Very good article! Here is a quote that said something that I was thinking at the time:
“They are long and did a good job of being straight up,” Perry said. “But it was also on our part. When that happened, we didn’t make adjustments, we just kept shooting the ball into their hands. A lot of times in the post, we’re kind of used to just going, turning and throwing the ball up, but in that case, when they start getting 10 blocks, we have to adjust, face up and attack them off the dribble.”
From the start, Versyp's game plan seemed to be a flawed strategy to pound it inside. This might have worked if Versyp had recruited or developed any strong, impact post player anytime during the last four years, but she has not. Our post play, on both sides of the ball, has been barely adequate and far from the elite level all year. I read somewhere, and it struck me as true, that our posts have been thrown around like rag dolls by any team with strong post players all year. Tough OU defense led to the Boilermakers shooting primarily toughly defended shots in the paint against strong defenders who stayed straight up and the Boilermakers did shoot the ball into their hands repeatedly, as Bridget admitted. It did not seem to be hard to know why those shots were not falling, but any adjustment was so slow in coming that it was irrelevant. I am not sure whether I was more annoyed by the game plan that did not fit the team, the lack of any strong offensive or defensive post play by Purdue, or the failure to make any adjustments when it was so painfully obvious that they were needed. I have tried to give coach Versyp every benefit of the doubt and have supported her against various attacks on these boards over the years, but I finally have to admit that I doubt that Purdue Women's basketball will ever be an elite program again as long as she is the coach. She has some good points, but sadly, she seems to lack the ability to recognize that she needs to improve her own performance in certain areas. And sadly, we do not have an Athletic Director or President who care whether Purdue is ever able to return to what it once was in football, men's basketball or women's basketball, so long as they can count on BTN moneys to support mediocre performance in the main sports of the athletic departments with the fewest sports of any school in the B1G. I support the players and I think everyone of them who comes to Purdue and gives the best that she can for Purdue deserves better. Each one of them deserves a coach who will recruit well enough to surround her with players capable of competing for the conference championship and making long tourney runs. She deserves a coach who can make adjustments when needed. She deserves a coach who will not only point out her failures, but will work diligently with her to develop her skills. She deserves a coach who will work to improve her own coaching performance as well as to improve the performance of her players. (Getting off the soap box now.)
