Ignatius L Hoops
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https://theathletic.com/640307/2018...ew-lindsay-whalen-destiny-pitts-kenisha-bell/
Sloane Martin:
Fans are wondering what kind of coach they’ll see in comparison to the intense point guard they’ve watched for almost two decades, but that remains to be seen. She didn’t rule out being demonstrative like Reeve.
“I don’t know. We’ll see. Depends on what the score of the game is,” she said. “I’ll probably take a little bit from all the coaches that I’ve played for and then some of it is just going to be me and the way I am as a point guard. I’ve tried to, for the most part, remain calm. I’ll know when to light a fire when we need to get going. We’ll find out after these first couple games.”
...
“I think she’s way more comfortable, like before in the summer, she would try to come as much as she could, but we had to rely on the assistants a lot because she was still in season,” sophomore Destiny Pitts said. “You can tell the big difference now since she retired. She’s able to be here all the time with us and we can go into her office and watch film.”
...
“The more space you can give Kenisha and Jas to make plays, and Mercedes (Staples), the more space you have for that the better,” Whalen said.
Staples, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Utah ranked No. 64 in her class, originally committed to Clemson, but after a coaching change committed to the Gophers. Whalen expects her to play a big role immediately at the 1 and 2.
“She’s a bigger guard which is great in the Big Ten,” Whalen said. “She should be able to play multiple positions. She’s got a nice step-back game, great jumper. Got a really nice touch and now it’s just as a freshman coming in and getting used to this level and getting used to the different finishes around the basket, figuring out how to use your body in all situations. So far she’s probably our most comfortable kid playing off the bounce with kind of a one-two rhythm pull-up. Her and Kenisha are the two probably most comfortable with that.”
Six-foot-2 freshman Delaynie Byrne and senior Irene Garrido Perez, who knocked down 3-of-8 3s in 14 games as a junior college transfer, round out the guard group.
...
“We’re trying to instill some confidence in kids who maybe didn’t get much of a chance last year, so trying to work with them and making sure they understand that they’re going to be a huge part of the team, whether it’s Taiye or Annalese because we need them to have big years for us,” she said. “We definitely want to make sure we’re instilling that confidence in them and make sure we’re putting everybody in a position where they can feel really good.”
The system Whalen is inspired by is indeed centered around Fowles, her former Lynx teammate and the 2017 WNBA MVP, but a small lineup with Pitts at the 4 and Bello at the 5 is an attractive option to add even more speed and scoring.
...
Whalen said beating No. 5 Penn State in February of her senior year in front of more than 14,300 people — an attendance record for the program that could be challenged Friday — is a memory at Minnesota only topped by the Final Four run in 2004, the only time the Gophers have ever advanced that far.
“Some of my best memories as an athlete here was running out into that atmosphere and that kind of game,” she said. “I’m really excited that our players get to experience that.”
Sloane Martin:
Fans are wondering what kind of coach they’ll see in comparison to the intense point guard they’ve watched for almost two decades, but that remains to be seen. She didn’t rule out being demonstrative like Reeve.
“I don’t know. We’ll see. Depends on what the score of the game is,” she said. “I’ll probably take a little bit from all the coaches that I’ve played for and then some of it is just going to be me and the way I am as a point guard. I’ve tried to, for the most part, remain calm. I’ll know when to light a fire when we need to get going. We’ll find out after these first couple games.”
...
“I think she’s way more comfortable, like before in the summer, she would try to come as much as she could, but we had to rely on the assistants a lot because she was still in season,” sophomore Destiny Pitts said. “You can tell the big difference now since she retired. She’s able to be here all the time with us and we can go into her office and watch film.”
...
“The more space you can give Kenisha and Jas to make plays, and Mercedes (Staples), the more space you have for that the better,” Whalen said.
Staples, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Utah ranked No. 64 in her class, originally committed to Clemson, but after a coaching change committed to the Gophers. Whalen expects her to play a big role immediately at the 1 and 2.
“She’s a bigger guard which is great in the Big Ten,” Whalen said. “She should be able to play multiple positions. She’s got a nice step-back game, great jumper. Got a really nice touch and now it’s just as a freshman coming in and getting used to this level and getting used to the different finishes around the basket, figuring out how to use your body in all situations. So far she’s probably our most comfortable kid playing off the bounce with kind of a one-two rhythm pull-up. Her and Kenisha are the two probably most comfortable with that.”
Six-foot-2 freshman Delaynie Byrne and senior Irene Garrido Perez, who knocked down 3-of-8 3s in 14 games as a junior college transfer, round out the guard group.
...
“We’re trying to instill some confidence in kids who maybe didn’t get much of a chance last year, so trying to work with them and making sure they understand that they’re going to be a huge part of the team, whether it’s Taiye or Annalese because we need them to have big years for us,” she said. “We definitely want to make sure we’re instilling that confidence in them and make sure we’re putting everybody in a position where they can feel really good.”
The system Whalen is inspired by is indeed centered around Fowles, her former Lynx teammate and the 2017 WNBA MVP, but a small lineup with Pitts at the 4 and Bello at the 5 is an attractive option to add even more speed and scoring.
...
Whalen said beating No. 5 Penn State in February of her senior year in front of more than 14,300 people — an attendance record for the program that could be challenged Friday — is a memory at Minnesota only topped by the Final Four run in 2004, the only time the Gophers have ever advanced that far.
“Some of my best memories as an athlete here was running out into that atmosphere and that kind of game,” she said. “I’m really excited that our players get to experience that.”