Review of open court practice

[6th]

I already like what I see.
Chelsea is back. She swatted away a couple of balls...just like old times.
We have some good guards. I am sorry to say that a back court player or 2 will not make the team. I am happy that we have so much talent.
Had a lot of fill-in bigs since the majority of our bigs are still playing overseas.
Yo was Yo. Stealing balls in the paint if you dared put the ball on the floor.
We are going to have depth at every position, so expect a lot of substitutions by Jenny Boo...ala Whiz.
Bringing in the guys from Yuba College to scrimmage with our ladies is working well. It is really giving our girls some good defensive practice.
Looks like ball movement will continue to be huge for this team. Hurray!

There were a few of us at the practice today. Let's hear comments from them.

If anyone does not have season tickets, and has not arranged for tickets to opening night on Jun 2nd against LA......you better get with it. You won't want to miss this team.

 

[mdme]

with the depth at the backcourt. who do you think are in danger of not making it among the guards? just your opinion?

 

[6th]

with the depth at the backcourt. who do you think are in danger of not making it among the guards? just your opinion?

If I had to guess, I'd say LaToya Bond. That would be a shame because she plays with a lot of energy. Atkinson may not make it, but she is a swing.

 

[Den-Den]

I have to agree with 6th that this is not a team to miss this year! I would not want to pick who to cut, but tend to agree with her choices--Bond and Atkinson. Both are good players and are aggressive players, and would likely make the team if we didn't already have Ticha, Kara, Kristen, Chelsea, Sho-time, and Kim Smith. Several in the group I attended with thought that Smith might be a possibility for a cut, but she shot and scored at will over the male practice players.

Most improved: Brittany Wilkens and Sholanda Robinson. Both really took their game to another level in the off-season!

But the most comments heard yesterday was how fit Kara looks. She is slimmed down, buffed, and healthy!

Can't wait for the games to begin...is it May 13th yet???

 

[HoopMatron]

Looking at the players there yesterday, five are locks for the team -- Yo, Kara, Chelsea, Scholanda and Kristin. The five overseas -- Nicole, Adrian, Becky, Ticha and DeMya -- are also locks for the team. That leaves one active roster spot and up to two inactive spots.

Here's how I'd pick 'em (and I think there will be cap room for 13 players):
* means starter

Guards:
Ticha*
Kara*
Chelsea
Kristin
Scholanda

Forwards:
Nicole*
DeMya*
Becky
Adrian
LaTangela

Centers:
Yo*

Inactive:
Brittany
Kim

I'd pick LaTangela over the other "new" players because I just liked what I saw yesterday in aggressiveness and energy. Bond didn't show me much -- either she really hates practice or she's not into the game at the level required to be a Monarch. Even in the scrimmages her intensity didn't pick up. Wells is learning and everyone was very supportive of her during the practice yesterday. As Kara said in her blog, Wells is the first one at practice and the last one to leave (and Kara usually has that honor locked up). So she might pencil in over Kim Smith if they decide to go with another big player for the future.

Definitely Kara looked awesome. She's buffed up and slimmed down and was able to turn on the jets getting down the court.

Most impressive to me was the work on offensive sets and ball movement. I am getting the same feeling I had at the start of the 2005 season -- this is a team to be reckoned with.

GO MONARCHS!!!!!

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

I think Bond and Wells are both gone...they are bodies here because others aren't. Bond would have to beat out Scho, Kara, Ticha or Kristin to get a roster spot, I just don't see that happening. Wells, she's a big, we have a complement of bigs already...she's competing with Brittney and if Brittney's improved I don't see why Wells stays.

Atkinson was acquired via trade and we gave up a valuable commodity to get her - our second rounder next year in a deep draft. She's here to replace Maiga so I gotta think she's safe.

I'd agree that Smith may be the player on the bubble in terms of active player from 2005 needing to compete to get minutes. The only reason I'd waiver on that, is that I'd REALLY like to have another perimeter scorer active and available to come off the bench behind Powell. Our only reliable perimeter scorers are Kara and Nicole, I'd really like another one.

In addition to what others mentioned, here's something I saw during the time I was there yesterday...this group of players did a heckuva job closing out on the perimeter defensively...ALL of them not just certain player...they all jumped back out on someone if the ball went out there and someone looked to pull up. That has been a huge deficiency of whiteline... So between that, and the drills I saw that had players making definitive cuts to the basket and finishing and players hitting elbow jumpers? I think I got a little teary eyed.

I agree HM, this has a feeling of 2005 again...the giddiness about seeing stuff we hadn't seen before, new players in camp impressing, hard decisions about who stays and who goes, and the comraderie? I had a deja vu moment or two. Let's see how things look when they hit the preseason games next weekend.

 

[mdme]

If I had to guess, I'd say LaToya Bond. That would be a shame because she plays with a lot of energy. Atkinson may not make it, but she is a swing.

I'd pick LaTangela over the other "new" players because I just liked what I saw yesterday in aggressiveness and energy. Bond didn't show me much -- either she really hates practice or she's not into the game at the level required to be a Monarch. Even in the scrimmages her intensity didn't pick up.

So which is which? I also think that Bond would be a cut. But you guys get to see this first hand and would have a much better idea.

So if we were to rank the guards (PG/SG) spots only, how would they do?

 

[6th]

Assuming someone has to beat out our veteran for the #1 spot, this is how I rank the PG/SG.

1. Ticha
2. Kara
3. Chelsea
4. Scholanda
5. Kristin

You will not find a better lockdown defender at the 1 than Ticha. Kara is not as good at defense (although continuing to improve), but will give us offense from the 2 when Ticha is playing the point. Chelsea is a fantastic defender at the 2, so I would bring her off the bench when Kristin is backing up the point. Scholanda will have to work hard to get minutes, but I would not have a problem with her coming off the bench, no matter who is working the point. Also, you can swing Kara to the point to rest Ticha more, and bring Chelsea or Sho-time in at the 2 guard as well. The depth at the PG/SG is really incredible.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

I think the backcourt improvements (at least the ones we're heard about or seen) with Scho, Kara and Kristin, I think we'll see some interesting combinations out on the floor....perhaps even going small(ish) and back to the 3 guard we'd used to play when Ruthie/Edna/Lady were here. I'd still like to go back to the Ticha/Chelsea starting backcourt tho - that's a nasty defensive backcourt. Kara should getting a good chunk of the minutes and be on the floor late in games if they need to have a proven scorer somewhere.

What also is intriguing is the idea that they want to use Ticha differently offensively...or at least that's the teaser thrown out by coach T during his segment of the 101 earlier this year.

It's just downright exciting now innit?

 

[mdme]

Well it's quite excting indeed and the possibilities are endless. I agree that Kara is an option for PG too. However, when I looked back at the Det/Sac series I clearly remember that Ticha wasn't able to stop either Tweety or Katie either. Granted Kristin wasn't able to anyway either but without her defense, Ticha's usefulness is just not the same. If you look at games 1 and 2 last series for example, Haynie actually did a better job on tweety than Ticha. It was mentioned several times by the broadcasters, not to mention better on offense too. Also, in game 5, Haynie made key baskets during our comeback. Hopefully both of them would have improved this off-season. That being said, I think the starting point should be fought for....heck even Kara can make a play for it.

 

[6th]

While it is a possibility that the starting point will be fought for, Haynie is nowhere near the point guard that Ticha is. There is not a point guard in the women's game that has better court vision. And, very few can match her defensive intensity at the position. While Kristin is a fantastic back-up for the position, I don't ever see her starting as long as Ticha Penicheiro is a Sacramento Monarch.

Edit: barring injury, of course

 

[mdme]

that is very true indeed. Ticha's court vision is unrivalled, defensively she is better than Kristin as well. But sometimes 1+1 is not always equal to two. and while i'm sure Ticha makes everyone around her better, not having to defend her also makes it harder for everyone else. I am just concerned that the Det/Sac series exposed a critical weakness for us at the 1 spot. (although if chelsea was with us last year, it may have probably not mattered). thank goodness she's back.

 

[kennadog]

All right. I'm getting very, very excited about the upcoming season. Thanks for the report ya'll!

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

If a weakness was exposed, it was exposed for both PGs not just one of them. I suspect since #21 was re-signed...there are plans to shore up whatever weaknesses there may be with her on the floor offensively. Until Haynie demonstrates she can run this team better or play defensively as well, she isnt getting the starting job. 1+1 may not always equal the sum we want, but the majority of the time it does equal 2 and sometimes 2 is better than 1.344 or 1.761. Having Chelsea back doesn't mean she gets to try to guard both Smith and Nolan, we just have a better defender to keep Smith or whatever point guard from finding Nolan or whatever top scorer in the spots where Nolan or whatever top scorer likes to be found. Ticha can chase Tweety or whatever top scorer all she wants but if say Tweety is going to get the ball then damn...she's going to be able to do something with it as she demonstrated adequately in all 5 games of that series, not just the ones we lost.

 

[HoopMatron]

One thing that struck me at the "Meet the new coach" event last winter was a comment that Coach Boo made to the effect that "No one will disrespect one of our players. If a player has a weakness, we'll make sure she improves and we'll work around it." I thought at the time it was a pointed comment about Ticha, and I think she's got a plan.

For one thing, running plays for Nicole, Kara, et al will make it less glaring that Ticha is reluctant to shoot. If she can set them up, who cares? My criticism last year was that every player was on her own to get a shot. I'm happier with team play on offense as well as defense.

Anyway, I'm very enthused about this team. I can't wait for all of them to be here in that gawd-awful new uniform (which I'm sure I'll love before the season is over).

GO MONARCHS!!!!

 

[mdme]

If a weakness was exposed, it was exposed for both PGs not just one of them. I suspect since #21 was re-signed...there are plans to shore up whatever weaknesses there may be with her on the floor offensively.

One thing that struck me at the "Meet the new coach" event last winter was a comment that Coach Boo made to the effect that "No one will disrespect one of our players. If a player has a weakness, we'll make sure she improves and we'll work around it." I thought at the time it was a pointed comment about Ticha, and I think she's got a plan. For one thing, running plays for Nicole, Kara, et al will make it less glaring that Ticha is reluctant to shoot. If she can set them up, who cares? My criticism last year was that every player was on her own to get a shot. I'm happier with team play on offense as well as defense.

I agree that having some plays for kara/nicole would make it less glaring that ticha is reluctant to shoot. I certainly hope they can do that. I also share your observation about players being on their own to get a shot. I think that falls squarely on BOTH our PGs. I do think that since Ticha has an obvious deficiency on offense, it is even more critical that she makes opportunities for the other 4 players on the floor. If she can't score (or worse won't shoot) on offense, she should at least make it less difficult on the other 4. She's not the greatest passer in the WNBA for nothing. Regarding Haynie on the other hand, yes, she hasn't shown a consistent ability to run this team. but the question I'd like to ask is which is easier to compensate for....Haynie's defense or Ticha's offense. as MBF pointed out above, both PGs weaknesses were exposed. Certainly effort should be made to compensate for Ticha's offense....in the same way as Haynie's defense. In that respect, I personally think that Haynie's defense is less of a liabilty than Ticha's offense as we already have a great team concept defense (whiteline). In the end, I think what's holding Haynie from the starting spot is not her defense but her ability to run the team which is still not where it needs to be to be a starter. Anyways, I am very excited about the season. GO MONARCHS!!!

 

[Den-Den]

Ticha developed into one of the best defensive players in the league under Wiz. Ticha and Chelsea were other team's worst nightmare...

That said, the motion offense Wiz used severely hampered her ability to shine as a point guard calling plays. It is no coincidence that her assists numbers were way down under the motion offense. I am very excited by the new offense that Coach J Boo is instituting, and think that we will see the defensive powerhouse Ticha meeting back up with the razzle-dazzle leader of the "old days". I for one, can hardly wait.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

Let me also take a step back...Ticha shot the ball in the Finals...she just wasn't making many of them...I think the offensive changes they say they are planning for her will help her. We've certainly seen the games in which she has no reluctancy to shoot or make strong moves to the basket...I think we'll see more of them because she will be moving to spots on the floor where she will get better shots since she's not necessarily one who will or can create them often on her own.

But Haynie's problems last year, and this may not be as much of an issue with a new coach, was she was being benched more often than not last year for defensive lapses. She was nearly invisible during the the two series preceding the Finals but somehow her performance in the Finals elevated her above Ticha in some minds on the depth chart...I don't quite get that.

That said...I think we all are in agreement that both players are going to get chances to improve - we need them both to do so if this team is going to play deep into the season. We need them ALL to improve and that seemed to be the gist behind what they've been working on this preseason.

 

[mdme]

very true MBF, as you pointed out she was being benched during some parts of the season for "defensive lapses". You're also right to point out how she was "nearly invisible" during the preceding 2 series. I think however that what you should notice was how visible ticha was in the first 2 series. She shot the ball well especially in the houston series which was crucial. remember that 3? This just highlights the fact that when Ticha scores/shoots well/or is an offensive threat, her value jumps exponentially. But when she doesn't, her value as a passer is somewhat diminished since teams can double of her or at least cut off passing lanes since no one has to "rush out" to her to contest her shots. I mean, that finals last year when they were sagging like nuts off her and she would be hesitant to shoot (or unable to make a basket) was just painful to watch. She should've at least driven to the basket to get fouled or something (ala nash). back to haynie, she needs playing time to develop some sort of control on the team, being benched (albeit with reason) will stiffle her ability to mature and develop her leadership skills for this team. She already showed she can do it (in michigan for example). Remember, when one is on the bench, it's easy to become invisible. It's also easy to stay on the bench when the person ahead of you in the depth chart is playing well (Ticha). We won't have Ticha forever, we need to develop her as she is the closest thing we have to a backup. Just like Kevin Martin, one cannot play with an imaginary leesh that gets you pulled out for some mistakes. Look at the Finals Games 1 through 3, you can see how decent her defense was on Tweety (even when compared to Ticha/Sho).

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

That’s why I suggested that Ticha actually shot the ball in the Finals, she just did not have many fall in and/or look nearly as good doing it. We can certainly parse frames of video or box scores and point to how well so and so did or did not defend someone, I’m not interested in doing that because I don’t think it tells us anything because quite frankly it should have been a moot point had the Monarchs closed out any one of games 2, 4 or 5 and I doubt this discussion about liabilities would be happening.

But going along with reality, that they dropped those three games, Ticha barely played in game 4 and left early in game 5 and Tweety still exploded. In fact, I’d suggest, that except game 1, which I believe was the only game Tweety did not score in the 20s, she was not held in check by anybody we had defending her. Unless we’re celebrating the fact that she did not go for 30 or 40, then I’m not sure how we’re measuring defensive success on her. It happens.

Absolutely agree that Ticha is not going to be around forever and we certainly should have an eye to finding and grooming a suitable replacement for her as much as one can replace the likes of her. In the Whisenant system you got the minutes you earned by your defensive capabilities, if you weren’t cutting it there you were on the bench. (See: Rebekkah Brunson) Coach Boucek’s system will certainly have a different flavor to it, and I sense she’s looking to make players better in the process too – so this is a new era and we will certainly see how all the players who struggled in one way or another fare. I just find it extremely hard to believe that Ticha’s job as the starting point guard is in jeopardy over a poor offensive performance in the Finals. If she were that much of a liability, I’m sure we would have used her cap space in other ways this offseason. But we’ll see how it shakes out when everybody is back in camp.

 

[mdme]

First off MBF, absolutely enjoy discussing with you (note discussing and not arguing).

You really should find it hard to believe that her starting spot is in jeopardy because it isn't. There was absolutely no way we can replace her (at this time) that's why we're sacrificing the cap space on her.

Also agree that had we closed out games 2,4,5 then this discussion would be moot...in fact, not even existent. This is not a discussion of whose fault was it, as whiz already had a heck of a time figuring that out.

What I do think is that, we should be looking for what we need to do this season at the PG spot....do we play Ticha (and backed up by Haynie/Lawson) and try to get maximum mileage from her? or do we begin the transition to our PG of the future, whomever that may be? i.e.still play Ticha (starter and all), but begin to groom the next Monarch PG a little bit more proactively?

 

[mitzukosan]

Dump Bonds and keep Atkinson. I actually wanted the Monarchs to pick up Atkinson when she was available in the draft. She's quick, She's spunky, She's a perfect fit for for the Monarchs.

I'd keep her over Kim Smith in a minute....if it came down to that.



<<<<If I had to guess, I'd say LaToya Bond. That would be a shame because she plays with a lot of energy. Atkinson may not make it, but she is a swing.>>>>
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