What Sarah could learn from Derrick Henry

[PvP]

Last night, Sarah was held to less than 13 points in a game for the first time in her college career or perhaps it would be best put that she just didn't score like she normally does. She seemed to lack any aggressiveness, mostly just holding the ball, looking for someone to pass the ball to. One time she did drive the ball inside for a successful layup but only once. I firmly believe that she could drive the ball successfully a dozen times a game if she would only recognize how difficult she is to defend. She has size and skills which remind me of Derrick Henry. When she drives, she intimidates and has shown, IMO an unstopability that she needs to exploit far more often than she has been. And the more often she would establish her inside credibility, the more she would be open for her other shooting skills to show. It is so frustrating seeing her prefer to set screens for others when she could be driving inside instead from nearly anywhere on the court. Just my opinion.....

 

[Blond D.]

Maybe having Paige and Azzi on the court with her was a bit intimidating in that she thought THEY should be the scorers. I'm not saying that's the reason , I'm just sayin'

 

[PacoSwede]

Maybe having Paige and Azzi on the court with her was a bit intimidating in that she thought THEY should be the scorers. I'm not say that's the reason , I'm just sayin'

poor excuse for passivity. it seems chronic on this team. are coaches trying to address this, OR encouraging it (maybe unintentionally)? sarah is just a freshman, she needs direction.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

C'mon, each of the starters played only 20-24 minutes. Sarah score 6 points, Paige 12, Azzi 13, so why single out Sarah when all three of our top scorers were beneath their averages? You know, sometimes a player just isn't feeling well or maybe something else is in the way of an all out effort. We won,, relatively easily and that is what's important.

 

[Centerstream]

Where do you come up with this stuff, Derrick Henry????? You all seem to think that nobody can have an off game, due to two early fouls, or that the coaching staff is not doing their jobs. Or maybe the other team, no matter their record, was actually able to accomplish some of their goals, such as using as much time as they could on offense in order to keep us out of our rhythm for long periods of time. How many 30 clock violations did they have or come close to have. Just because UConn may have been aware of the game plan doesn't mean that they could successfully execute their plan, especially playing all available players.
Now I guess this will swerve into another "how will be able to match up against...?" UFB.

 

[Bone Dog]

I didn't think Sarah was off her game yesterday. I think she focused on defense more than usual and probably because Geno told her to. This is something a coach can do when he has two other elite scorers on the team. I can think of one way Sarah is like Derrick Henry: opposing players bounce off her. This happens almost every game. An opposing player drives into the lane and runs into Sarah and she doesn't move an inch. This is exactly how strong she really is.

 

[Blond D.]

poor excuse for passivity. it seems chronic on this team. are coaches trying to address this, OR encouraging it (maybe unintentionally)? sarah is just a freshman, she needs direction.

Sarah was hardly passive. She just didnt shoot as much but she played aggressive on defense and set a lot of screens.

 

[MooseJaw]

Where do you come up with this stuff, Derrick Henry????? You all seem to think that nobody can have an off game, due to two early fouls, or that the coaching staff is not doing their jobs. Or maybe the other team, no matter their record, was actually able to accomplish some of their goals, such as using as much time as they could on offense in order to keep us out of our rhythm for long periods of time. How many 30 clock violations did they have or come close to have. Just because UConn may have been aware of the game plan doesn't mean that they could successfully execute their plan, especially playing all available players.
Now I guess this will swerve into another "how will be able to match up against...?" UFB.

thank you for your reply. All too often we take one game and live and die by what that one games results are. Unless it's tourney time with one and done, judging from one game is useless in judging a players output or season. At this time the only real trend is Geno's. Playing time has been diminished due to a team load of good players, less playing time usually means diminished individual totals, not team output. We clamor for playing more players more minutes, until and if Geno cuts the minutes of the bench, we will see more games with the stats spread out between more players. Good or bad, time will tell.

 

[Nolefan]

Wait didn’t the great Steph Curry held scoreless this season lol ? I mean even the best fan have a off game

 

[Next 12]

This is what I have been talking about, nitpicking negativity of our players. Uconn won the game going away and the bench was great with Ashlynn and Morgan in their play. I thought the team did what they had to do and got it done. It's a lot more enjoyable and rewarding when you tout the good the players achieved and not nitpick. GO FRESHMEN!!!! GO SOPHOMORES!!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!!!

 

[PacoSwede]

huskies are admirable,

but isn't there always room for improvement?

 

[darrell]

I don’t think she was “held”, she practically did whatever she wanted Yesterday. She didn’t take the shots, partly because she didn’t need to. Only 12 combined shots between she & Paige.

 

[pvdoggy]

I did not hear Geno complain about her play in his post-game presser like some fans here. That's good enough for me.

 

[HuskyNan]

I don’t think she was “held”, she practically did whatever she wanted Yesterday. She didn’t take the shots, partly because she didn’t need to. Only 12 combined shots between she & Paige.

This ^^^^

 

[sun]

What's wrong with setting good screens?
Derrick Henry won't be able to gain any yardage unless his front line can execute blocks.
We lost the game to Iowa in part because of a screen violation by a senior.
So it's refreshing & necessary to see Sarah as a forward able to execute some good screens.
Ice didn't play much and Jana clearly needs help to set good screens so why complain that Sarah did her job of setting screens well?
Azzi is a guard, Sarah is a forward, Azzi was more active & taking more shots.

 

[HuskyNan]

Ice didn't play much and Jana clearly needs help to set good screens so why complain that Sarah did her job of setting screens well?

Jana played 17 minutes, Ice played 16. I’m not sure where the idea that Ice’s minutes are falling behind Jana’s came from - I’ve seen it in a couple of threads - but it’s in error.

 

[Dogstar]

Sarah was hardly passive. She just didnt shoot as much but she played aggressive on defense and set a lot of screens.

She also picked up 5 rbs & 5 so she was productive while on the court.

 

[Bigboote]

I was gonna ask, when will folks stop saying women’s basketball players should play more like men? Then I looked Derrick Henry up and discovered the OP was saying that Sarah should play more like a pro football player.

I disagree. But more to the point: really?

 

[BBallF]

A couple of observations. First of all, the last game was a "rust" game and one to just finish and move on from. It seems it always is this time of year. If we are the same way on Sunday at home before a sold out crowd, then start to fret, not before.

Secondly, it's a new team again and the Terrific Threesome (TT) have to get used to playing with each other, develop moves with each other, anticipate each other, and establish a rhythm and dynamic of their own inside the overall dynamic of the team that's on the court in a way similar, obliquely at least, to the vaunted Triangle Offense.

It's the best offensive triple in the country and it's not a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces don't just automatically fit together. Plus, we are still trying out new combos, getting freshmen playing time, getting sophomores into solid roles, and bringing the team along to the Big Dance tune. One game does not a trend make, especially on a frigid January night in Queens.

 

[BBallF]

Jana played 17 minutes, Ice played 16. I’m not sure where the idea that Ice’s minutes are falling behind Jana’s came from - I’ve seen it in a couple of threads - but it’s in error.

Perhaps the never-ending emphasis by some BYers on starting creates an illusion of extended playing time.

 

[donalddoowop]

It seemed to me that Sarah was content to pass the ball. There was nothing wrong with that. Plus, she did not look passive to me. The first game Sarah did not score in double figures and the critics come out. I truly believe that if some of the posters would just watch the game just to enjoy it and stop trying to dissect it, there will be less criticizing.