I was at the game last night and although we did get off to a slow start, Im still just as excited about this team as I was before. The team as a whole looked very rusty in the first half. The gym was loud. The fouls called were plentiful and mostly on us. Passes seemed unsure. But, it didnt bother me that much because its the first game of the year. Plus, MTSU is no cupcake. They took Tennessee to OT last year in Knoxville. They received several top 25 votes. As a program, the last time they lost more than 8 games in a season was 2007-2008 when Candace Parker was playing. After half-time, we settled down and won by 10 outscoring them by 22 in the 2nd half.
I realized very early in the game that after losing Taber and Kamiko, we have some ground to make up this year in terms of 3 point shooting. Obviously Meighan isnt scared to shoot it, but she can be streaky and was only 1/5 last night. Ariel didnt look for the 3 pointer much last season and well need her at times to do that and I thought she did some last night even though she was 0/3. I think Andraya could be a big piece to the puzzle this year. We need quality minutes from her on both sides of the ball and she gave that to us last night. She looked VERY quick. She was giving their offensive players problems AND she was 2/3 behind the arc.
The good news is that we look to be really solid inside. Bashaara, Isabelle, and Mercedes were a force. Mercedes is so tall and has those long arms. Shes pretty mobile, too. She didnt look as polished as Im confident she will be, but its her first college game and having established players like Isabelle and Bashaara to allow her to grow at her own pace is going to be just what the doctor ordered. I really hope those 3 push each other in a productive way and that we become an INSIDE out team, which is where teams usually win championships.
I think we could be successful with that 7 person rotation and well see where Jasmine and Jordan fit in. I have mixed feelings about Jasmine. Last season she seemed streaky. On one hand, she shows a LOT of athleticism and the ability to make plays, but on the other hand, she also doesnt carry herself with the confidence I like to see. There is sometimes hesitation with questionable decision making and last night seemed to have more of the hesitation than the athleticism. I dont know much about Jordan. Obviously if she can contribute this year, thats great, but I just dont want this year to be about looking to Freshman to be the answer. It seems like weve done that every year since Candace left and were going to be on the right track when we dont have to do that anymore.
Looking ahead, getting a road top 25 victory versus North Carolina would be a good confidence booster. Then we have 7 straight home games against unranked teams, but I personally dont think Chattanooga, Georgia Tech, Virginia, or Texas will be a cakewalk, so we better bring it before a potentially big match-up with Stanford on the road.
I realized very early in the game that after losing Taber and Kamiko, we have some ground to make up this year in terms of 3 point shooting. Obviously Meighan isnt scared to shoot it, but she can be streaky and was only 1/5 last night. Ariel didnt look for the 3 pointer much last season and well need her at times to do that and I thought she did some last night even though she was 0/3. I think Andraya could be a big piece to the puzzle this year. We need quality minutes from her on both sides of the ball and she gave that to us last night. She looked VERY quick. She was giving their offensive players problems AND she was 2/3 behind the arc.
The good news is that we look to be really solid inside. Bashaara, Isabelle, and Mercedes were a force. Mercedes is so tall and has those long arms. Shes pretty mobile, too. She didnt look as polished as Im confident she will be, but its her first college game and having established players like Isabelle and Bashaara to allow her to grow at her own pace is going to be just what the doctor ordered. I really hope those 3 push each other in a productive way and that we become an INSIDE out team, which is where teams usually win championships.
I think we could be successful with that 7 person rotation and well see where Jasmine and Jordan fit in. I have mixed feelings about Jasmine. Last season she seemed streaky. On one hand, she shows a LOT of athleticism and the ability to make plays, but on the other hand, she also doesnt carry herself with the confidence I like to see. There is sometimes hesitation with questionable decision making and last night seemed to have more of the hesitation than the athleticism. I dont know much about Jordan. Obviously if she can contribute this year, thats great, but I just dont want this year to be about looking to Freshman to be the answer. It seems like weve done that every year since Candace left and were going to be on the right track when we dont have to do that anymore.
Looking ahead, getting a road top 25 victory versus North Carolina would be a good confidence booster. Then we have 7 straight home games against unranked teams, but I personally dont think Chattanooga, Georgia Tech, Virginia, or Texas will be a cakewalk, so we better bring it before a potentially big match-up with Stanford on the road.
