Coaching counts. Very occasionally , yet over a period of years, I've been calling for the use of a deeper bench AND, specifically, for considering subbing in "waves" at times......running the other team right off the court. Was delighted last night to see that, during a SIGNIFICANT time in the game, Coach did just that. We went on about a 30-2 run.....from what had been something like 11-7, I think. Won't happen every time.....but it'll happen plenty with the depth of talent we have and have had and will have. The folks watching here went happily beserk when he put those three kids in when some of the starters were not performing at the level needed/expected.
So, not yet mentioned in this thread is that one BIG key to this Stanford game ( just as it was last year with ND... and other times), will be coaching......Coach not getting fearful and shrinking the line-up because of playing a better team. May Yarders will say he didnt have the horses in prior years.....I disagree .......and, if he didnt have them, one reason he didnt have them is that he didnt DEVELOP them by doing what he finally did last night...............that is, SHOWING enough CONFIDENCE in them early in the season to put them in the game when the game was one the line rather than in garbage time.......and putting them in as a fresh "block" pumped up to swarm tiring opponents. You don't think those kids are feeling like world beaters today? Coaching decisions, not just coaching comments, communicate very, very important messages.
LEwis says in the press today that Coach is SAYING he wants to utilize all eleven. Lordy, I hope so----then, when the inevitable injuries (sadly, the historical odds are that they surely will occur, to one extent or another..........Shea, Svetlana, Caroline, and on and on and one) we will have confident and prepared replacements ready.....and will not miss out on he banners that could be added (and, could HAVE been added) to the rafters.
Coach and our staff do a marvelous job of recruiting (and of so much else as well). Make use of what you recruit. By the way, in line with this theme: take a look at Johnson (LAST in virtually every time in the four games) and her productivity every time. Geno says she can't run? I bet she gets up and down the floor faster than Dolson????
While i'm at it, I would also suggest not making the game more complicated than it must be, and let the kids like Banks and Houston etc PLAY the way they know how. There isn't just ONE "precisely right" way to be a solid and contributing basketball player on a championship team.
