This was not an especially memorable year for rookies. I will most steadfastly NOT count newcomers like Lexie Brown and Imani Wright as rookies for this consideration, because that would be stupid. Productivity, skills, and earning playing time vs productive players as opposed to be handed playing time were all considered.
ACC All-Rookie Team
Francesca Pan, Georgia Tech
Danielle Touissant, Virginia
Kobi Thornton, Clemson
Leaonna "Ducky" Odom, Duke
Alex Sharp, Wake Forest
Notes: Pan's the rookie of the year, and an already-struggling GT team would have been dead without her scoring. Touissant has been a big part of UVa crawling out of a hole. Thornton has the size and strength to be a dominant player, and she's started to shed some of that rawness to make life miserable for others. Odom has been electric at times for Duke as an unstoppable force in the open floor. Sharp was inserted into the Wake lineup and proved to be a steadying force at both ends.
Hey, why not an
ACC All-Rookie Second Team
Gabby Cooper, Syracuse
Alayna Gribble, Pitt
Jackie Young, Notre Dame
Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia
Georgia Pineau, Boston College
Notes: Cooper has been the Orange's only useful frosh and one of their few dependable shooters outside Peterson and Sykes. Gribble is a scorer-rebounder-playmaker and her purpose is to make life easier for the already-overtaxed Brenna Wise. Young has helped a fairly deep Notre Dame team as a slasher and rebounder. Willoughby gives the Hoos some physicality, while Pineau is another triple-threat type that's emerged at BC.
Other awards?
Coach: If FSU beats Notre Dame, then it's Sue Semrau. Otherwise, give it to Wes Moore of NC State if they win their last two games. If he loses both and Duke beats UNC, then Joanne McCallie, unbelievably enough, deserves some consideration.
6th Woman: Let's go with Laura Cornelius of Miami, who started only 6 games and is averaging 9 ppg (third on the team!) in a key playmaking role. Runner-up is Chartrice White of FSU, averaging 9 ppg as the team's backup center.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
All-ACC
Before, I forget, I wanted to put out my All-ACC teams before the official ones come out (there's one for coaches and media). As always, I do it old-school: first, second and third teams comprised of five players each. Until the rules committee starts allowing ten players at a time on the floor, my teams will have five players apiece on them. I get it: with 15 teams in the league, it's much hard to whittle the talent down without making some hard choices, and having a ten-woman first team makes everyone feel better. That's still not a good reason to do it, however. My teams are positionless. I take into account overall stats and look at ACC stats when trying to choose players. I favor the best players on the best teams whenever possible, and good players putting up inflated stats on horrible teams get penalized accordingly. This year was really hard to do because so many good teams had so much balance, making fewer players stand out than usual. With that said:
All-ACC First Team
Brianna Turner, C Notre Dame
Alexis Peterson, PG Syracuse
Shakayla Thomas, W Florida State
Lexie Brown, OG Duke
Asia Durr, Louisville
Notes: Turner is my POY, I guess. I say that with little enthusiasm. She's the best player on a flawed team. She leads the ACC in FG% and blocks, and is a solid scorer and rebounder. Peterson leads the ACC in scoring and assists, but Turner gets the nod for being on one of the two best teams. Thomas is second-place FSU's best player, Brown has led Duke to third place and Durr is the top scorer on a good team.
All-ACC Second Team
Arike Ogunbowale, F Notre Dame
Brittney Sykes, F Syracuse
Rebecca Greenwell, G Duke
Jessica Thomas, G Miami
Dominique Wilson, G NC State
Notes: Ogunbowale is Notre Dame's top scorer and a great shooter. Sykes is a tremendous all-around player, as is Greenwell, and both have shot well this season. Thomas is Miami's best player, which is a surprise considering that Adrienne Motley is a senior this season. NC State has a lot of balance, but Wilson is the team's sole real slasher and led them to a number of unexpected wins.
All-ACC Third Team
Briana Day, C Syracuse
Mariya Moore, G Louisville
Miah Spencer, PG NC State
Chanette Hicks, G Virginia Tech
Lindsay Allen, PG Notre Dame/Paris Kea, G
Notes: Day has been solid all year and has matured into a fine player. Moore doesn't put up the kind of number one expects given her talent, but she's still a great player. Spencer holds the NC State lineup together, while Hicks has been the leader of a VT club that had NCAA tourney aspirations before tanking. Finally, you have Allen, a senior on the ACC's best team who lead the ACC in assist/turnover ratio, vs Kea, a do-it-all player on a horrible team. If Notre Dame wins the conference, I'll give Allen the call.
All-ACC First Team
Brianna Turner, C Notre Dame
Alexis Peterson, PG Syracuse
Shakayla Thomas, W Florida State
Lexie Brown, OG Duke
Asia Durr, Louisville
Notes: Turner is my POY, I guess. I say that with little enthusiasm. She's the best player on a flawed team. She leads the ACC in FG% and blocks, and is a solid scorer and rebounder. Peterson leads the ACC in scoring and assists, but Turner gets the nod for being on one of the two best teams. Thomas is second-place FSU's best player, Brown has led Duke to third place and Durr is the top scorer on a good team.
All-ACC Second Team
Arike Ogunbowale, F Notre Dame
Brittney Sykes, F Syracuse
Rebecca Greenwell, G Duke
Jessica Thomas, G Miami
Dominique Wilson, G NC State
Notes: Ogunbowale is Notre Dame's top scorer and a great shooter. Sykes is a tremendous all-around player, as is Greenwell, and both have shot well this season. Thomas is Miami's best player, which is a surprise considering that Adrienne Motley is a senior this season. NC State has a lot of balance, but Wilson is the team's sole real slasher and led them to a number of unexpected wins.
All-ACC Third Team
Briana Day, C Syracuse
Mariya Moore, G Louisville
Miah Spencer, PG NC State
Chanette Hicks, G Virginia Tech
Lindsay Allen, PG Notre Dame/Paris Kea, G
Notes: Day has been solid all year and has matured into a fine player. Moore doesn't put up the kind of number one expects given her talent, but she's still a great player. Spencer holds the NC State lineup together, while Hicks has been the leader of a VT club that had NCAA tourney aspirations before tanking. Finally, you have Allen, a senior on the ACC's best team who lead the ACC in assist/turnover ratio, vs Kea, a do-it-all player on a horrible team. If Notre Dame wins the conference, I'll give Allen the call.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Around The ACC, Part 1
The ACC has seven ranked teams, all of which have crucial flaws but are still interesting to watch and whom could do some NCAA tournament damage. With just three or four games left for more teams, let's take a quick look at them all, from top to bottom, starting with the top three.
Florida State (#4 AP, #7 USA Today, #6 RPI, #10 SOS): 23-3, 11-1 ACC. This is the most balanced team in the ACC, with six players near double-figure scoring. They have an elite slashing wing in Shakayla Thomas (15 ppg), a solid passer and shooter in Letty Romero (13 ppg, 3 apg), a potent gunner in Baylor transfer Imani Wright (11 ppg, 43% 3FG), an experienced point guard in Brittany Brown (9 ppg, 5 apg), a tough forward in Ivey Slaughter (10 ppg, 6 rpg) and a solid post in Chartrice White (9 ppg, 5 rpg). They have three other solid reserves who can soak up minutes. Their starting five is very athletic and spaces the floor like an NBA team. They gave UConn all they could handle, lost to Texas because of some unusually bad foul shooting, and got out-shot by NC State. Other than that, they've beaten everyone. They play Notre Dame in the final regular season game, and the winner of that game will win the ACC.
Strengths: Balanced and efficient scoring, rebounding from all positions, depth
Weaknesses: Susceptible to three point shooting teams, not a lot of skilled size, no dominant go-to player who can bail them out
Notre Dame (#7 AP, #6 USA Today, #2 RPI, #2 SOS): 23-3, 11-1 ACC. The ACC's most dominant program has looked sort of human this year. Don't get me wrong: there's still a ton of talent and they still are beating almost everyone, but the margins are getting slimmer and their efficiency level is not what it once was. The Irish are desperately missing leadership this year, and the kind of glue players (think Madison Cable) who made connecting plays and key shots down the stretch. You would think senior point guard Lindsay Allen would be that kind of player, but it hasn't really happened. She's still good: 9 ppg, 5 rpg and a league-leading 7.5 apg are All-ACC kinds of numbers (second or third team, that is). She's just always been a support player, and that's what she continues to be. The most talented player on the team, post Brianna Turner (15 ppg, 8 rpg) is not the leader type, and she's ideally a second banana type of player despite her talent. That's left Arike Ogunbowale as the alpha player on the team as just a sophomore, which means that the team occasionally suffers some hiccups due to her young mistakes. Still, she's a potent scorer (15 ppg, 42% 3FG) who can put up huge numbers. The team's other big-time shooter is Marina Mabrey (13 ppg, 37% 3FG), though she runs hot and cold. Forward Kathryn Westbeld (9 ppg, 5 rpg), guard Jackie Young (7 ppg, 4 rpg), and guard Erin Boley (6 ppg) round out the main part of the rotation, though veteran guard Mychal Young and veteran post Kristina Nelson get double-digit minutes.
Strengths: Size, balance, playmaking, depth
Weaknesses: Susceptible to the three, no go-to player, not as mentally tough as in recent years
NC State (#15 AP, #18 USA Today, #28 RPI, #55 SOS): 19-6, 9-3 ACC. If NC State holds on to finish in third place, then Wes Moore will deserve serious consideration for ACC coach of the year. This is a rag-tag group of weird players that shouldn't fit together that constantly plays at a surprisingly high level and with unflagging enthusiasm and guts. They are facing a serious problem at the moment: the absence of frosh guard Aislinn Konig (8 ppg, 38% 3FG), who gave the Pack a floor-spacer off the bench. State's bench is very thin in terms of impact play without here, though post Akela Maize, guard Lucky Rudd, guard Kaila Ealey and forward DD Rogers have their moments when pressed into service. The heart of the Wolfpack is their starting five, starting with undersized bigs Jennifer Mathurin (9 ppg, 6 rpg, 30% 3FG) and Chelsea Nelson (11 ppg, 6 rpg), who stand at 6-1 and 6-2 respectively, yet still give opposing posts fits. Dominique Wilson is a multifaceted scorer (12 ppg, 34% 3FG), Miah Spencer (12 ppg, 5 apg, 36% 3FG) makes the team run and Ashley Williams is the team's stand-still bomber (8 ppg, 41% 3FG). Despite their flaws, they are solid across the board statistically and just know how to win, having defeated the top three teams in the ACC as well as having won two recent overtime games.
Strengths: Volume shooting, discipline, mental toughness, teamwork
Weaknesses: Size, quality depth, no rim protection
Florida State (#4 AP, #7 USA Today, #6 RPI, #10 SOS): 23-3, 11-1 ACC. This is the most balanced team in the ACC, with six players near double-figure scoring. They have an elite slashing wing in Shakayla Thomas (15 ppg), a solid passer and shooter in Letty Romero (13 ppg, 3 apg), a potent gunner in Baylor transfer Imani Wright (11 ppg, 43% 3FG), an experienced point guard in Brittany Brown (9 ppg, 5 apg), a tough forward in Ivey Slaughter (10 ppg, 6 rpg) and a solid post in Chartrice White (9 ppg, 5 rpg). They have three other solid reserves who can soak up minutes. Their starting five is very athletic and spaces the floor like an NBA team. They gave UConn all they could handle, lost to Texas because of some unusually bad foul shooting, and got out-shot by NC State. Other than that, they've beaten everyone. They play Notre Dame in the final regular season game, and the winner of that game will win the ACC.
Strengths: Balanced and efficient scoring, rebounding from all positions, depth
Weaknesses: Susceptible to three point shooting teams, not a lot of skilled size, no dominant go-to player who can bail them out
Notre Dame (#7 AP, #6 USA Today, #2 RPI, #2 SOS): 23-3, 11-1 ACC. The ACC's most dominant program has looked sort of human this year. Don't get me wrong: there's still a ton of talent and they still are beating almost everyone, but the margins are getting slimmer and their efficiency level is not what it once was. The Irish are desperately missing leadership this year, and the kind of glue players (think Madison Cable) who made connecting plays and key shots down the stretch. You would think senior point guard Lindsay Allen would be that kind of player, but it hasn't really happened. She's still good: 9 ppg, 5 rpg and a league-leading 7.5 apg are All-ACC kinds of numbers (second or third team, that is). She's just always been a support player, and that's what she continues to be. The most talented player on the team, post Brianna Turner (15 ppg, 8 rpg) is not the leader type, and she's ideally a second banana type of player despite her talent. That's left Arike Ogunbowale as the alpha player on the team as just a sophomore, which means that the team occasionally suffers some hiccups due to her young mistakes. Still, she's a potent scorer (15 ppg, 42% 3FG) who can put up huge numbers. The team's other big-time shooter is Marina Mabrey (13 ppg, 37% 3FG), though she runs hot and cold. Forward Kathryn Westbeld (9 ppg, 5 rpg), guard Jackie Young (7 ppg, 4 rpg), and guard Erin Boley (6 ppg) round out the main part of the rotation, though veteran guard Mychal Young and veteran post Kristina Nelson get double-digit minutes.
Strengths: Size, balance, playmaking, depth
Weaknesses: Susceptible to the three, no go-to player, not as mentally tough as in recent years
NC State (#15 AP, #18 USA Today, #28 RPI, #55 SOS): 19-6, 9-3 ACC. If NC State holds on to finish in third place, then Wes Moore will deserve serious consideration for ACC coach of the year. This is a rag-tag group of weird players that shouldn't fit together that constantly plays at a surprisingly high level and with unflagging enthusiasm and guts. They are facing a serious problem at the moment: the absence of frosh guard Aislinn Konig (8 ppg, 38% 3FG), who gave the Pack a floor-spacer off the bench. State's bench is very thin in terms of impact play without here, though post Akela Maize, guard Lucky Rudd, guard Kaila Ealey and forward DD Rogers have their moments when pressed into service. The heart of the Wolfpack is their starting five, starting with undersized bigs Jennifer Mathurin (9 ppg, 6 rpg, 30% 3FG) and Chelsea Nelson (11 ppg, 6 rpg), who stand at 6-1 and 6-2 respectively, yet still give opposing posts fits. Dominique Wilson is a multifaceted scorer (12 ppg, 34% 3FG), Miah Spencer (12 ppg, 5 apg, 36% 3FG) makes the team run and Ashley Williams is the team's stand-still bomber (8 ppg, 41% 3FG). Despite their flaws, they are solid across the board statistically and just know how to win, having defeated the top three teams in the ACC as well as having won two recent overtime games.
Strengths: Volume shooting, discipline, mental toughness, teamwork
Weaknesses: Size, quality depth, no rim protection
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
State of the Program, 2/15
It's been a while since I've posted anything, and apologies to those hoping to hear more this season. Other (read: paying) opportunities have demanded more of my time. However, I'll post some quick things over the next few days.
Duke is currently 22-4, 10-3 in the ACC. They're ranked #14 by USA Today and #13 by AP. The Devils are #10 in the RPI (accoriding to RealTimeRPI.com) and #11 in Sagarin's ratings. Both of the projected seedings released by the NCAA have shown that Duke will be hosting NCAA tournament games, and I imagine that will stand barring some bad losses. Considering the total chaos the program was in a year ago, what has changed?
In some respects, nothing. Duke's offense remains unchanged: some basic high pick action designed to free up shooters on the wing, some basic actions going to the basket. Simple stuff. The defense shifts between match-up zone and man, with occasional half-court and full-court traps. There are times when the defense will apply active ball pressure, but it's more read-and-react in the zone than anything else. Here are the top ten reasons why this Duke team is playing as well as it is:
1. Offseason coaching additions. Adding a strength and fitness trainer in Ashleigh Beaver for the women's team has made a huge impact on the team's overall level of fitness going into the season, and it may well have had an impact on reducing injuries.
2. The return of Al Brown. After battling illness and a shaky status within the program, Brown is back and Duke looks much better prepared as a result. When Rebecca Greenwell thrice inbounded the ball off the backs of Syracuse players, McCallie noted that this was an Al Brown special.
3. No significant injuries. Frosh Emily Schubert tore her knee prior to the season starting, but she was not going to be a contributor this season anyway. Haley Gorecki was slow to return from her hip injury, until it made sense to simply redshirt her. This has allowed the team to not only figure out roles in the top of the rotation, it's allowed them to expand depth and figure out those roles as well.
4. Frosh becoming sophs. This is especially true of Kyra Lambert, whose ability to run the team has allowed Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell to hunt shots. Lambert has an almost 2:1 assist/turnover ratio and is shooting 40% from three. That said, Crystal Primm is doing a nice job as a wing stopper who likes to attack the basket and Faith Suggs is goofy energy player. They're not just soaking up minutes: they are actually helping to extend leads.
5. Easier schedule. South Carolina and Kentucky both came to Cameron, and the closer match-ups with teams like Syracuse, Louisville, Virginia Tech and Miami were all at home as well. The win over Louisville may have been the most important one of the year, and the fact that it was in Cameron certainly helped.
6. The return of Kendall Cooper. While she's been inconsistent (6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 38 blocks), there's no question that when focused, Kendall is a great post player. It's all a matter of focus and confidence for her. When she's locked in, she can score and defend against anyone. Her shot-blocking is a huge weapon, especially since she's started to cut down on her fouling.
7. Ducky Power. Leaonna "Ducky" Odom has been a flash of lightning in the front court, as she's attacked the rim, grabbed offensive boards and run the floor faster than anyone since Lindsey Harding. Her range is highly limited on her shot, but she adds a new dimension to the team.She's even starting to adjust to physical opponents by picking her spots and avoiding foul trouble.
8. Help and Recover. To run a good zone, there has to be constant communication. If you don't, then you get wide-open shooters, especially in the left corner. That's killed Duke the last few years. This year, they're still giving up some open shots, but shooters are getting just a little less time to get the ball away. In particular, Duke is doing a much better job zeroing in on hot shooters and forcing lesser shooters to hit shots.
9. Turnovers are down. Duke's only turning the ball over about 15 times a game. That's a testament to better passing and ballhandling across the boar, but also better communication as well.
10. Lexie Brown. Averaging 18 ppg, 48% from the field, 39% from three and 91% from the foul line, Brown has established herself as a legit ACC player of the year candidate. After a rough start to her season, she has taken over a number of games when opponents were able to shut down all the usual basic aspects of Duke's offense. Given Brown an inch of space to work with, and she will get off a three (the right wing is her favorite spot), attack the rim or zip into the lane for a short jumper.
I predicted the losses to FSU and Notre Dame on the road, though the latter was pretty close as the Irish are vulnerable this year. Wes Moore and NC State know how to dictate tempo against Duke, so their win wasn't a complete shock. Duke really handled a Syracuse squad that features two of the top scorers in the league. Miami is the toughest remaining game, though Wake and UNC shouldn't be discounted on the road. Duke will likely be the #4 seed in the tournament, which would mean meeting FSU in the semifinals, something Duke surely does not want.
Duke is currently 22-4, 10-3 in the ACC. They're ranked #14 by USA Today and #13 by AP. The Devils are #10 in the RPI (accoriding to RealTimeRPI.com) and #11 in Sagarin's ratings. Both of the projected seedings released by the NCAA have shown that Duke will be hosting NCAA tournament games, and I imagine that will stand barring some bad losses. Considering the total chaos the program was in a year ago, what has changed?
In some respects, nothing. Duke's offense remains unchanged: some basic high pick action designed to free up shooters on the wing, some basic actions going to the basket. Simple stuff. The defense shifts between match-up zone and man, with occasional half-court and full-court traps. There are times when the defense will apply active ball pressure, but it's more read-and-react in the zone than anything else. Here are the top ten reasons why this Duke team is playing as well as it is:
1. Offseason coaching additions. Adding a strength and fitness trainer in Ashleigh Beaver for the women's team has made a huge impact on the team's overall level of fitness going into the season, and it may well have had an impact on reducing injuries.
2. The return of Al Brown. After battling illness and a shaky status within the program, Brown is back and Duke looks much better prepared as a result. When Rebecca Greenwell thrice inbounded the ball off the backs of Syracuse players, McCallie noted that this was an Al Brown special.
3. No significant injuries. Frosh Emily Schubert tore her knee prior to the season starting, but she was not going to be a contributor this season anyway. Haley Gorecki was slow to return from her hip injury, until it made sense to simply redshirt her. This has allowed the team to not only figure out roles in the top of the rotation, it's allowed them to expand depth and figure out those roles as well.
4. Frosh becoming sophs. This is especially true of Kyra Lambert, whose ability to run the team has allowed Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell to hunt shots. Lambert has an almost 2:1 assist/turnover ratio and is shooting 40% from three. That said, Crystal Primm is doing a nice job as a wing stopper who likes to attack the basket and Faith Suggs is goofy energy player. They're not just soaking up minutes: they are actually helping to extend leads.
5. Easier schedule. South Carolina and Kentucky both came to Cameron, and the closer match-ups with teams like Syracuse, Louisville, Virginia Tech and Miami were all at home as well. The win over Louisville may have been the most important one of the year, and the fact that it was in Cameron certainly helped.
6. The return of Kendall Cooper. While she's been inconsistent (6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 38 blocks), there's no question that when focused, Kendall is a great post player. It's all a matter of focus and confidence for her. When she's locked in, she can score and defend against anyone. Her shot-blocking is a huge weapon, especially since she's started to cut down on her fouling.
7. Ducky Power. Leaonna "Ducky" Odom has been a flash of lightning in the front court, as she's attacked the rim, grabbed offensive boards and run the floor faster than anyone since Lindsey Harding. Her range is highly limited on her shot, but she adds a new dimension to the team.She's even starting to adjust to physical opponents by picking her spots and avoiding foul trouble.
8. Help and Recover. To run a good zone, there has to be constant communication. If you don't, then you get wide-open shooters, especially in the left corner. That's killed Duke the last few years. This year, they're still giving up some open shots, but shooters are getting just a little less time to get the ball away. In particular, Duke is doing a much better job zeroing in on hot shooters and forcing lesser shooters to hit shots.
9. Turnovers are down. Duke's only turning the ball over about 15 times a game. That's a testament to better passing and ballhandling across the boar, but also better communication as well.
10. Lexie Brown. Averaging 18 ppg, 48% from the field, 39% from three and 91% from the foul line, Brown has established herself as a legit ACC player of the year candidate. After a rough start to her season, she has taken over a number of games when opponents were able to shut down all the usual basic aspects of Duke's offense. Given Brown an inch of space to work with, and she will get off a three (the right wing is her favorite spot), attack the rim or zip into the lane for a short jumper.
I predicted the losses to FSU and Notre Dame on the road, though the latter was pretty close as the Irish are vulnerable this year. Wes Moore and NC State know how to dictate tempo against Duke, so their win wasn't a complete shock. Duke really handled a Syracuse squad that features two of the top scorers in the league. Miami is the toughest remaining game, though Wake and UNC shouldn't be discounted on the road. Duke will likely be the #4 seed in the tournament, which would mean meeting FSU in the semifinals, something Duke surely does not want.
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