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Post by huskyvolley on Dec 4, 2022 13:40:34 GMT -5
I think UW has not been good at defense since Keegan took over. McPherson was good, but not phenomenal
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Post by montlakemouse on Dec 4, 2022 13:57:37 GMT -5
I think UW has not been good at defense since Keegan took over. McPherson was good, but not phenomenal I don't disagree. Do you think this has to do with scheme/coaching or with personnel? |
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 4, 2022 14:07:30 GMT -5
I think UW has not been good at defense since Keegan took over. McPherson was good, but not phenomenal I assume you mean floor defense, not blocking. I would agree to the extent that UW has never had a truly elite floor defense under Cook. By elite, I mean a top 10 type defense, the kind that Nebraska or Wisconsin seem to produce every year. I would guess the reason is a combination of coaching and personnel, mostly the latter. If the latter, then it still comes back to the staff since they are responsible for recruiting. |
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Post by huskyvolley on Dec 4, 2022 14:45:31 GMT -5
I think UW has not been good at defense since Keegan took over. McPherson was good, but not phenomenal I don't disagree. Do you think this has to do with scheme/coaching or with personnel? I think it's a lot to do with GMS, and they recruit prospects that would fit in this system. I hope the coaching staff will reflect and make changes. The developments of 6 ro pins (Bajema, Dreschel, and Hoffman) have been awesome. The ability of producing AA setter and MB is great too. But we have to get better at our floor defense and transition games in general. We rely too heavily on our serves. Kate Morin seems to have a lot of potential to be an elite DS. She just needs a little more discipline and get comfortable with serve receive in collegiate level. |
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Post by montlakemouse on Dec 4, 2022 15:26:50 GMT -5
I don't disagree. Do you think this has to do with scheme/coaching or with personnel? I think it's a lot to do with GMS, and they recruit prospects that would fit in this system. I hope the coaching staff will reflect and make changes. The developments of 6 ro pins (Bajema, Dreschel, and Hoffman) have been awesome. The ability of producing AA setter and MB is great too. But we have to get better at our floor defense and transition games in general. We rely too heavily on our serves. Kate Morin seems to have a lot of potential to be an elite DS. She just needs a little more discipline and get comfortable with serve receive in collegiate level. Honest question: What do you think it is about the GMS system, or the characteristics of a "GMS system prospective player", that results in sub-par floor defense and transition play? What do other coaches or teams do differently? Agreed about the potential for Morin. The elite UW teams of the past have had great DS players as well as great L players. |
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Post by redbeard2008 on Dec 4, 2022 15:37:52 GMT -5
Ideally, you would find someone with two years of remaining eligibility. The problem is that we have 1) seven players putatively on scholarship returning and three coming in for 2023, 2) no one leaving after (no seniors), and two coming in for 2024, which makes 12 - unless someone transfers out or is thought to be on a four-year scholarship, but isn't). Unlike some coaches, Cook isn't going to offer scholarships he doesn't have to give and then make the numbers work, post facto, by forcing people out or pulling accepted offers. In other words, we may have only two one-year "graduate" scholarships available for 2023, both of which have been promised to incoming recruits for 2024. While we will have only four OHs in 2024, we'll have four MBs, so one of the latter could be switched to the right (Summers or ?), helping to solve our "blocking" problem. |
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 4, 2022 15:46:30 GMT -5
I am not really familiar with GMS, though I know both JMac and Cook were/are disciples. If someone who is familiar can enlighten us as to what sort of prospects would "fit" this system, that could be helpful. Are you looking past raw athletic talent for specific skills? In addition to physical traits/skills/potential, are you also looking for intangible/mental/learning qualities? Do you give preference to a player who has already been exposed to GMS at the club level or somewhere else?
Without really knowing the system, I can't comment intelligently, but I'd be a little skeptical that there is a definite profile for an incoming recruit, as opposed to simply developing promising players within the system once they are at UW.
It would also be interesting to know which coaches at the D1 level are well known for their embrace of the GMS approach. For example, if you told me that John Cook, Kelly Sheffield, DBK at Louisville, or other coaches who have put together amazing defensive teams are GMS disciples, then I'd be skeptical that there is some flaw intrinsic to the GMS system that results in less than stellar D.
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 4, 2022 15:50:51 GMT -5
Ideally, you would find someone with two years of remaining eligibility. In other words, we may have only two one-year "graduate" scholarships available for 2023, both of which have been promised to incoming recruits for 2024. Ok, that kind of nixes the potential of landing a scholarship transfer with two years of eligibility, but I'm guessing there will still be a good number of folks available who have only one year of eligibility (whether as an undergrad or grad student) who might find the opportunity to play a major role at a major program intriguing. |
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Post by redbeard2008 on Dec 4, 2022 16:16:02 GMT -5
I think UW has not been good at defense since Keegan took over. McPherson was good, but not phenomenal I assume you mean floor defense, not blocking. I would agree to the extent that UW has never had a truly elite floor defense under Cook. By elite, I mean a top 10 type defense, the kind that Nebraska or Wisconsin seem to produce every year. I would guess the reason is a combination of coaching and personnel, mostly the latter. If the latter, then it still comes back to the staff since they are responsible for recruiting. Some of this might go back to JMac's shift to a 6-2 and Cook's shift back to a 5-1 and associated issues at L/DS. Playing a 6-2 made it difficult to use a DS, especially with only 12 subs. We had a talented libero commit, Courtney Domme, who would have been a freshman in 2015, but who had to quit after blowing out her ACL two years running. The effect was felt in 2016, with McPherson, an OH in HS and originally recruited as a DS walk-on, having to fill the Libero hole (after Strickland graduated) as a true freshman, and Onosko being brought in at DS. The point is that recruiting has a long tail, with girls first being contacted when they are 13 or 14 years old. Strickland, McPherson, Calle, and Houghton were all undersized converted OHs. |
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Post by redbeard2008 on Dec 4, 2022 18:46:28 GMT -5
I am not really familiar with GMS, though I know both JMac and Cook were/are disciples. If someone who is familiar can enlighten us as to what sort of prospects would "fit" this system, that could be helpful. GMS has been known for: * Swing blocking vs shuffle blocking. Quickness, good footwork, coordination, and "eyework" are more important than mere height. Myhre 6'2", Deesing 6'1", Swarbrick 6'1", Rowland 6'0", Sybeldon 6'1", Dunaway 6'2", and Niece 6'2" were all effective blockers despite all being 6'2" or shorter. Barfield 6'5", Gil 6'6", Wade 6'4", and Sanders 6'4", and Grote 6'4" were 6'4 or taller. Swing blocking has become generally accepted, although some coaches have stuck to shuffle blocking (Jen Greeny, for instance). * Middle-Back (or Middle-Middle) Libero defensive positioning, based on a study showing that most balls fall in the middle of the defense. JMac, however, switched to positioning his liberos in left-back, because most college offenses are left-side biased, as does Keegan Cook. * There are also some differences in setting (hand position and quick to pins/slow to middle?) and passing (face the ball/angle the platform) techniques. |
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Post by huskyvolley on Dec 19, 2022 15:08:57 GMT -5
It’s official that we are not ranked in the final poll. The last time it happened was 2002
I like to say that it feels a lot like 2014 with the coaching changes and the outlook of the recruits. But I think it is fair to say that KCook left the program worse than when he took it. While there were bright spots during his tenure, how he left the program is less than ideal.
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Post by WahineFan44 on Dec 19, 2022 15:12:22 GMT -5
It’s official that we are not ranked in the final poll. The last time it happened was 2002 I like to say that it feels a lot like 2014 with the coaching changes and the outlook of the recruits. But I think it is fair to say that KCook left the program worse than when he took it. While there were bright spots during his tenure, how he left the program is less than ideal. This wouldn’t have happened if Washington didn’t suffer the injuries they did. Washington at one point barely had 3 pin hitters available. |
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Post by JJVb on Dec 19, 2022 18:26:13 GMT -5
It’s official that we are not ranked in the final poll. The last time it happened was 2002 I like to say that it feels a lot like 2014 with the coaching changes and the outlook of the recruits. But I think it is fair to say that KCook left the program worse than when he took it. While there were bright spots during his tenure, how he left the program is less than ideal. This wouldn’t have happened if Washington didn’t suffer the injuries they did. Washington at one point barely had 3 pin hitters available. True on both fronts by you both actually. |
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Post by redbeard2008 on Dec 19, 2022 19:05:03 GMT -5
It’s official that we are not ranked in the final poll. The last time it happened was 2002 I like to say that it feels a lot like 2014 with the coaching changes and the outlook of the recruits. But I think it is fair to say that KCook left the program worse than when he took it. While there were bright spots during his tenure, how he left the program is less than ideal. He left after graduating his star class -- Powell, Grote, Hoffman. Hoffman and the two other members, Crenshaw and Cole, were not highly rated, however. We don't know yet what the 2023 and 2024 classes will hold in store, if they stick. |
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Post by udubhuskiefan on Dec 26, 2022 20:03:54 GMT -5
Excited about the new coach! What’s everyone’s predictions of the starting lineup looking like?
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