Man if Raven finds some offensive consistency she is going to be such a good pro. We already know what she brings as a PG. I’ve been very impressed with her lately.
And I co-sign a lot of what’s already been said. This wasn’t a bad loss, but the team did play badly. It’ll help them going forward. I’ll go player by player.
Raven. Baller. She doesn’t wilt under pressure. You can really see her mental toughness shine in games like last night when compared to her teammates. Shes not perfect, but I’m a fan and she’s so smart on the court. She knows her deficiencies and a big part of getting better is just knowing where you lack to begin with. That alone is reason enough of why I think she’ll be a good pro.
Dauda. I’m not sure why we keep trying to make her a 5. I will take this to my grave… she’s not a 5. I hope with Ali here now that we get rid of this idea. Against most elite teams their 5 is going to eat her lunch, as Beers did. But honestly, Beers ate everyone’s lunch last night.. so what do I know.
Latson. I know she didn’t come to SC to be the national scoring leader again. That’s just hard to accomplish at a school like SC.. but she has to score at least. She’s a scorer, that’s where she gets her juice. I admired her ability to attempt to lock in last night considering she was ignored most of the 1st quarter. She had an abysmal game last overall though, and it’s only half her fault.. she missed a lot, but Dawn also never runs sets for her, which I think is a missed opportunity. She needs to be better, but out coaching staff also needs to find ways to utilize her better… AND EARLIER in games.
Okot. I don’t know what last night was. Dawn alluded to it weeks ago, but it’s now obvious she’s struggling in some aspect of her life. She’s regressed and you can see it in her face and in her play. As bad as last night was, her opponent was Beers, so I’ll give her some grace. Beers is really good, SC has played her a bunch, even when she was at Oregon State. But it’s also obvious that Okot is not WNBA ready yet and the staff needs to continue fighting for that extra year.
Tessa. She’s growing. She started off very hot and disappeared in the 2nd half, but she also had a hellish time defending Verhulst. OU sets A LOT of hard screens and Tessa was getting bumped and bruised all night chasing Verhulst around them. Cumulative effect wore her down. I like that she’s attacking more and she needs to become even more aggressive.
Maddie. Everybody deserves at least one "WTF" game per season and I think hers was that Texas game when she kept bowling into the paint like a bull in a china shop and throwing up some of the ugliest bricks I’ve ever seen. I can’t remember whether or not she did it again last night due to the fact that almost everybody was doing it. Young players force their game a lot and Maddie still does at times.
Joyce. Terrible game last night. I have a lot on my mind when it comes to Edwards. But I’m also reminding myself that she’s a sophomore. I feel like I’m watching her become increasingly more selfish on the court and that is not how you play the 4 at SC.. we run everything through the 4, pass the ball out.. I guarantee you’re going to get it back. She’s so cerebral that I think a lot of the time she misses the obvious and easier play. Becoming more of playmaker will determine where her game goes long term.
Adhel. I thought she was fine last night. She didn’t do too much, but she rarely ever does. She comes in and does what is asked of her.
Agot and Ayla. Continued their climb last night. Both are textbook Staley players. Long, lean, no drama. I like the progress I’ve seen in both. Ayla will have a great SC career as a scoring 3. Agot looks like our next great wing defender, but she’s different from most of our past wings in that she can score in many ways.
Ali. I’ve seen enough. She’s an 18 year old freshman. But I think she probably has the highest ceiling we’ve ever had in a 5. Wilson spent most of her SC career as a 4, so she’s not included in this argument. Aliyah was dominant in her time and very brilliant on the court. A true paint anchor. But Ali is a completely different player. A true stretch 5. She’s young and maybe I’m too excited, but can anybody else see the vision here?
Lastly, shoutout to Chavez. She gets a lot of flack (mostly for the $1m price tag). But she stepped up when it mattered. She was a star before last night, but she’ll be even more of a star going forward.. and that tends to happen when a player goes off versus SC, especially in an upset. It’s like "ohhhh, NOW we believe it".. 😂
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