RebKell's Junkie Boards

[ArtBest23]

The team that prompted this thread in my mind was Miss St, but I thought I'd broaden it to encompass discussion of other teams that have been near the top both years.

I can't really decide with respect to Miss St. To me, it seems McCowan has sort of plateaued, and is basically the same player as last year. Would have liked to see more improvements in her footwork. And I think their guard play has regressed with the departure of Vivians and Schaefer and Johnson. But counterbalancing those things has been the addition of Anriel Howard. Especially on offense, she seems to have made this a much more versatile team. It's no longer just a choice of a McCowan 2 footer or a 3 pt bomb. I can't make up my mind whether they are stronger or weaker overall, especially when stressed against elite teams, and the weakness of the SEC and of their OOC schedule makes it hard to tell. They really haven't been stressed much.

[NoDakSt]

Gonzaga is better. I don't know if I'm surprised at this or not. Jill Barta was an exceptional player with a gifted skill set and how she went, the Zags went. But this year there is. O one player that determines the fate of the team, although Zykera Rice doesn't have too many bad days. The senior class of Rice, Laura Stockton, and chandler Smith have always been key components in terms of them,Zags depth. This year they have provided the leader ship that has made this one of the best Zag teams in maybe ever. And of those three, I would say Laura Stockton has probably elevated her level of play more than anybody. Expectations were high because of her namesake and maybe that was a Legacy that proved hard to live up to previously.

There's Zags also have exceptional Depth at almost every position. That, in addition to their senior leader ship, probably set them apart from most of the other WCC and mid major teams

[myrtle]

agree about Miss St. Pretty hard to tell. I thought that the Bibby injury would pretty much put them out of contention but here they are. If they can actually hit those threes as they did in the SEC final they are definitely dangerous. No threes, then the 'pack it in' strategy is pretty effective for an opponent that has some height in the middle.

I have the same questions about my trees. We lost a great rebounder last year but she was such a complete zero on offense that we were often 4 on 5 on that end. I thought Fingall would be a perfect replacement, but then we lost her too. So our middle has been a bit fragile all year but lately the center by committee has worked out fairly well. Still not great. The Hulls have been such a nice surprise that I barely remember we lost McPhee. I think Smith, Williams, and Carrington have all improved. When Carrington is 'on' she may be our best player but she's still a bit inconsistent. Love what Williams has brought. Without her we would definitely be in trouble, especially with the unexpected loss of Sniezek.

_________________
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
- Amanda Gorman

[NoDakSt]

I agree the big difference with Mississippi State this season is Lashes and her growth in this system. I also believe the Mississippi State can go a little deeper into their bench this season then Schaeffer chose to go last season. His team last season, as much as he bemoaned the fact that they didn't play Defense, was a better defense of team on the perimeter then this current team and defended the arc better.

Nevertheless, I'm still impressed with Schaeffer's ability to replace for starters for the second year in a row and continue to produce an outstanding team