Admittedly, Nika is benefiting from having many ready, willing and able scorers on the floor with her. Carolyn, Azzi and Lou are all terrific "catch and shoot" shooters. Aaliyah has transformed into one as well. Aubrey has been able to finish around the hoop and in transition when on the receiving end of passes and has hit some outside shots as well.
But here are some things that Nika is doing to make it all work so well:
1.She is capable of putting pace on the passes when needed, like from around midcourt to the left corner, and is also capable of softer passes, like mini-lobs around the hoop. She knows how and when to do both. She doesn`t throw a lot of bounce passes into crowds, which usually result in held balls or worse. Good instincts.
2. She can rebound or get the ball quickly from a rebounder and push pace, creating open court opportunities. She always has her head up and is trying to figure out how to help get a teammate open with how she - Nika - moves. Her fast break passes have been great. I like the no-looks, but my favorite was that leaping bounce pass to Azzi, can`t remember the game though.
3. Her passes are typically delivered in the perfect spot for a shooter, chest high.
4. She feeds the post better than any guard in recent memory. Part of it is getting a good angle, often on the right side of the court. Our posts, especially Aaliyah, have gotten better at sealing opponents off down low. We have had a number of those that have looked very easy, especially against NC State. Good position, good angle and pinpoint passing.
5. The ball is moving very well, due in large part to her, and that is creating opportunities all over the court.
6. She has developed with Azzi a good move where she hands the ball off to her and screens for her at the same time, resulting in a quick uncontested shot from Azzi. Bam, three points. Most recently down the stretch against Iowa.
7. She is good at making eye contact with teammates, leading to successful backdoor cuts and hoops.