Oregon has started off the season 2-1, with an easy win over San Jose State, an embarrassing loss to South Dakota State, and a win over Marquette. The Marquette game was in Eugene and they didn’t have their top player. Still it was a good win for the very young Ducks. Oregon is a team with only 2 Srs and 8 new players. So they’ll need time to jell, and that may last most of the year.
Recruiting by Oregon continues to consist of foreign players. The Ducks have 3 players from Australia, 2 from Canada and players from Italy, New Zealand and Hungry. That leaves only 4 Americans on the 12 person roster and none from the State of Oregon.
The starting Center is 6-5 Frosh Nicole Canepa from San Francisco. Nicole has scored 27 points in the first two games, but her rebounds have matched her fouls (8) thus far. Australian Ellyce Ironmonger, a 6-4 frosh is the backup Center and scored 12 points against San Jose State.
At the Forward position is starter Ellie Manou, a 6-3 Frosh. She had 17 points and 8 rebounds against SJS. Ellie played on the Australian 19U team this past summer. Back ups include Victoria Kenyon a 6-2 Frosh and Mary Sbrissa a 6-2 Soph. 6-0 Sr Rita Kollo is a transfer from Oklahoma State and will redshirt this season. Kenyon played for the Hungarian 21U team this past summer.
Oregon is using a Three Guard Line up. Starters are 5-6 Soph Taylor Lilley, 5-10 Sr Kaela Chapdelaine and 5-8 Jr Tamika Nurse. Lilley shot 51% from 3 last season to lead the Pac 10. She averaged 8.3 PPG. Chapdelaine averaged 6.5 PPG and 3.5 Assists per Game last season. The starting Point Guard is Nurse who averaged 9.2 PPG and 3.3 Assists per game while playing 34 minutes per game. An aside, Nurse’s aunt is married to FB star Donovan McNabb.
The other two guards, 5-7 Frosh Nia Jackson and 5-8 Soph Micaela Cocks have already played quite a bit. Jackson is the back up PG and was the PG last year for the outstanding Chief Stealth High School of Seattle. Cocks saw a lot of action last season for the Ducks and played for the New Zealand National team during the summer.
Oregon is young but with a number of players with international experience. Their attendance for the Marquette game was 2100 so the interest is there to cheer them on. However they lack a marquee player and being so young appear to be a 2nd division Pac 10 team.
November 21, 2007
November 7, 2007
Pac 10 Preview-Cal
Last year the University of California went 23-9 and 12-6 in the conference with a first round NCAA tournament loss. This year they expect more, maybe much more. Cal is riding the recruiting success of their former coach who recruited 6-3 Center Jessica Lawson four years ago and then the Fab 5 three years ago. Then she was shown the door. To be fair, excellent players or not, there was nothing in Caren’s win loss record at Cal to indicate she could go 23-9.
Fast forward three years and Cal is ready to contend for the Pac 10 Championship and make a deep run into the Dance, the NCAA Tournament. Four of the Fab 5 are only Jrs, although one of them hasn’t turned out Fab. Also Cal lost Morris, a Fab 5er, Lawson, the Center, and recent recruit Sanford. This would have been the depth and maybe even two of them starters, making the depth for Cal awesome. Alas, that have what is left. However in Hampton, Walker and Gray-Lawson they certainly have three athletes who may well be All Conference and more.
Head Coach Joanne Boyle thought about the Duke job, then thought some more and then said Cal will be just fine thank you, and stayed. She immediately turned over her staff with two new Assistants. Former Stanford star and Assistant Charmin Smith moved to Cal as did well known AAU Coach Kevin Morrison.
The post players will be 6-3 Jr Devanei Hampton and 6-1 Jr Ashley Walker. Hampton was the Pac 10 Player of the Year while averaging 16.6 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game. The best part is she plays to her middle name, Devanei is Unique. Walker led the Bears in both scoring and rebounding with 17.3 and 8.7. She may be 6-1 but she is a Bear (enough of that) under the basket. The only posts back up, whoa could they use the depth that left, is 6-5 Soph, Rama N’diaye. Rama averaged 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds, while averaging 17 minutes per game.
There are two other potential 4’s, although they are more likely 3’s. 6-0 Sr (the only Cal Sr) Krista Foster and 6-0 Jr and Fab 5er Shantrell Snead. Foster played a bit less last year than her first 2 years, but remained consistent with 4 points and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game for her Cal career. She’s a solid player both offensively and defensively. Sneed hasn’t played much at Cal, but may be the healthiest she has been in 3 years.
Cal will start with a 3 Guard, 2 Post line-up. Alexis Gray-Lawson returns after having torn her ACL in her 9th game last year. She’s a 5-8 Jr. Her career numbers are 4 points and 4 rebounds per game. Her assist to turnover ratio is not good, 1.3 turnovers per assist. She’s 37% from 3. Alexis is a natural scorer and if 5-8 Soph Natasha Vital can continue her improvement that the Point this would be huge toward Cal’s successful season. Vital averaged 7.2 points per game and had a plus turnover ratio of 1.1 assist per turnover. Vital certainly took better care of the ball later in the season than after having to suddenly replace Alexis at the Point.
5-10 Soph Lauren Grief will be the 5th starter, and the 3rd Guard in the Line-up. She started every game last year, averaged 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, and 36 minutes per game and had a plus assist to turnover ratio. And Lauren shot 35% from 3. She is a fan favorite. How big a fan favorite? At her 100 plus year old High School she was the first player to have her jersey number retired.
Back ups will be the 6-1 Canadian National Team member, Frosh Kelsey Adrian and 5-11 Frosh Rachelle Federico. Adrian can play the 2, 3 or 4, and should be able to add some instant offensive off the bench. Federico will have competition for playing time, but there are only 10 players on Cal’s roster so she may get some quality minutes at some point.
Cal is ranked from 8-12 in the National Polls and while lacking depth, should be an outstanding team.
Fast forward three years and Cal is ready to contend for the Pac 10 Championship and make a deep run into the Dance, the NCAA Tournament. Four of the Fab 5 are only Jrs, although one of them hasn’t turned out Fab. Also Cal lost Morris, a Fab 5er, Lawson, the Center, and recent recruit Sanford. This would have been the depth and maybe even two of them starters, making the depth for Cal awesome. Alas, that have what is left. However in Hampton, Walker and Gray-Lawson they certainly have three athletes who may well be All Conference and more.
Head Coach Joanne Boyle thought about the Duke job, then thought some more and then said Cal will be just fine thank you, and stayed. She immediately turned over her staff with two new Assistants. Former Stanford star and Assistant Charmin Smith moved to Cal as did well known AAU Coach Kevin Morrison.
The post players will be 6-3 Jr Devanei Hampton and 6-1 Jr Ashley Walker. Hampton was the Pac 10 Player of the Year while averaging 16.6 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game. The best part is she plays to her middle name, Devanei is Unique. Walker led the Bears in both scoring and rebounding with 17.3 and 8.7. She may be 6-1 but she is a Bear (enough of that) under the basket. The only posts back up, whoa could they use the depth that left, is 6-5 Soph, Rama N’diaye. Rama averaged 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds, while averaging 17 minutes per game.
There are two other potential 4’s, although they are more likely 3’s. 6-0 Sr (the only Cal Sr) Krista Foster and 6-0 Jr and Fab 5er Shantrell Snead. Foster played a bit less last year than her first 2 years, but remained consistent with 4 points and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game for her Cal career. She’s a solid player both offensively and defensively. Sneed hasn’t played much at Cal, but may be the healthiest she has been in 3 years.
Cal will start with a 3 Guard, 2 Post line-up. Alexis Gray-Lawson returns after having torn her ACL in her 9th game last year. She’s a 5-8 Jr. Her career numbers are 4 points and 4 rebounds per game. Her assist to turnover ratio is not good, 1.3 turnovers per assist. She’s 37% from 3. Alexis is a natural scorer and if 5-8 Soph Natasha Vital can continue her improvement that the Point this would be huge toward Cal’s successful season. Vital averaged 7.2 points per game and had a plus turnover ratio of 1.1 assist per turnover. Vital certainly took better care of the ball later in the season than after having to suddenly replace Alexis at the Point.
5-10 Soph Lauren Grief will be the 5th starter, and the 3rd Guard in the Line-up. She started every game last year, averaged 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, and 36 minutes per game and had a plus assist to turnover ratio. And Lauren shot 35% from 3. She is a fan favorite. How big a fan favorite? At her 100 plus year old High School she was the first player to have her jersey number retired.
Back ups will be the 6-1 Canadian National Team member, Frosh Kelsey Adrian and 5-11 Frosh Rachelle Federico. Adrian can play the 2, 3 or 4, and should be able to add some instant offensive off the bench. Federico will have competition for playing time, but there are only 10 players on Cal’s roster so she may get some quality minutes at some point.
Cal is ranked from 8-12 in the National Polls and while lacking depth, should be an outstanding team.
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