Swish Appeal

Kansas City Bracket Preview: How Far Can UCLA Go?

2010-03-18T20:25:03Z

There seems to be universal acknowledgment from ESPN, blogs, and bulletin boards that UCLA was under-seeded.

Call it funny math, but if there are four regions, and UCLA was ranked in the top 25 for the last few weeks with a RPI of 21, then it would seem like they should get no lower than a 6 or 7 seed.

But to be honest, at first I simply wasn't particularly surprised with their seeding:

The Pac-10 was simply not that good this year and for most of the season, it would have been considered reasonable for the conference to get more than two bids.
Losing to Stanford by progressively larger margins could not have helped their credibility, nor could a few other odd losses and close games with not-so-great teams.
Appreciating how good they are requires looking at their performance pre- and post-Jasmine Dixon when they became a much stronger team overall.
The close games in a bad conference does nothing to highlight the team's strength: defense.

It's the last point that I find most interesting though in thinking about UCLA's chances and why they almost definitely should have been harder -- although I've heard some people dismiss their defense as merely "throwing the kitchen sink at opponents', at the same time it's extremely effective. And taking account for one of the best defenses in the nation simply doesn't show up in the RPI, SOS, or any other statistics.

Making matters worse, UCLA got an eight seed next to #1 seed Nebraska, a team that is not just good, but pretty much has similar statistical strengths as UCLA...but does everything better...and has that Kelsey Griffin individual you may have heard of. So their chances of getting to the Sweet 16 certainly appear slim.

However, UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell didn't win the Pac-10 Coach of the Year for nothing and for that reason, I'm picking the Bruins as a potential dark horse candidate in the Kansas City bracket in the most blatant act of West Coast bias I've exhibited to date. This would of course require a few things to break their way, but my Pac-10 homerism stops short of finding ways to "disappear" Griffin.

The Darkhorse: UCLA Bruins

When I think about UCLA's defense, what springs to mind is a play in Seattle against the University of Washington this season where UCLA guard Doreena Campbell was floored by a screen from Washington center Laura McLellan. For most teams, this would instantly cause a 4 on 5 situation leaving the defense almost helpless. Instead, Campbell not only snapped up off the ground almost as quickly as she hit the ground and popped right back into a perfect defensive stance against Washington point guard Sarah Morton with the same intense expression as though nothing had even happened.

It's that discipline and focus that defines this team. People can dismiss it as a team needing to be disciplined and focused because they don't have the talent to win otherwise. However, that's somewhat irrelevant given that they performed well enough to ascend to the Top 25 at the end of the season. It's not just that they shut down teams, it's how they do it.

Down double digits against the University of Oregon in Eugene, they systematically shut down every single thing the Ducks wanted to do. It wasn't just an increase in intensity -- they identified what Oregon was trying to do and just took everything away by overplaying passing lanes, adjusting to stop all guard penetration, and crashing the boards hard. The way Dixon turned it on and just punished Oregon on the boards pretty much ended all hope of Oregon getting a win in their final game at Mac Court. It was about as artful as a defensive performance could possibly be.

Obviously, beating Oregon and Washington -- who tied for 6th place in the conference with Washington losing in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament to Oregon State -- is not reason to establish UCLA as a candidate to beat Nebraska. The point is that this team is extremely well coached, more than capable of making adjustments, and predicated on strong defensive play. Those things never hurt and the addition of a blue collar player like Dixon means that they have the ability to create opportunities for themselves where none seem to exist.

So what does this mean for their tournament chances?

Against NC State, while SOS swings in NC State's favor, RPI favors UCLA though perhaps that could be considered a bit of a wash. The key is in strengths and weaknesses -- NC State's biggest weakness is their turnover differential (worst in the bracket) whereas UCLA's complex defensive schemes make turnover differential a relative strength for them, forcing opponents into a turnover percentage of 22.70%. So despite the fact that NC State has a considerable edge in offensive rebounding, that's rendered irrelevant if they cannot hold onto the ball. Adding to that UCLA tends to outshoot their opponents by an effective field goal percentage of just over 5%, doing the majority of it by getting high percentage shots.This might be something of an ugly battle, but UCLA can pull it out.

Assuming Nebraska defeats the University of Northern Iowa, it would be a different story in the second round.

Nebraska has a very similar statistical strengths with shooting and turnovers chief among them (eFg% of 51.49% and tov% differential of about 5%). The difference is taht they tend to do every single thing better, especially in their rebounding differential. A large part of the shooting and rebounding strength is Kelsey Griffin and in their lone loss to Texas A&M, that's exactly what happened.

Griffin is responsible for the vast majority of their offensive rebounding and their strong shooting percentage, with a true shooting percentage of 67.04% on the season. With Griffin in foul trouble, they only managed to shoot 37.3% from the field with a 2 point percentage of 38.36%, meaning TAMU took their ability to score high percentage shots. Compounding the problem, TAMU had an offensive rebounding percentage of 41% without Griffin's 25% defensive rebounding percentage in the post to hold them off.

So there you have it -- the way to beat Nebraska is to eliminate Griffin. If UCLA keeps the tempo high trapping the guards -- point guard Moore had a turnover percentage of nearly 20% this season -- and they can find away to establish themselves in the paint and on the glass, they have a legitimate shot of pulling off the upset of Nebraska. Their defense is just that good even if their offense sputters occasionally.

Sleeper: Vermont

Is a 10 beating a 7 seed really an upset? That's debatable, but if so, Vermont could be that team. Wisconsin and Vermont are relatively close in RPI and statistically, they do a good job on the offensive boards while Wisconsin typically doesn't. If they can shoot well and get the kind of turnover differential that they typically have gotten, they could pull off the "upset".

The Victor: Notre Dame

I'm biased in favor of point guards and agree with what Rebecca Lobo said of Skylar Diggins -- if it comes down to a match between Notre Dame and Nebraska, the better freshman point guard is Diggins. Despite being deep, Nebraska relies heavily on Griffin (over 30% of overall production) and if she encounters foul trouble again, it could spell the end of their run. As Mechelle Voepel has said, this is also their first time in this #1 situation whereas the teams around them have experience in the tournament. Add to that Notre Dame's overall tournament experience and their relative strength of forcing a high turnover differential while out shooting opponents and they have as good a chance as any to make it out of the bracket.

This is not disrespect to Oklahoma, who I enjoy watching quite a bit. The issue here is that Nebraska and Notre Dame play very good basketball.

Transition Points:

For the record, more than anything I want a good showing for the Pac-10. Will UCLA win? The odds are against them... but there's a reason they play the games..
More on the Bruins vs. NC State from Bruins Nation:

UCLA vs NC State Game Breakdown - Bruins Nation

That is about where NC State's advantages end. UCLA is a much better team away from home, with NC State winning only 3 games on the road. We feature the much stronger rebounding team, out rebounding our opponents by 6.5 per game, against just 1.1 for the Wolfpack, and UCLA has a better turnover margin and dish out more assists per game. UCLA shoots 44% from the field while NC State shoots 38%. The biggest difference may come from coaching and halftime adjustments. NC State has done worse in the second half than in the first, outscoring opponents by 2.5 points in the first but being outscored by .1 in the second per game, while UCLA outscores opponents by 4.5 in the first half, and by 6.3 in the second, so UCLA improves as the game goes on while NC State loses steam. In the tournament, you definitely don't want to be a team that fades as the game goes on, and that is not something that describes UCLA.

Win or Lose, WBI Opener Proves Valuable For Young Players & Growing Programs

2010-03-18T05:57:00Z

University of Washington sophomore guard Kristi Kingma hopes to keep the season going with three more games in the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational tournament. (Photo via jlindstr.smugmug.com)

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First round play of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational in Seattle was odd, to say the least, but underneath the lopsided outcome was a deeper level of shared meaning.

University of Washington forward Mollie Williams, who has gone 0-5 from the three point line in her first two years in Seattle pulled up for a three with 5:50 left in the first half.

Center Laura McLellan got one of Washington's season-high 18 steals with at the 5:30 mark and dribbled half the court for a lay-up.

McLellan capped off a dominant first half by shooting a three with just over a minute left in the game, her first shot from downtown since taking two in the 2006-07 season.

Yet the radio announcer aptly described the pace with about 8 minutes left in the first half: "The Huskies look like they're moving slow motion."

Oh yeah, the University of Portland was present too, but weren't exactly a factor on the court.

The Huskies were able to move in slow motion because the Pilots came out and "laid an egg" as Portland coach Jim Sollars described. Portland turned the ball over 14 times in the first half, gaveup 10 offensive rebounds, and only shot 30% overall and 28.57% on 2 point shots.

"This game has slowed to a snail's pace," said the radio announcer with a minute left. "The Huskies will send Portland back down the I-5 corridor, ending their season with a defeat."

He wasn't just imagining things either -- the Pilots looked like a team that was disinterested in making the relatively short trip to Seattle to begin with and Washington was able to discomfit them without much effort.

"We looked like we didn't have legs, we didn't play with maturity, we didn't play with discipline, didn't do the things that we have to do," said Sollars. "Mentally, it just didn't look like we were ready to play the game."

So despite a 75-44 win for UW and by far their best performance of the season statistically, it was not exactly an exemplar of what makes basketball beautiful. It's perfectly reasonable to wonder whether part of Portland's problem was the context itself.

"Anything like this [tournament], you always wonder, ‘how many of your kids are really gonna show to be ready to play'," said Sollars. "But I don't think that was it - certainly I don't think the staff felt that way. I just think it was symptomatic of we are not a very mature team - one senior and we haven't had a lot of leadership all year long.

"When we're running and shooting the ball well, we're a good basketball team, but that's a big if -I think we're 14-0 when we score 70 points. And they just need to grow up and understand that it's not gonna be easy all the time. And I think the lessons to be learned are you gotta be tough, you gotta be disciplined, you gotta play good defense because there are nights when the ball is not going through the hole and there are nights when you can't run on people. And that's where I think the maturity comes - they just have to understand that."

So on the surface, a game like this one in what could be considered be perfect fodder for those that might suggest this tournament is unnecessary and simply a waste of time and resources. On the one hand, UW looked like they were walking around cones in their offensive sets while on the other hand, Portland looked wholly disinterested in playing basketball. However, there was value beyond the play on the court for the development of the young players and growing programs that participated.

"No reflection on the tournament at all," said Sollars. "The fact that we laid an egg was not their problem... There are consequences for not taking care of details, for not taking care of business and one of them is getting your butt kicked."

If the problem coach Sollars identified was a lack of discipline, focus, and maturity, teams like his might actually only reinforce the need for having tournaments like the WBI, even if the players don't immediately appreciate the value. It's a learning experience that is good for the student-athletes in the long-run.

"You gotta learn from these things," said Sollars. "And the thing is, it's the maturity to go to class without somebody reminding you, to be on time - you cannot believe how many hundreds of sprints they've to do because this one or that one didn't take care of little details...So maybe this was a reflection of those kind of things. So I think that's good. That's good for kids."

As much as the value of a defeat in a new post-season tournament in front of a sparse crowd of 745 looked agonizing for Portland players, the value of post-season play was certainly not lost on the victors.

"It's like you have life again," said sophomore guard Kristi Kingma, Washington's second leading scorer who will likely be expected to pick up more of the scoring burden on the perimeter next season. "You go from such a low to such a high that you get to play again. I think that everyone is so excited to have the opportunity to play again and we proved that tonight. We are not ashamed at all to play in the WBI. We look at it as a privilege to play in the postseason."

For a coach like Washington's Tia Jackson who has been to the NCAA tournament before as an assistant, the game was not a whole lot different - asisde from the quick turnaround and having to review 10 game tapes in about 24 hours, things were normal. However, for the seven players who played in the game that will return next year - including 5 sophomores - any post-season tournament was a new experience that is ultimately worthwhile.

"I expect in the next two years to make the NCAA tournament - obviously, that's the ultimate goal," said Kingma, sitting opposite of sophomore forward Mackenzie Argens at the table in the media room. "But I know for Mack and I and all the sophomores and the people that are returning any post-season play is new to us and it's exciting. Regardless of if you have 200 people in the stands or 5,000 people in the stands it's exciting because you have new life in your season. And we're looking at it one game at a time and hopefully we have three more."

For teams that had inconsistent seasons - like Washington - or struggled with discipline, focus or maturity - like Portland - the WBI is a welcome addition. Not only is it a matter of experience, but affordability.

"Very frankly, it's affordable," said Sollars. "You know? For a lot of mid-levels, it's affordable. The WNIT can be horribly expensive. Which, I mean, doesn't mean you don't want to play in it, but depending on where the travel is some schools don't have the resources. The thing about this is the costs are cut down, they help you with the travel, I think it's a great idea, I really do. I think it's good for basketball to have kids playing in a post- season tournament. I think it's good for young kids."

If you are interested in the growth of women's basketball, it's hard to quibble with experience for young players and profit for the programs themselves.

Transition Points:

CSU Bakersfield -- who asked former Sports Tours International consultant Joan Bonvicini to put in a call for them -- lost in the first round of the WBI to Texas A&M–Corpus Christ. Washington will face TAMUCC the second round of the tournament.

Coco & Kelly Miller Sign with Dream: What does Kelly Miller add?

2010-03-17T16:59:52Z

Coco & Kelly Miller Sign with Dream: What does Kelly Miller add?

From my previous post on the Atlanta Dream's off-season about what Kelly Miller would add to the team:

"The advantages for Miller might be at least slightly more difficult to determine. Miller is seven inches taller [than Temeka Johnson] and an aggressive defender, but shot 33% from the three point line on less attempts than Johnson. Although she went to the University of Georgia, she is four years older, coming off a down season, and a much less efficient scorer by almost any standard last season. In fact, Lehning had a higher true shooting percentage (47.82%) than Miller (47.26%) and a much higher two point percentage (47.61% to 38.55%)."

Why should women’s basketball supporters care about the WBI tournament?

2010-03-17T16:02:45Z

While watching the NIT over dinner with a friend last night, we started talking about how pointless it would be to expand the NCAA men's basketball tournament - not only would it water down the whole experience, but it would virtually destroy the NIT.

During the brief conversation, we also found that neither of us has ever watched or followed the "other" tournaments: the CBI or CIT.

So why then should anyone care about the new Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI), a tournament that offers 3 seeds to teams like the University of Washington, a 12-17 team that just lost to last place Oregon State University in the Pac-10 tournament?

In describing the value of the tournament in an article yesterday, Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans described an "equality factor" in creating the tournament: not only does the tournament give more women's basketball programs an opportunity to play post-season basketball and offer the opportunity to profit from doing so, but it is also more fair than the WNIT.

"Last year when I wasn't coaching I did a number of things - I was a broadcaster for Fox, but the other thing I did was I was a consultant for Sports Tours International and they run tournaments all over the world," said Seattle University coach Joan Bonvicini, who was "partly the brainchild" of the tournament according to organizers. "I had a tough job - I was in the Bahamas, in Cancun, places like that. One of the things I noticed once I was there is that there was the NIT for women and the men have the CBI and Insiders and I felt there should be more opportunities for women. So I told them, ‘I think we should run a tournament and in the NIT it's like the highest bid gets the home game; we're going to do it fair.'"

Bret Seymour of Sports Tours International, the company organizing the tournament, said that in addition to the transparency that comes from being a pre-determined, 16 team field with higher seeds hosting - which the WNIT is not - the tournament cedes control to those host institutions. With control not only comes control of the venue, but control of the profit.

"I think it is nice for teams to 'control' the management of the games," said Seymour. "They have professional event management people to do this. They know how to run games. They don't need us telling them how to do it. Most importantly, they get to keep all revenues for the game-unlike the WNIT where there is revenue sharing. We don't set ticket prices, we don't tell teams what to do with students, we don't charge radio rights fees, we don't charge fees for parking, or live streaming video. We take no cut off any profit made by a University. If they want to let everyone in free, I say go for it. This is a fresh, 180 degree difference in philosophy."

However, there is even more to the tournament than control, equality, transparency, and profit, all - especially the latter - certainly attractive selling points to participating institutions. The tournament might better represent the concept of equity - it's not just about women's basketball getting closer to having the same number of opportunities to participate in the post-season, but actually providing women's basketball programs an opportunity to develop, as described by Washington coach Tia Jackson.

Huskies | Washington accepts bid to Women's Basketball Invitational | Seattle Times Newspaper
"There's some new life put in us," said the Huskies' Tia Jackson, who is making her first postseason appearance as coach. "I don't know that we've gotten over the Oregon State game. It kind of sits in our stomach a little bit, and it should.

"This reminds me of our men, when they were invited to the CBI (in 2008). They got an opportunity to extend their season. They might not have gotten what they wanted out of the tournament, but the next two years, they're Pac-10 champions. You want your players, especially the young ones, to experience it."

"Having as many postseason opportunities for women's basketball is a good thing," said Seymour. "There are so many good teams out there that deserve postseason attention."

As evidenced by the comments in Evans' Seattle Times posts about the WBI, the very notion that 12-17 Washington is one of those "good teams" that deserves post-season is debatable. However, Jackson's point about the value of the tournament might be a valid one: this is good for basketball because giving players the opportunity to experience the post-season - any post-season - is a valuable experience that helps teams grow. Increasing the opportunities for growth can only be good for women's basketball.

In an environment in which people have spent more time deriding women's basketball for being unbalanced as UConn looks to continue its winning streak, even relatively small opportunities like this that help teams develop should be embraced. In a sense, it will help support the developmental trajectory of a game that people sometimes forget is still very young.

UConn Prepares for Historic Trip
The men’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournament began in 1939; the women did not have one until 1982 — a decade after the passage of the gender-equity legislation known as Title IX. This year’s women’s N.C.A.A. tournament will be its 29th. The 29th men’s tournament occurred in 1967 — as the U.C.L.A. dynasty kicked into full swing with Lew Alcindor, nowKareem Abdul-Jabbar, consummating a 30-0 season and winning the first of what would become seven consecutive titles for the Bruins.

Essentially, there is zero difference in the trajectory of men’s and women’s college basketball. The women’s game is still in its comparative infancy. Dominant champions are predictable and necessary, just as they were for the men. If anything, it is more difficult for the UConn women to win titles now than it was for Alcindor and Bill Walton at U.C.L.A. decades ago.

Given the difference in where the women's game is relative to the men's game, the WBI has different meaning to women's basketball than the CBI and CTI have to men's basketball.

It's hard to dispute that with more tournaments the stakes increase, especially when there is profit involved. If it seems like STI sees themselves as competitors rather than subordinates to the WNIT, they do - it is their goal to get the next 16 teams that don't make the NCAA tournament. But that competitive spirit goes in both directions.

"We are certainly competing with the WNIT for teams," said Seymour. "We certainly aren't ‘conceding' the next 64 teams to the WNIT. Little background here-the WNIT was a 48 team event last year. We announce our 16 team field-about 3 weeks later the WNIT "expands" their field 16 teams to the current 64."

Of course there will be teams like USC - which felt they deserved a NCAA tournament bid - who feel like accepting a bid to a second-tier tournament is inadequate.

"I understand some hesitancy with the "newness" of our event," said Seymour. "However, Sport Tours International has been running women's college tournaments and taking teams on foreign trips for over 25 years. We were doing this before anyone else even thought it. The WBI is just a portion of what Sport Tours International does. Heck, we had Baylor, Texas A&M, Arizona State and Gonzaga in our Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic in December. It was widely hailed as the best non-conference women's hoops tournament in America. Do people on the "inside"-the college coaches-know the WBI? We hope. Do they know Sport Tours International, what we do and do well? Absolutely."

Related Links:

Postseason Time: Washington & Portland To Square Off In WBI(3/16 at 6pm at Bank of America Arena)

The 16-team WBI field

Cal State Bakersfield Hoping for Post-Season Bid with New WBI Tournament

Sport Tours Names WBI Advisory Committee - 12/3/2009

Washington Team Needs & Outlook: What Does Katie Smith Bring the Mystics?

2010-03-16T19:50:42Z

Veteran Olympian and three-time WNBA champion Katie Smith signed with the Washington Mystics today. But in addition to experience, what does she add to this team? (Photo by Max Simbron)

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If Washington Mystics General Manager Angela Taylor wants to create a "culture of winning", then it's hard to imagine finding an active player with a stronger resume of winning than veteran Olympian and WNBA champion Katie Smith.

During today's teleconference to announce Smith's long-anticipated signing, Taylor called Smith one of the best players in the world and that championship pedigree is certainly something that she will add to the team.

"I think Katie is someone who just has a ton of experience," said coach Julie Plank during today's media teleconference. "We were in a lot of close games last year - I think she understands what it takes to win. She's extremely competitive, extremely mentally tough, and she plays both ends of the floor. There's nothing that she can't do...I'm really excited to coach her and I know our players are really excited to play with her."

On the court, what Smith represents is something else that Taylor has sought in the offense - versatility. Smith is a player able to play all three perimeter positions and is stong enough to defend any one of them. As Taylor mentioned in her interview with Swish Appeal last week, having multiple players on the floor who can handle the ball is a key to success, even more valuable in today's WNBA climate with 11 player rosters.

"My versatility and ability to play a lot of different positions whether it be the 1, 2, or 3," said Smith during today's media teleconference. "Even if it's giving Lindsey Harding a break at the 1 at times or being able to run the point when Lindsey's on the floor. It's all of us being interchangeable. And sometimes I can play the four depending on match-ups. So I think it's just depending on the game, depending on the game plan, and how we're doing and what we're doing, that's just where I'll fit in."

While her versatility and veteran leadership is certainly welcome, at age 35 and coming off an injury-shortened season, the Mystics are certainly not getting the same Smith that won two ABL championships or even the one that helped lead the Shock to 3 WNBA championships. So it would be reasonable for fans to wonder what tangible contributions Smith can make to the Mystics.

In chatting with Taylor last week, three needs came up as most critical to the team taking the next step forward: scoring, ball control, and post play.

Although Smith may address their need for scoring and to some extent ball control, the Mystics are still well aware that they need to improve their post play.

Scoring might not stand out as a major area of concern for the Mystics.

As noted by Taylor, the team did increase its scoring output to 76 points per game last season from a league-low 69.6 in 2008. For the most part, their scoring strength was getting transition and hustle points - they were third in the WNBA in both 2^nd chance points and fast break points. The problem was finding points in the half-court,

"Our offense has been predicated on the defensive end - we get out in transition and we're deadly in transition," said Taylor in an interview with Swish Appeal last week. "It was in the half court that we struggled. And part of that can be attributed to familiarity with the system, players getting comfortable with one another, and so we'll focus on our half court execution."

Consistent with her reputation as the ABL's all-time scorer and the WNBA's third all-time leading scorer, Smith was a pure scorer last season based upon the SPI playing styles framework - relative to the league, she looked scoring opportunities more than 97% of the league. Most importantly, she was the most efficient scorer on the since-relocated Detroit Shock last season and among the most efficient wing scorers in the league despite injury.

That efficiency should help the Mystics considerably - the team's biggest four factors weakness was effective field goal percentage relative to opponents and even if Smith's production drops a little this season, she is just one more player that knows how to get points in a half court situation.

Of course, she will not be without help - the Mystics are expecting internal improvement on the scoring front.

One major aspect of center Crystal Langhorne's improvement last season was her scoring - over the last five games of the season, Langhorne actually led the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game while the season leading scorer Alana Beard recovered from injury. Although she was by no means a primary option, as she continues to develop as a young post player, she will be able to contribute points in the half court.

Taylor also expects forward Marissa Coleman to rebound from a rookie season "derailed" by a high ankle sprain that lingered "both physically and mentally" to become a more effective scorer. Taylor pointed out that during the first three games of the season the team not only went 3-0, but were one of the top scoring teams in the league. Upon returning from injury she was mostly a spot-up shooter -- which was valuable --but Taylor expects more this season.

"When she returned to the team she and Monique Currie - Monique was our best 3pt shooter at 38% -- in our three position really relied on being able to spread the floor so that Lindsey and Matee Ajavon and Alana Beard could create off the dribble," said Taylor. "So I think that one of the things we're looking for from Marissa is to step up her game to the next level -- be more consistent, be more explosive off the dribble as well as well as being a spot up shooter. People cannot lay off of her but if they get up on her I think that in college she displayed that she's really able to put the ball on the floor, have more of a mid-range game or get to the basket and finish. So I'm looking for her to do much more of that this year - to be more aggressive offensively as well as to continue to work on her defense."

Although Currie was the team's best three point shooter - after being considered a slasher when arriving in Washington, she shot the highest three point percentage of her career- she was also among the best offensive rebounders at the small forward position as well as in the top ten in the league in free throw rate. So despite a down season relative to her career and inconsistency, the team re-signed her on the basis of her strengths.

"One of the things is Monique statistically was inconsistent but at critical times in the game, Monique Currie was on the floor for us," said Taylor. "She was our best free throw shooter and in the league she was one of the best players at getting to the free throw line which again I think is a critical thing for us to get to the free throw line and change the course of the game. And we are looking for her to be more consistent but if you look at her numbers and if you look at her efficiency over 40 minutes, Monique was in the top 5 or top 6 at her position. So one of the things for us is we shared time between Marissa and Monique quite a bit last year and one of the things that we'll look at is who is going to step up and really own those minutes. But we do look for Monique- she's had a great off-season overseas, she's working on her game, I think that she has a perfect complement."

Regardless of the expected improvement of both Coleman and Currie, it should be clear that Smith will add a more consistent, efficient, and reliable presence on the wing for the Mystics.

But increased scoring efficiency was not the only problem - the main problem Taylor identified in the half-court was ball control.

"If you look at our turnovers, that's a lot of possessions and we lost a lot of games by 2 or 3 possessions," said Taylor of a major contributor to their half-court scoring problems. "And we turned the ball over in many of our losses too many times. And so possession by possession, take care of the ball. We feel like we do take care of the ball much better than we have in the past. If we don't make silly fouls on the offensive end, that's gonna help us in the scoring column by having more field goal attempts."

To be sure, the Mystics did improve on the turnover front - there were last in both assist differential and turnover differential in 2008 and moved up to 11^th and 10^th respectively in 2009. That said, Smith adds another player to the mix who can handle the ball and knows how to make plays, taking pressure off of Beard and point guard Lindsey Harding to handle the ball whose turnover percentages left something to be desired.

"Our players, they have the ball in their hands quite a bit and Alana in particular can't turn the ball over," said Taylor of the turnover problem. "So making better decisions with the ball and having a better interior game will hopefully help with that."

Beard is also a pure scorer by SPI styles, although she's also noted for her defensive prowess. Although she was the team's leading scorer, she was also far less efficient than Smith was last season as well as being a high usage player with a high turnover percentage - she committed the most turnovers of her career last year.

With Smith on board, one would have to assume that both scoring and ball handling responsibilities would be more distributed, thus decreasing the turnover percentages of all three (Beard, Harding, and Smith were in the 60th-90th range in turnover percentage in 2009). Less pressure on primary ball handlers combined with more scoring consistent and efficient scoring options will almost certainly help the Mystics' half court offense.

"We have a lot of players that can create for themselves but I think our perimeter shooting will be much better and we'll have more options offensively," said Taylor. "So I think we'll be able to create a little bit better, share the ball much more as we get to know the offense and get to read and understand who we're looking for in certain sets, which plays are for what players and those type of things I certainly think that they'll be in year two in our system."

However, the biggest need for the Mystics after the Smith signing is still the post.

"Our biggest need - and it's certainly no secret - is we need to enhance our post game," said Taylor last week. "We need some posts to step up and to have a bigger post presence, both on the defensive end and the offensive end. I think we were last in the league in blocks so we don't really block in the paint and we have some great defenders who are going to get all over their guards so we need somebody to have a presence interior defensively. And we need to be able to have a low block presence, another post player who can contribute offensively and be our primary threat out there. So that's our primary focus this off-season: how can we improve our post game?"

Ironically, despite looking for help in the post, Langhorne was arguably the team's most statistically valuable player, primarily due to her combination of rebounding, scoring efficiency, and a low usage rate. That combined with her strong performance at the end of the season certainly could make it reasonable to believe that they have someone to anchor the post.

However, there are two problems in the post - the Mystics were the only team with out a post player with average scoring tendencies in their rotation based on SPI styles (Minnesota's Quanitra Hollingsworth is barely in the middle third of the league; Washington's Bernice Mosby was right around the 44^th percentile, but only played 6 minutes per game). So although Langhorne stepped up her scoring late in the season, for the most part the team did not even have a post player looking to score. So although they were sixth in points in the paint, it wasn't necessarily coming from their posts.

The other problem is on the defensive end - as Taylor said, the team's success is predicated on creating offense from their defense. As an undersized post player, post defense is just something that Taylor says Langhorne is still working on and may always be limited in. After signing both Smith and Kristin Haynie, it looks like they will most likely make that addition through the draft.

"We have we've narrowed it down to probably 3 or 4 different players at number six," said Taylor. "Certainly we're looking at post players in college so there's a few post players that resonate with us and that have been playing well and that would fit into our system. Very different post players so they're all not the same, don't bring the same things to the table. So we're evaluating who may be there at #6."

Perhaps their ability to find a post contributor in addition to adding Smith is what will most determine whether they improve this season. Nevertheless, Smith should make the Mystics a slightly better scoring and ball handling team, in addition to giving Plank a more versatile option to play with in the rotation.

Part 1: Mystics 2009 Review: What Exactly Does It Mean to Create a "Culture of Winning"?

Transition Points:

Taylor commented last week on what Haynie brings to the team.
More on Marissa Coleman: "She complements our perimeter really well, she has great size, and we look for big things from Marissa because she is capable of scoring. And I think the thing that was surprising was her ability at the defensive end – she matched up with Candace Parker or Tamika Catchings. The three position is pretty intimidating and potent and I thought she matched up pretty well for someone who in college didn’t really rely on her defense that much.
Taylor also said that they will be looking at perimeter players in the draft: "There's also some perimeter players that we think can fill some holes - like I said before, we are looking for some combo guards or someone to add depth on the perimeter. And so we feel pretty good about it right now. It's not a deep draft but I think a month or two ago some of us were a little bit disappointed in the draft. I think now some players are starting to step up and rise to the top so we're pretty happy about our position and think we'll get a great player. Maybe not make an immediate impact, but that will be a natural player that we can draw on for a long time."
Not that there is a strong statistical indicator of defense in basketball, but taking the weighted defensive elements (blocks, defensive rebounds, fouls and steals) of David Sparks' val metric that measures the value of player contributions, Langhorne ranked 11 in the league among post players. However, the issue for Langhorne will be more position defense than statistical outcomes.
Just looking back through the archives briefly, I found this little tidbit that I wrote on Rethinking Basketball relevant to what Taylor is doing with the Mystics now:

"Forever Opti-Mystic": When Will the Mystics Rise Above Mediocrity? (September 2008)
The fact that Connecticut beat the Mystics with their bench playing major minutes speaks volumes about Connecticut's team building strategy. They have built a system that functions even without their stars. Nobody expected them to be at the top of the Eastern Conference this year, but there they are with home court advantage.

That seems like a good way for the Mystics to start to me -- establish a system, find players who fit the system, and build slowly toward a cohesive unit. It might not result in instant success, but at least fans might feel like the team is building toward something rather than floating around in the abyss of mediocrity. And perhaps that will help the fair weather male fans like me stick around for a little bit longer.

Poll

Will the Mystics go deeper in the playoffs (past the first round) this season with Smith?

Cowgirls score a four - head to Tempe to face Chattanooga

2010-03-16T01:20:06Z

Seniors Andrea Riley and Tegan Cunningham, surrounded by the 4th-seeded Cowgirl basketball team

The crowd gathered at Boone Pickens Stadium, in eager anticipation of hearing the results and rewards of a hard-fought season. And those results came early in the evening’s festivities. ESPN started their selection show with talk of – who else – UConn and moved quickly into unveiling the first bracket, Sacramento.

To the surprise of some and the expectation of others, Oklahoma State landed at the fourth-seed facing off against Chattanooga, winners of the Southern Conference. Don’t count head coach Kurt Budke among those who were surprised – this is just what he anticipated. "The committee told us that they would reward us for what we accomplished this year," Budke noted, "and the committee kept their word."

He continued making the case for the Cowgirls’ high seed, though he needn’t feel it necessary to justify after OSU’s 23-10 season and Top 20 finish. "Just looking at pure numbers of nine Top 50 wins, six Top 25 wins; RPI was 12, strength of schedule seven. Just by going by the numbers, we were a four seed."

The talk on the TV and throughout the crowd hinged on what will be the first-round absence of star guard Andrea Riley. But as fellow senior Megan Byford pointed out, "it was something we knew was coming all along, so I think we’re prepared for it." As many may know, Riley is suspended for the Cowgirls first-round NCAA game due to an incident that happened in the 2008 tournament.

"It will be very strange," playing without Riley in the first game, Tegan Cunningham readily admits. "I think the game will be very different, but it’s something we must adjust for and if we want to get this done we have to really focus on us as a team and really getting it done for [Riley] as well."

Freshman up-and-comer Toni Young knows she will have to play an even bigger part than what she has taken on as she has blossomed throughout the year. "My role is going to be rebounding and scoring more than what I’m doing now. I can’t wait until next year, because the season’s here now."

Riley’s early advice for her team is "to just going out and play like they play on the playground." As for her advice to herself she says, "I’m going to be happy for my team. I can’t mope around, I’m not going to be that way. I have too much faith in my teammates. They always cheer for me, so why not cheer for them? Why not be their biggest fan when they’d do the same thing for me."

When talking about the upcoming matchup Budke joked, "well, the one thing you can’t do is scout us right now. That’s the one advantage we have". All joking aside, there is more than just the unknown as an advantage. These ladies feel they owe it to Andrea to make it to the second-round and they all feel they’ve proven throughout a tough Big 12 conference schedule that they have the strength, ability and will to do just that.

As they have the entire season – as a team – on and off the court.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Pac 10 Womens Basketball Tournament Championship, UCLA Bruins vs Stanford Cardinals- 3/14/10

2010-03-16T08:04:06Z

Stanford 70, UCLA 46

[2010 Pac 10 Womens Basketball Tournament] UCLA Bruins vs Stanford Cardinals - March14, 2010 - Images by Craig Bennett/112575 Media

For photo galleries of the rest of the Pac-10 tournament, please see our "Photo Galleries" section.

Madness Looming at Swish Appeal and Women Talk Sports

2010-03-16T00:51:23Z

Madness Looming at Swish Appeal and Women Talk Sports

The 2010 NCAA women's basketball tournament brackets were announced today.

Queenie has already written up capsules for all the automatic bids. You can find every one of those here.

Over the next few days, Jessica will be posting accounts of the OSU selection party as well as a preview of Big 12 teams and Queenie and I will post some thoughts on our respective conferences.

Very soon I will be making my picks along with other contributors at Women Talk Sports some time in the next few days -- feel free to join us!

And best of all, I will be at Bank of America Arena for the first and second round games in Seattle, including my first look at Courtney Vandersloot in person.

For ESPN's brackets, click here.

It's madness.

Stanford vs. UCLA-- PAC-10 Championship Game

2010-03-15T18:57:38Z

We run into some UCLA fans in the bar (hey, it was the only place near the arena open for lunch). They say they heard UCLA’s Jasmine Dixon was hurt. That she got hurt in the semi-final game against USC. C and R look at each other. Maybe they are trying to give us false hope.

All C and R can say is if she was hurt, we would hate to see her at full strength. The Stanford Women’s Basketball team led the game against UCLA wire to wire, but it was Jasmine Dixon that impressed. She was everywhere on the court. She would drive in to the basket and try to draw a foul and when Stanford would play off her to prevent her drive, she would pull up for a jumper and make it. She also was everywhere on the defensive side of the court.

The only way we could stop her was when she went to the bench. Luckily for us, she did early and often in the first half. What was UCLA Head and PAC-10 Coach of the Year Nikki Caldwell thinking?

C and R were sitting with a mixed crowd (meaning we were near Stanford and UCLA fans) and our section had fun theorizing why Dixon was not in more. Was she really injured? Was it her foul trouble? (She would eventually foul out of the game in the second half) Was it to give us a false sense of confidence?

One of our faithful readers had a great theory that Jasmine was tired from yesterday’s game and they were resting her a lot in the first half so she would still be fresh for a second half charge. Boy, that was a good theory.

Speaking of the half, we were leading 36-19 after 20 minutes. Can you say "Defensive Battle"? Can you say, "Stanford make your lay-ups for crying out loud?" Good. UCLA kept us on our toes by a half court trap and occasionally a full court press. In breaking the half court trap, as long as we did not panic and remembered we can dribble out of two people guarding us, we did fine.

As for UCLA’s full court press, we could break it but it would take us 15 seconds of the 30-second shot clock. Stanford fans, let’s flash back to 2008’s National Title game when Stanford played against Tennessee (you know, the one that was Candice Wiggins’ last game-- Oh, we just like remembering her!). No, really, we have a point.

At that time, Nikki Caldwell was an assistant coach for Tennessee. She noticed that the strength of Stanford’s offensive was their passing and going through set "reads". If you are open, you shoot; otherwise you pass to the next player. Pass to the wing, pass to the three point shooter, pass to the high post, wait for the guard to come around the horn of Africa and hand off, back to teh wing… you get the idea. Stanford would be very patient and disciplined and pass until they wore down the defensive and would find a shooter open and shoot. This would take 20-25 seconds of the 30-second shot clock. If you covered that shooter the next time down, Stanford would have another option waiting. It was hard to defend.

So Nikki said, "Let’s take away their strength", which is using the clock. So Tennessee pressed us and harassed us in the backcourt. Even if we broke the press and got the ball across the half court line, we had used 15 seconds of clock. As we went to our passes and "reads," we would run out of time and would have to take a hurried shot. We looked disjointed on offensive, never found our rhythm and lost the game.

Well, flash forward to the second half of this game and UCLA comes out in a full court press. We don’t panic as much as we used to and get the ball across half court, right at the 15-second mark. Except this time we have our secret weapon, Nneka Ogwumike. We can just pass it to her down low and she can create and score within 5 seconds. Or else Kayla Pedersen can get the ball and pull up for a three or drive in, all within 5 seconds. Ha, we are not so one-dimensional anymore, are we?

Oh, with UCLA pressing, Tara decided to insert guard Melanie Murphy into the game for her ball handling skills and she did great, and contributed 10 points. Hopefully her knee is up to the challenge of more minutes.

So when we saw UCLA open teh second half with the full court press and Jasmine Dixon playing hard, we thought the prophecy that UCLA was saving Dixon to make an energetic charge was going to come to fruition. But we broke it and scored easily. When Dixon got her fourth foul and went to the bench, no one from UCLA really stepped up scoring-wise, and when she fouled out, that’s all she wrote. (Except for us, we keep writing). The outcome was never in doubt and the final score was 70-46.

One thing we did admire is that UCLA did not give up on their aggressiveness in the closing minutes. They went hard after the Stanford players, and if we got a defensive rebound, they attacked us, a few times slamming down hard on the ball to knock it away. So much so that Stanford Coach Tara Van Derveer said UCLA "took rebounds out of our hands". She feels we still need some work, to put it mildly.

Nikki Caldwell said she liked when her team was "aggressive and disruptive", but they did not keep it up for 40 full minutes. C and R are sure in she will correct that in a year or two.

We do want to mention that we thought we had better refs for this game at least more fouls were (rightfully) called. UCLA had two players foul out in the second half, and Jayne Appel was in danger with 4 and Nneka had 3. The UCLA players, in their defense, were playing very aggressively when they fouled.

Now on to the accolades. First of all, we are the first women’s PAC-10 team to go undefeated in PAC-10 play (18-0) and undefeated in the PAC-10 tournament. We were 21-0 during that stretch. Nneka Ogwumike scored 59 total tournament points and was named the tournament MVP. She was the fifth player to be named league MVP and tournament MVP. Kalya Pedersen and Jayne Appel were named to the PAC-10 tournament team.

Incidentally, Swish Appeal has been reviewing women’s basketball teams in preview of the NCAA tournament. Here is one quote about Stanford’s trio of trees.

"Most schools would kill to have one post player as good as any of Stanford's. The fact that Stanford is sitting on three of them is mind-boggling… In case that wasn't enough, they have the co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-10 in senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude."

She forgot to mention Chiney Ogwumike coming in next year… hee hee.

Anyway, Congratulations to Stanford! Enjoy your Monday and look for the women’s bracket!

More Stanford Stuff at the original C and R's Stanford Women's Basketball Blog

Mystics 2009 Review: What Exactly Does It Mean to Create a "Culture of Winning"?

2010-03-15T15:43:11Z

Washington Mystics center Crystal Langhorne's surprising individual improvement in 2009 might best embody the organization's collective commitment to creating a "culture of winning". (Photo by Max Simbron)

View full size photo »

From the moment Washington Mystics General Manager Angela Taylor asked about my cell phone's 510 area code at the beginning of our interview last week, her passion for Stanford University basketball was clear.

Although she said she wouldn't "hold it against me" that I grew up a Berkeley fan, she took a parting shot just as we ended the conversation.

"Go Stanford right," she said just after I thanked her for her time. "None of that Berkeley stuff."

While the conversation began and ended with Taylor jokingly fanning the flames of Cal-Stanford tension, it was also clear that her Cardinal pride extends beyond that of the average alum. As someone who won two national championships (1990 & 1992) as a Cardinal and later went to back-to-back Final Fours in 1996 and 1997 as Tara VanDerveer's assistant coach, Taylor knows what it takes to win. In listening to her speak about her vision for the Mystics, it's clear that her experience as a Stanford player, co-captain, and assistant coach has strongly informed the way she thinks about building a winning organization, both in the front office and on the court.

"Certainly as we're building our team, the things that we've liked throughout- Julie coached at Stanford, I played at Stanford -- the things that led to Stanford's success is that at all five positions on the floor you had players who were versatile, players that could handle the ball," said Taylor. "You had size on the perimeter who can post up smaller guards, who can spread the floor and shoot the three ball or handle in transition. And you had post players who were able to be dominant on the low block, but also were able to face up and stretch the defense. So that's kinda what we're trying to do here: have a lot of versatility in a system that allows our players to play to their strengths."

However, bringing a Cardinal mentality to a Mystics organization that has been the polar opposite of Stanford for so long required a fundamental shift in culture - the habits, norms, and values that start with strong leadership and inform what it means to be a part of the organization. When Taylor looks back on what she accomplished in the first year of her dream job -- a season in which the Mystics made a 6 game improvement and returned to the playoffs -- building what she describes as a "culture of winning" stands out as among the most prominent things.

"We have a system in place, we changed the culture, and I think that all the players are familiar with our system and have bought into it pretty quickly," said Taylor. "And that's the reason why we're here: we want to be WNBA champions. And from day one -- from the first meeting we had with our team to the first day of practice -- there was no doubt that the players knew what it was about: we're going to have fun, we're going to enjoy each other's company, but ultimately each player had to get better as individuals, we had to get better as a staff, and our goal was to win a WNBA championship."

However, as she alludes to, shifting the culture means more than a new GM coming in and sending down a directive from her office desk. The type of change Taylor impatiently desires fundamentally requires a common vision and a collective commitment to achieve the vision. But it's all empty rhetoric without fundamental concrete expectations and actual changes in behavior.

So what exactly has it meant for Taylor to create a "culture of winning"?

If we were to define a "culture of winning" by what the Mystics actually did in the 2009 season, the key elements were strong leadership, a collective commitment to improvement, and attention to detail. Of course there were a couple of surprises along the way, but perhaps this is one of those examples of a team creating their own luck by doing the little things in pursuit of success.

Attention to detail

It is clear from speaking with Taylor that changing the culture started with a commitment from owner Dr. Sheila Johnson. With her support, the Mystics started by making small changes that significantly helped their players on the court.

"She cares so much about these young ladies both on and off the court," said Taylor. "And she is committed to making sure that we have the resources in order to make them successful. If it's as simple as hiring a strength and conditioning coach - it was the first time we hired a strength and conditioning coach last year. We feel like we have the best trainer in the league. And those type of things to make sure that our players are healthy and in great shape as they head into the season... I think she's a great role model for all of us - for our players, for myself in particular, for the rest of our staff."

The example that Johnson set by providing the resources to succeed was contagious - flowing through Taylor and to first-year coach Julie Plank.

"She brings a unique sense of intensity and personality, compassion," said Taylor. "Very competitive individual and you get that sense in every practice - she doesn't take a practice off, she doesn't take a day off. She is constantly focused on how can she get better as an individual, how can she help our players get better as individuals, and then collectively what can we do to continue to move in the right direction. So I think that that constant intensity was contagious; our players felt it and they really were able to get motivated and inspired based on just her intense nature on the court and her attention to detail - there wasn't any detail that was too small to focus on and those are the type of lessons I think a lot of young players need to be exposed to."

So when you consider the consistent efforts from ownership, front office, and coach to improve, it becomes readily apparent that the six game improvement was not simply a matter of getting sick of losing - it was truly a collective commitment to change. While it may be tempting to say the suprising improvement of some of the Mystics' core players was due to the broader organizational changes, Taylor made it clear that individual accountability for improvement was as important as the commitment to the whole.

That individual improvement starts with Lindsey Harding, whom the Mystics acquired from the Minnesota Lynx to lead the team from the point guard spot. Although Harding's improvement may have been a surprise to some WNBA fans, Taylor - who also came to Washington from the Lynx - wasn't surprised at all.

Floor leadership

"Lindsey showed sparks of that when she was with Minnesota," said Taylor. "She's one of the fastest players in the league and very explosive off the dribble so she was starting to understand how to use her characteristics in order to raise and complement her teammates. So I wasn't surprised that she could do those things and that was one of the reasons why we gave up two, virtually two, first round draft picks to go get her - I think it's important for you to have a great starting point guard."

After two injury riddled seasons in the league prior to last year, indeed her ability to fully utilize her speed at the WNBA level was one of the most impressive aspects of her 2009 campaign - one commentator said last August that it looked like Harding was on ice skates compared to everyone else in transition. Although her point guard statistics such as assist ratio or pure point rating weren't at the top of the league, her all around performance put her in the conversation as one of the top 3 point guards in the league last season. Yet in addition to just getting healthy and being given the leadership opportunity, Taylor cited a number of other factors important to her emergence.

"Last year was the first time that she played a full season from start to finish - knock on wood - and she's grown: she's played USA basketball so she's played with the best," said Taylor. "She was able to play overseas for the full season and there's no doubt that that helped her out tremendously. And we turned the reigns to the team over to her - which provided a lot of confidence to her. She's a great leader. She's familiar with a lot of our players - she's played with Moni Currie and Alana Beard so I think that that helped with her learning curve. And those players were familiar with her style. She's familiar with coach Plank and her system -- I think it's very important for a point guard and her coach to be on the same page. So all those little tangible things were critical. And then the intangibles - I think Lindsey was excited about coming to DC and having the opportunity to do what she feels like she should do."

With Harding and Alana Beard in the backcourt, Washington had not only one of the most potent scoring backcourts in the league, but also one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. According to Taylor, the leadership that their backcourt duo showed in practice was critical to the success of a team whose offense was predicated on strong defense and scoring in transition.

"We feel that with Lindsey and Alana -- two of the fastest defensive perimeter players in the league - if you have your best players who value defense, in practice or in the games, that's going to set the tone for your team," said Taylor. "And I think that that was one of the things that we were excited about - we had a great group of defensive players, but defensive players who could score."

Harding's emergence easily made her one of the top candidates for 2009 Most Improved Player according to Kevin Pelton of StormBasketball.com. However, Crystal Langhorne's surprising improvement last season garnered the attention of voters, fans, and the Mystics decision makers alike.

Diligent improvement

"Going into the season we had no idea what Crystal Langhorne was gonna be able to bring to the table," said Taylor. "She worked extremely hard in the off-season. So if you looked at her 2008 performance, what she did in 09 was completely different. She enhanced her game in a lot of different areas."

Whereas Taylor listed a number of factors in Harding's emergence, Langhorne's came down to diligence and hard work.

"Crystal didn't get down on herself after a lack of minutes in 2008," said Taylor. "She worked extremely hard last year when she was playing in Lithuania and worked on a lot of different aspects of her game. And once coach Plank and her staff got on board last year she had some different areas that she needed to work on and to the letter she put the time in the gym."

Langhorne's hard work in the off-season paid off most on the boards where she was one of the top rebounders - defensive and offensive - in the WNBA. She was one of the major reasons that offensive rebounding ended up being the team's biggest strength in terms of four factors last season.

"She's been consistent throughout her college career so it's kind of interesting that her rookie season she didn't have that on court success," said Taylor. "But if you see why she did have four great years at Maryland it is because she really is diligent and consistent in everything she does...We're one of the top rebounding teams in the league because of Crystal's presence on the boards - offensively and defensively. I think at her position she was at the top both on the offensive end and the defensive end."

Of course, Langhorne's development is not complete - as an undersized post player, she was not necessarily a huge scoring threat and more importantly had trouble defending larger posts.

"I think that she'll be able to continue to develop as a post player," said Taylor when asked about Langhorne as a defender. "I think as an undersized post, that's one of things she will work on this off-season: really being able to defend. Some of the smaller fours she'll have to defend on the perimeter a bit or switching on screens. But she's gonna put in the work. I think defensively as the season progressed and we were able to implement our defensive scheme, she got much more comfortable with everything that was taking place on the floor. And again, as a cerebral player, she picks things up extremely quickly."

Impatient excitement

As much as Langhorne is probably the personification of the organization's overall improvement in 2009, her flaws may also represent some of the organization's biggest needs looking forward to the 2010 season - post-play and scoring in the half court. Nevertheless, the organization took a major step forward last season by returning to the playoffs. So the biggest challenge for Taylor this season might be containing that Cardinal mentality and remaining patient as her young players continue to develop.

"The main thing for me is just patience - both Coach Plank and I are very ambitious, very competitive," said Taylor. "And in taking the Mystics job, I just thought it was a gold mine -- I think we can be the model franchise in the WNBA. If we can replicate what they've done on the business side on the basketball side by being successful on the court I think it can be a tremendous market in the WNBA. So the biggest challenge for me is just to be patient in getting to that point that we all want to get to and that is to stay winning and to be able to bring a championship home, not just once."

Part 2: Washington Team Needs & Outlook: What Does Katie Smith Bring the Mystics?

Transition Points:

In discussing Lindsey Harding, Taylor said the following: "If you look at her numbers, she and Sue Bird played the most minutes in the league but her numbers statistically should show what she's meant to our team. She was in the top 2 in a lot of different statistical categories as a point guard." As it turns out I wrote about the very subject last summer:

Point Guard Rankings (New & Improved!): Harding, Quinn Recovering Nicely from Minnesota Sophomore Slumps
4. Sue Bird, Seattle Storm -- Facilitator: So if saying that Sun point guard Lindsay Whalen is better than Bird doesn't get me run out of Seattle, putting her fourth among all WNBA point guards might.

Again, the issue is not Bird's talent, but her performance this season. She disappears for long stretches of time and as I described previously, she shoots a large number of jumpers at a very low percentage. As a result, her impact on the game can be limited, despite single-handedly winning games at times. Although Storm fans would probably not agree, all three of the point guards listed ahead of Bird on this list are having demonstrably better seasons than Bird.

3. Lindsey Harding, Washington Mystics - Combo guard: So here's the justification of Harding over Bird: Harding has been both an efficient scorer and distributor as well as being arguably the better defender. And the thing that really sets Harding apart from Bird this season is that Harding goes aggressively to the basket - she has among the highest 2 point percentages of any point guard and a much higher free throw rate than Bird. In other words, Harding does a very good job of creating easy scoring opportunities for herself both from the field and from the free throw line, hence allowing her to do more for her team.

So the argument for Harding this season is simply that she brings more to the court overall as a point guard...and perhaps is able to do so more consistently.

Poll

What change in 2009 was most responsible for the Mystics improvement?

Strictly Come Dancing: Stanford, Pac-10

2010-03-15T04:44:16Z

Who? The Cardinal of Stanford. Cardinal like the color, not the bird. Do not call them the Cardinals, plural; they are the Cardinal, singular. And for the love of all you believe in, don't call them the Lady Cardinal, because Tara VanDerveer will end you.

Where? Palo Alto, CA, which is named after a tree. Bet you can guess why the Stanford band travels with a student in a tree costume now...

When? Sunday the 14th in Los Angeles, CA.

How? Nnemkadi Ogwumike's 16/11 double-double led four players in double figures for the Cardinal as they poured it on to beat UCLA 70-46.

Upset? What do you think? Stanford ran the table in conference and finished three games up on UCLA.

RPI: 3

SOS: 10

Once again, I ought to defer this analysis to Q or Seth, who are both in Pac-10 country. I present to them a framework to build upon for March Madness.

Most schools would kill to have one post player as good as any of Stanford's. The fact that Stanford is sitting on three of them is mind-boggling. Sophomore forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike leads the team in scoring with 18.3 points on 63.5% shooting, and no, that is not a typo. Junior forward Kayla Pedersen, transitioning from the post to the three, only scored 16.1 points on 39.7% long-range shooting for second on the team. And then there's senior center Jayne Appel, who puts in 13.2 points per game. All three of them average more than nine rebounds per game, too. And small forward Pedersen and center Appel both have positive A/TO ratios, to boot. In case that wasn't enough, they have the co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-10 in senior guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude.

Odd statistical fact discovered through assiduous calculator usage: Stanford averages a bit over 28 field goals made and almost 18 assists per game as a team. To me, when that many of a team's field goals are assisted, that suggests a lot of good ball movement and unselfish play.

They beat Duke by 16 and Tennessee by 15 and beat the Pac-10 like a redheaded stepchild- only UCLA got within single digits of them in those 30 wins. I suppose if a team has one loss, by grammatical default it's their worst loss, but going to Connecticut and only losing by 12 shouldn't be counted against Stanford, not when no one's come closer this season.

Strictly Come Dancing: St. Francis, NEC

2010-03-15T02:21:07Z

Who? The Red Flash of St. Francis University. For the love of all that is sweet and holy, don't mistake them for their conference foe St. Francis College, which is located in Brooklyn, because if they don't take offense at being mistaken for a school that won all of two games, an SFC assistant coach would like a word with you.

Where? Loretto, PA, home to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art.

When? Sunday the 14th, in Brooklyn, NY.

Upset? Yes. Mostly. While the opening rounds were played in Loretto, allowing the fifth-seeded Red Flash to knock out top seed Robert Morris, they had to come out to Brooklyn to play on second-seeded LIU's home floor.

RPI: 155

SOS: 187

How? Short form: Brittney Hodges scored 23 points and St. Francis never looked back, winning 77-68. Long form? Well, read on after the jump...

The last time I went to a conference championship game, I was in college and it was the CUNYAC title game, and my alma mater won the game on two free throws after Staten Island threw the inbounds pass straight out of bounds. It wasn't half as exciting as this.

We got to the box office around 1:30 to make sure we were able to get tickets, and we started the line. The ticket office was a little disorganized, because I don't think they were ready for this many people to show up to a women's game. I was a little disconcerted when I saw so many people from St. Francis come by in their red, white, and black, especially as they guided people to various sections depending on their affiliation. They just kept coming... and coming... and coming... and then the LIU fans started arriving. It got crowded in a hurry. My legs are still cramped.

Much love and thanks to the young lady handing out LIU t-shirts at the entrance. I'd been dying for some swag, and that saved us a good thirty bucks, which we'll most likely use in the WNIT somewhere. (Or the NCAA. Oh, please, Almighty Committee, give St. John's Norfolk to Memphis or Dayton.)

I do wish the anthem singer hadn't been the same guy I'd heard in three different arenas, who gets worse every time I see and hear him.

If the Red Flash went deeper than three into their bench, then the LIU announcer didn't bother to mention who they were. Shené Fleming played briefly in the second half when foul trouble became a factor for one of St. Francis's starting guards. Brittany Lilley brought major offense off the bench, especially in the second half. Allison Smith went scoreless, but she played a good bit, so she must have been doing something right.

Brittney Hodges. Brittney Hodges. Holy crap, Brittney Hodges. I figured she was going to be the one to watch when the ESPN cameraman was following her closer than her own shadow during shootaround, but she went OFF in the first half. At one point, SFU had 23- and she had 14. LIU got on her better in the second half, but that opened up the lane and the midrange jumper for Samantha Leach, who made the most of her opportunities. Quinessa Johnson was in foul trouble for a chunk of the second half, and I don't recall her being much of a factor. Daly also got loose in the second half, with a little help from her friends. Janie Killian was a difference-maker with her length and size- she's 6-4, and LIU had no way to deal with her. That didn't keep them from trying alley-oop passes over the top.

I really like Krystal Wells, and not just because she thanked us for coming to one of their games earlier this season. She's a firestarter on the defensive end, with a reservoir of energy that never seems to run out, and her hustle made a lot of good things happen for the Blackbirds. Justine Stevenson was just not there today. I mean, she was physically present, but except for one rebound, I can't remember one good thing she did- and the pass after the rebound was stolen! Tamika Guz played briefly, proved that she couldn't shoot for love nor money, and was sat back down on the bench.

Paging Connie James. Her head was just not in this game. Too many sloppy passes, too much bad ballhandling- I think she let the pressure get to her a little. Heidi Mothershead showed up for the game and played well on defense- one brilliant sequence that forced an over-and-back comes to mind- but her shot didn't join the party. Shame. That might have been useful. Chelsi Johnson, while I applaud your confidence in your jump shot, it's a little overstated. Don't stand there and watch. Follow your shot. She went after everyone else's shots hard, though. Ashley Palmer... I always go "I'm not impressed" when I watch her play, but then she puts up 20 points and I don't know how many rebounds, and I just go wow. Kiara Evans, while she got a little too intense sometimes, did a good job of knowing that she needed to make with the offense because Mothershead wasn't hitting and they weren't getting much from the bench.

Refs. WTF, man? An elbow to the chin isn't a foul but a reach is? Iím not blaming the refs for the loss- I think LIU managed to screw up homecourt advantage all by themselves thanks to missed free throws and a couple of players not showing up. But I don't want players to get hurt, and it got close to that line. Put it this way: sometime after Janie Killian's elbow introduced itself to Ashley Palmer's chin, Palmer ended up on the floor. When Killian offered her a hand up, Palmer rolled away and got to her feet by herself.

I feel sort of like I cheated on St. John's today. I got more into this game than I have any other, because LIU needed the support and it was a conference championship, with a chance to Dance on the line. Don't get me wrong: when St. John's makes a conference championship game, you'll hear me across the state line, I'll be so loud. But LIU is my second favorite team and I wanted them in SO badly. I may have bruised my thigh. If anyone from the Red Storm reads this, it was just warm-up for if I can get to the tournament with you guys next week. :D

Originally, when it was announced that the halftime show was a cheerleading squad from PS 307, I threw up a little in my mouth, because elementary school cheerleaders are made of EW. But these kids were really, really good. They were doing pyramids and lifts that the team at St. John's doesn't even try. (So yes, when the SFU cheerleaders were a bit less than crisp with their routine, our response was "Our fifth graders are better than you!")

As frustrating as it was, I do have to give props to the SFU crowd for traveling. That was a long haul to make.

I really hope LIU makes the WNIT. They deserve at least a look. And this team needs that kind of post-season experience.

Strictly Come Dancing: Northern Iowa, Missouri Valley

2010-03-15T05:43:42Z

Last, but certainly not least- after the wonderful job the Valley did hosting the Final Four last year, I have nothing but respect for them.

Who? The Panthers of Northern Iowa.

Where? Cedar Falls, Iowa, where Kurt Warner stocked shelves before that whole NFL thing happened.

When? Sunday the 14th in St. Charles, MO.

How? Lizzie Boeck put up 19 points and the Panthers edged Creighton 54-53.

Upset? Sure was. The Panthers took out top-seeded Illinois State before beating second-seeded Creighton. (Apparently Redbirds and Bluejays are the natural prey of the Panther.)

RPI: 116

SOS: 88

The Valley prides itself on its basketball- both men's and women's.

Sophomore guard Jacqui Kalin's 14.5 points lead the Panthers, as she drains it from downtown at a 36.1% clip. Junior forward Erin Brocka is the team's leading rebounder at 7.8 per game. Junior guard Lizzie Boeck is second in both categories with 12.0 points and 6.2 rebounds. If Northern Iowa is able to get a lead late in their tournament game, they've got good chances of holding it; of the eight players who play more than ten minutes per game, seven shoot better than 70% from the line, led by Kalin's 89.7%. Looking at their high-score totals from the season, it looks like the younger players have come of age late in this season; they relied heavily on the seniors early, but the younger players came on late. Other than defensively, where they give up better than 40% shooting, I'm not seeing any bad numbers to explain the 17-15 record.

Out of conference, their record is uninspiring; their best wins are against Butler and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Two four-game losing streaks will haunt them in seeding, because though it might be a Valley-Big East match, this is still not a good year to lose to Louisville by 28, and it's been a while since there was a good year to lose to Missouri by 17.

Strictly Come Dancing: Cleveland State, Horizon

2010-03-15T05:16:08Z

Who? The Vikings of Cleveland State.

Where? Cleveland, OH, home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and former home of the Rockers).

When? Sunday the 14th in Green Bay, WI.

How? Viking starters played 196 of a possible 200 minutes, and Kailey Klein posted 23 points and 10 rebounds to beat Butler 66-57.

Upset? Yes. Fourth-seeded Cleveland State knocked out top-seeded Wisconsin-Green Bay in overtime in the semis before finishing off second-seeded Butler. Cleveland State was 11-7 in the Horizon, four games behind Green Bay.

RPI: 125

SOS: 148

What is it with Vikings and glass slippers this year? This is the second Viking team to pull an upset in its conference tournament. (Those of you who have been following this season's Strictly Come Dancing series can name the other immediately, of course.)

First-team All-Horizon Kailey Klein, a senior guard, leads the way for Cleveland State with 18.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. She gets help from junior guard Shawnita Garland, whose thirteen points per game are the other double-figure average for the Vikings, and whose five rebounds per game are third on the team. An average of three steals is pretty nice to have too. Overtime would appear to be their time, with all apologies to Maryland; in three overtime matches this season, they've outscored opponents 39-19.

Against Iona in Cancun and at home against Indiana are their best wins, and losing by two to Wisconsin isn't bad. Marshall and Kent State were their worst OOC losses, with some ugly ones in conference as well.

Strictly Come Dancing: Texas A&M, Big XII

2010-03-15T04:05:19Z

Who? The Aggies of Texas A&M.

Where? College Station, TX, home to the George Bush Presidential Library.

When? Sunday the 14th in Kansas City, MO.

How? 19 points from Danielle Adams led the way as A&M held on to a six-point halftime lead to win 74-67 over Oklahoma.

Upset? Yep. Texas A&M was the fourth seed and knocked out previously undefeated Nebraska in the semifinals before beating third-seeded Oklahoma.

RPI: 7

SOS: 3

I should probably let our esteemed Big XII contributor freelantz handle this, and I'm sure she'll bring a lot more in-depth analysis of the Big XII champions sometime during March Madness. But until then, I offer up this tiny morsel.

Three players score in double figures for the Aggies: junior forward Danielle Adams (16.0), senior guard Tanisha Smith (15.0), and sophomore guard Tyra White (10.7). Adams is also the team's leading rebounder at 5.7 per game (almost exactly half of them offensive!), but with five players snagging at least four boards a game, rebounding is clearly a team effort for Texas A&M. Junior guard Sydney Colson leads the team with 4.4 assists as half of a point guard platoon.

Best out of conference win is against Duke. But when you play Nebraska, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Texas in conference, you don't need an out of conference resume. A rough patch in late January/early February where the Aggies lost four out of five looks bad at first look, and the Texas Tech loss still isn't great, but again: the other three of those losses were at Baylor, at home to Oklahoma State, and at Nebraska.

If you need me, I'll be shutting up about the toughness of the Big East.

Strictly Come Dancing: James Madison, CAA

2010-03-15T03:42:48Z

Who? The Dukes of James Madison.

Where? Harrisonburg, VA, home to the Virginia Quilt Museum. (You laugh, but quilts and basketball go well together.)

When? Sunday the 14th in Harrisonburg, VA.

How? Dawn Evans notched 25 points and 7 assists to lead JMU to a 67-53 win over Old Dominion.

Upset? Yes. Old Dominion won the regular season title, finishing one game ahead of JMU.

RPI: 34

SOS: 96

Bubble teams and fans all over the country breathed a sigh of relief when James Madison knocked out the bipolar Lady Monarchs, who went 14-4 in a solid CAA but a bad 4-9 outside it.

Junior guard Dawn Evans is where it all starts for James Madison, who averages 24.8 points per game (and yet is second in the conference, go figure). She's not afraid to crank it up from anywhere, with 606 attempts on the season, 321 from beyond the arc, but she gets to the line and converts as well. She also averages 4.7 assists per game to lead the team. The other double-figure scorer on this team is freshman forward Tarik Hislop, who puts in 10.2 points per game. Senior guard Sarah Williams's 6.6 rebounds are tops on the team, closely followed by junior forward Jalissa Taylor's 6.5. The minute distribution is the odd stat for me- ten players average at least 14.7 minutes per game, but three average over 30. I know it has to do with the three overtime games they played, but it still seems odd.

It's hard to pick their best out-of-conference win from between Georgetown and Virginia. Wouldn't you like to have a problem like that? Back-to-back losses in conference to William & Mary and UNC-Wilmington look awful on the resume, especially with Evans available for the second of those games.

Strictly Come Dancing: Liberty, Big South

2010-03-15T03:10:48Z

Who? The Lady Flames of Liberty.

Where? Lynchburg, VA, where Jerry Falwell once debated Larry Flynt.

When? Sunday the 14th in High Point, NC.

How? Up 14 at the half against Gardner-Webb, Liberty held off a Bulldog surge to pull out a 68-66 victory. (Edited because reading boxscores on five hours' time-shifted sleep makes numbers go backwards.)

Upset? Yep. Gardner-Webb won the regular season crown a game ahead of Liberty.

RPI: 89

SOS: 286

You know what I said earlier about teams who might have been having slightly down years but who have lots of tournament experience to draw on? Hey, look, there's Liberty, back in the dance again despite losing a whole passel of Frazees.

Redshirt freshman guard Devon Brown leads the way for Liberty, averaging 16.9 points per game and tying for the team high in rebounds with sophomore forward Avery Warley, as each pull in 8.6 a game. Warley is second on the team in scoring with 10.8. Senior guard Amber Mays runs the offense for this team with just under four assists and over two steals per game. Freshman forward Jelena Antic, recovering from a leg injury, is a factor to be considered on the inside, where the Lady Flames' strength has long been.

Their best out-of-conference win was a neutral-site victory over Tulane; a pair of in-state losses by 10 to James Madison and nine to Virginia don't hurt too much, and neither does a six-point loss to Auburn. Getting swept by Gardner-Webb in conference play probably didn't do them any favors, even if they avenged the losses in the tournament.

Kristin Haynie - we’re excited about being able to pick her up in the expansion draft. Lindsey H...

2010-03-14T18:59:28Z

Kristin Haynie - we’re excited about being able to pick her up in the expansion draft. Lindsey Harding played a significant number of minutes – 34+ minutes per game at the point position – and we ask her to do a lot both offensively and defensively and at that tempo that she’s able to create. So it’s important for us in addition to our post game to have a solid backup point guard that can share minutes. And Kristin’s someone who’s a big guard so she can be a combo, especially with 11 player rosters it’s nice to have perimeter players that are versatile. So Kristin was a nice pick up there.

- Washington Mystics GM Angela Taylor on whether the team has had discussions with restricted free agent Kristin Haynie, acquired in the Sacramento Monarchs dispersal draft. The team has had "quite a few" trade and free agent discussions according to Taylor, including a "huge, major announcement" coming up on Tuesday.

Stanford Beats Cal For a Third Time

2010-03-14T05:50:30Z

Hello from LA, CA! C and R here reporting from the Galen Center on USC’s campus, flying in just in time to see the Stanford Women’s Basketball team play Cal (again) in the semi-finals of the PAC-10 tournament. The neat thing about being here (and not watching it on TV) is all the friends we are making!

We want to give a special shout out to D and C, our delightful friends from CAL! Yes, that’s right, they were Cal fans but sat next to us and were a lot of fun. C, the new one, is from Ohio, just like original C, so Original C said we would say hi to them in the blog. Hope they know how to use a computer! (boom-roasted!)

Okay, next order of business, we want to assuage your worries, C and or R were not the fan that was almost kicked out of the game. Repeat, C and R were not kicked out, and no one bothered us about our tinkle bells for Joslyn Tinkle.

So let’s back up a bit. Stanford was beating Cal handily, thanks to Jayne Appel’s appearance and no thanks to the bad refereeing. Two of the refs we recognized from previous Stanford games, and we were not fans of them then. They didn’t make any friends in this game, either. They certainly "Let Them Play" and there was a lot of rough pushing and fouls not called.

Jayne came in around the 14 minute mark of the first half and Stanford just feels better having her there. With her still bum ankle, she looked like she was limping and it affected her ability to jump. When the pushing and non-calls were getting out of hand, we watched Jayne get shoved to the ground out of bounds on a rebound under Cal’s basket, and no call. Coach Tara VanDerveer had seen enough and took her out in the final two minutes of the half to protect her. The score was 29-17 at the time, and we never looked back. We used our tenacious D and a Nneka Ogwumike catch and release shot in the final seconds to take a 35-19 lead into the half.

At the start of the second half, Cal tried a full court press and although it gave us fits at times, we figured it out pretty quickly. And hats off to Tara VanDerveer for not being complacent, as she whipped out a Stanford half court trap we have only seen once this year. It only lasted for a few minutes, though, as Kayla Pedersen got called for a reach in foul going in for a steal and a charging foul after our trap stole it and she was trying to get a fast break off the steal. Enough of that said Tara.

There was a very scary moment right before the 5 minute mark in the second half. Stanford was up 56-32. Michelle Harrison blocked Cal’s Alexis Gray Lawson and she hit the deck. Stanford grabbed the rebound and hustled down the court while Alexis lay motionless on the floor. Play keep continuing and the refs di not stop play7 for an injured player.

Now, it is unclear to C and R of the refs have discretion to stop play whenever a player goes down or if they have to wait for a dead ball to check on the injured player. Or if they just didn’t know she was laying back there in the back court. So the game continued on for 12 seconds until there was a break in the action and the refs finally called an official time out to check on Alexis.

Sooo, from the fans point of view, the refs were either heartless or clueless.

Soooo, as the medical crew was checking on Alexis and both teams were huddled by their benches and it was very, very quiet in the building, a female fan (not us) yelled, "You refs are stupid!" That’s it, one sentence, no curse words, no badgering. Unfortunately, the lady ref we don’t like heard her and said, "I heard you call me stupid."

Sooooooo, the ref, let’s cal her Melissa, called over security and wanted the fan thrown out. Two big guys went to the section and were unsure what to do, who was it, was it that bad, was it this little old lady, so they just told the section to be quiet. The ref kept wanting someone thrown out and the staff didn’t want to throw anybody out. The fan seemed pretty pacified by this point. (BTW, if you know who that fan is, please email us so we can buy her an adult beverage!)

Sooooooooooo, then, as that drama was going on, the camera crew (remember, the game was actually televised) got a cameraman to bring his camera on the court and got about three feet from where Alexis lay motionless. Fans started yelling to get the camera man out of there. Then many jokes ensued about getting kicked out of the game for yelling and then one person in the crowd said, "Boo to the camera man", so then the rest of the crowd started to just boo. So the Cal huddle looks at the stands and probably thinks we are booing Alexis on the floor. Finally they get Alexis stabilized on a back board and take her away in a stretcher to the waiting ambulance. The crowd stood, as well as the Stanford bench, as she left.

We found out later she fell on her neck and shoulder and they are going to keep her in the hospital over night for observation but she should be okay. We wish her well.

Stanford would go on to win by 20, 64-44, same margin as last time.

Well, been a long but fun day. C and R signing off. See ya tomorrow from LA.

Strictly Come Dancing: Vermont, America East

2010-03-14T04:07:33Z

Who? The Catamounts of Vermont.

Where? Burlington, VT, in western Vermont; it is the "smallest city to be the largest city in its state", according to Wikipedia.

When? Saturday the 13th in West Hartford, CT.

How? Courtnay Pilypaitis's 20 points led the charge as the Catamounts held off a big run by Hartford to win 55-50.

Upset? Yes. No. Sort of. Though Vermont was the second seed, finishing three games behind top-seeded Hartford, a critical injury to Hartford forward Erica Beverly left the Hawks very vulnerable inside and made the Catamounts the favorites, despite Hartford's homecourt advantage.

RPI: 44

SOS: 116

Having seen a bit of the America East in my wanderings through the world of women's basketball, I'm of the opinion that this is a conference that's worthy of two bids and doesn't get enough credit for being competitive (though this season... yeesh, just pretend I said this last year).

Senior guard May Kotsopoulos leads the team with 17.6 points per game, shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc. Feisty senior forward Courtnay Pilypaitis is averaging 14.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.7 steals, and one great blog on the season. Both were named to the All-America East first team.

Vermont played a strong out-of-conference schedule, notching a big win at NC State; they also have good wins against Providence and Dayton, and losing to Oklahoma State by five is not the worst thing in the world. However, while losing to Connecticut and Nebraska is not uncommon, losing to UConn by 42 and Nebraska by 44 is not so good. The season sweep by Hartford also includes an ugly 38-36 game that I suspect the America East would like to pretend never happened.

As an aside, UVM has a great website, and Helen over at the Women's Hoops Blog has kvelled about the work they've done to keep people connected to the team.