Congrats to Anaya and her teammates for bringing home the gold from Mexico!
Anaya Peoples averaged 19.2 min./game, slightly less than only Aijha Blackwell (19.3) and Maori Davenport (20.0) while shooting, by far, the worst of anyone on the team—34%. The next lowest were two at 40%. So why did she play so much? Because Coach What’s-His-Name really supports Notre Dame. We saw this earlier by the selection of three Notre Dame women for the U18 team. OK, I’m kidding, but only a bit. Obviously Coach What’s-His-Name does not hold grudges, at least not as long as us ND fans. 😉
Whatever the case, the main reason Anaya Peoples played so much, and at crucial times in the Canada game, was her extraordinary quickness, arm length, defense, vision, and overall basketball sense. These qualities were reflected in leading the team in steals with 15, and assists (tied with MVP Rhyne Howard) with 18. Those who watched the games saw her positioning and reflexes in nearly getting a hand on every pass her opponent threw. It was amazing. Even when the US did not get a turnover, she altered the trajectory of many passes.
If Anaya plays like this for the Irish, It will be fun to count the number of passes she intercepts bound for her ‘man’ and deflects from her ‘man’. Shooting, undoubtedly will fall into place, but like height, you can't teach arm length—and only to a limited degree, quickness.
Oh, did I mention she tied for the lead in assists despite not playing much point guard?