Monarchs Win!!! - Ticha Plays only 15 Minutes

#1
Great win, to get back on track after that terrible 1st half against Los Angeles.

I only listened in and out though. Why did Penecheiro only play 15 minutes. Did she get hurt?
 
#2
Congrats to the Monarchs and their fans. It sounded like a great game...btw, who was guarding N. Powell, or should I say not guarding N. Powell?;) :)
 

6th

Homer Fan Since 1985
#3
I missed the game completely because I had to work.

We want updates here folks. ;) What was with Ticha? :(
 

6th

Homer Fan Since 1985
#5
VF21 said:
Powell did well? YES!! I really like her energy and enthusiasm.

:D
Yes, she was leading scorer and tied with Yo for high steals.

I'm with you, VF. I really like that young lady's style. I did while she was at Stanford, as well. I just knew she would begin to blossom with the Monarchs. Looks like it was an excellent trade (even though I miss Tangela).
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
#6
For those watching the game, was it as ugly as the livestat made it seem? How did we end up allowing so many FT's? I mean, we outshot them something like 53% to 41%, passed the ball well, and did reasonably well with defensive rebounding and steals, and yet it was a close game until the end because they shot twice as many FT's? Were we just hacking the **** out of Houston or something?
 
#7
More of the usual ref inconsistency.....:rolleyes:

I can't believe the Comets do not foul other players......The refs were quite foul happy last night. They did call a foul in literally the first second of the game against Michelle Snow during the jump. They called early fouls on Nicole and Chelsea as well. Sac was in the penalty really early, while the Comets only had like 6 in the first half. As a result the only thing keeping them in the game was the free throws.

Got a lot of good hustle play from eveyone. Nicole, Demya, and Tanty were on Swoopes most of the night. Her 20 points were quiet.....mostly from free throws. There were some good give and go's. But I'm sorry DeMya needs to either just shoot or immediately pass the ball. She had 4 TO's.....She gets the ball, then tries to dribble out, instead of putting the shot up. The defenders just collapse on her and there goes the ball. It absolutely drives me crazy. The perimeter shooting was not all there in the first half. There was alot of trying to pass into the bigs. Nicole and Chelsea could've taken more shots but didn't. I'm so glad Nicole got her groove on in the 2nd half. She was awesome. The bench did a good job, they had great hustle. I'm liking Kristen more and more. She's gaining her confidence and, oh my goodness, she dives after like every loose ball. I hope she doesn't hurt herself!!! Erin had a couple of freaky TO's throwing the ball out of bounds to her imaginary friend.....But all in all, the Bench Mob Grrls did a great job. Miao is also looking a little stronger on defense, I wish she would shoot more too.

I didn't hear anything about Ticha being hurt or anything, but I did notice she was out for awhile. Again, Kristen did a great job of directing traffic. I only wish they would learn to get the ball over the line a little faster on a full court press. Sometimes they take so long. People need to hustle a little more to open up and move that ball......
 
#8
I didn't hear anything about Ticha being hurt either. I believe at the half she had no points (0-1), one rebound and one assist. In the second half, she missed a shot and then she was pulled with 16:56 left and never came back in. I looked over to the bench to see if Jill was working on her, but she seemed fine. I'm thinking she may have been benched for ineffectiveness. She was also pulled with 5:02 left in the second half of the LA game. Ticha has always compensated for her lack of scoring with good rebounding, steals and assists, but in the last two games I don't believe she has scored at all and only has two assists, three rebounds, no steals and 3 turnovers total. She started the season out well and the quicker offense would seem to suit her style, but these last two games have not been good for her. :confused:
 
#9
Just a few game notes...

Too many fouls! These rule changes are supposed to make the game MORE enjoyable to watch.

Great to see Kara on the floor again. I'm sure she'll be up to speed in no time, and that will provide even more offensive power.

The whole bench mob is great, but I especially love Erin's hustle. She is like a tornado on the court.

I wish Miao and Chelsea looked for their shot a little more. Hopefully that will come with time.

It was great to see Ruthie at the game again. She is such a positive presence at the game. It makes her loss as a player easier.

Nicole's second 3-pointer brought the house down and gave the Monarchs the energy to win the game.

Yo and Demya...nuff said!
 
#10
What about Ticha!!! She has been the starting point guard for the last eight seasons. And for her to play only 15 minutes and not be hurt to me is a big deal.
 
#11
While there hasn't been an official report, I've noticed Ticha tugging at a thigh wrap for the last couple of games. I think she's got a hamstring, groin or quad pull. That would limit her mobility, and may be why her minutes are being limited.

About the fouls -- I think that the team is playing a very aggressive defense, and until they get it more polished, we can expect more fouls to be called against them. At least they have learned to cope with the insane "no touch" rule on the perimeter. I was watching Chelsea and Kristen last night, and both of them have figured out how to defend out there with their hands off.

DeMya is testing my patience. She's like a black hole -- she gets the ball down low, gets double teamed and cannot find an open player to pass out to. Or she gets the ball up top and decides to drive a clogged lane. Sure, she's getting fouls called, but what's her free throw percentage? Good grief.

I had the feeling last night that the Monarchs were just toying with Houston. I don't think I doubted their victory for a minute. Now, they just need to stop the fouling and to make their own free throws, and all will be good.

HoopMatron
 

6th

Homer Fan Since 1985
#13
Rockmeister said:
6th -- you found work?? That's great. What kind of work?
No! No! I am still looking for a FT job. I just picked up a PT job (that helps a little) courtesy of my friend. It is in retail, so I could work anywhere from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.....whenever I am needed.
 
#14
HoopMatron said:
While there hasn't been an official report, I've noticed Ticha tugging at a thigh wrap for the last couple of games. I think she's got a hamstring, groin or quad pull. That would limit her mobility, and may be why her minutes are being limited.
Thanks HoopMatron. I just assumed she was pulling down her compression shorts. This would explain the reduced minutes and production. Hopefully she can rest and get back to 100%.
 
#15
Still no word on why TP played only 15 min. I Listened to Monarchs Talk off and on and I still didn't hear it addressed. maybe somebody else did that can fill me in.
 
#16
I thought Coach T said that Ticha wasn't aggressive enough offensively. They want her to be. They have confidence in her, but they want her to SHOOT!


That's a pretty short hook Whiz has though cause she did take a couple of shots.
 
#17
I'm very happy with the short hook. It's about time. I swear to goodness if I had seen her come across the paint on the baseline again and either, throw the ball away, pass it out for a lower percentage shot for someone else or pick up her dribble and get trapped I would have blown a blood vessel. She needs to be an offensive option, not a last resort. I can remember if her shots were more along the lines of last resort or not, but I'm very pleased that coach is finally sending the message that she needs to stop being so damn tentative - we all know she knows how to shoot the damn ball, just shoot the damn ball Ticha. Go to the basket with some authority like you do in the pregame layup line. Have y'all seen how aggressively she goes to the basket there? but rarely does so in a game unless she's going uncontested to the basket after a steal. She shot the ball against Indy and Phx too, but she was not always aggressive there either and taking shots she had. Zone teams trying to take Yo and DeMya out of the offense are going to cause Ticha more bench minutes if she doesn't start to shoot - and will consequently dawn the Kristen Haynie era in Sacramento.
 
#18
I listened to some of it. According to Krista & Koz...Ticha was fine to play. The coach decided to stay with the players on the floor during crunch time. They spoke of Ticha's low numbers this season. Shooting around 20-25 %. She's only made three 3's this season. They talked about the point guard position needing to contribute some. Many of us talked about how we would be thrilled to get a 10 point game out of Ticha most nights.

So if Ms.Ticha doesn't get down right agressive on offense, look to see more of ''hustling Haynie'' and Lawson. Which is not a bad thing!
 
#19
Granted, Haynie DOES in fact, shoot the ball, she doesn't shoot it much better. Her line-drive shots at the rim aren't making it in much more frequently than Ticha's. She is only shooting 31% from the floor and 27% from 3. So for me, with my Ticha bias, I'd rather have Ticha out there. Ticha is shooting 33% from the field and 24% from 3. And Ticha's free throws are pretty much the only consistantly good ones on the team, Nicole and Kara aside. It's clear we aren't gonna get major scoring from either guard. Both have had nights where they look great and nights where they don't do much. I love Haynie's hustle, but I still love Ticha's game more. It's the little things that she does to keep us in games sometimes. I know most of the fans are frustrated with her, but I'm not ready for the Haynie-era to begin. Ticha still averages more points, more rebounds, and more assists per game and can break press faster than anyone else on the team.
 
#20
I like Ticha too, however if she doesn't shoot the ball or at least try & get to the line more often, I can see Coach pulling her out. Especially when the coaches are telling her to shoot more. Haynie has the ''No fear'' desire that you need in crunch time. In the end the Coach will be looking for who follows the game plan, not who has more experience. This is a welcome change, where all players have a chance to contribute.

Lets go Monarchs!
 
#21
So What???

I like the short hook too.

He has had a short hook with Nicole as well. When she didn't play well she got some bench time. But he gives another chance to step-up. Most of the time Powell has. There was one game when she didn't I just can't remember it off hand.

I am glad we have the horses to mix it up. For years we haven't had the option of sitting Ticha down if she was struggling offensively. So we just dealt with it. Now we do. I believe she can and will contribute but she has to step it up. She is not entitled to playing time, she has to earn it.
She is gonna see a bunch of box and 1 or triangle and 2 defenses. If she continues to drive into double teams, or do that god awful drive to the baseline and then pass to nobody, she will have a nice spot reserved for her next to Monique Ambers.
Far be it from me to be critical of anyones favorite player. Hell mine's isn't even in the league this year.
But I think this is a reality that we have to face. The Monarchs are gonna have problems if teams are allowed to sit in Zones against our post players. That is the reality. Ticha knew this coming in this year.
Did Haynie/Lawson make more shots than Ticha? Not really. But their mere present on the floor forced defenses to play honest, and bought Nicole a little shooting space.
This is what we have been looking for. This is why we won the game.

BTW... This is a team sport. It is not all about Ticha. The team won and most feel great about this win. I know I do. I think it is a great sign that if someone... Anyone Struggles we have the personnel to pick that player up.

Final thought...

I think this team works because they have a great attitude towards the game and one another. Why create an issue, that doesn't need to be. Ticha played 15 minutes?

Big deal...
Tomorrow night she might play 40, and then this will all be forgotten.
 
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#22
Nobody said it was all about Ticha, nor do I want it to be. As pro-Ticha as I am, I'm not like that. I don't like Whiz's rotation though, and I'm not even talking about Ticha with that complaint. I think his benching of Powell in the last two games has been ridiculous. Why put in Maiga when Powell is getting us back into games? I know he's always looking for defense and all, but sometimes a little offense is needed. It's like he doesn't notice when somebody is just having a "bad" night (Maiga in LA). And why has he cut down Buescher's time so much? She is someone, like Haynie, who may not score much, but makes things happen with effort and hustle. I like her energy out on the court. But Whiz seems to bring her in now only in desperation, its like he forgets about her.

The reason I bring up the stats (which were wrong on the Ticha side btw, she isn't shooting even that well, the Haynie #s are right though.) is because I just want to make sure that the praise for Haynie isn't because she's scoring, it's just because she's shooting. Because I have a feeling if Ticha starts jacking up more shots just to stay in the game, nobody's gonna like that either. I think she needs to score like she did against Phoenix. She wasn't taking a bunch of shots, just a few in fact, but they were good shots. I don't want her jacking up a bunch of shots just so we can call her "fearless". Smart decisions are what make good PGs. In the last two games I don't think we've seen that from Ticha, but at the same time, we haven't seen much of her on the court either. She can't redeem herself and make things happen from the bench. Against LA (@home), Phoenix, and Indiana she proved her worth outside the box score.

I absolutely agree that we need a guard out there who is gonna be aggressive and score. I love this TEAM and this LEAGUE, which is why I'm a STH, and I think this team is doing great things this year. We have more depth, I think, than any other team in the league. Our defense is spectacular. I love Chelsea Newton! She's the most underrated rookie in the league. All 11 can play and be effective. But, sometimes I don't think Whiz is smart when he takes people out. DeMya will get hot and then all of a sudden she's out. I HATE the short hook. Because, more often than not, it comes at the wrong time. I don't hate the short hook because it pulls my favorite player, I hate it cause it kills momentum a lot of the time. He does it to everyone. Equal opportunity benching, but it gets on my nerves even with us winning. We're still the best in the West but there's always room for improvement. With Kara coming back, our offense should start to look a little better. And Kara brings an energy that doesn't show up in the stats.
 

6th

Homer Fan Since 1985
#23
MamaBristow, that was an excellent post. I agree with many of your points. We could have beat L.A. (IMHO) if C Whiz had put in some scorers with all that defense. He absolutely had the wrong people in the game at the end. To use Maiga instead of Powell when Maiga had no offense and Powell had been scoring for you was a gross error. Yes, we were trying to stop L.A. from scoring anymore at the end, but we had no one on the perimeter who could get us some points and help us catch up to them. They continued to try and get the ball inside to no avail, since L.A.'s defense was set up to stop our bigs. I just wanted to scream (and I think I did, as a matter of fact), "C Whiz get some dang (word changed to keep it clean) perimeter shooters in there."

Don't get me wrong. I like the fact that we have a deep bench and C Whiz is willing to utilize them. But, when you have a player who is "hot" don't yank them, leave them on the bench to languish (and cool off), and then expect their "hot streak" to continue.

Let's just say that I don't always agree with C Whiz's timing.
 
#24
The problem that Whiz has is that his best perimeter shooters are his more suspect defenders (see: Powell, Lawson(when she's suited up to play)). Coach T even suggested that Haynie, while a noteworthy defender, had not adjusted to Whiz' style of defense yet so he's still working with her on that.

I'm not praising Haynie because she's Naismith's gift to basketball shooters, I'm "praising" her for the same reasons I praised her in an earlier thread after she was drafted. I feel Haynie will at least attempt a (higher percentage) shot when she has one available to her and not be nearly as tentative as our 8th year veteran is in doing so. But right now Haynie's shot does not appear to always have her legs under it, especially her perimeter shots. But I'll take that over tentative or passing off to other people for lesser percentage shots. Newton may trump them all, she's got a nice offensive game, not sure I trust her ball handling but her defense has been stellar.

I at least understood what Whiz was attempting to do with Powell/Maiga at the end of the game - he wanted someone who could at least keep up with Swoopes so she did not jack up that shot from section 102 row BB like she did to kill us in a game 2 years ago. Maiga just unfortunately felt the need to foul Sheryl before the ball was even inbounded which essentially set them up for a 3pt play anyway which could have killed us had Swoopes made the FT. If his intent was the foul Swoopes and put her "100% from the FT line shooting self" there, I'll concur wholeheartedly that Powell had shown proficiency in that department and could have stayed in the game at that point. But I think coach was thinking that he needed to deny Swoopes the ball and Maiga was the best person to do that. I'd rather do that than hope that Powell could continue answering 3pt shots because I'm pretty sure she was not going to get many more touches at that stage in the game - they would/should have fouled any other Monarch before they could get the ball to her again and make the "we don't feel the need to shoot more than 60% from the line" team win the game there.

I for goodness sake do not want to see Ticha shooting just for the sake of shooting. That's not what my rant has been about. I want her to read the defense and at least make them step out on her when she drives. Indy was content to not do that. Houston was sagging into a zone. If she just took the two or three uncontested layups she gets a game, I'd be content. I'd even take the Ticha who took 2-3 shots aggressively and confidently in the opening minutes of the Indiana game last week as long as she continued it throughout the minutes she has on the floor. Ticha can take over a game offensively when she wants to, we've seen it. She doesn't need to do that now. She just needs to remember how to be that way and maybe show flashes of it and this will not continue to be a topic of discussion among the fans eternally. If I thought Ticha couldn't shoot, I wouldn't be raising a ruckus about her not shooting. But she CAN shoot, but just seemingly consciously or subconsciously chooses not to.

(BTW...hi SORF..:).to answer your question, different people had the Powell assignment then once she got red hot Van put Sheryl on her and she had to work more off screens and moving with/ w/o the ball to get her other shots during that time. For some reason Powell would not always take the shots she had when she had Edwige Lawson who always looked half her size on her - that was killing me)
 
#25
Speaking of Powell moving off screens, I thought that she and DeMya worked really well together in the second half, and they should do more of that. DeMya setting the high screen so that Powell could have a little space. Powell could have great nights like that all the time if they all worked together to get her a bit of space.

I think that this trade was the best trade in the history of the Monarchs. We got three players that stuck with the team. And I don't think anyone saw that happening. Prior to this trade, I think the best was the KH-C for Lawson trade. Both times I was a little hesitant to like the idea at first because we were losing starters for unknowns, but both worked well. It's kind of sad that Charlotte isn't doing well cause it's bad for Tan and the 2006 season. Charlotte might very well get another top pick if they keep this record going, and we all know how well Trudi uses her available talent.

Tonight's game: will Newton get stuck with the defensive task of trying to slow down Katie Smith? I don't remember who had the duty last time. That's a tough assignment. And Katie is bigger and stronger than Chelsea, but then, so was Taurasi.
 
#26
Newton should take the point guard and work to keep the ball out of Katie's hands and start the disruption of their offense that way and let Ticha handle Katie, because Newton's better at that than any of the other guards and Ticha is the bigger (in terms of weight) of the two of them, plus I think the fact that Ticha has more history with Katie should prevail. I'd like to see coach rotate people who can rough Katie up and handle Katie's roughness.

Powell will have to be able to hang with Abrosimova and at least keep her from going off. I'da like to have a little bit more size on the bench to handle the bigs that Minnesota has but such is life.
 
#27
To keep my post simple...



I agree with everything posted since I last posted.

I think Whiz is actually agjusting to His line up. He is progressively making better decisions about the Offense.

The Maiga thing at the end of the game, I still had my concerns about that one. But yes I understand what his thoughts were behind it. And that is better than last year. Cause last year I found myself asking a lot of questions.

Great year so far...

Go Monarchs

 
#28
On Monarchs Talk wasn't Coach T saying something about the physicality of Smith? Something to the effect of how she fouls people all of the time yet never gets called for it. She just basically lowers the shoulders and plows into people. I wonder how this will effect us considering the "no touch" rule. If Ticha is on Katie though, TP is pretty good at drawing the charge. I just hope our bigs don't get into foul trouble trying to stop the twin towers. Let's hope Yo gets her 15 tonight so she can get a nice ovation for her 3,000 pts.