STANFORD WINS THE PENNANT! Stanford wins the pennant! Well, not the pennant, that being our little pun about the Giants, and The Stanford Women’s Basketball Team did not win a national championship or even any championship, but they just beat Baylor in the regular season, something nobody, least of all C and R, expected them to do. And it sure feels like a championship of some sort. Even the media was calling it an “upset” even though Stanford is ranked #4 to Baylor’s #1.
This blog is a day late because C was hung over from eating humble pie all night long. Yes, both C and R, who are arguably the biggest Stanford fans when it comes to arguing women’s basketball, had been saying all preseason and through the short regular season, “we’re going to get killed by Baylor!”
Well come on, let’s look at the evidence. Stanford is a young team. They have eight freshmen and sophomores out of 15 players. They also have three players who hardly played last year due to injury; Mikaela Ruef, Jasmine Camp and Alex Green (who still is not ready to play). Plus a veteran who has been injured to start the year (Toni Kokenis, rhymes with tennis). The Stanford exhibition games were a little shaky for the level of competition, getting out rebounded by a much smaller Vanguard University. Add to the fact that #1 Baylor, undefeated defending national champs riding a 42 game win streak, thrashed then #5 Kentucky earlier in the week. Stanford was ranked #4, even though they lost their top scorer, rebounder and heart and soul in senior Nneka Ogwumike. It just didn’t seem possible.
First of all, this incredible game was not televised anywhere. The twitter-sphere was aghast and complained mightily, but all our tweets go to other women’s basketball fans and to no one who has any real power to actually make this happen. (We gotta figure that one out.) The Pac-12 did throw up a feed at the last second, so hats off to them. On our computer, though it was a little jerky, and there was no audio. We streamed KZSU over the Internet, so we would hear what happened and see the compressed action a few seconds afterward. Taylor Greenfield hits a three, now we see it. Joslyn Tinkle gets a rebound and a put back, there it is.
The worst thing about not having the game televised was we couldn’t see Baylor coach Kim Mulkey’s outfit, although photos showed it was subdued athletic clothes. The real surprise was the photos afterward that proved Tara VanDerveer cut loose and wore her Hawaii tourist clothes!
The first half opened when most of us were at work, and imagine our surprise when Stanford went up by seven, nine, twelve….FOURTEEN points over Baylor in the first half. Granted, Baylor did lose their excellent point guard and defender in Odyssey Simms, when she went down just four minutes into the contest with a hamstring injury and did not return. But every team has to deal with injuries or a good player on the bench with foul trouble…or a contact lens issue.
Baylor did come back, thanks to a Baylor’s Jordan Madden, stepping up for 13 first half points. National Player of the Year last year, 6’8 Brittney Griner, was held to just four at the break, due to Stanford’s excellent double team of her. By contrast, Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike had nine in the first, taking it to BG early and often. Chiney Ogwumike even hit her first three! She had a second, but it was called back for a long two.
At the half the score was 31-29, Stanford holding on to a two-point lead. Stanford was buoyed by defensive play from Mikaela Ruef with 12 big rebounds, eight of them defensively. Taylor Greenfield ended up with 16 total points, making four from three-point land. Baylor’s coach was exhorting her team in the first half to show some energy and intensity, like Stanford was. Mulkey would later say after the game that during their streak, they were not tested and didn’t know how to react to a close game. Also, I believe Baylor was 1-13 from three-point range at the half. By contrast, Stanford would shot 7-14 from the three-point line for the game.
The second half, well it was all a blur, what with rushing home through traffic, trying to coordinate when to dash inside from the car with the KSZU radio on and get the computer fired up to see and hear over the Internet. Just when we were believing Stanford could do this, imagine our surprise, again, when Baylor took the lead with 7:11 left to play. Brittney Griner got unleashed and showed some of her moves and scored 18 more points in the second to have 22 for the game.
After trading leads, none other than Chiney Ogwumike does a reverse lay up over Brittney to put Stanford up by four with 22 seconds left. Chiney would end up with 18 points for the game. Of course we could really couldn’t see this, so we just took the KZSU guy’s word for it. After Destiny Williams hit her first three of the year, and just second three-pointer of the game for Baylor, to draw within one, Toni Kokenis would hit one of two free throws, making the score 71-69, Stanford. Baylor had the ball with four seconds, down by two, and Stanford knew the ball was going to Brittney for the last shot. It did, she shot, she missed and Stanford wins…the…the…Best Women’s Basketball Game nobody saw.
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Showing posts with label Brittney Griner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brittney Griner. Show all posts
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Stanford-Cal Preview, Q & A Part I
And now, in honor of the Big Game, C and R present the 158th annual Q & A with Nick from Cal Golden Blogs. He asks the Q’s, C and R answer them. (Secretly, we think he just wants our Stanford blog to mention his Cal blog, hoping for bad karma or ju-ju or what have you, but I digress). Our questions to him are at the bottom, and we will publish tomorrow or whenever we get around to it. One note, usually his questions are funny and silly, so that's how we wrote ours. Then he writes these scholarly and insightful questions, like he’s been studying basketball or something. Ours look stupid by comparison. Oh well, when have we ever let that stop us! Enjoy.
1. I don't really think anybody has effectively slowed down the elder Ogwumike, but if it can be done, how would a team go about doing so?
A: Break her legs? Just kidding. No really, we kid, cuz then we would have to hunt you down and return the favor. Okay, real answer, and not that we are totally biased or anything, but Nneka is an unstoppable force! LOL. She has always been good around the basket, with an incredible vertical leap. This year she has gone out and got a soft-touch shot from about 15 feet or so. She has so many ways to score it’s not funny. She can drive to the basket, hit a pull up jumper, break your ankles with a move or just jump over your head. (She can grab a rebound and put it back up without touching the ground! Oh, and she can catch and shoot an alley-oop pass without touching the ground, too. Not very many women’s players can do that). C and R’s recommendation to stop her? Go out and kidnap Britteny Griner.
2. After the Ogwumikiis there hasn't been a ton of production (by Stanford's lofty standards, at least). Is that a case of a lack of opportunity, or a lack of the type of depth usually seen on the farm?
A: Haven’t you been reading our blog? All season long it has been the Nneka and Chiney show (no complaints here) and three warm bodies (tons of complaints here). There has been hardly any scoring production from anyone! Jos Tinkle was demoted this year and then cracked the starting lineup the last 3 games and is taking nothing for granted and playing much better. She is averaging about 8 points. Why isn’t anyone else scoring? We have been scratching our heads all year. Could it be the case of watching a talented superstar like Nneka and depending on her too much? Chiney is wily and creates most of her own opportunities and points on offensive rebounds. Not a lot of people can wrestle a rebound like Chiney, not even Tinkle. We hope this lack of scoring by others is something super-genius Tara VanDerveer can solve. BTW, Sisters Ogwumikii? We like that, patent pending.
3. What's the best way to attack Stanford's defense? Drive-and-dish? Entry passes to the post? You have to give us something!
A: Well geez, why should we help Cal? Hee hee. Okay, you twisted our arm. This year, super genius Tara VanDerveer has been experimenting with different defenses, so that makes it harder for teams to prepare for what might happen, as opposed to relying heavily on man to man. Heck, we have even seen some1-3-1, and against one of the Washington schools, they used some sort of “Buzz” defense. So Cal needs to be prepared for many looks, not just one or two. Okay, that was a cop out. Here’s a better hint, attack the weakest player on the floor.
4. Stanford has their usual crop of highly rated freshmen, but I haven't seen any of them yet because they're too young to play much in the biggest televised games. What are your thoughts on the freshmen?
A: Well, two are hurt and gone for the season (Alex Green and Jasmine Camp). Jasmine Camp was the “it” freshmen for a while before she was hurt, now it is Amber Orrrrange (just kidding on the spelling, it’s really just 2 “R”s). She is a good playmaker, but not a huge scoring threat. Bonnie Samuelson has this CRAZY 3-point shot with a super fast release, but only goes in the hoop in games that are not close. Not so much when the game is on the line. Taylor Grenfield and Erica Payne play forward and although they look good, they don’t score and look like they are still trying to figure out the game. Don’t expect to see much of them if the game is close. Tara trusts Ogwunikiis, Tinkle, Toni, and subs out the fifth spot.
5. Any predictions? (Score or otherwise.)
A: Um, Stanford is going to win?
Sorry, that was cheesy, but it is Maples and if you can’t stop Nneka (one team triple teamed her and she still scored!!), it’s all over but the shouting. We predict Nneka will throw us a victory ball (hint, hint!).
Questions for Cal Blog:
You have a new head coach, Lindsey Gottlieb (Who likes to use Twitter, no less, her handle is @CalcoachG), what type of energy does she bring to this team?
We’ve been hearing all about the one and only Brittany Boyd (her twitter handle no less, is @ONEandONLYbboyd, and we are sensing a theme). Just how good is she, and is she really Alexis Gray Lawson in disguise trying to have four more years of college eligibility?
Nneka and Chiney clean up any and all rebounds. What do you see Cal doing to keep them off the boards? (Short of breaking legs?)
What’s with no last names on the home shirts? Can your uniform maker not spell? How will we tell whom Nneka is dunking over?
Down by one against Washington State, Brittany Boyd loses her show but continues playing, passes and Cal scores, she gets an assist. Was that a planned ploy to distract the other team? (An our Toni Kokenis beat her to it last year, she ran so fast she ran right out of her shoe yet had the presence of mind to throw it back to the bench).
Breaking news, Cal players campaigned on Twitter to get disco ball on bus on way to Stanford (no really, we saw it on Twitter, look in Coach G’s timeline!). Do you see that as a help or distraction?
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1. I don't really think anybody has effectively slowed down the elder Ogwumike, but if it can be done, how would a team go about doing so?
A: Break her legs? Just kidding. No really, we kid, cuz then we would have to hunt you down and return the favor. Okay, real answer, and not that we are totally biased or anything, but Nneka is an unstoppable force! LOL. She has always been good around the basket, with an incredible vertical leap. This year she has gone out and got a soft-touch shot from about 15 feet or so. She has so many ways to score it’s not funny. She can drive to the basket, hit a pull up jumper, break your ankles with a move or just jump over your head. (She can grab a rebound and put it back up without touching the ground! Oh, and she can catch and shoot an alley-oop pass without touching the ground, too. Not very many women’s players can do that). C and R’s recommendation to stop her? Go out and kidnap Britteny Griner.
2. After the Ogwumikiis there hasn't been a ton of production (by Stanford's lofty standards, at least). Is that a case of a lack of opportunity, or a lack of the type of depth usually seen on the farm?
A: Haven’t you been reading our blog? All season long it has been the Nneka and Chiney show (no complaints here) and three warm bodies (tons of complaints here). There has been hardly any scoring production from anyone! Jos Tinkle was demoted this year and then cracked the starting lineup the last 3 games and is taking nothing for granted and playing much better. She is averaging about 8 points. Why isn’t anyone else scoring? We have been scratching our heads all year. Could it be the case of watching a talented superstar like Nneka and depending on her too much? Chiney is wily and creates most of her own opportunities and points on offensive rebounds. Not a lot of people can wrestle a rebound like Chiney, not even Tinkle. We hope this lack of scoring by others is something super-genius Tara VanDerveer can solve. BTW, Sisters Ogwumikii? We like that, patent pending.
3. What's the best way to attack Stanford's defense? Drive-and-dish? Entry passes to the post? You have to give us something!
A: Well geez, why should we help Cal? Hee hee. Okay, you twisted our arm. This year, super genius Tara VanDerveer has been experimenting with different defenses, so that makes it harder for teams to prepare for what might happen, as opposed to relying heavily on man to man. Heck, we have even seen some1-3-1, and against one of the Washington schools, they used some sort of “Buzz” defense. So Cal needs to be prepared for many looks, not just one or two. Okay, that was a cop out. Here’s a better hint, attack the weakest player on the floor.
4. Stanford has their usual crop of highly rated freshmen, but I haven't seen any of them yet because they're too young to play much in the biggest televised games. What are your thoughts on the freshmen?
A: Well, two are hurt and gone for the season (Alex Green and Jasmine Camp). Jasmine Camp was the “it” freshmen for a while before she was hurt, now it is Amber Orrrrange (just kidding on the spelling, it’s really just 2 “R”s). She is a good playmaker, but not a huge scoring threat. Bonnie Samuelson has this CRAZY 3-point shot with a super fast release, but only goes in the hoop in games that are not close. Not so much when the game is on the line. Taylor Grenfield and Erica Payne play forward and although they look good, they don’t score and look like they are still trying to figure out the game. Don’t expect to see much of them if the game is close. Tara trusts Ogwunikiis, Tinkle, Toni, and subs out the fifth spot.
5. Any predictions? (Score or otherwise.)
A: Um, Stanford is going to win?
Sorry, that was cheesy, but it is Maples and if you can’t stop Nneka (one team triple teamed her and she still scored!!), it’s all over but the shouting. We predict Nneka will throw us a victory ball (hint, hint!).
Questions for Cal Blog:
You have a new head coach, Lindsey Gottlieb (Who likes to use Twitter, no less, her handle is @CalcoachG), what type of energy does she bring to this team?
We’ve been hearing all about the one and only Brittany Boyd (her twitter handle no less, is @ONEandONLYbboyd, and we are sensing a theme). Just how good is she, and is she really Alexis Gray Lawson in disguise trying to have four more years of college eligibility?
Nneka and Chiney clean up any and all rebounds. What do you see Cal doing to keep them off the boards? (Short of breaking legs?)
What’s with no last names on the home shirts? Can your uniform maker not spell? How will we tell whom Nneka is dunking over?
Down by one against Washington State, Brittany Boyd loses her show but continues playing, passes and Cal scores, she gets an assist. Was that a planned ploy to distract the other team? (An our Toni Kokenis beat her to it last year, she ran so fast she ran right out of her shoe yet had the presence of mind to throw it back to the bench).
Breaking news, Cal players campaigned on Twitter to get disco ball on bus on way to Stanford (no really, we saw it on Twitter, look in Coach G’s timeline!). Do you see that as a help or distraction?
Follow C and R on Facebook and Twitter, too!
.
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Monday, May 2, 2011
USA Basketball is Vegas Bound, Baby
So with WNBA training camp starting May 15th, what are the veterans doing to get ready for training camp. Well, if you are a select few, you are practicing with Geno Auriemma on the US National Team’s traing camp May 10-12. In Vegas (what happens in Vegas….).
And just who is practicing? Only our two faves, former Stanford Women’s Basketball players Candice Wiggins and Jayne Appel. And twenty-two other women, none of any importance….
Here’s an interesting side note. Last year right after the NCAA tournament ended, Geno wanted some competition to scrimmage against his US team so he invited a full squad of some WNBA players and some collegiate players. Stanford’s’ very own Kayla Pedersen was on that team last year. C and R wondered at that time why Brittney Griner was not included. We wanted to start a totally unsubstantiated rumor that Geno didn’t want to bring in Brittney because he still considered her a work in progress and he didn’t want to be the one to give her pointers to get her better because his UConn team was going to play her the following season (hee hee). Well, we have to kill that rumor before we start it because this year he DID invite BG to training camp. Also invited was Courtney Vandersloot, whose stock has risen in the basketball world from that NCAA play-off game vs. Stanford. Both Brittney and Vandy are “special guests” and could play their way on to the team and the Olympics next year.
Here’s Geno talking, quoted from the National Team Website.
“I can’t wait to get these guys on the court in Vegas,” said Geno Auriemma, 2009-12 USA National Team and University of Connecticut head coach. “This is going to be the first time we’ve had this many together and healthy at a training camp, and it’ll be interesting to see how bad some of these guys want to make the Olympic team, how much they hustle, fight for rebounds, I’m really looking forward to that.
“Then you add in the two new kids, Griner and Vandersloot. I’m anxious to see how they interact with some of the veterans. Certainly they’re a couple of great players, but I’m excited to see them go up against our National Team and try to earn their spot in our pool.”
Ah, turning it in to a competition and pitting the women against each other, eh Geno? Well, C and R wish all of them a healthy training session and a successful upcoming basketball season no matter what their level.
And just who is practicing? Only our two faves, former Stanford Women’s Basketball players Candice Wiggins and Jayne Appel. And twenty-two other women, none of any importance….
Here’s an interesting side note. Last year right after the NCAA tournament ended, Geno wanted some competition to scrimmage against his US team so he invited a full squad of some WNBA players and some collegiate players. Stanford’s’ very own Kayla Pedersen was on that team last year. C and R wondered at that time why Brittney Griner was not included. We wanted to start a totally unsubstantiated rumor that Geno didn’t want to bring in Brittney because he still considered her a work in progress and he didn’t want to be the one to give her pointers to get her better because his UConn team was going to play her the following season (hee hee). Well, we have to kill that rumor before we start it because this year he DID invite BG to training camp. Also invited was Courtney Vandersloot, whose stock has risen in the basketball world from that NCAA play-off game vs. Stanford. Both Brittney and Vandy are “special guests” and could play their way on to the team and the Olympics next year.
Here’s Geno talking, quoted from the National Team Website.
“I can’t wait to get these guys on the court in Vegas,” said Geno Auriemma, 2009-12 USA National Team and University of Connecticut head coach. “This is going to be the first time we’ve had this many together and healthy at a training camp, and it’ll be interesting to see how bad some of these guys want to make the Olympic team, how much they hustle, fight for rebounds, I’m really looking forward to that.
“Then you add in the two new kids, Griner and Vandersloot. I’m anxious to see how they interact with some of the veterans. Certainly they’re a couple of great players, but I’m excited to see them go up against our National Team and try to earn their spot in our pool.”
Ah, turning it in to a competition and pitting the women against each other, eh Geno? Well, C and R wish all of them a healthy training session and a successful upcoming basketball season no matter what their level.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Who's Number One?
The Women’s Basketball Rankings came out for this week and frankly, C and R are surprised. One, the powers that be (TPB) dropped UConn to number two after their loss to Stanford. Everyone (well, all our friends) thought TPB would still keep UConn number one, and are still arguably the number one team in basketball and the one to beat in the NCAA tournament. So who is number one, you ask? Baylor!
Baylor over UConn? Wait, didn’t UConn beat Baylor? C and R don’t understand that one. Duke is number three, and everyone is going to be looking at the match up of UConn and Duke at the end of January. Number four on both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN Coaches poll is Stanford. Actually, both polls agreed on numbers 1-4 and differ with Tennessee being number five on AP and Texas A and M five and Tennessee’s sixth on the coaches poll. So wait, didn’t Tennessee beat Stanford? C has to give a special shout out to R because she predicted Stanford would be 3 or 4 but above Tennessee and C was all, no, Tennessee beat Stanford, Stanford can’t be placed above Tennessee! But R had teh faith. Well, it’s good to know that TPB are looking at how the teams are playing that week and not the strict record.
TH writes in to ask how we think Stanford would match up with Baylor as they might meet in the NCAA tourney. We think you have to beat Baylor with lots and lots of threes and getting Baylor’s Brittney Griner in foul trouble. She can’t hurt you from the bench! Stanford could easily follow UConn’s game plan from last year’s NCAA tourney win over Baylor, which involved having their center, Tina Charles, drive inside and up and in against Brittney so she would collide with Brittney in the air and although BG might get the block, she would get the foul. Plus I think Maya Moore made was dead-on from outside. We think Kayla Pedersen could be the Stanford player to try and get Brittney in the air and foul with her body. Stanford also has a good supporting cast and if hot can hit outside, too, as well as provide stifling defense. Lastly, if Jeanette Pohlen is still red hot and firing up threes and driving in to the lane with Brittney on the bench, we think Stanford could pull it out.
First Stanford has to get past the Arizona schools this weekend.
Baylor over UConn? Wait, didn’t UConn beat Baylor? C and R don’t understand that one. Duke is number three, and everyone is going to be looking at the match up of UConn and Duke at the end of January. Number four on both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN Coaches poll is Stanford. Actually, both polls agreed on numbers 1-4 and differ with Tennessee being number five on AP and Texas A and M five and Tennessee’s sixth on the coaches poll. So wait, didn’t Tennessee beat Stanford? C has to give a special shout out to R because she predicted Stanford would be 3 or 4 but above Tennessee and C was all, no, Tennessee beat Stanford, Stanford can’t be placed above Tennessee! But R had teh faith. Well, it’s good to know that TPB are looking at how the teams are playing that week and not the strict record.
TH writes in to ask how we think Stanford would match up with Baylor as they might meet in the NCAA tourney. We think you have to beat Baylor with lots and lots of threes and getting Baylor’s Brittney Griner in foul trouble. She can’t hurt you from the bench! Stanford could easily follow UConn’s game plan from last year’s NCAA tourney win over Baylor, which involved having their center, Tina Charles, drive inside and up and in against Brittney so she would collide with Brittney in the air and although BG might get the block, she would get the foul. Plus I think Maya Moore made was dead-on from outside. We think Kayla Pedersen could be the Stanford player to try and get Brittney in the air and foul with her body. Stanford also has a good supporting cast and if hot can hit outside, too, as well as provide stifling defense. Lastly, if Jeanette Pohlen is still red hot and firing up threes and driving in to the lane with Brittney on the bench, we think Stanford could pull it out.
First Stanford has to get past the Arizona schools this weekend.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Streak is Still Alive
Someone asked C and R who they were rooting for in the UConn/Baylor match up. C had to scratch her head a minute (bedbugs), she didn’t know, she doesn’t like either team! Hate Uconn, given, but what does she have against Baylor? Well, she will tell you… Baylor has the “most unique” women’s college basketball player in the country right now in 6-8 Brittney Griner, yet C feels she is not coached well. She should be getting every rebound, and the Baylor guards should be throwing a post-entry pass to her every time down. They don’t, Brittney gets boxed out, and Baylor loses, that’s on Kim Mulkey.
R usually likes the underdog, which we both feel is Baylor, despite their “number two in the country” ranking. She is a tried and true Sanford fan who feels THEY should have gotten the number two ranking.
But we both admit the game of the year didn’t disappoint, coming down to one point game in the closing seconds.
There certainly was a unique player on the court all right, but her name was Maya Moore. Two-time player of the year for UConn, she was phenomenal in the first half. Her threes were from NBA range. She stops and elevates for scores. And her defense was outstanding. She helped in double-teaming Brittney Griner and stole a lot of those entry passes. Baylor had 17 turnovers in the first half alone, most of it trying to get it to Brittney.
Look, it’s not hard. Griner’s an athletic 6-8 and can jump. Have her hold her hands up and throw it about two feet above that. Case closed. Actually, Baylor surprised the heck out of C by getting Brittney the ball early in the game. She either made it or was fouled. Then it stopped. Could be Maya Moore’s double team, could be UConn took their freshmen center off of her and had 6-1 Samarie Walker push Brittney around. The smaller player did an outstanding job pushing Brittney away from the basket (Why is Brittney catching the ball at the top of the three point line? Coaching) and boxed her out after the shots. They made Brittney disappear and only have 6 points in the first half. Oh, Brittney missed her free throws (5-13 from the line). Sorry, this ain’t high school and you team needs every point, as this one came down to the wire. (Coaching, Coaching, Coaching!)
Then half time happened, and for the first five minutes or so of the second half, UConn continued their lead, going up 44-29. Then… somehow, Baylor found Brittney again and went on a 27-4 run. Maya Moore stayed stuck at 20 points. Baylor got Brittney the entry-level pass we were all waiting for, she turned and fired, drawing fouls and showing a nice soft touch around the basket, causing two UConn centers to foul out. Brittney added 13 points for the second half to make 19 for the game (compare that to Maya Moore’s 30). But C still believes Brittney is not the player she should be, and you need to play both halves and have a complete game.
UConn was up 44-29 as we mentioned and blew a 16-point lead, but came back from 8 down to make it a one-point game with 36 seconds left. Then, the worst coaching blunder cam from none other than Baylor’s Kim Mulkey. UConn had the ball with 36 seconds, Baylor plays great D and when Maya Moore finally got the shot off, Brittney blocked it out of bounds with 2 seconds on the shot clock for UConn and 8 seconds in the game. UConn calls a time out, comes back to the floor, and Kim doesn’t like the way they set up for the out of bounds play and calls a time out, using Baylor’s FINAL time out. Now if Baylor gets the rebound or Uconn makes it, they need that time out to stop the clock and move the ball closer to the basket. But no, they waste their last one.
Sure enough, Maya airballs it (Maya airballs?!), Baylor rebounds it with 5 seconds left in the game, and NO TIME OUTS! Baylor has to dribble the length of the floor and shoot a ball well beyond the three-point arc. It comes up waaaay short and C and R immediately switch to “Glee” and debate if we like Gwyneth Paltrow as a sub for Mr. Shoe or not (One for one against).
But first, the basketball announcer said Baylor didn’t even get the shot off in time had it gone in. Think back to Jeanette Pohlen racing the floor with 4.4 seconds left to beat Xavier. That happened after Tara had called time out!! (Coaching!)
Terrible mistake, Baylor loses, the streak is still alive and will be waiting for Stanford in December, for that game of the year.
R usually likes the underdog, which we both feel is Baylor, despite their “number two in the country” ranking. She is a tried and true Sanford fan who feels THEY should have gotten the number two ranking.
But we both admit the game of the year didn’t disappoint, coming down to one point game in the closing seconds.
There certainly was a unique player on the court all right, but her name was Maya Moore. Two-time player of the year for UConn, she was phenomenal in the first half. Her threes were from NBA range. She stops and elevates for scores. And her defense was outstanding. She helped in double-teaming Brittney Griner and stole a lot of those entry passes. Baylor had 17 turnovers in the first half alone, most of it trying to get it to Brittney.
Look, it’s not hard. Griner’s an athletic 6-8 and can jump. Have her hold her hands up and throw it about two feet above that. Case closed. Actually, Baylor surprised the heck out of C by getting Brittney the ball early in the game. She either made it or was fouled. Then it stopped. Could be Maya Moore’s double team, could be UConn took their freshmen center off of her and had 6-1 Samarie Walker push Brittney around. The smaller player did an outstanding job pushing Brittney away from the basket (Why is Brittney catching the ball at the top of the three point line? Coaching) and boxed her out after the shots. They made Brittney disappear and only have 6 points in the first half. Oh, Brittney missed her free throws (5-13 from the line). Sorry, this ain’t high school and you team needs every point, as this one came down to the wire. (Coaching, Coaching, Coaching!)
Then half time happened, and for the first five minutes or so of the second half, UConn continued their lead, going up 44-29. Then… somehow, Baylor found Brittney again and went on a 27-4 run. Maya Moore stayed stuck at 20 points. Baylor got Brittney the entry-level pass we were all waiting for, she turned and fired, drawing fouls and showing a nice soft touch around the basket, causing two UConn centers to foul out. Brittney added 13 points for the second half to make 19 for the game (compare that to Maya Moore’s 30). But C still believes Brittney is not the player she should be, and you need to play both halves and have a complete game.
UConn was up 44-29 as we mentioned and blew a 16-point lead, but came back from 8 down to make it a one-point game with 36 seconds left. Then, the worst coaching blunder cam from none other than Baylor’s Kim Mulkey. UConn had the ball with 36 seconds, Baylor plays great D and when Maya Moore finally got the shot off, Brittney blocked it out of bounds with 2 seconds on the shot clock for UConn and 8 seconds in the game. UConn calls a time out, comes back to the floor, and Kim doesn’t like the way they set up for the out of bounds play and calls a time out, using Baylor’s FINAL time out. Now if Baylor gets the rebound or Uconn makes it, they need that time out to stop the clock and move the ball closer to the basket. But no, they waste their last one.
Sure enough, Maya airballs it (Maya airballs?!), Baylor rebounds it with 5 seconds left in the game, and NO TIME OUTS! Baylor has to dribble the length of the floor and shoot a ball well beyond the three-point arc. It comes up waaaay short and C and R immediately switch to “Glee” and debate if we like Gwyneth Paltrow as a sub for Mr. Shoe or not (One for one against).
But first, the basketball announcer said Baylor didn’t even get the shot off in time had it gone in. Think back to Jeanette Pohlen racing the floor with 4.4 seconds left to beat Xavier. That happened after Tara had called time out!! (Coaching!)
Terrible mistake, Baylor loses, the streak is still alive and will be waiting for Stanford in December, for that game of the year.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Game of the Year?
So, when UConn was on our schedule to come here, to Maples in December, to play the Stanford Women’s Basketball team, the last team that beat them, what, three years ago, and then lost to them in the NCAA Championship game last year, and the game was going to be the exact number of games to beat the UCLA men’s basketball streak of consecutive wins, it was going to be the game of the century. Well, UConn’s league added in some meaningless games to their schedule and now the game against Stanford is not the magical number and besides, UConn has to get by -sniff- number two Baylor, tomorrow, so now that game is being called the game of the year... so far.
Of all teams not named Stanford, experts agree Baylor has the best shot of stopping UConn this season. Baylor is lead by 6-8 shot blocking/dunk machine Brittney Griner.
The game is being televised, and is set for 6 PM EST, and after a frantic search for all basketball games at 6 PM on our Tivo, we remembered our math and calculated the game starts at 3 PM our time. C and R have to work and or nap at that time, so we are taping it. Please don’t call, email, text, chat or send smoke signals about the game. We will be watching it later in the evening, unless “Glee” comes on, then we’re screwed.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how much Brittney Griner has improved. BTW, didn’t one of the Baylor guards quit? A quick internet-thingie search says it was starting point guard Kelli Griffin who quit days before the season opener. That can’t be good. And more googling turned up that the new Baylor freshmen guard, Makenzie Robertson is fiery Baylor coach Kim Mulkey’s daughter!! Wow, that’s got to be tough. We mean, has that even ever happened before, a Mom coaching her daughter in a DI school in a top 10 program?
Wonder if they had any special NCAA rules to follow about no contact or special gifts or considerations when she was in the recruiting process. (Not that we are saying Kim violated any rules, just that there are specific recruiting rules that would be hard to follow as mother/daughter, such as they can’t see/talk to each other before signing up, although maybe her daughter was a typical teenager and locked herself in her room 24/7!). Geez, how did we get so off-track? We just wanted to tell our faithful fans about this match up.
Anyway, tune in or record this game of the year and scout UConn for Tara, won’t you? We know we will. Hee hee (That’s Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer and we are SURE she would love to hear from us!)
Of all teams not named Stanford, experts agree Baylor has the best shot of stopping UConn this season. Baylor is lead by 6-8 shot blocking/dunk machine Brittney Griner.
The game is being televised, and is set for 6 PM EST, and after a frantic search for all basketball games at 6 PM on our Tivo, we remembered our math and calculated the game starts at 3 PM our time. C and R have to work and or nap at that time, so we are taping it. Please don’t call, email, text, chat or send smoke signals about the game. We will be watching it later in the evening, unless “Glee” comes on, then we’re screwed.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how much Brittney Griner has improved. BTW, didn’t one of the Baylor guards quit? A quick internet-thingie search says it was starting point guard Kelli Griffin who quit days before the season opener. That can’t be good. And more googling turned up that the new Baylor freshmen guard, Makenzie Robertson is fiery Baylor coach Kim Mulkey’s daughter!! Wow, that’s got to be tough. We mean, has that even ever happened before, a Mom coaching her daughter in a DI school in a top 10 program?
Wonder if they had any special NCAA rules to follow about no contact or special gifts or considerations when she was in the recruiting process. (Not that we are saying Kim violated any rules, just that there are specific recruiting rules that would be hard to follow as mother/daughter, such as they can’t see/talk to each other before signing up, although maybe her daughter was a typical teenager and locked herself in her room 24/7!). Geez, how did we get so off-track? We just wanted to tell our faithful fans about this match up.
Anyway, tune in or record this game of the year and scout UConn for Tara, won’t you? We know we will. Hee hee (That’s Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer and we are SURE she would love to hear from us!)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
April Fools
Okay, C and R, at the risk of being big April Fools, want to comment on Baylor’s 6’8” center Brittney Griner and to be even more foolish, give her coaching advice, because we have no national titles or conference titles or any pedigree in college coaching! So we’re completely qualified!
Everyone is talking about her strengths, which they should as she has many, but no one is talking about something subtler; how she is being coached.
Here are some observations we wanted to share. Really these are coaching observations, not criticisms against a young 19-year-old player who has gotten an inordinate amount of attention. Writing this basketball blog is fun for us, however sometimes we get caught up being too critical of young players. We need to remember they are student athletes and not professional players, trying to play up to the best of their ability. However, coaches are grown ups and get paid a salary to coach on a national stage to their best of their ability so we feel we can criticize more freely.
So C and R saw the elite eight Baylor/Duke game. Not a pretty game for either team. But it was our first full-game look at Brittney Griner, not just dunking or blocking clips, since we saw her in her first college game against Tennessee. We didn’t think she was ready for prime time then. But she has a whole season under her belt and we are sooo pinning our hopes on Baylor beating UConn in the Final Four.
So, Brittney Griner has a lot of strengths, as we mentioned. One is her shot blocking abilities. She already has the NCAA single season record for blocks (over 200 and counting), and the NCAA tournament record for blocks broken in 3 games (What is it- 32 and counting?), when the previous record took 6 games to accomplish. Harder to put in a statistical column is when she makes teams alter their shot selections, such as when a guard slashes inside, sees Brittney’s arms and keeps dribbling through the key back to the top. That’s huge!
Coaching Criticism Number One:
However, and here is the coaching criticism, and believe me, Baylor coach Kim Mulky is a big girl and can take it, they are misusing her. In the Duke game, Brittney came out of the paint to challenge a three point shot. She missed the block. Granted, she was quick and athletic and covered a lot of ground and did rattle the shooter. So much so that the Duke shooter missed. But where is 6’8” Brittney for the rebound? After lunging towards the three-point shooter, she is now on the three-point line and… stays there. She is out of position for any kind of rebound, and doesn’t even attempt to come back to the paint. This happened more than once. Coaching!
Instead, if C and R were the coach, we would say, “Brittney, you own the paint and don’t let anyone take a shot inside here. But you are not allowed to leave the key. If the other team does get a shot off, you are to get the rebound no matter where it goes.”
Which Brings Us to Coaching Criticism Number Two:
Many times we saw Brittney with her hands down for rebounds and not boxing out hard. Two BIG coaching fundamentals. C and R feel we are spoiled by Stanford, which preaches the fundamentals. We made it a point in the Stanford game immediately after the Baylor game to watch our bigs. They boxed out and stayed with the play every time. They might not have been the tallest player out there (Xavier had two players taller than ours), but Stanford put themselves in position to try to get every rebound and worked hard for it.
If Brittney is standing in the middle of the key, with her long arm span, she should be getting every rebound. A check on the NCAA site for statistics says Brittney has 291 rebounds for the season. Baylor’s 6’1 player, Morghan Medlock has 274. Hmmm. Stanford senior Jayne Appel, at 6’4, averaged 311 for her four-year career. You could say the stats are close, but the point is with better positioning and readiness, Brittney should be getting even more! She should be breaking the records for rebounds, too.
Again, have Brittney stay near the basket, maybe sacrifice a few blocks but make up for it by getting more rebounds.
Coaching Criticism Number Three:
Brittney disappears offensively for long stretches of the game. She did not attempt a shot in the first 10 minutes of the second half in the Duke game. Sometimes she did not even touch the ball in the 30-second play. That is inexcusable. Well, in Brittney’s defense, she cannot score if her teammates do not pass her the ball. And her teammates would drive in and shoot (and miss), not play a passing game. (Spoiled by Stanford, who pass, pass, pass for the open shot). That’s a coach’s decision on how she wants her team to be run. However, you have the best weapon in basketball that can give you a high percentage shot. Why let the lower percentage drives against double teams and off –balance shots happen?
During a timeout in the Duke game, the announcers showed a little graphic of Brittney with her hands up near her basket. Then they put a circle above her hands. Her wingspan is listed as 86”. Above her upraised hands is, oh, let’s say 8 feet. And Brittney can jump. They announcers said, throw it to this circle above her hands where no one can get it but Brittney and then have her turn and shoot. Then they showed the ONE play where Baylor did that. She made the basket. No one was close to getting the ball but her. In fact, the other team, with their up-stretched hands, come up to her elbows and hit her elbows but she did not get the foul call. This play is unstoppable, but they had only done it once in about 30 minutes of play! Only once!?
Here’s how a coach solves this problem of selfish team play and not passing to their unstoppable center:
Kim to point guards: Pass the ball to Brittney up high-do not drive in.
Point Guards: Yes m'am.
Kim to point guards: You drove in by yourself and missed; if you don't pass the ball to Brittney up high I will bench you and put in someone who will pass to our center. Do you understand me?
Point Guards: Yes m'am.
Result: Fifty passes to Brittney up high and nothing the other team can do but watch her score or foul her. However, if the coach is not asking her guards to do that, you can’t fault them for not passing. Chicken or the egg, we guess. However, Kim should have every play run through Brittney until the other team can figure out how to stop her. Then have someone who can knock down threes.
So, here is C and R’s patented plan for Baylor to beat UConn. Defensively, put one player on Maya Moore and keep Brittney in the paint to stop anything else. Heck, play man to man and even put two players on Maya Moore and let Brittney stay in the paint to stop the other players who think they are open. And have her box out hard with her arms up and then have her stick her arms out to get every single rebound. Do not give UConn offensive rebounds. Offensively, throw it to Brittney up high, have her catch, turn and shoot and get UConn center Tina Charles in foul trouble. Every single play until they stop it. And UConn is not deep at the center position. Get Tina Chares on the bench with two or three fouls. In the Florida State/UConn game Maya Moore got in foul trouble with two fouls and sat for most of the first half. The team goes flat without her in there. Sending Tina to the bench early would help. Sending Maya to the bench early would help Baylor out a lot more. Having both on the bench will win you the game. Let’s see, Maya Moore likes to drive into the key. Could Brittney be tempted to forgo the obvious block, set her feet, and take the charge on Maya Moore to get her in foul trouble? Now that would be coaching!
Anyway, we hope Baylor uses Brittney to their advantage and that she has an amazing game. C and R might be as selfish as the Baylor guards, but Baylor beating UConn, wouldn’t that be something? And something for Stanford?
Everyone is talking about her strengths, which they should as she has many, but no one is talking about something subtler; how she is being coached.
Here are some observations we wanted to share. Really these are coaching observations, not criticisms against a young 19-year-old player who has gotten an inordinate amount of attention. Writing this basketball blog is fun for us, however sometimes we get caught up being too critical of young players. We need to remember they are student athletes and not professional players, trying to play up to the best of their ability. However, coaches are grown ups and get paid a salary to coach on a national stage to their best of their ability so we feel we can criticize more freely.
So C and R saw the elite eight Baylor/Duke game. Not a pretty game for either team. But it was our first full-game look at Brittney Griner, not just dunking or blocking clips, since we saw her in her first college game against Tennessee. We didn’t think she was ready for prime time then. But she has a whole season under her belt and we are sooo pinning our hopes on Baylor beating UConn in the Final Four.
So, Brittney Griner has a lot of strengths, as we mentioned. One is her shot blocking abilities. She already has the NCAA single season record for blocks (over 200 and counting), and the NCAA tournament record for blocks broken in 3 games (What is it- 32 and counting?), when the previous record took 6 games to accomplish. Harder to put in a statistical column is when she makes teams alter their shot selections, such as when a guard slashes inside, sees Brittney’s arms and keeps dribbling through the key back to the top. That’s huge!
Coaching Criticism Number One:
However, and here is the coaching criticism, and believe me, Baylor coach Kim Mulky is a big girl and can take it, they are misusing her. In the Duke game, Brittney came out of the paint to challenge a three point shot. She missed the block. Granted, she was quick and athletic and covered a lot of ground and did rattle the shooter. So much so that the Duke shooter missed. But where is 6’8” Brittney for the rebound? After lunging towards the three-point shooter, she is now on the three-point line and… stays there. She is out of position for any kind of rebound, and doesn’t even attempt to come back to the paint. This happened more than once. Coaching!
Instead, if C and R were the coach, we would say, “Brittney, you own the paint and don’t let anyone take a shot inside here. But you are not allowed to leave the key. If the other team does get a shot off, you are to get the rebound no matter where it goes.”
Which Brings Us to Coaching Criticism Number Two:
Many times we saw Brittney with her hands down for rebounds and not boxing out hard. Two BIG coaching fundamentals. C and R feel we are spoiled by Stanford, which preaches the fundamentals. We made it a point in the Stanford game immediately after the Baylor game to watch our bigs. They boxed out and stayed with the play every time. They might not have been the tallest player out there (Xavier had two players taller than ours), but Stanford put themselves in position to try to get every rebound and worked hard for it.
If Brittney is standing in the middle of the key, with her long arm span, she should be getting every rebound. A check on the NCAA site for statistics says Brittney has 291 rebounds for the season. Baylor’s 6’1 player, Morghan Medlock has 274. Hmmm. Stanford senior Jayne Appel, at 6’4, averaged 311 for her four-year career. You could say the stats are close, but the point is with better positioning and readiness, Brittney should be getting even more! She should be breaking the records for rebounds, too.
Again, have Brittney stay near the basket, maybe sacrifice a few blocks but make up for it by getting more rebounds.
Coaching Criticism Number Three:
Brittney disappears offensively for long stretches of the game. She did not attempt a shot in the first 10 minutes of the second half in the Duke game. Sometimes she did not even touch the ball in the 30-second play. That is inexcusable. Well, in Brittney’s defense, she cannot score if her teammates do not pass her the ball. And her teammates would drive in and shoot (and miss), not play a passing game. (Spoiled by Stanford, who pass, pass, pass for the open shot). That’s a coach’s decision on how she wants her team to be run. However, you have the best weapon in basketball that can give you a high percentage shot. Why let the lower percentage drives against double teams and off –balance shots happen?
During a timeout in the Duke game, the announcers showed a little graphic of Brittney with her hands up near her basket. Then they put a circle above her hands. Her wingspan is listed as 86”. Above her upraised hands is, oh, let’s say 8 feet. And Brittney can jump. They announcers said, throw it to this circle above her hands where no one can get it but Brittney and then have her turn and shoot. Then they showed the ONE play where Baylor did that. She made the basket. No one was close to getting the ball but her. In fact, the other team, with their up-stretched hands, come up to her elbows and hit her elbows but she did not get the foul call. This play is unstoppable, but they had only done it once in about 30 minutes of play! Only once!?
Here’s how a coach solves this problem of selfish team play and not passing to their unstoppable center:
Kim to point guards: Pass the ball to Brittney up high-do not drive in.
Point Guards: Yes m'am.
Kim to point guards: You drove in by yourself and missed; if you don't pass the ball to Brittney up high I will bench you and put in someone who will pass to our center. Do you understand me?
Point Guards: Yes m'am.
Result: Fifty passes to Brittney up high and nothing the other team can do but watch her score or foul her. However, if the coach is not asking her guards to do that, you can’t fault them for not passing. Chicken or the egg, we guess. However, Kim should have every play run through Brittney until the other team can figure out how to stop her. Then have someone who can knock down threes.
So, here is C and R’s patented plan for Baylor to beat UConn. Defensively, put one player on Maya Moore and keep Brittney in the paint to stop anything else. Heck, play man to man and even put two players on Maya Moore and let Brittney stay in the paint to stop the other players who think they are open. And have her box out hard with her arms up and then have her stick her arms out to get every single rebound. Do not give UConn offensive rebounds. Offensively, throw it to Brittney up high, have her catch, turn and shoot and get UConn center Tina Charles in foul trouble. Every single play until they stop it. And UConn is not deep at the center position. Get Tina Chares on the bench with two or three fouls. In the Florida State/UConn game Maya Moore got in foul trouble with two fouls and sat for most of the first half. The team goes flat without her in there. Sending Tina to the bench early would help. Sending Maya to the bench early would help Baylor out a lot more. Having both on the bench will win you the game. Let’s see, Maya Moore likes to drive into the key. Could Brittney be tempted to forgo the obvious block, set her feet, and take the charge on Maya Moore to get her in foul trouble? Now that would be coaching!
Anyway, we hope Baylor uses Brittney to their advantage and that she has an amazing game. C and R might be as selfish as the Baylor guards, but Baylor beating UConn, wouldn’t that be something? And something for Stanford?
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
THE Play!
Okay, now that C and R’s heart rate have gone back done and the adrenaline rush is finally starting to wear off over the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team’s Elite Eight win over Xavier, let’s review and analyze THE play, over and over and over again! (BTW, C's Wednesday Basketball group took turns reenacting the missed lay-ups and racing down the court in 4 seconds. And we are grown women. Everyone is still giddy!)
Yes, they did draw up that play in the timeout; mostly it was Stanford Associate Head Coach’s Amy Tucker’s plan. It was funny, in the timeout, C and R were thinking, don’t throw a long baseball pass like Notre Dame did when they needed a basket in the final seconds and threw it into a crowd and lost the ball without touching it. And Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer thought the same thing, only a day earlier (great minds think alike, except Tara thinks much more quickly and at a higher level then C and R!). Tara had watched that game and asked her assistants what they would do in that situation, playing “what if,” like we all do, except we play, “what if we won the lottery?” (C and R’s answer: buy the Sacramento Monarchs and have them play at Santa Clara’s Levy Center). Anyhoo, in the Stanford coaches make-believe game, they decided they would give it to a fast guard, not knowing they would need this advice the next day. Isn’t that like Stanford, already having the answer without being yet asked the question? Chance favors a prepared mind, says Louis Pasteur. Fate is on their side, say C and R.
So, in that timeout with 4.4 seconds to go, Stanford coaches could afford to be calm and collected because they had thought of what to do already. (Nothing like turning to your coaches and saying, "What the tinkle bells do we do now?" with the look of a deer in the headlights to inspire confidence in your players). The assistant coaches kept telling Jeanette, “Four seconds is a long time.”
When the ball was inbounded, JJ Hones, an unsung hero on defense, set the screen to free Pohlen and she raced up the sidelines, always risky if you get trapped. In fact, Xavier’s Amber Harris was going to the sideline to do just that and stopped, unbelievably, letting Pohlen go right by her. She had four fouls and said she couldn’t risk fouling her. Stanford’s Nneka Ogumike even tried to set a screen for Pohlen and missed and... stopped at half court. Nneka said, “I was paralyzed just watching what was going to happen.”
As Jeanette was off to the races, C and R wondered where was everybody? Said Pohlen, "Everybody was behind me. Once I crossed half court, I think there was someone to my left and [Xavier forward] April [Phillips] was right there, and all I could do was really just go at her. I didn't really have anything else to do. I don't even think anyone from my team was even down there (they weren't, say C and R). So it wasn't even like I could dish it to somebody.”
As a coach, do you yell at everyone else from Stanford for standing around and watching or praise everyone for keeping their defender back and move on. C and R think in this case you say congratulations everybody and move on. Hopefully your team won’t play so poorly next time to be put in that situation where they need a last second basket.
Now for some awards:
Jayne Appel and Kayla Pedersen were named to the Sacramento Regional All-Tournament team. Stanford’s Nneka Ogwumike was named the regional’s “Most Outstanding Player.” Congrats, Jayne, Kayla and Nneka, our three trees.
The Associated Press named their All-American Teams today. Stanford did not have a player on the first team, which C and R find surprising. The first team was Maya Moore and UConn teammate Tina Charles (deservedly so), Nebraska's Kelsey Griffin, Virginia's Monica Wright and Ohio State's Jantel Lavender. Jayne and Nneka did make the second team. The second team consisted of Oklahoma State senior Andrea Riley, Stanford senior Jayne Appel and sophomore Nneka Ogwumike, Middle Tennessee State senior Alysha Clark and Baylor freshman Brittney Griner.
Ohio State’s Lavender better than Jayne or Nneka? Not from where C and R are sitting. And Jayne and Nneka are head and shoulders above Brittney Griner, in terms of over-all skills and a more complete game. Brittney is a shot blocking machine, but inconsistent in both her offense and defensive skills, often disappearing for long stretches of the game on both ends of the court. Although she is our last great hope to defeat UConn before Stanford has to meet them.
One announcer said UConn’s Tina Charles and Brittney Griner will cancel each other out and it will come down to the supporting cast, and UConn has the better supporting cast by far. More on BG later.
Yes, they did draw up that play in the timeout; mostly it was Stanford Associate Head Coach’s Amy Tucker’s plan. It was funny, in the timeout, C and R were thinking, don’t throw a long baseball pass like Notre Dame did when they needed a basket in the final seconds and threw it into a crowd and lost the ball without touching it. And Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer thought the same thing, only a day earlier (great minds think alike, except Tara thinks much more quickly and at a higher level then C and R!). Tara had watched that game and asked her assistants what they would do in that situation, playing “what if,” like we all do, except we play, “what if we won the lottery?” (C and R’s answer: buy the Sacramento Monarchs and have them play at Santa Clara’s Levy Center). Anyhoo, in the Stanford coaches make-believe game, they decided they would give it to a fast guard, not knowing they would need this advice the next day. Isn’t that like Stanford, already having the answer without being yet asked the question? Chance favors a prepared mind, says Louis Pasteur. Fate is on their side, say C and R.
So, in that timeout with 4.4 seconds to go, Stanford coaches could afford to be calm and collected because they had thought of what to do already. (Nothing like turning to your coaches and saying, "What the tinkle bells do we do now?" with the look of a deer in the headlights to inspire confidence in your players). The assistant coaches kept telling Jeanette, “Four seconds is a long time.”
When the ball was inbounded, JJ Hones, an unsung hero on defense, set the screen to free Pohlen and she raced up the sidelines, always risky if you get trapped. In fact, Xavier’s Amber Harris was going to the sideline to do just that and stopped, unbelievably, letting Pohlen go right by her. She had four fouls and said she couldn’t risk fouling her. Stanford’s Nneka Ogumike even tried to set a screen for Pohlen and missed and... stopped at half court. Nneka said, “I was paralyzed just watching what was going to happen.”
As Jeanette was off to the races, C and R wondered where was everybody? Said Pohlen, "Everybody was behind me. Once I crossed half court, I think there was someone to my left and [Xavier forward] April [Phillips] was right there, and all I could do was really just go at her. I didn't really have anything else to do. I don't even think anyone from my team was even down there (they weren't, say C and R). So it wasn't even like I could dish it to somebody.”
As a coach, do you yell at everyone else from Stanford for standing around and watching or praise everyone for keeping their defender back and move on. C and R think in this case you say congratulations everybody and move on. Hopefully your team won’t play so poorly next time to be put in that situation where they need a last second basket.
Now for some awards:
Jayne Appel and Kayla Pedersen were named to the Sacramento Regional All-Tournament team. Stanford’s Nneka Ogwumike was named the regional’s “Most Outstanding Player.” Congrats, Jayne, Kayla and Nneka, our three trees.
The Associated Press named their All-American Teams today. Stanford did not have a player on the first team, which C and R find surprising. The first team was Maya Moore and UConn teammate Tina Charles (deservedly so), Nebraska's Kelsey Griffin, Virginia's Monica Wright and Ohio State's Jantel Lavender. Jayne and Nneka did make the second team. The second team consisted of Oklahoma State senior Andrea Riley, Stanford senior Jayne Appel and sophomore Nneka Ogwumike, Middle Tennessee State senior Alysha Clark and Baylor freshman Brittney Griner.
Ohio State’s Lavender better than Jayne or Nneka? Not from where C and R are sitting. And Jayne and Nneka are head and shoulders above Brittney Griner, in terms of over-all skills and a more complete game. Brittney is a shot blocking machine, but inconsistent in both her offense and defensive skills, often disappearing for long stretches of the game on both ends of the court. Although she is our last great hope to defeat UConn before Stanford has to meet them.
One announcer said UConn’s Tina Charles and Brittney Griner will cancel each other out and it will come down to the supporting cast, and UConn has the better supporting cast by far. More on BG later.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Yes, We Weigh in On Brittney Griner
Hi, this is C here, reporting on something about women’s basketball that doesn’t have anything to do with Stanford. One thing I have been meaning to do is write about Baylor’s freshman sensation Brittney Griner, but I have been too busy/lazy. I thought I could continue being busy/lazy, but this week’s circumstances have sorta forced the issue. So here I am talking about Brittney Griner.
Let’s recap. Brittney Griner is a freshman that stands 6’8" and has already been a You Tube sensation for her dunking abilities in high school, and was expected to "play above the rim”, meaning dunking many times in college and being an incredible shot blocker. Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey, perhaps giving in to the hype, started her in their first game this year, against powerhouse Tennessee, of all teams. In my opinion, she was not ready to play college level ball, especially not against a well-coached Tennessee team. I watched her being tentative and she stood around with her hands down while rebounding. She did not move if the rebound did not come directly to her. I was sure she would be great player soon, but questioned the coach’s decision to start her with so much media attention on her. Looking back, even Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer did not start Jayne Appel in her first game as a freshman, but used her off the bench wisely. She made sure she was ready before inserting her (permanently) in the starting line up.
Since that first game Brittney has become more confident, has dunked in several games, and even twice in a game, the first women’s player to do so. Not only do defenses have to worry about her dunking and shooting at the top of her elevation, which is nearly unstoppable, but they have also have to worry about her blocking shots like nobody’s business. She makes opposing players alter their game when they drive in on her. She already holds the Big 12 single-season blocks record. Good for her, glad to see her coming along. ESPN’s Graham Hays agrees.
Although I did read one team beat Baylor by raining threes down on Griner and company, with Griner standing helplessly under the basket. If Stanford does play them in the NCAA tourney, I am sure Tara VanDeveer will take note of that.
However, something disturbing happened. On March 4th, Brittney Griner punched Texas Tech’s Jordan Barncastle in the face after the two tangled in the second half. Watch the hit (and Jordan’s Barncastle’s foul) here. Brittney broke Jordan’s nose with that swing.
In case you can’t get that video, Griner and Barncastle were battling for position near the lane before Barncastle spun around and sent Griner towards the ground. As a foul was called on Barncastle, Griner straightened up and took two steps toward her before throwing a roundhouse punch with her right hand. Make no mistake, Barncastle was playing dirty. However, it’s about on the same level we here at Stanford have seen teams do to Jayne Appel and Nneka Ogwumike. Neither has punched anybody.
After the hit, both teams pushed and shoved, players had to be separated and technicals were given. Officials stopped play to review the tape for about 10 minutes before assessing a flagrant and technical foul against Griner and ejecting her from the game. Baylor’s Morghan Medlock was also given a technical foul and the Tech bench also received a technical. Baylor still won 69-60.
Brittney will be suspended for two games. She will miss the last regular season game and the next game she will miss happens to be the start of the Big 12 Tournament. She also issued a written apology.
Mechelle Voepel, also with ESPN weighs in with her opinion, one C and R highly value. Mechelle makes a very astute observation. In that same game where Brittney dunked twice, her team was beating Texas State 99-18 at the time. Brittney, being about 19 years old, got a little emotional. Mechelle wrote:
“At one point, she swatted away a shot, and then sort of hovered over and stared down at her opponent. It was brief but noticeable. And after one of her dunks, she ran back up the court yelling, shaking her head and tapping her chest.”
C and R never like “showboating, trash talking, taunting or bullying” of any kind, and it has no place in sports. Neither does punching.
Quoting Mechelle again:
“People can, and will, point out the physical contact that came before the punch. But players getting locked up, frustrated and overly forceful with each other happens quite often in basketball. Usually a foul is called on one side or both, and the official tells the participants to cool it…. However, taking it to the next level of ‘losing your cool’ -- throwing a punch -- is a place you just don't go. And if you do, you know you're in trouble.”
I agree. There is no place for throwing a punch in basketball. And if so, you get punished. Okay, I just paraphrased Mechelle, but I think you know where I stand.
See ya at Cal for an early 12:30 PM tip-off,
C-
More Women's College Basketball, although it is mostly Stanford stuuf at the original C and R's Stanford Women's Basketball Blog
Let’s recap. Brittney Griner is a freshman that stands 6’8" and has already been a You Tube sensation for her dunking abilities in high school, and was expected to "play above the rim”, meaning dunking many times in college and being an incredible shot blocker. Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey, perhaps giving in to the hype, started her in their first game this year, against powerhouse Tennessee, of all teams. In my opinion, she was not ready to play college level ball, especially not against a well-coached Tennessee team. I watched her being tentative and she stood around with her hands down while rebounding. She did not move if the rebound did not come directly to her. I was sure she would be great player soon, but questioned the coach’s decision to start her with so much media attention on her. Looking back, even Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer did not start Jayne Appel in her first game as a freshman, but used her off the bench wisely. She made sure she was ready before inserting her (permanently) in the starting line up.
Since that first game Brittney has become more confident, has dunked in several games, and even twice in a game, the first women’s player to do so. Not only do defenses have to worry about her dunking and shooting at the top of her elevation, which is nearly unstoppable, but they have also have to worry about her blocking shots like nobody’s business. She makes opposing players alter their game when they drive in on her. She already holds the Big 12 single-season blocks record. Good for her, glad to see her coming along. ESPN’s Graham Hays agrees.
Although I did read one team beat Baylor by raining threes down on Griner and company, with Griner standing helplessly under the basket. If Stanford does play them in the NCAA tourney, I am sure Tara VanDeveer will take note of that.
However, something disturbing happened. On March 4th, Brittney Griner punched Texas Tech’s Jordan Barncastle in the face after the two tangled in the second half. Watch the hit (and Jordan’s Barncastle’s foul) here. Brittney broke Jordan’s nose with that swing.
In case you can’t get that video, Griner and Barncastle were battling for position near the lane before Barncastle spun around and sent Griner towards the ground. As a foul was called on Barncastle, Griner straightened up and took two steps toward her before throwing a roundhouse punch with her right hand. Make no mistake, Barncastle was playing dirty. However, it’s about on the same level we here at Stanford have seen teams do to Jayne Appel and Nneka Ogwumike. Neither has punched anybody.
After the hit, both teams pushed and shoved, players had to be separated and technicals were given. Officials stopped play to review the tape for about 10 minutes before assessing a flagrant and technical foul against Griner and ejecting her from the game. Baylor’s Morghan Medlock was also given a technical foul and the Tech bench also received a technical. Baylor still won 69-60.
Brittney will be suspended for two games. She will miss the last regular season game and the next game she will miss happens to be the start of the Big 12 Tournament. She also issued a written apology.
Mechelle Voepel, also with ESPN weighs in with her opinion, one C and R highly value. Mechelle makes a very astute observation. In that same game where Brittney dunked twice, her team was beating Texas State 99-18 at the time. Brittney, being about 19 years old, got a little emotional. Mechelle wrote:
“At one point, she swatted away a shot, and then sort of hovered over and stared down at her opponent. It was brief but noticeable. And after one of her dunks, she ran back up the court yelling, shaking her head and tapping her chest.”
C and R never like “showboating, trash talking, taunting or bullying” of any kind, and it has no place in sports. Neither does punching.
Quoting Mechelle again:
“People can, and will, point out the physical contact that came before the punch. But players getting locked up, frustrated and overly forceful with each other happens quite often in basketball. Usually a foul is called on one side or both, and the official tells the participants to cool it…. However, taking it to the next level of ‘losing your cool’ -- throwing a punch -- is a place you just don't go. And if you do, you know you're in trouble.”
I agree. There is no place for throwing a punch in basketball. And if so, you get punished. Okay, I just paraphrased Mechelle, but I think you know where I stand.
See ya at Cal for an early 12:30 PM tip-off,
C-
More Women's College Basketball, although it is mostly Stanford stuuf at the original C and R's Stanford Women's Basketball Blog
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Slam Dunk
Baylor Freshman Brittney Griner dunked. Seventh woman in college. Last one was Candace Parker. Happy T-day!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Fun With Freshmen
Oh, I forgot to mention when I was at the Pepperdine game WITHOUT R, who was getting her roots done…see that long sentence from the Pepperdine blog….. Maples showed this really funny video of the two freshmen, Joslyn Tinkle and Mikaela Ruef, two players whose names my spell checker hates.
Anyhoo, another word my spell checker hates, the video was entitled “Superheroes with Ineffective Powers”. And it was really, really, funny (Form of SOMETHING else round!). Not only did this video feature the two freshmen, it featured Tinkle and her boot. Her foot is still in a boot like cast. At one point she tries to run and kick a ball and she limps about two inches a step.
Here is the setup. Two Evil Guys steal superfan Woodina. Yes, that is NOT a typo. Last year, if you remember your You Tube Lore, a really cute video of Jayne and the team asking “Woody”, a six-inch wooden artists model doll, how to get to the game or something like that. I guess this year they decided the name Woody was not appropriate for women’s basketball so he/she is named Woodina. So the eveil guys steal Woodina and the two freshmen try to get her back. Check it out.
So just what is up with Tinkle’s booted foot? Jake Curtis of the San Francisco Examiner reported this about Joslyn Tinkle:
Joslyn Tinkle will be sidelined for several games after an MRI detected a problem with a bone in her foot. ”I don’t know whether it’s a stress reaction or a stress fracture or a bone bruise, but it’s not right,” VanDerveer said.We also found this cute interview with the two freshmen and here how they roomed together during summer school/orientation. Oh, Mikaela Ruef, (Roof from now on in this blog) is from Beavercreek Ohio. We didn’t point this out to make fun of the city’s name, you can do that easily enough at home, but because C is from a little town outside of Dayton called West Carrollton Ohio. West Carrollton is very close to Beavercreek, so we are practically from the same hometown! I think we played them in high school basketball. Of course that was before Roof’s time, probably before she was born!
We do learn Roof is a leftie. My friend, N, noticed that in the Pepperdine game. I took it for granted because although Jayne is a rightie, she goes to her left so well. She must practice that a lot because that is hard to do. I am sure it an advantage for Jayne because defenses are used to playing right handed players and trying to force them left out of their comfort zone. Jayne takes what they give her and scores at will. Let’s hope Roof can utilize her left-handedness, too.
We do have one question for Tinkle. In the video, she wears a hat with “(406)” on it. She says it is the area code for Montana. C and R want to know, is it the areas code for the whole state of Montana? Anyway, watch and enjoy for yourself. See ya at the game.P.S.
We just discovered we can make the drive to UC Davis to see Stanford win on the road. Hannah Donaghe’s older sister, Haylee, plays for UC Davis. For last year’s game, Haylee was out with a torn ACL. This year Haylee is healthy and Hannah is out with a torn ACL. That can only mean one of two things. One, torn ACL’s run in the family, or two, their mother really, really doesn’t want to see them play against each other and has somehow jinxed them so she will not be torn about which team to root for. And we just discovered Baylor is playing Cal across the bay. Let’s hope Brittney Griner is up for the challenge and gets her first college dunk at Haas Pavilion!
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