With the women’s basketball season just hours away, staff reporters Jonathan Hawthorne and Christopher Keizur answered a roundtable of questions, predicting what’s in store for the Ducks under first-year coach Kelly Graves.
What will be the biggest storyline for the Ducks in 2014-2015?
Keizur: The biggest storyline will be the arrival of head coach Kelly Graves — how could it not be? There is a lot of excitement surrounding the new hire, and the dedicated fans will be interested to see what direction he will take the team. Graves is a proven winner, with a ton of coaching experience. The athletic department is also pushing his relevance, airing a promotional ‘coming to Oregon’ video during games to remind the fans how fantastic he was with Gonzaga. An added bonus is that they play music from Friday Night Lights during the video, drawing comparisons to the greatest leader of all time, coach Taylor. Expect Graves to quickly turn into one of the most popular coaches here at Oregon.
Hawthorne: I agree with Keizur. Kelly Graves has completely changed the program and set a much different tone for his players. While he knows the transition will not come over night, he can expect his team to take a big step forward with regards to success. His engagement with the community is unparalleled—holding Twitter Q/A’s and having a fantasy camp for fans before the season starts. His presence alone will drive attendance numbers up, and expect wins to come along for the ride.
The Ducks were picked ninth in both the coaches and media polls, do you think they will finish better or worse than ninth in the conference?
Keizur: Expect this Duck team to finish somewhere around 8th in the Pac-12. Though expectations are high for Graves, we should not get too hasty. This team is going through the rigors of learning a completely new system, which will take time to perfect. Couple that with the fact that the Pac-12 is one of the strongest conferences for women’s basketball and everything points to a rebuilding year for Oregon. If everything goes as planned, and once Graves gets the chance to bring in some of his recruits, this team should project to be a contender in the conference in the coming years. Patience will be key.
Hawthorne: I think the Ducks have a legitimate shot to finish in the top six in the conference. Though definitely hindered by the departure of Chrishae Rowe, the Ducks have plenty of offensive weapons. There’s no doubt that the coaching staff is top-notch, it will just be a matter of getting everybody on the same page. With Jillian Alleyne’s leadership both on and off the court, the Ducks have a chance to make waves in the women’s basketball community. I think one of the biggest keys will be patience, both on offense and defense. It’s hard to completely change the mentality, but it can be done.
Who will be the breakout player for Kelly Graves and the Ducks this season?
Keizur: The player who will see her impact on the court jump the most will be senior Katelyn Loper. A score-first guard, Loper struggled with shot selection last season, too often settling for deep contested threes. This season things are projected to be different, at least going off what happened in the team’s exhibition victory over Westmont. In the second half of that game Loper began to drive the ball into the lane more, adding variance to her shot selections. That kept the defense on its toes and opened up the court for her. If she continues to transition more into being a scorer, rather than just a high-volume three point shooter, she could very well lead the team in scoring this season.
Hawthorne: I’m going to leapfrog on Jillian Alleyne’s prediction after the exhibition game and say Lexi Petersen. In her second season after an ACL surgery, Petersen is poised to make a big impact. This is her fourth year at Oregon due to a redshirt season and there’s no doubt that her experience will play a large role in the overall success this year. Petersen plays with a very high basketball IQ and understands the game well. She’s well-spoken and the perfect player to take this program to the next level.
Oregon women’s basketball roundtable: Insights and predictions heading into season
Daily Emerald
November 13, 2014
0
More to Discover