Thankfully, Niele didn’t take your advice. Firstly, Westbeld, like her sister, is currently a tweener trying to find her way. She is inconsistent as an outside shooter and has little explosiveness in the paint. Can she develop? Let’s hope so. She would do well to lose 10 pounds and become quicker. She and Brunelle are very similar in development right now. They are neither quick or strong enough to be true forces. There was a lot of optimism based on Westbeld being the best player on a lousy team, but Dodson, Miles and Citron are clearly more talented. Let’s hope she either develops more to her game, and/or recognizes her role going forward.
ND’s two best players are Dodson and Miles. Without Dodson this team would be on the bubble. So, she’s the MVP in my book. She is a relentless force in the paint and gives the Irish what they desperately needed. She can score inside, keep missed shots alive and is a defensive rebound force.
If she continues to develop her shot, Miles will become a superstar. She can beat anybody off the dribble, has great court vision and with a budding outside shot she’ll control the team. She wants to take the big shot and has unflappable confidence. The future is very bright.
Citron appears to hit the wall, but her size, shot and work ethic are impressive. The chemistry between she and Miles is very important going forward. She is getting banged around a lot, but as her strength grows she’s going to overcome some of her growing pains. She’s still learning the college game, but she’s so fundamentally sound. Looking forward to her continuing development.
Notre Dame needs to secure Dodson for another year and/or bring in another similarly talented big. Due to her continuing health issues, Marshall is a big question mark right now. If Ivey can also bring in a big and another quick and tall player that can shoot and rebound, it will be back in the title hunt soon. Bransford brings another player that can break down defenses. So, ND needs another force that can compete in the paint. I’m very impressed with the development of Dodson and the Freshmen (includes Miles) and Ivey’s teams play hard. The future is bright.
Welcome aboard. Enjoyed what looks to be your initial post very much.
A few give and takes:
- I have no idea when I wrote that "pull-out" quote but I sure hope it wasn't too recently.
Maya started off like a ball on fire this season, then had a rough stretch when she was clanging or badly missing a lot of down-low lay-ups and rolling hooks. Then, everything fell into lockstep in the DePaul and Duke games and she's been off to the races since then offensively.
Rebounding and defense were what most Irish fans expected when Maya came aboard (largely based on her Stanford experiences), but the scoring has been a joyful add. My only "area of improvement" for Maya would be ball movement. While not quite a black hole, Maya could learn to pass the ball on or back out, a la Jess Shepard. However, that's a subtle progression and sure it will come, particularly if she comes back.
- My initial comments and concerns with Maya/Maddy had more to do with Maddy becoming an extra wheel, if you will. You focus heavily on what Maddy has to do, but I'm not sure all of this is on her. Coaches need to makr sure all parts of the engine run smoothly and Niele is currently embracing the point guard and "throw it down low" elements. Heck, why not? On the other hand, having other options (ball movement, hard weakside cuts) have also been part of the Irish offensive arsenal and longtime Irish watcher are a little leery of over-reliance on "going down low" at the expense of other shooters.
- "Tweener trying to find her way." With the reference to older sister, Kat, I'm not quite sure what you mean by this. Kat was only 6'1" (Maddy is 6'3") and played an inside-out game. She tweaked her game to what ND needed, which was the high post in ND's high-low game. As numerous people have noted, she did what was needed and was probably the unsung member of ND's NC team.
Maddy, although taller, fashions herself an outside-in player. And in spite of the obvious "where do I go" this year aspects of the season, she still has the highest shooting percentage overall of any Irish starter (and 3rd highest 3-pt shooting). I'd submit that her issue isn't the shooting, but getting enough of them in the spots she can drill them. That falls on development of the offense.
- Yes, Maya and 'Liv have driven this team, but it's all made easier by Sonia's overall presence. She's like the kid who doesn't need much parenting, but ends up doing the right thing anyways.
- I don't know if you read McGraw's Bench, but the talk for another transfer big (if Maya departs and given Nat Marhall's injuries) has well begun. So you're in line on that. And Bransford will add a whole other element, with shades of Young, Ogunbowale and Owusu in her game.
Once again, welcome aboard and enjoyed your post!
