WNIT 2024 Game 3: Gophers Visit Wyoming (4-1-24)

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bball_craz_31 said:
So to check in again.... Anyone stil wanna jump on the "amaya shouldn't be on the team next year" train again?

They have been sooo quiet since the big ten tournament and moving forward. :unsure:
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What an amazing change in her game. Call it the stars aligned or the light went on, she turned her game around. She had 4 assists with ONE turnover!
Battle put the team on her back offensively. Her team supported her by getting her the ball.
When Braun was healthy Battle was a totally different player. Braun gets injured Battle assumes the leadership. CONGRATULATIONS TO AMAYA BATTLE!
Also to the Gophers. They went into a loud cheering crowd and played well.
 


bball_craz_31 said:
So to check in again.... Anyone stil wanna jump on the "amaya shouldn't be on the team next year" train again?

They have been sooo quiet since the big ten tournament and moving forward. :unsure:
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Not sure who said she is not supposed to be on the team next year? The question was is she a PG? Which is different than whether she is a guard, or a SG, or even a small forward. She isn’t a PG in the traditional sense of the word. In the current iteration of the Gophers she is, since it appears dribbling, shooting, and hero ball is a necessity since no one moves, and frankly can shoot. The question still remains why? Coaches offense not up to snuff? Not the right mix of players? Players see no sense in moving since neither Battle or Sanders is much for moving the ball around. Battle gets her assists for sure. Last night, being able to watch the NCAA games ours was a stark reminder of what offensive movement should be like. We don’t cut, we screen poorly, and in the rare instances we do, the ball is never delivered. As I said before, "sticky ball".

Battle is an excellent player, she is much needed, as is a point guard. Cherry High would run last nights version of the Gophers off the court!
 

Gopheritnow said:
Not sure who said she is not supposed to be on the team next year? The question was is she a PG? Which is different than whether she is a guard, or a SG, or even a small forward. She isn’t a PG in the traditional sense of the word. In the current iteration of the Gophers she is, since it appears dribbling, shooting, and hero ball is a necessity since no one moves, and frankly can shoot. The question still remains why? Coaches offense not up to snuff? Not the right mix of players? Players see no sense in moving since neither Battle or Sanders is much for moving the ball around. Battle gets her assists for sure. Last night, being able to watch the NCAA games ours was a stark reminder of what offensive movement should be like. We don’t cut, we screen poorly, and in the rare instances we do, the ball is never delivered. As I said before, "sticky ball".

Battle is an excellent player, she is much needed, as is a point guard. Cherry High would run last nights version of the Gophers off the court!
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couldn't agree with you more. I know Dawn P is a good coach, but as a fan I am concerned about this offense and little movement.
 

A major problem is they’re too slow to get loose. Next year with Braun back and Johnson, McKinney and Klick coming in should make quite a difference. I can see Holloway as well as Johnson from this year with the 3 newcomers as being much quicker. It should be a great 2nd team with an up tempo game.
 


DietCokeFan said:
couldn't agree with you more. I know Dawn P is a good coach, but as a fan I am concerned about this offense and little movement.
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In watching last nights game and a few others this year, I would say there was actually a pretty fair amount of movement, but also a lack of being able to get open with that movement. Even with screens, we have difficulty getting our wings open for any type of entry pass. I just didn't see that many times where we had somebody wide open, with a great angle to get a pass to them, and missed the wide open teammate.

What Wyoming gave the Gophers was the dribble drive to the mid-range area, which happens to play into a strong part of Amaya's game. We also saw a few times where GG and Heyer were able to take the ball from the wing to the rim on the bounce. They can do it, but I don't think that's a comfortable part of their game as opposed to what Amaya likes to do.

We also sometimes struggle with confidence in throwing the ball into the post. Sometimes we miss that 1/2 second opportunity, other times we make a bad pass or our post isn't sealing off in a great spot to do much. A couple of times last night, Sanders, GG, Maggie didn't look like they were confident in getting the ball in cleanly. Of course, our TV view often looks way more wide open than it does to a guard with a defender waving their arms in their face.

Gotta admit that Wyoming had a pretty sound defensive game plan. Probably didn't think Amaya was going to be as assertive with the ball as she was. BTW, Battle's defense last night was as good as her offense. She had a great 2-way game!
 

Gopheritnow said:
Not sure who said she is not supposed to be on the team next year? The question was is she a PG? Which is different than whether she is a guard, or a SG, or even a small forward. She isn’t a PG in the traditional sense of the word. In the current iteration of the Gophers she is, since it appears dribbling, shooting, and hero ball is a necessity since no one moves, and frankly can shoot. The question still remains why? Coaches offense not up to snuff? Not the right mix of players? Players see no sense in moving since neither Battle or Sanders is much for moving the ball around. Battle gets her assists for sure. Last night, being able to watch the NCAA games ours was a stark reminder of what offensive movement should be like. We don’t cut, we screen poorly, and in the rare instances we do, the ball is never delivered. As I said before, "sticky ball".

Battle is an excellent player, she is much needed, as is a point guard. Cherry High would run last nights version of the Gophers off the court!
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Thank you, thank you, thank you.
 

DietCokeFan said:
couldn't agree with you more. I know Dawn P is a good coach, but as a fan I am concerned about this offense and little movement.
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The motion offense is great but it's not easy to learn. You also have to have the right personnel to run a motion or positionless offense. After a year, the players will be better at it and Coach P will be able to put another year of her recruits into the mix. I think she has done a great job with this team of young ladies.
 




Part of the problem from Monday night is that the Wyoming Arena is at one of the highest elevations for any sports venue in our nation. I’m sure Coach P had to take this into consideration. Given that our roster was a little bit shorter than normal, the girls were probably winded, while the Wyoming players were used to it.
 

Hoopsmom said:
Part of the problem from Monday night is that the Wyoming Arena is at one of the highest elevations for any sports venue in our nation. I’m sure Coach P had to take this into consideration. Given that our roster was a little bit shorter than normal, the girls were probably winded, while the Wyoming players were used to it.
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7200' is no joke. Even if you're in shape, 6000' feels like breathing through a straw the first couple days you're there.
 

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Cowgirls Season Ended by Minnesota Gophers in WNIT Great 8 - SweetwaterNOW

LARAMIE – The Minnesota Golden Gophers secured a late victory as the Wyoming Cowgirls’ 2023-24 season concluded with a 65-54 defeat Monday night in the Great 8 round of the WNIT. Minnesota outscored UW 25-14 in the fourth quarter. Both teams exhibited robust defensive play at the start, but...
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