By Morris Phillips
BERKELEY, CA–Brooke Wyckoff’s Seminoles have never been to Berkeley. This season, they’ve yet to face a ranked opponent and No. 24 Cal is up next. And they’re coming off a frustrating loss at Stanford in which they scored 84 points, and lost in regulation.
When you’re 13-3 with big goals, you crawl back to the hotel, recharge, and spend little time waxing poetically about your beautiful January weekend in Northern California.
“What it takes is a standard of excellence on both ends of the floor,” Wyckoff said immediately, in reflecting on the trip so far, including a loss at Stanford that was simply not what she wants from her experienced, talented team.
The host Cardinal came in a mess, and left blessed. Losers of five of their last six, Stanford pushed the pace, and made shots. They also dominated the glass, and never trailed after 9-8 early in the first period. Wyckoff demanded her team assess themselves, individually and collectively, and take responsibility for their performance in the 89-84 loss.
“We need better defense, no uncontested threes,” she said. “We scored 84 points, which is less than what we normally score, but enough to win a basketball game.”
Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer at 27.7 ppg, put up 24 but wasn’t on her game. Two games ago, she scored 40, and she’s exceeded 24 on ten other occasions. But against Stanford, she needed 22 shots to reach that 24, and defensively, she got caught on a couple of instances outside of reach of Stanford shooters.
Latson’s response to a subpar game could be Cal’s biggest concern. The junior guard is rarely out of pocket and produces big numbers effortlessly and seemingly from muscle memory. Cal will dial up several different defenses, but Latson’s unlikely to be phased.
“It’s the natural growth as a player, from day one she’s seen every type of coverage thrown at her,” Wyckoff said of Latson. “She’s more comfortable now than ever.”
Latson’s body maturity after a couple of seasons in a university-style gym is noticeable. At 5’8″, she’s exceptionally smooth, and now, with the increased muscle, far less likely to be impeded in the paint, even by defenders that are five or six inches taller.
Cal will counter with their uncanny shooting prowess that ranks them 12th nationally in made threes per game at 10.1. They shoot 46 percent from the floor, which ranks 37th. At Haas Pavilion, the Golden Bears are 10-0 and their crowds are building as their 15-2 won-loss record gains notice.
Wyckoff, a year removed from a cancer diagnosis, and an intense regime with chemotherapy, is again enjoying the process, and the intense competition within the ACC that coaches crave.
“You’re preparing for opponents, you’re playing games,” Wyckoff said, in comparing her coaching career to a form of therapy.
“(Having that distraction) was a huge blessing. And an amazing staff supported me through it,” she said about last season before declaring that her chemo treatments have ended for now.
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