Next Year

[zooropa]

Re: Next Year

And that's what made this tournament run so enjoyable---

1) It wasn't a senior dominated team

2) No heroics were necessary for SDSU to stay toe to toe with Baylor

I mean your typical "Cinderalla teams" look like they're really pushing themselves to get to the 2nd round, or the Sweet 16.

[tattoo]

Re: Next Year

We ask this same question every year. How are we going to replace Shannon Schagel? Melissa Pater? Brenda Davis? Megan Vogel? Jennifer Warkenthien?

AJ has this team set up with great balance across the classes and another great set of recruits coming in. No doubt that the 4 seniors will be greatly missed, but players will step up and get it done.

There are 3 juniors in Boever, Anderson, and Cornemann who will step up and take over leadership and young players in Westergaard, Sunnarborg, and the 5 freshman who will come in and fill the void and pick up minutes.

As we move up the national ranks the incoming recruits should be moving up in talent as well (as I think they have the last couple seasons). I think everything will be just fine next year, AJ has done a great job of a building a consistent program to make sure this wasn't a one year wonder.

WE don't rebuild, we just RELOAD!

Here is another good link looking back!

http://sdsufans.com/board/showthread.php?t=366

[JamesJacks]

Re: Next Year

Here is what I think:

First one listed is the starter!


5- Sunnaborg ----starts and move Boever to the 4 where Jenn was at --- Westergaard

4- Boever ---- with Dietel and Cornerman sharing the load

3- Cornerman ---- with Rotert, Schuttuloffel gets more minutes

2- Rotert -----Jill Young, remeber it is not who starts games but who finishes. ( Rotert is the most athletic player we have)

1- Macie ----- Anderson


Now look that is already a ten player rotation! We still have not mentioned Venessa Johnson had a tough year and prbably should have redshirted, and all the Freshman coming in. We need to start redshirting some of these girls, because next year we will have a couple players that are going to push the 30-32 minutes per game mark (Boever, Cornerman, Rotert).

Sonnaborg starting at the 5 may suprise some, but she is physical, strong, and has very good feet and with a full summer with the team and getting into that first rotation she will make huge strides.

IMO take it for what it is worth!

What I like about the roster A.J. has is that we have some interchangeable parts. We have some players who can play a variety of positions on our returning roster. Ketty can play on the wing and also post up. Same with Rotert. Boever operates well along the baseline, in the low post, and in the high post. Players like that are what make us so tough to defend. We lose Warkenthien and Oistad who were could operate in different areas of the court on offense. I think the more interchangeable parts we have the better off we'll be offensively.
Add to the interchangeable parts we have some extremely talented people coming back in Michelson, Anderson, and Young out on the perimeter.

Do any of the incoming freshman guards project to be a point guard?

[Kemo]

Re: Next Year

I think you're right. From what I saw on video, she's capable of being the same kind of player as Wark. Not going to happen overnight, but Dietel is a good one.

I'm curious to see how Sunnaborg and Westergard are able to work into the lineup. Imagine the high-low post possibilities there with a 6'2" and 6'3" in at the same time. Add Boever (6'1") in there, and you've got a nice group of inside players. And, oh yeah, we've got three other very talented freshmen coming in.

I don't think there's any doubt we'll be the Summit League favorites again. I think the league has learned not to bet against us. We're going to miss those seniors dearly, but then again, we missed Megan Vogel, too, and new players stepped up and made us better. Different, but better.

If anything, we'll be even deeper next year, with more options to go to in order to find a working combination in any given game.

Hit the nail right on the head there Jimmy! Dietel really is in the same mold as Warkentein and is probably more athletic to boot. She has the potential to be just as dominate as Jenn was, but lets not have unreal expectation in which she will just walk in here as a freshman and average 15-8-5. She has talent, but is a little raw in some areas. I think she can come in a contribute right away, but if AJ isn't going to get her at least 15 minutes a game, I think a redshirt year could do her good as well. Either way, I see her making great strides during her first year of college.

I also think Sunnaborg is going to be able to step in and be a force next year, which may afford AJ the option of redshirting a couple freshman if need be.

[zooropa]

Re: Next Year

Do any of the incoming freshman guards project to be a point guard?

I don't know. I think three of them can play point.

Here's what I could imagine:

Tolliver & Griffin burned SDSU--now, would Rotert matchup better against them? I don't know--I think so.

But as their lineup sat last season (sigh. Must refer to last season as, well, last season), Rotert couldn't cover an athletic point because the Jacks give up too much size on their points. Putting one of the Jacks' #1s on a Baylor or Maryland #2 = trouble, because that means you're putting the Jacks' #1 on the Baylor or Maryland #2.

With Heiser, Eide, and Palluch, SDSU is getting three 5'-9" guards, IMO that makes them -much- better equipped to stop a BCS-calliber point guard. Provided they develop their chops as AJ's players seem to do...

[jackdaniel]

Re: Next Year

Can we make it 3 years in a row for league "newcommer" of the year, first Kristin, then jill.Too early to tell?

[TeamPlayer]

Re: Next Year

This season we were an outside first team and the few games it did not work (recall UNI game) we fed Maria in the low post, which she is very hard to stop. Maria could have had way bigger numbers if/when AJ decided to feed her and get her involved, but for the most part AJ relied on the outside game. Next season, I believe AJ will need a more blananced game with a bit more focus on the inside game with Maria and Jenny.

Personally, I think had we fed Maria and Jen more in the post we would have scored more and put Baylor into deep foul trouble, but we kept pumping up fruitless/forced shots from the outside and it costs us in the end.

Finally, I don't see how you can keep Jill out of the starting line up. I would at least seeing her there in place of Kris in certain games. I could also see Maria, Ketty, Kristine, Jill and Macie starting some games as well, depending on size of other team.

[Jacks-02]

Re: Next Year

This season we were an outside first team and the few games it did not work (recall UNI game) we fed Maria in the low post, which she is very hard to stop. Maria could have had way bigger numbers if/when AJ decided to feed her and get her involved, but for the most part AJ relied on the outside game. Next season, I believe AJ will need a more blananced game with a bit more focus on the inside game with Maria and Jenny.

Personally, I think had we fed Maria and Jen more in the post we would have scored more and put Baylor into deep foul trouble, but we kept pumping up fruitless/forced shots from the outside and it costs us in the end.

Finally, I don't see how you can keep Jill out of the starting line up. I would at least seeing her there in place of Kris in certain games. I could also see Maria, Ketty, Kristine, Jill and Macie starting some games as well, depending on size of other team.

I agree. We shot nearly 55% on 2pt shots in the game and 20% on 3pt attempts. Its something that's happened in quite a few of the games earlier in the season, but those were against lower quality opponents and we were able to overcome it. I think its one thing the staff needs to look at in the offseason, there are times where we are way too trigger happy on 3 pointers when we really don't need to be. We have good enough post players to exploit other teams inside, we need to take advantage of it. I also think it can hurt the aggressiveness of some players, Rotert and Cornemann come to mind, who have the ability to take opponents off the dribble but at times just rotate around the 3 pt line waiting for a shot.

[FlyingJack]

Re: Next Year

I agree. We shot nearly 55% on 2pt shots in the game and 20% on 3pt attempts. Its something that's happened in quite a few of the games earlier in the season, but those were against lower quality opponents and we were able to overcome it. I think its one thing the staff needs to look at in the offseason, there are times where we are way too trigger happy on 3 pointers when we really don't need to be. We have good enough post players to exploit other teams inside, we need to take advantage of it. I also think it can hurt the aggressiveness of some players, Rotert and Cornemann come to mind, who have the ability to take opponents off the dribble but at times just rotate around the 3 pt line waiting for a shot.

Excellent post. You often hear the phrase "You live and die by the three." They shot very well against TCU so I think they may have taken a few shots from long range in the Baylor game because of that success.

Our passing game against TCU was a clinic. This team was the most effective when they kept the opposing team off guard with good perimeter passes. Our deep bench and our aggressive defense made it difficult for the opposing team to stay with us when we moved the ball around the perimeter and exploited the middle. They did a good job but not quite good enough against as good a caliber team as Baylor.

[JamesJacks]

Re: Next Year

I don't know. I think three of them can play point.

Here's what I could imagine:

Tolliver & Griffin burned SDSU--now, would Rotert matchup better against them? I don't know--I think so.

Perfect example of why it's so important to have players who can do a variety of things on offense and defense. Players who can defend a point and a wing. Or a wing and a post. This is one major reason we will continue to be tough to play against.

[zooropa]

Re: Next Year

I also think it can hurt the aggressiveness of some players, Rotert and Cornemann come to mind, who have the ability to take opponents off the dribble but at times just rotate around the 3 pt line waiting for a shot.

To elaborate on that--I think it's a matter of confidence as opposed to ability. Both of them are, at this level, 'perimeter first' thinkers. In tight games if they get a good look from the three, they'll take it. That's their shooter's mentality and I don't think that should be 'messed with' as such.

What the staff needs to do is build their confidence in their ability to drive--to give them some moves to get room for pull up 10-foot jumpers, a few practiced, deceptive moves toward the lane that they're as comfortable with as they are with taking a catch-and-shoot three. Boever & Warkenthien didn't come to SDSU knowing how to make those pretty up an unders..... They were taught them.....

With Rotert, I'm sure that's what it came down to. She's a sophomore who has developed her inside game, but not to a level where she trusts it as well as she trusts her three point shot.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: Next Year

To elaborate on that--I think it's a matter of confidence as opposed to ability. Both of them are, at this level, 'perimeter first' thinkers. In tight games if they get a good look from the three, they'll take it. That's their shooter's mentality and I don't think that should be 'messed with' as such.

What the staff needs to do is build their confidence in their ability to drive--to give them some moves to get room for pull up 10-foot jumpers, a few practiced, deceptive moves toward the lane that they're as comfortable with as they are with taking a catch-and-shoot three. Boever & Warkenthien didn't come to SDSU knowing how to make those pretty up an unders..... They were taught them.....

With Rotert, I'm sure that's what it came down to. She's a sophomore who has developed her inside game, but not to a level where she trusts it as well as she trusts her three point shot.

Wow, you are simply amazing and knowledgeable. Have you ever thought about going into coaching!

[jackdaniel]

Re: Next Year

When I heard that SDSU got all three ,arguably ,of the best three gaurds in the state I immediatly was thinking full court press in some games ,situations, hope the coaching staff explores some possibilities with that...I'd love to see all three of them, or combo of gaurds we have, whoever plays the best in practice doing a press(?), next year.
We'll be extremly quick & even quicker adding little sister boever the next year....wow, the possibilites, we could be an opposing teams nightmare bringing the ball upcourt

[zooropa]

Re: Next Year

Wow, you are simply amazing and knowledgeable. Have you ever thought about going into coaching!

1) I am NOT that smart.

2) I am NOT that well organized.

3) Megan Vogel would be (IMO) ideal at teaching players how to fake the three and drive the lane (and the Jacks -do- have a position to fill.....)

[zooropa]

Re: Next Year

Another observation on AJ's player development skills:

After Baylor caught wise to the up and unders, Jenn and Maria started doing spin moves to the outside, using -either- free hand to put up a shot, while they took out the defender by going up diagonally off their pivot foot.

And the cool thing about those two moves is that a defender can't take BOTH of them away. One of them will -always- be there.