1- Reign of Kelly Graves:
The Kelly Graves era officially began Sunday afternoon at Mathew Knight Arena with a 81-44 exhibition win against Westmont.
“I was actually quite pleased with how we played today,” Graves said. “I liked the effort, I liked that everyone got in; lot of people contributed.”
By the end of the game one thing was apparent. This is a much different system than Oregon fans are used to. Graves has slowed things way down from the frantic Westhead offense of old, instead preaching ball movement and defense.
Speaking of the defense, it looked much improved. They defended well as a team, communicating and moving their feet to stay in front of the opposition. In the second half the team broke out a half court trap that gave the Warriors fits, generating several turnovers.
“I thought we set a tone defensively that we can at least build upon,” Graves said.
Vestigial signs from the old offense still reared up at times, with players rushing shots and holding onto the ball for too long. But as a whole, those issues will most likely disappear as the players become used to the new system.
2- Star power of Alleyne:
Star junior forward Jillian Alleyne looks like she will pick things up right where she left them. The numbers were as impressive as always; 12 points and 10 rebounds. She remains impossible to guard one-on-one, demanding a double team that opens up more space on the court. Alleyne still has her nose for rebounding as well, hauling in anything remotely within reach.
One thing Alleyne seems to have refined is her low post game. The move that comes to mind was a quick spin to the middle for an open hook shot. As she adds more to her repertoire she will become that much more difficult to guard.
There were probably too many possessions where Alleyne didn’t touch the ball, as at times the Ducks had trouble working the ball down to her. The more they can force the issue and feed her the ball, the better off they will be.
3- Life after Rowe:
One of the big story lines coming into the game was the team’s dismissal of former starting forward Chrishae Rowe.
“What she did was her own actions, now as a team we have to come together and step up,” Alleyne said. “We wish Shae the best, most definitely.”
Losing her also meant the team lost the most dynamic scorer from last year. Filling her place in the starting lineup was senior guard Amanda Delgado.
Without Rowe the ability of the guards to dribble penetrate and collapse the defense was severally limited. They instead settled for too many outside shots. Without having that second proven scorer to demand attention, Alleyne found herself facing more defensive attention than usual.
There are several possible players who could fill the void, though most of the hope probably falls upon junior Lexi Petersen, who finished with a team-high 17 points and five assists.
4- Bando matches hype:
Freshman Lexi Bando was brought onto the team with plenty of fanfare, and by the end of the game she had lived up to the expectations. Bando played with energy and confidence that you rarely see from a freshman. She was vocal, especially on defense where she helped direct players to their marks.
“I was a little nervous going in, my first college game,” Bando said.
Individually the local Eugenian may already be the best defender on the team. She uses her body to get up into the opposing ball handlers, making a nuisance of herself. She also looked impressive shooting deep, finishing 3-4 from downtown.
“Knocking down those threes definitely boost my confidence, got me pumped up,” Bando said.
On the game she had 10 points, all of her shots coming in the flow of the offense.
The most positive sign as to her future with the Ducks was that Graves couldn’t seem to keep Bando out of the game. She played 25 minutes, more than any of her teammates.
5- Small Ball:
Fans of low post players may want to look elsewhere, because this Duck team is short. Graves went with a starting lineup of four guards, the only big being Alleyne.
There were positives and negatives with this strategy.
The positive was that at any time the Ducks had multiple shooters on the court, they stretched the defense with an intimidating display of three-point shooting. The team also had multiple ball handlers out on the court, taking the pressure off any one player to dominate the possession.
Unfortunately this placed more pressure on Alleyne, as she was often the only big out on the court. Rebounding became a struggle, especially early, as Westmont was able to grab plenty of offensive boards, ending with 10.
Going forward the team will either have to make a concerted effort to crash the boards from all positions, or find a big on the bench who will be ready to fill in against some of the tough post players in the Pac-12. Either 6-4 senior Megan Carpenter (nine points, one rebound) or 6-2 freshman Tatum Neubert (five points, six rebounds) could be the answer.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur