Watching Uconn just beat up on people for the last few years with no true center I believe they play with 2 fast forwards and this year with Gabby which is really undersized....I'm in no way a basketball analyst but why don't other teams try this?? it seems like a big center a liability at times....maybe try rellah and Joyner together?? Idk but as Ariel says they will figure it out this summer! !!
CONDITIONING!! I'd like to see everyone, not just Brooke, preparded to play 50 minutes. I too look at UConn...and boy they run the floor. And they just don't seem to ever get in foul trouble...lots of happy feet..lol
I will give you a good answer, on why they play so well. Outstanding Coaching and training the player's. UConn is very undersized.But you would never know it. By the way they play.
Yeah when Joyner was tired the first few minutes of the game against Stanford I knew it wasn't a good sign....that's why I don't understand why some people say it's important to play everyone so the starters can get rest, but uconn starters play big minutes. I want to kick their butts next year!!!!!!
I'd like to see us continue our hard-nosed defense, but with a bit more of an open mind when it comes to adjusting according to match-ups. But the NUMBER ONE thing is a focus on half-court offensive execution. Look what it did for Mississippi State... and who hangs their hats on defense any more than that team?
Our offense is stagnant. Watch UCONN, Notre Dame or Baylor - crisp passing and multiple offensive plays. Plus we must have more than one three point threat. I believe next year our tallest players are 6'3" (not counting the "twins" who are really nothing more than foul-prone relievers for our starters). If we don't develop some three point threats the Sweet 16 will be as sweet as it gets .
Jatarie is a legit 6' 4" - may be quibbling over an inch. One fundamental that I don't see Texas do as well as the best teams that bugs the hell out of me? Screening. How many times did we see a screen put an opponent on their butt this season - I honestly can't remember 1. We have the size to do it but it seems our screeners never get into proper position (opposing player has plenty of room to stay on the Texas player - some of this is on the UT player receiving the screen not taking the correct angle) or they bail too early rendering it ineffective.
No...I think that would be a cope out. I bleed Burnt Orange but I also respect excellence and UConn play a EXECELLENT brand of basketball. You can't lose talent year after year and maintain that level of play/winning.
You're absolutely right. You saw that a lot in the Stanford game when Brooke was trying to get open by running off of screens. But if you watched Mississippi State yesterday their screeners would always get a piece of the defender who was trying to stay with the offensive player. That definitely is something that Coach Aston needs to work on and improve offensively.
I know I'm in the minority here but I loved the role the Twins played this year. They are bangers/rebounders, not scorers. They seem to understand their roles and embrace it. Thats what I wanted from Jordan. Seemed to never tire it seems either.
Agree (mostly) - I was really hoping to see the threat from BTA that several people, including Coach Aston, mentioned.
I completely agree with DFW Horn about screening. Maybe somehow I'm missing it, but I don't see us setting screens very much. Maybe I need to replay the Stanford game, but I hardly saw anyone coming out to try to screen for Brooke to get free. Did I just miss it somehow? That just doesn't make any sense when she's your main hope for threes.
The Twins are role players - they're good for about 5 minutes, a few rebounds, and perhaps a couple of points. Great to have off the bench if they can stay healthy. Cedric Golden (Austin American-Statesman) today I think summed up what many people here have been saying about next year. Karen is a competitor and I have no doubt losing in the Sweet Sixteen will eat at her and drive her the entire off season. However, she needs to turn over the offense to her assistants (or at least give them more control). She has one of the most respected former WNBA players and perhaps the best point guard in UT history sitting next to her. I'm confident they can do more with our offense. And as others have said - they've got to get in shape. Joyner was gassed halfway through the first quarter. She'll have an entire off-season to turn that around. Baylor loses a lot of talent next year but they also have a lot coming back and an outstanding recruiting class so nothing gets easier in the Big 12.
My point to this thread was actually in this day and age is being big and tall a necessity or is quickness where the game is going towards??
Hoping Chasity adds the additional 3 point threat. She won the McDonald's All-American 3 point contest last night. Hope she carries that shooting in to the season!
There just isn't very many big back to the basket post players right now. I would always take a dominant low post player over a smaller quicker player in the post. I think the game goes towards whatever kind of players that are available. If there were a bunch of players like Courtney Paris playing right now you would see the same old style of play.
Seems like a spot-on evaluation of the coaching. KA is one heck of a coach in certain areas, but the best in the business defer to their assistants' strengths when called for. Leaders are only as successful as they allow their help to be.
Obviously the offense needs to improve but we don't know if Jamie Carey, Coach Thompson, or Coach Washington know anything about offense.
Just because she was a great offensive player in the WNBA doesn't mean that she knows how to run an offense as a coach.
As I stated in the Stanford thread OFFENSE, OFFENSE, OFFENSE! I really want to ask the coaches who will be attending the WBCA lectures/classes at the final four have you ever thought about learning and implementing Geno's offense? It just puzzles me that people haven't started duplicating it. IT WORKS! I would hire one of his former players as an assistant and have them teach it. It's not rocket science or maybe it is. LOL!
It's more than just running Geno's offense. You have to have the right personnel to run a specific offense.