When Cox comes back!

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Eball
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9:20a, 12/6/19
I just love that Smith and Queen are getting the minutes they are and the experience. They both will be good for us the next 3 years...

I am excited for Bickle as well...however we all know that when Cox comes back she will plug and play most of the minutes at one of the Post spots...so what happens? Does anything change from game one? Smith a starter with Cox and Queen first off bench or has Queen shown enough to compel her starting at 5 and Cox at 4 with Smith coming off the bench in the 6th women role?

Some interesting stats...Smith is playing a few more minutes than Queen 24.9 to 21.4...she shoots a slightly lower % from the field 58% to 63%...her Scoring AVG is 16 to Queens 14.8...Queen is rebounding at 7.9 Smith at 7.3...Queen has more TO's but leads Smith in Blocks and steals...they both only have 6 assists each...(that has to improve)

Really not trying to start anything except a discussion...we are blessed to have so much talent but the roles will change when LC gets back. The only reason I would favor Queen starting with LC is that then you have LC playing at her best position the 4 and Queen playing at her best position the 5...it seems to me that Smith is much better when she is at the 4 just like LC....

Of course Kim rarely uses conventional wisdom...when it comes to players sizes and skill sets...if they are good in the post she will get them to the goal...if they have more range and can pass she will pull them out a bit...regardless of size....
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57Bear
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9:25a, 12/6/19
Speculation: when LC comes back; she, Smith, and Queen will have to adjust their play together again - probably in practice - all have changed since LC has been down.
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hitmanmw
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11:18a, 12/6/19
Start Smith at the 3 and let her destroy her defender in the post. And that threesome would be a rebounding force!
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Bearprof
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11:58a, 12/6/19
Starting 5 when Cox comes back:

5 - Cox;
4 - Smith;
3 - Richards;
2 - Landrum;
1 - Cooper.

Queen should be first off the bench at the 4 and the 5 spots. Plenty of minutes for her. For a big lineup - Cox, Queen, Smith, Richards, and Landrum. Small lineup - Cox/Egbo, Smith, Richards, Landrum, Cooper.

Bickle at the 4, some 3 perhaps with a big lineup. Having Queen, Bickle, and Moon off the bench will be stout. Then you have the Olivers for good measure...and Degrate for 5-10 minutes per game... We haven't nearly seen the best from this team this year. Using depth in the right way will push this team well into March and, I believe, a Final Four berth. If Cox stays healthy, the sky's the limit.
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geewago
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In reply to Bearprof • 12:38p, 12/6/19
Bearprof said:
. If Cox stays healthy, the sky's the limit.
That's the BIG IF
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chorne68
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1:39p, 12/6/19
If we loose Cox...goodby final four.
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setshot
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1:59p, 12/6/19
geewago properly emphasizes the big IF. Foot problems are the most problematic of all the injury problems in basketball, for obvious reasons. We will see less minutes for Cox through the conference schedule in all probability, as the staff carefully monitors her minutes against lesser competition.

One of the strengths of this team is the bench, and from what I have been able to see the reserves play tougher and more effectively at both ends of the floor than any group we have ever had. That makes decisions about the amount of minutes assigned to Cox easier for Mulkey, if a little frustrating for Lauren.
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Eball
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In reply to setshot • 2:07p, 12/6/19
setshot said:
geewago properly emphasizes the big IF. Foot problems are the most problematic of all the injury problems in basketball, for obvious reasons. We will see less minutes for Cox through the conference schedule in all probability, as the staff carefully monitors her minutes against lesser competition.

One of the strengths of this team is the bench, and from what I have been able to see the reserves play tougher and more effectively at both ends of the floor than any group we have ever had. That makes decisions about the amount of minutes assigned to Cox easier for Mulkey, if a little frustrating for Lauren.
Were you as excited as I was when JO took the ball to the hoop and scored? She is going to be special,,,she already is but when she gets her time and experience watch out...
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Pat Neff
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2:13p, 12/6/19
Our front line this year is extremely slow. I know Cox will help but we really miss Kalani Brown. Kalani was much quicker than most give her credit for.

We are going to struggle against any team with a quick, athletic front line.

I fear that our run this year may not be very deep if we run into one of those teams in the S16.
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willtalk
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3:37p, 12/6/19
One of the problems with Smith at the 3 is that the wing needs to be able to stretch the defense to the corners. If she can not consistently hit the 3 from the corner the defense will just sag off her and be able to play help defense on other players. See my post on the advantage of having an elite catch and shoot player on the corners. Or at least a three point threat of any type. She also will need to be able to guard a perimeter player on defense. Her most effective position in college, at this time, s really the 4 which is also Cox's best position.

It is a catch 22 choice. Somebody has to play out of position or someone has to come off the bench. Do you play Cox our of position at 5 with Smith at the 4 and Egbo coming off the bench? Do you play Egbo at the 5 with Cox at 4 and Smith off the bench? Or do you play Egbo at 5, Cox at the 3 and Smith out of position at the 3? The other problem is that against lesser competition Baylor could get away with playing players out of position. They could roll through the conference easily and would not face a threat till the NCAA's when one bad game will knock you out. At least at this point in time they are discovering what they have with Egbo at 5 and Smith at 4.
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setshot
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6:58p, 12/6/19
I think that our front line is fast and quick. DeGrate is the only player we use who does not have the ability to run the floor effectively, Both Smith and Egbo, and certainly Didi Richards, are exceptional athletes as well as highly skilled basketball players. What they do not have is ideal size for interior players in today's game, as opposed to 2005 when we won our first national championship. Even then we defeated a great LSU team with one of the outstanding interior players in the history of the collegiate (and WNBA) game, Sylvia Fowles, who is 6'6", powerfully built and very athletic.

Smith has the potential to be a good three point shooter from the corner. Put her in the practice facility with the ball machine and let her shoot 500 or more shots a day from the two corner areas and with her good form and the strength that she possesses I think that she could easily extend her range. Familiarity with a shooter "sweet spot" makes even an average shooter much more effective. As an example, McKenzie was not as effective anywhere on the arc as she was in those corners.

NaLyssa has the speed and strength to be a matchup nightmare for teams if she if facing up to the basket. I really feel that playing regularly in the deep paint is to her disadvantage because I think that it limits someone who possesses near-unlimited quantities of physical ability and a very high level of skill. When she faces up at 15 to 20 feet she has the opportunity to shoot, drive or pass to an open teammate, and she does all of that exceptionally well. Playing with her back to the basket is more restrictive and allows other teams to double her or to use length against her more effectively.

Egbo is a great physical specimen, strong, fast and quick, with exceptional leaping ability. She is just two inches short of greatness, and ideally should be a power forward rather than a post player at the college level.
She is exceptionally smart, but has not yet developed a mature basketball IQ, something that only experience and extended periods of hard work can provide. I see it at both ends of the court, most apparently in her fouls at the defensive end of the floor, most of them not in the flow of the game and productive, but unnecessary fouls which are costly to her minutes on the floor and thus to her team. We may have lost the game to South Carolina in some of the minutes that she spent on the bench.

Until Gusters arrives, Egbo has to play in the post, and she will be fine until we play teams with a skilled post player with size. Even then, Cox can defend such a player and then move to the high post at the offensive end, allowing Egbo, DeGrate or Smith to slide into the low post. It is not an ideal situation, but it is certainly manageable all the way to the Final Four. We must have Cox available to be the team we expected to be, and except for her injury, we would be at the top of the ladder and likely would remain there deep into March, if not beyond.
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PaulW74
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2:36p, 12/8/19
Now that you bring it up, what is the likelihood of LC being able to come back at all this season? When she got hurt in the final we all feared that her knee injury would force her to redshirt this season. Those of you who have more actual inside information than I do, do you think LC will be able to return?
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57Bear
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2:52p, 12/8/19
No inside information, but LC has been in shoes at a recent game. I interpret that as a sign of progress in her healing and return.
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geewago
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3:12p, 12/8/19
When we see her play 5 games in a row we will know "shes back".
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GoldenBear
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In reply to setshot • 11:17a, 12/10/19
setshot said:
I think that our front line is fast and quick. DeGrate is the only player we use who does not have the ability to run the floor effectively, Both Smith and Egbo, and certainly Didi Richards, are exceptional athletes as well as highly skilled basketball players. What they do not have is ideal size for interior players in today's game, as opposed to 2005 when we won our first national championship. Even then we defeated a great LSU team with one of the outstanding interior players in the history of the collegiate (and WNBA) game, Sylvia Fowles, who is 6'6", powerfully built and very athletic.

Smith has the potential to be a good three point shooter from the corner. Put her in the practice facility with the ball machine and let her shoot 500 or more shots a day from the two corner areas and with her good form and the strength that she possesses I think that she could easily extend her range. Familiarity with a shooter "sweet spot" makes even an average shooter much more effective. As an example, McKenzie was not as effective anywhere on the arc as she was in those corners.

NaLyssa has the speed and strength to be a matchup nightmare for teams if she if facing up to the basket. I really feel that playing regularly in the deep paint is to her disadvantage because I think that it limits someone who possesses near-unlimited quantities of physical ability and a very high level of skill. When she faces up at 15 to 20 feet she has the opportunity to shoot, drive or pass to an open teammate, and she does all of that exceptionally well. Playing with her back to the basket is more restrictive and allows other teams to double her or to use length against her more effectively.

Egbo is a great physical specimen, strong, fast and quick, with exceptional leaping ability. She is just two inches short of greatness, and ideally should be a power forward rather than a post player at the college level.
She is exceptionally smart, but has not yet developed a mature basketball IQ, something that only experience and extended periods of hard work can provide. I see it at both ends of the court, most apparently in her fouls at the defensive end of the floor, most of them not in the flow of the game and productive, but unnecessary fouls which are costly to her minutes on the floor and thus to her team. We may have lost the game to South Carolina in some of the minutes that she spent on the bench.

Until Gusters arrives, Egbo has to play in the post, and she will be fine until we play teams with a skilled post player with size. Even then, Cox can defend such a player and then move to the high post at the offensive end, allowing Egbo, DeGrate or Smith to slide into the low post. It is not an ideal situation, but it is certainly manageable all the way to the Final Four. We must have Cox available to be the team we expected to be, and except for her injury, we would be at the top of the ladder and likely would remain there deep into March, if not beyond.
Great analysis, Setshot. Both Smith and Egbo are great athletes. As KM says, they are going to have to learn positioning (on defense as well) and rid themselves of the one-on-one mentality. Having Cox back will add to the teamwork and meshing together on defense and offense. We have a superb group of speedy athletes, as Setshot says. Coming together as a team is what leads to success - again developing team chemistry is essential going forward.
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blueeyedbear
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In reply to GoldenBear • 11:26a, 12/10/19
GoldenBear said:
setshot said:
I think that our front line is fast and quick. DeGrate is the only player we use who does not have the ability to run the floor effectively, Both Smith and Egbo, and certainly Didi Richards, are exceptional athletes as well as highly skilled basketball players. What they do not have is ideal size for interior players in today's game, as opposed to 2005 when we won our first national championship. Even then we defeated a great LSU team with one of the outstanding interior players in the history of the collegiate (and WNBA) game, Sylvia Fowles, who is 6'6", powerfully built and very athletic.

Smith has the potential to be a good three point shooter from the corner. Put her in the practice facility with the ball machine and let her shoot 500 or more shots a day from the two corner areas and with her good form and the strength that she possesses I think that she could easily extend her range. Familiarity with a shooter "sweet spot" makes even an average shooter much more effective. As an example, McKenzie was not as effective anywhere on the arc as she was in those corners.

NaLyssa has the speed and strength to be a matchup nightmare for teams if she if facing up to the basket. I really feel that playing regularly in the deep paint is to her disadvantage because I think that it limits someone who possesses near-unlimited quantities of physical ability and a very high level of skill. When she faces up at 15 to 20 feet she has the opportunity to shoot, drive or pass to an open teammate, and she does all of that exceptionally well. Playing with her back to the basket is more restrictive and allows other teams to double her or to use length against her more effectively.

Egbo is a great physical specimen, strong, fast and quick, with exceptional leaping ability. She is just two inches short of greatness, and ideally should be a power forward rather than a post player at the college level.
She is exceptionally smart, but has not yet developed a mature basketball IQ, something that only experience and extended periods of hard work can provide. I see it at both ends of the court, most apparently in her fouls at the defensive end of the floor, most of them not in the flow of the game and productive, but unnecessary fouls which are costly to her minutes on the floor and thus to her team. We may have lost the game to South Carolina in some of the minutes that she spent on the bench.

Until Gusters arrives, Egbo has to play in the post, and she will be fine until we play teams with a skilled post player with size. Even then, Cox can defend such a player and then move to the high post at the offensive end, allowing Egbo, DeGrate or Smith to slide into the low post. It is not an ideal situation, but it is certainly manageable all the way to the Final Four. We must have Cox available to be the team we expected to be, and except for her injury, we would be at the top of the ladder and likely would remain there deep into March, if not beyond.
Great analysis, Setshot. Both Smith and Egbo are great athletes. As KM says, they are going to have to learn positioning (on defense as well) and rid themselves of the one-on-one mentality. Having Cox back will add to the teamwork and meshing together on defense and offense. We have a superb group of speedy athletes, as Setshot says. Coming together as a team is what leads to success - again developing team chemistry is essential going forward.
The ladies have great personal chemistry right now. I would say as good or even better then last year. What we need is for that to transfer to on the court chemistry like last year - we are not quite there yet but I feel very good about where we are and where we are going.
Setshot is on point as usual about Smith and Egbo - In time I believe they will adjust and I also like that Kim seems to be flexible enough to let them freelance on OCCASION. I still say its going to be a fun season filled with some amazing ohhhh's, ahhhs and did you see that !!!
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Johnny Bear
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In reply to chorne68 • 4:54p, 12/11/19
chorne68 said:
If we loose Cox...goodby final four.
On the contrary, with Cox on the loose (when she's able to be "loosed") I think another Final Four is very doable. On the other hand if we LOSE Cox then we probably can kiss this season's Final Four goodbye.....
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willtalk
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In reply to setshot • 9:50p, 12/11/19
setshot said:
.
Smith has the potential to be a good three point shooter from the corner. Put her in the practice facility with the ball machine and let her shoot 500 or more shots a day from the two corner areas and with her good form and the strength that she possesses I think that she could easily extend her range. Familiarity with a shooter "sweet spot" makes even an average shooter much more effective. As an example, McKenzie was not as effective anywhere on the arc as she was in those corners.

NaLyssa has the speed and strength to be a matchup nightmare for teams if she if facing up to the basket. I really feel that playing regularly in the deep paint is to her disadvantage because I think that it limits someone who possesses near-unlimited quantities of physical ability and a very high level of skill. When she faces up at 15 to 20 feet she has the opportunity to shoot, drive or pass to an open teammate, and she does all of that exceptionally well. Playing with her back to the basket is more restrictive and allows other teams to double her or to use length against her more effectively.

.
.
The key word here is potential. You are talking future and I was talking this season. Shooting 500 balls a day certainly will help someone be a better shooter, but not necessarily a good shooter. Either way, skill development generally has to happen in the offseason. These gals are students along with having a very filled ups athletic schedule already.

Besides being able to hit three's from the corners, there is another essential skill very important to see the floor at Baylor and that is defense. I believe there was another player who was very proficient offensively but did not see much floor time due to defense. Right, that was another player making the transition from the post to a perimeter player.

I agree that Smith is more effective playing in space than on the block. I saw her as an opportunist, who used space to get her shots and rebounds rather than creating her own via position and physicality. I said that once Brown left and she had to play less fitness and more of a traditional post she would not be as effective. It would be in her long term best interest to make that transition now rather than waiting if she has any desire to play at the next level. This sort of puts her into the same position that that other player who just transferred out was in, provided she makes the attempt to transition, except she is a couple of years behind.
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setshot
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2:24a, 12/12/19
NaLyssa has hit three point shots in practice. It is hard to hit a three point shot in the game if she is not in a position to shoot one, and the loss of Cox has unfortunately pretty much anchored her in the paint. She was very effective out on the floor as a frosh player, and hit shots just inside the three point line.

I don't recall her shooting too many three point shots last year, but I assume that she may have shot a few. She has good form on her shot and I see no reason to think that if she were to play at the SF position she would not be able to be a credible threat from the corner since she has made her share of baskets out to eighteen or twenty feet. We should be shooting a few threes in the next couple of games, but I doubt that NaLyssa will be shooting any from out there.
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willtalk
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7:43a, 12/12/19
Smith was one of nine from 3pt distance last season. Not really enough attempts to get a proper perspective on her effectiveness.
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Eball
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In reply to willtalk • 7:49a, 12/12/19
willtalk said:
Smith was one of nine from 3pt distance last season. Not really enough attempts to get a proper perspective on her effectiveness.
Not for sure but I seem to remember her in HS shooting threes on a more regular basis...not sure how great her % was but I think it was part of her game coming out...I expected her to shoot more than she has to date.
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Saddle Up!
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In reply to 57Bear • 9:04a, 12/12/19
57Bear said:
No inside information, but LC has been in shoes at a recent game. I interpret that as a sign of progress in her healing and return.


I noticed in the recent video of the Lady Bears visit to a school Lauren was in the walking boot. Does anyone know if this was a setback from her being in kicks at the game the other night?
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mimi25408
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8:09p, 12/12/19
Heard bickle is on crutches.. I think it's just temporary.
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Baylor Dad in Va.
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6:09a, 12/13/19
Lauren at the end of practice on Wednesday Dec 11. NO BOOT!!!

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