon for a freshman who is not yet certain of her skill levels for D-1 ball. I think it also happened to Peyton at A&M. If Derica has matured past that, she can be a very effective guard. She was the best that we had last year at getting a rebound and putback. I would much rather have had Derica in the lane than Aaryn or Carter at the end of the year. She is quick at getting it back up, and seems to elevate quickly enough to overcome her lack of athleticism.
