Basket Case WNBL podcast is back :)

https://www.spreaker.com/user/carolwical/season-3-episode-1-we-have-contact

Got to see the Spirit v Rangers game.

Dandenong looked pressured out of any offense they wanted to run, Spirit defense was on point.

Ekunwe is the real deal, Spirit have found Griffin 2.0.

Griffin did a number on Blicavs tonight.

Rangers were a bit out of sorts on the shooting, but they weren't given any easy looks. Spirit on the other hand mostly did what they wanted to do.

Was wondering what caused the awful shooting. Rangers were 22% as a team at one stage midway through the 3rd.
A milestone game that Sara will want to forget, and she was far from alone at the brick party.

2 Griffins on one team sounds scary.

In the other game the Lynx needed a 4th q comeback to get past Melbourne in a tight one. Mijovic huge again with 27 points.

Was at the Melb / Perth game. Mijovic is really good... Dirk like, build a pick n pop offense around her good.

She should go to Washington after this WNBL season.

@Luuuc

Larissa Anderson's conference on the Spirit page would say otherwise, but they weren't given the 'easier option' because it was taken away or made to be 'not easier'.

Yes, she will want to forget, one or two of the fouls were a bit of a mixture of sloppiness and dare I say... Soft ref calls. She would have at least wanted to put in a respectable performance against the old side, but it was a night to forget, especially against your training partner.

Yes, she really is, very versatile/athetic in the post, lacks Kelsey's outside game though.

Good chance for the Rangers to immediately put the loss behind them when they host Perth tomorrow
(which will be live on YouTube btw)
That should be a tough game.

I'm not convinced that Kelsey has an outside game just yet. Not a reliable one, anyway. If she did she'd probably still be in the WNBA.

As for Carley, I was thinking a similar thing, _Strungout_ after watching her in the game vs Sydney. Thibault has done well in the past with internationals, too, so I wouldn't rule out a trip to training camp if she keeps up this form. Nice piece of timing that she will likely spend quite a bit of time tomorrow matched up against Mystics forward Ally Malott.

Yes Sami is naturalised now

@Luuuc They'll get over it and move on like any team would and should. Hopefully back it up tomorrow against a tough Perth outfit.

Her game has improved a lot, I'd say (and by this article) she doesn't care too much about the WNBA, or at least where/who she was playing with.

http://bvcc.net.au/kelsey-griffin-took-long-way-home/

Yeah, fair enough Wayne. I have seen that one, and other too that make it clear that the WNBA is far from her priority, so unfair call by me on that one. Still not sure I want her taking too many jumpers ... but then if she has improved in that area I haven't had much chance to see it since the tv coverage disappeared :/


"So Mitchell, griffin or whitcomb for opals?"

That's a nice problem to have, isn't it.
I reckon all 3 would walk straight into the team, so it will be a matter of which position is the one of greatest need when the time comes.
I thought Mitchell was the correct call for Rio, but we sure could have used Griffin there as well! I reckon it's right back open again depending on which aussies stand up over the next couple of seasons.

Watching the Bendigo V Rangers game last night, Spirit smothered Rangers with their defence and controlled the tempo of the game until last quarter.
Anderson needs to use her defensive rotation far more that's what they lacked, and if they could have pushed the pace more To the Rangers faster style , Bendigo would have had more trouble building that lead, but Bendigo has certainly found the best import in Ekunwe.....Mallot looked lost in her first WNBA game, though Nayo certainly got away with plenty of athletic "over the backs" last night, at times it was very much a one way game with the ref calls, though I doubt a more even called game would have changed the outcome with how the Rangers played over all, Anderson just didn't seem to be able to come up with an answer till the fourth quarter when Fadjevic was brought into the game, the defence picked up, and the rotation they had on in those last few minutes brought the best defence for Rangers ALL night.

Griffin was consistent, Richards literally filled the key but looked SO out of condition, but it was Nayo who did the damage.

Rangers will need to lift their defensive intensity and their shooting percentage if they want to win games.

Rangers Lynx livestream tipoff in 10 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC-I6LWYfpQ

Steph Cumming on fire in the first half with 23 points @ 73% and 8 boards. Rangers lead 52-42.
Carley forcing it from outside so far and is 0/3 as a result. Sami & Ruuuth keeping us in it.

Had a shocker today. Forced her first couple of outside attempts and was rarely sighted afterwards.

Tolo is having a monster game atm. 36 & 11 with a couple of minutes still to play

If Burton is the standard, Carley's worst game is better than Nat's best.

Only averaging 22/7 so far this season.

Think I only talked her up as a player that should try to get on the Mystic's roster next season.

She has clearly been working on her game so I certainly wouldn't rule her out. The way she's been shooting over the first 3 games I probably can't blame her too much for letting some dodgy ones fly today either, but we'll see how she bounces back.
I'm certainly not ruling Blicavs out either despite her 2-13 shocker last night.

Tolo finished with 38 & 12 so there's an easy POTW pick (esp after her 17 & 16 on Friday).
Other notable performances - Cumming 31 & 12 (another player who deserves to be a lot closer to Opals selection than she is), Mitchell & Novosel both with near triple-doubles - 20, 9 & 9, and 15, 9 & 9. Poor Laura Hodges, 2 more losses but 17 & 6 and 20 & 10. Nice double for Ruef as well with 18 & 11 on Friday and 8p 14r 6a today.

Yeah I didn't really see what happened with the first one, but very silly to immediately get sucked into another. Needs to be smarter than that I agree.

Stop forcing from outside?

If one of the best shooters in the league shots an open 3, I'm happy as a coach.

Mijovic's shooting opens up everything for the guards like Whitcomb and others.

In the wnba she will need to be able to guard. I'm not sure if she can just yet, although her offense is 100% legit.

She needs to keep shooting it for sure, but I thought her first few were a bit forced. The kind of shots you take if you're rolling, but not at the start of a game.
She's money with her feet set but is just a bit impatient at times. Ditto last season once she started knocking them down.

Lynx defence is really poor right now - that's our main problem. Last season Whitcomb & Lavey were quite the menace on the perimeter, and Betnijah Laney punched above her weight on the boards at both ends. Our half court D is not the same with Edmondson, and we're horrible at getting back in transition so far. Leaked a hell of a lot of easy baskets that way. Monica Wright is no Laney so far either.

Poor Burton has to cop all this bagging because Joyce couldn't or wouldn't see what everyone else can see.....
As for Mijovic.....all she can do is hit a 3 as long as their is no pressure...with her poor attitude I can't see her ever making a WNBA roster or Opals,

Perth with all their imports, not one is halfway decent, Dandenongs import looks no better, Bendigo would be the only ones getting value for money with Nayo.

Why can't these teams put their money into home grown players, so many sit on the bench that are equally as good, if not better than these no named college grads.

Wouldn't it be better to be able to pay your whole roster a decent amount rather than using all your budget on these low grade imports

It's certainly not developing future opals that's for sure.

Larsen Sherf for one, relegated to the bench .......future opal right their , you seriously have to question the thinking sometimes.!!