Going Forward

Discussion in 'Women’s Basketball' started by Dr. D, Dec 14, 2017.

  1. Dr. D

    Dr. D 250+ Posts

    Karen Aston seemed depressed in her post game interview after the Northwestern game. Hopefully things will perk up. All of the next four teams we play are quite capable of beating us. Fla. State could do it. Oklahoma State is GOOD. They played Tennessee and Miss. St. close on the road; at home they handily whipped UCLA. West Virginia is GOOD. They administered a beat down to A&M on the Aggies home floor. Even Oklahoma has a shot, if they bring their very best game (which they usually seem to do against us).

    We were missing Brooke, but the offense shouldn't have been that flat. Atkins is playing at All American level, but Sutton is not providing enough scoring. Our front line is a relative weak point. My guess is that ultimately we will be better with Joyner and Boothe underneath at the same time. The freshmen aren't hitting their outside shots, though Patterson has looked a little better lately. Our team scoring average has steadily declined. As to the design of the offense, I'll leave analysis of that to others better qualified. To me it seems very close to last year's inside-out scheme, but with better players. When Brooke is out, things get static. The offense we run seems very simple compared to what Notre Dame and UConn do.
     
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  2. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    Once again... spot on observations IMO
     
  3. JoeDallas

    JoeDallas 1,000+ Posts

    Yep. I think the Tennessee game was very demoralizing, and it showed against Northwestern State. We have to get it in gear for the next 4 very challenging games. OSU looks super good. I also want to see Joyner and Rellah together in the front court. We'll see how it goes. If we do well against FSU, that should give us a lift.
     
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  4. geewago

    geewago 100+ Posts

    The outcome of the FSU game could very well set the tone for the remaining season.
     
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  5. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    With Texas’ struggles playing against a zone and Northwestren State doing a good job of controlling tempo by milking the shot clock on almost every position it’s not a surprise that the offense was flat. I felt that Coach Aston should have used a press a lot more in the game to try and speed Northwestren state up. The offense needs Sug to get into double figures in points in most games.

    I feel that she’s more than capable of doing that. But I also think It would be better if she was starting with Lashann coming off the bench. There’s nothing wrong with the offense being simple as long as it’s effective. The most important thing is spacing. UConn and Notre Dame are able to run the offense that they do because their post players can pass the ball very well and are really skilled offensively.
     
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    Last edited: Dec 14, 2017
  6. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    I agree... the FSU game is huge and possibly pivotal. We could either bounce back strong, or the wheels may start coming off. I hope Brooke is back and ready for action. With her out, and because Patterson and Littleton have not been played enough, our depth at guard isn't what it appears to be on paper. Again... very disappointed in theirs and Boothe's lack of playing time and the missed opportunity for experience/development of that depth.
     
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  7. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    I have to admit that the difficulty in letting go of the Tenn loss and moving on is concerning. There's plenty of veterans that should be able to help the team move past that and, also to keep the team focused on playing. They can't let that one loss cause them to doubt themselves and end up losing to FSU because they did not bring their best game. Sunday's game can go either way but it cannot negatively impact the way they play the rest of the season if it is a loss. Nor can they say that Joyner joining the team will solve all their problems. To paraphrase what they say about defensive backs, can't let one bad game impact how you play in the next one.
     
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  8. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    One of the first things I noticed as LHN focused on Coach Aston sitting on the bench immediately before tipoff was her facial expression. I know that she is very intense and typically has a focused look on her face, but I actually thought at that moment that she looked depressed. Perhaps the performance at Tennessee was still bothering her, as well.
     
  9. airtightskipole

    airtightskipole 25+ Posts

    I have no worries she will get her big girl pants on and put all her energy in improving our team. She knows what needs to be done.
     
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  10. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    Well FSU was exactly what we all needed, hoped and wanted it to be.

    It occurs to me how challenging it must be to coach this group. Imagine a team where you have Sug, Ariel, Brooke, Lashanne, Joyner, Jatari, and Rellah to throw around in any number of different line ups. Now think about who you still have on the bench. Wow. Chasity, Jada, Olamide, Destiny, Jordan and the twins. Those seven could be the starters for a number of other teams.

    Karen needs to dig deep as a coach because we should be able to find the perfect match up for almost any team we meet. But will we?

    Was glad that Karen realized she could have done a better job managing the bench against Tenn. That ability to put the right five on the floor at any given time making adjustments as needed is the secret sauce this year. Heavy burden for Aston. I wish her all the best.
     
  11. Dr. D

    Dr. D 250+ Posts

    The Florida State game was a lot of fun. After Tennessee there was a lot of unspoken fear (admit it everybody) that this year might turn out like the last---high expectations melting into disappointment. This is a better team, but not a super one yet. We need two things---a full speed Joyner and one more consistent three point shooter. Suge is a possibility, but she hasn't broken out as a big scorer yet. I watched Rellah hit four threes in the McDonald's All American game and thought God had sent us a sign... but it's been brick city for her so far in Division One. If she ever starts hitting it from outside, man, we will be tough to beat, because she is going to be a killer anyway down low. But she's not hitting the three now and she needs more minutes so she can develop. I also like Destiny; but the other player I really wish Aston would put in earlier is Chasity Patterson. You wouldn't know it from watching her so far this year, but this kid can shoot. She always has. She won the McDonald's girls' three point contest with a better percentage than any of the boys, too. (We had another recruit ,named McCarty, who won that contest, and she turned out all right.) Patterson has often looked awful as a freshman, rushing and forcing, making terrible decisions, etc. I still think Aston should put her in more often with the regulars and let her play at the two instead of floundering at point guard. She'll be a terrific point guard someday, but right now we could use her as shooting guard, two or three treys a game coming off the bench. It's not fair to her, or to the future of the team, not to give her more meaningful minutes so she can calm down and evolve into what she can be. That's my fearless forecast: a full speed Joyner, Rellah at 15 minutes a game, and Patterson given a chance to be a hot shooter off the bench. That team could beat UConn or come damn close.
     
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  12. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    Pretty much my sentiments exactly.
     
  13. Dr. D

    Dr. D 250+ Posts

    In my little essay I forgot all about Jada Underwood, who is hitting .571 on four of seven from three point land this year. She's got a good mid range jumper, too, but she doesn't take that many shots, so it's hard to tell. I don't know why she didn't get in against Fla. St. Do they think she's not quick enough to defend against fast guards? Anyway, should they let her fire away and see what happens?
     
  14. flash34

    flash34 1,000+ Posts

    Dr D........lots of truth in your posts. I think Fl State game was very important to the coach, players and fans. With the train back on track it will be fun to see the roles changing next game. Boothe will get some minutes in most games. Patterson will get a few but will have to primarily get better in mop up duty and practice. I like Underwood but your question about her quickness is true.....she lacks quickness against some 3 guard line-ups that are fast.
     
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  15. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    I agree. However she's strong as a mule, was a tenacious rebounder in HS (led the DFW metro ahead of Cox and Holmes), and has some good, quick back-to-the-basket post moves. I'm surprised we haven't seen her fill in at the PF slot some. She's not any more "undersized" at that position than B. Taylor was. Just sayin...
     
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