Better next year?

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thatjanelpick

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I agree with those who doubt the trigger will be pulled because the buyout is so expensive but the thing is: Is there any chance next year will be better? Sure, Pitts -- as the Barn monitors have been telling us all season long -- is a baller. She is also, it seems, the ONLY recruit in the next several years. And is the team suddenly going to play defense? Is one of the posts suddenly going to become good? Will the coaching staff suddenly not be baffling? Wisconsin, at least, seems to be headed in the right direction and Rutgers will apparently be much better next year. So the Gophers finish twelfth?
 

No we won't be better next year.The evaluation on this last recruiting class including Tinjun, Fernstrom and Caposo has been horrible.
 

Well, I don't know if I'd consider Tinjum to be part of last year's recruiting class. She's a grad student. And i don't know if I'd call this year's class horrible. I'm of the feeling that T. Bello, Hubbard and Brunson can all play at this level. What we don't yet know is whether this staff will be able to "coach them up".

I would hope that the Gophers will be better next year, however a lot of BIG teams will be better or as good next year.. My biggest questions are whether the staff can get them to a higher level. This seems like a staff that either doesn't know how to teach defense or they're not concerned much about it. (In fairness, the Gophers defense has improved as the year has gone on.) Pitts could be a gamechanger, and if Brunson, Bello, and Hubbard can make some giant leaps also, then maybe there's some hope. But I'll have to see that improvement before I believe in it.
 

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It's difficult to see how we'll be better. Northwestern was the only middle B1G team we defeated. And they are the most likely middle B1G team to get worse.

As to players other coaches game plan to defend we only have Bell and Wagner. That's a good start; but not enough.

And as Tripledouble said in the other thread, we lack an identity. Minnesota as a run-out, three point launching, high scoring, entertaining offense disappeared with the graduation of the three point shooters. In the first two Stolling's years, this was enough to give us thrilling comeback victories-we took full advantage of the "freedom of movement" rules outscored our defense and were no fun to prepare for. This year without the scoring games just kept slipping away. And, a long time complaint, I don't see any effort add even a bit of pressure D. No turnovers, no comebacks.

Post play is more a dream than a hope. And the inability to develop a functioning low post player bugs me more than the defense. (Maybe I'm annoyed because Lisa Bluder managed to develop that gangly bit of enthusiasm, Morgan Johnson, into a solid B1G post followed by doing the same with Megan Gustafson).
 


I was just thinking about the factors leading to the transformation of the men's team. I do not have the same hope for next years women's team. As stated in previous posts we lack a strong post presence, play horrible D, rebounding is an afterthought and our point guard sees her job to score first, assist second. We need a new coach and I started my email campaign to Coyle weeks ago.
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My guess is that after a years experience Brunson, Bello and Hubbard should be better. We certainly do lack an interior presence, but I don't know if it's because Stollings can't teach it or we just don't have Big Ten talent inside. Either way we just don't have enough there. Pitts will help some. So, we should be a little better. She needs to add more GOOD players this spring though.
 

After today's game I don't have any hope for improvement. Actually, I didn't have any before. Defense had looked a bit better but Wagner and Bell are not a good foundation on which to build. They run hot and cold. They don't involve their teammates but that might be a result of coaching, or lack of. They are turn-over prone, especially Bell. Really tired of the frenetic, helper-skelter style. You've got an offense supposedly built to get up the floor fast and jack up 3's. The two players getting the most shots by far are shooting 30% beyond the arc.
 

It's surprising to me that the WBB team hasn't enjoyed the success of other women's sports at the U. We have new facilities coming. A general improvement in athletics, etc. We need a coach that not only can land good recruits, but also coach em up. IMO our current coach is NOT that person. Did Coyle hire her? If not he needs to get his own person in there. If so, he needs to correct his mistake.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 



Stollings was brought here by Mega Tongue from VCU. I agree we need to make a coaching change and started sending emails to Coyle weeks ago. I received the standard reply that he will be doing a critical analysis of all the sports programs.
 

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