I give props to the coaching staff for being able to recruit, but after that it gets difficult to praise them for anything else. They aren't developing players, they are underachieving with the players they have, the defense is inconsistent often bad, but after witnessing the Baylor game first hand, the offense is the one facet that's always going to plague us. Some of us have been saying it for years but it bears repeating, the offense is HORRIBLE.
Keep in mind I don't even consider Kim a great coach. She's competent and has had her moments but she managed one championship in the 5 years she had Britney Griner or Odyssey Sims and the 3 years she had both. I don't see them as the favorite this year either. Despite that, there were several times the Baylor offense would no look pass inside or to the top of the key and hit their open teammate for an easy shot. They were throwing it to spots they KNEW a player would be BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN OFFENSE AND TEAM CHEMISTRY. We NEVER do that because, quite simply, we don't have an offense.
The players go down court ... and stand. They don't set off ball screens or picks or plays or any of the middle school basketball level standard things you'd expect. Eventually when the point guard has dribbled a good 30% to 40% of the shot clock away, she will dribble TO a player and hand it off or maybe use another player as a screen to keep dribbling. The posts MAY ask for the ball and even get it, but probably not.
We are not difficult to guard because there's so much standing around. The defense gets a break to rest for a lot of the start of our offense. There's not a lot of screens or picks to worry with so they just have to stick with their man as they go 1 on 1. Any offense that features 1 on 1 match-ups isn't going to succeed because you're almost always taking contested shots.
The most depressing part of it all is that it usually takes 2 to 3 years to develop a good system wide offense that feeds off chemistry. I know this from PERSONAL experience and have seen really good players not do as well as inferior ones simply because the inferior player knows the system and have chemistry where as the good player doesn't. So, even if a competent coach were inserted TODAY we'd still likely be 2 to 3 years off where we really want to be.
And don't get me started on turnovers. That's a direct result of not having an offense and not valuing possessions which they will be prone to do out of frustration from not having an offense.
Watch what GOOD teams do. They MOVE a LOT. They pass well. They know where their teammates are going to be. I haven't seen us do that since Parker played her last game.
IF we had a good offensive system or even ANY offensive system, it should have shown up against Baylor or Virginia Tech, or Penn State. Our starting line-up features one player who has played 3 years, another who has played 2, and two who are supposed to be superstars and have played 2 seasons and 1 season respectively while both also red shirted another season. My point is that it's mostly all players who should already know the offense. There shouldn't be any chemistry, familiarity, or transitioning to college problems. Yet EVERY year we struggle like they're playing a pick-up game?!
The problem that I see is that it's a awful, non-existent offense at a program that should have one of the best. It just sucks knowing that our players have to succeed in spite of our coaches not because of it.
Keep in mind I don't even consider Kim a great coach. She's competent and has had her moments but she managed one championship in the 5 years she had Britney Griner or Odyssey Sims and the 3 years she had both. I don't see them as the favorite this year either. Despite that, there were several times the Baylor offense would no look pass inside or to the top of the key and hit their open teammate for an easy shot. They were throwing it to spots they KNEW a player would be BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN OFFENSE AND TEAM CHEMISTRY. We NEVER do that because, quite simply, we don't have an offense.
The players go down court ... and stand. They don't set off ball screens or picks or plays or any of the middle school basketball level standard things you'd expect. Eventually when the point guard has dribbled a good 30% to 40% of the shot clock away, she will dribble TO a player and hand it off or maybe use another player as a screen to keep dribbling. The posts MAY ask for the ball and even get it, but probably not.
We are not difficult to guard because there's so much standing around. The defense gets a break to rest for a lot of the start of our offense. There's not a lot of screens or picks to worry with so they just have to stick with their man as they go 1 on 1. Any offense that features 1 on 1 match-ups isn't going to succeed because you're almost always taking contested shots.
The most depressing part of it all is that it usually takes 2 to 3 years to develop a good system wide offense that feeds off chemistry. I know this from PERSONAL experience and have seen really good players not do as well as inferior ones simply because the inferior player knows the system and have chemistry where as the good player doesn't. So, even if a competent coach were inserted TODAY we'd still likely be 2 to 3 years off where we really want to be.
And don't get me started on turnovers. That's a direct result of not having an offense and not valuing possessions which they will be prone to do out of frustration from not having an offense.
Watch what GOOD teams do. They MOVE a LOT. They pass well. They know where their teammates are going to be. I haven't seen us do that since Parker played her last game.
IF we had a good offensive system or even ANY offensive system, it should have shown up against Baylor or Virginia Tech, or Penn State. Our starting line-up features one player who has played 3 years, another who has played 2, and two who are supposed to be superstars and have played 2 seasons and 1 season respectively while both also red shirted another season. My point is that it's mostly all players who should already know the offense. There shouldn't be any chemistry, familiarity, or transitioning to college problems. Yet EVERY year we struggle like they're playing a pick-up game?!
The problem that I see is that it's a awful, non-existent offense at a program that should have one of the best. It just sucks knowing that our players have to succeed in spite of our coaches not because of it.
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