Notes of Interest from Sharon Versyp Show for Monday 12/14/2020

[DocRon]

Notes of Interest from Sharon Versyp Show for Monday 12/14/2020 (with Tim Newton)
* Quotes are Coach’s - more or less accurate - unless otherwise noted.

• Items may not be in actual order addressed in the interview to more easily group topics.
• Apparently there was a show last week but they did not post it on the internet that I could find. (Maybe they didn’t want to show their faces after that terrible Valpo game.)

Intro:

• Tim: The thing about athletics is that if you don’t like what is happening you canchange it. Last week we were having a tough time and you changed it.
• “Yes, the biggest thing is we need to be consistent. Against Valpo we didn’t have any assists. We are not a 1 on 1 team. So being able to have 20 assists against Buffalo and in the last game 21 on 26 made FGs, sharing the ball, having 4 or 5 people in double figures… I mean shots will come and go but obviously we were pleased with the productivity of the last two games.”
• Tim: Good starts are so important. In the Buffalo game they get the ball first and go down and miss and Purdue comes down and in the first shot of the game Madison Layden drills a three and that seemed to take the lid off the basket.”
• “All of our players… you can do a lot of things but if your shots aren’t going down you get tighter and tighter. It’s from your shoulders to the top of your head and then you become totally tight.”
• “We told them the shots are going to fall. We are not happy with 3 and 1.” When Madison hit that shot it was a relief for everyone.
• You can shoot in practice all day long - and we had been shooting well in practice - but “when you are 5 on 5 that’s when those shots have to go down. We kept building our players up and I really felt confident those shots were going to begin to fall

Madison Layden:

• Tim: In the first week Madison was coming off an injury but we knew Madison had it in her. With each game she has been better.
• “Shots will fall when you have legs, when you make passes and get energy from those passes. In the Buffalo game she made some shots but this last game (Bowling Green) she really played great D. We really needed to lockdown #5 (Brett) who is a great offensive rebounder and she (Madison) had 4 steals, 9 (?) deflections, scored 13 pts, she got an inbounds steal and took it to the hole… She was expanding (her game) - she is not just a 3PT shooter.”
• Tim: In her +/- stat she has been in the + all four games - even the ones she didn’t shoot well. “She doesn’t force things. She understands. She doesn’t force her passes. Being tall she is a very good passer.”
• “The TO she had was a lob pass to Tam and next time she will throw it a little bit higher. She affects the game on both ends of the floor. The next piece is the rebounding piece on both ends of the floor. But I really have liked her progress. It builds her confidence and being almost 6’2” allows her to go a lot of different directions.”
• Tim: In the last game when you went small - without a center - at the end of the game when you were trying to salt it away. Madison was the tallest player on the floor.
• “(Bowling Green) were all guards and our bigs couldn’t chase them so Tam ended up being the 5 and she is under 6’ and Grant is 6’. She (Madison) was the tallest on the floor - we are not putting her in post-up situations right now but it’s nice” to have a guard like that.
• “With her length we’re hoping to get her at the point. KT and Brooke can run the lanes and she could bring it up to them. She can see over the top of everybody and she doesn’t have to dribble through people. And we will continue to be even better in our transition.

Buffalo Game:

• Tim: You were able to shut down Buffalo’s top players Hemphill and Fair. Fair had to sit out part of the game with an injury. She had come in averaging 24 ppg. You held her to 5 pts on just 7 FG attempts.
• “For both of them we were just going to chase them everywhere… no help side… just chase them everywhere. We changed up our defenses constantly. If they were coming off screens we were going to cause them to cough the ball up.” If that team was going to beat us it would have to be the rest of the team.
• “The offensive boards were a concern. I thought we did better the second half. That was a big thing.”
• “Playing Buffalo was like playing a B1G team. They definitely have a point guard, they have a shooter, they have an athletic 3 player, a 4 player that is (good at) 15’ and a 5 who is a back-to-the-basket rebounder.”
• “We had a chance to play some of our bigs. For us that’s the unknown about our team. When you play non-conf it’s usually all guards. So we were able to get a little ‘sneak-peak’ of what our bigs could do.”
• “Buffalo is a great WBB team. (Coach) Legette-Jack thanked me after the game.” She said “‘Thanks for letting me come in and show the kids what it is like to play at this level and playing hard.’ She does a great job. But we just had to take them out of their game and out of their rhythm from the get-go because we didn’t want them to feel comfortable.
• Tim: You carried that momentum into the next game. In the first two games you shot 1 for 28 from the 3 PT line and now in the last two games with the same kids you are now 20 of 39.

Brooke Moore:

• Tim: You brought Brooke here from Auburn and she has scored 45 in the last two games. When you said she can score a lot she has proven it. She can play position-less basketball and has shown off her offensive abilities these last two games.
• “Auburn did not run a lot of plays. Not that we do but you at least have to understand actions. Now she is just letting the game come to her. I think she was really pressing the first couple of games. She had never been in a Purdue uniform” and it takes a little bit.
• “What I was really proud of her for this last game was her 9 assists… We need to allow her to create because she is so quick and so small she can get into the paint and set other people up. Of course the people have to knock down their shots. And she had no TOs until the last couple of minutes of the game. Shooting like that and making the people around her better… that’s what I want. There is only a select group that can do that and she is one of them.”

Kayana Traylor:

• Tim: A player who put the Bowling Green game on her shoulders in the 4th Q was Traylor. She took it over.
• “Yeah, that’s the leadership we need. We are looking for that leadership and I am not sure everyone understands what that leadership is. It’s not just doing all the right things or being consistent. It’s having that will to win. I called her number a couple of times and said ‘If you can’t get around these people… come on. It’s gotta happen.’”
• “She got to the FT line. She attacked the basket… on the offensive end - on the defensive end. Understanding the game. Controlling the game. Purpose and having the will to win. I’m taking over and everyone follow.”
• “I don’t think a lot of people see that but as a coach I see that definitely.”

Play of the Game - Bowling Green:

• “Obviously the play of the game was when Madison kicked the ball to ‘J’ (Grant) and she hit that 3PT. That was huge and you said ‘Okay, we are good.’”
• Tim: She hit that shot when we were only up 3 with 4 mins to go and even though she hadn’t been playing much to that point she hit that from the left corner with not a moment of hesitation. That showed a lot of confidence and courage.”
• “She’s not afraid to shoot the ball… When Madison hit her there was no question she was going to shoot the ball. Sometimes Janelle will give a head fake and then shoot” but there was no question as soon as the ball left her hands it was good.
• Our kids do not lack for confidence. And then they were going to get back on D and “if I can knock down that shot I’m going to help my team.”

Roster:

• “We are pleased the pieces are coming back. But everyone is going to have their forte… I think when we all get healthy we can play a 10 or 11 player rotation.”
• “We will continue to try to do that, piece by piece we are getting players a little bit more in shape. We’ve had players inured who have come back but that takes a minute when you’re playing teams who play all small guards.”
• “We practiced 4 guards and 4 posts for a long time. You just didn’t feel like you were in rhythm. We’re starting to understand who we need to set up if someone is hot. We’re figuring it out but now we don’t have any more time to figure it out. Now we have conference games.”
• Tim: We’re getting more and more players back. Bria Harmon has been suited up the last couple of games. And I think very soon there is going to be a ruling by the NCAA on transfers that will influence the eligibility of a player you brought in from Arkansas, Rokia Doumbia.
• “We will wait until Dec. 16th and see if the NCAA makes that ruling. It could happen then or it could happen a week from then - we just never know." The COVID thing has changed everything.
• “She (Doumbia) practices, she makes us better. She really is the most athletic kid we have on our team and we have some athletes. We keep our fingers crossed that things will work out.”
• “Just having Cass (Hardin) back in practice… we'll have Karissa (McLaughlin) back for practice in another week. So we have bits and pieces but those need to jell… If we have a lot of pieces then those pieces can help. If “Rou” (Doumbia) can have that opportunity than Tam doesn’t have to be on the floor as much. And she (Doumbia) can play 2 through 4.”
• “If and when Karissa comes back she can give Brooke and KT a break because they are logging a lot of minutes. Anytime you can get fresher players, more scoring, more D, more rebounding… that’s what you want.”
• “A shout-out to Roxane Makolo who had ACL surgery last week and is doing very well. Our team has done a great job taking care of her and she has come thru it very well. We are anxious to have her back and start rehab.”

COVID:

• Tim: The last thing and the first thing I do every day is check my email because with COVID we are living day by day. “Yes, if we get to shoot-around and no one has said anything then we know we are good… But you can just have one kid affected but it can put a bunch out. We could lose a third of our team.”
• “It does allow our student athletes some normalcy. Now that finals are over, what are they doing?” Tim: Basketball. “Absolutely.”

Graduation:

• Tim: Karissa McLaughlin and Ae’rianna Harris both got their degrees this last weekend. “That’s the best news of anything. Karissa getting her diploma and still being here for the next year and a half is great news.
• And (I am) just proud of Ae’rianna getting hers. She is playing overseas and taking classes on-line… It is always a great day (when players get their degrees) and they know this is why they came to this university and leave with one of the best degrees in the country.
• Tim: Karissa will be able to take a lot of Master’s classes in the next year and a half. “Sometimes it takes two years so she will be doing well.”

Potent Offenses:

• Tim: One thing I’ve noticed looking at the conference games that have been played is the amount of points being scored. What’s going on? We usually play a lot of defense in the B1G.
• “I think the officiating is totally influencing the offense. I also think everyone has a lot of talent and are bringing in a ton of transfers - like 5 transfers that were playing at a high level and they were already experienced.”
• “I look at the scores and you’ve got to be able to score points - between 75 and 85 points. You can’t have an off night.
• Tim: Mich State outscored Iowa 86-82 and I thought that was high until I saw the Maryland score. They outscored Rutgers 91-87. Vivian Stringer’s teams normally do not give up 91 pts in a week.
• “I was shocked because they are supposed to be one of the best defensive teams… Everyone is playing loose and open.” Rutgers has a bunch of transfers and they can score. Usually they would hold the ball.
• “But I still think there will be a place for good defense.”
• Tim: I did see the box score of the Maryland game and the Terrapins shot between 30 and 35 free throws so that could have a lot to do with it. Guirantes, BTW, scored 33 pts in a losing effort so good luck defending her.

Northwestern Game (Thursday 12/17 at 7PM:

• Tim: You will be playing Northwestern who has one of the leagues best players in Lindsey Pulliam (G 5’10”). Again she is a player who can take over a game at any time.
• “Yeah, she can. And she is even a better human being. She is a character kid… just has it all together. They will definitely be a tough opponent.”
• “They are a different looking team this year. Last year they had size like 6’6” and 6’4”. They still have great players returning. Their guards are really dynamic. They are great with steals. Their turn-over ration is great. They play 2-3 or 1-3-1 matchup on D. So they are obviously different but they can still put up a lot of points.“
• “Besides Pulliam I think Burton (G 5’9”) is a fantastic player. They are the ‘two-headed monster’ for them and how they go is how the team goes.”
• Tim: Well Burton will have at least one family member here because her brother Austin Burton is a QB transfer on our football team.
• This is the only time you see Northwestern this year. It is a huge game. They are ranked, they’re tough. Pulliam has improved her game to another level. She shoots the 3 very well - a deep 3 off the balance where she didn’t have that as part of her game before.”
• “The big thing is that they had 16 steals in one game.The key is to take care of the ball and if you are going to lose it throw it OOB. They are a very, very, very efficient team -that is the key to their success.”

Penn State Game (Sunday 12/20 at 2PM)

• Tim: We were talking about how different Northwestern was from last year but Penn State is really different. They had a lot of turnover with graduating seniors and transfers and have 7 freshmen. One other interesting thing is that they have played 4 non-conference games but they last played Dec 6th and then they do not play until we go there - two full weeks.
• “There is no rhyme or reason. They could have had finals or maybe an opponent had finals so they could not put a game in there. But it is rough. We just had one game canceled and that was rough enough.”
• “The B!G has 5 teams in the top 20.” All the games I have watched have been competitive and the teams look talented. “Nothing is a given. Everything is a big challenge. When you play on the road you gotta be 10 points better.”
• Tim: Like everyone in the B1G, PSU is scoring, averaging 78 pts a game. Niya Beverley transferred there from Wisconsin and she hasn’t played yet this season. I don’t know if there is an injury but they have 3 players averaging in double figures. They are shooting 45% as a team and they are out-rebounding teams by 6.
• Tim: This will be your first road game. What will be different? “I’m just glad we are playing at 2PM and we don’t have to wait around the whole day. Saturday we will COVID test in the morning and practice here.That way if we get a positive we can turn the PCR test around before we get on the plane.”
• “We’ll get our meal before we get on the plane because you can’t have food or drinks on the plane - nothing. We will leave around 4 or 4:30 PM and fly there. And we’re going to shoot that a night. Then we’ll go back and have some food for them and they will go to their rooms and sleep.”
• “The next day we have to COVID test between 9 and 10AM wherever they tell us to go. Then we’ll come back and eat and then play. So I’m glad that our first trip is a 2 o’clock game rather than at 8 or 9 PM.”
• Tim: Your last game before the Holidays against Nebraska will be an afternoon game (2PM on Wed. 12/23). “Yeah we moved it from 4PM to 2PM” as I didn’t want to people to be stuck here that evening.

Leisure Time:

• TIm: School is out so they can play a lot of BB. But they are not going to do that 24 hours a day. So what else do they do to make time pass?
• “We have to continue to figure that out. It’s not easy. We’re together but we’re still “limited together.” Obviously we try to plan things that are team-building or just fun. Getting up and getting COVID tested takes a big chunk of their time.”
• “Right now it’s pretty decent because they are on-line shopping and we are looking at 3 B1G games.”

The Schedule:

• Tim: You are going through a 20 game B1G schedule this year which is a grinder. It was 18 and 16 before, now back to 20. And with the limited non-conference schedule you are going into the B1G schedule still tinkering.
• “Kids need to get some reps. Especially the next 3 games for the Bigs. How can we get our shots?” If we go real big with both Fatou and Kyle in, how do we manage that? We have practiced that. But what does that look like in an actual game?