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Jess Does So Much for This Team ... by dillon77

... that I think we get a bit spoiled by it all.

- She is a very technically skilled basketball player, both with her hands and feet. Many believe it was her weight (and strength derived from said bulk), that opened up space for her last year. I beg to differ: Jess sets one of the best seals in the business and that's about positioning.

- And once she gets the ball, it's lefty or righty layups, short jumpers from either side, or a fake and roll to one side of the other.

- As for getting blocked, I think that's a function of two things:
-- sometimes she gets too far down and is almost reaching back to get the ball to the basket. Easy to block those shots...it's coming to you.
-- and one of Jess' few "mere mortal" points is she simply does not jump that well.

- Even with the (over) publicized weight loss, Jess is still a sturdy post, don't fool yourself. Go the link below and look at the picture of her and Emese Hof, the Miami center that people now know. You'd pick Jess to the tight end, right?

- Oh, Shepard led all players -- Hof, Mompremier, Turner, Young -- with 17 rebounds on Thursday night. In a game with two sets of twin towers and a marvelous wing, she was the rebounding stud. Positioning, strength, will, talent.

- And we've covered the outlet passes, which have drawn praise from experts and comparisons to outlet kings like Wes Unseld, Dave Cowens and Kevin Love.

- Yes, I think she can shoot that 12-15 footer and would hope to see it. Everyone but Marina and Arike seemed to have a Pavlovian response to Miami's bigs: let's throw ourselves at that wall. Get them in foul trouble? I'll be next time we play them, we'll see more diversity in that attack.

- I watched and listened to the Muffet show, which featured Jess and Abby. Jess is plainspoken, direct but honest and caring. Funny, too. You can see the respect that MM has for her. I'll bet a bottom dollar that Jess defers a bit to her long(er) standing teammates (in ND terms).
Yet, reports are she took the loss very hard. Would think that she can take that will to succeed and express it in ways that can propel her teammates.

Go Jess. Go Irish!