Questions for Coach Whalen?

Jared.Hines

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Hey all!

GopherHole is conducting an interview with Lindsay Whalen early next week. If you have questions that you might want to be answered, please leave them below. The best ones will get picked for the interview and podcast!

Thanks!
 

Without going too deep into specifics or anything she can't mention. What are some of the challenges she has encountered in recruiting? Different struggles/situations between in-state and out of state recruits.
 


Schedule for next year, how has the pandemic affected scheduling? Was (is)her plan to schedule another competitive non conference opponents?
 

What Big Ten (or any other) program resembles the program you'd like to build? For example, you've been very complementary about what Lisa Bluder has accomplished at Iowa.
 


What about coaching a college team, was different than you expected?
 

What is the strength of each player? and the thing you want them to work on improving the most in the off season?

What role do you see each player playing next year?

What role on the team is most important for recruiting for 20201 that has not been filled by a commitment?

Anything you would want to change with non conference scheduling in 2020?

Any ideas you can share about what options the athletic department could would do if large crowds are still not safe in the fall?
 

Nice work GH! Cool you are asking us for question ideas.

How do the coaches maintain contact with the players during the quarantine?

What is the expectation on staying in shape, lifting, working on their game while being at home?

Has she had any communication with Maya Moore?

What parts of head coaching are more challenging than she expected?
 

What’s the real story behind Ross & Cumming?
 



Are you in favor of moving the three point line back to the international distance? What, if any, rule changes would you recommend the NCAA women's rules committee adopt or adapt from the international game?
 

When you are evaluating high school talent, what are you looking for?
 

What was the most important lesson you learned from this season ?
 

Does the NCAA allow Lynx players to meet with potential recruits, during official visits? I always wondered about that.
 



What is different about today’s college athletes compared to when you were playing for the Gophers?
 

I've heard that shooting at a 45 degree angle has the best probability of coming down thru the basket. Do you teach that?
 

I've heard that shooting at a 45 degree angle has the best probability of coming down thru the basket. Do you teach that?

The Lynx use the Noah system. I wonder if the Gophers are hooked up with that.
 

Will we see more involvement of Post players in the guard heavy Offense?

What improvements in Team Defense can we expect to see with the infusion of players? Will see more Man-To-Man versus Zone Defense, or will that depend on the opponents that you are facing?

What are the expectations for next season given the coronavirus situation?
 


A year ago, the Noah system was purchased for the Gopher Women's Basketball practice court - by the support group whose name slips my memory right now. This was a great purchase, and enough to make me want to join and pay dues.

I believe the Noah system (plus shooting coaches) can be credited for Scalia's shot getting a lot better than her already-great high-school shot, and the rapid improvement in Powell's three-point shot, for instance.

The "doctrine" that comes with the Noah system is the 45-degrees mentioned. But to clarify @polli's question a bit (for the questioner), the doctrine is that the ball should enter the cylinder at 45 degrees, not be shot at 45 degrees. They would be the same if we were on the Moon and the jump of the jump shot was high enough that the shot departed the hands from a 10-foot height (because the arc would be a symmetric parabola with no air drag or spin drag). But on Earth with air drag, the ball slows down in flight so that the angle of incidence to the cylinder is slightly steeper than the angle of departure from the hands (plus/minus ball spin). Thus, in general (so the theory goes) you want to shoot at an angle slightly shallower than 45 degrees so that it enters the cylinder at 45 degrees. I'm a bit of a radical and believe that incidence angle of 40 degrees is better, and also that it varies by shooter and shooter's preference. Lynx Seimone Augustus, one of the best shooters of all time, shoots extremely shallow plus uses a lot of backspin to make the shallow shot drop, and her shots probably enter the cylinder at 40 degrees.

Anyway, I too am interested in the answer to @polli'squestion.
 

The Fast Break Club, the booster club for Gopher women's basketball, provided some of the funding for the NOAH system through it's membership donations. Those donations go directly to the women's basketball program.
 




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