Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="Surly1, post: 4813799, member: 11599"] The team needed a comfortable win in the warm environs of home to gain back team confidence. Ball St was an ideal team for the freshmen to let loose and not necessarily worry about bad shots, turnovers or making mistakes. They look to have a bright future ahead of them. I am a bit dismayed with the offense. Last night, it looked like Aaliyah and Ashlynn were the first options on offense. Shade and Samuels were ready on the trigger as soon as they touched the ball. The issue I have is that the team has a former NPOY who seems almost incidental to the half court offense. I recall two times where she looked for her shot. One was when she posted up a smaller defender and Aaliyah made a nice pass. The other occurred in the second half when the team set screens to free up Paige for a clear look at a three. Paige does not have to shoot to make her presence felt. During the game, she has one terrific rebound in traffic, she's always a threat to intercept a pass, and would have more assists if only teammates would finish. However, against upcoming teams like NC, Louisville, Marquette, ND & SC, the talent level and defense are ramped up. Many of the shots Ashlynn took last night won't be clear looks against NC. In Uconn's 3 losses, a player or two stepped up their play to ensure victory. Saniyah Rivers did in the NC St game, Kiki Rice in the UCLA game, and Rori Harmon and Madison Booker did in the Texas game. Physically, Paige looked fine on the defensive end, particularly in the 3rd quarter. She wasn't needed offensively against Ball St, but she has to be more aggressive in the next 2 games and look to create and take more shots. If not, it's like have a Ferrari in your garage, but never taking it out for a spin. She's too good not to. Yes, the freshmen have to contribute, but it will take awhile before they can be consistently relied upon. I'm not saying that Paige needs to hoist 31 shots like Caitlin Clark did last night, but she needs to stamp her imprint on the outcome like Caitlin does every game. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach