bballnut90
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Might be too soon to write this thread, but I'm doing it anyway....what are everyone's thoughts going into next season? To be honest, aside from the biggest issue of Holly likely still coaching this program, I'm extremely concerned about the roster and fear a really really ugly season. Here's what concerns me:
1. Coaching. I wont dive into this...every other thread on this board addresses it, but in summary, if Holly is running the show, it's going to be another long year.
2. Front court play. For as much as we criticize Russell, losing a 6-6 center who can finish inside and is good for 15/9 every night is massive. Our replacement options are KK, Harris, Green and the #73 recruit in the country. That scares me. Especially when there are players like Kalani Brown, Azura Stevens, Teaira McCowan, Brianna Turner, Ruth Hebard, etc. at other top programs who will dominate us inside.
3. Turnovers. We struggled horribly with turnovers this year. We have another freshman coming in at PG next year who everyone is hoping replaces our current highly touted freshmen point guards who struggled with turnovers. Who is to say Massengill wont have the exact same issues? Our team had about a 1:1 A/TO ratio, and that isn't going to cut it.
4. No experience. Our roster will have 2 seniors, 1 seldom used junior, 4 sophomores and 4 freshmen. The last time I can remember a roster that stacked with youth was 2008-09 when we were bounced by Ball State in the first round.
5. Lack of an offensive system. This is an issue every year, but for next year stems off of the front court play. The clear focus of this year's team was to get the ball to Russell and put her in a position to score. When that didn't work, we usually jacked up bad shots from the perimeter. Next year we wont have Russell. Will we finally implement an offense where there's ball movement and we'll have the luxury of seeing a pick being used? Doubtful, but we'll see.
6. Player motivation. Body language, effort, and player cohesion was awful today outside of our seniors IMO. That does not bode well looking ahead to next year and beyond. Such a stark contrast from big chunks of the first part of the year and the first half of the Notre Dame game. Can players play well together on the court and bring their best efforts night in and night out? If they're struggling with their shot, can they refocus on contributing on other ways?
If we can get a new coach, I think the outcome could be drastically different, but I fear the program could sink to a new low under Holly next season if our roster and coaching is what it's projected to be today.
1. Coaching. I wont dive into this...every other thread on this board addresses it, but in summary, if Holly is running the show, it's going to be another long year.
2. Front court play. For as much as we criticize Russell, losing a 6-6 center who can finish inside and is good for 15/9 every night is massive. Our replacement options are KK, Harris, Green and the #73 recruit in the country. That scares me. Especially when there are players like Kalani Brown, Azura Stevens, Teaira McCowan, Brianna Turner, Ruth Hebard, etc. at other top programs who will dominate us inside.
3. Turnovers. We struggled horribly with turnovers this year. We have another freshman coming in at PG next year who everyone is hoping replaces our current highly touted freshmen point guards who struggled with turnovers. Who is to say Massengill wont have the exact same issues? Our team had about a 1:1 A/TO ratio, and that isn't going to cut it.
4. No experience. Our roster will have 2 seniors, 1 seldom used junior, 4 sophomores and 4 freshmen. The last time I can remember a roster that stacked with youth was 2008-09 when we were bounced by Ball State in the first round.
5. Lack of an offensive system. This is an issue every year, but for next year stems off of the front court play. The clear focus of this year's team was to get the ball to Russell and put her in a position to score. When that didn't work, we usually jacked up bad shots from the perimeter. Next year we wont have Russell. Will we finally implement an offense where there's ball movement and we'll have the luxury of seeing a pick being used? Doubtful, but we'll see.
6. Player motivation. Body language, effort, and player cohesion was awful today outside of our seniors IMO. That does not bode well looking ahead to next year and beyond. Such a stark contrast from big chunks of the first part of the year and the first half of the Notre Dame game. Can players play well together on the court and bring their best efforts night in and night out? If they're struggling with their shot, can they refocus on contributing on other ways?
If we can get a new coach, I think the outcome could be drastically different, but I fear the program could sink to a new low under Holly next season if our roster and coaching is what it's projected to be today.