2014-2015 Gopher Women's Season Thread!

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GameDay said:
Just going to rip the bandaid off quickly: Mullaney has been awful for the past few games now. I seriously wonder how Tori Jacobs couldn't be an upgrade right now.
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It's nice to that the women are back to a point where we're actually talking about them, but I hope Mullaney doesn't become the "Joey King" of this thread. She is shooting about 40% and apparently is who Marlene trusts with the ball the most, not a freshman who has a higher turnover rate. She is what she is and we'll be hurting big time if she goes down.

Shae Kelly has to be more consistent though she was sick yesterday; Carlie Wagner has to shoot the 3 better; and Kayla Hirt has to provide them some scoring to take the pressure off AZB. I think all of that will happen, and we'll stay on track for a tournament spot.
 

brucekaupa said:
Rest of this year should be fun to watch, but I'm picking this team to win the Big Ten next year. They'll have two players on the team who will most likely go down as two of the greatest to play at the school.
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Yup. I was thinking this year until RB went down. Next year will be real interesting. We lose Kelley and Hurt, but get back Rachel. I think Wagner will be much improved in year 2. Big adjustment from New Richland//// to the Big Ten.

Next year the ladies will be the Mn sports story of the winter.

Wasn't long ago when some posters were complaining about any mention of Women's BB on this forum. By next year there will be official game threads for the gals:cheer:..........I'm old, I can say gals.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Just my 2 cents after seeing Gopher women twice in person (season opener & Purdue). Mullaney definitely struggling but have to stick with her. Much better option than Jacobs. Jacobs not particularly quick, fast, or athletic.

They'll be OK. Just a little bump in the road; they'll bounce back.
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Agree. Just need to keep plugging away. Had a couple of rough games in row. Now, they have to start winning the games they'll be expected to.
 

If this was the Men's BB thread, we would be getting a lot of posts with people saying "You have to give Stollings a few years to recruit the right players for her system."

Seriously, I thought AZB did not have a great game. yes, she scored a lot of points, but she also forced up some bad shots. Just points out the need for another consistent scoring option. If Shea K was sick, that explains a lot. She was not as active as usual.
 



Didn't realize Kelly was sick. My bad. I thought Stollings was playing Hirt because she was unhappy with Kelly.
 

Nice recognition from ESPN's Women's midseason look. Stollings also gets an honorable mention.:

MIDSEASON BIGGEST SURPRISE: MINNESOTA'S SUCCESS WITHOUT RACHEL BANHAM
Minnesota (16-4, 5-3) recently received good news about the future with the announcement that Rachel Banham would be able, and would choose, to return for a fifth season. What's surprising is that the Gophers still have Big Ten and NCAA tournament aspirations to manage in the present without their All-American. Losing the guard who scored 31 percent of the team's points a season ago to a knee injury on Dec. 10 seemed a guarantee of a lost season. Instead, Amanda Zahui B. and one-year transfer Shae Kelley (pictured above) are playing like the Big Ten's best frontcourt, freshman Carlie Wagner is showing Banham-like fearlessness in taking big shots and Shayne Mullaney keeps giving all of them the ball.
-- Graham Hays
• Also nominated: Stanford upsetting UConn, Arizona State's strong start

MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICANS: AMANDA ZAHUI B., MINNESOTA
When Rachael Banham went down for the season with an ACL injury, the Gophers' 6-foot-5 sophomore center stepped up in a big way to keep Minnesota near the top of the Big Ten standings. Zahui B., a Stockholm native who spent her summer playing with the Swedish national team and improving her game, is averaging 17.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Zahui is shooting 56.8 percent from the field and has blocked 70 shots in 20 games. Last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Zahui ranks fifth nationally with 13 double-doubles, is ranked 10th in blocked shots and 12th per rebounds. -- Michelle Smith
Other All-American nominees: Kelsey Plum, Washington; Aerial Powers, Michigan State; Elizabeth Williams, Duke
 

The Gophs really struggled with Rutgers pressure D, especially early on. There were a lot of times when the guards and wings simply could not get open to receive a pass. AZB also had some times when the pressure D meant she was receiving the ball too low or not in rhythm. It's astounding that she still managed to put up gargantuan numbers.

Mullaney does need to get back on track. In particular she needs to cut down on turnovers coming from bad passes, especially when trying to push the pace. Stollings wants to be aggressive so a high number of turnovers are a likely result but Mullaney can do much better than she has the past couple games. As an example, the carries that have resulted from indecision on whether to through a long pass have got to stop.
 




Out of curiosity, what does recruiting look like for next season?

(I'm a Terps fan and I know very little about your team)
 

jorand said:
Out of curiosity, what does recruiting look like for next season?

(I'm a Terps fan and I know very little about your team)
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Good, and Rachel Banham returning for her Senior year.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
They've a true point guard coming in next year from the Canadian National Team.
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Garven's actually a combo forward. 6'1", rebounds well because of her athleticism. Wouldn't be surprised to see her start if we go with a more traditional lineup instead of a 4-guard lineup.
 

jorand said:
Out of curiosity, what does recruiting look like for next season?

(I'm a Terps fan and I know very little about your team)
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Danielle Garven, forward type, ranked in the 80's. Member of Canadian Junior Team is the best recruit. 4 Star for whatever that's worth.
Mercedes Jenkins, guard, is a junior college recruit. Averaging about 17 points a game and is shooting the 3 at 45%.
Allina Starr is a local girl who didn't play much at Georgia Tech (?) and is eligible next January.

Speculation things aren't done and there might be another scholarship open.

Biggest "recruit" is Rachel Banham coming back. Don't think she'll ever have the effect Lindsay Whalen had but it might be close. On the other hand, Amanda Zuhai B could very well be better than Janelle McCarville and I never thought I would say that. Gophers might be very good next year if all goes right.
 



Thanks for the update Mulligan. I stand corrected. I thought the JC guard was from the Canadian National Team. At this point "B" doesn't have the vertical McCarville had. That's why Shae jumps center. McCarville was very close to being able to dunk the women's ball. That being said, being only a sophomore, she is well ahead of McCarville in all other area's of the game.
 

Mulligan said:
Danielle Garven, forward type, ranked in the 80's. Member of Canadian Junior Team is the best recruit. 4 Star for whatever that's worth.
Mercedes Jenkins, guard, is a junior college recruit. Averaging about 17 points a game and is shooting the 3 at 45%.
Allina Starr is a local girl who didn't play much at Georgia Tech (?) and is eligible next January.

Speculation things aren't done and there might be another scholarship open.

Biggest "recruit" is Rachel Banham coming back. Don't think she'll ever have the effect Lindsay Whalen had but it might be close. On the other hand, Amanda Zuhai B could very well be better than Janelle McCarville and I never thought I would say that. Gophers might be very good next year if all goes right.
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Thanks for the info everyone.
 

KARE 11: Gophers Wagner: 'It's time to make new memories now'

For those who follow high school basketball in Minnesota, Carlie Wagner's name is a familiar one. For Gopher basketball fans, she's the freshman making a big impact.

"This season has been unreal," says Wagner. "I'm having so much fun."

The 2014 graduate of New Richland-Heartland-Ellendale-Geneva High School put together a storybook prep career. Wagner averaged 37 points per game, she scored over 3,900 career points, and led her team to back-to-back state titles.

Then she chose to stay home.

"I'm glad I'm here," she says. "There's not better feeling running out onto the court with friends and family able to watch."

http://www.kare11.com/story/sports/...r-its-time-to-make-new-memories-now/22405199/

Go Gophers!!
 

Mulligan said:
Danielle Garven, forward type, ranked in the 80's. Member of Canadian Junior Team is the best recruit. 4 Star for whatever that's worth.
Mercedes Jenkins, guard, is a junior college recruit. Averaging about 17 points a game and is shooting the 3 at 45%.
Allina Starr is a local girl who didn't play much at Georgia Tech (?) and is eligible next January.

Speculation things aren't done and there might be another scholarship open.

Biggest "recruit" is Rachel Banham coming back. Don't think she'll ever have the effect Lindsay Whalen had but it might be close. On the other hand, Amanda Zuhai B could very well be better than Janelle McCarville and I never thought I would say that. Gophers might be very good next year if all goes right.
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Just tossin this out there, but if Marissa Janning decides she wants to be a graduate transfer and Stollings can convince her to come home and play for the U, I'd say a final four appearance is a realistic possibility for next season.
Btw, Mercedes Jenkins and Danielle Garven are some solid pickups for us. I don't envision Alina Starr getting much playing time here though.
 

PiPress: Grace Coughlin, a freshman point guard from Edina, this week became the third player to leave the University of Minnesota women's basketball team this month, the team confirmed Wednesday.

Coughlin, who attended Benilde-St. Margaret's, played in five games this season, with no points and three assists. She joins Rangie Bessard, a 6-foot freshman forward from Rosharon, Texas, and Jackie Johnson, a junior from Eden Prairie, in leaving first-year coach Marlene Stollings' team.

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci...coughlin-third-player-leave-womens-basketball

Go Gophers!!
 

Three out (Johnson, Bessard, Coughlin), one in (Starr), one scholarship not disappearing (Banham).

What is needed in a spring signee?
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
Three out (Johnson, Bessard, Coughlin), one in (Starr), one scholarship not disappearing (Banham).

What is needed in a spring signee?
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A forward with the size and mobility to grab some rebounds and cover a lot of ground in the zone. Garvin sounds like she has some talent but she'll just be a freshman. Even if she does play well it would help a lot to have another forward.
 

Frink said:
A forward with the size and mobility to grab some rebounds and cover a lot of ground in the zone. Garvin sounds like she has some talent but she'll just be a freshman. Even if she does play well it would help a lot to have another forward.
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Yep...agree. We need to be quicker on the wings if Stollings is going to feature the 2-3 match up zone.
 

Also losing Hurt.

Outgoing:
Johnson
Bessard
Coughland
Hurt
Kelley..........5 total

Incoming:
2 commits - Garven and Jenkins
Starr....................3 total

Leaves:
2 open scholarships
 

station19 said:
Also losing Hurt.

Outgoing:
Johnson
Bessard
Coughland
Hurt
Kelley..........5 total

Incoming:
2 commits - Garven and Jenkins
Starr....................3 total

Leaves:
2 open scholarships
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Isn't Hirt a Jr., with a redshirt?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


Even though they beat PSU tonight I think it's concerning how many 3 pointers this team attempts. Over half there shots tonight were 3 pointers. Bailey and Wagner were a combined 8 for 29.
 


Rickman55 said:
Even though they beat PSU tonight I think it's concerning how many 3 pointers this team attempts. Over half there shots tonight were 3 pointers. Bailey and Wagner were a combined 8 for 29.
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Get used to it. This is Coach's game. And I like it.
 


Triple Double for AZB tonight, points, rebounds and blocks. She is just plain tough. There was a play in the second half when she dove for a loose ball that looked like PSU would get. AZB ended up forcing a tie up and in the process left the PSU player looking like she'd been hit by a truck.

I think the high number of 3's was something of an outlier. First, Zahui is always going to be the first option. Second, the vast majority were taken by Bailey and Wagner. Normally Bailey doesn't even shoot that often and while Wagner does like to fire the 3, she usually takes a larger share of her shots on one or two dribble pullups.
 


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