The Bobcat Nation

Assuming all of this year’s seniors do not return, next year looks to be something of a rebuild year. Also assuming that none of next years players enter the portal, there will be 4 seniors, 4 sophomores, 1 transfer freshman, and 4 incoming true freshman. There are 2 open scholarships available.

The point guard appears to be the biggest void to fill. Olson, who played sparingly, could have a breakout year if her health (knee?) returns and would at least be a 3-point shooting upgrade over White. I love Philip’s hustle & speed (+ smile) but I am not sure of her ball handling skills. When she substituted in this year, it was mostly at the #2 position. 5-5 true frosh Natalie Picton from Ontario is a total mystery to me. Sure, Beattie or freshman transfer Brooke Berry could play point but I just don’t see them as the full time answer. This is the position I suspect Binford will most likely look for a transfer.

Beattie is a solid lock at the shooting guard. Love her intensity. Backing her up is Philip (see above) & Berry. Isobel Bunyan, the incoming 6-0 freshman from Wales, might factor in here as well.

Limardo returns for her 4th year as a starter at the swing forward. Whatever her prowess is on the defensive side, IMHO, is mostly offset by her cringe ball handling on offence. Regardless, Binford loves her so pencil her in. Like the shooting guard, I see Berry and/or Bunyan providing back-up.

As for the “bigs”, Deden will rightfully be the starting post. Dykstra should start at the #4 and has tremendous upside. Janssen is a serviceable backup. Although I’d love to be proven wrong, I just can’t see Hein being anything more than an occasionally tall sub. True freshman 6-2 Ella Johnson from Minnesota & 6-2 Lea Boulanger from Quebec will have a great opportunity to be in the rotation if their talented enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if a true post transfer is brought in too.

I see next years team as being a 4th or 5th place finisher in conference play. That could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:31 am

I see next years team as being a 4th or 5th place finisher in conference play. That could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

I think the team may thrive under the diminished light of lower expectations. I'm excited to see how Dykstra comes out of an off-season of college strength and conditioning. From all I've heard, Berry is the heir apparent at point guard. Limardo plays because she is a disruptive force on defense. Deden will stay at the four and Dykstra/Hein will be the five I think-IF-Binford decides to go with two post players. I think one of the reasons we got exposed at the three point line is because we played two true posts most of the time. Post players are terrible at guarding the three point line-Bad Bear and Deden-no exception. The women's college game is becoming very perimeter oriented (see the post in the College Sports thread about Florida Gulf Coast). Binford needs to get in the lab and figure that out this offseason. It made no sense that a team with as much length as ours would be so bad at defending the three. My two post theory is my over simplified explanation.

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:23 am

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:31 am

I see next years team as being a 4th or 5th place finisher in conference play. That could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

I think the team may thrive under the diminished light of lower expectations. I'm excited to see how Dykstra comes out of an off-season of college strength and conditioning. From all I've heard, Berry is the heir apparent at point guard. Limardo plays because she is a disruptive force on defense. Deden will stay at the four and Dykstra/Hein will be the five I think-IF-Binford decides to go with two post players. I think one of the reasons we got exposed at the three point line is because we played two true posts most of the time. Post players are terrible at guarding the three point line-Bad Bear and Deden-no exception. The women's college game is becoming very perimeter oriented (see the post in the College Sports thread about Florida Gulf Coast). Binford needs to get in the lab and figure that out this offseason. It made no sense that a team with as much length as ours would be so bad at defending the three. My two post theory is my over simplified explanation.

Who will finish above us? Griz we're young, PSU young, but Sac loses some studs, not sure on. NAU or NCU

I predict the Lady griz will sweep us next year. Hate to say that but when I look at those two dynamite scoring freshmen
along with their strong recruits, I think they will move ahead of the Cats. I agree that we are looking at 4th or 5th
at best next year. Of course, taking the target off your back can help. You just never know.

I'd agree with the prediction of a middle of the pack finish next year for the MSU women. Of course, that could change if Coach Binford uses the Transfer Portal as effectively as Coach Sprinkle did last year to fill the gaps left by his graduating seniors.

Watching South Dakota State in the NCAA tournament 2nd round. That's a team Bobcats beat this season! SDSU only has 5 losses and one of them was to the Bobcats. This program isn't too far off-just gotta keep building.

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:23 am

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:31 am

I see next years team as being a 4th or 5th place finisher in conference play. That could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

I think the team may thrive under the diminished light of lower expectations. I'm excited to see how Dykstra comes out of an off-season of college strength and conditioning. From all I've heard, Berry is the heir apparent at point guard. Limardo plays because she is a disruptive force on defense. Deden will stay at the four and Dykstra/Hein will be the five I think-IF-Binford decides to go with two post players. I think one of the reasons we got exposed at the three point line is because we played two true posts most of the time. Post players are terrible at guarding the three point line-Bad Bear and Deden-no exception. The women's college game is becoming very perimeter oriented (see the post in the College Sports thread about Florida Gulf Coast). Binford needs to get in the lab and figure that out this offseason. It made no sense that a team with as much length as ours would be so bad at defending the three. My two post theory is my over simplified explanation.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around Binford going with a 6 foot point guard but if Berry is that good, that would be excellent news. Dykstra's off season strength & development may be abbreviated as she said during a Chop House show a few weeks back that she wants to play on the Canadian U19 team this summer and compete in Spain. That will be fun to follow.

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 7:33 pm

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:23 am

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:31 am

I see next years team as being a 4th or 5th place finisher in conference play. That could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

I think the team may thrive under the diminished light of lower expectations. I'm excited to see how Dykstra comes out of an off-season of college strength and conditioning. From all I've heard, Berry is the heir apparent at point guard. Limardo plays because she is a disruptive force on defense. Deden will stay at the four and Dykstra/Hein will be the five I think-IF-Binford decides to go with two post players. I think one of the reasons we got exposed at the three point line is because we played two true posts most of the time. Post players are terrible at guarding the three point line-Bad Bear and Deden-no exception. The women's college game is becoming very perimeter oriented (see the post in the College Sports thread about Florida Gulf Coast). Binford needs to get in the lab and figure that out this offseason. It made no sense that a team with as much length as ours would be so bad at defending the three. My two post theory is my over simplified explanation.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around Binford going with a 6 foot point guard but if Berry is that good, that would be excellent news. Dykstra's off season strength & development may be abbreviated as she said during a Chop House show a few weeks back that she wants to play on the Canadian U19 team this summer and compete in Spain. That will be fun to follow.

Happy to hear Dykstra has those opportunities. Nothing like playing against good competition to get better at basketball.

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 3:23 pm

Watching South Dakota State in the NCAA tournament 2nd round. That's a team Bobcats beat this season! SDSU only has 5 losses and one of them was to the Bobcats. This program isn't too far off-just gotta keep building.

We were tantalizingly close. But SDSU got better, and we really tailed off at the end. Keep in getting better. We’re miles ahead of the 15-15 seasons we used to have.

aucat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:17 pm

I predict the Lady griz will sweep us next year. Hate to say that but when I look at those two dynamite scoring freshmen
along with their strong recruits, I think they will move ahead of the Cats. I agree that we are looking at 4th or 5th
at best next year. Of course, taking the target off your back can help. You just never know.

Lady Griz do look good for next year indeed. Gfeller has announced that she will be returning for her Covid year. So you have two All Big Sky performers in Marxen and Gfeller with two outstanding sophomores and other good talent behind them. Could be their year. I’m not ready to predict a sweep yet though…gotta keep a bit of optimism.

BelgradeBobcat wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:23 am

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:31 am

I see next years team as being a 4th or 5th place finisher in conference play. That could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

I think the team may thrive under the diminished light of lower expectations. I'm excited to see how Dykstra comes out of an off-season of college strength and conditioning. From all I've heard, Berry is the heir apparent at point guard. Limardo plays because she is a disruptive force on defense. Deden will stay at the four and Dykstra/Hein will be the five I think-IF-Binford decides to go with two post players. I think one of the reasons we got exposed at the three point line is because we played two true posts most of the time. Post players are terrible at guarding the three point line-Bad Bear and Deden-no exception. The women's college game is becoming very perimeter oriented (see the post in the College Sports thread about Florida Gulf Coast). Binford needs to get in the lab and figure that out this offseason. It made no sense that a team with as much length as ours would be so bad at defending the three. My two post theory is my over simplified explanation.

Agree that Limardo plays because she is a force on defense…she led the team in steals and in fact ranked top 10 in conference. But people keep overlooking that she was our best 3 pt shooter this year at 38.8% (38 of 98) whereas Beattie finished at 36.4% (52 of 143). Hard to believe and crazy, but if Limardo finished her career right now she would have a career 3pt % better than Martell. I always wondered why Coach didn’t try to post her up on the arc a bit more when Leia was off….guess I reasoned that Coach wanted her more focused on the D side and stopping the break. And Coach wanted everything going through the post as you mentioned. I know others are critical of KJ turnovers but of the top 7 players Leia and Madison had fewest turnovers per minute played, KJ and Kola were next, Lexi and Gracie had the worst TO count per min of play…(Darian had about same TO rate per min as KJ but Darian obviously had substantially more touches of the ball).

On the guards, I didn’t watch Berry in high school so can’t comment on her potential at point. But the only starting freshman point guard I have seen under Binford was all-world Darian White. Maybe Berry is it..will be interesting to see. I sure like Philip hustle and defense but haven’t seen much to say she can be point….not saying she can’t play that spot but we didn’t see it her freshmen year much. I’ll throw another couple thoughts in there…..first Leia Beattie played point in high school, she sees the floor well and makes some great assist passes….in fact at times I thought she distributed the ball better than Darian, her TO rate is second lowest only to Maddie Jackson. Some people say we need to keep her as a shooting guard but I’ll remind you our second most all time 3 points made and 2nd best 3 pt shooting % all time and the all time assist leader was a point guard named Hannah Caudill…could Leia deliver from the point as well? Second, I still think there is a chance Gracie may return….and I can hear some on the board already screaming “the guy has lost his marbles”….but Gracie plays fast, does hit the open player, plays disruptive tough defense and does take it inside, she does shoot the ball well at times, she is the one player on our squad that is never intimidated by anyone she is up against, she looks like she wants to get in a scrum (hell she can do a 5 minute plank and beat every one in the ROTC program…..now everyone get on the floor to time your own plank….Ha!). But she has a huge TURNOVER PROBLEM….I like to be an optimist that Katie can reign her decision making in….which would make her a better point than she displayed this year. I think we will see a lot of experimenting with the lineup in early season games at this spot. Coach Bin could also try to pickup someone in the portal but that has not been her style and I think that risks pushing another lady or two out.

Edit: and I do agree that the toughness on D of our post play made teams plan on the arc offense. There are conference stats that point to that but I won’t bore you. I hope Lindsey Hein foot heals enough to give some quality minutes even if only off the bench to relieve Deden and Dykstra….she is still a work in progress for her strength and speed. It will be interesting to see if Lindsey gives it up if after 3 years if she can’t get healthy.

Good discussion. I’m not giving up on our ladies yet and we may not be champions but still like to believe we can finish better than 4 or 5th. If none of this junior group leaves we have the experience and the hunger to win.

Well, it gets a little easier for MSU next year with Mark Campbell leaving Sac State to go to TCU.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:35 pm

Well, it gets a little easier for MSU next year with Mark Campbell leaving Sac State to go to TCU.

Boy that was fast……two years as a head coach and one winning season…and to make a move like that. Interesting.

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:31 am

Assuming all of this year’s seniors do not return, next year looks to be something of a rebuild year. Also assuming that none of next years players enter the portal, there will be 4 seniors, 4 sophomores, 1 transfer freshman, and 4 incoming true freshman. There are 2 open scholarships available.

The point guard appears to be the biggest void to fill. Olson, who played sparingly, could have a breakout year if her health (knee?) returns and would at least be a 3-point shooting upgrade over White. I love Philip’s hustle & speed (+ smile) but I am not sure of her ball handling skills. When she substituted in this year, it was mostly at the #2 position. 5-5 true frosh Natalie Picton from Ontario is a total mystery to me. Sure, Beattie or freshman transfer Brooke Berry could play point but I just don’t see them as the full time answer. This is the position I suspect Binford will most likely look for a transfer.

Beattie is a solid lock at the shooting guard. Love her intensity. Backing her up is Philip (see above) & Berry. Isobel Bunyan, the incoming 6-0 freshman from Wales, might factor in here as well.

Limardo returns for her 4th year as a starter at the swing forward. Whatever her prowess is on the defensive side, IMHO, is mostly offset by her cringe ball handling on offence. Regardless, Binford loves her so pencil her in. Like the shooting guard, I see Berry and/or Bunyan providing back-up.

As for the “bigs”, Deden will rightfully be the starting post. Dykstra should start at the #4 and has tremendous upside. Janssen is a serviceable backup. Although I’d love to be proven wrong, I just can’t see Hein being anything more than an occasionally tall sub. True freshman 6-2 Ella Johnson from Minnesota & 6-2 Lea Boulanger from Quebec will have a great opportunity to be in the rotation if their talented enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if a true post transfer is brought in too.

I see next years team as being a 4th or 5th place finisher in conference play. That could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

With Beattie transferring out and Malea Egan of Colstrip committing, presently next year’s roster sits at 3 seniors, 4 sophomores, 1 transfer freshman, and now 5 incoming freshmen. Still 2 open scholarships available.

IMHO, the point guard remains the largest void to replace. Olsen, Picton and now Egan are the candidates. It’s been mentioned in this thread that Berry is the heir apparent but I remain skeptical of that. With the departure of Beattie, Berry is the starter at shooting guard with Philip behind her.

Assuming no more transfers out, I would hope that any incoming transfers Binford might bring in would be a true junior (no free covid year on their resume) that would bring some eligibility balance to the roster.

I now see next year’s team being a 4th to 6th place finisher in conference play. Again, that could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

Excited to see what Brooke Berry and Marah Dykstra can do next year with what should be major roles on a young team. Those two could easily form the core of another MSU championship team a couple years down the line.

MSU01 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 08, 2023 9:13 am

Excited to see what Brooke Berry and Marah Dykstra can do next year with what should be major roles on a young team. Those two could easily form the core of another MSU championship team a couple years down the line.

We were the #1 youngest D-I team in the nation just a few years ago — and that turned into a very good team that year. I’d be surprised if we are out if the top 3-4 heading into the tournament. I think the speed of our play may increase, or else we need to get a visit from Mr. Stockton again.

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 08, 2023 8:16 am

arvcat2 wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:31 am

Assuming all of this year’s seniors do not return, next year looks to be something of a rebuild year. Also assuming that none of next years players enter the portal, there will be 4 seniors, 4 sophomores, 1 transfer freshman, and 4 incoming true freshman. There are 2 open scholarships available.

The point guard appears to be the biggest void to fill. Olson, who played sparingly, could have a breakout year if her health (knee?) returns and would at least be a 3-point shooting upgrade over White. I love Philip’s hustle & speed (+ smile) but I am not sure of her ball handling skills. When she substituted in this year, it was mostly at the #2 position. 5-5 true frosh Natalie Picton from Ontario is a total mystery to me. Sure, Beattie or freshman transfer Brooke Berry could play point but I just don’t see them as the full time answer. This is the position I suspect Binford will most likely look for a transfer.

Beattie is a solid lock at the shooting guard. Love her intensity. Backing her up is Philip (see above) & Berry. Isobel Bunyan, the incoming 6-0 freshman from Wales, might factor in here as well.

Limardo returns for her 4th year as a starter at the swing forward. Whatever her prowess is on the defensive side, IMHO, is mostly offset by her cringe ball handling on offence. Regardless, Binford loves her so pencil her in. Like the shooting guard, I see Berry and/or Bunyan providing back-up.

As for the “bigs”, Deden will rightfully be the starting post. Dykstra should start at the #4 and has tremendous upside. Janssen is a serviceable backup. Although I’d love to be proven wrong, I just can’t see Hein being anything more than an occasionally tall sub. True freshman 6-2 Ella Johnson from Minnesota & 6-2 Lea Boulanger from Quebec will have a great opportunity to be in the rotation if their talented enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if a true post transfer is brought in too.

I see next years team as being a 4th or 5th place finisher in conference play. That could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

With Beattie transferring out and Malea Egan of Colstrip committing, presently next year’s roster sits at 3 seniors, 4 sophomores, 1 transfer freshman, and now 5 incoming freshmen. Still 2 open scholarships available.

IMHO, the point guard remains the largest void to replace. Olsen, Picton and now Egan are the candidates. It’s been mentioned in this thread that Berry is the heir apparent but I remain skeptical of that. With the departure of Beattie, Berry is the starter at shooting guard with Philip behind her.

Assuming no more transfers out, I would hope that any incoming transfers Binford might bring in would be a true junior (no free covid year on their resume) that would bring some eligibility balance to the roster.

I now see next year’s team being a 4th to 6th place finisher in conference play. Again, that could all change for the better if someone surfaces at point guard and a couple of players like a Berry and Dykstra really explode.

Not sure if your scholarship math includes Egan but I heard through the grapevine that she will be a walk-on.

84CatGrad wrote: Not sure if your scholarship math includes Egan but I heard through the grapevine that she will be a walk-on.

I believe that women’s basketball has 15 full scholarships available, no splitting. In the past Trish has taken a walk-on or two, so I wouldn’t be surprised. It would indicate building toward a roster size of 16.

So Nebraska gets our recruiting coordinator and our star player. Shouldn’t they send us a couple of their second stringers??

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Bobcat4Ever wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 08, 2023 4:34 pm

84CatGrad wrote: Not sure if your scholarship math includes Egan but I heard through the grapevine that she will be a walk-on.

I believe that women’s basketball has 15 full scholarships available, no splitting. In the past Trish has taken a walk-on or two, so I wouldn’t be surprised. It would indicate building toward a roster size of 16.

The press releases say she was “signed”. Do walk-ons sign something?