We'll Get Em Next Year ..... or will we?

[Tom Jones]

NebNets, after the Kansas game, wrote as follows.  

 

"Final record: 18-15 

So why does it feel so much like a losing season to me?  Back in November, if you had told me this season would end with NU getting beaten in the 3rd round of the WNIT, I would not have considered that to be a successful season worth celebrating. Yes, Allison’s injury was a gut punch and it affected the team’s play the rest of the year. But still…

If Coach Amy makes absolutely no changes in this offseason, no changes in her coaching style, her offensive/defensive philosophy, her recruiting approach or changes to her assistant coaching staff, then we can expect next year to go no better than .500 — .600 winning percentage. (And perhaps a sub .500 conference record again) After 7 seasons, what reason do we have to believe that Amy will deliver anything different next year if she makes zero changes or adjustments this offseason? "

 

His thoughts seem like a logical place to pull the curtain down on 22-23 and shift focus to next year.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Tom Jones
punctuation.

[Neb Nets]

Thanks Tom. Did Amy do a postgame radio show with Matt Coatney last night? Just wondering if anyone can tell me what she said. Any revelations from her that she’s not satisfied with the status of her program and she recognizes the need to change her approach? 
I hate to say it, but I look at this NU WBB staff and I think there are a couple individuals who are simply collecting a comfortable paycheck and not really contributing much in the way of recruiting, player development or Xs and Os game strategy. Just my impression. 

[Tom Jones]

Changes in coaching style, O/D philosophy, recruiting approach, assisting coaching staff ..... IMO, not gonna happen.  Tweaking at the edges perhaps, but far short of anything major.  AW is too far into her coaching career for that, and it's "on she goes with what she knows".  Which isn't all that bad. And departing into styles with which she isn't experienced or comfortable might come to more grief than satisfaction.  

 

So let's look elsewhere for optimism. Underlying the factors that aren't going to change is the most basic factor of all .... personnel ... and the quality and quantity of which.  While quality of skill is important, quantity is important too. 

 

Looking at comparability of personnel between past, present, and future:

 

From the past to the present:   Disregarding Brady and Dillard, from last year to this we lost Cayton, Porter, Brown, Scoggin, Cravens, and (let's say one half of) Weidner.  We gained Hake, Krull, and Mendelson.    Of the old, Scoggin was a constant three point threat, Craven was a rebounder and energizer, Cayton provided an offensive threat late in the season, and Weidner, well a whole lot positives disappeared.  Of the new, Krull was a key contributor, Hake showed a lot of promise, Mendelson had very little impact. Not in the extreme, but on balance, this was a bad trade having lost more than we gained in both quality and quantity.

 

From the present to the future:   Shelley and Bourne are the wild cards in this comparison.  How much we lose cannot be measured until their future becomes known.  Portal changes is another huge unknown. So of the others ... we lose only Haiby - a lot of quality packed into one player.  BUT ... and here comes the optimism ... the three recruits appear to be high quality players who will fit well into the AW style of play.  If we can retain either Bourne or Shelley, and if Weidner is as effective post injury as she has been, and if we can get more out of the portal than we lose, and if the three recruits come in healthy .... if all this comes true, IMO personnel next year can be substantially better both in quality and quantity.  I am hopeful.  

 

 

[Neb Nets]

Good thoughts. Thanks for sharing!  Quality of our player personnel does make me optimistic….but quality of our coaching staff does not. 

[redsteve]

We're a long way away before next season and lots of water will go under the bridge. So won't give a lot of thought about it....lots of time until next summer/fall.  A lot will happen in between time. 

 

But like said, will Coach visit the portal ? We need another Issie type forward... finding another with her type of skill set are far and few between. Maybe a freshman will emerge.  Will have to be a lot of chips falling in the right places, or we could have a tough next season.

 

Every team loses players, and gains new ones every year..... no matter what, we'll be a different team. .....If  the Aussies don't come back, we'll be real different. Might even be one to maybe enter the portal ?

 

But will watch for the next several months for the pieces to fall into place.  It's pretty unpredictable putting a team together for next all season.   Last year was more predictable...had mostly the same people coming back.  

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by redsteve

[Brett025]

Keep in mind in January the NCAA approved the addition of 2 assistant coaches to several sports, including WBB. These two positions, if filled, are on campus positions so no off campus recruiting is allowed. So some change is likely coming.

[HUD]

Opens the door for hiring Ann Prince in the future.

[12dozen]

50 minutes ago, HUD said:

Opens the door for hiring Ann Prince in the future.

I agree, Ann Prince would be perfect for one of the new assistant positions.

 

Amy is very loyal.  Maybe she could move a current assistant to the other 'on campus'  position, and replace them with someone that is an excellent recruiter, with a reputation of developing players.  Too much to ask?        

[Tom Jones]

Is it reasonable to infer that this is a definitive indication that Dillard and Brady have no continued presence on this team?

[12dozen]

I think it is reasonable to assume Dillard and Brady are gone.  But, unless something is shared, who knows.  The lack of mention is almost comical at this point.

Edited April 16, 2023 by 12dozen

[Neb Nets]

1 hour ago, 12dozen said:

I think it is reasonable to assume Dillard and Brady are gone.  But, unless something is shared, who knows.  The lack of mention is almost comical at this point.

Try and imagine 2 players on the NU Volleyball roster who tied up 2 scholarships for 2 or 3 seasons and almost never saw the court between the two of them due to chronic, long-term injuries. And neither of those players even appeared with their team on the bench during volleyball games. Imagine the NU VB fan base being satisfied with being totally kept in the dark in terms of those players’ statuses with the VB team the way we WBB fans have been kept in the dark regarding Brady and Dillard! But see, the VB staff wouldn’t intentionally keep their fan base in the dark like that. Then again, Cook and his staff wouldn’t mismanage the roster and their available scholarships the way that Amy Williams and her staff apparently have in recent seasons. 
 

I feel it important to say that this post is in no way anything personal against Brady or Dillard. I’m sure they’re both great people and my heart breaks for them because their once-promising basketball careers were cut short due to long-term injuries. It’s not their fault. Sometimes life just sucks and doesn’t cooperate with our hopes/plans. 
 

Nope, I’m putting all the blame on Amy’s tab for mismanaging her roster and also stonewalling the WBB fanbase and not providing us any information. 

[whoopdeedoo]

fodder:  

Charlie Creme has the huskers as the #6 seed playing #11 Duke next season.

#1's are projected to be Utah, LSU, UConn, and Iowa

[Cazzie22]

2 hours ago, whoopdeedoo said:

fodder:  

Charlie Creme has the huskers as the #6 seed playing #11 Duke next season.

#1's are projected to be Utah, LSU, UConn, and Iowa

I would be thrilled if we were that high of a seed.