Before the season started, Virginia women's basketball coach Debbie Ryan identified the point guard position as her biggest concern. Judging from the play of the makeshift Cav point guard group in last night's 116-63 thrashing of St. Francis, she had little reason to worry.
Against the Red Flash, the Cavaliers got able point guard play from everyone they tried at the position. Junior Telisha Quarles, a shooting guard by trade, started at the point and scored 13 points. Senior Katie Tracy, a week removed from her other role as a starter on the women's soccer team, scored six points and played turnover-free ball. Freshman Chelsea Whitaker also scored six points, and fellow freshman Safiya Grant ran the point ably. And that group doesn't include freshman Anna Prillaman, who played shooting guard last night but can run the point.
"I think we've got lots of choices," Ryan said. "Some of these kids are getting more and more experience. As they get more experience we'll be able to play them more, but right now they've got to learn from K.T. [Katie Tracy] how to run the point. Telisha does a nice job, and I have K.T. to go to when I want to get Telisha to a scoring spot."
Ryan has a wide array of combinations she can use in her backcourt. Quarles can run the show, or she can slide to the shooting guard spot to provide more scoring. Prillaman provides outside shooting and steady play. Whitaker has shown excellent playmaking instincts and a sneaky shooting touch. Grant is perhaps the quickest member of the backcourt and could develop into a defensive pest.
|
Read More
No. 4 seed Virginia falls to No. 1 seed Notre Dame 18-9 in ACC Tournament semifinals
By Cole Huff | 10 hours agoThe massacre made last weekend's near dethroning of the Fighting Irish seem like a fantasy.
Virginia baseball boasts the best catcher in the country — a Division III transfer
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayFerence has replaced Teel admirably, and will look to lift Virginia back to the College World Series.
Lacrosse defenseman Cole Kastner announces transfer to Stanford basketball
By Michael Liebermann | 2 days agoKastner is reviving a hoops career that has lain dormant since he graduated high school.
