Great to see the 2016-17 team this morning! A few observations, in no particular order:

Eliza Pierre is working for the team but the rules don't permit her to practice on the court with them. Goach G mentioned that Brittany Boyd did make a few earlier practices. Also Coach G told us the male practice players are really good, and it looks like they are.

This year's point guards will be Asha, Mikayla, and Mi'Cole. Coach G said Mikayla can play 4 positions, and to me she looked a lot better than last season at guard. Coach G said the scrimmage would begin with the 1st team against the 2nd, and those lineups were:
Asha, Mikayla, Courtney, Penina, and Kristine
Mi'Cole, Ma'Ane, Jaelyn, CJ, and Chen

We practiced both 3-2 zone and man defenses, two fast break offenses, and a few in-bounds plays.

Kristine might have grown an inch, hard to tell but she's definitely taller than everyone except Chen and Coach F. She threw down not one but two dunks in a post drill. Also finished first in back-to-back missed free throw sprints. Penina looks leaner and stronger, and tallied 4 steals in the short scrimmage.

Regarding the new players: Mi'Cole looks quick and played with intensity, especially on defense. CJ looked very strong, almost like Devanei Hampton, plus showed skill and smoothness. Jaelyn hit a three and blocked a shot, fitting our recent type of multi-talented wings. Sara also showed intensity as well as a nice shooting stroke.

It's too early for me to tell how everything will fit together, can't wait to find out. Also for your enjoyment we're sporting plenty of new hairstyles.

Great recap. It was nice to see a larger squad too so they could rotate players in and out with different combinations. Very intense practice session. Enjoyed it very much.

Stu, thanks for the recap. I'm curious how how Chen Yue looked after her year off?

puget sound cal fan;842741875 said:

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I'm curious how how Chen Yue looked after her year off?

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I saw no ill effects from her injury. In the scrimmage she didn't show much on offense but had some impact on the defensive end. She has great size along with some mobility and skills but it didn't yet look like everything is working at full speed. I'm guessing she, like many bigs, will develop and play a bigger role in future years than she will now.

stu;842743088 said:

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I saw no ill effects from her injury. In the scrimmage she didn't show much on offense but had some impact on the defensive end. She has great size along with some mobility and skills but it didn't yet look like everything is working at full speed. I'm guessing she, like many bigs, will develop and play a bigger role in future years than she will now.

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I thought she looked a little stronger, a little quicker, and with better court awareness. But the fact is, we can't play Kristine 40 minutes a game and also do need a Plan B for foul trouble. So in the early games against weaker teams, the coaches really do need to play Chen at least 10 minutes a game to see how much she can develop further in actual game conditions.

Also a special shout-out to KC Waters. The men's practice team only had four players due to an injury, so KC went the entire practice period as the fifth player on that unit. She made our other post players work hard against her. And after the game, I talked with her and she still has that same great team player attitude.

+1 On your shout-out to KC Waters. She played tough and aggressive. I hope she gets some meaningful minutes off the bench this season.

It sounds like KC is earning it.

puget sound cal fan;842744467 said:

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It sounds like KC is earning it.

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She probably committed double-digit fouls in the process. But I didn't see her take a single possession off in her intensity. Good example for everybody else.

When is practice?

going4roses;842744976 said:

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When is practice?

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These comments are about a 2-hour open practice last Saturday morning (Oct. 8). Not sure if any more open practices are scheduled.

How did Chen look on offense? Defense? Did she show skills?