Medley, Florida – Angel Reese was heated.
Rose BC could not stop Rhyne Howard. Atlanta’s dream star cut the ground after slaughtering 14 points to the second quarter to give Vinyl BC a two -point advantage.
Reese attracted Rose Nola Henry coach to a group with an insistent request: she wanted Howard as a defensive mission for the rest of the match.
Henry delivered. And Reese did it too. Howard became aimless in the last quarter, trying and failing to circumvent the incessive defensive pressure of the star of the Chicago Sky.
“She wants to take up this challenge,” said Henry. “Always. This is what makes her different.
Useless offers WNBA players a lot of advantages – hot weather, new brilliant installations, a lucrative contract without having to play abroad. But for Reese, the most important advantage of the League is an opportunity to develop your game before its second season with The Sky.
Reese dominates in its unrivaled comfort zone, with an average of 13.3 points and a 12.1 summit of 12.1. But with only a week in the unrivaled season, Reese faces a new question: can this success translate into the WNBA?
Henry had the impression of understanding Reese well before becoming his coach with Rose. As an assistant for the Los Angeles Sparks, she spent a lot of time spotting the recruit last year. But in the past two months, Henry and all Rose staff and the list have acquired a new level of familiarity with Reese – his strengths and his room to improve.
Henry has found new forces in Reese’s offensive rebound: “It’s crazy how fast she arrives at her second jump on the ground.” The teammate Brittney Sykes was also surprised by Reese’s ability to move the ball, a force that the attacker showed in flashes throughout the season with passes with a journey and door flows.
“He is a sly facilitator,” said Sykes. “I didn’t even know it until the start of the season. She has a good enough Qi to be able to make passes and see passes – even if it could have been a turnover, just the idea of seeing the ball go where it should be. »»
Unrivaled coaches staff do not collaborate directly with the WNBA coaches of their respective players. However, Reese regularly communicates with New Sky Coach Tyler MarshWho provides comments and information that she can communicate to Henry to create a coherent coach plan for her off -season development.
Reese’s main weakness in attack is its shape at the edge. As a recruit, she launched her shot under her chest and placed her gunshots just above the rim, which led to the least effective edge shooting in the WNBA.
This is a weakness that Reese has recognized – and used unparalleled to tackle head -on. Throughout the season, Reese worked with shooting coaches and retired players such as Lisa Leslie to raise her release movement and target. Henry noted that Reese also tries a lot of his lay-ups under the guests, a technique that places the ball low enough for smaller guards such as Skylar Diggins-Smith blocking his shot.
It is difficult to change a shooting habit. For example, five of the 16 Reese shots at the edge during the Friday match against the lunar owls were sneaky. One of these shots was improved by passing by Underhand – Reese used a scoop shot to stretch around Shakira Austin in the post, creating an angle to avoid a larger front block. The rest of these sneaky shots led to failures while six of his marks during one night of shooting 7 for 16 died.
While it cleanses its shooting form, Reese also uses unparalleled to improve its ability to finish with contact. Reese is always accelerated sometimes under the rim – especially when he is kept by great defenders such as Napheesa Collier – but Sykes congratulated her for improving her ball placement and her patience in these opportunities.
Undisvalied provides a unique coaching dynamic. In a month, Reese will become an opponent for Henry, who is deputy coach of the Dallas Wings. But for the moment, their objectives are aligned. Henry could improve his own opponent for the coming season – but all of this is part of the work.
“Despite having to compete with her in the WNBA, I still want her to be the best basketball player as possible,” said Henry.
Register for our Newsletter Tribune Sports
Reese also had the opportunity to familiarize himself with two new teammates thanks to guards – guards Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot. Atkins was an addition of replacement of injuries to the pink list, giving the duo a precious time to work on their two-men. Vandersloot has spent a minimum of time working with Reese as an adversary on Mist BC, but the veteran goalkeeper believes that the pair will be an automatic adjustment when they connect to Chicago.
These two veterans will be crucial for Reese, who will be invited to play further from the basket as more than one wing than a traditional attacker this season. Although she only takes 80 jump shots last season, the sky will need Reese to diversify her selection of shots to space the ground with her teammate Kamilla Cardoso.
“Being able to stretch your range will be a great thing,” said Vandersloot. “It should not be a 3 -point pointer now, but it must be regularly overturned the riders of the elbow. I will get him a lot of shots. His being able to send it back this will make us a really difficult team to keep. »»
Improving this plan is also an element of the development of the Reese offseason which has not necessarily been helped by the basketball format 3 against 3. With only two pass options and a heavy defense style, the capture and socket opportunities are extremely limited for Reese.
Reese presented an improved technique in practice and heating, from a higher release point closer to his chin, his hands remaining separate throughout the shooting movement. But she rarely took unparalleled riders – and generally returned to her old form during the matches.
However, Atkins and Vandersloot were not concerned with the growth of Reese this offseason. Both praised his work ethics, a trait that led to long training sessions and prolonged sessions in the bodybuilding room.
The competitiveness of Reese has gained immediately praise of his new teammates – and is something that the two players are impatient to live as a teammate, rather than as an opponent, in Chicago.
“As a recruit, few players know it,” said Vandersloot. “They don’t have it. They have always been really good and they hold it for granted. But she wants to extend her game. Everyone talks about her competitiveness. I see him as an opponent. I love it. I love this energy.
