Standing at the podium in the middle of yesterday’s sports luncheon, Massachusetts women’s basketball coach Joanie O’Brien admitted that, after a tough 1-7 start, her team needed to start thinking ahead toward the Atlantic 10 games coming up later in the schedule.
“I think our preparation for January and February is going to be our biggest thing now,” O’Brien said. The Penn. St. alum was quick to reassure the crowd that her team would still be trying to win the games coming before conference play began.
No doubt about that, as O’Brien’s raspy voice at the luncheon showed that she isn’t taking it easy on the Minutewomen.
“It’s been a struggle,” O’Brien said to open her speech, “as you can tell from my voice.”
The comments O’Brien made at the luncheon should reflect onto the court in tonight’s game against New Hampshire (3-5). But any changes in how the team plays and how the coach instructs her team are still up in the air.
For instance, will freshman Katie Nelson play fewer minutes in an effort to keep her fresher for the big run after the New Year? The starting point guard is averaging a team-high 38.4 minutes per game.
Giving Nelson an extra breather or two in the game would also give her classmate Monique Govan some more playing experience, something the team needs to instill upon its best ball handler, who is averaging just under 10 minutes per contest.
Another change may be to hold junior Nekole Smith out of the game against the Wildcats. Smith, who is recovering from a devastating knee injury suffered during last year’s preseason, continued to have some trouble with her sore legs on the team’s trip down south this weekend.
“When we were in Arkansas-Little Rock, [Nekole] looked like an old women. We backed her down a bit,” O’Brien said.
New Hampshire has struggled this season almost as much as the Maroon and White. In its five losses, only one – its last game against Providence – was decided by less than ten points. That contest went into overtime after UNH senior Colleen Mullen sunk an off-balance, desperation three-pointer at the buzzer. The Friars beat up on New Hampshire in the extra frame and won the game 79-70.
The Wildcats pose a balanced scoring attack with four of their starters averaging better than eight points per game.
UMass, meanwhile, has just two players averaging better than eight points per game, juniors Jennifer Butler (11.3) and Amber Sneed (9.4). Both players have struggled from the field in the team’s first eight games. The top two in shots taken, Butler is shooting just 40 percent from the floor while Sneed is shooting just 37.5 percent.
“We’ve lost some games because we missed some easy shots,” O’Brien said.
With one eye on the future and the other on the basketball court, Coach O’Brien and the Minutewomen will take to the hardwood for the last time until the PNC Classic on Dec. 29 in Philadelphia.
