OC: a few years ago I was at a Delle Donne high school game,a junior or senior. She had a solid
first half and when the team came out for the second half, she took about 3 warm-up shots and then just sat on the bench for a few minutes....just mentally preparing for the game [against a good Narbonne team...California...Will Crockett's alma mater.]
BTW: she made all the warm-ups....and late in the game broke the national high school girls' free throw streak...made #70 in the last few seconds. I think she got to 80 before missing.
Interesting you mention about EDD and the bench.
The previous game that Lou played, on Tuesday night, I got to the game about 6.20pm(it was a 7 pm game). All of Lou's teammates were on the floor either stretching or warming up. This was the early informal workout, not the one about 15 minutes to game time when they do the normal drills(lay ups from both sides, 15 ft jump shots, 25 ft jump shots, etc). Well as I walk in the gym Lou is on the bench, by herself, just focusing in on the current game coming up. I didnt even want to wave to her, I just observed. She was as zoned into the upcoming game as I have ever seen.
In last nights game, Lou didnt come out for the warm ups before the 2nd half started. She came out of the locker room with about .45 seconds before the start and went straight to the team huddle and just started to play. I guess she was being iced down or re-wrapped. She was undercut on rebounds, slapped, knocked down(a few times),etc. But every time the other team does that stuff she just gets up and makes them pay. The other team last night, Bishop Alemany, often played a zone, but wherever Lou was on the court that player who Lou was nearest always had one hand on Lou's arm or her body.
KLM never had to take as much physical play as Lou has. KLM had better players surrounding her, at Mater Dei, then Lou does.
Mater Dei will play Chaminade either next Friday or Saturday at Azuza Pacific College. I hope its Saturday because it would be a B-itch to drive to on a Friday night.