Gamecocks basketball, 2023 part I (merged thread)

[Coburn]

Here we go again.

SC goes on the road, in conference, against a motivated crowd (their largest of the season by far) & defensive minded/rugged team looking for an ugly fight b/c they can’t match SC’s talent & depth. SC starts slow, per their usual against teams with talent in their starting 5, but slowly begins to figure things out & starts to wear down their opponent with physicality, size, depth, effort, & defensive pressure (from 13-6 down, SC outscores GA 62-38) & wins the game, & in this case comfortably. Afterwards, fans of other teams run to the message boards to point out their flaws and how they can be beat.

Rinse & repeat the whole season.

Newsflash: This IS SC women’s basketball. All SC fans know this . Do we wish we looked prettier on O, you bet. But this ‘version’ is not built like that . Can SC be beat, yes- of course, and perhaps will (just hopefully not after March). But not every top team, no matter the talent, is going to win by 25 points each game.

I get it. This is the point of these sites & fans like to discuss. But to me, it just seems like SC is held to completely unreal/different standard. Win by 17 on the road & still get nitpicked to death. Like the great man once said: “Just Win, Baby”

 

[SCGamecock]

Here we go again.

SC goes on the road, in conference, against a motivated crowd (their largest of the season by far) & defensive minded/rugged team looking for an ugly fight b/c they can’t match SC’s talent & depth. SC starts slow, per their usual against teams with talent in their starting 5, but slowly begins to figure things out & starts to wear down their opponent with physicality, size, depth, effort, & defensive pressure (from 13-6 down, SC outscores GA 62-38) & wins the game, & in this case comfortably. Afterwards, fans of other teams run to the message boards to point out their flaws and how they can be beat.

Rinse & repeat the whole season.

Newsflash: This IS SC women’s basketball. All SC fans know this . Do we wish we looked prettier on O, you bet. But this ‘version’ is not built like that . Can SC be beat, yes- of course, and perhaps will (just hopefully not after March). But not every top team, no matter the talent, is going to win by 25 points each game.

I get it. This is the point of these sites & fans like to discuss. But to me, it just seems like SC is held to completely unreal/different standard. Win by 17 on the road & still get nitpicked to death. Like the great man once said: “Just Win, Baby”

Good point.

Personally, I would love to see us look like the Seattle Storm on offense, but that is very unrealistic. I love our brand of play and our reputation as a gritty defensive minded team. That has ALWAYS been SC basketball as long as Dawn was here. SC just has the talent and the spotlight now so the expectations have increased from other people outside the program because SC doesn't look or play like programs that have dominated in the past (except maybe the Summitt teams of yore).

I'm happy as long as we continue winning and being the toughest team on the floor but Dawn coaches to the strengths of her teams.. so next year's team will look very different from this year's and maybe that'll be more palatable for those fans outside of the program. But that's not SC's problem. Let them complain as the wins stack up.

 

[Bone Dog]

I get it. This is the point of these sites & fans like to discuss. But to me, it just seems like SC is held to completely unreal/different standard.

You have a point, of course. But I can't resist replying, "Welcome to UConn territory, the land where being held to unreal standards is the norm."

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Yup. Cooke scored really well, perhaps her best game of the season. But the SCar back court didn't manage the pressure well. Georgia wasn't the team to capitalize on this. But Ohio St. is such a team. Guard play is the only real question mark about SCar, otherwise they're pretty much invulnerable. On the plus side, SCar played great D all game long, and in the second half it was smothering.


Lauren Park-Lane, that's how, along with Wright and Hagans -- a trio of little guards. And they did it even losing the rebounding battle 21-35. They shot 10-20 from 3, but Georgia shot 8-15. But they also shot 58% fg. Park-Lane is totally capable of games like that.


This is Coach Abe's first year at Georgia. She was at UCF last season.

I'm aware. I used UCF stats.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Good point.

Personally, I would love to see us look like the Seattle Storm on offense, but that is very unrealistic. I love our brand of play and our reputation as a gritty defensive minded team. That has ALWAYS been SC basketball as long as Dawn was here. SC just has the talent and the spotlight now so the expectations have increased from other people outside the program because SC doesn't look or play like programs that have dominated in the past (except maybe the Summitt teams of yore).

I'm happy as long as we continue winning and being the toughest team on the floor but Dawn coaches to the strengths of her teams.. so next year's team will look very different from this year's and maybe that'll be more palatable for those fans outside of the program. But that's not SC's problem. Let them complain as the wins stack up.

I do think that next year's team may be a wake up call as to how hard it is to defend like SC has.

 

[TC22]

I do think that next year's team may be a wake up call as to how hard it is to defend like SC has.

Maybe, but Dawn is really pushing the whole defend if you want to play thing this year. It’s why those girls have been on the bench and not playing.

 

[Bone Dog]

Maybe, but Dawn is really pushing the whole defend if you want to play thing this year. It’s why those girls have been on the bench and not playing.

It wouldn’t surprise me if she were, given how well SCar defends year to year. Isn’t this what Geno and Tara do, too? The trick is to recruit kids for their willingness to defend, and to attract them to your program. I suspect this gets a little easier with each NC you win.

 

[shiverz45]

Amihere has a pretty terrible handle though.

If you think that it is obvious you don't watch much SC games.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Just picking notes from the Schools's press release:

South Carolina leads the nation in scoring defense, fg% defense, 3pt% defense, and blocked shots.

Despite my own concerns that there is diminished dominance here: SC still has a rebounding margin advantage of 21.1 per game. Stanford is the only team to our rebound them and UCLA, SDakotaState, and Georgia are the only other three to keep the margin in single digits.

South Carolina is now fourth all time in total weeks spent ranked at #1, which is sort of surprising but cool.

This is only the fifth longest streak of any school for consecutive weeks ranked at #1.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

If you think that it is obvious you don't watch much SC games.

If you don't think its obvious you don't watch much basketball outside of SC games.

 

[shiverz45]

If you don't think its obvious you don't watch much basketball outside of SC games.

So, you think Dawn would put her at the point guard spot if she had "terrible handle". Make it make sense. Are you trolling?

 

[hoopsnloops32]

So, you think Dawn would put her at the point guard spot if she had "terrible handle". Make it make sense. Are you trolling?

Some guards have terrible handles. The caveat is for an elite point I suppose, but I figured that was implied. She's not South Carolina's first choice for point guard. Her handle is good for someone her size but not so for an elite point guard.

 

[cancontent]

Some guards have terrible handles. The caveat is for an elite point I suppose, but I figured that was implied. She's not South Carolina's first choice for point guard. Her handle is good for someone her size but not so for an elite point guard.

She doesn't have to be an elite point guard to be able to break a press when necessary. No different than Edwards in a few games this season for UConn. It's good to have additional players who can get you out of a jam, when the primary ballhandlers are stuck or being guarded closely.

 

[WFFL]

If you don't think its obvious you don't watch much basketball outside of SC games.

There was a reason Dawn made Amihere the PG when Destiny went down last season . She Average 4 assists per game as a Power Forward playing PG come on now lol

 

[WFFL]

Some guards have terrible handles. The caveat is for an elite point I suppose, but I figured that was implied. She's not South Carolina's first choice for point guard. Her handle is good for someone her size but not so for an elite point guard.

She's the 2nd choice because its not her primary position lol . If Raven god forbid or Fletcher goes down im very confident LA would be the PG starting and not Cooke or anyone else on the gamecocks team. She Excelled in that stretch last season proving her versatility and ability to play 1-4 on offense. Her handle is fine and so are her basketball instincts and potential going forward. She needs to work on being a shooter that's her biggest knock. Everyone knows when she gets the ball shes going straight to the rim in control or not.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

She doesn't have to be an elite point guard to be able to break a press when necessary. No different than Edwards in a few games this season for UConn. It's good to have additional players who can get you out of a jam, when the primary ballhandlers are stuck or being guarded closely.

Ok? I never said that she should be point guard just that her handle is weak. Which it is .

 

[hoopsnloops32]

There was a reason Dawn made Amihere the PG when Destiny went down last season . She Average 4 assists per game as a Power Forward playing PG come on now lol

Yea and it wasn't her handle.

 

[ConwayGmck]

The Gamecocks win in a route of the Auburn Tigers 94-42. South Carolina shot 36-57 (63.2%) from the field, and 7-16 (43.8%) from the 3-pt. line. Also shot 15-18 (83.3%) from the FT line as well. They finished with 25 assists, to 14 turnovers, and out-rebounded Auburn 45-25. Also had 9 blocks and 6 steals. The bench out-scored Auburn's bench 47-13.

Cardoso led the team off the bench with 16 pts on 6-7 shooting, with 5 boards. Boston fell just short of a double-double, with 13 pts on 5-7 shooting, with 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 assists. Saxton added 12 pts on 5-7 shooting, with 5 rebounds. Cooke followed up on her 31-pt. effort in the last game versus Georgia, with 10 pts on 4-8 shooting.

Fletcher and Johnson combined at the PG spot to add in 9 pts on 4-8 shooting, with 12 assists against just one turnover, plus 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks......

 

[Cockygirl]

Very impressive stat sheet tonight for the Gsmecocks! 63% field goal % 44% 3 pt %
25 assists

 

[JDuro]

Very impressive stat sheet tonight for the Gsmecocks! 63% field goal % 44% 3 pt %
25 assists

I believe I read on the CLA stat board they shot 83% from the FT line as well.

Kierra looking more and more comfy at the point.

I feel Breezy needs more PT - but that’s just me.

 

[SCGamecock]

I believe I read on the CLA stat board they shot 83% from the FT line as well.

Kierra looking more and more comfy at the point.

I feel Breezy needs more PT - but that’s just me.

I agree, but from where hahaha... this team is so dang deep. Ashlyn and Coop didn't even play tonight. Sheesh.

 

[sun]

Not a follower of South Carolina but was surprised to learn that Chloe Kitts made a mid-season debut before X-mas.
She's played 5 games so far and looks like a strong, impressive freshman player based on her first game.
But she's only averaging 3.0 points per game based on playing 13 minutes per game.

 

[SCGamecock]

Kitts will be fine. She was in high school just last week it seems. The expectation for her is to play free and learn the defense. She is not expected to average 10 PPG this season. That would be nice, but Dawn is not asking that of 17 year old Chloe Kitts.

 

[SCspur]

Kitts will be fine. She was in high school just last week it seems. The expectation for her is to play free and learn the defense. She is not expected to average 10 PPG this season. That would be nice, but Dawn is not asking that of 17 year old Chloe Kitts.

She actually improving a lot especially defensively. Next year Dawn will run that play to get her that baseline shot because it’s money for her. Just like KiKi!

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Kitts will be fine. She was in high school just last week it seems. The expectation for her is to play free and learn the defense. She is not expected to average 10 PPG this season. That would be nice, but Dawn is not asking that of 17 year old Chloe Kitts.

Basically, she's playing when the opponent is overmatched or the game is out of hand, which I suppose are the same thing.

I think she need off-season strength building and a good bit of work, but she is a good prospect.

I would never think to play her instead of Watkins or Cooper but coach I think is doing coach stuff.