Just for information sake - Moriah struggled a lot her freshman year as she learned the college game. She then struggled for November and December of her sophomore season until rediscovering herself during Christmas break and taking off - for most of the spring she was shooting about .650 from the floor and about .600 from the arc - just blazing, though she cooled some in the NCAAs (better defense, maybe) Her junior year also started off as a struggle but she found herself before Christmas and blazed from then on. And her senior year she started out hotter than she ever had before, but never got that mid-season jump (she actually struggled a little with A/TO her senior year, especially early, but her shot was great from the first tip.)
I think for guards, especially on teams that play a very integrated team offense, it can be a little difficult to figure out the rhythm of a new team each fall - the guards more than the post/wing players set and control that pace, and they also have a harder time determining when to assert their offensive game, and when to defer to teammates. I always thought that was part of Moriah's slow start to seasons as she was gauging the team and where she fit within it.
For all freshman the same issues are involved (unless they have no conscience like Maya or DT
) And added to that, the game is so much faster and more intense - the ball moves faster, the players move faster, the defenders move faster, and it is really hard to translate all of that speed into maintaining the proper rhythm on a jump shot. We saw it last year with Lou and Napheesa, I think we are seeing it this year with Molly and Kyla. Surprisingly Crystal seems fairly oblivious to that in terms of her shot.
In another thread, I used the term 'selfish' in a positive way about players on age specific USA teams - someone agreed to the term but found it a funny descriptor for a Uconn player - but it is one thing that the coaches do struggle with. Geno and Co. have created a great team oriented style that is pretty well self sustaining, but how many times did Geno make a comment about Stewart not shooting enough or not getting enough shots. Sometimes good teams need their players to be less willing to pass and more willing to shoot - it is a nicer problem to deal with than it's opposite, but it can still be a problem. And for unselfish players to learn when to be 'selfish' is one of those learning curves that occur each new year.
Kia in the first few games seemed to be really struggling with indecision specific to when to shoot - there were numerous times when she would get a pass on the wing when she was wide open, and sort of wait until the defense adjusted before deciding to drive or pass off to someone else. It wasn't just that she didn't shoot, it was that she was almost frozen by the choice and lost the advantage of passing, driving, or shooting before the defense recovered. I expect that to improve rapidly.
) that there are three phases in life:
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