Great Season for the Women Ducks

[duck023]

They were so young and they made it to the Sweet 16. It will be exciting to see how good Sedona Prince, Nyara Sabally and the guards like Te-Hina, Maddie Scherr and the veteran Taylor Mikesell become next year. I'm also glad Syndey Parrish decided to come to Oregon instead of Indiana because she is also very good.

[bigsugarduck]

They were so young and they made it to the Sweet 16. It will be exciting to see how good Sedona Prince, Nyara Sabally and the guards like Te-Hina, Maddie Scherr and the veteran Taylor Mikesell become next year. I'm also glad Syndey Parrish decided to come to Oregon instead of Indiana because she is also very good.

Yeah. I think this was as good as it could have gone. In a non-pandemic year I think the ceiling would have been higher, but they are close to being elite and should be there next year.

I have two strong suggestions for Graves for next year 1) Get Mikesell out of the starting lineup. She was mostly awful this year. Poor defense, poor passing, poor dribbling, poor driving, turnover prone, and her supposed strength, shooting, is actually poor too (.333 3Pt%). Roll players need to come off the bench. 2) Nyara was probably the best player this year but was a turnover hazard. Get her to work on her touch around the rim and get her decision making to improve. These two things, along with expected improvement from others are enough to elevate the team next year.

[shoparound]

I agree, I think there were just so many issues, and a couple of breaks that just made it too tough.
I do still think KG has his work cut out for him. We need a MASSIVE improvement in a lot of areas. And hopefully a back up PG for PaoPao. With her history of injuries, she might be a Greg Oden situation where we just don't know how much is left.
Other schools are also stacking up top notch players, true playmakers, so we hopefully have something in the back pocket to match that.

[GrandpaDuck]

I agree, I think there were just so many issues, and a couple of breaks that just made it too tough.
I do still think KG has his work cut out for him. We need a MASSIVE improvement in a lot of areas. And hopefully a back up PG for PaoPao. With her history of injuries, she might be a Greg Oden situation where we just don't know how much is left.
Other schools are also stacking up top notch players, true playmakers, so we hopefully have something in the back pocket to match that.

We were so close to getting Carrington in the transfer derby, what a difference that might have made in the offense this year. But yes we need a another penetrator and shot creator that can finish at the basket to run pick and roll with our bigs.

[GrandpaDuck]

As I posted in another thread I am expecting several transfers, but it is hard tell who they will be. Disappointment in ones own production and lack of playing time are the most common reasons, but there are other reasons particularly on teams where all the players are so far from home. For example, Sasha Goforth is leaving OrSU to play closer to home. This despite having a strong freshmen year and having an established key role on what should be a really good team.

[StevensTechU]

The Goforth news really hurts for the Beavers. She's a player you could've built around for three more years.

[shoparound]

I agree, I think there were just so many issues, and a couple of breaks that just made it too tough.
I do still think KG has his work cut out for him. We need a MASSIVE improvement in a lot of areas. And hopefully a back up PG for PaoPao. With her history of injuries, she might be a Greg Oden situation where we just don't know how much is left.
Other schools are also stacking up top notch players, true playmakers, so we hopefully have something in the back pocket to match that.

We were so close to getting Carrington in the transfer derby, what a difference that might have made in the offense this year. But yes we need a another penetrator and shot creator that can finish at the basket to run pick and roll with our bigs.

Great point. Carrington would have probably made this day and night.

[GrandpaDuck]

Since we mentioned Goforth leaving OrSU, guess I'll add that Goodman won't be using her 15th year of eligibility next season, which is even a bigger short team blow to them.

[shoparound]

These OSU players are leaving, but the one who was tearing us up and ROARING on top of her lungs to Jaz Shelley's face will be there.
One of our players will hopefully serve her some humble pie next year.

[panamaslim]

In an asterisk year it seems almost impossible to make any judgment, but like several posters I am absolutely amazed at the miserable ball handling of this team. Why would this season's challenges affect fundamental ball skills like that, especially to such a large degree?

After the loss, Graves said "I want to win every game. I really do," and then added something like the main purpose is to empower strong young women who have a voice.That's solid,but doesn't every coach stress those ideals? Almost sounds like a cop out. What seems to be missing to me with this group is the "killer instinct" ingredient, but maybe that's not compatible with those other ideals. I did see it on the faces of the FF players, however.

The first thing I ever noticed about Sabrina was how seriously focused she was in warmups - kick ass and take names. Of course we'll never have another like her but hopefully someone will come along with a similar attitude. Maybe Taylor Bigby will light the fire. Have heard good things about her.

I don't think there will be any humble pie served to that OSU girl next year but we should still make the playoffs behind OSU, Stanford and Arizona.

[bigsugarduck]

In an asterisk year it seems almost impossible to make any judgment, but like several posters I am absolutely amazed at the miserable ball handling of this team. Why would this season's challenges affect fundamental ball skills like that, especially to such a large degree?

After the loss, Graves said "I want to win every game. I really do," and then added something like the main purpose is to empower strong young women who have a voice.That's solid,but doesn't every coach stress those ideals? Almost sounds like a cop out. What seems to be missing to me with this group is the "killer instinct" ingredient, but maybe that's not compatible with those other ideals. I did see it on the faces of the FF players, however.

The first thing I ever noticed about Sabrina was how seriously focused she was in warmups - kick ass and take names. Of course we'll never have another like her but hopefully someone will come along with a similar attitude. Maybe Taylor Bigby will light the fire. Have heard good things about her.

I don't think there will be any humble pie served to that OSU girl next year but we should still make the playoffs behind OSU, Stanford and Arizona.

There were many instances of players seemingly not knowing what to do next, dribbling it aimlessly, dribbling into a trap, or passing to late. To me, this was all uncertainty regarding teammates. Everyone should improve next year as the team gels. The decisiveness will come.

I see what you mean and agree. But I don't think it is fair to say they do not have this quality within them. Confidence in their own play was lacking the whole year (due to all sorts of reasons), and this is a pre-requisite to the killer instinct. Though the Killer instinct did seem to show up on defense periodically throughout the year, which is why the team did as well as it did.

Arizona will be a shell of the FF team next year without McDonald. I'm not sure OSU improves greatly next year with the players they lose, but they have some good ones returning and coming in. UCLA loses their best player. Stanford will be tops, but I see Oregon as #2 in the conference, with UCLA and OSU battling for 3rd and 4th.

[panamaslim]

Good points, bigsugarduck. Just as an afterthought, I sort of remember that Coach Jody Runge had some of that killer in her. Maybe that's why former a$$hole AD Moos fired her LOL. I think it rubbed off on the team, too. There was a forward, Angelina Wolvert (?) who'd do anything to win within the limits; and of course Shaquala Williams. Don't know how all those girls turned out - hopefully strong, upstanding, impactful citizens.

[duck023]

In an asterisk year it seems almost impossible to make any judgment, but like several posters I am absolutely amazed at the miserable ball handling of this team. Why would this season's challenges affect fundamental ball skills like that, especially to such a large degree?

After the loss, Graves said "I want to win every game. I really do," and then added something like the main purpose is to empower strong young women who have a voice.That's solid,but doesn't every coach stress those ideals? Almost sounds like a cop out. What seems to be missing to me with this group is the "killer instinct" ingredient, but maybe that's not compatible with those other ideals. I did see it on the faces of the FF players, however.

The first thing I ever noticed about Sabrina was how seriously focused she was in warmups - kick ass and take names. Of course we'll never have another like her but hopefully someone will come along with a similar attitude. Maybe Taylor Bigby will light the fire. Have heard good things about her.

I don't think there will be any humble pie served to that OSU girl next year but we should still make the playoffs behind OSU, Stanford and Arizona.

There were many instances of players seemingly not knowing what to do next, dribbling it aimlessly, dribbling into a trap, or passing to late. To me, this was all uncertainty regarding teammates. Everyone should improve next year as the team gels. The decisiveness will come.

I see what you mean and agree. But I don't think it is fair to say they do not have this quality within them. Confidence in their own play was lacking the whole year (due to all sorts of reasons), and this is a pre-requisite to the killer instinct. Though the Killer instinct did seem to show up on defense periodically throughout the year, which is why the team did as well as it did.

Arizona will be a shell of the FF team next year without McDonald. I'm not sure OSU improves greatly next year with the players they lose, but they have some good ones returning and coming in. UCLA loses their best player. Stanford will be tops, but I see Oregon as #2 in the conference, with UCLA and OSU battling for 3rd and 4th.

Stanford's does lose Kiena Williams which has been their best player for years. Stanford took a small step back when Alana Smith graduated but I think Kiena Williams is more valuable. Jones is great and she sort of had her coming out party against South Carolina but I'm not sure they are quite as good without Kiena Williams. She was even a great rival for Sabrina. I really want to see Maddie Sherr and Syndey Parrish step up next year. They were freshmen last year so they were getting used to the step up in competion but I think as sophomores they will step up their game.

[shoparound]

crazy at the end of all this, Stanford or Arizona will have a national title ring and not us.

[duck023]

crazy at the end of all this, Stanford or Arizona will have a national title ring and not us.

It's really the best scenario since one of Oregon's best teams' chance at a national title got cancelled by the virus last year and Oregon had a team of freshman and sophomores this year. I've thought the Pac 12 conference in woman's basketball was the best conference for years. It was much harder for Sabrina and company to only have 2 losses than it was for Uconn to be unbeaten. Now the all Pac 12 finals is proof that the Pac 12 is the best conference. So the next time Oregon has a great team (which looks like it could be soon) they won't have to fight a false perception of being in a weak conference.