WBB: GSAC

[GottaHaveHeart]

Latest report from open gym Thursday. Natalie was there and she is looking good and ready to play. She has lost weight, seems to be healthy and energized. Nobody there was working any harder than her getting up and down the floor. I talked to her and shes excited about the upcoming year and even said she was going to try real hard to make things work with Pardue.

I see a solid starting five of : Natalie / Katie @ posts, Mel / Colleen @ wing, Dalton @ point.

Now, competition for playing time gets tough. Alicia, Draper, Flem and Alex are probably the first 4 off the bench in no particular order. Koral, Robin and Haley should get minutes also.

I have not seem the post from Volunteer State or the wing from Hiwassee College who are suppose to be coming. If the post can play, she might get alot of minutes since it seems the post position is where we are kind of thin after the starters. The lady from Hiwassee is suppose to be a scorer, so if we struggle putting points up, she might move up in the rotation. We might have as many as 19 players, a possible JV team.

[scottiedoug]

Sounds promising.  If Natalie is healthy, she will play well and a lot.  A third and fourth post player will help so the post transfer could be a key to the puzzle.  Seems like guard and wing are deep, esp. if the transfer is as rumored.   

Keep us posted up!

[Ralph Turner]

I see that McMurry women (LIB) are coming to the Maryville tourney over Thanksgiving weekend to play B-SC and Greensboro.  I wish we were playing Maryville instead of B-SC!  The B-SC game will not be an in-region game. 

[batteredbard]

Got a few thoughts from Pardue yesterday on the schedule.

http://www.thedailytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/SPORTS/70906018

Watched the team play some five on five. From what I saw there are several potential energetic scorers new to the team. How they get focused and worked into the offense could be a challenge. They definitely need some tutelage.
Even though it was pick up two big thing stuck out to me, guards penetrating too far or not enough and then forcing a shot against a post rather than passing out of trouble. The second one I saw from several of the freshmen was the natural slack in pick up about offensive rebounding but making that sloppier was a tendency to get cute with a tip try or a spin away rather than simply planting and taking it back up strong. (It's not spectacular but fundamentally hard to argue against its success)

[GottaHaveHeart]

20 ladies on the roster ( Koral Stache not listed, is she playing?) 9 or 10 returning from last year's squad.

Got 3 out with injuries: Draper(knee), Jessica (knee), Ashley (hand)

Alex tweaked the same knee a couple of weeks ago. Doctor who performed surgery did a manual exam Tuesday. Said everything still felt solid and fine. He scheduled a MRI for next Tuesday for precaution, results next Thursday. She's struggling with her confidence and game right now, trying to play in a brace. Don't know how this is going to turn out.

Watched the whole squad a couple of times since school started. Like you said, there is some new talent there who needs some teaching and fundamental issues. Offense and scoring is the main thing in open gym it seems, so not a whole lot of passing from anyone, which I feel is contributing to the guards getting in too deep. Hopefully that will change. The transfer post from Volunteer State I feel will contribute this year. 

[Ralph Turner]

Interesting stuff on the USAC Football board

Most of the Maryville football fans have heard this, but there is a post by "battered bard" concerning the speculation of what happens to the GSAC, if Maryville were to leave the GSAC to join the USA South.

Of course, Randy Lambert is the Maryville AD, and his efforts to build the GSAC cannot be underestimated.  However, one school's (e.g., Maryville's) leaving the GSAC will cause the GSAC to lose its automatic qualifier bid.  Two schools' leaving would begin to unravel the entire conference.

It would almost look like that Fisk got out just in time. 

I have stated multiple times that I think that the wisest move by the GSAC would be to go en bloc to the USA South as the Southern Division.  I hope that the powers that be can move as one whole group and not split up for the sake of selfish or narrow-focused reasons.

[GottaHaveHeart]

Been working alot and have not been able to make any open gyms the last month or so. Anyone got any info on how things are shaping up? Especially interested in the Pardue / Wilson tag team.

 

[scottiedoug]

Here is the first of many Daily Times articles about the 2007-08 Scots:

http://thedailytimes.com/article/20071102/SPORTS/71102015

[batteredbard]

Koral decided not to play this season.
Haley Williams (farrragut, sophomore) also left the team. Chelsea Sexton a freshman from Oneida is in school but not playing this season as she's working on academics.

From the little I've seen natalie looks to finally be healthy which is good. The leadership issue needs to get resolved soon and I don't think it's going to be a senior only solution.

From the bits and pieces around Cooper, the Scots won in a scrimmage at King (who i think returned 4 of 5 starters but it might be 3) with the offense not yet on track.

I like a couple of the frosh from watching a little open gym. I hope this is a team that gradually evolves an identity and solidifies on the trip out west. With this much new talent it could devolve just as easily. two weeks to find out.

[GottaHaveHeart]

Koral decided not to play this season.
Haley Williams (farrragut, sophomore) also left the team. Chelsea Sexton a freshman from Oneida is in school but not playing this season as she's working on academics.

Megan Doty, freshman, guard, quit the team. Transfering to King.

Lauren Gulley, freshman, post, quit the team. Transfering to Sewanee.

[scottiedoug]

Scots winning a tournament on the road to start the year seems like a good beginning to me!!  Inside game w/Katie and Natalie strong. Mel did not play the first game and barely did in the second. 

[Ralph Turner]

Y'all get to see McMurry next weekend.

I wish we were playing Murvul instead of BSC!  The BSC game doesn't help with OWP/OOWP!

[scottiedoug]

except for those of us who "get to" go to NJ for inlaws turkey day....I would really like to stay here and see the men's and women's tourneys....very occasionally love is a bummer....

[GottaHaveHeart]

Scots winning a tournament on the road to start the year seems like a good beginning to me!!  Inside game w/Katie and Natalie strong. Mel did not play the first game and barely did in the second. 

The reason Mel didn't play was because she quit the team Thursday before they left Maryville.

[scottiedoug]

Playing time?  "Philosophical differences?" Money?  Academics?