Absolutely! 20 shots. But this is such an odd stat, because she can’t get 20 good shots unless the rest of the team steps up too. If Ashlynn and Qadence start hot, and they’ll be open for shots because of all the attention on Paige and Aaliyah, then Paige can get all the shots she wants. And if those three stay hot, then Aaliyah will be facing single coverage in the paint. This has always been the formula.
Originally it was going to be Azzi and Caroline getting hot to open up Paige and Aaliyah. When they went down, this role fell to the freshmen and, not surprisingly, they've struggled with it. It’s asking a lot of freshmen given our OOC schedule, and today against UNC it will again be difficult for them to find their confidence. We caught a glimpse of it against Ball St. We just need to see more of what they’ve already showed us.
If Ashlynn and Qadence finish in double figures, I think we’ll know that they’ve begun to find it. This is what I expect to see every game in the conference schedule:
- Ashlynn with 10+ points 4 rebounds 2 steals
- Qadence with 10+, 4 rebounds
- KK with 4+ points, 4 assists, 2 steals
- Aaliyah with 18+ and 15 rebounds
- Paige with 25+, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals
- Nika with 6+, 5 rebounds 8 assists
- Aubrey with 10+, 8 rebounds, 4 steals
- Ice with 6 pts, 8+ rebounds
That’s how this team is built to succeed. Geno didn’t build it for this contingency, but it’s what he’s got now. Every time they can do this they will win.