Ignatius L Hoops
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https://dailynorthwestern.com/2017/...ters-uncertain-era-marked-youth-inexperience/
A good summation of the post-Coffey 'Cats:
Now, as NU prepares to open its season Friday at Chicago State, it must contend with the loss of nearly its entire starting lineup and the large majority of its scoring from a year ago, leading the program into an era of uncertainty without bona fide stars.
“It feels different,” senior center Oceana Hamilton said. “There’s not as much experience that I’m looking up to.”
With the high turnover, there are few returning contributors. Sophomore forward Abi Scheid is the Cats’ leading scorer from last year at 5.0 points per game, but she has zero career starts. Junior guard Amber Jamison follows close behind and had a strong stretch of Big Ten games midway through last season, but is not an experienced front line scorer...
...After several years of being a transition, spread-the-floor team that McKeown called “sleek,” the Cats are seeking to slow the game down and play primarily in the half court, what the coach described as a “power team.”
The shift is logical given NU’s personnel, which appears to be deeper and more versatile in the frontcourt. Hamilton, who started the first 14 games of last season, and sophomore Abbie Wolf, who had a strong offseason, offer promising size at center, while Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Scheid can both play inside but are more comfortable at the “4.”
Considering that versatility and having just five healthy scholarship guards, McKeown mused that he could play as many as three bigs at one time.
A good summation of the post-Coffey 'Cats:
Now, as NU prepares to open its season Friday at Chicago State, it must contend with the loss of nearly its entire starting lineup and the large majority of its scoring from a year ago, leading the program into an era of uncertainty without bona fide stars.
“It feels different,” senior center Oceana Hamilton said. “There’s not as much experience that I’m looking up to.”
With the high turnover, there are few returning contributors. Sophomore forward Abi Scheid is the Cats’ leading scorer from last year at 5.0 points per game, but she has zero career starts. Junior guard Amber Jamison follows close behind and had a strong stretch of Big Ten games midway through last season, but is not an experienced front line scorer...
...After several years of being a transition, spread-the-floor team that McKeown called “sleek,” the Cats are seeking to slow the game down and play primarily in the half court, what the coach described as a “power team.”
The shift is logical given NU’s personnel, which appears to be deeper and more versatile in the frontcourt. Hamilton, who started the first 14 games of last season, and sophomore Abbie Wolf, who had a strong offseason, offer promising size at center, while Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Scheid can both play inside but are more comfortable at the “4.”
Considering that versatility and having just five healthy scholarship guards, McKeown mused that he could play as many as three bigs at one time.