Jessica Diamond Sighting

[1972Shocker]

Shocks knock off Indiana State 73-56 tonight in probably their best and most complete game this year lead by Soph guard Jessica Diamond.

Jessica has been struggling a good part of this year, but has shown signs of life in recent games. Tonight she was simply outstanding leading the way with 19 points and a very solid floor game.

It was a good team effort by the Shocks. They handed out 17 assists against only 7 turnovers. The 4 turnovers they had in the 1st half were pretty much unforced.

Shocks defense was also very good holding the Sycamores to 15 field goals, although they did put the Sycs on the line 26 times with Indiana State knocking down 20 free throws. INS was 15-59 from the field for 25.4% and the Shocks defense was a big factor in that.

For the first time this year the Shocks looked like the team I was expecting.

Nice job Ladies.

:good: :goshocks: :clap:

[1972Shocker]

Jessica's line tonight: 19 points on 7-13 FG & 4-4 FT, 6 rebound, 5 assists, 2 turnovers and 1 steal.

Morgan (12), Chynna (11) and Jazimen (10) also contributed double figure scoring efforts.

The Shocks also had a balance rebounding night from Michelle (8), Chynna (7), Jessica (6), Breanna (6) and Haleigh (5).

The only real issue was the Shocks 11-21 shooting from the line and that was with Jessica and Haleigh shooting 6-6. Was not an issue in this game but that could be the difference in a close game. Hopefully, that will improve.

[flyingMoose]

The Shocks led by 23 after the FT after the under-8 timeout, but things got a little sloppy late. But they had worked hard to build such a lead.

When their defense is controlled-aggressive, it is quite nice to see. But occasionally, they would slip into old habits with needless fouls. The interior defense was terrific, holding the 6'-4" Shannon Thomas to 2 of 11. The Sycs missed a number of chippies, but they were all strongly contested to cause the misses.

Jessica, as noted, was great. There was a stretch in the first half when it was, "Gimme the ball. I'm gonna score."

The offense continues to involve the interior players much more - sometimes with entry passes, sometimes with driving and dishing. Jessie made a couple of nice backward bounce passes to teammates in the lane after penetrating.

Morgan was 2-5 on threes. When she has "thousand-one, thousand-two" to shoot, I suspect she is well over 50%. It's the "thousand-ones" that get her.

They won both halves, which is good to see. The light came on for at least one night.

Next up for the Shocks are Illinois State on Sunday. The lost to Missouri State on Tuesday, 76-61. Tuesday, then Sunday? Has to be a story there.

[flyingMoose]

From the Terre Haute Tribune-Star:

“Give a lot of credit to Wichita State,” Indiana State head coach Teri Moren said after the loss. “They did a great job on Shannon Thomas tonight, shutting down any look she got. She just couldn’t get going. She went back to some bad habits, putting the ball on the floor.”

Moren noted the enthusiasm and energy with which the Shockers played throughout the game.

“They played at a high level and we just didn’t tonight,” Moren said.

[1972Shocker]

From the Terre Haute Tribune-Star:

Moren noted the enthusiasm and energy with which the Shockers played throughout the game.

Not sure the same thing could be said for the Shocker fans, although it is a little tough for 500 people to make a lot of noise I suppose.

Granted that the crowd is generally, uhh shall I say mature (and I'm including myself in that group), but we are old, we aren't dead.

:rant:

Perhaps I just expect too much.

End of rant.

Hope the Ladies can continue to play that kind of ball from here on out.

:goshocks:

[oldtimewomen's hoopcoach]

Looks there are 9 players suited up. Are the rest out? Injuries?

[1972Shocker]

Looks there are 9 players suited up. Are the rest out? Injuries?

I was wondering that myself. We know Krystle has been out the entire season with a foot injury and at this point a redshirt year is probably in store for her as she has not had any playing time.

Not sure about Shannika and Kelsey.

[1972Shocker]

The light came on for at least one night.

Let's hope the light stays on from here on out. When the Ladies play with energy, take care of the ball and play as a team they can be pretty entertaining.

The Sophs seem to be awakening from their slumber. The two players we need to get going are Alicia and Heather. Alicia seems to be making gradual progress. Heather seems to be unsure of her role. However, both Ladies play hard when they are in the game.

Morgan and Haleigh, our most experienced players, have been our most consistent players.

Breanna, our least experienced player who is seeing any significant time, is still pretty inconsistent.

[flyingMoose]

Looks there are 9 players suited up. Are the rest out? Injuries?

I was wondering that myself. We know Krystle has been out the entire season with a foot injury and at this point a redshirt year is probably in store for her as she has not had any playing time.

Not sure about Shannika and Kelsey.

I believe Kelsey has a back problem. Shanikka, I do not know about, but there is a Chalk Talk tomorrow, so maybe someone can ask.

[flyingMoose]

Looks there are 9 players suited up. Are the rest out? Injuries?

I was wondering that myself. We know Krystle has been out the entire season with a foot injury and at this point a redshirt year is probably in store for her as she has not had any playing time.

Not sure about Shannika and Kelsey.

I believe Kelsey has a back problem. Shanikka, I do not know about, but there is a Chalk Talk tomorrow, so maybe someone can ask.

Did anyone make this? I got there at 1:20 and Coach and Ms Endicott ran over us as they exited. Well, not literally. But a five-minute chalk talk?? I understand she wants that time for last-minute team preparation, but it needs to be taken more seriously as an opportunity to promote the program among those most interested. Chris Lamb and the other HCJA know/knew how to use this time. But those two are talkers which Coach seems less comfortable with. Start Chalk Talks earlier? I'm not sure there is an answer, but this is a missed opportunity for the program.

Oh, and Shannika went through the pregame warm-ups, so I assume her lack of play is a Coach's Decision. And under normal circumstances (no major foul trouble), a nine-woman rotation is the maximum you would expect.

[tgcshock]

Looks there are 9 players suited up. Are the rest out? Injuries?

I was wondering that myself. We know Krystle has been out the entire season with a foot injury and at this point a redshirt year is probably in store for her as she has not had any playing time.

Not sure about Shannika and Kelsey.

I believe Kelsey has a back problem. Shanikka, I do not know about, but there is a Chalk Talk tomorrow, so maybe someone can ask.

Did anyone make this? I got there at 1:20 and Coach and Ms Endicott ran over us as they exited. Well, not literally. But a five-minute chalk talk?? I understand she wants that time for last-minute team preparation, but it needs to be taken more seriously as an opportunity to promote the program among those most interested. Chris Lamb and the other HCJA know/knew how to use this time. But those two are talkers which Coach seems less comfortable with. Start Chalk Talks earlier? I'm not sure there is an answer, but this is a missed opportunity for the program.

Oh, and Shannika went through the pregame warm-ups, so I assume her lack of play is a Coach's Decision. And under normal circumstances (no major foul trouble), a nine-woman rotation is the maximum you would expect.

Coach Adams seemed reluctant to discuss specifics (don't know if this is just her policy or part of medical confidentiality) but she confirmed that Kelsey and Krystle are both still out with injury and that she would let us know when the medical staff changed their status.

[tgcshock]

moose, on the subject of how long the chalk talk lasts. . . .

I suspect that better chalk talks make no difference if you lose and people will still get excited and supportive when you win. You are right that those kind of communication forums are not Jody's strength (although she is pretty good one on one). If she wants to spend that time preparing, it is fine with me. I do think that using Coach Moore (as they have done at some of the High Hoops events) is a good idea though. She seems very comfortable and interactive being in front of groups.

[flyingMoose]

moose, on the subject of how long the chalk talk lasts. . . .

I suspect that better chalk talks make no difference if you lose and people will still get excited and supportive when you win. You are right that those kind of communication forums are not Jody's strength (although she is pretty good one on one). If she wants to spend that time preparing, it is fine with me. I do think that using Coach Moore (as they have done at some of the High Hoops events) is a good idea though. She seems very comfortable and interactive being in front of groups.

I understand the point of "Win, and they will come," and I agree though it may take more than just winning to build up the goodwill again. It's been a long time - Darryl Smith's first or second year with Linda Hargrove's recruits, I think.

I guess I think of Chalk Talks as a "reward" for season ticket holders, etc. We get the extra benefit of some face-time with the Coach. I certainly don't go for the soft drinks and pop corn. And if Coach Moore or Coach Guffey can spend fifteen minutes with us talking about, not only a short scouting report (the typical Chalk Talk content), but recruiting, things the team is working on, the improvement a particular player is showing- look for it (whatever else - this is off the top of my head), I personally would take that any day over the "Hi! How are you? Gotta run." that we get now. Again, I am basically back to the reward proposition in that we get a little extra. Just my opinion.

[tgcshock]

I don't really disagree with you on this Moose. It obviously would be better to have both winning and excellent chalk talks. This one was way shorter and more rushed than normal. Not sure if maybe something else was happening that we didn't know about but certainly could have been better. It was offset to a degree by the fact that there was an event after the game where 3 of the players, and eventually Jody, did spend considerably more time interacting. However, that obviously doesn't help for those that only were able to attend the chalk talk. I think Jody is a good coach (although she is still relatively inexperienced) and I think the PR part of the job is far harder for her than the on the court demands. Seems to be a work in progress and hopefully will keep getting better.

[flyingMoose]

... I think the PR part of the job is far harder for her than the on the court demands. Seems to be a work in progress and hopefully will keep getting better.

I agree. I hope she recognizes the issue and continues to work on the PR side.