Now that the regular season is about two thirds complryr, this is a good time to evaluate the progress of our four first year players. Prior to the in season injuries, but after that of Jana El Afry who was projected to be an important part of the rotation, it was generally thought that Ice Brady would be a significant cog, KK Arnold would get significant minutes in relief of Nika Muhl, and that Ashlynn Shade and Qadence Samuels would struggle to get time on the floor. My view is that two of the four have exceeded expectations, one has met them, and one has been a disappointment. It should be mentioned, however, that there is still time for improvement before the Big Dance.
Exceeding expectations - Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold. Shade has been the biggest and most pleasant surprise of the season. She has superb basketball instincts, is in terrific physical condition, and appears to be always moving on the floor. I see her as essentially the replacement for Azzi Fudd. She is not as good a 3-point shooter as Fudd, but is better on the mid-ranger jumper and a better defender. She is also not afraid to shoot. Unfortunately, Shade has had her off shooting nights, as in the last game against Notre Dame when she was 0-6 for 3-point range and 6-6 from inside the 3-point line. KK Arnold has shown that she deserves to be in the starting lineup. She reminds me Moriah Jefferson with her quickness, although Jefferson was a better defender. Arnold is a better shooter, but makes a couple of ill advised drives to the basket in every game. Her reverse motion and layup against the Fighting Irish was, however, a thing of beauty. Defensively she was taken to the cleaners by Notre Dames’s Hannah Hidalgo.
Has met expectations - Qadence Samuels. Although seen as a good outside shooter, she was not expected to be part of the rotation. With the team down to nine bodies, she has become more essential, but she played only seven minutes against Notre Dame and did not score. She has had some good moments, but the team will need her to be on the floor and contributing for around twenty minutes per game by tournament time.
Not met expectations - Ice Brady. She came highly touted out of high school as a potential big, but was injured and did not play at all last season. If she had been available to take a few minutes from Edwards and Juhasz, she would no doubt be farther advanced than she now is. She has not yet proven to be a reliable scorer and is shaky from the foul line. We can see her defensive liabilities. In the Notre Dame game, the team was -23 points when she was in the game and the team lost by 15. Brady is the first player off the bench and will see plenty of playing time for the rest of the season. She together with Samuels will need to step up their games if the team has any hope of winning the Sweet Sixteen game.
Exceeding expectations - Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold. Shade has been the biggest and most pleasant surprise of the season. She has superb basketball instincts, is in terrific physical condition, and appears to be always moving on the floor. I see her as essentially the replacement for Azzi Fudd. She is not as good a 3-point shooter as Fudd, but is better on the mid-ranger jumper and a better defender. She is also not afraid to shoot. Unfortunately, Shade has had her off shooting nights, as in the last game against Notre Dame when she was 0-6 for 3-point range and 6-6 from inside the 3-point line. KK Arnold has shown that she deserves to be in the starting lineup. She reminds me Moriah Jefferson with her quickness, although Jefferson was a better defender. Arnold is a better shooter, but makes a couple of ill advised drives to the basket in every game. Her reverse motion and layup against the Fighting Irish was, however, a thing of beauty. Defensively she was taken to the cleaners by Notre Dames’s Hannah Hidalgo.
Has met expectations - Qadence Samuels. Although seen as a good outside shooter, she was not expected to be part of the rotation. With the team down to nine bodies, she has become more essential, but she played only seven minutes against Notre Dame and did not score. She has had some good moments, but the team will need her to be on the floor and contributing for around twenty minutes per game by tournament time.
Not met expectations - Ice Brady. She came highly touted out of high school as a potential big, but was injured and did not play at all last season. If she had been available to take a few minutes from Edwards and Juhasz, she would no doubt be farther advanced than she now is. She has not yet proven to be a reliable scorer and is shaky from the foul line. We can see her defensive liabilities. In the Notre Dame game, the team was -23 points when she was in the game and the team lost by 15. Brady is the first player off the bench and will see plenty of playing time for the rest of the season. She together with Samuels will need to step up their games if the team has any hope of winning the Sweet Sixteen game.