Thursday, December 18, 2008
Stanford @ Duke
I caught the Duke/Stanford game the other night. Two senior prospects I am watching were playing, and I was underwhelmed by the performances of both of them. Chante Black (#26 as of last week on my list) was taken almost entirely out of the offense and Abby Waner (#67 on my list) struggled to hit shots all night long. This nationally televised game was more interesting than the plodding Rutgers game last aired on ESPN2, but it did not offer much from the Seniors vying for a spot in the shrinking roster base of the pros.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Scholarships for Women's Athletics
I received a press release this week for a topic I support.
The Women's Sports Foundation is initiating their "GoGirl!Go!" program for 2009. They gave a total of US$183,000 last year. As victims of our current crappy economy, they are only able to give out $50,000 in scholarshis for February 2009, but these folks are focusing their limited funds on making sure that female athletes have are not missing opportunities to advance their lives because of financial issues.
This organization has provided over three million dollars in funds to women's athletics since 2001. It was founded back when I was toddling around in 1974 by one of the most recognized names in women's sports, Billie Jean King. They are not only focused on young girls but on the concept of advancing public attitudes about women's sports. If you read the local, Seattle piece by the open minded Jerry Brewer you will hear the kind of voice needed to advance women's sports. The type of effort made by The Women's Sports Foundation is what makes these articles even possible. Gender equity in perception is a valiant goal, though perhaps a distant one for our rather close-minded society.
Check out a summary of their recent study results on their blog.
On a similar topic, I learned a ton from this new sports radio blog run by former WNBA Houston Comets player Lynette Woodward. It runs an hour long and covers the professional womens football league, moves into the history of the Houston Comets. (Thanks to thesixthwoman at Rebkell for the pointer.)
The Women's Sports Foundation is initiating their "GoGirl!Go!" program for 2009. They gave a total of US$183,000 last year. As victims of our current crappy economy, they are only able to give out $50,000 in scholarshis for February 2009, but these folks are focusing their limited funds on making sure that female athletes have are not missing opportunities to advance their lives because of financial issues.
This organization has provided over three million dollars in funds to women's athletics since 2001. It was founded back when I was toddling around in 1974 by one of the most recognized names in women's sports, Billie Jean King. They are not only focused on young girls but on the concept of advancing public attitudes about women's sports. If you read the local, Seattle piece by the open minded Jerry Brewer you will hear the kind of voice needed to advance women's sports. The type of effort made by The Women's Sports Foundation is what makes these articles even possible. Gender equity in perception is a valiant goal, though perhaps a distant one for our rather close-minded society.
Check out a summary of their recent study results on their blog.
On a similar topic, I learned a ton from this new sports radio blog run by former WNBA Houston Comets player Lynette Woodward. It runs an hour long and covers the professional womens football league, moves into the history of the Houston Comets. (Thanks to thesixthwoman at Rebkell for the pointer.)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Penn State vs. Bucknell 81-44
Penn State, against weak competition, put on a display of fun basketball last night. They played stifling defense and displayed a fast, furious and downright fun offense. They score as many points in the 1st half (45) as Rutgers did the in their entire game the night before on National TV (ESPN2).
Senior prospect Brianne O'Rourke (currently #71 on my prospect rankings) played well, with 15 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds a steal and only 1 turnover. The team was on such a roll, though, that she didn't need to do much. Nine of the twelve players who saw minutes scored for Penn State. Particularly fun was the passing prowess of freshman point guard, Emily Phillips. Phillips had some nifty fast break passes, including a behind the back pass for a layup. She ended the game with eight assists and got lots of playing time (26 minutes). At one point in the game Penn State had 11 assists on 14 made field goals, they ended the game with 21 assists on 32 made field goals.
Senior prospect Brianne O'Rourke (currently #71 on my prospect rankings) played well, with 15 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds a steal and only 1 turnover. The team was on such a roll, though, that she didn't need to do much. Nine of the twelve players who saw minutes scored for Penn State. Particularly fun was the passing prowess of freshman point guard, Emily Phillips. Phillips had some nifty fast break passes, including a behind the back pass for a layup. She ended the game with eight assists and got lots of playing time (26 minutes). At one point in the game Penn State had 11 assists on 14 made field goals, they ended the game with 21 assists on 32 made field goals.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
What is up with Kia Vaughn?
I have had a chance to catch a few women's college games this weekend to watch some of the senior prospects, and also have taken advantage of DirecTV's Video On Demand (VOD) to watch highlights from Big Ten games.
The prospect I was most impressed with having finally seen a little of her game was Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton from Purdue. In a loss to Notre Dame, she displayed a versatile game for a player listed as a PF. She is only 6'2", but she displayed an strong inside-outside flair and some aggressive rebounding at both ends of the floor. She put up 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 assists and a steal in the game. In the loss to Maryland she had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists and 4 steals. She shot 50% from three point range and 47% overall. She can shoot from three, midrange, has a soft touch around the basket and has a back to the basket game down low. She reminded me of a more athletic version of Camille Little. She is #21 on my overall prospect list for the season.
I caught the Iowa vs. Iowa State game as well, and was sorely disappointed. Of the three prospects I am tracking, only Heather Ezell from Iowa State had any impact on the game. Star center Megan Skouby was in foul trouble from the start, missed all five of her shot attempts and had a single rebound. Guard Kristi Smith put up OK numbers, but was not particularly impressive. The players of the game for me were junior JoAnn Hamlin from Iowa and Aussie junior Alison Lacey for Iowa State.
Finally, yesterday I watched Rutgers beat Georgia. Kia Vaughn looked terrible out there and it was only made worse by Doris Burke constantly talking about how Kia was one of the most physically gifted players in women's basketball. Vaughn is currently coming of the bench after a number of poor starts for Coach Stringer, but she did nothing to get herself out of the doghouse in this game. A player this "gifted" shouldn't be stuck in the bottom half of my top 100 senior prospects. She started the year in the 30's and has fallen every week since. If she continues her current play she will be in my bottom third before long.
Epiphany Prince is a dynamic scorer, but she is clearly holding back in the Rutgers system. Offense was absent from this game for either team until Rutgers scored some easy transition buckets off their stifling defense. This game was far too close until the final eight minutes or so.
I have a few more games set to record this week.
The prospect I was most impressed with having finally seen a little of her game was Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton from Purdue. In a loss to Notre Dame, she displayed a versatile game for a player listed as a PF. She is only 6'2", but she displayed an strong inside-outside flair and some aggressive rebounding at both ends of the floor. She put up 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 assists and a steal in the game. In the loss to Maryland she had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists and 4 steals. She shot 50% from three point range and 47% overall. She can shoot from three, midrange, has a soft touch around the basket and has a back to the basket game down low. She reminded me of a more athletic version of Camille Little. She is #21 on my overall prospect list for the season.
I caught the Iowa vs. Iowa State game as well, and was sorely disappointed. Of the three prospects I am tracking, only Heather Ezell from Iowa State had any impact on the game. Star center Megan Skouby was in foul trouble from the start, missed all five of her shot attempts and had a single rebound. Guard Kristi Smith put up OK numbers, but was not particularly impressive. The players of the game for me were junior JoAnn Hamlin from Iowa and Aussie junior Alison Lacey for Iowa State.
Finally, yesterday I watched Rutgers beat Georgia. Kia Vaughn looked terrible out there and it was only made worse by Doris Burke constantly talking about how Kia was one of the most physically gifted players in women's basketball. Vaughn is currently coming of the bench after a number of poor starts for Coach Stringer, but she did nothing to get herself out of the doghouse in this game. A player this "gifted" shouldn't be stuck in the bottom half of my top 100 senior prospects. She started the year in the 30's and has fallen every week since. If she continues her current play she will be in my bottom third before long.
Epiphany Prince is a dynamic scorer, but she is clearly holding back in the Rutgers system. Offense was absent from this game for either team until Rutgers scored some easy transition buckets off their stifling defense. This game was far too close until the final eight minutes or so.
I have a few more games set to record this week.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
The End of an Era for the WNBA
In the early days of the WNBA the league was about Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, Janeth Arcain, Kim Perrot and their domination, under the guidance of Coach Van Chancellor. These women set the tone for the WNBA to come. They established a dynasty that could not be threatened by any other team in the league. Finally, with the loss of Perrot to cancer and Cooper to retirement, the Los Angeles Sparks were able to win the next two championships before the trophy began to move around with only the Detroit Shock wining more then one in the following years.
Today, that era is officially over.
Through poor management, a rotten economy, the loss of all but one of its stars (Thompson remained until the very end), and the failure to identify local ownership, the franchise has officially folded.
It is a sad day for the WNBA and for women's basketball.
Unlike some others (pilight at Rebkell's Junkie Boards, for example), I don't see this as the end of the WNBA. There are strong teams with solid fan bases in Detroit, New York, Connecticut, San Antonio, Seattle, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Phoenix. There are more dedicated owners like those in Seattle and LA. There is talent in the league and in the college ranks. The sport continues to grow. Many of the early teams failed in their NBA city homes, but franchises in NBA free cities like Seattle and Connecticut are thriving. The model has changed. The leadership of the league is learning how to build their franchise next to the NBA not on top of it.
What I find particularly interesting is the choice of the word "SUSPEND" and the indication that there were multiple ownership groups out there but that there wasn't enough time to complete the transaction for the 2009 season. Does this leave open the option to recreate the Comets in Houston for the 2010 season? Can Tina Thompson either sit out a year or sign a one year contract for 2009 to be the bridge to reforming the Comets in 2010? I think that this story is not yet over.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Why Frazee Plays at Liberty...
Last week I speculated why a player as strong as Megan Frazee chose to play for a smaller school like Liberty rather than a big name program. The guys at WNBA DraftNet have found the answer in an ESPN special from last season.
Go see the video yourself...
My first guess was right on target. Despite being heavily recruited by Ohio State, Megan chose to play four more years with her triplet sisters who also play for the Liberty. I hope scouts still take notice of her skills though, she could be a real steal for someone in the draft if they fail to do so.
Go see the video yourself...
My first guess was right on target. Despite being heavily recruited by Ohio State, Megan chose to play four more years with her triplet sisters who also play for the Liberty. I hope scouts still take notice of her skills though, she could be a real steal for someone in the draft if they fail to do so.
Center Prospects
I finally get around to the last position on my prospect list. On a side note, I am also doing analysis for WNBAdraftnet's college prospects each week. You can track how the various WNBA prospects from the NCAA 2009 senior class are doing by the numbers each week at that site. Today's top center prospect vaulted to the top of the class in this second week of action.
Center Prospects
Courtney Paris
Oklahoma, 6'4"
Courtney is a formidable post player with size to match her height. She also knows how to use that size on the low block. She is near the top of the list for shooting/scoring for centers (FL:59%, eFG: 56%, TS: 57%), is right where we expect a star for usage (25%), and second on the list for BoxScore (7.08). She assists on 57% of her possessions and only the turns the ball over on 7% of them. She is simply a standout on the boards at both end of the floor. She grabs 24% of available defensive rebounds for her team, 15% of available offensive rebounds and averages 18 rebounds per 40 minutes. No one else comes even close. Her 81.59 offensive rating is not all that exciting, but I suspect it is representative of the pace at which Oklahoma plays given her sister Ashley offers the same rating. Her performance combines with a solid team RPI to give her the second best adjusted individual rating and the top adjusted WinScore of my center prospects. No one else is within 40% of her WinScore. The numbers back up the consensus number 1 draft pick predictions by the media. Courtney has a solid future in the WNBA.
Robyn Fairbanks
Utah Valley State, 6'1"
Sadly, here is where numbers do not tell the whole story. Robyn puts up fantastic numbers, but her team is not even a member of any particular conference. Her height makes her an undersized PF or a SF in the pros, and I don't know that she can play the three with enough speed/athleticism to make that work. She could be a 6th man candidate along the lines of Plenette Pierson if she were drafted into the right system. Robyn is a strong shooter (FL: 58%, eFG: 60%, TS: 63%) who is heavily used by her team (34.43 Usage). She has a decent BoxScore rating (5.11) and an excellent assist to turnover ratio. She assists on 63% of her possessions while only turning the ball over on 6% of them. She is an above average rebounder despite her size disadvantage (DR: 16%, OR: 8%, R/40: 14). She has the second best offensive rating of any center on my list, and the second best overall individual rating. Her RPI adjusted individual rating is in the top 5 despite playing for a small school in the middle of nowhere, and she has the second best adjusted WinScore of any center prospect.
Traci Edwards
UW Milwaukee, 6'2"
Center prospects do not come tall this season, and the best numbers producers are coming from smaller schools. Traci is the top shooter on my list (FL: 59%, eFG:60%, TS: 67%). She has a high Usage at 28.32 indicating her importance to her team. She has a good BoxScore at 6.37 and is a strong passing option in the post (AR: 67%, TOR:8%). She is the second best rebounder available grabbing 18% of the defensive rebounds, 10% of the offensive rebounds and averaging 12 rebounds per 40 minutes. She has a solid offensive rating of 93.62 and the best individual rating because of her balanced offensive/defensive stats and efficiency. Her team's low RPI drop her to the middle of the pack for adjusted individual rating and fourth for adjusted WinScore.
Chante Black
Duke, 6'4
Chante and Courtney are the best of the true bigs available. Chante also comes from a solid program. This should combine with her strong numbers to vault her into the WNBA next year. Chante is a strong shooter/score (FL: 56%, eFG: 52%, TS: 58%) but only has a 23% usage rate. Her BoxScore is an average 5.47 but her assist/turnover ratios are decent (AR: 58%, TOR: 9%). She is also a decent rebounder (DR: 11%, OR: 7%, R/40: 11). She has a poor offensive rating of 79.41 but a strong individual rating indicating her defensive value on a defensive oriented team. Her team's strong RPI vault her towards the top of the adjusted individual rating and adjusted WinScores.
Center Prospects
Courtney Paris
Oklahoma, 6'4"
Courtney is a formidable post player with size to match her height. She also knows how to use that size on the low block. She is near the top of the list for shooting/scoring for centers (FL:59%, eFG: 56%, TS: 57%), is right where we expect a star for usage (25%), and second on the list for BoxScore (7.08). She assists on 57% of her possessions and only the turns the ball over on 7% of them. She is simply a standout on the boards at both end of the floor. She grabs 24% of available defensive rebounds for her team, 15% of available offensive rebounds and averages 18 rebounds per 40 minutes. No one else comes even close. Her 81.59 offensive rating is not all that exciting, but I suspect it is representative of the pace at which Oklahoma plays given her sister Ashley offers the same rating. Her performance combines with a solid team RPI to give her the second best adjusted individual rating and the top adjusted WinScore of my center prospects. No one else is within 40% of her WinScore. The numbers back up the consensus number 1 draft pick predictions by the media. Courtney has a solid future in the WNBA.
Robyn Fairbanks
Utah Valley State, 6'1"
Sadly, here is where numbers do not tell the whole story. Robyn puts up fantastic numbers, but her team is not even a member of any particular conference. Her height makes her an undersized PF or a SF in the pros, and I don't know that she can play the three with enough speed/athleticism to make that work. She could be a 6th man candidate along the lines of Plenette Pierson if she were drafted into the right system. Robyn is a strong shooter (FL: 58%, eFG: 60%, TS: 63%) who is heavily used by her team (34.43 Usage). She has a decent BoxScore rating (5.11) and an excellent assist to turnover ratio. She assists on 63% of her possessions while only turning the ball over on 6% of them. She is an above average rebounder despite her size disadvantage (DR: 16%, OR: 8%, R/40: 14). She has the second best offensive rating of any center on my list, and the second best overall individual rating. Her RPI adjusted individual rating is in the top 5 despite playing for a small school in the middle of nowhere, and she has the second best adjusted WinScore of any center prospect.
Traci Edwards
UW Milwaukee, 6'2"
Center prospects do not come tall this season, and the best numbers producers are coming from smaller schools. Traci is the top shooter on my list (FL: 59%, eFG:60%, TS: 67%). She has a high Usage at 28.32 indicating her importance to her team. She has a good BoxScore at 6.37 and is a strong passing option in the post (AR: 67%, TOR:8%). She is the second best rebounder available grabbing 18% of the defensive rebounds, 10% of the offensive rebounds and averaging 12 rebounds per 40 minutes. She has a solid offensive rating of 93.62 and the best individual rating because of her balanced offensive/defensive stats and efficiency. Her team's low RPI drop her to the middle of the pack for adjusted individual rating and fourth for adjusted WinScore.
Chante Black
Duke, 6'4
Chante and Courtney are the best of the true bigs available. Chante also comes from a solid program. This should combine with her strong numbers to vault her into the WNBA next year. Chante is a strong shooter/score (FL: 56%, eFG: 52%, TS: 58%) but only has a 23% usage rate. Her BoxScore is an average 5.47 but her assist/turnover ratios are decent (AR: 58%, TOR: 9%). She is also a decent rebounder (DR: 11%, OR: 7%, R/40: 11). She has a poor offensive rating of 79.41 but a strong individual rating indicating her defensive value on a defensive oriented team. Her team's strong RPI vault her towards the top of the adjusted individual rating and adjusted WinScores.
Kia Vaughn
Rutgers, 6'4"
Kia is another tall player with decent numbers. She has a low floor percentage (49%) which indicates that while she shoots well (averaging 55% in each of the other shooting categories) she is not a clutch player. She has a barely above average usage of 21.25 (20% is average) which indicates either she is not critical to team success, has a really strong backup, or Coach Stringer prefers to manage her minutes tightly. Her assist and turnover ratios are strong (AR: 55%, TOR:6%) and she appears to rebound well (DR: 15%, OR: 9%, R/40: 11). Her offensive rating is a low 79.36 which is representative of the Rutgers style of play. Her team's solid RPI (hey they made it to the NCCA final last season) keep her adjusted individual and adjusted WinScores in the top five.
Honorable Mentions:
Nadia Parker (USC, 6'3"), Devanei Hampton (California, 6'3"), Kaitlin Sowinski (Sacred Heart, 6'4"), Aisha Mohammed (Virginia, 6'3")
Tall Players I Wish Were a Little Better:
Megan Skouby (Iowa, 6'6"), Amber Sprague (San Diego, 6'5")
Remaining Prospects:
Lade Akande, Jenna Green, Kemie Nkele, Jessica Adair, Shawn Goff (injured) Sybil Dosty, Lauren Lacey
Friday, November 21, 2008
Power Forward Prospects
Istanbul has been great, though today is the first day with sunshine, and my innovation suite is empty as people head out to bask in the sun.
Ashley Walker
California, 6'1"
I really prefer my forwards to be taller, but Ashely led the pack of PF's last season for shooting efficiency (FL:57%, eFG:51%, TS: 57%), BoxScores (8.24), rebounding (DR:14%, OR:11%, R/40:12), adjusted individual rating (61.94) and adjusted WinScore (6.54). Her ability to translate to the pros may rely on her size and strength to play as an undersized post or her athletic ability and outside shot to slide to the perimeter as a decent sized small forward.
Lindsay Wysdom-Hilton
Purdue 6'2"
Lindsay offers a little more height, solid shooting (FL:53%, eFG:56%, TS:57%) BoxScore (7.95), rebounding (OR:8%, DR:10%, R/40:10), adjusted individual rating (54.91) and adjusted WinScore (6.34). Like Walker, she has a fairly low offensive rating (76.25) which is likely due to the style of play at Purdue. Additionally, her usage rating is only 24%, which is a bit low for a player to break the first round in the draft.
Devanei Hampton
California, 6'3"
Hampton has the size to play the post in the pros, but her shooting efficiency is low for a post (averaging in the low 40's). Her usage is very high, at 34%, which means that California depends on her presence in the post to succeed, even more than the more efficient Walker. Her low assist ratio (45%) may indicate that the ball rarely leaves her hand once she gets it, or that she does not do a good job at finding open shooters when double teamed, but her solid turnover ratio (6%) means she isn't making mistakes with the ball. She is a decent defensive rebounder (11% of available defensive rebounds) but below average on the offensive end of the floor. She also offered the lowest BoxScore, adjusted individual rating and WinScore of my top prospects at this position. I suspect that Hampton is a defensive player that could be a good complement in the post to a more offensive minded player like Sophia Young, Lauren Jackson or Tina Thompson.
Candyce Bingham
Louisville, 6'1"
Bingham is a better shooter than Hampton, and offers an average BoxScore rating. She has a decent assist ratio (assisting on 56% of her possesions to 16% turnovers). From a rebounding perspective she does well at both ends (DR:11%, OR:9%, R/40:10). She offers the second best offensive rating (85.59) of my top five PF, and decent adjusted BoxScores (4.69), adjusted individual rating (59.95) and adjusted WinScore (5.37).
Marshae Dotson
Florida, 5'11
Dotson's height means she will have to play the three in the pros or be very overmatched. I think this will prevent her game from translating to the pros in the end. She does look good by the numbers however, as the second best overall offensive rated power forward (98.57). She is a solid shooter (FL:53%, eFG:53%, TS:58%) and rebounder (DR:11%, OR:9%, R/40:12).
Honorable Mentions: Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska), Lade Akande (Butler), Kemie Nkele (UC Riverside), Star Allen (Ohio State, and Ashley Paris (Oklahoma).
Remaining Prospects: Shawn Goff, Demetress Adams, Lauren Lacey, Whitney Thomas, Amber Jackson, Rachel Allison, Marlies Gipson
Ashley Walker
California, 6'1"
I really prefer my forwards to be taller, but Ashely led the pack of PF's last season for shooting efficiency (FL:57%, eFG:51%, TS: 57%), BoxScores (8.24), rebounding (DR:14%, OR:11%, R/40:12), adjusted individual rating (61.94) and adjusted WinScore (6.54). Her ability to translate to the pros may rely on her size and strength to play as an undersized post or her athletic ability and outside shot to slide to the perimeter as a decent sized small forward.
Lindsay Wysdom-Hilton
Purdue 6'2"
Lindsay offers a little more height, solid shooting (FL:53%, eFG:56%, TS:57%) BoxScore (7.95), rebounding (OR:8%, DR:10%, R/40:10), adjusted individual rating (54.91) and adjusted WinScore (6.34). Like Walker, she has a fairly low offensive rating (76.25) which is likely due to the style of play at Purdue. Additionally, her usage rating is only 24%, which is a bit low for a player to break the first round in the draft.
Devanei Hampton
California, 6'3"
Hampton has the size to play the post in the pros, but her shooting efficiency is low for a post (averaging in the low 40's). Her usage is very high, at 34%, which means that California depends on her presence in the post to succeed, even more than the more efficient Walker. Her low assist ratio (45%) may indicate that the ball rarely leaves her hand once she gets it, or that she does not do a good job at finding open shooters when double teamed, but her solid turnover ratio (6%) means she isn't making mistakes with the ball. She is a decent defensive rebounder (11% of available defensive rebounds) but below average on the offensive end of the floor. She also offered the lowest BoxScore, adjusted individual rating and WinScore of my top prospects at this position. I suspect that Hampton is a defensive player that could be a good complement in the post to a more offensive minded player like Sophia Young, Lauren Jackson or Tina Thompson.
Candyce Bingham
Louisville, 6'1"
Bingham is a better shooter than Hampton, and offers an average BoxScore rating. She has a decent assist ratio (assisting on 56% of her possesions to 16% turnovers). From a rebounding perspective she does well at both ends (DR:11%, OR:9%, R/40:10). She offers the second best offensive rating (85.59) of my top five PF, and decent adjusted BoxScores (4.69), adjusted individual rating (59.95) and adjusted WinScore (5.37).
Marshae Dotson
Florida, 5'11
Dotson's height means she will have to play the three in the pros or be very overmatched. I think this will prevent her game from translating to the pros in the end. She does look good by the numbers however, as the second best overall offensive rated power forward (98.57). She is a solid shooter (FL:53%, eFG:53%, TS:58%) and rebounder (DR:11%, OR:9%, R/40:12).
Honorable Mentions: Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska), Lade Akande (Butler), Kemie Nkele (UC Riverside), Star Allen (Ohio State, and Ashley Paris (Oklahoma).
Remaining Prospects: Shawn Goff, Demetress Adams, Lauren Lacey, Whitney Thomas, Amber Jackson, Rachel Allison, Marlies Gipson
Innovation for Women's Sports
I received a press release this week sharing what looks to be a promising program sponsored by Nike and Ashoka's Changemakers. They are soliciting community participation to discover new and innovative approaches to breaking down barriers faced by women globally. They have launched their new program sports related program at http://www.changemakers.net/womeninsport.
“Nike understands the transformative power of sport and we know there are social innovators around the world doing amazing work in this area,” states Nike “Let Me Play” Global Director, Maria Bobenreith. “Through the Nike Game Changers competition we are providing an online platform to form a community of game changers and showcase their ideas and innovations around empowering women through sport.”
I run an innovation program at my company, so I am particularly impressed with their decision to form an online community to explore innovation through sports. As a "niche" sport community, women's basketball fandom thrives better online than it does through any other medium. I applaud the forward thinking approach and encourage all you brilliant WNBA and NCAA fans out there to participate in their program and help uncover the next great advances that sports can offer for women around the world.
“Nike understands the transformative power of sport and we know there are social innovators around the world doing amazing work in this area,” states Nike “Let Me Play” Global Director, Maria Bobenreith. “Through the Nike Game Changers competition we are providing an online platform to form a community of game changers and showcase their ideas and innovations around empowering women through sport.”
I run an innovation program at my company, so I am particularly impressed with their decision to form an online community to explore innovation through sports. As a "niche" sport community, women's basketball fandom thrives better online than it does through any other medium. I applaud the forward thinking approach and encourage all you brilliant WNBA and NCAA fans out there to participate in their program and help uncover the next great advances that sports can offer for women around the world.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Getting to the good stuff, SF Prospects
I leave for Istanbul tomorrow, and though I would love to see Barbara Turner play while I am there, realisticly, I am booked all day and night while I am there. This also means I may not post my PF and Center lists until I get back.
Megan Frazee
Liberty, 6'3"
The Liberty list Megan as a G/F, but at 6'3, she is taller than some of the center prospects this year, and I will place her at the perimeter forward position rather than the guard spot. My first question is why such a versatile player (to play guard successfully at this height, she MUST be versatile) is playing for such a small school (They are ranked 315 this pre season though they ended last season at 21) ? She is a triplet and both her sisters also play on the Liberty team. Perhaps she chose to stay and play with her sisters for four more years over playing a lesser role in a major program, or perhaps she was attracted the school's evangelical roots (Rev. Jerry Fallwell was the founder). Anyway, Megan was tops overall on my overall list, so she was going to go first on whatever list I put her on, regardless. Frazee appears to be an excellent shooter (FL:57%, eFG:53%, TS: 60%) and is heavily used by her team at 30% Usage. She has a great assist ratio (60%) and solid turnover ratio (13%). She has the best BoxScores rating of the group and is a great rebounder for her team, averaging 13 rebounds per 40 minutes and grabbing 15% of the available defensive rebounds and 10% of the offensive ones. She doesn't have a great offensive rating (this could be team pace related) but her RPI adjusted Individual Rating and WinScore are top of the pack.
Angel McCoughtry
Louisville, 6'1"
Angel is another solid shooter with some height at the small forward position. She has a 36% usage rating which indicates she is more important to the success of her team than any of the other players reviewed are to their teams. She has a strong BoxScores rating, a very good assist to turnover ratio and is also a great rebounder for a perimeter player. She pulled down 15% of the available defensive rebounds, 9% of the offensive ones and averaged 11 rebounds per 40 minutes. She offers a better offensive rating than Frazee, but her overall Individual Rating is more down to earth. Her adjusted overall WinScore is second only to Frazee, however.
Danielle Gant
Texas A&M, 5'11"
Danielle is a decent shooter with a good assist to turnover rating, but she is very small for a forward. She is a decent rebounder (DR:10%, OR:10%, R40:9) despite her height indicating either a bulk or desire greater than her competition. Her adjusted individual rating is solid as is her adjusted WinScore.
Marissa Coleman
Maryland, 6'1"
Kristi Toliver has senior help this season in Coleman. Marissa appears to be a solid scorer/shooter but her usage is low for a prospect at 23%. She does offer a strong BoxScores rating and decent rebounding, but it is her RPI adjusted Individual and WinScore ratings that put her this high on my list.
Laura Kurz
Villanova, 6'1"
Laura has decent shooting numbers, but her 47% floor percentage tells me she is not the most effective scorer on her team. She has excellent assist/turnover numbers and decent rebounding numbers, but it is her strong (103.30) offensive rating that gets her into my top five.
Honorable Mention: Rashanda McCants (North Carolina), DeWanna Bonner (Auburn) and Toni Thomas (Cal Fullerton)
The Rest of My Prospects: Jernisha Cann (IUPI), Lyndra Littles (Virginia), Dominc Seals (Texas Tech), Lindsay Schrader (Notre Dame), Antelia Parrish (George Washington), Dominique Duck (Western Kentucky)
Megan Frazee
Liberty, 6'3"
The Liberty list Megan as a G/F, but at 6'3, she is taller than some of the center prospects this year, and I will place her at the perimeter forward position rather than the guard spot. My first question is why such a versatile player (to play guard successfully at this height, she MUST be versatile) is playing for such a small school (They are ranked 315 this pre season though they ended last season at 21) ? She is a triplet and both her sisters also play on the Liberty team. Perhaps she chose to stay and play with her sisters for four more years over playing a lesser role in a major program, or perhaps she was attracted the school's evangelical roots (Rev. Jerry Fallwell was the founder). Anyway, Megan was tops overall on my overall list, so she was going to go first on whatever list I put her on, regardless. Frazee appears to be an excellent shooter (FL:57%, eFG:53%, TS: 60%) and is heavily used by her team at 30% Usage. She has a great assist ratio (60%) and solid turnover ratio (13%). She has the best BoxScores rating of the group and is a great rebounder for her team, averaging 13 rebounds per 40 minutes and grabbing 15% of the available defensive rebounds and 10% of the offensive ones. She doesn't have a great offensive rating (this could be team pace related) but her RPI adjusted Individual Rating and WinScore are top of the pack.
Angel McCoughtry
Louisville, 6'1"
Angel is another solid shooter with some height at the small forward position. She has a 36% usage rating which indicates she is more important to the success of her team than any of the other players reviewed are to their teams. She has a strong BoxScores rating, a very good assist to turnover ratio and is also a great rebounder for a perimeter player. She pulled down 15% of the available defensive rebounds, 9% of the offensive ones and averaged 11 rebounds per 40 minutes. She offers a better offensive rating than Frazee, but her overall Individual Rating is more down to earth. Her adjusted overall WinScore is second only to Frazee, however.
Danielle Gant
Texas A&M, 5'11"
Danielle is a decent shooter with a good assist to turnover rating, but she is very small for a forward. She is a decent rebounder (DR:10%, OR:10%, R40:9) despite her height indicating either a bulk or desire greater than her competition. Her adjusted individual rating is solid as is her adjusted WinScore.
Marissa Coleman
Maryland, 6'1"
Kristi Toliver has senior help this season in Coleman. Marissa appears to be a solid scorer/shooter but her usage is low for a prospect at 23%. She does offer a strong BoxScores rating and decent rebounding, but it is her RPI adjusted Individual and WinScore ratings that put her this high on my list.
Laura Kurz
Villanova, 6'1"
Laura has decent shooting numbers, but her 47% floor percentage tells me she is not the most effective scorer on her team. She has excellent assist/turnover numbers and decent rebounding numbers, but it is her strong (103.30) offensive rating that gets her into my top five.
Honorable Mention: Rashanda McCants (North Carolina), DeWanna Bonner (Auburn) and Toni Thomas (Cal Fullerton)
The Rest of My Prospects: Jernisha Cann (IUPI), Lyndra Littles (Virginia), Dominc Seals (Texas Tech), Lindsay Schrader (Notre Dame), Antelia Parrish (George Washington), Dominique Duck (Western Kentucky)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
On to the SG's
Jhasmin Player
Baylor, 5'10"
Defensively, I like my two guards with a little more height, but I found the shooting guard ranks to be a little thin in this draft. Jhasmin will have much to prove after ACL surgery last February when she tore her ACL and sprained her MCL. She is the star of her team and one of the best shooters on my list (FL: 55%, eFG:54%, TS:58%). Her assist and turnover ratios are decent, assisting on 58% of her possessions and turning the ball over on 22%. She is a decent rebounder for a guard averaging just under 8 rebounds per 40 minutes. Baylor's strong RPI puts her at the top of my adjusted Individual Rating and second for adjusted WinScore. Due to her injury, her usage is below average for last season.
Sade Logan
Robert Morris, 6'0"
Sade appears to shoot well with eFG and TS percentages in the mid fifties, but her floor percentage is only 48% which indicates she doesn't score as often as I might like when actually trying to score. Her usage is strong at 32%, with a solid BoxScore, excellent ball handling (56% assist ratio to 4% turnover ratio), and decent rebounding for a guard. The low RPI for her team hurts her adjusted ratings.
Mandy Morales
Montana, 5'9"
Another short guard who shoots really well (FL: 54%, eFG:54%, TS: 60%). She assisted on 60% of her possessions and turned the ball over on 24% of them. She is a decent rebounder at 6 rebounds per 40 minutes, but her decent adjusted Individual Rating and adjusted WinScore keep her near the top of my list.
Krystal Ellis
Marquette, 5'9"
There are a lot of shorter guards in this draft. Krystal is not a great shooter, with only her true shooting percentage breaking 50%. She may be able to translate to a point guard in the W given her low 14% turnover ratio. She is essentially average in the rest of her categories.
Chandrea Jones
Syracuse, 5'9"
Have I mentioned that I am not thrilled with the shooting guard prospects in this draft? Chandrea is another average shooter with a low turnover ratio. She is the best rebounding guard on my list, pulling down 11% of the available defensive rebounds, 9% of the available offensive rebounds and averaging almost 11 rebounds per 40 minutes.
Honorable Mention: Morgan Warburton (Utah), Shantia Grace (South Florida), Maggie Dwyer (Missouri State), Alexis Gray-Lawson (California) and Tiera DeLaHoussaye (Western Michigan.
The Rest of the Candidates: Shavonte Zellous, Brittany Cook, Jasmine Young, Emily Fox, Amber Bland, LaCoya Terry, Juliann Viani, Rachel Porath, Erin Kerner, Heather Ezell, Niki McCoy, Mara Freshour, Tasha Harris, Takia Starks, Antelia Parrish, Jessica Morrow, Abby Waner, Porchia Green.
Baylor, 5'10"
Defensively, I like my two guards with a little more height, but I found the shooting guard ranks to be a little thin in this draft. Jhasmin will have much to prove after ACL surgery last February when she tore her ACL and sprained her MCL. She is the star of her team and one of the best shooters on my list (FL: 55%, eFG:54%, TS:58%). Her assist and turnover ratios are decent, assisting on 58% of her possessions and turning the ball over on 22%. She is a decent rebounder for a guard averaging just under 8 rebounds per 40 minutes. Baylor's strong RPI puts her at the top of my adjusted Individual Rating and second for adjusted WinScore. Due to her injury, her usage is below average for last season.
Sade Logan
Robert Morris, 6'0"
Sade appears to shoot well with eFG and TS percentages in the mid fifties, but her floor percentage is only 48% which indicates she doesn't score as often as I might like when actually trying to score. Her usage is strong at 32%, with a solid BoxScore, excellent ball handling (56% assist ratio to 4% turnover ratio), and decent rebounding for a guard. The low RPI for her team hurts her adjusted ratings.
Mandy Morales
Montana, 5'9"
Another short guard who shoots really well (FL: 54%, eFG:54%, TS: 60%). She assisted on 60% of her possessions and turned the ball over on 24% of them. She is a decent rebounder at 6 rebounds per 40 minutes, but her decent adjusted Individual Rating and adjusted WinScore keep her near the top of my list.
Krystal Ellis
Marquette, 5'9"
There are a lot of shorter guards in this draft. Krystal is not a great shooter, with only her true shooting percentage breaking 50%. She may be able to translate to a point guard in the W given her low 14% turnover ratio. She is essentially average in the rest of her categories.
Chandrea Jones
Syracuse, 5'9"
Have I mentioned that I am not thrilled with the shooting guard prospects in this draft? Chandrea is another average shooter with a low turnover ratio. She is the best rebounding guard on my list, pulling down 11% of the available defensive rebounds, 9% of the available offensive rebounds and averaging almost 11 rebounds per 40 minutes.
Honorable Mention: Morgan Warburton (Utah), Shantia Grace (South Florida), Maggie Dwyer (Missouri State), Alexis Gray-Lawson (California) and Tiera DeLaHoussaye (Western Michigan.
The Rest of the Candidates: Shavonte Zellous, Brittany Cook, Jasmine Young, Emily Fox, Amber Bland, LaCoya Terry, Juliann Viani, Rachel Porath, Erin Kerner, Heather Ezell, Niki McCoy, Mara Freshour, Tasha Harris, Takia Starks, Antelia Parrish, Jessica Morrow, Abby Waner, Porchia Green.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
My top senior PG prospects...
Kristi Toliver
Maryland, 5'8"
Kristi has a decent shooting rating with 50% floor, 53% eFG and 59% true shooting percentages. She has the second highest usage percentage of the point guards at just under 26% which flags her as a star for her team. She has a decent assist ratio (59%) but a higher turnover ratio (28%) than I generally like in a PG and her offensive rating is next to last on my list. However, her team's high RPI earns her tops for adjusted individual rating and she tops the BoxScores for point guards as well.
Kristi Cirone
Illinois State, 5'8"
This Kristi took the overall shooting prize among point guards with a 56% floor, 56% eFG and 61% true shooting percentage result. She is above average at 22% usage, but any player under consideration better be above average on their team. Cirone is second to Toliver on BoxScore, has a strong assist ratio (61%) with a turnover ration of 25%. Her offensive rating is not spectacular but she has strong RPI adjusted Individual Rating and WinScore rating.
Shalee Lehning
Kansas State, 5'9"
Shalee is right behind Cirone in the shooting arena but only has an average usage of 20%. She meets Cirone on her assist ratio but has the worst turnover ratio of the bunch at 33%. She is a superior rebounder, garnering 16% of the available defensive rebounds for her team and averaging 9 rebounds per 40 minutes. Her team's strong RPI puts her at the top for adjusted WinScore and Individual Rating.
Renee Montgomery
Connecticut, 5'7"
ESPN has her as their top PG, and perhaps she will shine this season, though with Maya Moore on the floor she will never be the star of this great team. Statistically, last season, she offered the lowest shooting score among point guards I looked at. She has a reasonable assist ratio of 50% but a solid 20% turnover ratio. Her great team RPI puts her near the top on adjusted Individual Rating.
Brianne O'Rourke
Penn State, 5'6"
Perhaps too small for the WNBA (though Bobbitt did OK last season), Renee was average in the scoring category, solid in assist ratio (52%) but she must be an excellent ballhandler, turning the ball over on only 8% of her possessions. Also, somehow, despite her height, she managed to be the second best rebounding PG with 13% of her team's available defensive rebounds and averaging 7.5 rebounds per 40 minutes. She had the best offensive rating of all the point guards I looked at by far (110.50), but her team's low RPI indicates her opponents were not as strong as other players on this list.
Honorable Mentions: Amber Guffey (Murray State), Shalee Brooks (Florida)
The rest of the candidates: Briann January, Camille LeNoir, Kristi Smith and Dellana Criner.
Maryland, 5'8"
Kristi has a decent shooting rating with 50% floor, 53% eFG and 59% true shooting percentages. She has the second highest usage percentage of the point guards at just under 26% which flags her as a star for her team. She has a decent assist ratio (59%) but a higher turnover ratio (28%) than I generally like in a PG and her offensive rating is next to last on my list. However, her team's high RPI earns her tops for adjusted individual rating and she tops the BoxScores for point guards as well.
Kristi Cirone
Illinois State, 5'8"
This Kristi took the overall shooting prize among point guards with a 56% floor, 56% eFG and 61% true shooting percentage result. She is above average at 22% usage, but any player under consideration better be above average on their team. Cirone is second to Toliver on BoxScore, has a strong assist ratio (61%) with a turnover ration of 25%. Her offensive rating is not spectacular but she has strong RPI adjusted Individual Rating and WinScore rating.
Shalee Lehning
Kansas State, 5'9"
Shalee is right behind Cirone in the shooting arena but only has an average usage of 20%. She meets Cirone on her assist ratio but has the worst turnover ratio of the bunch at 33%. She is a superior rebounder, garnering 16% of the available defensive rebounds for her team and averaging 9 rebounds per 40 minutes. Her team's strong RPI puts her at the top for adjusted WinScore and Individual Rating.
Renee Montgomery
Connecticut, 5'7"
ESPN has her as their top PG, and perhaps she will shine this season, though with Maya Moore on the floor she will never be the star of this great team. Statistically, last season, she offered the lowest shooting score among point guards I looked at. She has a reasonable assist ratio of 50% but a solid 20% turnover ratio. Her great team RPI puts her near the top on adjusted Individual Rating.
Brianne O'Rourke
Penn State, 5'6"
Perhaps too small for the WNBA (though Bobbitt did OK last season), Renee was average in the scoring category, solid in assist ratio (52%) but she must be an excellent ballhandler, turning the ball over on only 8% of her possessions. Also, somehow, despite her height, she managed to be the second best rebounding PG with 13% of her team's available defensive rebounds and averaging 7.5 rebounds per 40 minutes. She had the best offensive rating of all the point guards I looked at by far (110.50), but her team's low RPI indicates her opponents were not as strong as other players on this list.
Honorable Mentions: Amber Guffey (Murray State), Shalee Brooks (Florida)
The rest of the candidates: Briann January, Camille LeNoir, Kristi Smith and Dellana Criner.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Links and Stuff
Jayda Evans has stretched her wings to encompass Husky basketball. Check out her renamed blog (hmmmm...she is stealing the name of the top women's bb blog on the net...).
Also, the Women's Sports Foundation (a worthy program founded by Billie Jean King back when I was just out of diapers) would like to remind you that even with Title IX in place, your daughters may need your help to ensure they get the athletic opportunities they deserve. They have an informational page and a quiz set up for you to learn more and get involved.
Just like the election of Barack Obama to the top job in the nation reminded us what Opportunity can lead to for the children of this nation, I am reminded each time I watch an NCAA or WNBA game of the importance of the Opportunity provided by the passage of Title IX. I may not be a woman, nor do I have daughters, but my life and the life of my two boys is richer because of the presence of the WNBA in my city, and that would never have been possible without Title IX. This is not only from the players and coaches aspect, but also the fact that the four women who kept the team here in this city were products of Title IX as well.
Also, the Women's Sports Foundation (a worthy program founded by Billie Jean King back when I was just out of diapers) would like to remind you that even with Title IX in place, your daughters may need your help to ensure they get the athletic opportunities they deserve. They have an informational page and a quiz set up for you to learn more and get involved.
Just like the election of Barack Obama to the top job in the nation reminded us what Opportunity can lead to for the children of this nation, I am reminded each time I watch an NCAA or WNBA game of the importance of the Opportunity provided by the passage of Title IX. I may not be a woman, nor do I have daughters, but my life and the life of my two boys is richer because of the presence of the WNBA in my city, and that would never have been possible without Title IX. This is not only from the players and coaches aspect, but also the fact that the four women who kept the team here in this city were products of Title IX as well.
My current list of Seniors...
I have tweaked my analysis a bit.
I used the following process to analyze the players I wanted to watch this season:
I took a list of prospects and ranked the top 25 in the following categories:
Shooting: 1/3 Floor %+ 1/3 Effective Field Goal %+ 1/3 True Shooting %
Rebounding: 1/3 Defensive Rebounding Percentage + 1/3 Offensive Rebounding % + 1/3 Rebounds per 40 minutes
Usage Percentage: Estimate of the percentage of team plays a player uses while on the court.
Adjusted WINSCORE: I took David Berri's WINSCORE rating and adjusted it for RPI.
BoxScores: An estimate of player impact developed by David Sparks.
Offensive Rating: I use Dean Olliver's formula for determing a players points per 100 possessions.
Adjusted Indvidual Rating: I use RPI to adjust the Individual Rating formula I use on this site (borrowed liberally from Kevin Pelton.)
Each player is given a score equal to their rank in each statistic as long as the crack the top 25 for that stat. I group the shooting stats and then the rebounding stats to reduce the overall weight of those categories on the total score. The total score for each player is then adjusted by the RPI of their school (using 2007-2008 stats and RPI). For players that sat out 2007-2008 I use their 2006-2007 statistics.
Note that this analysis does not really identify the top 25 seniors in college basketball. Players statistics can be inflated by a player's conference or by the talent of their particular position within a conference. I have some remarkable mid-market players on my list that may not translate to the pros from a personal scouting perspective because of their height (post players are generally MUCH smaller in college), athleticism (much more important in the pros) and other factors as well. The list below reflects statistically INTERESTING players that I want to see play this season.
Megan Frazee
Liberty
Megan is a 6'3" G/F for the Liberty. She has a strong shooting score ~57% across the three categories I measure. She gets to the line quite a bit and shoots 10th in the nation from the line. While she doesn't shoot a lot of three pointers, she shoots about 35%. She is a solid rebounder, likely from her height advantage. She has a hig Usage Percentage, using around 30% of her team's possessions. Her Rebounding, adjusted Winscore, Boxscores and adjusted Individual Rating push her to the top of the list.
Courtney Paris
Oklahoma
Courtney is virtually everyone's #1 pick in the draft this year. She is a 6'4" center who has dominated her conference. Her low post game leads to strong floor percentages and effective field goal percentages. She is the best rebounder on my list by miles. Her adjusted Boxscores, Winscore, Rebounding, and adjusted Indvidual Rating are key to her place on this list.
Angel McCoughtry
Louisville
Angel is a 6'1" small forward and a solid thief. She has the best steals numbers of the more than 80 players I looked at. She is not a great shooter, but is a strong rebounder, and her solid Usage %, BoxScores and adjusted Winscore lift her to third on my list.
Robyn Fairbanks
Utah Valley State
Robyn put up fantastic numbers, unfortunately, 6'1" is simply too small for a professional center or even a power forward. She appears to be a solid shooter and rebounder, so if she has the athleticism and rebounding, she could be a small forward in the W or an undersized power forward. She is one of the best shooters on the list, and a top notch defensive rebounder. Shooting, Rebounding, Usage % and adjusted WinScore are her strongest areas.
Ashley Walker
California
Ashley is an undersized PF for the WNBA at 6'1". She has a great Floor % and is a fantastic offensive rebounder. She had the best BoxScores rating of my prospect list, with a strong adjusted WinScore, decent rebounding and adjusted Individual ratings.
Danielle Gant
Texas A&M
Danielle is a 5'11" small forward with strong offensive rebounding and decent shooting skills. Her strength was in her RPI adjusted Indvidual Rating, and WinScores as well as her BoxScores rating.
Traci Edwards
UW Milwaukee
Traci is another undersized post at 6'2". She has the shooting numbers and rebounding numbers to play the power forward position in the WNBA off the bench. Her RPI adjusted WinScore and Individual Rating, combine with her shooting and rebounding to make my top 10.
Kristi Toliver
Maryland
Consensus says that the 5'8" Toliver is the best senior point guard, and I agree. Her true shooting percentage, BoxScores and adjusted Individual Rating make her #8 overall. She has a 1.69 assist to turnover ratio, assisting on 59% of her possessions and turning over 28% of them. She is also a decent overall shooter.
Kristi Cirone
Illinois State
This Kristi is another 5'8" guard, but she is a better shooter than Toliver. She has a great adjusted Individual Rating, and shows strong in BoxScores and adjusted WinScore. She has a 2.87 assist to turnover ratio, assisting on 61% of her possessions and turning over the ball on 25% of them.
Marissa Coleman
Maryland
My second Maryland player is a 6'1" small forward. Marissa is a decent shooter with excellent BoxScores, adjusted Individual Rating and adjusted WinScore.
Laura Kurz, Villanova
Shalee Lehning, Kansas State
Chante Black, Duke
Lindsay Wysdom-Hilton, Purdue
Jhasmin Player, Baylor
Kia Vaughn, Rutgers
Nadia Parker, USC
Devanei Hampton, California
Sade Logan, Robert Morris
Kaitlin Sowinski, Sacred Heart
Mandy Morales, Montana
Renee Montgomery, UCONN
Candyce Bingham, Louisville
Rashanda McCants, North Carolina
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn
I used the following process to analyze the players I wanted to watch this season:
I took a list of prospects and ranked the top 25 in the following categories:
Shooting: 1/3 Floor %+ 1/3 Effective Field Goal %+ 1/3 True Shooting %
Rebounding: 1/3 Defensive Rebounding Percentage + 1/3 Offensive Rebounding % + 1/3 Rebounds per 40 minutes
Usage Percentage: Estimate of the percentage of team plays a player uses while on the court.
Adjusted WINSCORE: I took David Berri's WINSCORE rating and adjusted it for RPI.
BoxScores: An estimate of player impact developed by David Sparks.
Offensive Rating: I use Dean Olliver's formula for determing a players points per 100 possessions.
Adjusted Indvidual Rating: I use RPI to adjust the Individual Rating formula I use on this site (borrowed liberally from Kevin Pelton.)
Each player is given a score equal to their rank in each statistic as long as the crack the top 25 for that stat. I group the shooting stats and then the rebounding stats to reduce the overall weight of those categories on the total score. The total score for each player is then adjusted by the RPI of their school (using 2007-2008 stats and RPI). For players that sat out 2007-2008 I use their 2006-2007 statistics.
Note that this analysis does not really identify the top 25 seniors in college basketball. Players statistics can be inflated by a player's conference or by the talent of their particular position within a conference. I have some remarkable mid-market players on my list that may not translate to the pros from a personal scouting perspective because of their height (post players are generally MUCH smaller in college), athleticism (much more important in the pros) and other factors as well. The list below reflects statistically INTERESTING players that I want to see play this season.
Megan Frazee
Liberty
Megan is a 6'3" G/F for the Liberty. She has a strong shooting score ~57% across the three categories I measure. She gets to the line quite a bit and shoots 10th in the nation from the line. While she doesn't shoot a lot of three pointers, she shoots about 35%. She is a solid rebounder, likely from her height advantage. She has a hig Usage Percentage, using around 30% of her team's possessions. Her Rebounding, adjusted Winscore, Boxscores and adjusted Individual Rating push her to the top of the list.
Courtney Paris
Oklahoma
Courtney is virtually everyone's #1 pick in the draft this year. She is a 6'4" center who has dominated her conference. Her low post game leads to strong floor percentages and effective field goal percentages. She is the best rebounder on my list by miles. Her adjusted Boxscores, Winscore, Rebounding, and adjusted Indvidual Rating are key to her place on this list.
Angel McCoughtry
Louisville
Angel is a 6'1" small forward and a solid thief. She has the best steals numbers of the more than 80 players I looked at. She is not a great shooter, but is a strong rebounder, and her solid Usage %, BoxScores and adjusted Winscore lift her to third on my list.
Robyn Fairbanks
Utah Valley State
Robyn put up fantastic numbers, unfortunately, 6'1" is simply too small for a professional center or even a power forward. She appears to be a solid shooter and rebounder, so if she has the athleticism and rebounding, she could be a small forward in the W or an undersized power forward. She is one of the best shooters on the list, and a top notch defensive rebounder. Shooting, Rebounding, Usage % and adjusted WinScore are her strongest areas.
Ashley Walker
California
Ashley is an undersized PF for the WNBA at 6'1". She has a great Floor % and is a fantastic offensive rebounder. She had the best BoxScores rating of my prospect list, with a strong adjusted WinScore, decent rebounding and adjusted Individual ratings.
Danielle Gant
Texas A&M
Danielle is a 5'11" small forward with strong offensive rebounding and decent shooting skills. Her strength was in her RPI adjusted Indvidual Rating, and WinScores as well as her BoxScores rating.
Traci Edwards
UW Milwaukee
Traci is another undersized post at 6'2". She has the shooting numbers and rebounding numbers to play the power forward position in the WNBA off the bench. Her RPI adjusted WinScore and Individual Rating, combine with her shooting and rebounding to make my top 10.
Kristi Toliver
Maryland
Consensus says that the 5'8" Toliver is the best senior point guard, and I agree. Her true shooting percentage, BoxScores and adjusted Individual Rating make her #8 overall. She has a 1.69 assist to turnover ratio, assisting on 59% of her possessions and turning over 28% of them. She is also a decent overall shooter.
Kristi Cirone
Illinois State
This Kristi is another 5'8" guard, but she is a better shooter than Toliver. She has a great adjusted Individual Rating, and shows strong in BoxScores and adjusted WinScore. She has a 2.87 assist to turnover ratio, assisting on 61% of her possessions and turning over the ball on 25% of them.
Marissa Coleman
Maryland
My second Maryland player is a 6'1" small forward. Marissa is a decent shooter with excellent BoxScores, adjusted Individual Rating and adjusted WinScore.
Laura Kurz, Villanova
Shalee Lehning, Kansas State
Chante Black, Duke
Lindsay Wysdom-Hilton, Purdue
Jhasmin Player, Baylor
Kia Vaughn, Rutgers
Nadia Parker, USC
Devanei Hampton, California
Sade Logan, Robert Morris
Kaitlin Sowinski, Sacred Heart
Mandy Morales, Montana
Renee Montgomery, UCONN
Candyce Bingham, Louisville
Rashanda McCants, North Carolina
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn
Friday, November 07, 2008
Seniors I am watching...
I've been looking at some NCAA seniors to put my college game watch list together. Here are the twenty seniors I will be watching this year...
Fname Lname School/Team Position
Courtney Paris Oklahoma C
Robyn Fairbanks Utah Valley State C
Traci Edwards UW Milwaukee C
Megan Frazee Liberty G/F
Angel McCoughtry Lousiville SF
Ashley Walker California PF/C
Kristi Cirone Illinois State G
Jenna Green UCSB C
Lindsay Wysdom-Hilton Purdue PF
Aisha Mohammed Virginia C
Kristi Toliver Maryland PG
Danielle Gant Texas A&M SF
DeWanna Bonner Auburn SF
Laura Kurz Villanova SF
Brianne O'Rourke Penn State PG
Amber Guffey Murray State PG
Sade Logan Robert Morris G
Tiera DeLaHoussaye Western Michigan G
Mandy Morales Montana G
Shalee Lehning Kansas State PG
Fname Lname School/Team Position
Courtney Paris Oklahoma C
Robyn Fairbanks Utah Valley State C
Traci Edwards UW Milwaukee C
Megan Frazee Liberty G/F
Angel McCoughtry Lousiville SF
Ashley Walker California PF/C
Kristi Cirone Illinois State G
Jenna Green UCSB C
Lindsay Wysdom-Hilton Purdue PF
Aisha Mohammed Virginia C
Kristi Toliver Maryland PG
Danielle Gant Texas A&M SF
DeWanna Bonner Auburn SF
Laura Kurz Villanova SF
Brianne O'Rourke Penn State PG
Amber Guffey Murray State PG
Sade Logan Robert Morris G
Tiera DeLaHoussaye Western Michigan G
Mandy Morales Montana G
Shalee Lehning Kansas State PG
Monday, October 13, 2008
HP Signs up to sponsor NBA and WNBA
I have been wanting this to happen for years, but now (other than family) the two biggest consumers of my time have teamed up.
I suggested to someone at the Storm earlier this summer that they should talk to the people in Palo Alto about sponsorships at a league level, but it looks like someone else had a much bigger idea.
Pretty cool.
2008 WNBA Playoffs Top Lineups/Pairs First Round
I finally finished all of the first round games...the second round shouldn't take as long since it will have half the games, and the finals, well, Detroit made that one easy for me.
2008 WNBA Playoffs Most Effective Lineups First Round
Powell-Smith-Nolan-Pierson-McWilliams: +16
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Little-Griffith: +14
Hornbuckle-Smith-Nolan-Pierson-McWilliams: +11
Hornbuckle-Smith-Nolan-McWilliams-Sanni: +11
Whalen-Gardin-Abrosimova-Jones-Whitmore: +10
Penicheiro-Lawson-Powell-Walker-Kelly: +10
Hammon-Wade-Young-Wauters-Riley: +9
Hammon-Wade-Darling-Wauters-Rley: +9
Bobbitt-Masciadri-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +8
Bevilaqua-White-Catchings-Hoffman-Sutton: +8
Penicheiro-Lawson-Powell-Kelly-Williams: +7
Moore-Thorn-Christon-Kraayeveld-Larkins: +7
Hammon-Johnson-Buescher-Young-Riley: +7
Franklin-Newton-SRobinson-Walker-Harper: +7
Lawson-Newton-SRobinson-Kelly-Williams: +7
Bird-Wright-Cash-Little-Griffith: +7
First Round Best Per40 Lineups (>10 Minutes)
2008 WNBA Playoffs Most Effective Lineups First Round
Powell-Smith-Nolan-Pierson-McWilliams: +16
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Little-Griffith: +14
Hornbuckle-Smith-Nolan-Pierson-McWilliams: +11
Hornbuckle-Smith-Nolan-McWilliams-Sanni: +11
Whalen-Gardin-Abrosimova-Jones-Whitmore: +10
Penicheiro-Lawson-Powell-Walker-Kelly: +10
Hammon-Wade-Young-Wauters-Riley: +9
Hammon-Wade-Darling-Wauters-Rley: +9
Bobbitt-Masciadri-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +8
Bevilaqua-White-Catchings-Hoffman-Sutton: +8
Penicheiro-Lawson-Powell-Kelly-Williams: +7
Moore-Thorn-Christon-Kraayeveld-Larkins: +7
Hammon-Johnson-Buescher-Young-Riley: +7
Franklin-Newton-SRobinson-Walker-Harper: +7
Lawson-Newton-SRobinson-Kelly-Williams: +7
Bird-Wright-Cash-Little-Griffith: +7
First Round Best Per40 Lineups (>10 Minutes)
Powell-Smith-Nolan-Pierson-McWilliams: +60.28
Bird-Wright-Cash-Little-Griffith: +26.13
Whalen-Gardin-Abrosimova-Jones-Whitmore: +16.16
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Little-Griffith: +14.23
Hammon-ELawson-Johnson-Young-Wauters: +11.16
Whalen-Gardin-Turner-Jones-Whitmore: +10.83
Penicheiro-Lawson-Powell-Kelly-Williams: +8.91
Top First Round Player Pairs
Hornbuckle-McWilliams: +40
Hornbuckle-Nolan: +30
Nolan-McWilliams: +29
Lawson-Powell: +22
Newton-SRobinson: +22
Pierson-McWilliams: +21
Willis-Kraayeveld: +20
Bird-Griffith: +19
Smith-McWilliams: +19
Thorn-Kraayeveld: +18
Lawson-Walker: +18
Wright-Griffith: +17
ELawson-Wauters: +17
Hornbuckle-Sanni: +17
Smith-Pierson: +16
Hammon-Wauters: +15
Lawson-Kelly: +15
Powell-Kelly: +15
Nolan-Pierson: +15
Newton-Harper: +15
Enough with Detroit already...
First Round Best Per40 Player Pairs (>10 Minutes)
Willis-Kraayeveld: +59.48
Newton-Harper: +46.94
Hornbuckle-Sam: +44.10
Newton-SRobinson: +38.95
Hornbuckle-McWilliams: +39.30
Lawson-Walker: +31.63
Pierson-McWilliams: +31.62
Moore-Thorn: +29.21
Thorn-Kraayeveld: +28.53
Johnson-Riley: +28.16
Phillips-Raymond: +27.27
Wauters-Riley: +26.76
Sanni-McWilliams: +26.67
Hornbuckle-Sanni: +26.14
Thorn-McCarville: +25.34
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Round 1, Game 3: 2008 WNBA Playoffs Storm vs. Sparks
I am stunned at how bad the 2008 WNBA.com playoff play by plays have been this post season. Randomly in the data will come a time that is from earlier in the game, which of course throws my numbers off if I am not careful. Ah, well.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
These numbers don't look too bad until you realize that only two other players took shots and neither broke 20%.
Top Ratings
Without Lauren Jackson, the Storm needed something from someone, and both Swin Cash and Sheryl Swoopes came up seriously short. Cash herself didn't offer any offense, though defensively she must have brought some value based on her plus/minus rating. I wonder why we didn't see more Katie Gearlds since offense was clearly needed. Despite her value in the regular season she was barely used in the playoffs playing 9, 8 and 5 minutes respectively.
The Storm were unable to slow Parker, but more importantly, the guards played their best game in Key Arena, which of course is what was required to win.
Top Ratings
Essentially, the Storm were beaten by Tennessee.
Raw Plus Minus
Delisha Milton-Jones: +11
Lisa Leslie: +10
Shannon Bobbitt: +8
Kiesha Brown: +7
Jessica Moore: +4
Candace Parker: +3
Temecka Johnson: +1
Muriel Page: 0
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Yolanda Griffith | 77% | 67% | 65% | 6 |
| Tanisha Wright | 58% | 53% | 49% | 20 |
| Camille Little | 54% | 42% | 50% | 17 |
| Sue Bird | 50% | 50% | 48% | 16 |
These numbers don't look too bad until you realize that only two other players took shots and neither broke 20%.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Yolanda Griffith | 140.97 | 122.65 |
| Camille Little | 113.97 | 93.31 |
| Sue Bird | 108.42 | 94.34 |
| Tanisha Wright | 100.09 | 88.52 |
Without Lauren Jackson, the Storm needed something from someone, and both Swin Cash and Sheryl Swoopes came up seriously short. Cash herself didn't offer any offense, though defensively she must have brought some value based on her plus/minus rating. I wonder why we didn't see more Katie Gearlds since offense was clearly needed. Despite her value in the regular season she was barely used in the playoffs playing 9, 8 and 5 minutes respectively.
Raw Plus Minus
Swin Cash: +11
Yolanda Griffith: +8
Sheryl Swoopes: +15
Camille Little: -4
Tanisha Wright: -6
Katie Gearlds: -8
Sue Bird: -8
Ashley Robinson: -10
Sheryl Swoopes: -18
Most Effective Lineups
Bird-Wright-Cash-Little-Griffith: +12
Sparks
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Candace Parker | 64% | 62% | 54% | 20 |
| Temecka Johnson | 59% | 40% | 45% | 8 |
| Marie Ferdinand-Harris | 56% | 44% | 46% | 12 |
| Shannon Bobbitt | 52% | 58% | 57% | 8 |
The Storm were unable to slow Parker, but more importantly, the guards played their best game in Key Arena, which of course is what was required to win.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Shannon Bobbitt | 119.47 | 103.57 |
| Candace Parker | 106.76 | 100.15 |
Essentially, the Storm were beaten by Tennessee.
Raw Plus Minus
Delisha Milton-Jones: +11
Lisa Leslie: +10
Shannon Bobbitt: +8
Kiesha Brown: +7
Jessica Moore: +4
Candace Parker: +3
Temecka Johnson: +1
Muriel Page: 0
Sidney Spencer: -4
Marie Ferdinand-Harris: -5
Most Effective Lineups
Bobbitt-Brown-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +7
Johnson-Spencer-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +5
Most Effective Lineups
Bobbitt-Brown-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +7
Johnson-Spencer-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +5
Where the game was won...
1st Quarter 2:37-0:00 the Sparks were +5
2nd Quarter 1:04-0:00 the Sparks were +4
3rd Quarter 10:00-5:42 the Sparks were +8
While that 3rd quarter was a tough one, had the Storm merely managed to close quarters better in the first half they could have won the game. Post depth was the serious issue at those points, because those end of quarter runs came once Yolanda Griffith was forced to sit on the bench.
I am going to finish running the rest of the playoff data to share top performers and lineups based on plus minus performance. Unfortunately, I am still in round one.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Lauren Jackson: Free Agent
Those four words could be expected to spark fear in the heart of any fan of the Seattle Storm. Strangely, though, they do not. We have been comfortable in our status as Lauren's second home after Australia. We have been comfortable in her relationship with Sue. She has said that she will play her WNBA career in Seattle as long as she is able.
The key is that as long as she plays in the WNBA, we believed that she would play in Seattle. After a truly painful olympic loss, and her injury keeping her from playing in the playoffs this season, Lauren is truly a free agent for the first time ever in this league and she is not thinking, yet, about next season.
This isn't the first year that there have been rumblings that Jackson would not return to the WNBA. Up until her last contract, Jackson only signed one year commitments to provide flexibility for herself. When she finally signed a multi-year contract with the Storm three years ago, she said she wanted to remove doubts of her return. Of course, then Howard Schultz sold the team to ownership from Oklahoma City and the uncertainty of that situation made Jackson declare that she would not play in Oklahoma. With the sale of the Storm to Seattle based ownership, Force 10 Hoops, it was clear that the cloud of doubt was removed. There were still rumors that she would skip this 2008 season entirely to prepare for the Olympics.
Here we are again, and while there may be less worry about where in the WNBA Lauren plays (despite her strong Phoenix ties), there is the question of whether she will return to the States at all. She was so dejected on the Olympic podium it moved me, and others, as we shared some aspect of her pain. In the Storm's thank you video to fans, she looked as if she had been crying before the taping and had to hold back tears during her pitch. This simply adds fuel to the speculative fire. I don't have any answers, only questions, but I leave the season with the hopeful feeling that the strong words of Coach Agler and CEO Bryant indicate we have a great chance to bring Jackson back to Seattle once she works through her emotions over these two big losses.
The key is that as long as she plays in the WNBA, we believed that she would play in Seattle. After a truly painful olympic loss, and her injury keeping her from playing in the playoffs this season, Lauren is truly a free agent for the first time ever in this league and she is not thinking, yet, about next season.
This isn't the first year that there have been rumblings that Jackson would not return to the WNBA. Up until her last contract, Jackson only signed one year commitments to provide flexibility for herself. When she finally signed a multi-year contract with the Storm three years ago, she said she wanted to remove doubts of her return. Of course, then Howard Schultz sold the team to ownership from Oklahoma City and the uncertainty of that situation made Jackson declare that she would not play in Oklahoma. With the sale of the Storm to Seattle based ownership, Force 10 Hoops, it was clear that the cloud of doubt was removed. There were still rumors that she would skip this 2008 season entirely to prepare for the Olympics.
Here we are again, and while there may be less worry about where in the WNBA Lauren plays (despite her strong Phoenix ties), there is the question of whether she will return to the States at all. She was so dejected on the Olympic podium it moved me, and others, as we shared some aspect of her pain. In the Storm's thank you video to fans, she looked as if she had been crying before the taping and had to hold back tears during her pitch. This simply adds fuel to the speculative fire. I don't have any answers, only questions, but I leave the season with the hopeful feeling that the strong words of Coach Agler and CEO Bryant indicate we have a great chance to bring Jackson back to Seattle once she works through her emotions over these two big losses.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Round 1, Game 2: 2008 WNBA Playoffs Storm vs. Sparks
I have been really delinquent getting things posted. I had a crazy week with depositions, my boss taking a new job, and data on game 2 that I simply couldn't get to jive. Fortunately Paul Swanson was able to help me find the bad piece of data and I was able to move on.
Since the Storm have already been eliminated, I will skip to the numbers and avoid useless commentary.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
It is really amazing how low scoring this game was.
Top Ratings
Looking at these numbers it is now clear to me why LA won Game 3. Defensively all they had to do was put some added focus of Sheryl Swoopes, because no one else was offensively productive.
It is clear that this game was won by the Storm on the defensive end of the floor.
Top Ratings
Normally players don't make this table with offensive ratings below 100, but I had to lower my standards for this game.
Raw Plus Minus
Jessica Moore: +4
Rafaella Masciadri: +1
Marie Ferdinand-Harris: -2
Sidney Spencer: -3
Temecka Johnson: -4
Muriel Page: -4
Candace Parker: -10
Shannon Bobbitt: -11
Kiesha Brown: -12
Delisha Milton-Jones: -13
Lisa Leslie: -16
Most Effective Lineups
Bobbitt-Masciadri-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +5
Johnson-Ferdinand-Milton-Parker-Moore: +4
Johnson-Ferdinand-Parker-Moore-Leslie: +3
Since the Storm have already been eliminated, I will skip to the numbers and avoid useless commentary.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Ashley Robinson | 80% | 100% | 91% | 3 |
| Camille Little | 75% | 58% | 38% | 13 |
| Sheryl Swoopes | 68% | 60% | 50% | 16 |
| Katie Gearlds | 50% | 50% | 53% | 2 |
It is really amazing how low scoring this game was.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Ashley Robinson | 184.71 | 166.48 |
| Sheryl Swoopes | 121.02 | 110.30 |
| Katie Gearlds | 106.13 | 88.10 |
Looking at these numbers it is now clear to me why LA won Game 3. Defensively all they had to do was put some added focus of Sheryl Swoopes, because no one else was offensively productive.
Raw Plus Minus
Tanisha Wright: +22
Sue Bird: +18
Sheryl Swoopes: +15
Yolanda Griffith: +14
Camille Little: +10
Katie Gearlds: +8
Ashley Robinson: +3
Shyra Ely: -1
Kimberly Beck: -6
Swin Cash: -11
Most Effective Lineups
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Little-Griffith: +19
Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Little-Robinson: +9
Bird-Wright-Cash-Robinson-Griffith: +3
Sparks
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Shannon Bobbitt | 63% | 63% | 27% | 5 |
| Delisha Milton-Jones | 51% | 44% | 37% | 10 |
It is clear that this game was won by the Storm on the defensive end of the floor.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Candace Parker | 96.94 | 80.42 |
| Marie Ferdinand-Harris | 93.10 | 75.70 |
Normally players don't make this table with offensive ratings below 100, but I had to lower my standards for this game.
Raw Plus Minus
Jessica Moore: +4
Rafaella Masciadri: +1
Marie Ferdinand-Harris: -2
Sidney Spencer: -3
Temecka Johnson: -4
Muriel Page: -4
Candace Parker: -10
Shannon Bobbitt: -11
Kiesha Brown: -12
Delisha Milton-Jones: -13
Lisa Leslie: -16
Most Effective Lineups
Bobbitt-Masciadri-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +5
Johnson-Ferdinand-Milton-Parker-Moore: +4
Johnson-Ferdinand-Parker-Moore-Leslie: +3
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Round 1, Game 1 2008 WNBA Playoffs: Storm @ Sparks
A few questions arose for me while working the numbers for this game.
1) Why was Katie Gearlds sitting on the bench? Her first half performance, as you will see below, was fantastic. She had the top spots in shooting and rating but did not play in the second half until the final 27 seconds of the game. I understand that the Wright/Swoopes tandem was playing well at both ends of the floor in the second half, but Gearlds CANNOT be lost in the rotation with Swoopes and Cash playing again. She is too valuable as a shooter.
2) Can we do away with the big lineup experiment, please? Start Swoopes or Gearlds at the three spot. Ashley played very well, but the big lineup is not working.
3) Where is Kimberly Beck? Her end of season play should have earned her some time. Bird only sat four times all game, the first three replaced at the point by Tanisha Wright. The Storm were +3, -4 and +1 during those three lineups and +2 with Beck in garbage time. With Wright turning the ball over at an alarming rate (about 30% of her possessions resulted in turnovers in this game compared to 10% resulting in an assist) Beck's sure hand is a better choice to rest Bird.
There were good signs. The Storm dominated the second half with only two negative intervals, both at the end of quarters. Bird was fantastic again after a slow start. Swin Cash and Sheryl Swoopes looked pretty good, though Sheryl's shooting was putrid (29% eFG%). The big three were controlled the entire game, and I don't imagine the Sparks guards can replicate their amazing shooting on the road.
There were caution flags as well. Camille Little performed horrendously in her first post season game as a starter. She shot a game worst 13% eFG%, being outperformed by the struggling Shannon Bobbitt and with only one rebound in 35 minutes of game time, she was the lowest rated player in the game. Tanisha Wright had 6 turnovers to go with her 4 steals and 2 assists. That is too many turnovers. The good news is that they were all in the first half. I am hoping that both these players are able to shake it off for today and let the Key Arena crowd cheer them on to victory.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Katie and Kelly need more minutes to generate offense. Tanisha Wright was only able to make this list because she hit her only three point shot and went 6-8 from the line, she was only 2-8 inside the arc.
Top Ratings
Both coaches got what they wanted here. Parker and Leslie were controlled forcing the ball into the hands of the guards just as Agler wanted. Unfortunately, the guards shot amazingly well exactly as Cooper wanted. Brown sat most of the second half, with their lead allowing Cooper to play with Masciadri, Ferdinand and Spencer. Hopefully that will smash her confidence as she wonders why her coach benched her when she thought she was doing well. Leslie only made this list because of her 4-4 free throw shooting.
Top Ratings
Not a single inside player made the list.
Raw Plus Minus
Delisha Milton-Jones: +18
Temeka Johnson: +8
Lisa Leslie: +7
Candace Parker: +3
Sidney Spencer: +3
Muriel Page: +3
Kiesha Brown: +2
Marie Ferdinand-Harris: +2
Shannon Bobbitt: 0
Jessica Moore: 0
Most Effective Lineups
Bobbitt-Brown-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +4
Johnson-Ferdinand-Milton-Page-Leslie: +4
Johnson-Brown-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +3
Bobbitt-Masciadri-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +3
1) Why was Katie Gearlds sitting on the bench? Her first half performance, as you will see below, was fantastic. She had the top spots in shooting and rating but did not play in the second half until the final 27 seconds of the game. I understand that the Wright/Swoopes tandem was playing well at both ends of the floor in the second half, but Gearlds CANNOT be lost in the rotation with Swoopes and Cash playing again. She is too valuable as a shooter.
2) Can we do away with the big lineup experiment, please? Start Swoopes or Gearlds at the three spot. Ashley played very well, but the big lineup is not working.
3) Where is Kimberly Beck? Her end of season play should have earned her some time. Bird only sat four times all game, the first three replaced at the point by Tanisha Wright. The Storm were +3, -4 and +1 during those three lineups and +2 with Beck in garbage time. With Wright turning the ball over at an alarming rate (about 30% of her possessions resulted in turnovers in this game compared to 10% resulting in an assist) Beck's sure hand is a better choice to rest Bird.
There were good signs. The Storm dominated the second half with only two negative intervals, both at the end of quarters. Bird was fantastic again after a slow start. Swin Cash and Sheryl Swoopes looked pretty good, though Sheryl's shooting was putrid (29% eFG%). The big three were controlled the entire game, and I don't imagine the Sparks guards can replicate their amazing shooting on the road.
There were caution flags as well. Camille Little performed horrendously in her first post season game as a starter. She shot a game worst 13% eFG%, being outperformed by the struggling Shannon Bobbitt and with only one rebound in 35 minutes of game time, she was the lowest rated player in the game. Tanisha Wright had 6 turnovers to go with her 4 steals and 2 assists. That is too many turnovers. The good news is that they were all in the first half. I am hoping that both these players are able to shake it off for today and let the Key Arena crowd cheer them on to victory.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Katie Gearlds | 69% | 75% | 69% | 4 |
| Sue Bird | 67% | 60% | 68% | 23 |
| Tanisha Wright | 52% | 39% | 37% | 13 |
| Swin Cash | 50% | 50% | 52% | 4 |
| Kelly Santos | 50% | 50% | 60% | 2 |
| Ashley Robinson | 50% | 50% | 46% | 4 |
Katie and Kelly need more minutes to generate offense. Tanisha Wright was only able to make this list because she hit her only three point shot and went 6-8 from the line, she was only 2-8 inside the arc.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Katie Gearlds | 162.62 | 153.43 |
| Sue Bird | 142.84 | 127.23 |
| Kelly Santos | 119.86 | 95.73 |
| Swin Cash | 103.23 | 88.15 |
Raw Plus Minus
Sheryl Swoopes: +2
Kimberly Beck: +2
Shyra Ely: +2
Kelly Santos: +2
Katie Gearlds: -1
Swin Cash: -3
Yolanda Griffith: -6
Ashley Robinson: -6
Camille Little: -9
Sue Bird: -10
Tanisha Wright: -13
Most Effective Lineups
Bird-Swoopes-Little-Robinson-Griffith: +4
Wright-Swoopes-Gearlds-Little-Robinson: +3
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Robinson-Griffith: +3
The experimental starting lineup was a miserable -9.
Sparks
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Marie Ferdinand-Harris | 94% | 100% | 62% | 11 |
| Kiesha Brown | 92% | 90% | 79% | 10 |
| Tamecka Dixon | 80% | 80% | 52% | 8 |
| Raffaella Masciadri | 60% | 60% | 41% | 6 |
| Delisha Milton-Jones | 59% | 50% | 40% | 11 |
| Lisa Leslie | 51% | 38% | 31% | 10 |
Both coaches got what they wanted here. Parker and Leslie were controlled forcing the ball into the hands of the guards just as Agler wanted. Unfortunately, the guards shot amazingly well exactly as Cooper wanted. Brown sat most of the second half, with their lead allowing Cooper to play with Masciadri, Ferdinand and Spencer. Hopefully that will smash her confidence as she wonders why her coach benched her when she thought she was doing well. Leslie only made this list because of her 4-4 free throw shooting.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Kiesha Brown | 180.01 | 176.87 |
| Marie Ferdinand-Harris | 145.19 | 154.64 |
| Rafaella Masciadri | 121.88 | 110.09 |
| Sidney Spencer | 120.06 | 90.88 |
| Temecka Johnson | 104.42 | 106.41 |
Not a single inside player made the list.
Raw Plus Minus
Delisha Milton-Jones: +18
Temeka Johnson: +8
Lisa Leslie: +7
Candace Parker: +3
Sidney Spencer: +3
Muriel Page: +3
Kiesha Brown: +2
Marie Ferdinand-Harris: +2
Shannon Bobbitt: 0
Jessica Moore: 0
Most Effective Lineups
Bobbitt-Brown-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +4
Johnson-Ferdinand-Milton-Page-Leslie: +4
Johnson-Brown-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +3
Bobbitt-Masciadri-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +3
Friday, September 19, 2008
2008 Season Numbers
I intend to run full plus/minus lineup data for the playoffs, but I have some catchup to do since I just got back from New York at one a.m. today. I booked my trip before the playoffs were decided so rather than getting to sit in MSG last night to watch the first playoff game of the Liberty vs. the Sun, I sat in JFK international airport and watch NBA TV go black when the game came on since it was also aired on the MSG channel which wasn't playing in the terminal.
I was flying Jet Blue, so I got to watch the Monarchs tip off against the Silver Stars on ESPN2, but the sound was bust on that one station so I couldn't bear to listen to the game. It was a clear blowout early (though the Monarchs valiantly closed the gap at the end) and I moved on to other channels.
Most Effective Shooters
Coach Agler's "equal opportunity offense" is a reality. The Storm have never had more than three players with better than a 100 point per 100 possession offensive rating. Sue and Lauren's individual ratings are down (compared to 2004) but the balance and depth of the team is remarkable. They are being seriously underestimated in the playoffs, though not having Cash in the first round will hurt them a great deal. Lots of players got more minutes in the second half due to injuries and rest, but Kimberly Beck and Katie Gearlds are the ones who have stepped up the most. Yo is the one person of the three veteran additions who has gotten significantly better since the break.
Least Effective Swing Players
Shyra Ely at PF: -47
Tanisha Wright at PG: -27
Most Effective Per40 Lineups (>10 Minutes)
Bird-Swoopes-Gearlds-Cash-Jackson: +68.91
Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Cash-Little: +28.84
Bird-Wright-Cash-Jackson-Griffith: +28.49
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Cash-Griffith: +23.30
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Jackson-Griffith: +19.03
Bird-Swoopes-Cash-Jackson-Griffith: +10.99
I was flying Jet Blue, so I got to watch the Monarchs tip off against the Silver Stars on ESPN2, but the sound was bust on that one station so I couldn't bear to listen to the game. It was a clear blowout early (though the Monarchs valiantly closed the gap at the end) and I moved on to other channels.
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points/Game |
| Kimberly Beck | 73.02% | 66.67% | 48.23% | 1.0 |
| Camille Little | 57.52% | 54.96% | 48.69% | 9.74 |
| Lauren Jackson | 56.42% | 49.39% | 50.56% | 20.24 |
| Sue Bird | 54.40% | 50.13% | 46.94% | 14.09 |
| Yolanda Griffith | 53.89% | 46.21% | 52.83% | 7.23 |
| Katie Gearlds | 50.86% | 48.73% | 41.67% | 5.03 |
| Swin Cash | 48.41% | 39.08% | 46.99% | 11.32 |
| Tanisha Wright | 48.40% | 44.00% | 43.41% | 7.88 |
| Sheryl Swoopes | 47.03% | 42.71% | 46.89% | 7.07 |
| Kelly Santos | 45.97% | 39.02% | 45.93% | 2.14 |
| Shyra Ely | 45.00% | 42.61% | 42.17% | 3.32 |
| Ashley Robinson | 30.59% | 30.23% | 31.05% | 0.88 |
| Kristin O'Neill | 0% | 0% | 13.04% | 0 |
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Kimberly Beck | 121.40 | 112.34 |
| Lauren Jackson | 112.23 | 97.45 |
| Sue Bird | 105.06 | 95.93 |
| Yolanda Griffith | 104.73 | 87.35 |
| Katie Gearlds | 103.36 | 89.34 |
| Sheryl Swoopes | 99.65 | 84.08 |
| Camille Little | 99.56 | 88.70 |
| Swin Cash | 95.75 | 80.45 |
| Kelly Santos | 90.72 | 74.02 |
| Tanisha Wright | 89.62 | 78.13 |
| Shyra Ely | 86.83 | 69.90 |
| Ashley Robinson | 62.55 | 40.06 |
| Kristin O'Neill | 11.63 | 9.52 |
Coach Agler's "equal opportunity offense" is a reality. The Storm have never had more than three players with better than a 100 point per 100 possession offensive rating. Sue and Lauren's individual ratings are down (compared to 2004) but the balance and depth of the team is remarkable. They are being seriously underestimated in the playoffs, though not having Cash in the first round will hurt them a great deal. Lots of players got more minutes in the second half due to injuries and rest, but Kimberly Beck and Katie Gearlds are the ones who have stepped up the most. Yo is the one person of the three veteran additions who has gotten significantly better since the break.
Plus/Minus
Player | On | Off | Roland Rating | Minutes Played |
| Sue Bird | +149 | -62 | +15.32 | 1111 |
| Lauren Jackson | +171 | -42 | +9.96 | 694 |
+99 | -12 | +6.70 | 658 | |
| Swin Cash | +108 | -21 | +7.29 | 927 |
| Sheryl Swoopes | +83 | +4 | +4.46 | 706 |
| Katie Gearlds | +63 | +24 | +4.30 | 468 |
| Camille Little | +11 | +83 | -2.62 | 442 |
| Tanisha Wright | +10 | +77 | -5.08 | 808 |
| Kelly Santos | -18 | +105 | -8.81 | 134 |
| Shyra Ely | -60 | +147 | -12.23 | 389 |
| Kimberly Beck | -21 | +108 | -12.41 | 93 |
| Ashley Robinson | -95 | +182 | -18.60 | 182 |
| Kristin O'Neill | -30 | +99 | -28.38 | 32 |
Most Effective Lineups
Bird-Swoopes-Cash-Jackson-Griffith: +23
Bird-Swoopes-Gearlds-Cash-Jackson: +23
Bird-Wright-Cash-Jackson-Griffith: +17
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Gearlds-Jackson: +13
Bird-Swoopes-Gearlds-Jackson-Griffith: +11
Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Cash-Little: +9
Bird-Cash-Ely-Little-Griffith: +9
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Jackson-Robinson: +9
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Jackson-Griffith: +8
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Cash-Griffith: +7
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Little-Jackson: +6
Bird-Swoopes-Gearlds-Cash-Griffith: +6
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Little-Santos: +6
Least Effective Lineups
Bird-Swoopes-Cash-Ely-Jackson: -15
Bird-Swoopes-Cash-Ely-Jackson: -14
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Ely-Robinson: -14
Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Robinson-Griffith: -13
Wright-Swoopes-Gearlds-Robinson-Griffith: -8
O'Neill-Gearlds-Ely-Santos-Robinson: -7
Bird-Swoopes-Cash-Jackson-Robinson: -6
Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Cash-Ely: -6
Bird-Wright-Cash-Robinson-Griffith: -6
Bird-Wright-Cash-Little-Santos: -6
Top Player Pairs
Bird-Jackson: +137
Bird Cash: +127
Bird-Swoopes: +112
Griffith-Jackson: +104
Bird-Griffith: +103
Cash-Jackson: +87
Bird-Gearlds: +86
Cash-Griffith: +84
Cash-Gearlds: +80
Swoopes-Jackson: +71
Most Effective Swing Players
Bird at PG: +149
Jackson at PF: +78
Cash at PF: +71
Swoopes at SF: +55
Jackson at C: +51
Wright at SG: +42
Gearlds at SF: +30
Swoopes at SG: +26
Least Effective Swing Players
Shyra Ely at PF: -47
Tanisha Wright at PG: -27
Most Effective Per40 Lineups (>10 Minutes)
Bird-Swoopes-Gearlds-Cash-Jackson: +68.91
Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Cash-Little: +28.84
Bird-Wright-Cash-Jackson-Griffith: +28.49
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Cash-Griffith: +23.30
Bird-Wright-Swoopes-Jackson-Griffith: +19.03
Bird-Swoopes-Cash-Jackson-Griffith: +10.99
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Game Thirty-Four: Storm @ Sparks 14 September, 2008
This was perhaps the worst WNBA game I have sat through in years. It was precisely the sort of nationally televised game that fans the fires of those who enjoy making fun of the league. While the game didn't really count for either team (other than Seattle losing potential home court against Detroit in the Finals due to Detroit's better conference record)it was still a splotch on the WNBA given that this was a nationally televised game.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Yuck. No one else even got to 30%.
Top Ratings
No one else even made it to a 75.
Top Ratings
Raw Plus Minus
Kiesha Brown: +14
Candace Parker: +13
Lisa Leslie: +11
Delisha Milton-Jones: +11
Shannon Bobbitt: +9
Jessica Moore: +9
Temeka Johnson: +8
Muriel Page: +8
Sidney Spencer: +3
Marie Ferdinand-Harris: +3
Most Effective Lineups
Bobbitt-Brown-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +11
Johnson-Ferdinand-Spencer-Page-Moore: +10
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Kimberly Beck | 90% | 100% | 57% | 7 |
| Shyra Ely | 73% | 73% | 52% | 16 |
| Camille Little | 57% | 57% | 36% | 8 |
Yuck. No one else even got to 30%.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Kimberly Beck | 143.58 | 146.08 |
| Shyra Ely | 119.42 | 112.83 |
No one else even made it to a 75.
Raw Plus Minus
Kristin O'Neill: +1
Sue Bird: -6
Yolanda Griffith: -6
Ashley Robinson: -7
Kelly Santos: -7
Shyra Ely: -10
Tanisha Wrightl: -12
Katie Gearlds: -13
Camille Little: -14
Most Effective Lineups
Wright-Gearlds-Ely-Santos-Robinson: +4
Beck-Gearlds-Ely-Little-Santos: +2
Sparks
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Delisha Milton-Jones | 75% | 75% | 62% | 12 |
| Sidney Spencer | 69% | 69% | 65% | 11 |
| Candace Parker | 60% | 57% | 48% | 9 |
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Sidney Spencer | 140.66 | 128.23 |
| Delisha Milton-Jones | 124.31 | 117.44 |
Raw Plus Minus
Kiesha Brown: +14
Candace Parker: +13
Lisa Leslie: +11
Delisha Milton-Jones: +11
Shannon Bobbitt: +9
Jessica Moore: +9
Temeka Johnson: +8
Muriel Page: +8
Sidney Spencer: +3
Marie Ferdinand-Harris: +3
Most Effective Lineups
Bobbitt-Brown-Milton-Parker-Leslie: +11
Johnson-Ferdinand-Spencer-Page-Moore: +10
LA really didn't play that well either, and they only had two lineups do serious damage to the Storm. That won't get it done in the playoffs either. It should be an interesting first round match up.
I will start posting season numbers on Friday since I hit the road this week for the first time in quite a while. If I have a chance, I will post earlier.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Game Thirty-Three: Storm vs. Dream 12 September, 2008
It was just like the old days, watching Sue and Lauren cheering their team on to a win from the bench at the end of the game...except it was the beginning middle AND the end of the game last night. It did make me a little sad for the Dream to have them lose to a team that didn't play a single starter from the beginning of the season. It was great to see Camille, Tanisha, Ashley and Katie succeed on their own. That has to be a huge boost to their personal confidence and can only help the team on the playoff push.
I was so happy to see Betty and Izi, but it was disappointing for everyone, Betty included, that she was unable to play more of the game.
Fan appreciation night was pretty tame...maybe they are saving up for a championship celebration.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Heck, Camille even had a three point basket, her 5th of the season.
Top Ratings
Beck only played a few minutes but scored off two free throws, had an assist, a steal and a block.
Top Ratings
Raw Plus Minus
Kasha Terry: +7
Tamera Young: +5
Katie Feenstra: 0
Kristin Haynie: -2
Erica DeSouza: -3
Betty Lennox: -3
Ivory Latta: -3
Jennifer Lacy: -5
Iziane Castro Marques: -6
Alison Bales: -11
Most Effective Lineups
Haynie-Lennox-Young-Terry-Feenstra: +6
Latta-Castro-Young-Terry-Feenstra: +4
I was so happy to see Betty and Izi, but it was disappointing for everyone, Betty included, that she was unable to play more of the game.
Fan appreciation night was pretty tame...maybe they are saving up for a championship celebration.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Kimberly Beck | 114% | 0% | 100% | 2 |
| Camille Little | 67% | 61% | 63% | 21 |
| Kelly Santos | 57% | 57% | 49% | 8 |
| Katie Gearlds | 57% | 47% | 49% | 20 |
| Tanisha Wright | 51% | 50% | 44% | 14 |
Heck, Camille even had a three point basket, her 5th of the season.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Kimberly Beck | 240.56 | 221.24 |
| Camille Little | 136.83 | 123.76 |
| Katie Gearlds | 116.27 | 99.03 |
| Tanisha Wright | 110.31 | 96.68 |
Beck only played a few minutes but scored off two free throws, had an assist, a steal and a block.
Raw Plus Minus
Katie Gearlds: +7
Shyra Ely: +6
Kelly Santos: +6
Tanisha Wright: +6
Ashley Robinson: +1
Camille Little: 0
Kristin O'Neill: -2
Most Effective Lineups
Wright-Gearlds-Ely-Little-Santos: +4
Beck-Wright-Gearlds-Ely-Robinson: +3
Dream
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Erica DeSouza | 87% | 100% | 47% | 5 |
| Katie Feenstra | 82% | 75% | 64% | 16 |
| Tamera Young | 67% | 64% | 61% | 20 |
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Tamera Young | 138.27 | 122.87 |
| Katie Feenstra | 137.21 | 128.03 |
| Kasha Terry | 104.27 | 79.42 |
Raw Plus Minus
Kasha Terry: +7
Tamera Young: +5
Katie Feenstra: 0
Kristin Haynie: -2
Erica DeSouza: -3
Betty Lennox: -3
Ivory Latta: -3
Jennifer Lacy: -5
Iziane Castro Marques: -6
Alison Bales: -11
Most Effective Lineups
Haynie-Lennox-Young-Terry-Feenstra: +6
Latta-Castro-Young-Terry-Feenstra: +4
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Game Thirty-two: Storm @ Monarchs 9 September, 2008
This was a win I wanted, and that the team needed if it really wanted to maintain first place. Unfortunately, the Monarchs wanted to win this game more in this case than the Storm.
Clearly the Storm wanted a win. They fought valiantly in the face of a gimpy Sue Bird and the abscence of three starters to injury. Despite all of the adversity, the Storm almost walked away with another win because of the scoring of Tanisha Wright, Katie Gearlds and Yolanda Griffith. In the end, though, the lack of a healthy, star player in the game in the waning moments secured the loss.
I can't blame the loss on Tanisha Wright's 8 turnovers as Wright clearly is blaming herself or many fans are blaming her in the forums. Yes she made the turnovers, but Sacramento has historically played amazing perimeter defense, especially in Arco Arena, and Wright is simply not a fantastic ball handler. She is a capable ball handler, but this defense gives great ball handlers fits, it is expected to be deadly to those less than great. Tanisha was great at what you needed her to be great at. Sue Bird, a player many consider the best point guard in the league, had four turnovers in this game. A few of Tanisha's turnovers came at inopportune times, but this is really the first time T has had to play this role in game of this magnitude against an opponent of this caliber. She put up points, something sorely needed when you are essentially down three and a half starters. I admire her personal commitment, but I hope she walks away from the game viewing it as a challenge to attack in her game, not a failure in what has been a spectacular season for her. She should take it as a challenge to improve and a learning experience to make her stronger the next time she is in this situation.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Katie Gearlds played extraordinarily well, shooting 50% overall and hitting 5 of 6 three point shots with nary a turnover in the game.
Top Ratings
For the third straight game the Storm were lit up by opposing shooting guards. I say again that this is how important a healthy Swoopes is to the team's perimeter defense.
Raw Plus Minus
Chelsea Newton: +8
Nicole Powell: +6
Laura Harper: +4
Adrian Williams-Strong: +3
Crystal Kelly: +2
Aquonesia Franklin: +2
Ticha Penicheiro: 0
Rebecca Brunson: -3
Scholanda Robinson: -4
Kara Lawson: -5
It is impressive to me that the Franklin led lineup sparked their run against the Storm starters, with Ely thrown in. The Storm had three lineups during that span, the starters, the starters without Wright and the starters without Gearlds. It was spurred by two bad passes (Wright and Ely) picked off by the excellent Monarchs defense.
Clearly the Storm wanted a win. They fought valiantly in the face of a gimpy Sue Bird and the abscence of three starters to injury. Despite all of the adversity, the Storm almost walked away with another win because of the scoring of Tanisha Wright, Katie Gearlds and Yolanda Griffith. In the end, though, the lack of a healthy, star player in the game in the waning moments secured the loss.
I can't blame the loss on Tanisha Wright's 8 turnovers as Wright clearly is blaming herself or many fans are blaming her in the forums. Yes she made the turnovers, but Sacramento has historically played amazing perimeter defense, especially in Arco Arena, and Wright is simply not a fantastic ball handler. She is a capable ball handler, but this defense gives great ball handlers fits, it is expected to be deadly to those less than great. Tanisha was great at what you needed her to be great at. Sue Bird, a player many consider the best point guard in the league, had four turnovers in this game. A few of Tanisha's turnovers came at inopportune times, but this is really the first time T has had to play this role in game of this magnitude against an opponent of this caliber. She put up points, something sorely needed when you are essentially down three and a half starters. I admire her personal commitment, but I hope she walks away from the game viewing it as a challenge to attack in her game, not a failure in what has been a spectacular season for her. She should take it as a challenge to improve and a learning experience to make her stronger the next time she is in this situation.
Storm
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Ashley Robinson | 100% | 100% | 100% | 4 |
| Katie Gearlds | 78% | 75% | 55% | 17 |
| Yolanda Griffith | 69% | 63% | 63% | 16 |
| Camille Little | 55% | 55% | 37% | 12 |
Katie Gearlds played extraordinarily well, shooting 50% overall and hitting 5 of 6 three point shots with nary a turnover in the game.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Ashley Robinson | 200.00 | 181.22 |
| Katie Gearlds | 154.17 | 152.12 |
| Yolanda Griffith | 128.52 | 122.39 |
Raw Plus Minus
Katie Gearlds: +2
Camille Little: +2
Yolanda Griffith: +2
Kelly Santos: +1
Tanisha Wright: 0
Kristin O'Neill: -1
Shyra Ely: -4
Sue Bird: -8
Ashley Robinson: -9
Most Effective Lineups
Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Little-Griffith: +11
Wright-Gearlds-Ely-Robinson-Griffith: +2
Wright-Gearlds-Ely-Little-Griffith: +2
Monarchs
Most Effective Shooters
Player | True Shooting Percentage | Effective FG% | Floor Percentage | Points |
| Aquonesia Franklin | 83% | 83% | 62% | 5 |
| Nicole Powell | 75% | 71% | 48% | 20 |
| Kara Lawson | 67% | 58% | 60% | 19 |
| Rebecca Brunson | 55% | 60% | 50% | 12 |
For the third straight game the Storm were lit up by opposing shooting guards. I say again that this is how important a healthy Swoopes is to the team's perimeter defense.
Top Ratings
| Player | Offensive Rating | Individual Rating |
| Aquonesia Franklin | 147.68 | 142.97 |
| Kara Lawson | 141.56 | 121.62 |
| Nicole Powell | 117.61 | 108.99 |
| Ticha Penicheiro | 102.79 | 82.82 |
| Rebecca Brunson | 100.10 | 89.15 |
Raw Plus Minus
Chelsea Newton: +8
Nicole Powell: +6
Laura Harper: +4
Adrian Williams-Strong: +3
Crystal Kelly: +2
Aquonesia Franklin: +2
Ticha Penicheiro: 0
Rebecca Brunson: -3
Scholanda Robinson: -4
Kara Lawson: -5
Most Effective Lineups
Franklin-Newton-Powell-Harper-Williams: +9
Penicheiro-Lawson-Kelly-Powell-Brunson: +5
It is impressive to me that the Franklin led lineup sparked their run against the Storm starters, with Ely thrown in. The Storm had three lineups during that span, the starters, the starters without Wright and the starters without Gearlds. It was spurred by two bad passes (Wright and Ely) picked off by the excellent Monarchs defense.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)