Stef, we hardly knew ye!

[Icebear]

I thought it was pretty simple. Dolson was carrying too much weight and it took her a while to "get it". By "get it" I mean it took her a couple of seasons to realize that if she wanted to play at the highest level she was going to have to do something about her conditioning. Apparently she did.

That is projecting past patterns onto her. I assume you are correct but we have absolutely have no way of knowing. I was hoping someone might have more to add than just photos and might have, actually, seen her scrimmaging to add that information.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Ice - This is what Blake had to say after witnessing her in a scrimmage -

" Major props...MAJOR....to Stef on her off-season program of conditioning. If you saw her in September of 2010 as a frosh and then saw her for the first time now, you would demand that she show you ID to prove it was her. Considerable weight loss? I don't know...but she looked incredibly trim and fit....and was darn effective in the scrimmage"

That's a really positive assessment of her condition, including how she performed.
However, I remember that there was some pre season buzz here about her condition last year that proved to be less than accurate. So in that respect I'll just wait and see but "incredibly trim and fit" is really encouraging. I'm hoping Buck was her conditioning coach. She may be the most fit player on the team.

 

[CL82]

I'm hoping Buck was her conditioning coach. She may be the most fit player on the team.

 

[Kibitzer]

I have a different theory about what motivated her weight loss and improved conditioning. Since she decided to become a paratrooper she probably did hundreds of push-ups daily then watched at least two chapters of "Band of Brothers" each night.

I know I know, now we have become a Band of Brothers and Sisters. I am ok with that.

 

[Icebear]

Ice - This is what Blake had to say after witnessing her in a scrimmage -

" Major props...MAJOR....to Stef on her off-season program of conditioning. If you saw her in September of 2010 as a frosh and then saw her for the first time now, you would demand that she show you ID to prove it was her. Considerable weight loss? I don't know...but she looked incredibly trim and fit....and was darn effective in the scrimmage"

That's a really positive assessment of her condition, including how she performed.
However, I remember that there was some pre season buzz here about her condition last year that proved to be less than accurate. So in that respect I'll just wait and see but "incredibly trim and fit" is really encouraging. I'm hoping Buck was her conditioning coach. She may be the most fit player on the team.

Yes, I has missed that.

 

[Bestiarius]

It is important that she simply did lose weight. Losing weight alone may in fact work against her by giving her less mass to bang with in the post. What she has needed and I expect has done is both better aerobic conditioning and add real muscle and strength.

How do we know she lost weight? Muscle weighs more than fat. Perhaps she just made an exchange through aerobics and weight training.

 

[easttexastrash]

Dolson will be dangerous if she is lighter on her feet. I agree with Ice that one of her assets has been her bulk and losing that can make her less effective in leaning on opposing post players. But being lighter could be big trouble for her opponents if she is more effective driving to the basket. She was soooo effective in Denver. Any improvement makes her an AA candidate.

 

[Icebear]

How do we know she lost weight? Muscle weighs more than fat. Perhaps she just made an exchange through aerobics and weight training.

I agree completely. I did not phrase that well. My concern was that she might only have lost weight vs adding muscle and aerobic fitness which will not necessarily lower weight for your stated reasons. And players who lose only weight/fat without adding muscle to replace it often struggle in the post getting bounced around with lower mass to resist the pressure of other folks bodying against their now lighter selves. Exchanging fat for muscle and fitness is critical to that battle. It is the difference between being and immovable object and an irresistible force.

 

[meyers7]

I'm hoping Buck was her conditioning coach. She may be the most fit player on the team.

I believe that belongs to Kelly. I've read that a few times.

Wonder if any of them have done any SPARQs testing?

 

[alexrgct]

Strength and conditioning coaches are the only coaches who have continued direct contact with players over the entire offseason. I am very confident that Stef's diet and exercise routine has been monitored in a way to make sure it makes her a healthy person and a more effective player.

 

[slimmer56]

Thanks Mike for bringing this up. Steph Dolson deserves any and all accolades that may come her way. Sometimes I find myself just watching Stef. That girl works her tail off every play. My gosh she tries to screen the entire team sometimes. She is such a great player, perfect for Geno's system, but she still remains humble.

I too cannot wait to see how far Stef, and the rest of her mates have come ! Is there going to be another Nat. Championship in the cards. It really does not matter to me where they finish, 'cause I luv 'em anyway, but there will be a Nat Title this year or next year !

 

[OneTrickPony]

If they worked on Stef's lower body strength, as I'm sure they would, that should more than offset a 10-lb weight loss...if she has lost any weight at all...her pictures look great and I think with better mobility she should be much more of an offensive factor in close...and less susceptible to fouling...

 

[Dove]

NOW:

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View attachment 1222 ​

And thanks to Alex for spotting these new pics on CD's twitter ....

As an original Dolsonite I am very much looking forward to her attaining AA status some day.