StarTrib: Gopher Lineup Still Taking Shape

Ignatius L Hoops

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http://www.startribune.com/new-gophers-women-s-basketball-lineup-stil-taking-shape/400908841/

The mystery continues:

At this point, Marlene Stollings can afford to be indecisive. “Every day I walk in here, I keep adjusting my lineup,” the Gophers coach said after a recent practice. “They’re battling it out every day at pretty much every position.”

While much of the focus has been on what Stollings has lost, she is gleeful about what she has gained. Saturday, the third-year coach will begin a season for the first time without guard Rachel Banham, the program’s all-time leading scorer. But her roster is fortified with nine new players who fit Stollings’ vision of a swift, skilled and high-scoring team, one she hopes will make its way back to the NCAA tournament...

...Most of this year’s roster can play multiple positions, Stollings said, offering her the versatility to use a big or small lineup. Wagner is excited at the potential opened up by the team’s speed — and she also expects it to benefit a Gophers defense that allowed 79.8 points per game, ranking 341st among 344 Division I teams.

“We have a lot to work with,” Wagner said. “Our fast-break ability is huge this year, and we want to shoot three-pointers as always. And because we’re so much faster, we can put ball pressure on people and get up in their shorts. We have really good help defense, too, so we can apply that pressure and know there’s a second line of defense if we get beat.”


Stollings said Bell, who sat out last season after transferring from Marquette, might have the fastest first step in the Big Ten. The 6-2 Bello can run the floor while playing either power forward or center. Hubbard is an outstanding long-range shooter with the skill and savvy to play point guard, shooting guard or small forward. Freshman guard Jasmine Brunson — who honed her game on New York City playground courts — combines scoring ability with ballhandling chops.

Bryanna Fernstrom, the Center City native who transferred from Iowa State last year, will not be eligible to play until the Gophers’ Big Ten opener on Dec. 28. She will give them a powerful shot-blocking presence in the low post, and Stollings said returning post players Jessie Edwards and Karley Barnes will be “held accountable” to improve.

Other newcomers include Tinjum, a 6-1 forward from Chisago Lakes who was the second-leading scorer last season at Bradley; Hungarian national team forward Palma Kaposi, and junior college All-America guard Sue Key.
 





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