The Cowgirls kick off the exhibition season with a game tonight. Hopefully Mattinson learned from Shyatt and the Cowgirls don't relax and lose to a RMAC school in an exhibition starting their season after winning a MWCT (that won't happen, bigger gap between levels in Women's BB than Men's). How do we feel about this upcoming season?
To me it feels that, even with the conference tournament title and NCAA appearance, excitement is somewhat muted for this season. Obviously the Cowgirls were only 8-8 last year in MWC play so that is certainly part of it.
Overall, I expect the Cowgirls to be competitive, but not a contender (somewhere between 4th-6th, record between 9-9 and 11-7 or something). Fundamentally, I see this team as having two primary problems:
1. Athleticism - This is a long term problem, which even with the really good teams a few years ago, has always been a knock on this program. Passing, shooting, commitment to defense, etc. have generally always been there, but there has been a ceiling due to the lack of athleticism. I don't see any changes in that regard.
2. The "5" - Who is going to play center. Mattinson really did a nice job finding Dagny Davidsdottir last year to replace Vitulova/Vaifanua, but not sure he can pull that off again. Cowgirls have (4) potential contenders from what I can tell. Savic played a little bit last year and showed some offensive potential (but has some limitations), Salazar did not play a ton last year, Barnes is a newcomer from Australia, and of course Fertig is the player that many Wyoming fans will be interested to see after she dominated Wyoming HS hoops the last few years. It's a big jump to the MWC though.
Here is the rotation as I see it (all classes listed as they are on the roster per NCAA guidelines, some players have an extra year of eligibility due to Covid, but I suspect that year will be utilized less in Women's BB than in Men's BB or Football):
Starters:
PG - Tommi Olson (5'6") - Sr. - I had a nice write-up here, but Tommi stole it.
SG - Quinn Weidemann (5'9") - Sr. - MWCT MVP and one of the top shooters in the MWC. The question for this season is whether she can diversify her offensive game somewhat. She has improved her Assist numbers every year, but her scoring is still pretty depending on shooting 3's (which she does very well obviously). About 1/2 of her shots are from 3 and she rarely gets to the line. Cowgirls might need more from her to move up in the league.
F - Alba Sanchez-Ramos (6'0") - Sr. - Very solid all-around player who averaged 10/6 last year and led the team in rebounding. When I first saw her play a couple of years ago I thought she would end up being a real threat from the perimeter, but she has not shot it that well in her career (under 30%). Really need her to hit at a little bit higher percentage. Still, a really tough player who is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
F - McKinley Bradshaw (5'11") - Jr - The team's leading scorer last year (off the bench), she should start this year and be the team's leading scorer. Probably the best on the team at being able to get her own shot, getting to the line, finishing through contact, etc. Has not been much a playmaker for others and I think she will end up getting a lot of attention from defenses this year so if she can improve her passing/vision it will be really helpful.
C - I have no idea
Bench:
G - Ola Ustowska (5'10") - So - Played a significant role off the bench as a Freshman and should be a key part of the rotation. Primarily a perimeter shooter with range.
F - Grace Ellis (5'11") - So - Saw quite a bit of playing time down the stretch last year and should be a contributor.
I think the (6) names I have listed (Olson, Weidemann, Ramos, Bradshaw, Ustowska, Ellis) are all a lock to play and play big minutes (the 4 presumed starters will be 30 mpg+). Beyond that I really don't know. Salazar, Hudson, Bull, and Savic all played very briefly last year and it's hard to say about the Freshmen. Of the freshman, it sounds like Mellema (5'11" PG) has a bright future and obviously we are all interested to see Fertig (6'4" C). Tess Barnes (6'2") from Australia is the other freshman.
Legerski always played a pretty short rotation and that has mostly been true of Mattinson as well.
Overall, the Cowgirls will play smart and fundamental basketball and watching Tommi Olson totally control a game while only scoring 5 points is certainly fun, but I have modest expectations for this season.
To me it feels that, even with the conference tournament title and NCAA appearance, excitement is somewhat muted for this season. Obviously the Cowgirls were only 8-8 last year in MWC play so that is certainly part of it.
Overall, I expect the Cowgirls to be competitive, but not a contender (somewhere between 4th-6th, record between 9-9 and 11-7 or something). Fundamentally, I see this team as having two primary problems:
1. Athleticism - This is a long term problem, which even with the really good teams a few years ago, has always been a knock on this program. Passing, shooting, commitment to defense, etc. have generally always been there, but there has been a ceiling due to the lack of athleticism. I don't see any changes in that regard.
2. The "5" - Who is going to play center. Mattinson really did a nice job finding Dagny Davidsdottir last year to replace Vitulova/Vaifanua, but not sure he can pull that off again. Cowgirls have (4) potential contenders from what I can tell. Savic played a little bit last year and showed some offensive potential (but has some limitations), Salazar did not play a ton last year, Barnes is a newcomer from Australia, and of course Fertig is the player that many Wyoming fans will be interested to see after she dominated Wyoming HS hoops the last few years. It's a big jump to the MWC though.
Here is the rotation as I see it (all classes listed as they are on the roster per NCAA guidelines, some players have an extra year of eligibility due to Covid, but I suspect that year will be utilized less in Women's BB than in Men's BB or Football):
Starters:
PG - Tommi Olson (5'6") - Sr. - I had a nice write-up here, but Tommi stole it.
SG - Quinn Weidemann (5'9") - Sr. - MWCT MVP and one of the top shooters in the MWC. The question for this season is whether she can diversify her offensive game somewhat. She has improved her Assist numbers every year, but her scoring is still pretty depending on shooting 3's (which she does very well obviously). About 1/2 of her shots are from 3 and she rarely gets to the line. Cowgirls might need more from her to move up in the league.
F - Alba Sanchez-Ramos (6'0") - Sr. - Very solid all-around player who averaged 10/6 last year and led the team in rebounding. When I first saw her play a couple of years ago I thought she would end up being a real threat from the perimeter, but she has not shot it that well in her career (under 30%). Really need her to hit at a little bit higher percentage. Still, a really tough player who is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
F - McKinley Bradshaw (5'11") - Jr - The team's leading scorer last year (off the bench), she should start this year and be the team's leading scorer. Probably the best on the team at being able to get her own shot, getting to the line, finishing through contact, etc. Has not been much a playmaker for others and I think she will end up getting a lot of attention from defenses this year so if she can improve her passing/vision it will be really helpful.
C - I have no idea
Bench:
G - Ola Ustowska (5'10") - So - Played a significant role off the bench as a Freshman and should be a key part of the rotation. Primarily a perimeter shooter with range.
F - Grace Ellis (5'11") - So - Saw quite a bit of playing time down the stretch last year and should be a contributor.
I think the (6) names I have listed (Olson, Weidemann, Ramos, Bradshaw, Ustowska, Ellis) are all a lock to play and play big minutes (the 4 presumed starters will be 30 mpg+). Beyond that I really don't know. Salazar, Hudson, Bull, and Savic all played very briefly last year and it's hard to say about the Freshmen. Of the freshman, it sounds like Mellema (5'11" PG) has a bright future and obviously we are all interested to see Fertig (6'4" C). Tess Barnes (6'2") from Australia is the other freshman.
Legerski always played a pretty short rotation and that has mostly been true of Mattinson as well.
Overall, the Cowgirls will play smart and fundamental basketball and watching Tommi Olson totally control a game while only scoring 5 points is certainly fun, but I have modest expectations for this season.
