Twister Sister Summary - What Does the Crystal Ball See for 25-26?

[acoustimac]

Using the old crystal ball (or maybe magic 8 ball) and taking a stab at what might be in store for next year. Feel free to add your ideas to the thread!

What Does the Crystal Ball See for 25-26?

The season has come to a close and the Emily Ryan era is over. Here’s a little look into the crystal ball concerning what the next season might bring. The No-brainers Crooks continues to dominate t…

twistersistersummary.wordpress.com

 

[ZorkClone]

I assume you wrote this before Joens announced her departure.

1. Harris steps into a starting position and averages double figures for the season as a three point sharpshooter. She becomes on of the team’s leaders.

This is an interesting thought that I had really given much consideration. My gut would tell me that the starting lineup would be Jada, Hare, Jackson, Brown, and Crooks. I could see Harris starting over Jackson, but we need Jackson for her defensive capabilities.

For Conference schedule we may be up for a home and way trip to some of the contenders. TCU and Baylor we've gotten away the last two seasons playing them both once (TCU forfeited once). But as you've noted throughout your writeups many of our opponents in conference were very old so now we should be one of the older teams with mostly juniors or older contributing.

Iowa will be a toughie at home and we don't have our full non con slate yet so it's hard to tell what to expect.

 

[isucy86]

A lot of attention on this player or that player to be a contender for a Big12 title. I go a different direction. The most critical aspect of the next 6 months is the coaching staff coming up with the offensive and defensive systems to optimize the talent we have. Highlight strengths and compensate/mask weaknesses.

 

[ICCYFAN]

CBF has not won an outright regular season conference championship in 30 years at the ISU helm. He shared a regular season conference title (13-3) with Texas Tech and Oklahoma in 1999-2000, 25 years ago. Can an old dog learn new tricks? I'm dubious, but...

I saw a Muffet McGraw interview during the NCAA Tournament where she stated, "a team needs three stars to compete for conference championships and to make deep runs into the NCAA."

We have a third team All-American post (Audi) and two McDonald's All Americans (Addy & Jada) = three stars. There is a capable supporting cast - Syd Harris was Freshman of the Year in the MAC and Kenzie Hare was Honorable Mention All-Conference in the Big East - they should provide the outside shooting to dissuade our opponents from packing the lane. Ariana Jackson doesn't get the respect she deserves as a defensive "stopper". Next, the Big XII conference is historically weak and our primary competition (Baylor & TCU) is retooling. Lastly, and the only "semi-original" piece I'll add to this equation - CBF is approaching the end of his coaching career and doesn't quite meet the threshold for the College WBB HOF - can he stop playing percentages and pull out the stops to go deep - I'm cautiously optimistic, as all the pieces appear to be in place.

 

[acoustimac]

CBF has not won an outright regular season conference championship in 30 years at the ISU helm. He shared a regular season conference title (13-3) with Texas Tech and Oklahoma in 1999-2000, 25 years ago. Can an old dog learn new tricks? I'm dubious, but...

I saw a Muffet McGraw interview during the NCAA Tournament where she stated, "a team needs three stars to compete for conference championships and to make deep runs into the NCAA."

We have a third team All-American post (Audi) and two McDonald's All Americans (Addy & Jada) = three stars. There is a capable supporting cast - Syd Harris was Freshman of the Year in the MAC and Kenzie Hare was Honorable Mention All-Conference in the Big East - they should provide the outside shooting to dissuade our opponents from packing the lane. Ariana Jackson doesn't get the respect she deserves as a defensive "stopper". Next, the Big XII conference is historically weak and our primary competition (Baylor & TCU) is retooling. Lastly, and the only "semi-original" piece I'll add to this equation - CBF is approaching the end of his coaching career and doesn't quite meet the threshold for the College WBB HOF - can he stop playing percentages and pull out the stops to go deep - I'm cautiously optimistic, as all the pieces appear to be in place.

Good analysis. I’m hoping we see something special from a healthy Hare. That could be the difference maker. The very best Iowa State teams, you alluded to, were ones that had a dominant post and dynamic playmakers on the outside. They mix these capabilities quite well. Getting this recipe put together and implemented is what I see as being the big challenge for next year.

 

[Cloneman89]

I am dubious that CBF will change anything. Staid old offense will be continued and versatile wings/guards discouraged as they feed the post. Donarski left for more fast paced O, Joens left as she was going to be sidelined. Hansford left as she was chastised for not shooting 3’s or screamed at for missing. We will be hard pressed to win 20.

 

[Jnecker4cy]

I am dubious that CBF will change anything. Staid old offense will be continued and versatile wings/guards discouraged as they feed the post. Donarski left for more fast paced O, Joens left as she was going to be sidelined. Hansford left as she was chastised for not shooting 3’s or screamed at for missing. We will be hard pressed to win 20.

Bet you are wrong but we all have opinions.

 

[acoustimac]

I am dubious that CBF will change anything. Staid old offense will be continued and versatile wings/guards discouraged as they feed the post. Donarski left for more fast paced O, Joens left as she was going to be sidelined. Hansford left as she was chastised for not shooting 3’s or screamed at for missing. We will be hard pressed to win 20.

Wow…

 

[CloneSt8]

I am dubious that CBF will change anything. Staid old offense will be continued and versatile wings/guards discouraged as they feed the post. Donarski left for more fast paced O, Joens left as she was going to be sidelined. Hansford left as she was chastised for not shooting 3’s or screamed at for missing. We will be hard pressed to win 20.

And yet this year "staid old" Iowa State averaged 77 points per game as a team and "more fast paced" North Carolina averaged 70 points per game. Humm? As a Sophomore at ISU Donarski averaged 14 points per game and as a fifth year senior she averaged just over 10 points per gameat North Carolina. And she never again reached that 14 ppg she had at ISU while at NC.

For the last three years "more fast paced" UNC averaged 70.9 this year, 68.9 ppg last year, and 68.9 the year before. Meanwhile "staid old" CBF coached ISU scored respectively 77.1, 74.6, and 75.4 ppg. So "staid old" Iowa State scored more pounts!

But, hey, let's not let facts get in the way of our opinions!

 

[ICCYFAN]

And yet this year "staid old" Iowa State averaged 77 points per game as a team and "more fast paced" North Carolina averaged 70 points per game. Humm? As a Sophomore at ISU Donarski averaged 14 points per game and as a fifth year senior she averaged just over 10 points per gameat North Carolina. And she never again reached that 14 ppg she had at ISU while at NC.

For the last three years "more fast paced" UNC averaged 70.9 this year, 68.9 ppg last year, and 68.9 the year before. Meanwhile "staid old" CBF coached ISU scored respectively 77.1, 74.6, and 75.4 ppg. So "staid old" Iowa State scored more pounts!

But, hey, let's not let facts get in the way of our opinions!

“There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics” — Mark Twain

Casual fans care about three "statistics":
1) How many games did the team win?
2) What place did the team finish in conference?
3) How far did the team go in the NCAA tournament?
Note: ISU WBB fans also care about beating EIU - we're 2-8 for the last decade

Nobody cares about UNC's scoring woes over the past three years. Furthermore, most fans won't give a sh!t if ISU WBB averages 85 points / game next season if they don't beat Iowa, improve their win total, win conference and see the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

 

[Cyforce]

Using the old crystal ball (or maybe magic 8 ball) and taking a stab at what might be in store for next year. Feel free to add your ideas to the thread!

What Does the Crystal Ball See for 25-26?

The season has come to a close and the Emily Ryan era is over. Here’s a little look into the crystal ball concerning what the next season might bring. The No-brainers Crooks continues to dominate t…

twistersistersummary.wordpress.com

Did the crystal ball mention anything about Crooks playing defense next year?

 

[CloneSt8]

“There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics” — Mark Twain

Casual fans care about three "statistics":
1) How many games did the team win?
2) What place did the team finish in conference?
3) How far did the team go in the NCAA tournament?
Note: ISU WBB fans also care about beating EIU - we're 2-8 for the last decade

Nobody cares about UNC's scoring woes over the past three years. Furthermore, most fans won't give a sh!t if ISU WBB averages 85 points / game next season if they don't beat Iowa, improve their win total, win conference and see the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

While I agree with you on the wins etc, I was commenting on your terms that you used "staid old" to describe Iowa State and "more fast paced" to describe UNC. I personally don't think that ISU's offense was staid. But you obviously disagree. And that is fine.

 

[acoustimac]

Did the crystal ball mention anything about Crooks playing defense next year?

Some things are beyond even the powers of Carnak the Magnificent!

 

[acoustimac]

“There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics” — Mark Twain

Casual fans care about three "statistics":
1) How many games did the team win?
2) What place did the team finish in conference?
3) How far did the team go in the NCAA tournament?
Note: ISU WBB fans also care about beating EIU - we're 2-8 for the last decade

Nobody cares about UNC's scoring woes over the past three years. Furthermore, most fans won't give a sh!t if ISU WBB averages 85 points / game next season if they don't beat Iowa, improve their win total, win conference and see the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

You always find a way to show your distaste for Fennelly. Casual fans only care if the product is fun to watch. Casual fans only care about how the team relates to the fans and vice versa. A casual fan probably couldn’t tell you how many games their team won, only which game was their best experience.

 

[WartburgClone]

This thread:

 

[WartburgClone]

Hansford left as she was chastised for not shooting 3’s or screamed at for missing.

Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention but that is the complete opposite of what I witnessed.

Casual fans only care if the product is fun to watch.

Speaking for myself, outside of Senior Day and maybe a few other games I didn't really find this year fun for a variety of reasons.

 

[bozclone]

You always find a way to show your distaste for Fennelly. Casual fans only care if the product is fun to watch. Casual fans only care about how the team relates to the fans and vice versa. A casual fan probably couldn’t tell you how many games their team won, only which game was their best experience.

I think this view is selling the women’s program short. We are a D1 program with a competitive history. Just like football and MBB there should be performance based expectations. We return Audi and Addy for year three. They may be the most talented returning pair in the Big 12. We have almost all the other pieces returning and we added a McDonald’s All American to replace Emily at PG. The expectation should be to win the conference. The expectation should be at least a sweet sixteen appearance. Anything less than that is selling the talent we have on this team short.

 

[acoustimac]

I think this view is selling the women’s program short. We are a D1 program with a competitive history. Just like football and MBB there should be performance based expectations. We return Audi and Addy for year three. They may be the most talented returning pair in the Big 12. We have almost all the other pieces returning and we added a McDonald’s All American to replace Emily at PG. The expectation should be to win the conference. The expectation should be at least a sweet sixteen appearance. Anything less than that is selling the talent we have on this team short.

Don’t disagree…It doesn’t change what a casual fan is. Heck, casual fans likely aren’t even on here. The invested fan looks at results and the details surrounding them just like you have. I look at this team for next year (expected results…hoped for results) and feel much the same. Nearly every piece is in place to make this a team to be respected/“feared.” I’d still like to see the addition of a 4.

 

[ZorkClone]

Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention but that is the complete opposite of what I witnessed.


Speaking for myself, outside of Senior Day and maybe a few other games I didn't really find this year fun for a variety of reasons.

The lack of punching up is a big factor in this. In 2023-24, Iowa (even though we lost), WVU, Baylor, KSU (x2) were really fun games to watch. WVU was especially fun with the huge comeback!

 

[cykadelic2]

A lot of attention on this player or that player to be a contender for a Big12 title. I go a different direction. The most critical aspect of the next 6 months is the coaching staff coming up with the offensive and defensive systems to optimize the talent we have. Highlight strengths and compensate/mask weaknesses.

CBF has not won an outright regular season conference championship in 30 years at the ISU helm. He shared a regular season conference title (13-3) with Texas Tech and Oklahoma in 1999-2000, 25 years ago. Can an old dog learn new tricks? I'm dubious, but...

I saw a Muffet McGraw interview during the NCAA Tournament where she stated, "a team needs three stars to compete for conference championships and to make deep runs into the NCAA."

CBF is approaching the end of his coaching career and doesn't quite meet the threshold for the College WBB HOF - can he stop playing percentages and pull out the stops to go deep - I'm cautiously optimistic, as all the pieces appear to be in place.

Speaking of Muffet McGraw and optimizing offensive systems, it was revealing how McGraw (one of CBF's mentors) was critical on ESPN of ISU's lack of offensive movement during the Michigan game.

And I will disagree that all the pieces are in place to win a conference title if Harris doesn't significantly improve her individual D along with overall team D improvement. Bill can't roll out a starting lineup with Jada W, Hare and Jackson over an entire conference schedule and seriously contend for a title.