Magic, PG, played down low on D
by ram (2019-10-18 16:34:58)

In reply to: Why does a player have to be low post on O and D?  posted by btd

Post Reply Return to McGraw's Bench

in Michigan State's matchup zone.

Of course, he was the 2nd tallest player among starters.


Stewie, If You Recall, Could Play Down Low ....
by dillon77  (2019-10-18 17:48:24)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

and was an excellent weak-side defender.

Of course, Stewie could do just about anything (and did).

Della Donne prefers to face the basket but is very tough underneath. Meesseman is not as physical as EDD, but she'll rebound well, too.

Sam does not hesitate to play down low on defense and I think she'll be willing...and able...to do so.
Sam is physically bigger than turner was in terms of
by Btd  (2019-10-20 13:07:00)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Sheer body mass. I stood next to her at south dining hall. I am 6’ 2.5” and about 245 lbs. She is very strongly built and not your mothers size for a perimeter player. It’s amazing to me how much the woman’s game has changed over 30 years. When I was at ND in the late 80’s she would have been considered a center without question based on her body type. In general, the women’s game Has grown 3-4”.

Westbeld Committing Will Also Help Immensely
by dillon77  (2019-10-21 14:31:52)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

She's also listed at 6'2" and has apparently started demonstrating toughness and ability inside, as well as from the wing, where she initially played.

While everyone talks about getting bigs, there just are not that many available. Plus ND has recently been running offenses that have a post and a forward (Shepard and Kat Westbeld, Turner and Shepard...with these two flipping roles from time to time).

Mik Vaughn will be the traditional post this year and next, with Danielle Cosgrove spelling her. Nat Marshall and her 6'4"-6'5" frame will come aboard. Yes, she's a tall glass of water but she can move and extend.

What will help is having some physical forwards to help out. While not Naz Hillmon-types, Sam and Maddy can work in the lane on D and rebounding. Having both will benefit our posts and the team. Plus, they both can shoot outside, presenting lots of match-up problems, as Hempfield has written.

Lastly, our guards -- save for Alasia Hayes -- are all uniformly larger, averaging 5'10"-6'0" tall. Let's hope 6'0" Alli Campbell is joined by 5'11" Caitlin Clark.