Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Seabrook Finding Her Range, Confidence
February 22, 2011 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
A lithe 6-foot-3 Canadian, Seabrook arrived at Colorado three seasons ago with what appeared to be little knowledge of the hoops world at the three-point circle and beyond. Not that draining treys is a prerequisite for anything spectacular in college basketball, but a post player's ability to step outside the arc and shoot always makes a nice impression on coaches and puts opponents on notice.
In her first two seasons at CU, Seabrook might have needed a guide to find the three-point arc. As a freshman and sophomore, she didn't attempt a three-pointer. As her junior season winds down, she hasn't established herself as a catch-and-shoot three-point specialist or a threat to hit treys off the dribble. But she has increased her range, with her confidence rising as well.
She's attempted 15 three-pointers, hitting six, and is becoming more and more comfortable shooting from 15 feet out to the arc. She's hitting a team-best 49.6 percent from the field (60-of-121), and although first-year CU Coach Linda Lappe needs her inside this season, there could come a time (Seabrook has her fingers crossed) for a shift outside the paint.
"I like playing the post, but I've always seen myself playing a power forward . . . I think I'd rather be playing that personally," said Seabrook, who grew up in North Vancouver, B.C., and played for the Canadian Junior National team. "To be a power forward, you're going to have to be able to shoot outside . . . I think my shooting has improved. I've gotten more confident. My success in some games has made me want to shoot more. If a team is shutting down other players like Chucky (Jeffery) or (Brittany) Spears, we're going to need other players scoring."
Among the positives Seabrook sees on Lappe's staff is the addition of a post coach - Jennie Barancyzk - who has taken up where St. Mary's Catholic School Coach Vern Porter left off. Seabrook remains in contact with Porter, calling him a "huge influence" on her perimeter shooting, but also says Barancyzk's presence has been beneficial: "Coach Jennie has done a really good job with the posts this year . . . it's really nice to have a strict post coach."
Baranczyk, a three-time All-Big Ten Conference forward at Iowa who also has coached at Kansas State and Marquette, said Seabrook has become "much more confident in her perimeter game . . . she used to stand out there and think about it. Now she's stopped hesitating."
Plus, added Barancyzk, Seabrook "does a great job of moving, especially in our motion (offense). She can screen and that adds a whole new dimension to be able to pull bigger players out of the paint, because we do have penetrators. So in that sense, yeah, it's really, really good to see her move outside a little more."
Among the three prospects CU signed in November is 6-2 Jen Reese, of Clackamas, Ore., with another inside player possibly coming aboard this spring. The more big bodies on the roster, the better the chances become for Seabrook to play power forward. Still, she knows that will happen only if she improves her ball-handling and driving abilities.
"One of the parts of my game I really want to work on is driving, because I'm taller and one of my weaknesses is dribbling," she said. "I think next year with the post players we're getting in, I'll be able to move to a (new) position. This year, we obviously need an inside presence. Rachel (Hargis, freshman) has stepped up a lot. But it's good for me to be able to play inside and out. The tall people we play in the Big 12 don't want to be guarding me out there - so that's nice."
Barancyzk notes that Seabrook's projected improvement in ball-handling skills will "be big for her in the off-season, working on that first step, enhancing that quickness. She can go forever, she just needs to get a little quicker. It's something we're definitely looking at. But one of the best things about her is she's very coachable, very positive. She definitely buys in."
Seabrook is averaging 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds - solid numbers that could improve as her overall game becomes more polished. A realistic aim remains to contribute rather than assume a leading scorer's role, but she realizes with the departure of Spears next season, "We're going to need to find points in other places. I think it'll be more spread out across the whole lineup. Right now, if they can shut down one person or a couple of people, we struggle in our offense. But with more post players coming in, I think we'll develop a more well-rounded game."
The Buffs, 12-13 overall and 3-9 in the Big 12, host No. 16/15 Oklahoma Wednesday (7 p.m., FSN Rocky Mountain) in their next-to-last home game. After that, they have trips to Missouri and Nebraska before No. 3/3 Baylor visits on Saturday, March 5 in the final regular-season game.
CU has lost four of its last five games and is yet to put together back-to-back wins in Big 12 play. The Buffs' three most recent losses have been by 28, 27 and 26 points, but Seabrook said a silver lining in last weekend's 71-45 loss at No. 20/23 Iowa State was that "we played together and didn't have any moments where we came apart. We felt like we got a lot better from that aspect, as far as being one as a team. It helped us get more uplifted."
Among the reasons Lappe undoubtedly will remember her first CU team is for its shortage of available bodies (nine). But Seabrook said Lappe has done a good job of rotating her lineup to compensate for the lack of depth: "I don't see that we're tired. The small number is kind of nice. Everybody feels like they're contributing and that's good for team (morale).
"We've kind of broken the season into sections. When February started, we looked at it like a whole new season . . . all these games this month, we should be playing at our peak. Once March starts, it will be kind of another new season. By breaking it down into small chunks, I think it's helped us stay mentally focused."
Other than their short bench, the Buffs' chief shortcoming has been in-game losses of focus that have allowed opponents to launch decisive runs. Lappe continually stresses the need for improvement there, and "after some games, it's kind of been like a broken record," Seabrook said. "She wants us to be more consistent and apply what we're doing in practice to the games - whether it's rebounding or transition defense."
Seabrook believes the Buffs still can finish strong, playing two teams they've already beaten (MU, Nebraska) and rising to the challenge of hosting another pair of ranked opponents (OU, Baylor).
"I do feel like we have an advantage at home, and we didn't really feel down after our last loss," she said. "I feel like that can carryover - how we played and our chemistry from that game . . . maybe that'll help us get some W's and give us a chance for some postseason play. That would be really exciting."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
