...while watching the Oregon vs. Stanford game last night. Coincidentally enough, I had just finished a give and take with Domerduck on the Irish bench, so that factored into my perspective.
- Erin Boley is a great open shooter. When she was at ND, she benefited from the Princeton-based offense to receive passes when she was open. And she -- all power to her -- drilled them very nicely. (Remember the Ohio State game?)
- Like you, I think Boley now benefits greatly from Sabrina Ionescu. One is the attention Ionescu garners and the other way is that Ioncescu sees the floor well and is an adept passer off the drive.
Carzola is an adept passer as well (but Ionescu is the focal point) and, as such, all the Ducks -- particularly Boley and Hebard -- benefit.
- ESPN In-game and in-studio hosts brought up that Erin seems to be sitting at the three-point line most of the time. I don't know how much of that is by design (the Ionescu point) or the fact that Hebard and/or Sebally take care of a lot of the other forward-type issues (screening) on offense, but -- at least yesterday -- Boley looked very few-dimensional. (I rely on Domerduck for further insights.) And, quite candidly, her foot speed and movement didn't look like it could create other types of shots (say, like Jess is able to. Or "even" Kat, for that matter who could shoot the "J" and drive the lane.)
- That said, her open jump shooting is lethal and could be a benefit to anyone. And to Domerduck's steadfast points yesterday, the bench he's looking for in this year's Irish squad is largely playing in Eugene and Bloomington right now. Having Erin come in and drill threes or pull defenses out would've been a benefit, as would Alli's point guard skills.
- That said, the Erin Boley I watched yesterday wouldn't be a high post in the ND system. Not sure that's in her hoops DNA: Erin looks to be a finisher, not a starter or cog in the process. (The preferred play of ND's high post is multi-dimensional and demanding.)
- So short term for the Irish, one can see how we got to this place personnel-wise, and how expectations have to be in moderation for what the Irish have to work with. Luckily, we can score with the best of 'em. Plug away Abby, Dani, Mik and Jordan.
- Looking ahead for the Irish: it will be really interesting to see what next year brings with Dani P. and the arrival of Sam Brunelle. How will those skill sets be utilized?
- And for the Ducks, just what happens to that "system" without Ionescu around? It's not just Boley that benefits. Hebard (who to her credit positions herself well) gets the ball right where she needs it from Ionescu. Graves depends on a wunderkind point guard. (Note to Niele: multiple tickets to Iowa and/or Minneapolis!)