- When Dawn Staley was Head Coach for the U.S.A. 5x5 team, Jewell Loyd became her go-to defender and, as you note, I think that will hold in 2024 with this year's squad.
- I'm seeing less and less of Diamond DeShields in the Chicago lineup recently, so I've got to think Marina Mabrey is the option there. Every time I see her, she's chasing around Caitlin Clark and others.
BTW, Coach Witherspoon's preference for playing Chennedy Carter and Dana Evans together magnifies the need for Mabrey to be the defensive stop-gap and the half-court initiator because Carter and Evans both go into hunting-shots mode when together. That of course is counter to the whole reason Chicago has Mabey. But I digress...
- K-Mac has been a fine defender as far back as her ND days.
- Carrington is a massive, pain-in-the-you-know-what defender, which is what the Sun wants. She also plays the passing lanes well.
- Laney-Hamilton and Kayla Thornton are a great one-two punch.
Richard:
Thought-provoking article. A few thoughts:
- When Dawn Staley was Head Coach for the U.S.A. 5x5 team, Jewell Loyd became her go-to defender and, as you note, I think that will hold in 2024 with this year's squad.
- I'm seeing less and less of Diamond DeShields in the Chicago lineup recently, so I've got to think Marina Mabrey is the option there. Every time I see her, she's chasing around Caitlin Clark and others.
BTW, Coach Witherspoon's preference for playing Chennedy Carter and Dana Evans together magnifies the need for Mabrey to be the defensive stop-gap and the half-court initiator because Carter and Evans both go into hunting-shots mode when together. That of course is counter to the whole reason Chicago has Mabey. But I digress...
- K-Mac has been a fine defender as far back as her ND days.
- Carrington is a massive, pain-in-the-you-know-what defender, which is what the Sun wants. She also plays the passing lanes well.
- Laney-Hamilton and Kayla Thornton are a great one-two punch.