Thoughts on tonight's game

[SoonerinNC]

Much better than the first game but since Henderson State was so overmatched really hard to get too excited. A lot better execution though.

First, I thought our defense and rebounding dropped off when Sherri started pulling starters in the first half. Newbies have to improve there but they did an excellent job in the second half.

Whitney filled the scoresheet as usual and was superb all-around

Ellenberg with 17 in 17 minutes. what more to say.

Jo plays like she is 6-3 rebounding and 5-1 shooting. Did a little better at taking it to the rim in the second half.

Griffin still shows improvement but is still slow to the ball and has to get tougher on the boards. Like her touch, her running the floor and her agressiveness in going to the hoop.

Hook solid as usual

Kornet a tough night all-around. Played like a freshman tonight.

Durrett, dominant but had a size advantage and made the most of it. If she keeps hitting those outside shots she will be a major match-up problem. Really tough on the boards.

Manning much better tonight. Really makes some great plays and I love the way she goes to the hoop when she gets an opening. The only question is whether she has the speed to guard point guards. Her length helps as she can play off them a little bit.

Jas is pretty much the same Jas we have seen all along.

Campbell was much more in sync tonight. I think she is still trying to find her role. Always enjoy watching her play. She appears to have improved her outside shot and that will help her penetrating ability even more.

Not nearly as many unforced turnovers and we were playing pretty much in control. Again we will face reality when we get into the tougher competition and if we can hold this level of performance we are in for an excellent season. I think we have 10 who can play and hope we have no more injuries.

 

[rocjunkie]

Nice review, SNC

I was a little miffed at the first few minutes of the game. Nicole worked her butt off getting position down low, and no one would throw her the ball. Perfect opportunity to play a little inside/out passing, or turn and go to the hoop. She had such a height advantage, we didn't take advantage.

Kornet just had a bad game, but I liked her grit and kept fighting through her poor performance.

I liked the fact we didn't throw the ball around like a "beach ball". Not near as many "stupid" turnovers as last exhibition. Solid ball movement and not a lot of dribbling in the half court until about the last five minutes.

Portia is getting more and more comfortable and finding her place. She will be solid at the four and occasional five spot.

Maddie looked like a totally different player tonight. She took the driving lanes when available, made really smart decisions and didn't force errant passes. I really enjoy her passion for the game.

Aaryn, Whitney, and Sharane just solid performances, Jo got off to a slow start, but played a better second half. If she doesn't step it up a bit, I look for Portia to push her for a starting spot.

Jas played like Jas. Looks like she will get some deserving minutes and not hurt us at all.

Morgan of course was good, not just her, but all the kids need to do a better job of finishing at the rim. Always will be a pet peeve of mine. Missed lay ups just drive me "cwazy"..

Over all we still have some work to do, but really loved the second half performance, especially the "newbies". Looking forward to Creighton Saturday. They are a feisty team and should give us a good tussle.

 

[SoonerinNC]

I think a lot of the missed layups result from being in an awkward position and/or angle to the hoop. They should turn some of the misses down and go to the next option. You don't always have to shoot just because you are out ahead of the defense.

 

[rocjunkie]

I think a lot of the missed layups result from being in an awkward position and/or angle to the hoop. They should turn some of the misses down and go to the next option. You don't always have to shoot just because you are out ahead of the defense.

Good point. Maddie seemed to be in control when she took it to the rack and either made the shot or got the two free throws. There was a point in the second half where we just kept raining down 3's. On some of the missed layups we would have been better off to just kick it out and take our chance with the out side shot.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I don't recall a player like Maddie. Some mention Stacey but I haven't seen that resemblance yet. I think Maddie is just Maddie and, so far, I like what I see. She certainly has room to improve but she is off to a good start.

 

[sybarite]

I think Roc and I have expressed the thought that Maddie is somewhat like a female Magic Johnson.

 

[j2d2]

I seem to remember that we have had trouble in throwing the ball into the post. Even when Courtney was playing she would be open for a pass and not get one. It must be that the person with the ball thinks that, even if they throw it in, the player couldnt do anything with it. But that's not the goal every time. If the post is open THROW THE BALL TO HER. It will draw double (at least) teams and get someone open. I'm a very poor judge of basketballs niceities but will someone explain to me why it isnt good strategy to THROW THE BALL INTO THE POST WHEN SHE IS OPEN? AARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!

 

[rocjunkie]

I seem to remember that we have had trouble in throwing the ball into the post. Even when Courtney was playing she would be open for a pass and not get one. It must be that the person with the ball thinks that, even if they throw it in, the player couldnt do anything with it. But that's not the goal every time. If the post is open THROW THE BALL TO HER. It will draw double (at least) teams and get someone open. I'm a very poor judge of basketballs niceities but will someone explain to me why it isnt good strategy to THROW THE BALL INTO THE POST WHEN SHE IS OPEN? AARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!

THANK YOU!!!! The strength of any team is to have a solid inside/out game. Look for the 60 percent shot first, once they double down, kick out for the outside. With the shooters we have, throw it in first to help set up the outside. I feel your pain.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I seem to remember that we have had trouble in throwing the ball into the post. Even when Courtney was playing she would be open for a pass and not get one. It must be that the person with the ball thinks that, even if they throw it in, the player couldnt do anything with it. But that's not the goal every time. If the post is open THROW THE BALL TO HER. It will draw double (at least) teams and get someone open. I'm a very poor judge of basketballs niceities but will someone explain to me why it isnt good strategy to THROW THE BALL INTO THE POST WHEN SHE IS OPEN? AARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!

:woot:clap I completely agree!

 

[35TangoTango]

I think it's interesting how one person's view of what happened in the first few minutes of the game suddenly has escalated into a problem of years. As I remember it, we managed to throw the ball to Courtney quite a lot - at least that's what the stats indicate.

Of course it's good strategy to throw the ball to the post WHEN SHE'S OPEN. The problem was that Henderson started the game in a sagging zone, and the perimeter players weren't getting the looks at the post they were used to. With our team's perimeter shooting, if the opposition wants to sag back in the middle to prevent post layups, we should be quite happy.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I think it's interesting how one person's view of what happened in the first few minutes of the game suddenly has escalated into a problem of years. As I remember it, we managed to throw the ball to Courtney quite a lot - at least that's what the stats indicate.

Of course it's good strategy to throw the ball to the post WHEN SHE'S OPEN. The problem was that Henderson started the game in a sagging zone, and the perimeter players weren't getting the looks at the post they were used to. With our team's perimeter shooting, if the opposition wants to sag back in the middle to prevent post layups, we should be quite happy.

There were many times that Courtney was open but the guards would not pass to her. Several fans complained about it. Yes, several of her points were off of assists but many were the result of offensive boards, sometimes her own.

I agree that when the guards are open and the post isn't, the guards should take the shots. Obviously, the shooting percentage goes up when a post can get the ball inside and take the shot. I tend to think that Maddie will be a good passer who will make those throws more often than some of the others will, once she gets more comfortable at this level. I also think if Griffin continues to score when she gets a pass, the guards will be a bit more inclined to look for her as a scoring option.

 

[SoonerShamrock]

...will someone explain to me why it isnt good strategy to THROW THE BALL INTO THE POST WHEN SHE IS OPEN?

Based on a quote from Coach Coale following Tuesday night's game, I'd say she agrees with you (emphasis mine): "You could tell in the first three to five minutes of the second half that what we talked about at halftime, (the players) were really trying to do. We got out in transition, we fed the post, we blocked out, our help defense was better, and recovery was better and more urgent."

 

[ou4ever]

I think a lot of the missed layups result from being in an awkward position and/or angle to the hoop. They should turn some of the misses down and go to the next option. You don't always have to shoot just because you are out ahead of the defense.

I heard Sherri on a radio show a few weeks ago saying she would prefer the standard size basketball, saying the smaller, LIGHTER, ball did not help in making layups. (Akin to using a volleyball to shoot layups.)