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Post by toomuchvb on Nov 4, 2018 8:13:17 GMT -5
Cathey has SOOOO much potential! I love it! . What if Cathey had taken a few swings against Nebraska when Nia Reed was having a tough time finding the floor? Nia filled that role nicely last year. Maybe Cathey this year. Coach may be limiting scouting opportunities and will unleash her in the post-season. |
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Post by nyline on Nov 4, 2018 8:32:29 GMT -5
Cathey has SOOOO much potential! I love it! . What if Cathey had taken a few swings against Nebraska when Nia Reed was having a tough time finding the floor? Nia filled that role nicely last year. Maybe Cathey this year. Coach may be limiting scouting opportunities and will unleash her in the post-season. I don't think that is likely to happen -- right now, Nia is better than Allyson. Everyone on Penn State struggled offensively against Nebraska. But Nia was in a tough position. Because Penn State was out of system so much, she ended up having to take a whole bunch of swings. In my subjective opinion, I don't think Allyson would have done any better. And don't get me wrong -- I really like Allyson Cathey. |
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Post by Onthebench on Nov 4, 2018 10:22:55 GMT -5
. What if Cathey had taken a few swings against Nebraska when Nia Reed was having a tough time finding the floor? Nia filled that role nicely last year. Maybe Cathey this year. Coach may be limiting scouting opportunities and will unleash her in the post-season. I don't think that is likely to happen -- right now, Nia is better than Allyson. Everyone on Penn State struggled offensively against Nebraska. But Nia was in a tough position. Because Penn State was out of system so much, she ended up having to take a whole bunch of swings. In my subjective opinion, I don't think Allyson would have done any better. And don't get me wrong -- I really like Allyson Cathey. Cathey, Reed and Parker are all good athletes with good pretty decent jumps. I just think they all are undersized hitters. I know there are plenty of undersized hitters who have done well. But, we need to have one or two who are 6'3 or above along with the current hitters. We just need A. Scott or A. Whitney type of hitters to go with others. McClendon, Lee, Courtney and Frantti were average sized hitters, but with the likes of Scott and and Whitney on the other side, they had better opportunities. Even the OHs coming in next year are 6'2 or shorter. i just think there are many less athletic hitters succeed in many part due to their height. As MBs are set, I just hope we can recruit bit taller OHs for the future |
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Post by nyline on Nov 4, 2018 11:33:26 GMT -5
I've seen Sydney Fergusen listed at 6-3. This is a long-time debate: tall versus smaller/skilled. Now, if you have a 6-3 OH with the same volleyball IQ, agility, side-to-side speed, coordination, court awarenes, blocking skill, hitting accuracy and arm speed/power as a 6-0 OH, and a higher vertical touch than the 6-0 OH, then no question you want the 6-3 OH. But it's rarely a comparison that is that clear cut. Mikaela Foecke is listed at 6-2. I'd take Mikaela Foecke any day. Jonni Parker is listed at 6-1, but appears to me to be a bit shorter, but she hits with exceptional power, has fantastic court awareness, great side-to-side speed, great Volleyball IQ, etc. I'd take Jonni Parker over many, many players who are taller than her. It's easy to focus on height (which is often misreported anyway), but it's all about talent and production. Having said that, 6-4 Thayer Hall would have been nice.
One more thing -- arm speed is, I would guess, alot like bat speed in baseball. The stat folks are really focusing on bat speed these days -- as the variable that is most important for power. I would guess that arm speed is as important as height (both being important) but it's not a statistic known to fans (or at least not known to me).
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Post by jojonito on Nov 4, 2018 16:35:47 GMT -5
I think that Parker has improved a lot this year. She's tooling the block better and is also placing her shots much better. She's becoming an attacker that you can go to when you need a kill. If you can place your ball well, you can be very effective. Look at Autumn Bailey for Mich St and Kelli Bates at Wisconsin, both seniors in 2017. They were under 6' and did good jobs. Granted, if you have equally skilled athletes, sure, you'll want the taller one. But 6'1" is plenty big enough to be very effective.
Like Nyline said, arm speed also is big. Alysson Cathey can really whale on the ball. I think that even at 6'0" she'll end up being a really good attacker.
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Post by yogi on Nov 4, 2018 17:38:51 GMT -5
If you like quick arm speed, check out some videos of 2019 recruit Lauren Clark. I think she has the potential to be really special.
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Post by Millennium on Nov 4, 2018 17:41:43 GMT -5
I think that Parker has improved a lot this year. She's tooling the block better and is also placing her shots much better. She's becoming an attacker that you can go to when you need a kill. If you can place your ball well, you can be very effective. Look at Autumn Bailey for Mich St and Kelli Bates at Wisconsin, both seniors in 2017. They were under 6' and did good jobs. Granted, if you have equally skilled athletes, sure, you'll want the taller one. But 6'1" is plenty big enough to be very effective. Like Nyline said, arm speed also is big. Alysson Cathey can really whale on the ball. I think that even at 6'0" she'll end up being a really good attacker.
IIRC, Cathey's biggest issue is the mental part of the game. That is, she gets down on herself too much when she gets blocked, hits out, etc. If she can get over that hurdle, she can be a very effective and valuable player.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2018 18:26:01 GMT -5
If you like quick arm speed, check out some videos of 2019 recruit Lauren Clark. I think she has the potential to be really special. Welcome to our happy place. |
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Post by jojonito on Nov 4, 2018 18:32:38 GMT -5
If you like quick arm speed, check out some videos of 2019 recruit Lauren Clark. I think she has the potential to be really special. Welcome to our happy place. Looks really impressive!! Thanks for putting that up! Looks like another Jonni Parker but maybe even hits harder!! |
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Post by Onthebench on Nov 4, 2018 20:59:15 GMT -5
I've seen Sydney Fergusen listed at 6-3. This is a long-time debate: tall versus smaller/skilled. Now, if you have a 6-3 OH with the same volleyball IQ, agility, side-to-side speed, coordination, court awarenes, blocking skill, hitting accuracy and arm speed/power as a 6-0 OH, and a higher vertical touch than the 6-0 OH, then no question you want the 6-3 OH. But it's rarely a comparison that is that clear cut. Mikaela Foecke is listed at 6-2. I'd take Mikaela Foecke any day. Jonni Parker is listed at 6-1, but appears to me to be a bit shorter, but she hits with exceptional power, has fantastic court awareness, great side-to-side speed, great Volleyball IQ, etc. I'd take Jonni Parker over many, many players who are taller than her. It's easy to focus on height (which is often misreported anyway), but it's all about talent and production. Having said that, 6-4 Thayer Hall would have been nice. One more thing -- arm speed is, I would guess, alot like bat speed in baseball. The stat folks are really focusing on bat speed these days -- as the variable that is most important for power. I would guess that arm speed is as important as height (both being important) but it's not a statistic known to fans (or at least not known to me). I mostly agree with your opinion. My main point was not a debate as to which kind of player do you prefer. It was to point out when you have average sized skill hitters as we do, it would be more effective to have some taller hitters such as Scott or Whitney to balance out the playing field. Our hitters are dynamic talents and I am really happy that they are our players. But, we are having difficult times against teams that have taller OHs. It's not a criticism at all on who we have. it's just my personal wish that we can get someone like Scott, Whitney or even Hall or Plummer type of taller hitters in the future |
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Post by nyline on Nov 4, 2018 21:42:50 GMT -5
I've seen Sydney Fergusen listed at 6-3. This is a long-time debate: tall versus smaller/skilled. Now, if you have a 6-3 OH with the same volleyball IQ, agility, side-to-side speed, coordination, court awarenes, blocking skill, hitting accuracy and arm speed/power as a 6-0 OH, and a higher vertical touch than the 6-0 OH, then no question you want the 6-3 OH. But it's rarely a comparison that is that clear cut. Mikaela Foecke is listed at 6-2. I'd take Mikaela Foecke any day. Jonni Parker is listed at 6-1, but appears to me to be a bit shorter, but she hits with exceptional power, has fantastic court awareness, great side-to-side speed, great Volleyball IQ, etc. I'd take Jonni Parker over many, many players who are taller than her. It's easy to focus on height (which is often misreported anyway), but it's all about talent and production. Having said that, 6-4 Thayer Hall would have been nice. One more thing -- arm speed is, I would guess, alot like bat speed in baseball. The stat folks are really focusing on bat speed these days -- as the variable that is most important for power. I would guess that arm speed is as important as height (both being important) but it's not a statistic known to fans (or at least not known to me). I mostly agree with your opinion. My main point was not a debate as to which kind of player do you prefer. It was to point out when you have average sized skill hitters as we do, it would be more effective to have some taller hitters such as Scott or Whitney to balance out the playing field. Our hitters are dynamic talents and I am really happy that they are our players. But, we are having difficult times against teams that have taller OHs. It's not a criticism at all on who we have. it's just my personal wish that we can get someone like Scott, Whitney or even Hall or Plummer type of taller hitters in the future I'll bet every member of Coach Rose's staff would love to have players like those you mentioned. And I didn't take it as criticism of our players. |
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Post by pointps on Nov 5, 2018 9:11:11 GMT -5
Jonni Parker needs to grow 2 inches between now and next August. And get longer arms, too. The Ag and Nutrition schools should have a diet solution for this -- this takes priority over other research. And less time for her on the court in the Spring and Summer and more stretching, hanging from basketball rim, etc. Maybe a chiropractor to extend her spine. And the Psych Department can help with positive reinforcement.
(Note from nyline: In case it's not clear to anyone, pointps is kidding here -- being facetious -- and in no way intends any disrespect. We all love Jonni just the way she is!)
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Post by nyline on Nov 5, 2018 9:52:50 GMT -5
Jonni Parker needs to grow 2 inches between now and next August. And get longer arms, too. The Ag and Nutrition schools should have a diet solution for this -- this takes priority over other research. And less time for her on the court in the Spring and Summer and more stretching, hanging from basketball rim, etc. Maybe a chiropractor to extend her spine. And the Psych Department can help with positive reinforcement. Igor: "Dr. Frankenstein?" Gene Wilder: "Frankensteen. It's pronounced "Frankensteen." |
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Post by stillkicking on Nov 5, 2018 19:19:29 GMT -5
Lauren Clark Looks very good, Thanks Yogi for the video
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Post by traveler on Nov 8, 2018 14:34:29 GMT -5
To which I offer: 5-11" MI Autumn Bailey, All-American OH.
Height isn't everything. What you're thinking while airborne, what you see on the other side, how well you understand the state of play, your mix of shots (Hord mentioned she's working on her 'register' of shots), how you calibrate and recalibrate during a match.
One thing I'm really liking about Jonni is her mix of shots. Like when she goes deep line with a push when they're expecting a sharp spike.
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