Tamika Nurse

[Peregrinner]

I said it at the game, and I'm noticing it again checking out the replay -

Tamika Nurse deserves a lot of credit for keeping us in the game in the first half.

She didn't have a great night, in terms of shooting (2-10), but when Toledo kept putting together runs and our shots just weren't falling, she kept driving the lane, drawing contact, and getting free throws. She would put a hold on the UT momentum for a while and get to the line. And she was great once she got there (5-6).

Lauren and Tara were clearly the stars of the game, but I think Tamika deserves a tip of the hat for her effort, too.

[bgsufalcon24]

Is it just me, or does Nurse seem to be out of control a lot? Sure, she gets to the foul line quite a bit, which is good, but I counted at least three times yesterday where she went down the lane and threw up a prayer that didn't even hit the rim. It's good to be aggressive, but sometimes that aggressiveness leads to empty possessions because of bad shots.

Oh well, take the good with the bad I guess.

[Flipper]

Wasn't that her rep out in the PAC 10? Great athlete, but tends to play a little out of control at times. I agree with Peregrinner, she played a nice game on Saturday. The game turned when she and Prochaska began to attack the basket and make the Rockets defenders move a little more.

I wish we had her for another year or two here. She fun to watch in transition because she has a gear above what everyone else on the floor runs....She goes up to 11...

[Rollo83]

My unsung hero of the game was Maggie Hennegan. She stepped up big time when Jen Uhl wnet out with two quick fouls in the first half. Her length at least helped us slow down Mays and Goodall in the middle for Toledo. She also provided a couple of timely baskets as well. Curt mentioned this at the post game press conference.

As far as Nurse goes, I am sure glad we had on the team this year. She provided a spark and some scoring from the point guard position. I do however wonder if this will end up hurting Tracy's progression as a player and a leader? She seemed to take a step back this year and I am not sure if having Nurse here this year might have contributed to this. Tracy seems to have lost confidence in her jump shot and semed to defer to Tamika at times as the floor leader. We are going to need her to be at her best next year for us to repeat.

[nwofalconfan]

I have to agree about Maggie's play being a key. I believe she had 9 rebounds in the game...she played with a lot of intensity.

[falconwomenbball]

Tamika was a good addition this season. Did she play out of control sometimes? Yes, but a lot of players as quick as she is do. As to Tracy, I don't think Tamika being her will hurt her progression as a player. You have to remember for the last month or so, Tracy has had an achilles tendon problem. That injury will hinder your jumping ability. So her jump shot wasn't always effective. She had to pick her spots to take shots. She still ran the floor well and distributed the ball to her teammates. 3 games in 4 days certainly didn't help. Not a lot of time to recover. Rest is the only thing that will help. She will not get that until the season is finally over.

[i zig a zoomba]

Tamika is a very important part of this teams success. The ability she has to blow down the court is something that no player on this team can match. She can make this team run a fast offense, and she can get to the foul line when they need to slow the other teams offense down (like Saturday). It's too bad this is her only year here. Yes, she can turn the ball over and she forces things at times, but most players do. She knows the game, and deserves a lot of credit for this years success. As far as Pontius being affected, I don't think she'll be less of a player next season at all. She's been carrying her injury for a while so I'm guessing that is why she hasn't been in top form lately. If I remember correctly she was MAC Tournament MVP last year, as a sophomore.... Hopefully her ankle will be 100% next season, because we will need a big year from her. I think Curt has a top PG recruit coming in, so who knows if Tracy will share that roll again or not. Tracy is a team player, but I look for her to be more assertive next season as a senior.

[AntLive23]

Nurse's defense is more important than her offense, she is a shut-down defender who puts shackles on the opposition

[bgsufalcon24]

Nurse's defense is more important than her offense, she is a shut-down defender who puts shackles on the opposition

Shackles? Geez, I shudder to think of what Lindsey Goldsberry did to her opposition...

[gmartin]

Tracy has been hurt since the St Bonnie game which was in December. She has been playing with a torn achilles tendon since then. As been stated before she will have extensive rehab or surgery after the season is complete. Tracy didn't play to her potential this year and her shot was off and she lacked quickness but that is expected with a sore foot for most of the season.

[h2oville rocket]

Tracy has been hurt since the St Bonnie game which was in December. She has been playing with a torn achilles tendon since then. As been stated before she will have extensive rehab or surgery after the season is complete. Tracy didn't play to her potential this year and her shot was off and she lacked quickness but that is expected with a sore foot for most of the season.

Wow. I'm impressed- that is one nasty injury to walk with much less compete in a sport at the D1 level.

[HoopsFan]

Let's face it. None of these players stand out a great deal because of the team concept and the roster being so large, but each one contributed to the season as a whole. Coach could probably end up with 2 or 3 "stars" if he tailored his offense to a particular player, and Lo' is that player. If we didn't have Nurse this year, we may very well have been in the WNIT or nowhere. Nurse and Hennigan were super players on the team last year, and I too, wish we could have had Nurse for 2 years. We hardly missed the impact of TP's injury which would have doomed us if we didn't have Nurse.

I thought Maggie was going to be a super player after her showing in Costa Rica (at least from the accounts of the games), but for some reason she either didn't play as strongly or Jen Uhl stepped up her game. Sitll, we needed Hennigan and "Z" and 'Fuss and just about anybody who played this year.

The best part is we had 2 bench players who didn't get to play in Harvel and Giese (will she get a medical redshirt?). It will be interesting to see who steps up and plays Center next year.

HoopsFan

[gmartin]

Breske was a 6'0 center. I think next year we may have several players being run in and out for our center. Uhl has been a beast on the boards. I can see her going down low and being our center. Can also see Hennegan and Paperfuss. All of which are the same heigth as Breske or even taller. Geise and the red shirt Havel our the tallest girls at 6'2 but I can see anyone of those girls stepping into the center role.

[Rollo83]

Curt said in his postgame press conference that things have changed in the MAC and now every team is looking for the same thing...an athletic post player. Trouble is those players are so hard to find...especially the ones that the bigger conference teams haven't locked up already. Having the sucess we've had the last 6 years has to make us more attractive to those type of players.

But, as I have said before I think Curt and this program has a hurdle to overcome and that's creating an atmosphere where the African-Amercian athlete can thrive. We can point to the Carin Horne's of the past but the proofs in the pudding and right now we are pretty "lilly white" across the board with the exception of Nurse. Don't get me wrong, I am not accusing anyone assocaited with the program with any wrong doing, I am just saying we need to make this a program that any athlete would want to be a part of. Just wonder what the perception about us is out there right now? Could we be losing potential African-Amercian recruits becaue of this issue?

[i zig a zoomba]

Could we be losing potential African-Amercian recruits becaue of this issue?

isn't one of the new recruits African-American?