Random thoughts on the game

[j2d2]

We blocked several shots which is unusual for us.
How about EJ!
How can we convince our short people not to shoot under the basket. Their
shots get blocked.
We missed our usual ton of chippies. As usual. Must be the water.
Wyatt was a liability.
Ortiz is a killer. Her maturity compared to last year is obvious.
I dont understand why we have so much trouble guarding the spotup shooters
in the corners. (As usual).
Very good defensive discipline. Sherri said after the game that she wants to
work on rebounding. Yea! And more defense. Yea!
Maddie was having fun and playing good basketball.
We still have trouble with fast and quick players penetrating.

 

[sybarite]

Sherri mentioned EJ and Gileysa on the post-game. I thought both demonstrated what they can do. I'm not so sure that our best five was when we brought Maddie, Peyton, Kaylon, and Gabbi back in after they had started the second half so poorly. They worked well with Penzo.

Good things happened around Penzo. It's funny that she turned her blocked shot into an easy layup and assist with EJ. Then, she makes a bad shot which Maddie converts into a deuce. Penzo can pass.

We got a lot of open shots. We missed some. If we keep getting open shots, we'll do OK.

Gabbi and Derica didn't shoot well. Gabbi was a force anyhow. T'Ona was able to find a way to score. She isn't as good at finding people open under the basket as Maddie and Penzo. She can get there, but has difficulty except on fast breaks.

They have Maddie with zero steals. I counted four.

SW was a better shooting team than I had anticipated. They will contend for the title if they keep this up. They were open outside because we were making no attempt to close out on them. We never cut Williams off from driving. When Tucker hit three threes, we put Maddie on her. She didn't score again.

I thought EJ was our best interior defender tonight. Maddie, Gabbi, and Gileysa did well defensively. T'Ona got some deflections and steals, but didn't cover well.

Our second unit rebuilt the lead. I thought we only had one player who completely struggled tonight.

 

[j2d2]

I think that if we made 90 % of our chip shots we would always be in the Final Four.

 

[atlantasooner]

Knee Jerk reactions off one exhibition. Not balanced or fair but here goes
More for the point of discussion

Shaya is going to have hard time keeping in the rotation. Her first two 3s were beyond ugly.
Only the 4th one had a prayer of going in
She showed no post game. Just floating the perimeter with no outside shot.
Derica's shot was off and she was having a very hard time with the SWOSU guards speed.

Vivi and EJ will steal Kaylon's playing time if she's in foul trouble or lazy on the defensive
end. Sherri has the best post depth in forever. Big time upside for both of those girls.
Thinking way ahead Sherri needs to think about using Mulkey in the high post as a
stretch 4. Use Mulkey with EJ/Vivi
Manning was out of control most of the 1st half. Much better second half.
Penzo seems closer to 6-0? She's a huge addition. To be honest, I'd start her based on her athleticism/length and potential to be a defensive stopper.
Lanesia and Ton'a are going to provide good depth on the bench. Scoring punch.

Kind of missed Gioya out there tonight. If she's out long term Sherri has a puzzle on her hands
in terms of fifth starter.

 

[sybarite]

Knee Jerk reactions off one exhibition. Not balanced or fair but here goes
More for the point of discussion

Shaya is going to have hard time keeping in the rotation. Her first two 3s were beyond ugly.
Only the 4th one had a prayer of going in
She showed no post game. Just floating the perimeter with no outside shot.
Derica's shot was off and she was having a very hard time with the SWOSU guards speed.

Vivi and EJ will steal Kaylon's playing time if she's in foul trouble or lazy on the defensive
end. Sherri has the best post depth in forever. Big time upside for both of those girls.
Thinking way ahead Sherri needs to think about using Mulkey in the high post as a
stretch 4. Use Mulkey with EJ/Vivi
Manning was out of control most of the 1st half. Much better second half.
Penzo seems closer to 6-0? She's a huge addition. To be honest, I'd start her based on her athleticism/length and potential to be a defensive stopper.
Lanesia and Ton'a are going to provide good depth on the bench. Scoring punch.

Kind of missed Gioya out there tonight. If she's out long term Sherri has a puzzle on her hands
in terms of fifth starter.

1. I think that if this continues, Penzo worked well with Peyton, Maddie, Gabbi, and Kaylon. She isn't a great threat to score yet But, she plays good defense and creates movement that enables everyone to score. Our best movement in the second half was with this unit.

2. Yes. Mulkey (on offense) at high post with EJ or Vivi underneath. On defense, you keep Nancy around the basket. Her presence alters shots.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Knee Jerk reactions off one exhibition. Not balanced or fair but here goes
More for the point of discussion

Shaya is going to have hard time keeping in the rotation. Her first two 3s were beyond ugly.
Only the 4th one had a prayer of going in
She showed no post game. Just floating the perimeter with no outside shot.
Derica's shot was off and she was having a very hard time with the SWOSU guards speed.

Vivi and EJ will steal Kaylon's playing time if she's in foul trouble or lazy on the defensive
end. Sherri has the best post depth in forever. Big time upside for both of those girls.
Thinking way ahead Sherri needs to think about using Mulkey in the high post as a
stretch 4. Use Mulkey with EJ/Vivi
Manning was out of control most of the 1st half. Much better second half.
Penzo seems closer to 6-0? She's a huge addition. To be honest, I'd start her based on her athleticism/length and potential to be a defensive stopper.
Lanesia and Ton'a are going to provide good depth on the bench. Scoring punch.

Kind of missed Gioya out there tonight. If she's out long term Sherri has a puzzle on her hands
in terms of fifth starter.

Maybe it was just me but Penzo looks a step slow. She made some good passes but quick guards will go by her. There is a significant gap in talent at the position after Gioya.

 

[MisterF]

I agree about Penzo. Made me think her knee still not 100% or her mind about the knee is not 100%. Possible she has not got back into top shape yet. But she didn't run well.

You could see her court smarts. She has lots of that. Hopefully her physical part will get better.

 

[soonermike22]

At times she limped, and sometimes not. IMO she is close to over the knee physically, but still not back in top notch conditioning mode. BUT she really looks like she has basketball smarts, and can anticipate both on offense and defense. Looking forward to seeing her play.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Actually I thought Penzo looked quick. Maybe not fast running the court but she made some quick moves with the ball. Made some good penetrations and dishes. Don't see much offensive game otherwise. Had 3 steals in 15 minutes of play.

Other thoughts
As usual some very good runs, some not so good. Clearly they are not in top shape yet and were clearly gassed about the 7 minute mark in the first quarter. Then add in some bad rhythm shots and you had a negative run. Sherri's teams are usually in supurb shape. Not there yet.

Little with a little more than a spot shooting performance. Nice improvement over last year.

KayKay a little sporatic but big improvement on fouling. We don't have to sweat fouls inside this year. Maddie is key. Need her to be in game. I do agree that our centers are all 5's so maybe Mulkey plays the 4 next year. EJ blew me away. Didn't expect anything from her after her scrimmage performance. ViVi her usual tough self and filling up the scoresheet. Got 15 points somehow and no one probably noticed.

Maddie looks good. Shots didn't fall in the first half but I think she was rushing them a bit. Ortiz also solid.

L Williams and Edwards look improved. Both still a little out of control and they have to quit shooting in the trees.

I thought the rebounding was improved but maybe part of that was the opposition. We will see against tougher competition.

Wyatt looks improved but I have never seen such a good shooter miss so many open shots. Kellogg no where close on her shots. Between them 0 for 10 from deep.

More penetration on offense than I have seen in previous years. That is good. I like our quickness with the ball. A little more dishing off and better shot selection will help. We seem to think that once we penetrate we have to finish no matter what. A quick stop and pull up jumper or floater would help Williams and Edwards on their drives. Penzo made good decisions off her penetrations.

A lot of deflected passes and steals on defense. But there was no sign of help defense. In today's game it is virtually impossible to stop someone quick one on one. You have to have others help. You don't have to double team. Just a quick check will usually slow up the driver or even cause them to stop or travel. You have to do a quick check if your man is in the corner spoting up and get back out there.

I think we are a quicker team and a lot of deflections. Our half court 1-3-1 press should work well. We have the ingredients of a team that could do a great full court press and the depth to keep at it. Sherri has never done that much and I don't expect her to do it this year.

We were a little slow to get back on defense at times and it cost us some easy points for the opposition.

If Carter is out for a while the big question is who is the 5th starter.

 

[sybarite]

At times she limped, and sometimes not. IMO she is close to over the knee physically, but still not back in top notch conditioning mode. BUT she really looks like she has basketball smarts, and can anticipate both on offense and defense. Looking forward to seeing her play.

I think she had two and a half steals (lost one out of bounds after she tipped it) after only about a minute in the game.

I think Sherri said that she told Gileysa that she would never win a race on this team. But, it is mostly about smarts and quickness, not pure speed. Penzo seems quick, and she seems decisive. She also seems to be able to adjust on the fly.

We haven't seen enough of her yet. But, I'm not so sure that she isn't a contender for that fifth starter if she has any offensive game other than passing. She is a tremendous passer.

 

[sybarite]

Actually I thought Penzo looked quick. Maybe not fast running the court but she made some quick moves with the ball. Made some good penetrations and dishes. Don't see much offensive game otherwise. Had 3 steals in 15 minutes of play.

Other thoughts
As usual some very good runs, some not so good. Clearly they are not in top shape yet and were clearly gassed about the 7 minute mark in the first quarter. Then add in some bad rhythm shots and you had a negative run. Sherri's teams are usually in supurb shape. Not there yet.

Little with a little more than a spot shooting performance. Nice improvement over last year.

KayKay a little sporatic but big improvement on fouling. We don't have to sweat fouls inside this year. Maddie is key. Need her to be in game. I do agree that our centers are all 5's so maybe Mulkey plays the 4 next year. EJ blew me away. Didn't expect anything from her after her scrimmage performance. ViVi her usual tough self and filling up the scoresheet. Got 15 points somehow and no one probably noticed.

Maddie looks good. Shots didn't fall in the first half but I think she was rushing them a bit. Ortiz also solid.

L Williams and Edwards look improved. Both still a little out of control and they have to quit shooting in the trees.

I thought the rebounding was improved but maybe part of that was the opposition. We will see against tougher competition.

Wyatt looks improved but I have never seen such a good shooter miss so many open shots. Kellogg no where close on her shots. Between them 0 for 10 from deep.

More penetration on offense than I have seen in previous years. That is good. I like our quickness with the ball. A little more dishing off and better shot selection will help. We seem to think that once we penetrate we have to finish no matter what. A quick stop and pull up jumper or floater would help Williams and Edwards on their drives. Penzo made good decisions off her penetrations.

A lot of deflected passes and steals on defense. But there was no sign of help defense. In today's game it is virtually impossible to stop someone quick one on one. You have to have others help. You don't have to double team. Just a quick check will usually slow up the driver or even cause them to stop or travel. You have to do a quick check if your man is in the corner spoting up and get back out there.

I think we are a quicker team and a lot of deflections. Our half court 1-3-1 press should work well. We have the ingredients of a team that could do a great full court press and the depth to keep at it. Sherri has never done that much and I don't expect her to do it this year.

We were a little slow to get back on defense at times and it cost us some easy points for the opposition.

If Carter is out for a while the big question is who is the 5th starter.

Good stuff.

Fifth starter: Sherri has emphasized that we have some flexibility. If Gioya is unavailable, it might well be a double-post at times. It could be LaNesia if she gets herself under control and makes better decisions. She demonstrated that she can hit a short baseline jumper. It might be Derica if we need the three. I wouldn't exactly count out Gileysa. If you are trying to create movement and flow, she could join Maddie, Gabbi, and Peyton in a very skilled passing outside that could rotate the ball quickly.

 

[brokebacksooner]

Got to watch the game on Soonersports this evening. Loved the energy from Edwards and LaNeisa on defense. If Edwards continues she'll make Gabby that much better because I don't think Gabby will let anyone out hustle her.

Liked Penzo and EJ, I thought both did really well. I love watching ViVi play. Something about her. Like someone said above, she scores 15 and nobody notices.

LOVED that Sherri called that timeout and replaced the starters when they started the 2nd half so poorly. Hope that sent a clear message to the team. I hope she will continue to do that. Loved that everyone suited up to play got some good minutes and everyone contributed to the stats sheet. Love the depth at the 5.

I was excited about this year before the season started, now I'm really excited about this team. I know that there were some challenges, but they certainly looked like they were having fun.

 

[scrybe]

There were two players in street clothes when the girls gathered near midcourt after the game. One was Gioya, of course, but I drew a blank on the other – a blonde girl. I guess I should know, but…someone help?

 

[tycat947]

There were two players in street clothes when the girls gathered near midcourt after the game. One was Gioya, of course, but I drew a blank on the other – a blonde girl. I guess I should know, but…someone help?

McKenna Treece. Had surgery on thumb on non-shooting hand, I believe. Expected return some time in December.

 

[sybarite]

I just re-watched the game. There's time to do that before the next one. A couple of things stood out.

---EJ doesn't fumble entry passes. We have had a problem with posts who can't catch entry passes. I don't think EJ missed one. Also, she had a tendency to go straight up as soon as she caught it.

---Penzo can rifle a pass. If you just watch who receives the pass, they are almost always wide open to shoot. She fed EJ a couple of times, Vivi once. Hit Shaya with a couple for what should have been threes. Hit Peyton a couple of times on fast breaks and kickouts. She can crosscourt a pass so rapidly that the defense has no time to recover. If you get a chance, watch for a pass from Penzo in the left corner that hits EJ in the hands on the right side of the lane with a defender between. It left EJ wide open, although a defender was right there. Somehow, she remained between her opponent and the basket.

---I don't know if i have ever seen Peyton more relaxed and confident.

---T'Ona is locked into a position, behind Gabbi. I don't think she'll get any time at the three, but she is the backup point.

---Shaya was meant to be Maddie's backup.

---LaNesia did everything right except for driving the lane. She can hit the short jumper. She has trouble in the lane, as does T'Ona. Needs to pull up.

 

[scrybe]

McKenna Treece. Had surgery on thumb on non-shooting hand, I believe. Expected return some time in December.

Thanks, Tycat. I shoulda realized that was McKenna, but she had a totally different look from last year. Hope she gets healthy sooner rather than later. I like Treece and believe she can help us even though we already look strong in the post.

 

[tycat947]

Thanks, Tycat. I shoulda realized that was McKenna, but she had a totally different look from last year. Hope she gets healthy sooner rather than later. I like Treece and believe she can help us even though we already look strong in the post.

Yes, I agree she looks a lot different now and can't really describe how it's different! Supposedly she worked extensively on her 3 point shot in the off season and has become pretty successful. Of course, you have to carry that success to game day but if she is successful during games with the 3 point shot, that would be great.

It's apparent T'Ona has worked on her 3 point shot too!

 

[tycat947]

I just re-watched the game. There's time to do that before the next one. A couple of things stood out.

---EJ doesn't fumble entry passes. We have had a problem with posts who can't catch entry passes. I don't think EJ missed one. Also, she had a tendency to go straight up as soon as she caught it.

---Penzo can rifle a pass. If you just watch who receives the pass, they are almost always wide open to shoot. She fed EJ a couple of times, Vivi once. Hit Shaya with a couple for what should have been threes. Hit Peyton a couple of times on fast breaks and kickouts. She can crosscourt a pass so rapidly that the defense has no time to recover. If you get a chance, watch for a pass from Penzo in the left corner that hits EJ in the hands on the right side of the lane with a defender between. It left EJ wide open, although a defender was right there. Somehow, she remained between her opponent and the basket.

---I don't know if i have ever seen Peyton more relaxed and confident.

---T'Ona is locked into a position, behind Gabbi. I don't think she'll get any time at the three, but she is the backup point.

---Shaya was meant to be Maddie's backup.

---LaNesia did everything right except for driving the lane. She can hit the short jumper. She has trouble in the lane, as does T'Ona. Needs to pull up.

Gileysa's passing was very exciting to me. Seemed as if she has a Stacy/Maddie-esque talent for zipping the ball to the open player on the court. Will be interesting to watch her over her career. On defense, she appears to have great anticipatory skills ala Peyton! She's not he quickest on the floor, even moreso coming off her injury, but that ability to anticipate a pass on defense is exciting. There were times last night that she seemed to favor the injured knee so I think it may take her this year to fully recover and get her confidence in the knee back but I'm really excited what she can bring to this team.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

I'm thinking right now the 5th is Penzo or LaNeshia.

Perhaps it was opposition, but LaNeshia was a force when she was in there.

I thought Penzo was very solid (as was EJ), but a step or two slow also.

Maddie settled down in the second half and looked the best she's ever looked, IMO.

She is going to be our Kevin Durant. Very versatile.

 

[j2d2]

Penzo appears a step slow but she plays faster than she appears. She's got game speed probably as a result of vision, anticipation, smarts.