(03-19-2015 11:55 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  

(03-17-2015 11:55 PM)owen Wrote:  I know people here are pretty enamored with the Naama years, but its the Dana, Mimi, Kim decade that I wish UT had built off and gained momentum from

Couldn't agree more. Don't forget Mark Ehlen, the man behind it all.

Actually all the players Owen listed were Bill Fennelly's recruits, even Kim Knuth who never played for Fennelly. To his credit Mark Ehlen got some mileage out of them--Kim Knuth went to the NCAA Tournament THREE of her four years at UT----that is what should be the GOLD STANDARD, not Naama's UT years although her WNIT Championship is a very worthy accomplishment.

OTOH, Ehlen gets full credit for recruiting Kahli Carter and her miracle second half at the Gund to give the Lady Rockets an improbable comeback win over Kent at the finals at the Gund.

Unfortunately after that the Rockets began a slide that continued until Cullop replaced him. Ehlen's low point was probably loosing to a 0-9 (in conference play) Akron team in SAVAGE ARENA a few years before he was released.

Wasn't sure if Chuck meant Ehlen was behind the success of that decade or behind the failure to build on Fennelly's momentum.

(03-20-2015 09:38 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  Wasn't sure if Chuck meant Ehlen was behind the success of that decade or behind the failure to build on Fennelly's momentum.

Good point---I may have looked right past his intent.

Regarding Braun & de Alfredo---

I never saw enough of Olivia's play to really draw any firm conclusions except that she certainly didn't seem indispensable to the success of the team or she would have likely seem more floor time. OTOH I held out great hope for Elena as a scorer, based primarily on her reputation, although I was at Kent in the spring of 2014 when she scored 15 points in just a bit over 15 minutes of floor time. I thought this was the first time she was healthy enough to show UT fans what she was capable of but then she continued to be plagued by injuries and with the emergence of Bravo-Harriot this year, Elena's likelihood to contribute to the success of the team greatly diminished and she essentially became irrelevant in the greater scheme of things.

In any event, I wish them both well and hope that they enjoy much success in their new endeavors.

(03-20-2015 11:54 AM)T-Town Wrote:  

(03-20-2015 09:38 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  Wasn't sure if Chuck meant Ehlen was behind the success of that decade or behind the failure to build on Fennelly's momentum.

Good point---I may have looked right past his intent.

Regarding Braun & de Alfredo---

I never saw enough of Olivia's play to really draw any firm conclusions except that she certainly didn't seem indispensable to the success of the team or she would have likely seem more floor time. OTOH I held out great hope for Elena as a scorer, based primarily on her reputation, although I was at Kent in the spring of 2014 when she scored 15 points in just a bit over 15 minutes of floor time. I thought this was the first time she was healthy enough to show UT fans what she was capable of but then she continued to be plagued by injuries and with the emergence of Bravo-Harriot this year, Elena's likelihood to contribute to the success of the team greatly diminished and she essentially became irrelevant in the greater scheme of things.

In any event, I wish them both well and hope that they enjoy much success in their new endeavors.

Absolutely. Hope they shine wherever they end up.

Elena was a teaser, for sure. Her stroke was nice, but the ball didn't seem to fall for her, and she never got enough floor time to develop any kind of rhythm. Only one senior this year, two next year, and two the year after that. Only two out of five left from last year's class.

(03-19-2015 11:55 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  

(03-17-2015 11:55 PM)owen Wrote:  I know people here are pretty enamored with the Naama years, but its the Dana, Mimi, Kim decade that I wish UT had built off and gained momentum from

Couldn't agree more. Don't forget Mark Ehlen, the man behind it all.

I don't think we should "forget" Mark Ehlen but...
I don't think he exactly built the program/dynasty my comment envisioned.

(03-20-2015 11:54 AM)T-Town Wrote:  

(03-20-2015 09:38 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  Wasn't sure if Chuck meant Ehlen was behind the success of that decade or behind the failure to build on Fennelly's momentum.

Good point---I may have looked right past his intent.

Regarding Braun & de Alfredo---

I never saw enough of Olivia's play to really draw any firm conclusions except that she certainly didn't seem indispensable to the success of the team or she would have likely seem more floor time. OTOH I held out great hope for Elena as a scorer, based primarily on her reputation, although I was at Kent in the spring of 2014 when she scored 15 points in just a bit over 15 minutes of floor time. I thought this was the first time she was healthy enough to show UT fans what she was capable of but then she continued to be plagued by injuries and with the emergence of Bravo-Harriot this year, Elena's likelihood to contribute to the success of the team greatly diminished and she essentially became irrelevant in the greater scheme of things.

In any event, I wish them both well and hope that they enjoy much success in their new endeavors.

This year's team was rotating 3 or 4 players who were primarily perimeter players. And only seven players were consistently in the rotation. So if Elena had the talent others have described and was developing an overall effective game then it seems to me there were minutes to be had even with the development of Harris and B-H.

IMO Elena was exclusively an outside shooter. She was supposedly a "devastating shooter" although I never saw it and she didn't demonstrate it on the Spanish national team. She didn't have the quickness or ball handling skills to get herself open or to create offensive opportunities for teammates. Her offensive game was to hang around the three point ark hoping that the defense would loose her and her teammates would find her.

I think the main reason her minutes declined this year was an inability to be a competent defender. There were two games near the end of the preseason when she was inserted half way through the first half. On both occasions she was quickly taken out again after an opponent connected on an uncontested three point shot. She was never reinserted in those games. I assumed those players were her responsibility. Part of it could be related to the lack of quickness but I assume that coaches attributed some of it to lack of dedication to defense.

I am disappointed. I thought that she would be an important player for the Rockets.

Today's Blade says both players have already left school. How do you leave in the middle of a semester?

(03-24-2015 09:32 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  Today's Blade says both players have already left school. How do you leave in the middle of a semester?

They were at the game last night.

(03-24-2015 09:43 AM)FMRocket Wrote:  

(03-24-2015 09:32 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  Today's Blade says both players have already left school. How do you leave in the middle of a semester?

They were at the game last night.

My bad. It said left the program last week, not school.