[81alum]

At some point during one of the chalk talks early last fall, Tempie commented on all the frosh.  Tempie is always positive about everyone, but as I recall she said something about everyone arriving at different stages of being ready for the college game, and it was clear that Rooks was simply behind in that regard.  I got the impression that much of the issue was physical--I wish I could replay that talk in my head, but it was something like "Taylor is coming along, she just needs to adjust to the faster, more physical style of the college game."  She and McPhee came in as highly touted wings, but all the attention was on McPhee even though she had to overcome an injury and missed much of fall training before she could get on the court.  Think about it...McPhee missed seven weeks with an injury and still was the first of the two to get significant playing time.  The coaches decided early on that Rooks was going to be a longer term project.

Even so, I think this is a shame.  Not all of our best players have four successful years--many of them take several years to develop.  Taylor Greenfield took 3 1/2 years, unfortunately.  Ruef did not excel until she was a redshirt junior.  There is no reason to doubt that Rooks would have followed in their footsteps and eventually developed into an important contributor. 

Good wings are not easy to come by.  We graduated Bonnie and Greenfield and there would have been a lot more playing time for the two genuine wings that we have left--McPhee and Rooks.  None of the 2015 class is a wing--they are too tall (Coffee or Smith) or too short (Romano or Sniezek.)  Karlie is a 6' sharpshooter and will probably anchor the 3 provided she is healthy, but there would have been many more opportunities this year than last.  The three is now owned by Karlie and Brittany, provided they stay healthy.

What that means is that it is critical to recruit a wing or two in the 2016 class.  Natalie Chou is a 6'1" guard, and would seem to be the perfect choice. 

[81alum]

At some point during one of the chalk talks early last fall, Tempie commented on all the frosh.  Tempie is always positive about everyone, but as I recall she said something about everyone arriving at different stages of being ready for the college game, and it was clear that Rooks was simply behind in that regard.  I got the impression that much of the issue was physical--I wish I could replay that talk in my head, but it was something like "Taylor is coming along, she just needs to adjust to the faster, more physical style of the college game."  She and McPhee came in as highly touted wings, but all the attention was on McPhee even though she had to overcome an injury and missed much of fall training before she could get on the court.  Think about it...McPhee missed seven weeks with an injury and still was the first of the two to get significant playing time.  The coaches decided early on that Rooks was going to be a longer term project.

Even so, I think this is a shame.  Not all of our best players have four successful years--many of them take several years to develop.  Taylor Greenfield took 3 1/2 years, unfortunately.  Ruef did not excel until she was a redshirt junior.  There is no reason to doubt that Rooks would have followed in their footsteps and eventually developed into an important contributor. 

Good wings are not easy to come by.  We graduated Bonnie and Greenfield and there would have been a lot more playing time for the two genuine wings that we have left--McPhee and Rooks.  None of the 2015 class is a wing--they are too tall (Coffee or Smith) or too short (Romano or Sniezek.)  Karlie is a 6' sharpshooter and will probably anchor the 3 provided she is healthy, but there would have been many more opportunities this year than last.  The three is now owned by Karlie and Brittany, provided they stay healthy.

What that means is that it is critical to recruit a wing or two in the 2016 class.  Natalie Chou is a 6'1" guard, and would seem to be the perfect choice.