Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Minus Reese, Buffs Still Must Finish Strong
February 28, 2012 | Women's Basketball, B.G. Brooks
Of course, with two regular-season games remaining, "wildly successful" is a relative term for the Buffaloes. We're not talking about an extended run of 'W's; winning out against Oregon on Thursday (6:30 p.m., ROOT Sports) and against Oregon State (4 p.m., Saturday) at the Coors Events Center would give CU a late-season push heading into next week's Pac-12 Conference tournament in Los Angeles.
And the Buffs might need that extra nudge to keep playing beyond the L.A. trip. More on that later.
Reese is out for the season after suffering a fractured orbital bone below her left eye during last week's loss at No. 2 Stanford. A doctor's appointment on Monday afternoon determined that corrective surgery was needed. It was scheduled for Tuesday.
A talented 6-2 forward from Clackamas, Ore., Reese had played in 25 games (nine starts) and was averaging 7.8 points and 6.0 rebounds. Her overall consistency, offensive ability and growing grasp of the offense were bright spots for a team that has struggled over the past month. The experience she was gaining also was immeasurable as second-year CU coach Linda Lappe looked to the future.
"Losing her hurts," Lappe said. "She had developed into a good scorer; she had the ability to score the ball in a lot of different ways - in the high post, the short corner, the low block. And she was giving us a lot in rebounding.
"It just means that everybody else has to step up and do what they do a little bit better, be a little more confident in their scoring. We're just going to have to keep working together."
The cast of front line characters Lappe will depend on to step in/up for Reese includes senior Julie Seabrook, junior Meagan Malcolm-Peck, sophomore Rachel Hargis and freshman Jasmine Sborov. Seabrook has been the most consistent scorer among that group, averaging 7.1 points, with Malcolm-Peck at 4.2, Hargis at 3.9 and Sborov at 2.4. Seabrook's 5.1 rebounding average is the foursome's best.
"Obviously we need to pick up the slack in what we'll be missing from her," the 6-3 Seabrook said. "The two teams coming up play mostly zone, and Jen had ability to shoot the short corner jumper, the high jumper as well.
"We've talked about everyone picking up the slack a little bit, everyone not doing anything out of the ordinary outside their role, but doing a little more and putting in more effort to pick up for what we're missing from her."
At 6-4, Hargis is the tallest player on CU's roster. Recent emphasis by her and the coaching staff has been on her finishing in the low post, being ready to score when getting an inside dish from a driving guard. "Every day in practice it's been a focal point for me and the coaches," Hargis said. "It's definitely gotten better. I'm trying to get the ball and go up stronger to the basket. I've been getting more fouls and hitting free throws. If I keep working on it it's going to improve more and more."
Hargis called Reese "a pretty automatic scorer; we know we get her the ball and she's usually going to hit the shot. Without her, me and Julie really need to step up in the post and take over her role. It's not necessarily one of us; both of us have to do it."
In truth, all four of them - add Malcolm-Peck and Sborov to the mix - have to do it. Sborov, like Reese did, is well into making the adjustment from the last level to this one and, according to Lappe, making it well.
The Buffs are 16-11 overall, 5-11 in the conference and battling to break a four-game losing streak. They've lost seven of their last eight games - not the kind of finish Lappe or anyone else envisioned after a record-breaking 12-0 start.
They're in 10th place in the Pac-12, but could climb in the standings (and on the tournament seeding ladder) with a couple of wins to close out the regular season. They lost to Oregon schools earlier this month (65-45 at Oregon State, 67-62 at Oregon), but believe the outcomes can be different at the Events Center.
Closing out with a pair of 'W's, said Seabrook, would be "the ideal situation . . . we didn't have that great a game against Oregon State when we went there. But when we went to Oregon we had a very good first half. We need to come out in the second half and be ready to go, and know that the other team is going to try and shove it down our throats at the same time. We need to be prepared for that. We're doing a lot better job of coming out (strong) at the beginning of games now, but our finishes have to match the first half."
On the darker side, with two losses, CU would finish the regular season at 16-13, a number that might offer false hope for postseason tournament consideration. Even with an above-.500 finish, the Buffs might not be a lock to get a WNIT bid, considering what could wind up as a bad final month fade and having four teams above them in the Pac-12 that currently are at least four games above .500.
If form holds through the conference's postseason tourney, two Pac-12 teams - No. 2 Stanford and California - appear to be headed for the NCAA Tournament. So the key questions become: Could as many as five Pac-12 teams make the WNIT's 64-team field? And would the selection committee look favorably on a team (CU) that limped to the finish with one or two wins in its final 11-12 games?
The best way for the Buffs to avoid being seen in that light is obvious: Break the four-game losing streak with a couple of home wins, earn a higher seed for next week's conference tournament and win at least one game in L.A.
Too tall an order? Not if Reese is capably replaced and what has been an avalanche of turnovers finally subsides. Here's a staggering stat: CU hasn't played a game this season - including the 12-0 start - with single-digit turnovers. The Buffs are averaging 17.4 errors in all games, 18.0 in conference play.
Bring that number down and the chances of winning go up. Final visits by Oregon and Oregon State, said Hargis, offer "a definite possibility for us to get two wins. That would be big going into the Pac-12 tournament for us, shaking off the rest of the Pac-12 season and starting fresh. Two wins would be nice."
Not to mention badly needed.
IT'S RALLY TIME: CU will conduct a "Stampede To Staples" pep rally at the Coors Events Center on Sunday, March 4, as a sendoff for the men's and women's basketball teams prior to next week's Pac-12 tournament in Los Angeles.
The short Hollywood-themed program, to be emceed by John Murray, will feature athletic director Mike Bohn, men's coach Tad Boyle, women's coach Linda Lappe, players from both teams, the CU cheer squad, Chip the mascot and the basketball pep band. Bohn will talk about the 50 loyalty prize winners (C-Unit) who will make the trip to L.A.
Entrance to the event, which begins at 2 p.m., will be through the Events Center's northwest doors. Parking is free in Lot 436 and the parking structure. Popcorn and soda will be provided by the Boulder Buff Club.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
