Raven Johnson

[CuriousCock]

I assume one of those " high level interior players" is Saxton, who had zero rebounds in 30 minutes of play against Stanford. Saxton's inability to play the 5 is the reason Dawn has to be careful with Boston's and Amihere's minutes. If both get in foul trouble, then we have no other post defender.

So, yes, we could use another big. Like I stated, one content with limited minutes.

Btw, both Lele and Saxton were on the team that got destroyed by Baylor on the boards 2 years ago. Much of our rebounding is trickle down effect from Boston and Amihere being elite rebounders.

It's highly unlikely they are going to bring anyone in out of the portal that is more prepared to play vs elite competition than Saxton and Amihere.

Grissette and Beal are options for going smaller.

Feagin is probably the most talented four on the roster from day one.

also, South Carolina defeated Baylor relatively convincingly the last time they met, so I'm not sure that a game with a freshman Saxton and a one legged Alexis Jennings trying to play center is particularly relevant to the conversation.

they much more need guard depth and floor stretching than anything else. I'm not sure they really need to bring in anyone, but if they did it should probably be a shooter.

 

[CuriousCock]

That's what I'm trying to say. Lauren Cox and Kalani Brown were elite rebounders. Baylor crushed us, twice, that season. The next year, we added Boston. She got 13 rebounds and we outrebound Baylor +14 (Saxton and Lele had 2 rebounds in that game) and we beat them by double digits. So, yeah, we can't expect Saxton and Lele to rebound against elite rebounders.

If we plan on winning a nation title, then we're going to run across a team with excellent rebounders during the tournament. Stanford, for instance. Coach Staley was really hampered last Friday because both Amihere and Boston were in foul trouble. She couldn't afford to play them both at the same time for fear of them fouling out and leaving us with minimal rebounding. At the end of halves, she usually goes with Wesolek when Boston and Amihere have a couple of fouls. Wesolek, though, is not a serious option late in a Final Four game. We needed someone who could hold up on the glass. Like a Sarah Imovbioh type.

Note: I don't believe we've been outrebounded since we lost to Baylor in the tournament two years ago. I know for sure we weren't outrebounded this year. We still outrebounded Stanford by 4 Friday, even with Saxton not contributing. But we really needed to win that stat more decisively. It still blows my mind that skinny Lexie Hull had 13 rebounds against us. 13!

We're not going to dominate elite teams on the boards so that's sort of besides the point.

Rebounding and post defense is not a weakness of the team and serious foul trouble was rare.

Feagin is going to be a fourth high level option for spot minutes. Dawn isn't going to cashier Saxton or Amihere. We're talking about a depth play only and the few options out there who could conceivably upgrade the position are unlikely to choose to come in to sit.

 

[DarkCock]

It's highly unlikely they are going to bring anyone in out of the portal that is more prepared to play vs elite competition than Saxton and Amihere.

Grissette and Beal are options for going smaller.

Feagin is probably the most talented four on the roster from day one.

also, South Carolina defeated Baylor relatively convincingly the last time they met, so I'm not sure that a game with a freshman Saxton and a one legged Alexis Jennings trying to play center is particularly relevant to the conversation.

they much more need guard depth and floor stretching than anything else. I'm not sure they really need to bring in anyone, but if they did it should probably be a shooter.

We beat Baylor relatively easy because Boston was on the team. Saxton had zero rebounds in that game. But if you want to be relevant, then let's look at the last game: 1 rebound in 30 minutes against Stanford.

Saxton does well against smaller players and weaker opponents, but she's not a player that needs to play major minutes against an elite team. I don't know what else there is to say about that.

I never expected a transfer to come in here and move ahead of Saxton in the rotation (not sure why you brought up Amihere; I've been an advocate for her playing more.) Ideally, it would be nice to have another player who could play the 5 when Boston and/or Amihere are in foul trouble. But it's unlikely we can find the ideal player who's both good enough to contribute and willing to play limited minutes.

Otherwise, I agree with your other comments. If Feagin or Rivers can hit even a mid-range jump shot consistently, then that would help floor spacing immensely and make the team more efficient on offense.

 

[Conway Gamecock]

We beat Baylor relatively easy because Boston was on the team. Saxton had zero rebounds in that game. But if you want to be relevant, then let's look at the last game: 1 rebound in 30 minutes against Stanford.

Saxton does well against smaller players and weaker opponents, but she's not a player that needs to play major minutes against an elite team. I don't know what else there is to say about that.

I never expected a transfer to come in here and move ahead of Saxton in the rotation (not sure why you brought up Amihere; I've been an advocate for her playing more.) Ideally, it would be nice to have another player who could play the 5 when Boston and/or Amihere are in foul trouble. But it's unlikely we can find the ideal player who's both good enough to contribute and willing to play limited minutes.

Otherwise, I agree with your other comments. If Feagin or Rivers can hit even a mid-range jump shot consistently, then that would help floor spacing immensely and make the team more efficient on offense.

You keep cherry-picking to prove your point. Your entire argument has to do with our ability (or perceived lack thereof) to compete against elite teams in rebounding and on the boards.

USC played by far the most competitive schedule last season. We played a ton of "elite" teams - top 25 opponents, Quadrant 1 NET and RPI opponents, which ever way you want to come at it - and we out-rebounded the entire lot of them.

The loss to Baylor in 2018-19 was an outlier: we went 23-10 that season and the talent and chemistry of that team was the worst in years. We decidedly beat Baylor in 2019-20 for far more reasons than we now had Boston - that was a team victory more than a Aliyah Boston victory. How we lost to Baylor in 18-19 was a team loss more than a lack of rebounding loss, but that played into the whole thing.

I am concerned that Boston seems to get worn down in games - even in games when Saxton or Amihere were in the game, opponents continued to focus on Boston. For the most part, those other 2 plus Beal were not consistent offensive threats to give breathing room for Aliyah enough, and opponents disregarded them defensively.

But Saxton's one game versus Stanford, while a poor performance, was just one game. She's played well against other top opponents, and actually made huge improvements this season. Beal at least improved on her shooting % - she should feel more confident in taking shots now, even though there were games where she disappeared offensively. But she's also tasked with being the team's primary lock-down defender, and that could be sapping focus away from her scoring.

Amihere truly showed her talents down the stretch of the season. If she can gain confidence from that and continue those improvements, and Feagin add her talents to Boston, Amihere, and Saxton, IMO we'll be much stronger. Give Boston perhaps 5 more minutes per game of rest, so she'll be fresher and foul-free in late games.

We lost our 5 games this past season all by single digits. A small adjustment here or improvement there, and we win most if not all of those. The biggest inconsistency was the perimeter scoring......

 

[DarkCock]

You keep cherry-picking to prove your point. Your entire argument has to do with our ability (or perceived lack thereof) to compete against elite teams in rebounding and on the boards.

USC played by far the most competitive schedule last season. We played a ton of "elite" teams - top 25 opponents, Quadrant 1 NET and RPI opponents, which ever way you want to come at it - and we out-rebounded the entire lot of them.

The loss to Baylor in 2018-19 was an outlier: we went 23-10 that season and the talent and chemistry of that team was the worst in years. We decidedly beat Baylor in 2019-20 for far more reasons than we now had Boston - that was a team victory more than a Aliyah Boston victory. How we lost to Baylor in 18-19 was a team loss more than a lack of rebounding loss, but that played into the whole thing.

I am concerned that Boston seems to get worn down in games - even in games when Saxton or Amihere were in the game, opponents continued to focus on Boston. For the most part, those other 2 plus Beal were not consistent offensive threats to give breathing room for Aliyah enough, and opponents disregarded them defensively.

But Saxton's one game versus Stanford, while a poor performance, was just one game. She's played well against other top opponents, and actually made huge improvements this season. Beal at least improved on her shooting % - she should feel more confident in taking shots now, even though there were games where she disappeared offensively. But she's also tasked with being the team's primary lock-down defender, and that could be sapping focus away from her scoring.

Amihere truly showed her talents down the stretch of the season. If she can gain confidence from that and continue those improvements, and Feagin add her talents to Boston, Amihere, and Saxton, IMO we'll be much stronger. Give Boston perhaps 5 more minutes per game of rest, so she'll be fresher and foul-free in late games.

We lost our 5 games this past season all by single digits. A small adjustment here or improvement there, and we win most if not all of those. The biggest inconsistency was the perimeter scoring......

It's not cherry picking to talk about a loss to the team that eventually won the tournament. I don't care about Mercer. We can't play 4 against 5 and expect to win the national championship.

I also disagree that perimeter scoring is our biggest issue. Henderson and Zia showed up big time when it mattered most (unlike some players). Our biggest issue is lack of a mid-range game (miss you, Kiki!). Hopefully Rivers and Feagin will bring that dimension next season.

 

[CuriousCock]

We beat Baylor relatively easy because Boston was on the team. Saxton had zero rebounds in that game. But if you want to be relevant, then let's look at the last game: 1 rebound in 30 minutes against Stanford.

Saxton does well against smaller players and weaker opponents, but she's not a player that needs to play major minutes against an elite team. I don't know what else there is to say about that.

I never expected a transfer to come in here and move ahead of Saxton in the rotation (not sure why you brought up Amihere; I've been an advocate for her playing more.) Ideally, it would be nice to have another player who could play the 5 when Boston and/or Amihere are in foul trouble. But it's unlikely we can find the ideal player who's both good enough to contribute and willing to play limited minutes.

Otherwise, I agree with your other comments. If Feagin or Rivers can hit even a mid-range jump shot consistently, then that would help floor spacing immensely and make the team more efficient on offense.

I don't agree that Saxton shouldn't play vs elite teams.

the relevance of Amihere is that she is in the rotation and is a reason why it's not a major need to add depth.

 

[Gamekem]

I think Saxton does fine, she needs to expand her offensive game some this off-season though. She was reluctant to shoot outside of the post and the few shots I saw her take from outside looked pretty good from what I remembered but they rimmed out, so her touch could use some tweaking. I do think she struggles with taller players at times and I think the mixture of the height plus pressure of the moment got to her, I'm not writing her off on that one performance. She did well enough against UConn, Oregon State and the SEC slate. I think this incoming class should be beneficial in pushing everybody to earn their spot and earn their playing time.

 

[Forever Fowl]

I just watched Raven Johnson and her teammates beat the Utah state champs but I can't find the youtube link. Y'all need to see it. There's no way she won't be playing serious minutes as a freshman. Incredible shooter, passer and ball handler. Utah had a huge size advantage but the fast transition game of those Ga. girls was the difference. Raven IMO is the gem of our recruiting class and I'd take her over Fudd.

In a separate interview Raven said she chose SC because they play her style of ball.

 

[DarkCock]

It's highly unlikely they are going to bring anyone in out of the portal that is more prepared to play vs elite competition than Saxton and Amihere.

Grissette and Beal are options for going smaller.

Feagin is probably the most talented four on the roster from day one.

also, South Carolina defeated Baylor relatively convincingly the last time they met, so I'm not sure that a game with a freshman Saxton and a one legged Alexis Jennings trying to play center is particularly relevant to the conversation.

they much more need guard depth and floor stretching than anything else. I'm not sure they really need to bring in anyone, but if they did it should probably be a shooter.

Fact check: FALSE

Cardoso was a difference a maker today. We were +14 in her 19 minutes on the court. Never under-estimate Dawn's ability to recruit.

I miss being able to pull up old threads on the new site. 😁

 

[hahnenkampf]

Fact check: FALSE

Cardoso was a difference a maker today. We were +14 in her 19 minutes on the court. Never under-estimate Dawn's ability to recruit.

I miss being able to pull up old threads on the new site. 😁

Agree — her rebounding and defense made a huge impact to the game. I thought Amihere played great defense as well. Rivers seems to play much taller than she really is.

 

[DarkCock]

Agree — her rebounding and defense made a huge impact to the game. I thought Amihere played great defense as well. Rivers seems to play much taller than she really is.

Yes! The bench was fantastic. I would love to see Rivers get 25 minutes per game in these last 2 regular season games. She can spot any of our perimeter players. Hopefully she can find her outside shot with more playing time. When that happens, she's going to be a force because the defense, passing and ball handling are already there.

 

[Conway Gamecock]

It's highly unlikely they are going to bring anyone in out of the portal that is more prepared to play vs elite competition than Saxton and Amihere.

Grissette and Beal are options for going smaller.

Feagin is probably the most talented four on the roster from day one.

also, South Carolina defeated Baylor relatively convincingly the last time they met, so I'm not sure that a game with a freshman Saxton and a one legged Alexis Jennings trying to play center is particularly relevant to the conversation.

they much more need guard depth and floor stretching than anything else. I'm not sure they really need to bring in anyone, but if they did it should probably be a shooter.

We beat Baylor relatively easy because Boston was on the team. Saxton had zero rebounds in that game. But if you want to be relevant, then let's look at the last game: 1 rebound in 30 minutes against Stanford.

Saxton does well against smaller players and weaker opponents, but she's not a player that needs to play major minutes against an elite team. I don't know what else there is to say about that.

I never expected a transfer to come in here and move ahead of Saxton in the rotation (not sure why you brought up Amihere; I've been an advocate for her playing more.) Ideally, it would be nice to have another player who could play the 5 when Boston and/or Amihere are in foul trouble. But it's unlikely we can find the ideal player who's both good enough to contribute and willing to play limited minutes.

Otherwise, I agree with your other comments. If Feagin or Rivers can hit even a mid-range jump shot consistently, then that would help floor spacing immensely and make the team more efficient on offense.

Fact check: FALSE

Cardoso was a difference a maker today. We were +14 in her 19 minutes on the court. Never under-estimate Dawn's ability to recruit.

I miss being able to pull up old threads on the new site. 😁

Hmmm....seems like you actually AGREED with CuriousCock's assessment that we wouldn't likely find a big through the portal that would bring a better preparedness against elite competition than Saxton and Amihere.

As it is, Cardoso does NOT have more game preparedness against elite competition than either Saxton or Amihere. She may be on the level of Amihere, but certainly not Saxton. What she brings to the table, is elite-level size and talent at the 5.

And to be honest, EVERYONE at the time the above posts were made, did not expect to get such a talented quality big out of the portal like we suddenly were blessed with, in Cardoso. That was a culmination of a perfect storm that razed through Syracuse's program, and we benefited from. But even against Tennessee, both Saxton and Cardoso shot 1-4 from the field - Saxton scored 3 pts, and Cardoso scored 2 pts. Saxton was saddled with at least 2 highly questionable foul calls that cut down her court time, and she eventually fouled out of the game. Cardoso did however pull down 8 boards and played alongside Boston for much of the game - combined they scored 18 pts and pulled down 20 boards, which made for a great tandem.

The Baylor arguments are a bit unfair to Baylor as well, which I tried to point out with my above post back then: you pointed out that when Baylor crushed us in the two 18-19 games, they had elite bigs like Cox and Brown. Then in 19-20 both players were gone, and we had Boston. Even in the 1st blow-out loss in 18-19, Baylor had 42 team rebounds to our 39 (Lele led with 10 boards), so it wasn't always on the rebounding. But their bigs also scored better than our bigs then - that's part of what makes elite bigs elite. But again, the next season, Baylor lost theirs while we got ours.

In the game yesterday, Brea Beal had 8 pts and 7 rebounds in just 18 minutes. Even our tiny guards Henderson and Cooke combined for 12 boards. It was a great team effort against a Tennessee that lost its top scorer and rebounder, and were already missing it's top reserve big this season. That's a part of basketball.

Saxton plays more minutes than Cardoso does, being a regular starter. Saxton is averaging 6.0 ppg to Cardoso's 6.0 ppg, and 5.3 rpg to Cardoso's 5.5 rpg. 1.5 bpg to Cardoso's 1.6 bpg. Saxton is completing .559 of her attempts, to Cardoso's .577 of hers. It's a blessing that we have BOTH players who are contributing strong numbers to the team, while at the same time are providing Boston help. But just picking out one particular game here or there to stand on as justification for your position regarding one player here or there is not a good argument. Otherwise I could point out our game with #2 Stanford, when Saxton scored 7 pts with 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in 29 minutes, compared to Cardoso's 3 pts, 2 rebs, and 2 blocks in 6 minutes.....

 

[DarkCock]

Hmmm....seems like you actually AGREED with CuriousCock's assessment that we wouldn't likely find a big through the portal that would bring a better preparedness against elite competition than Saxton and Amihere.

As it is, Cardoso does NOT have more game preparedness against elite competition than either Saxton or Amihere. She may be on the level of Amihere, but certainly not Saxton. What she brings to the table, is elite-level size and talent at the 5.

And to be honest, EVERYONE at the time the above posts were made, did not expect to get such a talented quality big out of the portal like we suddenly were blessed with, in Cardoso. That was a culmination of a perfect storm that razed through Syracuse's program, and we benefited from. But even against Tennessee, both Saxton and Cardoso shot 1-4 from the field - Saxton scored 3 pts, and Cardoso scored 2 pts. Saxton was saddled with at least 2 highly questionable foul calls that cut down her court time, and she eventually fouled out of the game. Cardoso did however pull down 8 boards and played alongside Boston for much of the game - combined they scored 18 pts and pulled down 20 boards, which made for a great tandem.

The Baylor arguments are a bit unfair to Baylor as well, which I tried to point out with my above post back then: you pointed out that when Baylor crushed us in the two 18-19 games, they had elite bigs like Cox and Brown. Then in 19-20 both players were gone, and we had Boston. Even in the 1st blow-out loss in 18-19, Baylor had 42 team rebounds to our 39 (Lele led with 10 boards), so it wasn't always on the rebounding. But their bigs also scored better than our bigs then - that's part of what makes elite bigs elite. But again, the next season, Baylor lost theirs while we got ours.

In the game yesterday, Brea Beal had 8 pts and 7 rebounds in just 18 minutes. Even our tiny guards Henderson and Cooke combined for 12 boards. It was a great team effort against a Tennessee that lost its top scorer and rebounder, and were already missing it's top reserve big this season. That's a part of basketball.

Saxton plays more minutes than Cardoso does, being a regular starter. Saxton is averaging 6.0 ppg to Cardoso's 6.0 ppg, and 5.3 rpg to Cardoso's 5.5 rpg. 1.5 bpg to Cardoso's 1.6 bpg. Saxton is completing .559 of her attempts, to Cardoso's .577 of hers. It's a blessing that we have BOTH players who are contributing strong numbers to the team, while at the same time are providing Boston help. But just picking out one particular game here or there to stand on as justification for your position regarding one player here or there is not a good argument. Otherwise I could point out our game with #2 Stanford, when Saxton scored 7 pts with 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in 29 minutes, compared to Cardoso's 3 pts, 2 rebs, and 2 blocks in 6 minutes.....

Saxton CAN NOT play the 5. Period. She never has been able to. She's too slight of frame and struggles to box out legitimate 5s. If she's playing the 5, we're in trouble. We were out-rebounded by Georgia without Amihere and Cardoso.

Saxton's the 45th best offensive rebounder per 40 minutes and 1707th best defensive rebounder.

Cardoso is a much better defensive rebounder, playing exclusively against the other team's 5.

So I'm not just picking out a game here or there, I'm using the advanced stats.

Saxton is a wonderful 4. Nothing wrong with just being a 4. She can be a piece of a championship puzzle. However, as last year game against Stanford proved, we were missing a piece. I think Cardoso can be that piece.

 

[Milks26]

I think Cardoso can be that piece.


Yes, she is