03-03-2013, 06:31 PM
(I did miss Duke's Thursday night loss. Did you see Eastern Sports Network cut away from today's Duke-UNC WBB with 1:39 left, without any acknowledgement that they were doing that? )
I had enumerated some of Amber's play earlier this year, but maybe you weren't around. It was still early in the season, but see
 http://thecardboard.org/board/index.php/...l#msg56553
 http://thecardboard.org/board/index.php/...l#msg58019
IMO, Amber has a weak A/TO ratio. For a top team, with all the talent to score on any pass and to recover on weak passes & such, she should have a better ratio. Instead of being one of the A/TO leaders, she is #75 in the country (NCAA stats of 2/28). Although she's shot a good 3PT%, she's only hit 11 3PT goals in 30 games, so her contribution there is negligible.
It should be obvious that, as point guard, she doesn't get Stanford into many transition baskets. So, she doesn't wind up testing the other team's transition defense. She often brings the ball up slowly and then sits on it before passing it around the perimeter. Put token pressure on her in the backcourt and Stanford is unlikely to start its half-court offense until there is only 20 seconds left on the clock. She has this habit, annoying to me, of holding the ball with under 10 seconds left and passing it at 0:03 or 0:04 to someone else for them to put up the rushed shot.
Watch a game in replay and just watch her, not the ball. See how she spends a lot of time just standing or just walking? Watch her when the other team gets the ball under our basket. Now watch the other players. They're virtually always hustling. Either actively defending or getting into position on offense.
I'll review her play at the start of yesterday's game: At 19:01, we are trying to rebound under our board. Amber is at the foul line with the other 9 players under the basket. It seems like a good position from which to get back on defense if WSU gets the ball. But, when the ball comes out, she goes to the player to contest the rebound. When WSU controls, she just stays in front of the dribbler instead of getting back fast (which Sara is doing). The pass goes to a player on the outside, and Sara takes the other WSU girl on the break, so Amber is now in catch up mode rather than being in front of the play, but she does get into position. Against UConn, that won't work.
At 18:39, after a WSU offensive rebound, WSU gets the ball and takes another shot. Amber is standing 1' behind a much taller WSU player, just watching the ball on the rim. She doesn't pin the other player in nor get to a point where she's got a better chance for the rebound or to defend if they get it. It seems she's waiting for someone else to do something and give her the ball.
At 18:33, she's dribbling into a relatively open lane and she fumbles the ball (dribbling it off her forearm), which forces her to take a jumper from the foul line rather than having her choice of the pull-up, or driving to the right block for a pass into Chiney who has sealed her player. When WSU gets the rebound, she does start back on defense well, and WSU brings it up slowly.
At 18:17, Amber plays defense lackadaisically and she allows her player to get a good rebounding position on the right block as Amber strolls toward her. The shot from the left block goes in, so the poor positioning doesn't cost us this time. But against C.al....
At 17:58, Jos puts up a 3 that misses badly. Amber is in 6' outside the 3pt line where she could easily get in defensive position (good). Chiney brings down the rebound & scores. Nothing particular to note for a while until she lays a pass in to Chiney for a basket at 15:55. At 15:38, Amber does block out her player on a WSU shot. At 15:32, Amber brings the ball down in transition & throws it to an open Sara for 3. Those assists are the kind of thing you expect for any point guard on a good team, and why her A/TO should be higher.
At 14:09, Amber throws a pass at Chiney's face from 6' away when Chiney wasn't expecting it. Anyone but Chiney & that might have been a turnover. At 14:08, Jos takes a 3 and misses. Amber is 3' outside the 3pt line and should be ready for defense if WSU gets the rebound. The long rebound comes out to WSU & Jos starts running back, passing Amber who is just strolling perpendicular on the court. WSU players are hustling down the court, and get a long pass for a fast break, for 2pts plus a foul. If Amber had broken back on defense, this wouldn't have happened. What was the value of what Amber was trying to do? This time, it cost us.
Amber is pulled at this point. This was against a realtively weak team with guards that aren't particularly good.
It does seem that Amber is improving. She's making fewer of the really lazy passes that are picked off. She seems to want to make the flashy plays, but doesn't do the work that is best for her team. For instance, there was a play where she stole the ball as WSU started a transition. Flashy yes, but if she hadn't gotten the ball, it would have been a 3 on 1 fast break because she was trying to steal the ball rather than get back on defense. Earlier in the season I pointed out how she was going for offensive rebounds rather than getting back on defense. I haven't noticed that recently.
On the good side, she does well at shooting and can do well dribbling to the basket. She should do that some more, IMO. But she isn't a national leader in either of those capabilities.
In my book, she's got a long ways to go before I'd call her a good point guard.
(03-02-2013, 10:38 PM)BobK link Wrote:Amber may be the league's best Point Guard. 28-2. That's damn good and without Toni who is a leader, And highly skilled not playing next to Amber. And then you have a whole different system from last year. Amber has been just outstanding.
I had enumerated some of Amber's play earlier this year, but maybe you weren't around. It was still early in the season, but see
 http://thecardboard.org/board/index.php/...l#msg56553
 http://thecardboard.org/board/index.php/...l#msg58019
IMO, Amber has a weak A/TO ratio. For a top team, with all the talent to score on any pass and to recover on weak passes & such, she should have a better ratio. Instead of being one of the A/TO leaders, she is #75 in the country (NCAA stats of 2/28). Although she's shot a good 3PT%, she's only hit 11 3PT goals in 30 games, so her contribution there is negligible.
It should be obvious that, as point guard, she doesn't get Stanford into many transition baskets. So, she doesn't wind up testing the other team's transition defense. She often brings the ball up slowly and then sits on it before passing it around the perimeter. Put token pressure on her in the backcourt and Stanford is unlikely to start its half-court offense until there is only 20 seconds left on the clock. She has this habit, annoying to me, of holding the ball with under 10 seconds left and passing it at 0:03 or 0:04 to someone else for them to put up the rushed shot.
Watch a game in replay and just watch her, not the ball. See how she spends a lot of time just standing or just walking? Watch her when the other team gets the ball under our basket. Now watch the other players. They're virtually always hustling. Either actively defending or getting into position on offense.
I'll review her play at the start of yesterday's game: At 19:01, we are trying to rebound under our board. Amber is at the foul line with the other 9 players under the basket. It seems like a good position from which to get back on defense if WSU gets the ball. But, when the ball comes out, she goes to the player to contest the rebound. When WSU controls, she just stays in front of the dribbler instead of getting back fast (which Sara is doing). The pass goes to a player on the outside, and Sara takes the other WSU girl on the break, so Amber is now in catch up mode rather than being in front of the play, but she does get into position. Against UConn, that won't work.
At 18:39, after a WSU offensive rebound, WSU gets the ball and takes another shot. Amber is standing 1' behind a much taller WSU player, just watching the ball on the rim. She doesn't pin the other player in nor get to a point where she's got a better chance for the rebound or to defend if they get it. It seems she's waiting for someone else to do something and give her the ball.
At 18:33, she's dribbling into a relatively open lane and she fumbles the ball (dribbling it off her forearm), which forces her to take a jumper from the foul line rather than having her choice of the pull-up, or driving to the right block for a pass into Chiney who has sealed her player. When WSU gets the rebound, she does start back on defense well, and WSU brings it up slowly.
At 18:17, Amber plays defense lackadaisically and she allows her player to get a good rebounding position on the right block as Amber strolls toward her. The shot from the left block goes in, so the poor positioning doesn't cost us this time. But against C.al....
At 17:58, Jos puts up a 3 that misses badly. Amber is in 6' outside the 3pt line where she could easily get in defensive position (good). Chiney brings down the rebound & scores. Nothing particular to note for a while until she lays a pass in to Chiney for a basket at 15:55. At 15:38, Amber does block out her player on a WSU shot. At 15:32, Amber brings the ball down in transition & throws it to an open Sara for 3. Those assists are the kind of thing you expect for any point guard on a good team, and why her A/TO should be higher.
At 14:09, Amber throws a pass at Chiney's face from 6' away when Chiney wasn't expecting it. Anyone but Chiney & that might have been a turnover. At 14:08, Jos takes a 3 and misses. Amber is 3' outside the 3pt line and should be ready for defense if WSU gets the rebound. The long rebound comes out to WSU & Jos starts running back, passing Amber who is just strolling perpendicular on the court. WSU players are hustling down the court, and get a long pass for a fast break, for 2pts plus a foul. If Amber had broken back on defense, this wouldn't have happened. What was the value of what Amber was trying to do? This time, it cost us.
Amber is pulled at this point. This was against a realtively weak team with guards that aren't particularly good.
It does seem that Amber is improving. She's making fewer of the really lazy passes that are picked off. She seems to want to make the flashy plays, but doesn't do the work that is best for her team. For instance, there was a play where she stole the ball as WSU started a transition. Flashy yes, but if she hadn't gotten the ball, it would have been a 3 on 1 fast break because she was trying to steal the ball rather than get back on defense. Earlier in the season I pointed out how she was going for offensive rebounds rather than getting back on defense. I haven't noticed that recently.
On the good side, she does well at shooting and can do well dribbling to the basket. She should do that some more, IMO. But she isn't a national leader in either of those capabilities.
In my book, she's got a long ways to go before I'd call her a good point guard.