Wow, that was bad. Kelsey has regressed. Playing out of control - just hurling the ball up at the hoop (not just Kelsey, many players) Free throws are still a mystery to this team Points in the paint, flipped from what we're used to Veteran players playing like freshmen or sophmores Not figuring out that the players you are guarding and that are guarding you are taller than you Rough start of the real season. I was looking at the upcoming games....and honestly think that Tennessee is the only one I can think of we come out a winner.
Yeah, that was pretty ugly. Can't say I'm surprised given how shoddy we looked (for the most part) against Tarleton State. I think it's just a matter of time before a few of vets play themselves out of the starting lineup. We can't afford to have non-productive players on the floor together. Until the new blood gets more comfortable, they're just placeholders. Unfortunately, with our upcoming schedule, that most likely means a few more losses. Let's hope the baptism-by-fire movement begins sooner than later. I think we'll be really solid by NCAA Tourney time.
For all the problems mentioned, in a 12 point loss on the road, 8 of 14 foul shots were missed. Hitting more of the early foul shots could have kept the game closer longer and given the team more of a chance? Aston did tell the fans at the scrimmage that we would need to be "patient" with the team early.
We all should have realized that, with the influx of all the new blood, thus season was going to be a process. I'm certainly not throwing out the baby with the bath water... just anxious for the non-productive veterans to be replaced. It'll take a minute or two but we're going to be very good by the time all is said and done.
Yeah, but the problem is that the old blood is playing as if they were newbies. Last year, every time we matched up with a top-20 opponent, I had a 55%-60% gut feel that we would win. You could see that even if we were off on rebounding or freethrow shooting, another part would pick up. All aspects of the Stanford game was off...as if many of these veterans were playing together for the first time.
That's what I'm disappointed about. I expect growing pains from the new blood but veterans other than just McCarty and Atkins have to step up and lead.
Stanford was clearly the better team last night, but I was disappointed at how unevenly the game was called. Our players were knocked to the ground on many drives to the bucket with no call (although with our FT shooting, it might not have made a difference), whereas Stanford was getting touch foul calls all over the court.
I agree 100% with your thoughts on the officiating. However, I did not see Aston working the refs or questioning the calls during the game. IMO, she seemed oddly passive throughout the game. I also did not notice any coaches taking the time to talk to the players as they substituted out of the game in order to teach/coach them. It must seem like I'm "piling on" with negatives but there were many facets of the game that left me scratching my head. No doubt, Stanford is a very good team but I thought we were totally out-matched. Hopefully we'll see them turn the corner over the next few games.
from my point of view, that included Brooke and Ariel, even though they did pick it the second half. Re the fouls, it really did seem strange watching it live, but we were only called for four more fouls than Stanford, resulting in their getting four more FT attempts. Our failure to capitalize on our FTs was bad, given how poorly we were shooting. I am thinking that it was just first game whatevers since Stanford took a half to start playing well against Cal Poly.
I was most disappointed in the lack of coaching. Stanford was killing us with backdoor plays to the basket. Why didn't Aston change her defensive scheme? Sometimes she just disappears for long stretches at a time. It's a mystery to me.
