1) I will save my Tara comments for the other thread. But the terrific atmosphere at this sold-out game should be noted. This kind of attendance and crowd are deserved for every game. And I think that kind of crowd and enthusiasm makes a difference.
2) Iriafen--wow. 36 points. Trying to remember the 30 point games I have seen in Stanford WBB recently. The question is whether she has the talent to have this kind of performance every game, or whether this was a very special "in-the-zone" moment for her. It is now very clear that necessity is the mother of invention--that the removal of the restricted area from WBB, combined with the way the game is officiated, means that players like Brink and Iriafen have to be able to make mid range jumpers as a part of their toolset. Earlier this year Iriafen mentioned at a presser that she was working on her three point shot, and in practice I saw her make several go down. So it is not a shock that she has added this. Consistency has yet to be proven. But for now, at 2/4 three point attempts this season, she leads the team at 50%!
3) Another outstanding game from Lepolo. Without her we lose both the games this weekend. I say that not only because her offense is heating up, her assists are excellent, few turnovers--but her defense against the opposing teams' best players. TVO had 8 points and didn't make a three.
4) I am worried about Jump. I wonder if all her hard work on defense has somehow distracted her or sapped her energy. 0/6 from three, and it seemed that some of those she was pressing. Yes, she has a really quick release, but she did not have to be that quick on a few of the attempts. Would her accuracy improve if she got set just a bit better? She is down to 33% for the season, by far her worst year, and is behind several other Stanford players. Harriel and Lepolo, even Brink and Agara, are shooting for a higher percentage and a few of them have quite a few attempts.
5) I thought Demetre played quite well. I really like her side-step three point shot, a shot Jump has yet to make consistently. Jump is best with catch-and-shoot, Demetre seems to do well after side-stepping and shooting.
6) Except for Iriafen's exceptional performance, this seemed like a lot of other grind-it-out Stanford/OSU games. Both Tara and Rueck scheme to take away their opponent's strengths, and our games together tend to be low scoring.
7) I really, really liked Harriel's play today. She deserved to have a good day. Her shooting was not "on" for a change, but she had 3 steals and 0 turnovers. Eliminating those turnovers was on the top of my mind for what she had to do to earn more serious minutes, and I think she is on her way. Her defense is looking very strong.
8) Not sure how much the TV audience caught of the various post-game remarks, but Tara notes that all the OSU players and coaches congratulated her in the receiving line at the end. Rueck and his players showed class today.
2) Iriafen--wow. 36 points. Trying to remember the 30 point games I have seen in Stanford WBB recently. The question is whether she has the talent to have this kind of performance every game, or whether this was a very special "in-the-zone" moment for her. It is now very clear that necessity is the mother of invention--that the removal of the restricted area from WBB, combined with the way the game is officiated, means that players like Brink and Iriafen have to be able to make mid range jumpers as a part of their toolset. Earlier this year Iriafen mentioned at a presser that she was working on her three point shot, and in practice I saw her make several go down. So it is not a shock that she has added this. Consistency has yet to be proven. But for now, at 2/4 three point attempts this season, she leads the team at 50%!
3) Another outstanding game from Lepolo. Without her we lose both the games this weekend. I say that not only because her offense is heating up, her assists are excellent, few turnovers--but her defense against the opposing teams' best players. TVO had 8 points and didn't make a three.
4) I am worried about Jump. I wonder if all her hard work on defense has somehow distracted her or sapped her energy. 0/6 from three, and it seemed that some of those she was pressing. Yes, she has a really quick release, but she did not have to be that quick on a few of the attempts. Would her accuracy improve if she got set just a bit better? She is down to 33% for the season, by far her worst year, and is behind several other Stanford players. Harriel and Lepolo, even Brink and Agara, are shooting for a higher percentage and a few of them have quite a few attempts.
5) I thought Demetre played quite well. I really like her side-step three point shot, a shot Jump has yet to make consistently. Jump is best with catch-and-shoot, Demetre seems to do well after side-stepping and shooting.
6) Except for Iriafen's exceptional performance, this seemed like a lot of other grind-it-out Stanford/OSU games. Both Tara and Rueck scheme to take away their opponent's strengths, and our games together tend to be low scoring.
7) I really, really liked Harriel's play today. She deserved to have a good day. Her shooting was not "on" for a change, but she had 3 steals and 0 turnovers. Eliminating those turnovers was on the top of my mind for what she had to do to earn more serious minutes, and I think she is on her way. Her defense is looking very strong.
8) Not sure how much the TV audience caught of the various post-game remarks, but Tara notes that all the OSU players and coaches congratulated her in the receiving line at the end. Rueck and his players showed class today.