Shockers at Loyola (Friday, 7pm) and Bradley (Sunday, 2pm)

[oldtimewomen's hoopcoach]

We probably played our best in the Tennessee game, which we were in until late (even though it wasn't a dominant Tennessee team this year) and our first half against Drake. I really can't say as our wins have come against teams you probably never heard of (Florida Int., prairie View a&am and North Carolina A&T state). Not exactly big wins.
I really thought after Tennesee we had momentum. I was wrong. I thought we would get a win today. Was wrong again. Maybe Evansville and Illinois state at home are winnable.
I'm not sure what happened to Jyar Francis. She was doing well until her concussion. And diamond started off well, with high expectations and has fallen off. I'm not even sure why Jaleesa gets minutes. Maybe by default. She adds nothing right now.
No one except for Rangie or Mike has any confidence. Rangie has plenty of that. Some games Mike takes a lot of shots to get her points.
I honestly don't know if we are playing better or worse. Drake seemed better. Today worse. I really can't get a feel for this team.

A coach attempting to be someone she is not. The kinder, gentler Jody. Only one player, Rangie who could have played last year and make the Shox a six player team instead of a five player team. No team chemistry or concept of team. Too selfish. And most importantly, lack of experienced leadership like Alex and Kelsey, who ran the team. If a player shot too much, didn't play "D", etc. they heard about from Alex and Kelsey and the players would much rather have Jody tear them up than to let Alex or Kelsey down, especially Kelsey who played most of her career with a broken body and the players had great appreciation for her. I was just stirring the pot when I said 0-18. I thought we'd beat Bradley by 10 or better. Unless the Shox start putting the team first, and gets players to shoot with confidence or shoot at all like Jaleesa, who actually has a nice jumper; 0-18 could happen.

[flyingMoose]

This a debate I am having with myself. (Don't ask who is winning.) How does the talent on this team compare with the Jessica-Chynna-Michelle team when they were young? I tend to think it is not as good, but I also know I am remembering the late JCM years, not the early ones.

[Shox1979]

So the 09-10 season we had Chyna, Jess Diamond, Jazz Gorden and Michelle Price all as freshmen. I think Rangie will be a better F/C then Chyna. None of the current team is as good as Jess Diamond. That team also had Marisa Henderson at point, a better player than I think Audra. They also had Haleigh Lankster as a sophomore. None of the ladies now is as complete or unselfish player as Haleigh. Alicia Sanchez would get time on our current team as well. The rest of the players must have come and gone or weren't memorable to me at all.

[1972Shocker]

I suspected that the lack of any significant D-1 experience was going to be an issue for this team. I think it has been a bigger issue than I thought it would be partly because I don't think the Valley is very strong this year, especially the bottom half of the conference. I still maintain that there is reasonably decent talent on the current roster (especially in comparison to the Valley). However, this team at this point seems to be worse than the sum of its individual parts. The leadership of Alex and Kelsey made those teams better than the sum of their individual parts. I think this void in experienced and quality team leaders has had a much bigger impact than I expected.

There are still some winnable games on the schedule. How many, if any of them, the Lady Shocks will win is hard to predict with the way the Ladies are currently playing. At this point we are not only missing the leadership of recent seasons we also appear to perhaps be losing confidence. Success breeds confidence and right now the Shocks are having absolutely no team success.

Hopefully, that will change but the near term schedule is not favorable with 4 of the next 5 games against teams in the top half of the conference. Only Evansville in Koch Arena next Sunday being perhaps a game you would expect the Shocks to win.

4 of our final 7 games are against the bottom half of the conference and any games against the bottom half of this conference are winnable. So far the Shocks are 0-3 against bottom half teams with all 3 of those games being on the road. 4 of our remaining 5 games against the bottom half of the league are at Koch Arena. Hard to believe the Shocks won't win some of those games. Heck maybe even all 5 of those games.

Right now I would just like to see this team, win or lose, put 60 points on the board and play hard on defense consistently. Hopefully, the leadership will develop. Finishing the season in relatively strong fashion (meaning winning some games against the bottom half of the league at minimum) is probably more important for next year than it is for this year.

[flyingMoose]

I think I agree - Rangie is the only player that would get many minutes with the JJCM group.

Random thoughts (some of which have already been noted):

With the team essentially starting all over in January with so many returning from injury, an adjustment was to be expected. However, I would have thought progress would be further along.

The team defense is woeful. Bradley's defense was better last Sunday. The Braves low shooting percentage was because they could not shoot.

The defense does not create many easy run-outs. That saved previous teams, because the half-court offense remains stuck in the mud. (I did notice some three-man game added to the offense this weekend.)

(See above.) We get to the ten-seconds-left-on-the-shot-clock-let's-run-the-pat-my-head-set far too often. In the past, we had Jessie and Alex to take over and get a twelve foot pull-up jumper in that situation. We don't have anybody like that now - at least, nobody has stepped into that role.

Both Sabrina and Ellie needed to redshirt this year. The game is too fast for them right now. However, with injuries to Jyar and Brittany, we did not have that luxury.

TaQuandra helps most nights, but her defense is spotty.

Jaleesa is a major disappointment. She appears to be willing to play a complementary role on a good team (see last year), but is unwilling to step up to any leadership role on a weaker team (see this year).

Aundra is playing so much because there is no one else.

Oh well, hope springs eternal. And perhaps I am being too harsh.

[trshock]

So where do those of you who follow the game closely think we'd be in the standings if we had kept the Dapprich sisters, Alie and Kayla around to play with Rangie, Brittany, and Diamond etal?

[Shox1979]

Rangie starts at the 5. Her ability to play inside allows Michaella to move to a stretch for, and not guard the opposing teams biggest player. Which is a big plus. Allie starts at the 3 and her shooting (along with Michaella's) opens up the lane for Rangie to work. Samantha starts at the 2. Diamond at the 1. Mike subs for Allie at the 3. Jaleesa at the 2. Audra is our back up point. Not sure if little dap or Pacar is our next big up. Depends on how much little dapp progressed over the summer (she was still very tentative but showed decent touch).
We beat Bradley and Loyola that's for sure. We got blown out in other games but some of that is games getting away from a serious lack of depth. So no worse than 2-4 but easily 4-2. And we don't lose games to eastern Washington or Tennessee tech either. I'd have to look at the rest of non con. Don't remember from memory.

[Shox1979]

I forgot about Brittany. She'd probably be our first sub at the 5. If she is allowed to let the game come to her and not put in to score or do too much she is better off. Then you redshirt a couple of those other players for a year off weights and injury recovery.

[1972Shocker]

Samantha starts at the 2.

Did you mean TaQuandra at the 2?

[Shox1979]

No. I actually was thinking Kayla White at the 2. (My secretary is terrible with dictation... "He's right, I am"). ;) I'd bring Mike off the bench for a pick me up. Her defense early In games is lacking sometimes. I know last home game she gave up 2 layups early. She had some steals later but not sure those outweighed her lapses.
I really thought Kayla had potential. She started some games her freshmen year but seemed to see the bench upon her first mistake.

[1972Shocker]

I really thought Kayla had potential. She started some games her freshmen year but seemed to see the bench upon her first mistake.

I don't know about Kayla. She is only doing so-so at D-II Texas-Permian Basin but from the stories I heard about Kayla's treatment it's a miracle the girl has any self-esteem or confidence left whatsoever. I think she is better off where she is. She was probably the most in need of a change in scenery of the players who departed last year. Very nice young lady though. Taquandra has some decent skills but her intensity seems to fade if she has a poor shooting game but that is fixable.

I wonder if Jaleesa doesn't still suffer from the yips a bit. Seems like she still plays like she is afraid to make a mistake. But maybe that's just her nature.

Rangie is a big, strong girl with good ball skills and she can score away form the basket as well as around the basket. She is the piece Jody will have to build around for now.

I really have no idea of what kind of impact it would have had if Michaela, Moriah, Alie and Kayla had stayed. Michaela and Alie would have some valuable experience. OTOH, a significant piece of what made Alie and Michaela effective, that being Alex and Kelsey, was leaving anyway. Furthermore, the strained relationship these players apparently had with Jody would still be there, at least under the surface, and I think maybe it was best for all to go separate ways and everyone try to reset with as clean a slate as possible.

I think the intangibles and leadership that Alex and Kelsey brought to the table are hard to quantify by they losing that to graduation was perhaps just as significant as losing their basketball skills. Alex was outstanding at making the players around her better. Plus she was a matchup nightmare playing the point at 6-0, 175 lbs with the athleticism and quickness to stay with much smaller players or go inside and matchup with the typical Valley frontcourt player. Not to mention she was smart as hell and had a great feel for the game. Now the Shocks are going to figure how to go about there business much differently. They certainly don't seem to be creating the transition points off their defense that recent teams have.

The Shocks are where they are. Hopefully, they will get going a bit yet this season. I still don't think they have the worst talent in the league but so far they aren't proving that's the case. All they can do is keep sawing wood and maybe things will starting coming together a bit yet this season. They need to pick off a few wins at home against the bottom half of the league at the very least.

[flyingMoose]

... had a great feel for the game ...

Something I have not said before, but this team seems to have a low basketball IQ. I'm never exactly sure what coaches mean when they use that term, but this team does a lot of silly stuff.

[1972Shocker]

Something I have not said before, but this team seems to have a low basketball IQ. I'm never exactly sure what coaches mean when they use that term, but this team does a lot of silly stuff.

BBIQ may be a talent that you either have or you don't. I do think that whatever BBIQ you have can be developed and improved like any other skill. If that's the case then we get back to this team's lack of experience. Even the 5-player junior class had very little D-1 basketball experience coming into the year. That said it is difficult to see much progressing going on with this Shocker team at this point. Would like to start seeing some evidence of that over the remainder of the season.

[oldtimewomen's hoopcoach]

BBIQ may be a talent that you either have or you don't. I do think that whatever BBIQ you have can be developed and improved like any other skill. If that's the case then we get back to this team's lack of experience. Even the 5-player junior class had very little D-1 basketball experience coming into the year. That said it is difficult to see much progressing going on with this Shocker team at this point. Would like to start seeing some evidence of that over the remainder of the season.

Along with all that has been mentioned, this team lacks speed and quickness. When we had three the headed monster up front on the press of Alex, Kelsey and JB, they were fast, quick and athletic. Kelsey and Alex were very good track athletes. I do know Jaleesa was a track athlete, but her speed has not transferred to basketball. I just don't see much D-I talent on this team.