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Good news, bad news for women's basketball
I wrote a story for today's Tribune about the injury bug that bit the UNM women's basketball team. In addition to Dionne Marsh, who is recovering to back surgery, the Lobos lost Nikki Nelson for the season to a severe knee injury. Valerie Kast also suffered torn ligaments in her right leg and will miss the next few months of workouts.
The good news for fans is Dionne Marsh is healing quickly. I got a chance to see Marsh shooting in the practice facility while talking with the men's and women's basketball coaches. It's really nice their offices are so close together. Anyway, Dionne looked great for someone who just had back surgery. UNM coach Don Flanagan said she had just been cleared to jog, but she looked pretty fluid in her movement. She wasn't sprinting or doing anything too challenging. She was just shooting at a basket with Amy Beggin. Her release doesn't seem to have been impacted by any lingering pain.
I also think getting Georonika Jackson some playing time at point guard is good for the Lobos. There were a few times late last season when Flanagan threw her in the bring the ball up under pressure. Katie Montgomery was beat up with a ga-jillion injuries and Amy Beggin was taking a beating physically too. Jackson has a strong enough build and speed that she was able to take care of the ball nicely. If she spends more time at the point, she'll get more comfortable and become a nice option for the Lobos when teams like UNLV decide to roll out a vicious full-court press.
Nelson's injury is tough, but I think the Lobos will be able to compensate well with Jackson. Kast's injury is much worse even though she'll be back for most of the season. The only thing stopping Kast from getting a lot more playing time has been mediocre conditioning and a few habits she picked up playing European ball that Flanagan hates. Those problems are easily corrected with more practice time. The problem is she missed all that time with the injury.
And for the record, this is Exhibit A in my argument we aren't going to be ignoring women's basketball this year.
Posted by ilimon at 12:26 PM | Permalink
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Posted by: AndrewLeoLopez | August 22, 2007 01:10 PM
Our best point guard bar none is Brandi Kimble.
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No one else has Brandi's basketball skills and moxie to play the point for us this year.
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This is going to be a very difficult year for Lobo women's basketball.
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We will survive if either Ansley or Angela can patrol the paint like Melissa Forest did in her only year at the five.
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Marsh is grossly miscast at the five. Her catch and shoot game is attracting too much pounding in the block.
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Go Lobos!
Posted by: Iliana Limon | August 22, 2007 04:21 PM
Bill, I know I'm just one person, but I meant this was more of an indication that we're not dropping the ball on our coverage. It will take a lot of planning and work, but we're not ignoring this team.
I actually agree with one or two of the things Andrew Leo Lopez had to say. But, I don't think Brandi Kimble is the best point guard candidate on the team. She's not the ideal person to bring the ball up the court under pressure. She has never looked comfortable in that situation when the Lobos have been pressed. UNM is much stronger with her as a shooting guard driving to the basket. Both involve dribbling, but they're still completely different skills. Angela Hartill will be a huge asset in the paint and Dionne Marsh should not be used as a center. She is a great forward, but the only way she doesn't get beat up is if there is a legitimate center to help prevent double and triple teams she has faced every game since Lindsey Arndt graduated.
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Posted by: wnaegele | August 21, 2007 07:50 PM