Vanderbilt

[JellyBean]

Congrats, Coach Ralph. The SEC is going to be a battle royal this season an over the next few years.

 

[YoDore]

Mikayla Blakes named SEC Freshman of the Week.

 

[BRS24]

Ugh.

 

[JeannoCT]

Heartbreaking for her and the team.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Ugh.

Such a bummer, but it‘s a good thing that it’s caught In time. I firmly believe her medical team will provide her the best therapy, so that she has the best outcome. Coach Ralph, along with her teammates will fully support her, and her family during this time. I am sending prayers her way. All the best to you Sacha W. Stay strong!!

 

[YoDore]

Such a bummer, but it‘s a good thing that it’s caught In time. I firmly believe her medical team will provide her the best therapy, so that she has the best outcome. Coach Ralph, along with her teammates will fully support her, and her family during this time. I am sending prayers her way. All the best to you Sacha W. Stay strong!!

The good thing is Sacha is not the type to fade into the woodwork when adversity strikes. In fact, she's with the team in Palm Springs for the two-day Acrisure tournament. She's still doing all team activities that don't require contact. I think it's reasonable to assume she is taking blood thinners to treat the blood clot. I'm betting she spends a lot of time working on her conditioning, ball handling and shooting for the next year.

I hate it for her and for the team. Even without her, this is coach Ralph's most talented team at Vandy, but there's no doubt she will be greatly missed, not only for her 12 pts.-8 reb. per game but also she's one of the leaders on the floor. They're going to run into some real physical disadvantages in the front court.

The bright side of all this? Her return for another year will be huge for next year's team. They lose a lot of their muscle with the graduation of Jordyn Oliver and Leilani Kapinus. Sacha's return will be a blessing.

 

[YoDore]

These two have been outstanding for coach Ralph this season.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Ugh.

Oh no. My favorite VU player. Maybe someday Shea will catch a break.

 

[cancontent]

Finally getting a chance to see Vandy play live against Arizona. Looking forward to this game.

 

[DEpup]

I so enjoy watching UConn South!

 

[jdote33]

Pierre is ridiculous. Vanderbilt is an interesting team. I thought I would be watching Pissot and Makuratt. But it was the Blake's and Pierre show. 4th quarter was shaky for a bit but that's credit to Arizona and coach Barnes. She's able to get all her teams to really scrap.

 

[JellyBean]

Look at Vandy. Sitting nice and cool at 7-0 on the young season. Well done, Coach Shea and Vandy!!

 

[YoDore]

Dores had a 20-point lead early in the third quarter, but Arizona fought back to within one late in the fourth before Vandy settled down and pulled away again. Coach Ralph started an extra guard, Madison Green, in an obvious effort to increase the defensive pressure, and it worked like a charm. Arizona struggled with turnovers and poor shooting in the first half. Vandy had its fair share of turnovers, also. Iyana Moore, one of the team's top scorers, is still struggling to find her stroke after missing games with back spasms. They need her to get back on track to help Pierre and Blakes out if they're going to have any chance against Michigan State in the tourney finals Wednesday.

 

[PhilipVU94]

Is it fair to say Blakes is the early leader for conference and national Freshman of the Year?

Interesting test today vs. Sparty. I don't know enough to say anything more, except that it's a Torvik top-25 matchup (VU 12 vs. MSU 25).

 

[PhilipVU94]

Well, that last quarter was a bucket of cold water in our face. Still a lot of promise for this team and now Shea will have a lot of recent game film of falling apart in the 4th. Congrats to MSU.

 

[cancontent]

Well, that last quarter was a bucket of cold water in our face. Still a lot of promise for this team and now Shea will have a lot of recent game film of falling apart in the 4th. Congrats to MSU.

Looking forward to seeing how they fare during SEC conference play. Only the second time I've gotten to watch them play. They were fun to watch today.

 

[darrell]

Is it fair to say Blakes is the early leader for conference and national Freshman of the Year?

Interesting test today vs. Sparty. I don't know enough to say anything more, except that it's a Torvik top-25 matchup (VU 12 vs. MSU 25).

SEC, for sure. Nationally, she’ll be competing against Sarah Strong, Kate Koval, Syla Swords, etc. It’ll be a great race regardless of the winner.

 

[YoDore]

John Madden would have called that a slobber knocker. Whew! Van Slooten and Ayrault are a double hand full. Basically, it came down to MSU physically dominating the final five minutes.

Vandy missed an open layup with 1:22 left in the third that would have put them up by 10. The game started to turn in that moment. The next time the Dores scored, they were down one.

 

[cancontent]

John Madden would have called that a slobber knocker. Whew! Van Slooten and Ayrault are a double hand full. Basically, it came down to MSU physically dominating the final five minutes.

Fitting to mention Madden with it being US Thanksgiving tomorrow.

 

[YoDore]

Coach Ralph's response to the Michigan State loss:

"“There were some moments today that were really good. We had a hard time sustaining those great moments, and I felt like, in the end, Michigan State did the things teams need to do to win games. Those things don’t necessarily show up in the box score. They made a lot more tough plays than us, out-hustled us in big moments, and you can just look at the stat sheet and see 20 offensive rebounds, and that will tell you what you need to know about that. There is a lot you can learn from a game like this, this early in the season. So far, I feel like our team has continued to grow. I’m certainly disappointed in the loss, but we can grow from this, and I look forward to doing that.”

 

[BRS24]

Coach Ralph's response to the Michigan State loss:

"“There were some moments today that were really good. We had a hard time sustaining those great moments, and I felt like, in the end, Michigan State did the things teams need to do to win games. Those things don’t necessarily show up in the box score. They made a lot more tough plays than us, out-hustled us in big moments, and you can just look at the stat sheet and see 20 offensive rebounds, and that will tell you what you need to know about that. There is a lot you can learn from a game like this, this early in the season. So far, I feel like our team has continued to grow. I’m certainly disappointed in the loss, but we can grow from this, and I look forward to doing that.”

Do you think any of it was them getting used to not having Sacha?

 

[YoDore]

Do you think any of it was them getting used to not having Sacha?

There is no doubt Sacha is missed, but she has been missing since weeks before the season opener, so I don't think it's a matter of adjusting at this point. It was a very physical game from start to finish. Vandy led by one midway through the fourth quarter, but MSU turned up the heat, and I don't think the Dores had the energy to hang with them down the stretch, though there didn't seem to be a lack of effort. VanSlooten (25 pts, 10 reb) and Ayrault (24 pts, 12 reb) are exceptional. Big, strong and run the floor like guards, and, in the end, they were just too much for Vandy.

I think looking back at it, coach Ralph might wish she had used her bench a bit more. She rode her top six hard in back to back games, and it appeared to catch up with them a little bit. MSU got 52 minutes from their bench while Vandy only got 38, and 20 of those were from sixth-player Leilani Kapinus.

 

[cancontent]

There is no doubt Sacha is missed, but she has been missing since weeks before the season opener, so I don't think it's a matter of adjusting at this point. It was a very physical game from start to finish. Vandy led by one midway through the fourth quarter, but MSU turned up the heat, and I don't think the Dores had the energy to hang with them down the stretch, though there didn't seem to be a lack of effort. VanSlooten (25 pts, 10 reb) and Ayrault (24 pts, 12 reb) are exceptional. Big, strong and run the floor like guards, and, in the end, they were just too much for Vandy.

I think looking back at it, coach Ralph might wish she had used her bench a bit more. She rode her top six hard in back to back games, and it appeared to catch up with them a little bit. MSU got 52 minutes from their bench while Vandy only got 38, and 20 of those were from sixth-player Leilani Kapinus.

Losing the rebounding battle was key in my opinion. Michigan State had a large advantage on the offensive boards from what I remember.

Your point about using the bench is a great one. Especially during back to back games, giving your key players breathers is important. In Michigan State's situation, foul trouble had something to do with going to their bench during the game. It helped them in the end as well because their players were fresher.

 

[YoDore]

Coach Ralph's lousy UConn injury luck strikes again. It's the one tradition I wish she left behind in Storrs. Sophomore Khamil Pierre (20 pts, 11 reb) was wearing a walking boot and on crutches at Sunday's game against Appalachian State. The good news is, it does not look to be a long-term injury. When Shea described the situation in her postgame remarks, it sounded like a mild ankle sprain. She is listed day to day.

If that is the extent of it, it's only worth mentioning because Vandy travels to Miami Wednesday for the SEC/ACC challenge, and the Dores need her at her best. Four of their nine games have been against Quad 1 and Quad 2 teams (3-1), and Miami is the toughest test remaining on the pre-conference schedule. With senior post Sacha Washington already out for the season, Vandy's fragile front court likely can't withstand any prolonged absence from Pierre.

So far this season, it appears Geno has found a way to lift the curse. If so, I'm hoping he'll share the mojo with Shea. She's had more than her fair share since arriving at Vandy from losing three starters to season-ending injuries in the pre-season two years ago to losing the player many feel is the heart and soul of the team (Washington) this year, she could use a break.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Coach Ralph's lousy UConn injury luck strikes again. It's the one tradition I wish she left behind in Storrs. Sophomore Khamil Pierre (20 pts, 11 reb) was wearing a walking boot and on crutches at Sunday's game against Appalachian State. The good news is, it does not look to be a long-term injury. When Shea described the situation in her postgame remarks, it sounded like a mild ankle sprain. She is listed day to day.

If that is the extent of it, it's only worth mentioning because Vandy travels to Miami Wednesday for the SEC/ACC challenge, and the Dores need her at her best. Four of their nine games have been against Quad 1 and Quad 2 teams (3-1), and Miami is the toughest test remaining on the pre-conference schedule. With senior post Sacha Washington already out for the season, Vandy's fragile front court likely can't withstand any prolonged absence from Pierre.

So far this season, it appears Geno has found a way to lift the curse. If so, I'm hoping he'll share the mojo with Shea. She's had more than her fair share since arriving at Vandy from losing three starters to season-ending injuries in the pre-season two years ago to losing the player many feel is the heart and soul of the team (Washington) this year, she could use a break.

YoDore, I smiled at your accurate description of my favorite team’s physical status. But the good news is that everyone’s rehab seems to be going well, with the expectation of playing this season.
As fans of the game, it’s never easy to see the student athletes injured, so my heartfelt sympathies and understanding are sent your way. And while these injuries take a toll on us, they surely devastate the players, their teammates, and coaching staff. But we have to remain confident in believing that each team’s training staff has implemented precautionary measures to prevent/reduce long lasting impact from them.
All the best for your team’s success this year, and I’m hoping my team remains healthy. Go UConn!! Go Huskies!!