(03-02-2017 11:57 AM)hwut1 Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 11:32 AM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 06:43 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 11:51 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 10:51 PM)Dwight Wrote:  And, right on cue, an offensive explosion from Santucci!

My dog got tired of hearing "she's only a freshman."

Early in OOC she was a bit of an offensive threat. I love her game, up to the point where she decides to shoot. I suspect that will be anoff season focus.

Agree - lots and lots of upside; waiting for her to develop the Naama Shafir reverse spin and drive!

It has been painful to watch her passing up shots or nervously missing open looks. Reminded me of the freshmen and part of the sophomore years one of my all time favorite players, Courtney Ingersoll, had as she repeatedly passed up shots. We all know how her career developed.

There was a noticeable difference in Mariella's body language the entire game. Carrying herself in the positive manner we saw earlier in the season. Her response at the end of the game, during pressure situations, demonstrated the confidences in herself she has been missing. Hopefully this will continue through out the remainder of the season.

It was nice seeing her regain the game we saw from her at the beginning of the season. There have been two reasons the coaches have continued to player the large number of minutes. She is one of the biggest reasons the team is rated the top defensive team in the MAC. Cutting off passing lanes, guarding the top player on other teams, blocking shots, and good help side defense. The other is her ability to see the entire floor, making her an outstanding passer. I am glad we have her for three more years.

I think the MAC names a "Defensive Player of the Year"? Do they do that for both men's & women's basketball? If so, I think she'll win it by her senior season, if not sooner.

(03-02-2017 12:49 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 11:57 AM)hwut1 Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 11:32 AM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 06:43 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 11:51 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  My dog got tired of hearing "she's only a freshman."

Early in OOC she was a bit of an offensive threat. I love her game, up to the point where she decides to shoot. I suspect that will be anoff season focus.

Agree - lots and lots of upside; waiting for her to develop the Naama Shafir reverse spin and drive!

It has been painful to watch her passing up shots or nervously missing open looks. Reminded me of the freshmen and part of the sophomore years one of my all time favorite players, Courtney Ingersoll, had as she repeatedly passed up shots. We all know how her career developed.

There was a noticeable difference in Mariella's body language the entire game. Carrying herself in the positive manner we saw earlier in the season. Her response at the end of the game, during pressure situations, demonstrated the confidences in herself she has been missing. Hopefully this will continue through out the remainder of the season.

It was nice seeing her regain the game we saw from her at the beginning of the season. There have been two reasons the coaches have continued to player the large number of minutes. She is one of the biggest reasons the team is rated the top defensive team in the MAC. Cutting off passing lanes, guarding the top player on other teams, blocking shots, and good help side defense. The other is her ability to see the entire floor, making her an outstanding passer. I am glad we have her for three more years.

I think the MAC names a "Defensive Player of the Year"? Do they do that for both men's & women's basketball? If so, I think she'll win it by her senior season, if not sooner.

I agree! There are so many little things she does on defense that disrupt other team's offenses. The two things to watch for when she plays defense. Watch her eyes. She is aware of everything going on. Also watch how frustrated the player gets that she is guarding.

(03-01-2017 11:09 PM)Dwight Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 11:05 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Janice with 27 points, 17 boards, 2 assists & 2 steals.
Boyd 12, 16 and 7 and a block
Bravo Harriott 14, 10, 1 and 2 blocks
Santucci 8, 4, 2 and 3
McIntyre 11, 7 and 3 blocks

Those are some pretty good stat lines, especially Janice's. I really like the way we pushed pace against Northern. You can't be passive against a running team. With the pace of the game tonight, I was impressed by the Rockets' conditioning.

They Sealed the deal!

(03-02-2017 11:57 AM)hwut1 Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 11:32 AM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 06:43 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 11:51 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 10:51 PM)Dwight Wrote:  And, right on cue, an offensive explosion from Santucci!

My dog got tired of hearing "she's only a freshman."

Early in OOC she was a bit of an offensive threat. I love her game, up to the point where she decides to shoot. I suspect that will be anoff season focus.

Agree - lots and lots of upside; waiting for her to develop the Naama Shafir reverse spin and drive!

It has been painful to watch her passing up shots or nervously missing open looks. Reminded me of the freshmen and part of the sophomore years one of my all time favorite players, Courtney Ingersoll, had as she repeatedly passed up shots. We all know how her career developed.

There was a noticeable difference in Mariella's body language the entire game. Carrying herself in the positive manner we saw earlier in the season. Her response at the end of the game, during pressure situations, demonstrated the confidences in herself she has been missing. Hopefully this will continue through out the remainder of the season.

It was nice seeing her regain the game we saw from her at the beginning of the season. There have been two reasons the coaches have continued to player the large number of minutes. She is one of the biggest reasons the team is rated the top defensive team in the MAC. Cutting off passing lanes, guarding the top player on other teams, blocking shots, and good help side defense. The other is her ability to see the entire floor, making her an outstanding passer. I am glad we have her for three more years.

What a huge boost it will be if she can regain her shooting touch. In recent games, there were only two Rockets, at most, on the floor that could hit from beyond the arc. It allowed teams to collapse on the post game.

Some interesting things about Santucci's stat line in comparison to Naama when she was a freshman - note I am not trying to argue that she will turn out to be as good as Naama did, just looking at freshman perfomance to see how they compare.

Mariella: 4.4 assists, 3.1 TOs, 1.4 a/to ratio, 3.0 boards, 1.9 steals, 10 blocks, 27% FG, 19% 3FG (at least 2 games to play)
Naama: 4.5 assists, 5.7 TOs, 0.8 a/to ratio, 2.8 boards, 1.4 steals, 3 blocks 42% FG, 23% 3FG

So, yes her overall shooting percentage is abysmal. But other than that, she compares pretty well, even her 3-pt shooting is nearly comparable. I don't think many people remember how many turnovers Naama committed as a freshman.

So, I for one very much look forward to see how she grows over the next few years.