Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

We’re four weeks into the OUA season and it’s getting to the point where we’re starting to see trends. There are a few things that stand out to me about teams across the league that I want to talk about, whether it’s teams styles or certain players. Let’s go through a little list of some takeaways after the early portion of the season.

Windsor improved offence

Windsor is fourth in the OUA in points per game compared to finishing last year 12th, and the play of their guards with the ball has powered the team to a 5-3 record second in their division. Kali Grootenboer still the centre of play for a team who has historically played a lot through the paint, the involvement of 2nd year guard Leah Tate who is the team’s second leading scorer has been big for how the team is defended.

Isabella Anes has been the focal point of the guard play for the Lancers but having more options around her on the perimeter gives her more space to execute and opens up the floor for the speed and penetration that Windsor has played with. Watching the Lancers play, aside from the second half against the Bold, the team feels like more of an offensive team than they’ve been in the past, taking some stress off their defence and allowing them to play with a faster pace against teams that want to speed them up.

Ottawa’s versatility

The Gee-Gees are a team that wants to push the pace and is very good in that situation. You look at the construction of the team they scorers who can attack in different ways on the perimeter and forwards who can push the floor and play outside. They are a team that wants to get out and run and when they get to do so they are a nightmare to contain.

Natsuki Szczokin has taken another step forward as a facilitator really becoming arguably the league’s best passer. She orchestrates the offence with her ability to get to the paint and find shooters on the perimeter. She can get to anywhere on the floor with her handles and her use of screens, and when she dishes the ball out, Allie McCarthy has become a very dependable scorer who can shoot the three and put the ball on the floor.

Carleton’s little things

They’ve won the last two national championships and they’re undefeated this year. Not them being undefeated, but the way they’ve gotten there is what I want to highlight. You watch the Ravens play and you’ll see just how important every little thing in a game is, and how fine tuned their execution is. They are a team where you will have to work incredibly hard to get them to beat themselves, and it starts with the head coach.

If you watch the bench during a Carleton game you’ll see head coach Dani Sinclair constantly coaching up the players on what is happening in the game and how scenarios that didn’t go well, could go better. Pointing out missed assignments, errors in box outs, improper reads on offence, nothing gets past the eyes and every bit of execution is harped on, and it is very evident in their play.

They make smart passes, play very fundamentally sound on defence, don’t often take bad shots, they execute at a very high level and they are incredibly difficult to beat. They’re the league’s best and the intensity they bring to maintaining their level of execution lends itself towards a consistency throughout the season.