Gold and Maroon Scrimmage

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thatjanelpick

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It was fun to see the team in (sorta) action. Staples is definitely a shooter, didn't take great care of the ball today, though. Pitts looks fantastic and, like several of the players, looks fitter than last season. Not to sound like a broken record but not only was Gadiva Hubbard not on the bench, I didn't see her at Williams at all.
 

I had to leave about 2:30 so I missed the end of the showcase and I don't have the answer to where's Gadiva. Danielle Robinson showed up on crutches with a boot on her left leg; but no Hubbard.

As others predicted, the starter lineup looks to be: Bell, Brunson, Pitts, T. Bello and Lamke. Staples got plenty of time and looks to have some real upside.

The Gophers mainly seemed to run a screening half court offense which tended to bog down from time to time. The occasional bogginess made no difference to Bell who could find seams to attack. I thought Pitts struggled a bit to get into the offense as it lacked the instinctive flow she found to her liking last season. At one point she had the ball knocked away for a fast break which she broke up by crunching the offender to the court as he went in for a layup.

There was a play in the half court session when Lamke set a screen for Bell's defender at the elbow and then at the last second moved to screen another defender leaving Bell to drive head long into the original defender. Bell and Lamke and O'banion had a bit of a discussion about it. This screening thing will take some time.

Lamke took three charges. Byrne looks like a three point threat; but didn't seem offer much yet in the paint. I'll stop there. Maybe someone has solved the Hubbard mystery.
 

Mystery still mysterious:

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(Sorry -- I looked for an existing thread but the other one had fallen off the front page so I didn't see it.)
Maybe 1500 people there, which was nice to see (the friend I attend with noted that a Whalen scrimmage drew about what a Stollings game would.)

Another ominous Hubbard factoid is that she was not mentioned in the team intros, by the announcer or Lindsay. And I just checked Hubbard's (admittedly scant) Twitter account, which contains only one mention of basketball, in the past tense. I sure hope this is all nothing. I really like her as a Gopher,
 

If we need another source:

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I hope Hubbard can make her way back as she has a big upside.
 

I hope it is not a nagging high ankle sprain or achilles heel injury.
 

Thanks to those who provided updates on Gadiva. Like all of us, I'm hoping she'll be able to return sooner than later. She's a solid and reliable player...runs the court well, can shoot the three, can drive to the hoop. If she misses some games early, it shouldn't be a big deal and will give more valuable minutes to Brunson and Staples...but I hope this doesn't go past October.
 

My gut feel on Gadiva is not good. It makes no sense that she would not be on hand to be part of a fan event like this due to the injury. All of these signs discussed here makes me wonder if her departure is imminent. Given her long-time connection with Marlene I wonder if she is headed for Texas.
 



http://www.startribune.com/impressions-from-saturday-s-women-s-basketball-open-scrimmage/498118431/

Kent Youngblood's impressions:

Whalen is asking Kenisha Bell to expand her game. Bell has spent most of her basketball life with the ball in her hands, but Whalen is having her learn the off-guard position too. The starting backcourt of Bell and Jasmine Brunson is quick, and both are very good with the ball. Bell is all about doing whatever is best for the team, but it will be an adjustment. But I think she could be effective off the ball. There will be a lot of times she gets the ball and an opponent will try to close out on her. With Bell’s quickness she should be able to get a lot of open shots in that scenario.

Judging from today, I would say Destiny Pitts is in line for a strong sophomore season. While winning freshman of the year honors in the Big Ten last season, she shot almost 70 percent of her shots from behind the arc. But her role – probably more than any other on the team – has changed. Pitts will be more of a true small forward now. She is being asked to move more without the ball, get to open spots for shots. Over and over Saturday she got the ball on the move, dribbled once into the lane and drained a mid-range jumper. She can still hit the three, so opponents will have to respect that. I think Whalen sees Pitts filling a role much like Maya Moore does with the Lynx.

I think freshman Mercedes Staples will get a lot of playing time. She is also learning both the point and off-guard positions. She has a nice crossover and can get her shot off. She also has good range on her shot.
 

Stating the obvious; replacing Hubbard's minutes and points will be tough. In B1G play, Gadiva led the team averaging 37.3 minutes/game. She also tossed in 13.8 points per game.

I was hoping someone would have something to say about the defense. I couldn't tell much. It seemed they stayed pretty basic without much pressure or trapping.
 

Not to play the Shades type card but if you look at her twitter she proudly posted pictures staying “year 3” in gopher gear. Also her likes include recruits in Minnesota for visits and commits. I agree I feel not being there is not a good sign, but not pointing towards transfer, I feel more towards serious injury. Possibly one that required surgery as to why not there. Also makes sense they get “update” next week. Meaning timetable after surgery or if she will redshirt this year. No solid proof just my two cents. Also, if so close to Marlene, would of left right along with her when she did.


FiveOut said:
My gut feel on Gadiva is not good. It makes no sense that she would not be on hand to be part of a fan event like this due to the injury. All of these signs discussed here makes me wonder if her departure is imminent. Given her long-time connection with Marlene I wonder if she is headed for Texas.
Click to expand...
 

Gadiva couldn't bad all of a sudden from last year when she played heavy minutes.

It has to be some debilitating injury that is sidelining her. Didn't Whalen say she will have a more definitive information later on this coming week. If she wasn't able to ambulate and go watch the scrimmage, it has to be something serious.
 



In the absence of news, I think I was just being paranoid.
Just realized Hubbard has TWO Twitter accounts and on the other one, she tweeted a photo of herself in uniform yesterday, with "Year 3." Now, let's hope for a quick recovery (and for the Gopher sports information folks to recognize that avoiding a topic makes it seem like a thing, even if it isn't.)
 

On the subject of scrimmaging, has anybody heard about any other upcoming scrimmages? I know they did some last year that were not public.
 

http://www.mndaily.com/article/2018...-at-womens-basketball-team-in-exhibition-game

Daily article on Saturday's scrimmage:

Afterwards, Kenisha Bell had high praises for Whalen in her coaching debut.

"She still enjoys the game even off the court. She’s smiling, she's keeping the team positive, and keeping the team together," Bell said. "Playing under that vibe creates everyone’s intensity ... everyone works harder when they’re having fun and I think she brings that to the team."

Staples echoed Bell's praise.

"She knows everything," Staples said of Whalen's knowledge. "She knows what move to do, when to do it, she’ll draw up a certain play and it’s like, 'How did you even know that play? I never would have thought of that.' Her IQ is awesome."

Also on hand for the games was Paige Bueckers of Hopkins High School, who is currently ranked #1 out of 60 prep players across the nation in ESPN’s class of 2020 player rankings. Although she’s being recruited by many schools, Bueckers still found time to watch her hometown team scrimmage.
 

Does anyone know her commtiment timetable? The lure of Connecticut and Notre Dame are suffocating. If the Gophers are lights out under Whalen this year, maybe there is real optimism.
 

hungan1 said:
Does anyone know her commtiment timetable? The lure of Connecticut and Notre Dame are suffocating. If the Gophers are lights out under Whalen this year, maybe there is real optimism.
Click to expand...

She said a couple months ago she was hoping to cut her list to around 15 so id guess her commitment is still along ways away.
 

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