I don't like making predictions, but here goes for what its worth.
Having seen her play, Dungee will bring a toughness and a swagger as a freshman we haven't had in a while. I think she can earn some valuable minutes if she can play solid defense. Scoring won't be a problem.
Nancy will be an enigma for me. Seeing her play last year, not this, I was impressed with her foot work, use of the glass, and shooting range. Her length will be an asset, what I don't know is how she handles the big strong posts. It will all depend if Sherri will use a high post attack, or use her to spell Vivi and or McKenna. I am anxious to see her in the red/white scrimmage.
Rich, have no clue except what little I have seen on you tube. I like her size, and range. I hope she pushes returning players for playing time and becomes a pleasant surprise.
The rest of the returning cast. I am betting Peyton will have a solid senior season. Same with Maddie, she is too good to be mediocre. I hope she will take on a real leadership role and become the rock of this team. If Gioya is 100 per cent, I have no reason to think that she won't be back to top form and give us consistent points every game. Vivi will be even better next season, I just hope she works on her conditioning so she can give us long stretches during her time on the floor. With Gabbi not traveling this summer and playing USA ball, she should work on her weaknesses and return to her freshman form. T'ona will be a solid back up if not pushing for starting status. I don't think Sherri will change the point for next year, but you never know. Derica really seemed to show her value late in the season as she became more confident with her shot. She needs to learn not to be a one trick pony and work on other ways to score. She is very fundamentally sound, but does lack the quickness to stay with quicker guards. McKenna should give us quality minutes next year, especially being able to step out behind the arc.
From a positive stand, we have experience coming back, and solid kids at every position. The key will be how hard are they willing to work and improve to get that swagger and toughness to compete. It is really basically the same team that finished second in the Big XII last year by five games, they have taken a step and a half back, lets see just how bad they want it next year, and do they have the intestinal fortitude to punch through the wall and compete for a whole season instead of a game here and there.
This was, indeed, the same team that had been second, by a wide margin over third, in the conference last year. And, they did, indeed, take a step and a half back. I have yet to understand why. After a rather foolish loss to North Texas, this team caught fire, and we didn't have Gioya. We reeled off victories over BYU (a conference champion and a NCAA team), Bradley, Utah, Boston College (their only non--conference loss, and they beat the team we met in the NCAA first round, at West Lafayette), Washington (an Elite Eight team, for the second year in a row), Tulsa, and UTSA before losing to A&M. Then, something happened. We played the rest of the season in some sort of daze.
I hope that we spend a lot of time in the gym becoming accustomed to shooting. Just shoot and shoot. Players who were recruited as scorers couldn't hit wide open layups, much less jump shots. It seemed that we let the other team define the style of play in most games once conference season began. We didn't define what would happen, and we made little effort to make it happen, unless you count our perpetual desire to feed the post.
I want to see us have a new attitude, one of aggression that begins with defense and filling the passing lanes. We feed off the energy of our defense, and we are much more likely to hit shots if we are making things happen than if we are operating a set.
I think at the end of the year we had two players who operated in a positive manner: Vivi and Maddie. They made things happen. They got rebounds, blocked shots, took it to the rim, and worked. I hope that both have recovered from their injuries and can provide the direction for this team. I think that the key to next year will be Vivi, Maddie, and Gabbi. Will Gabbi be back? Gabbi can be the point that we need. But, she has to have a lot more focus than she had this year.
I don't see Peyton and Gioya as creators. Peyton can shoot if you let her get to a spot and get it to her. She is a spot shooter, and she is good at it. She isn't particularly effective at dribbling for a shot or shooting on the move (except for fast break layups). Curious, I thought she was supposed to be exactly that based on her highschool reputation--someone who could create an offense. Gioya can only do certain things. I think she is good if she can find an opening at about fifteen feet. She isn't particularly good at getting to the rim if it is guarded, and she is not a great three point shooter. She can hit a jump shot, but she needs someone to create a space for her to drive into.
I don't think Chelsea has limits. But, I think we will have to wait to see how Chelsea, Morgan, and Nancy are used. I don't know how close any of them are to being D-1 ready. I think they will need very little to make them valuable. I am more confident about their defensive abilities than their offensive at this point.
We lacked the determination to take over a game this year. I am much happier with Vivi in the middle, and I think Maddie is ready to show us what she can do. She was giving us a lot at the end of the year. I haven't tried to add up the stats, but I think she may have led us in rebounds, steals, and assists in the last ten to fifteen games.
