There will be a lot of "doubting Thomases" jumping
on that band wagon as the season unfolds. Every year we go through this, and every year there are still those that expect the highly touted freshmen (like Megan) to come in a shine like a 150 watt bulb in a dark room
immediately, then express their doubt and disappointment when they don't.
Geno says it every year......It takes most freshmen "
a full year" to grasp a full and complete understanding of his system before they can play and make a
sustained impact on the team. There's no substitute for experience. Incoming freshmen simply don't have it. Geno didn't completely trust the sophomores last year. Why should he trust the freshmen?
Because of the glaring and urgent need for ONO and Williams to come in and hit the ground running day 1, there will be some unrealistic expectations. They're going to have to good games, and some not so good games because they're freshmen, and regardless of how long they've been playing, they haven't played at THIS level against players 3 years older than them who have already learned things they'll be learning along the way this season. They're going to make some freshman mistakes. They'll learn "OJT". The best and fastest way to learn something.
Some things you just can't simulate in practice: the presence of the crowd, the unfamiliarity of strange/unknown opponents (not the usual practice players or other teammates - watching them on film is not the same as standing in front of them in person), the presence of real referees, and the adrenalin that comes with every game on the schedule.
I can clearly remember the game against
South Carolina (2/9/15) in Gampel during A'ja Wilson's freshman year. A'ja turned out to be an All-American, the MVP of the 2017 final 4, and the 1st overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft. But......on THAT DAY, junior Breanna Stewart took her to school!!! Stewie used her and took her lunch money. Wilson could not do anything with her...absolutely nothing!
Wilson was an inexperienced freshman, that was taking her lumps on the way to learning how to play at THIS level against the "elite" players in Division 1 women's college basketball. Wilson learned some things that day. Things she could not have learned in practice. She went on to have an outstanding college career complete with a championship, but
she had to go through that period of adjustment just like Megan did last year. Upper classmen tell the freshmen every year...."You just gotta get through it".
Megan is not a freshman anymore. The training wheels are off. All of the reports that we've gotten about Megan this summer have been positive. She's showing signs of having made that "leap". She's more mature, more aware (knows the system and what she is suppose to do), physically and mentally stronger, with more resolve to show what kind of player she really is. THIS YEAR we can expect to see the Megan Walker we were hoping to see last year. I'm pretty sure we will..right out of the gate. I expect Walker to be promoted to the starting line-up this year.
