Your hopes...

[acoustimac]

Tomorrow is media day for the Twister Sisters. So here is your chance fans. Post your top five things you'd like to see this year (try to be realistic!). Here are mine:
1. Anna Prins/Pop/Zimm are stronger on boards (i.e. have hand strength to grab and maintain possession)
2. Anna Prins/Pop/Zimm can consistently make the short 5 foot and less shots.
3. The team finds more than one three point threat.
4. The fabulous frosh are good enough to see quality playing time and give relief to the starters and add quality depth to the team.
5. The team ends up over .500 in the Big 12 earning an NCAA at home bid. They win two and get to go to Des Moines for the next round.

 

[mred]

If Anna can work on rebounding and stay out of foul trouble (and keep healthy) she is an all-american candidate.

1. Above sentence
2. Someone or ones stepping up and being a vocal leader. I don't care if it's a freshman.
3. Kelsey Harris playing better D. She's a good passer and will shoot fine with enough PT. If she can at minimum not be a liability on defense she could be a real asset.
4. No injuries.
5. Freshman backcourt stepping up. I don't see HC as a long-term 3. I think she's an awesome post player but doesn't have the backcourt skills to play 3.
6. ?
7. Profit!

 

[twistedredbird]

BF interview say pre-season plagued by injuries. Anyone know what they were?

1. Anna is healthy
2. Vocal leader emerges (losing Whit hurt us in many ways)
3. One of our frosh earn a starting spot
4. Schroll has consistent 3 shot
5. Harris plays better defense

 

[907CY]

Hopefully, Zimm's boot is gone and that we get more production out of her than the last half of last season. Hopes...

1. Loz takes over control of the team and makes it her's.
2. All the posts players are healthy.
3. A 5-10 ft jumper for Pop.
4. Ellis wins the starting 3 spot.
5. Jess improves her shooting
6. Profit? Sellouts? Sign a 6'8" recruit?

 

[Wesley]

A solid point guard who can run the offense.

An *** kicking to ATM.

No spring flooding of the bballfloor.

 

[CYdTracked]

I think the key to our success all along is the play of Prins. When she is on we usually win, when she can't stay on the floor and looks disinterested at times we struggle. She's 6-7, needs to learn how to play more agressive and use her size to advantage on both ends of the floor. I've always said if you took Poppen's toughness and Prins skillset you'd have one VERY good player. Seems like both lack what the other is good at.

Schroll needs to step up and show some confidence on offense. Girl is one of the most athletic players on the team but seems hesitant to step up and make plays when she has the matchup advantages.

Excited to see the freshman, sounds like we added some athleticism which I think is one thing we really have lacked against good teams. Need to be more than a live by the 3 die by the 3 team.

 

[NYCy]

Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, National Championship. That's all I ever want to be honest. Someday.

 

[mred]

Hmmm... 5 wishes.

Saturday Night Live Clip (Steve Martin's Holiday Wish) - IMDb

 

[bawbie]

1) Leadership. Common sense says it comes from Mansfield, as the senior point guard, but I have a suspicion that this is going to be Hallie's team for the next 3 years, and she'll step up as the go-to scorer and leader.

2) Freshman play. One or two of the freshmen need to step up, not play like freshman and grab big time minutes. They have the potential to bring a level of athleticism we haven't seen often, but it'd be great if they could live up to that right away.

3) Offensive style. Judging by the roster, this would seem to be the year where we need to ditch the 3pts or bust offensive style and run something a little more movement/driving oriented. We don't have the bevvy of proven 3pt shooters we've had in the past, but we have some athletes who can take the ball to the hole. I'd like to see us utilize that effectively.

 

[Kitkat]

1. Better ball handling all around: passing and dribbling improvement, in other words.
2. This will lead to fewer turnovers and may require
3. one of the freshman guards to contribute significantly,
4. which adds up to a stronger, deeper backcourt.
5. Can't be greedy so will not do a 5.

 

[BenEClone]

3) Offensive style. Judging by the roster, this would seem to be the year where we need to ditch the 3pts or bust offensive style and run something a little more movement/driving oriented. We don't have the bevvy of proven 3pt shooters we've had in the past, but we have some athletes who can take the ball to the hole. I'd like to see us utilize that effectively.

I think some rules changes will also contribute to this evolution. There is a visible restricted-area arc three feet from the center of the basket where a secondary defender cannot legally take a charge. I'm not at all sure what that means, but, it has to help a player who drives to the basket and a post who plays with her back to the basket down low. Moving the 3 pt line out may also favor the inside game, at least a little.

The inside game isn't all gravy as tall posts are going to be challenged by some new elbow rules. The officials will be looking for it and the penalties are severe. Obviously more a problem for Prins than for Mansfield.

"An example of a Flagrant 1 foul would be when a player swings an elbow and makes illegal, non-excessive contact with an opponent above the shoulders. The team whose player was struck would receive two free throws and possession of the ball. Previously, this type of foul was called an intentional foul. The committee wanted to move away from the word “intentional,â€￾ because a player’s intent was never the point to the rule.
An example of a Flagrant 2 foul would be when a player swings an elbow excessively and makes contact with an opponent above the shoulders. In this case, the player who threw the elbow would be ejected from the game, and the other team would receive two free throws and the ball."
​

I expect there to be courtside discussion about this.

 

[mkcrawford]

I think some rules changes will also contribute to this evolution. There is a visible restricted-area arc three feet from the center of the basket where a secondary defender cannot legally take a charge. I'm not at all sure what that means, but, it has to help a player who drives to the basket and a post who plays with her back to the basket down low. Moving the 3 pt line out may also favor the inside game, at least a little.

The inside game isn't all gravy as tall posts are going to be challenged by some new elbow rules. The officials will be looking for it and the penalties are severe. Obviously more a problem for Prins than for Mansfield.

"An example of a Flagrant 1 foul would be when a player swings an elbow and makes illegal, non-excessive contact with an opponent above the shoulders. The team whose player was struck would receive two free throws and possession of the ball. Previously, this type of foul was called an intentional foul. The committee wanted to move away from the word “intentional,â€￾ because a player’s intent was never the point to the rule.
An example of a Flagrant 2 foul would be when a player swings an elbow excessively and makes contact with an opponent above the shoulders. In this case, the player who threw the elbow would be ejected from the game, and the other team would receive two free throws and the ball."
​

I expect there to be courtside discussion about this.

Is this reviewable (during the game)??

 

[cyclonepower21]

seems like the least talented team during the Fennelly era. Hope this team comes out and proves people wrong

 

[BenEClone]

Is this reviewable (during the game)??

That depends. It sounds like the coach can throw a challenge flag. Could get interesting.

• The panel approved a change regarding coaches being able to request a monitor review of flagrant fouls. In the women’s game, a coach can request a review of the monitor to determine whether a Flagrant 1 foul for elbow contact or a Flagrant 2 foul occurred. In the men’s game, the change allows coaches to request a review for a potential Flagrant 2 foul that was not detected. If it is determined that no such foul occurred in a men’s or women’s game, the team requesting the monitor review will be charged a timeout. If no timeouts remain, the team is assessed a technical foul for taking too many timeouts.

Rules panel approves restricted-area arc for Division I - NCAA.org

 

[mred]

seems like the least talented team during the Fennelly era. Hope this team comes out and proves people wrong

I think this team has more raw talent than last year's team. The challenge will be finding scorers.

 

[Kitkat]

seems like the least talented team during the Fennelly era. Hope this team comes out and proves people wrong

I believe you may want to go back to the 2002-03 and 2003-04 teams and look at their records and rosters. The 02-03 team did not make any post-season tournament and the 03-04 team went only 18-15 even though they made it to the final four of the WNIT. This year's team appears to me to be stronger on paper than either of those teams.

 

[twistedredbird]

honestly, the fitness person in me has got to ask, what is going on with conditioning/conditioning training with this team to have this many serious injuries. It might be all well and good, caused by accidents, but to the casual observer, noticeable.

Jess, step up.
Anna, get well.
Moody, make the all-freshman big 12 team!
Hallie, rock on.

 

[acoustimac]

.

Jess, step up.
Anna, get well.
Moody, make the all-freshman big 12 team!
Hallie, rock on.

Red bird...you couldn't have said it better.

 

[Polarbears]

5. Freshman backcourt stepping up. I don't see HC as a long-term 3. I think she's an awesome post player but doesn't have the backcourt skills to play 3.

I think Hallie as a 3 was the long term plan. She has at least as good of handle as some previous 3s. Her size would make US the matchup problem. Sounds like with Lauren starting out more at the 2, it does likely slide Hallie back to the 4 for more minutes. But I think our best 3-5 combo would be Pop on the block, Anna coming out to see if she has an open 3, Hallie stretching the defense and using her mobility and height. That could be a great offensive rebounding group, 2 hitting the boards hard every shot. All of our bigs need a larger array of ways to get a good shot off against the toughest defense.

I hope Chas and Nikki are ready for the challenge!

 

[907CY]

What if we did start Cole, Loz, HC, Pop, and Anna? It would still be an experienced, upperclassmen dominated team. We would probably go from a team that relied on the three for life itself to one that is built around tough defense and a pound the ball inside attitude. Cole is a good passer and ball handler with the ability to feed our posts. Anna and HC can step out and hit the three thus freeing up Pop to dominate underneath. This team is more athletic and better defenders than teams in the past. We don't have one star that has to do it all but maybe that is a good thing. Any player, any night can go off and put up the Bolte numbers. I like this team and think that the hesistant gloom and doom scenario isn't on the mark. Pop and Hallie need to step up and dominate inside on both ends of the court and that would go along way to getting us where we want to be at the end of the season. Remember, our great coach always downplays his teams at the beginning of the season.