This is just my opinion, but here it goes:

Honestly I have seen improvement from Sheppard and Amoore but honestly I have not seen much improvement from anyone else. Sheppard still has problems rushing things and forcing shots up, but I think that is because she feels like she has to and is the go to player when Kitley is double-teamed. Kitley has gotten a little better with passing out of the double-team but I don't understand why this wasn't focused on last season going into this season, knowing that this was most likely going to occur. She is struggling because of that at times. They obviously did not prepare her for it. The whole team should be progressing further at this point, no matter how new this team is. The players that were on the team last year who played should be showing more improvement and player development. I think a lot of this is conditioning issues but it is also a mental issue and coaching issue in my opinion.

Jones has completely fallen off since entering ACC play and she has the potential to be really good. I just don't get that whole situation. The absence of Baptiste and Rivers is really hurting us and Kitley. Every team is focused on Kitley because our other post players are not producing much. If you had two that were consistent instead of one it would make us better obviously and Kitley would be able to be the player she is.

The lack of player development became more noticeable to me after seeing what Mabrey has accomplished at Notre Dame so far. She is one of the leaders on that team and she is not just a 3 point shooter there. Under their coaching she has developed into an all around player, hitting and-ones and shooting a lot more 2s on top of the 3s she is known for. She also plays with an energy and confidence that wasn't seen that much here and her defense has also improved. She is fine with playing point guard when needed but is also seen as an off the ball player there. So the whole leaving to be a point guard thing is becoming questionable. Makes you wonder if the coaching staff didn't have faith in her to be anything but a 3 point shooter, kind of like what King is doing right now. It hasn't even been a year and she has improved greatly both offensively and defensively and we miss her leadership and scoring abilities no matter what anyone thinks. A couple of her 3s would have won us a lot of the games we lost as well.

Haven't seen much of Baptiste, but what I have seen she has improved as well. She seems to be more well-rounded and still a force to be reckoned with. We miss her energy, confidence, and toughness. She is a leader for mental health issues at Arizona and is constantly checking on her teammates. I don't know how this team is with these kind of things, but this is also leadership quality we lost. Not to mention she is playing for the current #11 team in the country.

Here is a few quotes about Baptiste and Mabrey from their new teams:

“Trinity, she has that experience. She has that toughness and she’s a heck of a rebounder,” said Aari McDonald, Arizona’s preseason Associated Press All-American guard. “That’s something we’ve been lacking for the past couple years. She adds that. … She’s definitely going to be a key piece this year.”

“Trinity is a great kid – she’s positive and excited to be here. I wish I had her for all four years. I think we just got better and are a more complete team with her. She is also one of the most kind and sweet people I know. After I had the baby, she would check up on me all the time. Her heart is so pure, and I love that.”

“First of all, I did not know that she had [34] so when I checked the stats I was like Oh my goodness,” head coach Niele Ivey said. “I think she did phenomenal. Just so proud of her. She’s just relentless. You know, the heart and soul of this team even being a newcomer. You know playing the way the Mabreys play. I thought she shot the ball extremely well, 7-14. She’s doing it all for me. She’s giving her heart and giving her soul to this team and this program so really happy for her and really happy about her.”

These two leaving along with Cole and Rivers graduating, basically means we lost every player on the team with toughness with the exception of Sheppard. Amoore is getting there but still needs experience. We lost leadership and you obviously are seeing that play out now. I think we also underestimated the role of the assistant coaches that left. Yes the leadership needs to start from the top, but it also needs to be on the court. There is no calming force on the court now or anyone to take over a game confidently when needed. I also think they don't fear messing up as much as a team would with a coach that chews them out for it. But this could be both a positive and negative thing depending on the type of player they are. Still would like to see a little fire on the sideline when we need it.

That said Brooks has changed this program for the better and the records show that. We do need to improve in a lot of ways but we lost a lot more than people tend to acknowledge. I said at the beginning of the season this might be a long year even if there is a lot of talent because of the newcomers and little experience we have playing together. I usually hate the next year excuse, but if there is no noticeable improvement next year with the talent we have, then we have a real problem.