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WBB 16/17 Season

Lots of good games tonight. Megan and Bre won over Chase and Makenzie. Both Megan and chase had nice games.
Alexa Kastanek was back. Her team with Amanda Ollinger won over Kathleen and Hailey. Kathleen was getting shots but having trouble getting them to drop.
Lex looked like she was moving pretty well.
It was another close game in the nite cap, when I left at half. Hannah and Ally were matching up. Ally got off to a slow start, then hit a bunch of shots. Christina was her usual active self. Alexis Sevillian was playing with confidence.
Carly says she will be good to go in November.
 
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We have quite a freshman and sophomore class with a lot of talent. Front court Megan,Hannah, Carly, Amanda right there more solid bigs than the whole team at times in the past. Guards and wings Tia, Alexis, Kathleen, Bre, Meyer. Hope I didn't forget someone. All are players that look to me as players that are Big Ten level players. No practice players, no projects that might. I remember Beth as a freshman and unsure if she would make a difference If Coach can keep them healthy and happy This year and the future look like a lot of fun
 
Stats from 7/20
Ally 42 points 8 reb 6 assists
Christina 18 points 5 reb 4 assists
Hannah 6 points 17 reb
Alexis 29 points t reb 5 assist
Alexa 11 points 6 reb
Amanda 23 points 19 reb
Kathleen 52 points 11-19 3ptr
Megan 35 points 15 reb
Bre 11 points (didn't shoot much)
Chase 27 points 11 assists
Makenzie 17 points 26 assists?
The assists on the last two seem really high. But all the rebounding and assists aren't trustworthy.
 
Starting lineup predictions?

I think there are obviously 4 spots locked up: Ally, Megan, Chase, and Davis.

Who will be the 5th, starting at wing.

So:

F: Chase
C/F: Mega
W: Ally
W:?
PG: Davis
 
I would guess that she won't, at least to start the season. The other FR guards have also looked good. But Alexa Kastanek will probably be the starter to begin the season.
 
oakhawk said:
I would guess that she won't, at least to start the season. The other FR guards have also looked good. But Alexa Kastanek will probably be the starter to begin the season.
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I agree with oakhawk on Alexa. I also think Tania may be the starter at the beginning of the season, but someone else will take her place by conference season. She is quick but too short for Big Ten play, and there will be a lot of other options by then. Tania got abused last year.
 
mphawk said:
I agree with oakhawk on Alexa. I also think Tania may be the starter at the beginning of the season, but someone else will take her place by conference season. She is quick but too short for Big Ten play, and there will be a lot of other options by then. Tania got abused last year.
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Tania was abused last year, I agree. So was Megan. A lot of that was first year mistakes. Also, both Iowa guards were short last year. Tania will learn to use her quickness and team will hopefully be better prepared to help.
Her quickness is a weapon that Iowa can use. There would also appear to be more depth this year so she wont be playing as many minutes.

Hopefully all younger players show progress and Ally can lead them to a very good year and the NCAAs.
 
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Tania Davis, also a Big Ten All-Freshman team pick, took home awards for Best Defense and Assists Leader. The Grand Blanc, Michigan, native tallied 37 steals, the third-highest total of all freshmen in program history. Davis paced the Hawkeyes with 111 assists in her 33 games played. She is only the second player in the history of the program to dish out more than 100 assists in her freshman campaign (Samantha Logic - 136).
 
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SLarew said:
Tania was abused last year, I agree. So was Megan. A lot of that was first year mistakes. Also, both Iowa guards were short last year. Tania will learn to use her quickness and team will hopefully be better prepared to help.
Her quickness is a weapon that Iowa can use. There would also appear to be more depth this year so she wont be playing as many minutes.

Hopefully all younger players show progress and Ally can lead them to a very good year and the NCAAs.
Click to expand...

I disagree that she was abused.

In addition to Oak's post about some of her freshman awards, need to remember that Davis won't have to guard wing players this year- as she will be playing point guard and not off guard.

When Whitney and Davis were on the court together, Davis would often guard the SG as she was stronger than Whitney.

Not going to be a concern this year.

I think a player like Bre has the potential to play a lot as a freshman and be a lock down wing defender.
 
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91hawki said:
I disagree that she was abused.

In addition to Oak's post about some of her freshman awards, need to remember that Davis won't have to guard wing players this year- as she will be playing point guard and not off guard.

When Whitney and Davis were on the court together, Davis would often guard the SG as she was stronger than Whitney.

Not going to be a concern this year.

I think a player like Bre has the potential to play a lot as a freshman and be a lock down wing defender.
Click to expand...

Ab used may not be right term but in few games I saw, other team definitely tried to use height advantage while driving or shooting. Some of it was inexperience as it was with Megan on defense. I agree that it having two shorter guards will help situation too
 
SLarew said:
Ab used may not be right term but in few games I saw, other team definitely tried to use height advantage while driving or shooting. Some of it was inexperience as it was with Megan on defense. I agree that it having two shorter guards will help situation too
Click to expand...
oakhawk said:
Tania Davis, also a Big Ten All-Freshman team pick, took home awards for Best Defense and Assists Leader. The Grand Blanc, Michigan, native tallied 37 steals, the third-highest total of all freshmen in program history. Davis paced the Hawkeyes with 111 assists in her 33 games played. She is only the second player in the history of the program to dish out more than 100 assists in her freshman campaign (Samantha Logic - 136).
Click to expand...

Yeah it really looks like she was abused. Maybe some people should have seen her play 25 or 30 times instead of 3 or 4 times. She was a freshman, what do some people expect.
 
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Michigan's Katelynn Flaherty, who entered the game third in the Big Ten in scoring (21.7 points per game), led the Wolverines with 31 points. She had 24 at halftime but was held to seven points (with four fouls) in the second half. Her final field goal attempt -- with just over a minute remaining -- was rejected by Davis.
The differnce between halves? They put Tania on her one-on-one. Tania shut her down.
 
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oakhawk said:
Michigan's Katelynn Flaherty, who entered the game third in the Big Ten in scoring (21.7 points per game), led the Wolverines with 31 points. She had 24 at halftime but was held to seven points (with four fouls) in the second half. Her final field goal attempt -- with just over a minute remaining -- was rejected by Davis.
The differnce between halves? They put Tania on her one-on-one. Tania shut her down.
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Played a lot of zone last year because of the height differential. Difference between halves also has something to do with the difficulty of anyone scoring that many points in both halves and having someone assigned to be in the face of an opponent and ignore everything else. Tania wasn't abused all the time but her height was and will be used against her by taller talented guards.
 
I feel Davis' starter status is secure. And Cera, Meyer and Doyle all appear to complement her well in the other guard position. Definitely better than Davis and Jennings together last year.
 
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And is Sevillian 5'6 as reported? She seems closer to 5'7 judging from the freshmen group photo when compared to the other players.
 
BGHAWK said:
Yeah it really looks like she was abused. Maybe some people should have seen her play 25 or 30 times instead of 3 or 4 times. She was a freshman, what do some people expect.
Click to expand...

Living in Orlando, I am limited to seeing her play on BTN. As I said in second part of post, inexperience was also a factor as it was with Megan guarding opposing posts inside.
I like Tania as a player offensively and her stats show her prowess there. As she develops more patience and control , she will do even better. Iowa will also take advantage of her quickness defensively if they can play less zone and more ono-one defense ( don't like saying man to man in womens basketball).
 
The Hawks have been playing a fair amount of zone for the last several seasons now. IIRC it started in one of those injury-prone years when anyone at all in foul trouble was a big problem, but we've continued to play it when depth was better. And there have been games where it's really bothered the other team. I do think it's easy to get lazy in a zone, and think the Hawks have occasionally been guilty of that.
 
Good observation 55. Coach Bluder had to play way more zone last year because the starting backcourt was 5'3 and 5'5 respectively. With all due respect to those talking about man-to-man defense, the verdict is still out on how certain players will perform individually. Teams with physical guards will continue to give Iowa trouble, Maryland, Michigan St., etc.

Coach Bluder has always preferred guard oriented/finesse style of play. The problem is, you still need a banger down low to compete with the elite teams--not just in the conference, but the nation. They have gotten by largely due to having a pair of Honorable Mention All-American guards who also happened to be tough rebounders in Alexander and Logic.

I spoke to Mohns last week. Here knee has been cleaned out and she feels much better. As long as she stays with the rehab plan she should be ready come October--and I think a solid rebounder to help on the glass. What this roster really needs is a second true center. Megan is tough and I already see progress in her positioning and footwork, but there will undoubtedly be games where she will need more than just a short breather, possibly deal with foul trouble, and hopefully avoids the injury bug.

As far as the discussion as to who might be the starter in the 2/3 spot. Don't count out Buttenham. Remember she was injured this time last year and didn't play. She has the edge on defense over Kastanek and right now the coahes like the consistency in both her shot and shot selection.
 
A couple of other factors for playing more zone....protecting Megan from foul trouble, and playing some teams that were 3pt challenged.
 
I'm excited to see Megan compete against BIG centers this season,... I read prior to arriving at Iowa she never lifted weights, after a year on campus & in the weight room she could be primed for a big year.
 
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So far this summer, she has been unstoppable on the low block. She is much improved in her dribbling, bringing the ball up court on occasion , driving to the hoop on the break. She is also consistently hitting the mid range jump shot. She is better at the FT line and looks comfortable there.
 
Gustafson Talks About Breaking Wisconsin Scoring Record

PORT WING, Wisc. -

South Shore's Megan Gustafson went in to the Cardinals' game against Chequamegon Monday needing just 10 points to tie Joelene Anderson's school record of 2,881 career points.
By the way, Anderson's mark was also the Wisconsin state girls' scoring record.
Gustafson finished with 46 points as she blew past Anderson in to the state record book.
The new record stands at 2,917 and counting.

I'm really excited to be a part of this, but I'm sad it's coming to an end, but I'm really excited for the future.
Megan, about playing for a small school and going to U of Iowa.
 
THERE’S NOTHING SMALL-TOWN ABOUT MEGAN GUSTAFSON’S GAME

In leading the Cardinals here, Gustafson has put up the kind of monster stat nights usually only found in a video game. A sampling includes:

• The 46 points (on 20 of 28 shooting from the field) and 18 rebounds in an 81-45 win over Chequamegon on Feb. 16, the game in which she surpassed Anderson's all-time scoring record with a free throw early in the second quarter. “The most important thing I remember that when I set that record, I just wanted to make the free throw,” Gustafson said. “I thought, 'Well, I better make this.'”

• Back-to-back nights of 50 points Feb. 19 and 24, when she had 54 against Solon Springs and 51 against Mellen.

• Or the night she scored a single-game, state-record 64 points in a Feb. 27 playoff victory over Mercer.

With at least one game remaining in her career, Gustafson [was] the first girl in state history to eclipse 3,000 career points (she [had] 3,199) and 1,000 in a season (with 1,097), she has outscored South Shore's opponents by 200 points this season). The player who previously held the all-time, season and game scoring records? Of course it's Anderson.

For the season, Gustafson [led] the state averaging 40.6 points and 19.0 rebounds per game.

Beyond the numbers:

Her statistics jump off the page, and certainly some will question the quality of the competition in the northern part of the state. But a Top 25 college program such as the University of Iowa won't recruit players strictly on gaudy numbers.

Gustafson is a top-100 national recruit, according to ESPN, and a 6-3 post player at heart who during the last couple years of her prep career started to handle the ball more and play on the wing.

“She's more than a classic post player,” Tiberg said. “The last two years she's played on the perimeter probably more than than she wants to. Offensively we're more of a passing-cutting offense, which freed her up for more open cuts and things than getting beaten up so badly in the post with her back to the basket. I wouldn't call her a post player or a guard. It's just a combination of everything.”

Noll, the head women's basketball coach at the University of Dubuque, recently saw a couple of Gustafson's prep games and lauded her ability to handle a constant stream of double or triple teams.

“It was like the opponents played a triangle in 2, and the triangle was on her,” [Noll] said. “The two was on the rest of the team, but she handled it all with ease. A lot look at her in Division 5, but she could score 30 a game if she played at [three larger, successful Wisconsin girls BB programs]. She's that kind of player.”
 
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BIG TEN [HONORED] GUSTAFSON
jockos said:
I'm excited to see Megan compete against BIG centers this season,... I read prior to arriving at Iowa she never lifted weights, after a year on campus & in the weight room she could be primed for a big year.
Click to expand...

For the first time in her career, Hawkeye freshman standout Megan Gustafson has earned conference honors, the Big Ten announced Monday. The 6-3 forward from Port Wing, Wisconsin, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after averaging 14 points and 10.7 rebounds against Minnesota, Purdue, and Indiana last week, pushing Iowa to a 2-1 record. Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder had high praise for the freshman after the award was announced Monday.

After coming off the bench to begin the season, Gustafson [had] started the last nine games for the Hawkeyes. On the season, she [was averaging] 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in slightly fewer than 21 minutes. Gustafson hasn’t just been an offensive force for the Hawkeyes this season. She’s been quite the rim-protector, leading all Big Ten freshman with 50 blocks. That mark is good enough for third-place in school history among freshmen.

As a starter for the last 14 games, Megan averaged nearly a double-double. It's possible that she could average a double-double this next year or even for her career. With the pace of the game now, I think it's very possible.
 
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Jan Jensen does a very good job of teaching and developing post players. If you look at Bethany Doolittle, Morgan Johnson, Jamie Cavey, Stacy Schlapkohl, Randi Peterson, etc. from their first years to their senior season, there is marked positive improvement.
 
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Gustafson Talks About Breaking Wisconsin Scoring Record
oakhawk said:
So far this summer, she has been unstoppable on the low block. She is much improved in her dribbling, bringing the ball up court on occasion , driving to the hoop on the break. She is also consistently hitting the mid range jump shot. She is better at the FT line and looks comfortable there.
Click to expand...
Do you know what her practical (in practice) shooting range limit is? I would think she is working to extend it. Do you see her eventually extending to the 3-point line? If so, would you compare her physically, as well as style, to Breanna Stewart?
 
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oakhawk said:
Jan Jensen does a very good job of teaching and developing post players. If you look at Bethany Doolittle, Morgan Johnson, Jamie Cavey, Stacy Schlapkohl, Randi Peterson, etc. from their first years to their senior season, there is marked positive improvement.
Click to expand...
The Hawkeyes also had Ruth Gustafson (IIRC) in the early Bluder era.
 
You could add Megan Skouby. I didn't because she came in as a good player but never changed her game.
I don't remember anyone named Ruth.
 
I don't remember any Ruth, and I definitely only know one Gustafson!

I know there's one Lindsey Geofferies in the early days. There was another post player at the same time whose first name was Amber. Lindsey Geofferies was the only player from California that Coach Bluder has ever had at Iowa, I believe.
 
I'm probably wrong about that. I didn't follow the women then as close as I do now. My wife says I'm forgetful. I probably am, a bit.
 
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The hold overs from Angie Lee era
Lindsey Geoffroy, Tracy Schrupp, Bea Bullock, sometimes Jerica Watson.
O' Brien , Schrupp, and Geoffroy hardly played.
Bullock and Watson shared time. Bea was the strong one, Jerica was the athletic leaper.
 
oakhawk said:
A couple of other factors for playing more zone....protecting Megan from foul trouble, and playing some teams that were 3pt challenged.
Click to expand...
2 things there oak:

1) Most teams (Iowa in particular) struggle rebounding out of the zone

2) With Megan being the only true center on the team, the need to protect her is understandable. Ironically at the same time in order to do so it often put Iowa at a defensive disadvantage by having to play more zone.

A backup or second player at center would make a huge difference. But in talking with the coaches it doesn't sound like they are planning on going that route until Megan nears graduation.
 
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