Following the women's team this year almost as much as the men's team, it certainly feels like we've reached a point in the season when it might be interesting to share opinions on what's happened and what will happen next.

From my perpesctive, it sure feels like we are a classic case of an NCAA bubble team. If we keep playing the way we have been, is it enough? All teams always want to improve, and I'm trying to figure out specifically what we can do to get better.

Two basic positive things. Right now we are healthy. No key players with injury problems. Also, there is 11 games left and the schedule maker was more than fair to us. We are missing the SoCal teams on the road, and we are missing Utah and Colorado (two teams that destroyed us) at home.

So what needs to happen, and what tweaks do we implement to break away from our pattern of winning when we're supposed to and to an extent, losing when we're supposed to? Obviously, the most visible issue is getting more minutes from Michelle by keeping her fouls down. Maybe play some zone when she's in the game? Something we've hardly seen all year.

I know Charmin receives criticism here from time to time, but one thing she can't be accused of is not trying all kinds of combinations. We've seen so many, and lately it seems every game ends with a different combo of players on the floor.

So combo wise, and strategy wise, does anybody have any ideas? I'm sure that very few of us are coaches, I'm certainly not, but I did play the game through JC and have been watching it for 45 years since, so I try my best to say something intelligent. Anybody want to throw something out there?

We had planned on being a good three-point shooting team, but are shooting only 31%. Part of that is being pressured more when we don't have an inside threat.So I agree that we should try to play some zone if that would help keep Michelle in the game. However, not sure that that would actually overcome her problems.

By nature, playing zone usually is a way to cut down on player fouls. But to your point, is Charmin reluctant to do so because she feels we will ultimately give up more points? At the very least I think it might be worth a try. Marta and Claudia both have good size and good lateral movement, and McKayla certainly showed yesterday that she has a natural instinct for defensive rebounding. Maybe a 2-3 could be used for just a few minutes when Mia is in the game, since she displays a strong amount of quickness. OTOH, this is a tough league and almost every team we play has good 3 point shooting. But at least for a few minutes a game, a changeup to a zone might help.

In the past, we have not been a good zone team. We have tried all kinds of zones. Lately we have tried a 1-1-3 and a 2-3 zone. But nether for very long. In past years we have been very vulnerable from the corners. The two zones mentioned before means we can put mobile players on the wings and guard the corners. But are a little vulnerable out front. So if Marta and Williams are on the wings , they are3 mobile enough to get to those three point shooters.

We haven't rebounded well from the zone.

Right now we seem to play a different matchup depending on the team we play. I think Washington would kill us if we played a zone. We did a good job on them. They try turn run their offense until there is about 8 to 10 seconds left and then try to score. Marta did a good job on their center and our guards hung tough on them and they got several 30 second violations.

I say let Michele play like she has been playing. She plays with vigor thatmight make her stationary in the zone. She's not a good enough offensive player to be saving her for that. She's great at doubling up on an offensive player. Playing Ila in a zone makes more sense. Michele is quick enough to guard the corners.

But zones can make you passive. Sometimes you do a full court press a few times just to make your team more aggressive.

Nice post wvitbear. Sounds like you know our team quite well. At least we already beat Washington so it makes sense to stick with what we got with them.
I'm not sure if we have enough to do anything to make a difference when we play Furd again. All I know is OSU ended up penetrating like crazy against us. Maybe use Mia a little more against them the next time we play.

They should have used Mia more. Our best defensive lineup is sometimes offensively challenged. If you put McKayla, at the wings, LeLani at point and Michele and Marta together you have got a good defensive team. But we need Yo to score some points. Kemery is not bad defensively.

Reduce turnovers and get Martin going again.

Martin has had some good games recently. Let's keep her rolling

One of the peole I go to the game with loves Kemery. Does it seem to anyone this year that she always has one half where she plays well and one she doesn't.

wvitbear said:

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One of the peole I go to the game with loves Kemery. Does it seem to anyone this year that she always has one half where she plays well and one she doesn't.

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I think you might be right about this pattern. But when she's in the zone, Kemery has been so scrappy and productive.

(Is the person you mentioned a young woman with long braids and a very loud voice? When she sits in the student section, I hear her cheering on Kemery, and hollering stuff along the lines of, "YES! I LOVE an aggressive woman!" She makes me giggle, but we really do need more fans like her.)

No she's old like me and sits in Section 16. One of the many gray beards who sit there.

My two cents worth on Kemery:

Even at this stage there is a higher ceiling as opposed to a lower floor. Offensively, its obvious that Kemery is a top notch "catch and shoot" shooter. Squared up, her shot is fantastic. On the move, not so much. I've noticed that the majority of the time, Charmin uses her on the weak side of our offensive sets. Sometimes I wonder if this is counterproductive. Also a case can be made that Kemery is the best passer on the team. She clearly understands the game and if she happens to make a bad pass, it is usually due to lack of execution, as opposed to lack of judgment. Again, while some may say Leilani is our best passer, I think Kemery is almost better because she doesn't handle the ball as often.

Kemery is what I would call a "smooth" ballhandler. Not overly energetic but efficient. In some games she tends to drive more often to the hoop, generally a result of defenses playing tight on her. I still think Kemery needs to improve her ability to finish. Many times it appears she has made a good drive but the ball doesn't end up in the basket.

Defensively Kemery is moderate. Good positioning, good awareness, but not overly aggresive or physical. Sometimes when Leilani, Ioanna, and Kemery are all in the game it works against us because its up to Kemery to guard the other team's "3" position, and if that happens to be an inside physical player it becomes a bit of a disadvantage.

Moving forward I think the key to Kemery's game is confidence and aggressiveness. The more of those things that she displays, the better she is. She appears to be a true team player and I'm sure we all wish her the best.

wvitbear said:

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No she's old like me and sits in Section 16. One of the many gray beards who sit there.

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She has a gray beard?

Kemery ia also a very good rebounder for a guard. She knows where the ball will come down.

Those chin hairs will get you every time.

Whatever can move us up from 31% three-point shooting. That is not a formula for success.

wvitbear said:

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Those chin hairs will get you every time.

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Wish I could grow on my head what grows on my chin.

Me too.

Kemery!

https://instagr.am/p/C2eNKEBuOGl

HoopDreams said:

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Kemery!

https://instagr.am/p/C2eNKEBuOGl

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Thanks--lovely photos of K.M.