Exhibition with 6 players available

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Today's paper indicates that tonight's Arizona exhibition game will be played with 6 players available. Granted, the paper is a bit "behind", so it is possible that one of the injured could suit up - or, more remotely, it could be canceled which Adia considered. But she said she wants the fans to have the opportunity to come out and wants to work on some things with players that will be active, so as of printing, it was a go. Opponent is Point Loma.

On the brighter side, injured folks are expected to be playing for the season opener next Monday at New Mexico State. That said, she is concerned that for several of the players it will be their first "live" action.

As a friend said, you always need spare players; as the paper pointed out, since female practice players are not permitted in Women's Basketball, it is hard to get a talented "walk-on" (unless pre-planned) since players with even modest talents will go to a lower level school to play rather than give up the sport entirely.

 

[DefenseBB]

Today's paper indicates that tonight's Arizona exhibition game will be played with 6 players available. Granted, the paper is a bit "behind", so it is possible that one of the injured could suit up - or, more remotely, it could be canceled which Adia considered. But she said she wants the fans to have the opportunity to come out and wants to work on some things with players that will be active, so as of printing, it was a go. Opponent is Point Loma.

On the brighter side, injured folks are expected to be playing for the season opener next Monday at New Mexico State. That said, she is concerned that for several of the players it will be their first "live" action.

As a friend said, you always need spare players; as the paper pointed out, since female practice players are not permitted in Women's Basketball, it is hard to get a talented "walk-on" (unless pre-planned) since players with even modest talents will go to a lower level school to play rather than give up the sport entirely.

Can you recheck that as I did a cursory look and while the NCAA was reviewing the continued allowance of "male practice" players (seems to be a sentiment to ban male players), I can't find any ruling that female practice players are not permitted. That seems completely illogical.

That said, I am not sure too many people on this forum are going to feel sorry for Adia for any number of reasons. I did find it a bit bemusing that Arizona was listed 7th by the coaches poll for the Pac-12 in its last year of existence. Something seems off now in Tucson since the Wildcats had their big run a few years ago. Lots of transfers and less the stellar results. They did add a few top 25 players in Montaya Dew (#8) and Breya Cunningham (#14) and #21 Jada Williams but they did lose stalwart Lauren Ware which is pretty surprising.

The Kitties need those 3 freshman to click right away or it could be a rough go this last season. We do know that the Wildcats will lead the Pac-12 in attendance this year as they had a huge gap last year of 7,679 to Oregon's 4,297.

 

[militarydog]

Can you recheck that as I did a cursory look and while the NCAA was reviewing the continued allowance of "male practice" players (seems to be a sentiment to ban male players), I can't find any ruling that female practice players are not permitted. That seems completely illogical.

That said, I am not sure too many people on this forum are going to feel sorry for Adia for any number of reasons. I did find it a bit bemusing that Arizona was listed 7th by the coaches poll for the Pac-12 in its last year of existence. Something seems off now in Tucson since the Wildcats had their big run a few years ago. Lots of transfers and less the stellar results. They did add a few top 25 players in Montaya Dew (#8) and Breya Cunningham (#14) and #21 Jada Williams but they did lose stalwart Lauren Ware which is pretty surprising.

The Kitties need those 3 freshman to click right away or it could be a rough go this last season. We do know that the Wildcats will lead the Pac-12 in attendance this year as they had a huge gap last year of 7,679 to Oregon's 4,297.

What would be the rationale for banning male practice players?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Can you recheck that as I did a cursory look and while the NCAA was reviewing the continued allowance of "male practice" players (seems to be a sentiment to ban male players), I can't find any ruling that female practice players are not permitted. That seems completely illogical.

That said, I am not sure too many people on this forum are going to feel sorry for Adia for any number of reasons. I did find it a bit bemusing that Arizona was listed 7th by the coaches poll for the Pac-12 in its last year of existence. Something seems off now in Tucson since the Wildcats had their big run a few years ago. Lots of transfers and less the stellar results. They did add a few top 25 players in Montaya Dew (#8) and Breya Cunningham (#14) and #21 Jada Williams but they did lose stalwart Lauren Ware which is pretty surprising.

The Kitties need those 3 freshman to click right away or it could be a rough go this last season. We do know that the Wildcats will lead the Pac-12 in attendance this year as they had a huge gap last year of 7,679 to Oregon's 4,297.

It was stated in the article in tonight's game. I couldn't track it down in official documents.

I don't know why Lauren Ware left, exactly, but most of the rest were with Adia's blessing. I don't think her player management skills are all that great at times. I think the ranking reflects a combination of not knowing (new players - how will they play?) plus the small roster (11, which would be alright, but Dew is out for the season, making it 10). Very talented team, but who knows how it will go. Gilbert did commit to a remake and looked really good in the first exhibition.

 

[jake0414]

Can you recheck that as I did a cursory look and while the NCAA was reviewing the continued allowance of "male practice" players (seems to be a sentiment to ban male players), I can't find any ruling that female practice players are not permitted. That seems completely illogical.

That said, I am not sure too many people on this forum are going to feel sorry for Adia for any number of reasons. I did find it a bit bemusing that Arizona was listed 7th by the coaches poll for the Pac-12 in its last year of existence. Something seems off now in Tucson since the Wildcats had their big run a few years ago. Lots of transfers and less the stellar results. They did add a few top 25 players in Montaya Dew (#8) and Breya Cunningham (#14) and #21 Jada Williams but they did lose stalwart Lauren Ware which is pretty surprising.

The Kitties need those 3 freshman to click right away or it could be a rough go this last season. We do know that the Wildcats will lead the Pac-12 in attendance this year as they had a huge gap last year of 7,679 to Oregon's 4,297.

Adia Barnes acknowledges that she misjudged the extent of the impact of recruiting over incoming freshmen. She says the incoming freshmens' expectations have changed over the past three or four years. She has taken a different approach to taking players out of the transfer portal and trying not to overrecruit with "stars" but rather let her highly rated freshmen play through their inexperience and supplement the roster with role players out of the portal. She also admits that she took players who didn't quite fit out of the portal which led to the extensive turnover. I find Adia a very personable, capable and nurturing coach (if you fit the team culture and are willing to work hard on defense). The team caught lightning in a bottle during the run to the championship game (and thanks to Aari McDonald) before those recruiting missteps brought the program back to earth. I will find it interesting to see if (or perhaps more accurately when) Adia can get the program back to the levels it achieved three years ago.

Barnes discusses her new recruiting approach in a preseason press conference from a month ago: Adia Barnes Preseason Presser

 

[DefenseBB]

What would be the rationale for banning male practice players?

They want more opportunities for women in the sport was what the NCAA stated in the article. Which goes directly against what our fine colleague @KnightBridgeAZ said he read and which I believe that the writer is wrong.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

They want more opportunities for women in the sport was what the NCAA stated in the article. Which goes directly against what our fine colleague @KnightBridgeAZ said he read and which I believe that the writer is wrong.

It's certainly possible he was wrong. However, in several articles about male practice players, I can't find any reference to a female practice players. I think the truth is that a "female practice player" would technically be a walk-on. Practice players have to maintain eligibility the same as actual players, and if they were good enough to practice against, then they would be good enough to be walk-ons. And Adia actually said (in the same article) that she is reluctant to take walk-ons because she believes their only job is to practice with the team, not to want playing time that goes to scholarship players.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Oh - and the game - we only had 5 players. So they used a running clock and all was "ok" (refs gave as much time as needed for a bleeding incident) until 90 seconds left, when a player needed a trainer for an injury (I think a stinger, she went to the locker room but participated in the post game festivities). So one of our walking wounded frosh that hadn't played yet actually was able to come in (we got a technical foul as she wasn't on the active roster) and played the last 90 seconds. Yikes.

 

[JellyBean]

Yikes. I would have called off the scrimmage and called it good but glad that they were able to get a run in and hopefully nobody got hurt.

 

[militarydog]

They want more opportunities for women in the sport was what the NCAA stated in the article. Which goes directly against what our fine colleague @KnightBridgeAZ said he read and which I believe that the writer is wrong.

My apologies if I missed it but could you please link the article? I’m still trying to grasp how limiting or banning male practice players would help. Women’s basketball already has 15 scholarships so there should already be plenty of scholarship players for scrimmages barring very unusual circumstances. I had relatives play women’s college basketball. The point of the male practice players for their teams is that it is fairly easy to find guys from the general student population that would push the team both in size and skill.

 

[visitingcock]

Meh. This is like hating on the Washington Generals.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

It's certainly possible he was wrong. However, in several articles about male practice players, I can't find any reference to a female practice players. I think the truth is that a "female practice player" would technically be a walk-on. Practice players have to maintain eligibility the same as actual players, and if they were good enough to practice against, then they would be good enough to be walk-ons. And Adia actually said (in the same article) that she is reluctant to take walk-ons because she believes their only job is to practice with the team, not to want playing time that goes to scholarship players.

Uconn uses managers, typically grad managers, as female practice players.

 

[militarydog]

Uconn uses managers, typically grad managers, as female practice players.

Mississippi State will sometimes have the players scrimmaging it to each other. However to more effectively teach the offense or defense it is often more productive to have the team scrimmage against practice players. That way they can sub players in and out and talk to the ones that are on the sidelines. Mississippi State uses a combination of female grad assistants, coaches and male practice players. One of our coaches was a very good player in the WNBA so it is just as affective for them to go against her as anyone else as she can offer immediate real life experience back to them.

 

[azfan]

The Kitties need those 3 freshman to click right away or it could be a rough go this last season. We do know that the Wildcats will lead the Pac-12 in attendance this year as they had a huge gap last year of 7,679 to Oregon's 4,297.

They do draw down in the dirty t. For the rivalry game at Desert Financial Arena there's usually as many or more red and blue than maroon and gold.

No tears shed for Coach Barnes as she navigates the increasingly demanding world of wbb coaching.

Even with six players the kitties will easily sweep the Sun Devils this season s.

 

[jake0414]

They do draw down in the dirty t. For the rivalry game at Desert Financial Arena there's usually as many or more red and blue than maroon and gold.

No tears shed for Coach Barnes as she navigates the increasingly demanding world of wbb coaching.

Even with six players the kitties will easily sweep the Sun Devils this season s.

U of A drew 6,400 and 6,335 for its two Exhibition games! That’s real community support.
Hey azfan - Breya Cunningham missed the first game entirely and got 1 minute at the end of game 2 which drew a technical because Adia hadn’t put on the list of possible players before the game started. She mention in the post game presser that Cunningham got cleared by medical just before the game. Do you know what caused her to miss games?

 

[DefenseBB]

They do draw down in the dirty t. For the rivalry game at Desert Financial Arena there's usually as many or more red and blue than maroon and gold.

No tears shed for Coach Barnes as she navigates the increasingly demanding world of wbb coaching.

Even with six players the kitties will easily sweep the Sun Devils this season s.

As a point of note, the Sun Devils were picked by the Coaches to finish 11th…just goes to show how bad Cal will really be this year…

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Uconn uses managers, typically grad managers, as female practice players.

As did Rutgers from time to time, I believe. Sometimes, just as "bodies" blocking the paint with a broom held up. I have no idea whether the article was accurate or not, but it wasn't written by a hack; regular reporter for WBB for a number of years. I just don't see how additional women playing in practice would be a "help", since they would clearly be of inferior quality to the players on the team.

Oddly, also, there is a rule about male managers and issues with being a practice player, since male managers travel with the team and get certain per-diem stuff like meals on the road, while practice players are forbidden from any benefits of the sort (or going on the road, for that matter, post season may be different, not sure).

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

U of A drew 6,400 and 6,335 for its two Exhibition games! That’s real community support.
Hey azfan - Breya Cunningham missed the first game entirely and got 1 minute at the end of game 2 which drew a technical because Adia hadn’t put on the list of possible players before the game started. She mention in the post game presser that Cunningham got cleared by medical just before the game. Do you know what caused her to miss games?

I may have heard, but if I did, I have forgotten, the paper didn't specify. We had attended an open practice and a number of the players were nursing "MRI, expected to be fine, precaution", "concussion protocol", etc., etc. Not so much practice (some modified playing against the guys, Pueyo and Martinez both left for class (as grad students, it "is when it is", doesn't bother Adia)) as players getting embarrassed being told to talk about themselves, but they seemed a really nice group. Jada Williams is a hoot.

To clarify, at least per the local paper I read, Cunningham's clearance came at half-time. She had seen the Doctor during the day but the results were not back yet. Thus, why she wasn't on the roster. Pueyo was dressed under her sweats, although she didn't "warm up", but would have gone in in the first half if needed.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

They do draw down in the dirty t. For the rivalry game at Desert Financial Arena there's usually as many or more red and blue than maroon and gold.

No tears shed for Coach Barnes as she navigates the increasingly demanding world of wbb coaching.

Even with six players the kitties will easily sweep the Sun Devils this season s.

10 players. Expected to be back for the season opener, although who knows. 5 dressed last night, Cunningham cleared during the game, Pueyo hurt herself weight-lifting but was the emergency player dressed, Martinez was missing with a migraine, at least one of the other 2 is in concussion protocol. Only Dew (11th player) expected to miss season.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

They do draw down in the dirty t. For the rivalry game at Desert Financial Arena there's usually as many or more red and blue than maroon and gold.

No tears shed for Coach Barnes as she navigates the increasingly demanding world of wbb coaching.

Even with six players the kitties will easily sweep the Sun Devils this season s.

Oh, and we will be there for the rivalry game, I expect. My wife has some Mayo follow-ups every year in December for her December 2018 liver transplant and - this year - it coincides with the game. We will unfortunately be back home the day of the Colangalo games a couple days later.