Hoosier Hoops of Note

Indiana University has added a new recruit to their 2004 class in JUCO All American Joei Clyburn. STORY

Notre Dame 2003-2004 season in review article. ND Season

WNBA Notes

The Fever are now 3-0 on the preseason after Tuesday nights victory at Washington. Fever/Mystics Recap This was the last preseason game for the Fever and they now fine tune their game before opening the regular season May 21 against New York.

Having seen 2 of the 3 preseason games, I will offer my observations on the team thus far:

Guard Play - Kelly Miller adds a lot to the team with quickness and outside shooting. Unfortunately, the other guards on the roster don't appear to have improved. Niele Ivey continues to lose quickness and cannot guard WNBA caliber point guards. Coretta Brown seems intent on improving her defensive game but still struggles with ball handling and passing. The Fever staff have resorted to playing Deana Jackson at off guard and Miller at the point. Teams that press the Fever and wear down Miller should have success.

Frontcourt - Tamika Catchings looks better than ever. Watching her play, you just cannot believe the athleticism and ability she possesses. If anything, she looks a little quicker and has improved her outside shooting. She still tends to try to do too much sometimes and makes silly fouls. Natalie Williams has added some weight and appears to be slower than previous seasons. But, she eats up space in the lane and positions herself well for rebounds. Ebony Hoffman may need to improve her conditioning. She also often seems lost on the floor as she is adjusting to the pro game and the new offense and defenses. A definite work in progress. Kelly Rasmussen and Deana Jackson have been superb in the preseason doing whatever is necessary to help the team win. Jackson can slash to the bucket in ways that the Fever had never had a player do before. (other than Catchings) Rasmussen has shown to be the consummate pro - passing, hitting the open shot, just taking what the defense gives her and guarding the opponents small forward effectively. Unfortunately, Astou Ndiaye-Diatta has not been able to play yet due to injuries so an evaluation on the center position is sketchy at best. Ndiaye-Diatta is counted on to provide depth in the post and will be needed if the Fever are to be successful. Kelly Schumacher looks to be in better physical condition after playing in Turkey but her natural basketball instincts are still a half step slower than most WNBA 6'4" players and she becomes a defensive liability under the basket.

Coaching: It's apparent when watching this team the involvement that assistant coach Lin Dunn has in strategizing. Brian Winters is realizing that there is a lot more coaching that needs to occur at this level than there is at the NBA level and is adjusting. In the huddles I have seen Dunn set up out of bounds plays and defensive plays with Winters standing by listening and observing. Dunn is smart though, when Winters spoke up once she listened, erased the board and re-diagramed a play that was effective and I saw her reach over and shake Winters hand and pat him on the back. They seem to have a good chemistry.

Overall: The team has definitely improved. They are quicker and much better offensively with the addition of Miller and Jackson. They are better coached and display more energy under the new staff. The coaches seem intent on rushing Ebony Hoffman into the mix which I don't understand - they have started her 2 games although she only played 11 minutes. The depth in the post and the ability for a ball handling guard to emerge are the keys to this team really contending this year. Best case scenario, Ndiaye-Diatta becomes a defensive post presence, Hoffman catches on quickly and gets in shape, Brown becomes the point guard presence the team needs and they knock off Detroit for the Eastern Conference Championship. Worst case scenario - they rely on Schumacher and Ivey to provide depth, Hoffman plays like a rookie all season, and they bow out in the first round of the playoffs.