Status of Women's BB Team?

[gtapp]

How has the Women's BB Team looked this year. They seemed to be much improved last year but did lose some very good players to graduation. The loss to the griz was bad but did not look as bad as the season ending game last year.

[BWahlberg]

I watched the game, I was actually very impressed that the Lady Cats team did not quit, and played hard all through the game. Erica Perry is a baller, hell of a good player. Also I think Nubia Garcia is a good forward, got pinched a bit in this game with turnovers.

I think you guys have a good base of players, being that's the only time I've seen the Lady Cats can't say much about their depth/bench.

BTW - planning on coming to Bozeman for the Feb 7 matchup, maybe I'll get to meet some of you guys!

[mslacat]

I don't know the women's team as well as I do the men's and have only had limited exposure to them this year but here is my take. I think our Starting five have a great deal talent and we probably go 2 deep solid. I think after that there is a pretty big drop off in talent for our next three. Now that is not to say that these 8-10 are not good players but more that they are young and being thrust into D-1 a little to quick. I believe right now Binford has 10 eligible players and one redshirt transfer on the roster. The women have a total of 15 allowable scholarships and Binford had filled 14 , with returnees and new recruits, of them before summer started. I do not know what it is about women's sports but they have a much higher player drop out rate than men, and have shed 3 players since the summer. Players like Perry, Garcia, Bussey, Strand and more are all upper end Big Sky players, but I think there are a few players that could be better served by redshirting this year. I think we will finish in the top three, but against power house deep and big teams like the Griz we could have problem.

Despite all I have written this team is an extremely well coached, disciplined team, and Binford always gets them to play best late in the season. It is a very fun team to watch.

All of that said with a player like Perry on the court we certainly take the Griz out on our own floor.

[Helcat72]

They don't match up with the Griz physically. They have some good players but the starters are awfully skinny compared to the Griz. The Cats are quick but when we get the ball inside against the Griz, (Don't know about the other teams) we have to get to the basket before one of them blocks the shot and we end up hurrying too much. The Griz have at least three 3 point shooters who are deadly. We are lucky if one of our girls are on at any one time. Jenny Herriger can create shots for herself, but the physicality inside sort of shoves her out on the perimeter and makes her take threes. Garcia is a good post player...if she only had the body of Mara Hoefer! Perry is fast and a good ball handler and can drive to the goal. Not that much of a threat outside...shoots a little flat. She tries to creat shots for the others, but they don't always connect.

The Saturday game looked like we were throwing up shots just to try and hit the rim rather than trying to make baskets. We definitely outhustled them, Cats were going 70 miles and hour and playing their hearts out....Griz were going 50 and sinking shots.

[Bobcat4Ever]

Mslacat, you said the women's bb team has shed three players since the summer? I only know that Alyssa McGuinnis left the team after the season started. She was feeling like Bozeman was not the place for her. But who else left? I don't remember of any other announced recruits that are not around. Were there more?

Let's get out and support the 'Cats -- they are exciting to say the very least.

[wbtfg]

Another was a PG from Pomona...I think her last name was Dye. She was supposed to be an Erica Perry type player.

*Edit: I think Dye was actually two years ago. This year there was a girl from Phoenix that didn't show up this fall...not sure of the circumstances. I think her name was Gianni...or something like that.

[bpcats]

I believe the other player that left was Callie Goff. She was a defensive standout last year and played very well against Mandy Morales and the other teams best player.

The Cats are a very talented team across the board, with the emphasis being on an uptempo style of play. The Cats have struggled a little bit this year establishing their style of play and capitalizing on the open shots that they do generate. I don't think that the Cats have an automatic 3 point shooter like most of the other teams in the Big Sky. If Herringer can get hot from the outside then that will help a lot. The team is getting better on the defensive end and they should compete for a top 3 spot by the end of the season.

I don't think that we will ever see this team out of the top 3 in the years to come but trying to win the conference from the Griz is going to take a special year. The other team to watch out for is Portland State as last year their starting lineup were practically all freshman.

This conference is controlled by the Lady Griz and I'm not sure that there is a team that can touch them this year. Paula Ena has really been a difference maker for them on top of their outstanding duo of Rogers and Morales.

Erica Perry has improved tremendously since working on her outside shot.
Sarah Strand is an extremely talented player but I don't know how much her knee is bothering her. She is capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor. She is kind of in the mode of a Brittany Lohman.
Katie Bussey - is a natural scorer plain and simple.

I don't know how this team will replace the talent that they will lose in Nubia Garcia next year. She is so quick when running the floor and making all the hussle plays. I do think that gaining Janette Jackson next year will help our perimeter defense tremendously. Coach Binford thought that she might end up being the best athlete that the women's team has ever seen.

[Will_Holden]

Here's a little video I put together of the Bobcats recent efforts on the court: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/bobcat-blog/?p=767" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;