They look much better than this time last year...They may be better than last year’s national championship team!
Lady Gamecocks look amazing
- Thread starter 38gamecock
- Start date
We let Maryland come back from 26 down to cut it to three; we have to work on our killer instinct.
It wasn't lack of killer instinct; the starters simply ran out of gas. A'ja played 37 minutes and was noticeably less effective in the 4th.
Yes, our starting 5 looked amazing, but the minutes by the backups count as well. Hence, it was a close game. I'm glad we found a way to win. A victory, on the road, against a top 15 foe is always a positive.
If you watch a lot of Gamecock WBB the last 4 seasons, you know this is a bad habit our program has yet to outgrow...We are infamous for blowing big leads and still win late...Did it 7 times last season, including the regional final vs FSU...I don't know why our ladies lose focus and intensity late...Has nothing to do with running out of gas...This team has a habit of letting up and expecting defeated opponents to roll over...The Terps have pride and kept fighting...But they were just not good enough
Glad you said it. Had I or any of a number of people said it, the troll card would have been played by the reactionaries.
When there's a pattern, it must be attributed to and solved by the coaching aspect.
Agreed, but i don't think Dawn wants to address it...It doesn't seem to bother her until they give a game away like the 1 at Mizzou last season...But i digress, i have no idea what she says to the squad in private...But for some reason, they have a habit of letting up rather than burying opponents...
Good news is, I heard Dawn just signed another top 50 kid for next year. We're going to need some bigs!
They also choked last year when they had to play a close game when it mattered most. Saban talked about the value of close games last Saturday after the win against Miss St. He remembered last year when they blew out every opponent until that got in a close a nailbiter in the championship game and lost.
They just got beat - plain and simple. UConn doesn't choke - ever. Their vast experience at the top doesn't allow it. Gino's personality doesn't give rise to it.
Saban was addressing the inevitability of encountering close games against good opponents and the need to be ready for it. I don't think that even Saban would consider it a virtue to blow a seemingly insurmountable lead. I know he wouldn't stand for making a habit of it.
We didn't let up last year against FSU; A'ja got in foul trouble and coach was forced to play Herbert-Harrigan. There's a HUGE dropoff between the two. Kaela Davis saved us in that game.
I don't buy this mystical killer instinct talk. We have a real, tangible issue with depth right now. BCM's return will help. Cooper will be huge, if she can play. But low post depth will still be an issue.
UCONN beat Miss St by 60 in the 2015 tournament. 60! But they choked in a close game against the same team they should have beaten. Want to guess the point spread?
I'm not even going to indulge the stupidity of debating whether Dawn Staley has killer instinct. She's in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and will be as a coach. What have you done with your life, killer?
Don't care. Choking is a function of nerves, fear, and a loss of poise. Great teams don't lose because they choke. They lose because they don't play up to standards and the other team plays supremely.
We're not talking about whether she has a killer instinct or not. We're talking about whether or not she has imparted it to her team. You need to stay on point.
I was going to ignore you...But now you are just being ignorant...Not one poster has written that Dawn lacks killer instinct...The issue we are discussing is this teams habit of blowing big leads late the past few seasons...And yes it's Coach Staley's job to help keep them focused down the stretch...I think she likes seeing them challenged early and might not be as concerned as we are....But occasionally they let 1 get away
I am on point: get over this "killer insinct" mumbo jumbo. Let's talk about basketball tangibles. The single most important aspect of the regular season is that A'ja Wilson stay healthy because we're average without her. And that means she's going to be pulled from a lot of 4th quarter this season, which means we're not going to blow teams out at a rate that will make you happy. Get used to it. Hopefully, by the end of the season, the young player will develop and can contribute in the tournament if called upon.
Maybe Dawn and Muschamp can consult with each other. They both tend to get leads and watch them disappear in the 4th quarter. Fortunately, for the most part the end result has been what we desire.
Get over the idea you can dictate to me what facets I choose to highlight. We were discussing a phenomenon which seems to recur. Many people have observed it. Indeed, in the context of this thread, I am not even the one who brought it up.
You have your ideas about it. I have mine. And other people have theirs, to which we are all entitled. That isn't any insult to the coach or the team.
What is insulting is that you seek to marginalize me or my life - or anyone else's - for expressing an opinion that contradicts yours. If that's the way you roll, all I'll say is that anything I have accomplished in life, be it big or small, was accomplished in the real world making real things that remain and not in the attempted belittlement of others.
Sorry, king, didn't take you for a snowflake. I won't challenge your opinion anymore.
Even after an apology, King has to get in the last word. Shocker!
It doesn't take exceptional perception to distinguish between a sincere apology and a backhanded one. Or does it?
Don't worry king ward, I'm sure the ladies will railroad Clemson by 50+ Thursday. That should satisfy you
I note that our second game of the season last year we some what ran out of gas against Ohio State. I was impressed with our defense during the first three quarters. Like last year, we played 7 to 8 players at a fast paste early into the season. As coach Staley determines her rotation, this problem will be eliminated. With the presence of Cuevez and hopefully Cooper our intensity will be sustained. I thought Jennings played well down low.
They don't look quite as amazing as they used to since Alaina & the twins have moved along.
That would delight me.Don't worry king ward, I'm sure the ladies will railroad Clemson by 50+ Thursday. That should satisfy you
I agree. Last night would have gone differently with BCM in the lineup in place of Cliney down the stretch. Maryland hacked her as soon as she touched the ball. Harris/Spann/BCM is a nice ball-handling/free throw shooting combination that should be able to protect a late game lead.
The Clemons HBC is Dawns teammate from Virginia back in the day...The Gamecocks can virtually name the score...But i doubt Dawn will let them roll by 50...I suspect the non starters will see plenty of action
