Affolter, McCabe and Feurbach are all good players and each currently has their own little role. I am hoping one of them breaks out and gets some playing time, but with Martin and Marshall coming back, it might be tough for all 3 of these ladies.
McCabe can clearly shoot the lights out. She needs to be in if Marshall is out. Affolter has grit, toughness and athleticism which could point to the defensive stopper role if she put her mind to it. I would like to see her develop a mid-range shot and/or work on a “floater.”
Feurbach might be in between both of them, as she can shoot and play defense. Closest comparison is probably Kate Martin. Hopefully she continues to get healthier and is ready to step into Kate Martin’s role in 2024.
Come to think of it, all of our guards should work on a mid-range shot and a floater. There has been and will be room to drive, since CC helps spread the defense way out, but they need to pull up just before you get to the land of the giants.
The biggest thing the whole team needs to really work on is boxing out, though. Good heavens!
I have been watching a lot of the replays from our great wins this year and even though I know the outcome, our inability to rebound is beyond cringe-worthy.
Also, there are huge stretches where every loose 50/50 ball goes to our opponents. Lack of hustle? Lack of foot speed? Hustle plays always comes down to who wants it more… and we almost always came out on the short end.
Warnock and Czinano, while incredibly efficient, were not athletic. Warnock was an above average rebounder but that's about it when it comes to "athletic" qualities. Czinano could barely jump, neither was very mobile. Warnock was our worst ball-handler and defenses knew it. She was very easy to turn over. While replacing 2 starters is always going to be tough (again, I don't want to undersell their efficiency -- it was HUGE), I'm glad that we return our 3 best ball handlers and 3 best defenders.
I'm not sure who will be starting, but I believe Stuelke, O'Grady, Feuerbach, Affolter, McCabe and Davis will all get significant minutes for at least a portion of the season. Regardless of who's in, this rotation will be a much quicker and athletic one than in years past.
The only player who isn't a clear step up in athleticism is Davis. I wouldn't be surprised to be McCabe leapfrog her and get more minutes at the 2 -- Davis didn't' bring much in '22-'23 besides court experience and ball-handling. Those are great to have -- obviously, especially for a PG, and I'm glad she's back as the back-up PG -- but that also didn't translate to much production on either end of the floor. It's possible Davis breaks through some and starts taking/making more shots, but if the rumors we've heard about McCabe are true (putting on weight, scoring at all 3 levels in practice), then I suspect we'll see her become a reliable back-up at the 2 by season's end.
IOW -- Outside Davis, everyone else listed is a clear step-up in terms of rebounding, speed, ball-handling, and defense from Czinano and Warnock. The biggest thing they need to improve is upping their FG% -- especially at the perimeter for Feuerbach, Affolter, Stuelke and O'Grady (depending on who plays the 3, 4, 5 -- that's very much up in the air). Stuelke also needs to work on her FT% lol. Fortunately these are all the exact things that Bluder does very well.
I rewatched the B1G Tourney championship vs. OSU recently and was struck by how productive Affolter and Stuelke are. Here's a condensed play by play of most of Q1:
- Martin is called for an offensive foul early. Bluder pulls her and subs in Affolter.
- Immediately Affolter gets the ball, drives to the basket and makes her shot.
- On the following defensive possession, Affolter gets the rebound after the first shot attempt.
- The next three possessions are a Czinano FG (assisted by Marshall), a Clark and 1, and then a Clark 3.
- Affolter then assists on a Czinano FG.
- Martin comes back in for Warnock and turns it over.
- Affolter then drives and misses but draws a foul on Taylor Mikesell.
- Affolter makes both her free throws.
- Stuelke comes in for Czinano, grabs a defensive rebound and then makes a buzzer beater layup (assisted by Clark) to end Q1.
Everyone has gone on about the experience and chemistry of our starting 5, but I think that Affolter and Stuelke's speed and rebounding abilities really raised the ceiling for this team. I have to wonder how we might have fared against UConn had we played them after those two had started getting more regular minutes.
I also believe Gyamfi and Edigar remain X-factors. Both are apparently at least somewhat athletic, have great fundamentals, seem to have some range, and Edigar now is an upperclasswoman. If one of them can break through, it could potentially be a game-changer. And it may be necessary if Feuerbach's recovery is slow, Stuelke isn't progressing fast enough, Affolter can't develop a consistent 3 pt shot, O'Grady isn't meshing with Clark, etc. I'm glad we have options.
