https://www.thestate.com/sports/col...aaUpqQfkMAT87G5RqdNboOQdCUvZfiu3gYNikXdgfOews
By Tracy Glantz
What excited Olson the most was the combination of the forwards Boston and Amihere. Boston is the higher-rated of the two, at No. 3 overall in the country, but Olson said Amihere, who was one of the very highest-ranked players in the class before tearing her ACL, may be just as good, if not better.
“Boston is in a league of her own in respect to being a low post player. She’s a consistent finisher and she combines a degree of finesse with just plain old nastiness in the block. You’re gonna know that you have guarded her playing her in the block, because she’s not gonna shy away from contact. But she’s just very skilled. She’s a double-double machine in respect to that,” Olson said.
“But the other kid, (Amihere) ... prior to her knee injury, I had her at No. 2. Now she’s back off the injury, she’s stronger and more athletic. This kid, combined with Boston, they’re the two best frontcourt players in the class. Amihere has so much potential, it’s ridiculous. ... Everyone wants a coveted post player — they got two of them, they got the two best that they could get.”
The rough comparison, Olson said, is South Carolina’s old combination of Alaina Coates and A’ja Wilson, with Boston pounding down low as the 5 in a lineup like Coates and Amihere extending to the high post like Wilson. And while Olson stressed that Amihere has a long way to go before she could approach Wilson’s level, he still praised her raw talent and physical tools.
“She’s chiseled, she’s built like a (6-foot-4) dude that can jump and jack that thing through the rim,” Olson said. “She can defend away from the basket. She could play the top of the press and she’s cat-quick enough to deflect balls and intercept balls, which leads to transtition layups. She plays at the rim and the only thing this kid doesn’t have yet is a perimeter jump shot that extends to the 3-point arc. She doesn’t have that yet. Her best work is inside, about 10 or 12 feet. That’s where she’s money in the bank. But her potential is so high. You don’t see a lot of these kids where you can really say wow, this kid’s potentially a superstar. Well that’s what this kid is.”
Beyond those two, Olson said Cooke, the second-rated point guard in the class, will give Staley “tremendous speed, athleticism, depth at the backcourt” alongside Tyasha Harris and Destanni Henderson next year. Meanwhile, Thompson, a local preferred walk-on, will add a needed 3-point threat, and Beal will be the perfect wing player to tie the whole group together.
“The Beal kid’s one of the better small forwards that’s got a certain degree of versatility. ... From a one-on-one, isolation, small forward, weakside rebounding, this kid’s as good as they come in that class, and she can knock down the 3. She can stretch you out,” Olson said.
By Tracy Glantz
What excited Olson the most was the combination of the forwards Boston and Amihere. Boston is the higher-rated of the two, at No. 3 overall in the country, but Olson said Amihere, who was one of the very highest-ranked players in the class before tearing her ACL, may be just as good, if not better.
“Boston is in a league of her own in respect to being a low post player. She’s a consistent finisher and she combines a degree of finesse with just plain old nastiness in the block. You’re gonna know that you have guarded her playing her in the block, because she’s not gonna shy away from contact. But she’s just very skilled. She’s a double-double machine in respect to that,” Olson said.
“But the other kid, (Amihere) ... prior to her knee injury, I had her at No. 2. Now she’s back off the injury, she’s stronger and more athletic. This kid, combined with Boston, they’re the two best frontcourt players in the class. Amihere has so much potential, it’s ridiculous. ... Everyone wants a coveted post player — they got two of them, they got the two best that they could get.”
The rough comparison, Olson said, is South Carolina’s old combination of Alaina Coates and A’ja Wilson, with Boston pounding down low as the 5 in a lineup like Coates and Amihere extending to the high post like Wilson. And while Olson stressed that Amihere has a long way to go before she could approach Wilson’s level, he still praised her raw talent and physical tools.
“She’s chiseled, she’s built like a (6-foot-4) dude that can jump and jack that thing through the rim,” Olson said. “She can defend away from the basket. She could play the top of the press and she’s cat-quick enough to deflect balls and intercept balls, which leads to transtition layups. She plays at the rim and the only thing this kid doesn’t have yet is a perimeter jump shot that extends to the 3-point arc. She doesn’t have that yet. Her best work is inside, about 10 or 12 feet. That’s where she’s money in the bank. But her potential is so high. You don’t see a lot of these kids where you can really say wow, this kid’s potentially a superstar. Well that’s what this kid is.”
Beyond those two, Olson said Cooke, the second-rated point guard in the class, will give Staley “tremendous speed, athleticism, depth at the backcourt” alongside Tyasha Harris and Destanni Henderson next year. Meanwhile, Thompson, a local preferred walk-on, will add a needed 3-point threat, and Beal will be the perfect wing player to tie the whole group together.
“The Beal kid’s one of the better small forwards that’s got a certain degree of versatility. ... From a one-on-one, isolation, small forward, weakside rebounding, this kid’s as good as they come in that class, and she can knock down the 3. She can stretch you out,” Olson said.
