One of the things that we learned late in the season was that it was easier to score on a putback than to shoot over someone. The defense is rarely in position for a putback while still trying to rebound.
Kay Kay emerged after midseason in this respect. We had passed the ball into her for two years and Nicole Griffin two years before that trying to get the offense started. But, Kay Kay was better if someone else shot, and she got the rebound. There isn't anyone in position to prevent you from putting it back up. You don't have to worry about your shot being blocked. I don't know that Kay Kay hit a shot from a set against West Virginia in the tournament, but she probably had ten points by halftime on putbacks. She excels at it. It takes advantage of her primary asset. She is quicker than most posts. When she began getting the offensive boards, her scoring went up almost effortlessly.
She still misses a lot when she tries to shoot over someone or keep her body between the ball and the defender. They tend to be taller and with longer arms. But, she can get putbacks almost at will. Once Vivi began to emerge, she and Kay Kay began to rotate and keep each other fresh, not just when they got fouls. It worked out well for both. They worked out so well that I'm almost inclined to list the Kay Kay/Vivi team as a starter rather than as a starter and reserve. They are just enough different to complement each other. We are stronger inside now than we have been because we have two posts who are comfortable with what they can do.
Gabbi was a freshman. She had some things to learn, like don't dribble into traps. But, by the end of the year, she was almost impossible to steal the ball from, and she seemed to be strangely effective at getting a shot off in the lane. She can handle the ball with absolute confidence. She can lead the team from the point. It is interesting that she had so many minutes in for the US team without scoring a lot. She was what they needed, someone who didn't turn it over. We probably had the fewest turnovers in years because of her confidence. If there was a problem, a lot of times her dribbling didn't result in getting people open for shots. I don't know if that was her or the rest of the team. Gabbi is now a sophomore, and she is probably the best pure point in the conference at controlling the ball. She's learning the rest as the team learns.
Peyton was our best spot shooter. She isn't the creator that I anticipated given her highschool records. I thought she would be able to create her own shot. She is much better at getting to a position and being in position to shoot off the catch. Great in-bounds shooter. We lost games in which she didn't shoot well. We have to learn to get her more open shots. She didn't really drive much effectively. Her hands do seem to be everywhere on defense. Sherri mentioned that Maddie and Peyton have learned to play together, and there were some times when Peyton made some unbelievable threes off of unbelievable assists.
Gioya began conference play hot. She cooled off. Actually, they began to try to keep her from getting the shots that she liked. But, her biggest problem was staying on the floor. She has a tendency to commit reach-in fouls that limit her time on the floor. She is extremely good at catch and shoot, even in the lane. Some of the shots that she took on passes from Kay Kay or Sharane in the lane were beautiful. We do need for Gioya to stay on the court more this year. She also has to learn that she is great at shooting when she gets her shot, but not when she doesn't. If she just goes with the flow, she should improve her scoring and increase her percentage. Don't force it.
Maddie is the inheritor of Sharane's position, not that she is a power forward, or even a forward. I like the term that they used, "The Glue." Late in the year, it was obvious that Maddie had attributes that nobody else had. She is tall enough to shoot over people, probably the only person that we have in that category. She can shoot over anyone likely to guard her. She can also create shots. Sometimes, she rebounds like she had an anger. She controls the ball so well that she was often used when the other team tried to press. They simply were not effective pressing Maddie. She showed glimpses of how good she can be, and we really need for her to put that foot forward this year. She is the one that must be our creator, provide the scoring when everyone else is covered. She is also the one that can create defensive pressure. If you remember TCU, she blocked two three point shots by simply catching the ball in midair. I'm not sure they even counted them as blocks or simply stolen passes. Her arms are so long that she was about four feet from the shooter and still took the ball out of the air. You just don't expect 6-2 guards with long arms out there blocking threes. It creates something that hasn't been in the game. If you will remember, she blocked a couple of shots by Donohoe that kept her from scoring in the first OSU game. She just couldn't shoot over Maddie. Whether Maddie is a point forward or a guard isn't clear. She'll probably guard a forward and play offense as a guard. At least twice, she was the tallest person that we had on the floor, playing post essentially.
These will be the five. They've had a year to get to know each other, as well as themselves. I look for them to emerge this year because they will know themselves and each other better. Guess what. There is only one senior on the team.
I think others will get a lot of playing time since there is enough talent to provide competent rest. But, these are the five that were on the floor at the end of the game this past year, and they will be there this year. I think they will be better than forecasters will project. I look for a second again, but I don't think there will be that much difference between one and two.
Kay Kay emerged after midseason in this respect. We had passed the ball into her for two years and Nicole Griffin two years before that trying to get the offense started. But, Kay Kay was better if someone else shot, and she got the rebound. There isn't anyone in position to prevent you from putting it back up. You don't have to worry about your shot being blocked. I don't know that Kay Kay hit a shot from a set against West Virginia in the tournament, but she probably had ten points by halftime on putbacks. She excels at it. It takes advantage of her primary asset. She is quicker than most posts. When she began getting the offensive boards, her scoring went up almost effortlessly.
She still misses a lot when she tries to shoot over someone or keep her body between the ball and the defender. They tend to be taller and with longer arms. But, she can get putbacks almost at will. Once Vivi began to emerge, she and Kay Kay began to rotate and keep each other fresh, not just when they got fouls. It worked out well for both. They worked out so well that I'm almost inclined to list the Kay Kay/Vivi team as a starter rather than as a starter and reserve. They are just enough different to complement each other. We are stronger inside now than we have been because we have two posts who are comfortable with what they can do.
Gabbi was a freshman. She had some things to learn, like don't dribble into traps. But, by the end of the year, she was almost impossible to steal the ball from, and she seemed to be strangely effective at getting a shot off in the lane. She can handle the ball with absolute confidence. She can lead the team from the point. It is interesting that she had so many minutes in for the US team without scoring a lot. She was what they needed, someone who didn't turn it over. We probably had the fewest turnovers in years because of her confidence. If there was a problem, a lot of times her dribbling didn't result in getting people open for shots. I don't know if that was her or the rest of the team. Gabbi is now a sophomore, and she is probably the best pure point in the conference at controlling the ball. She's learning the rest as the team learns.
Peyton was our best spot shooter. She isn't the creator that I anticipated given her highschool records. I thought she would be able to create her own shot. She is much better at getting to a position and being in position to shoot off the catch. Great in-bounds shooter. We lost games in which she didn't shoot well. We have to learn to get her more open shots. She didn't really drive much effectively. Her hands do seem to be everywhere on defense. Sherri mentioned that Maddie and Peyton have learned to play together, and there were some times when Peyton made some unbelievable threes off of unbelievable assists.
Gioya began conference play hot. She cooled off. Actually, they began to try to keep her from getting the shots that she liked. But, her biggest problem was staying on the floor. She has a tendency to commit reach-in fouls that limit her time on the floor. She is extremely good at catch and shoot, even in the lane. Some of the shots that she took on passes from Kay Kay or Sharane in the lane were beautiful. We do need for Gioya to stay on the court more this year. She also has to learn that she is great at shooting when she gets her shot, but not when she doesn't. If she just goes with the flow, she should improve her scoring and increase her percentage. Don't force it.
Maddie is the inheritor of Sharane's position, not that she is a power forward, or even a forward. I like the term that they used, "The Glue." Late in the year, it was obvious that Maddie had attributes that nobody else had. She is tall enough to shoot over people, probably the only person that we have in that category. She can shoot over anyone likely to guard her. She can also create shots. Sometimes, she rebounds like she had an anger. She controls the ball so well that she was often used when the other team tried to press. They simply were not effective pressing Maddie. She showed glimpses of how good she can be, and we really need for her to put that foot forward this year. She is the one that must be our creator, provide the scoring when everyone else is covered. She is also the one that can create defensive pressure. If you remember TCU, she blocked two three point shots by simply catching the ball in midair. I'm not sure they even counted them as blocks or simply stolen passes. Her arms are so long that she was about four feet from the shooter and still took the ball out of the air. You just don't expect 6-2 guards with long arms out there blocking threes. It creates something that hasn't been in the game. If you will remember, she blocked a couple of shots by Donohoe that kept her from scoring in the first OSU game. She just couldn't shoot over Maddie. Whether Maddie is a point forward or a guard isn't clear. She'll probably guard a forward and play offense as a guard. At least twice, she was the tallest person that we had on the floor, playing post essentially.
These will be the five. They've had a year to get to know each other, as well as themselves. I look for them to emerge this year because they will know themselves and each other better. Guess what. There is only one senior on the team.
I think others will get a lot of playing time since there is enough talent to provide competent rest. But, these are the five that were on the floor at the end of the game this past year, and they will be there this year. I think they will be better than forecasters will project. I look for a second again, but I don't think there will be that much difference between one and two.