Post by iebeatwriter on Jan 27, 2021 17:51:32 GMT -5
I'm a local beat writer tasked with covering WAC women's basketball for wachoopsdigest.com and the CBU Women's Basketball team for Inland Sports. They're 14-0 O, 6-0 in WAC play and ranked #11 in the collegeinsider.com mid-major poll in year three of the NCAA transition from D2 to D1. My question for the board...why is this not being picked up by folks nationally? It's gotta be turning some heads that a transition team is among the undefeated right?
I love watching CBU. They share the ball as well as any team. Ane Olaeta is a very very good pg. She averages 11.8 ppg. 7.5 apg and 4.7 rpg
When CBU played against Stanford last year Olaeta scored 18 pts. 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Stanford only won that game by 5 points, and Stanford led by 1 point in the 4th quarter.
The coach Jarrod Olson is one of the best coaches around. Surprised he hasnt been offered a chance at a Power 5 team, because he would be great(unless he wants stay at CBU.)
Shame that this is only their 3rd year in D1, which means no NCAA tournament.
Would like to know when you go to the NCAA stat page, www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-women/d1/current/individual/1009 they dont list individual stats, like Olaeta's assists at 98, which would tie her for D1 lead. even if you took off her 2 games vs Non D1 opponents she would be in 3rd place in assists. They do list the CBU team, in the net rankings but not individual stats.
CBU has a chance to win every game this year, I hope. Not sure if there will be a WNIT this year, with its structure, so the WAC Tournament could be their last game.
The games vs Grand Canyon, later in the season, should be good.
Your post is the first I have seen that has mentioned CBU, on any forum.
I thought the WNIT was done by a bidding process and the host team was the team that bid the highest to host the games. Since there might not be a home gate, to offset the costs of the bid, I wasnt sure if that format could work. I suppose you can have a WNIT, but the costs without a gate or a TV contract to cover them would make it an expensive deal. I believe only the Championship game of the WNIT is on TV. Will be interesting to see if an alternative plan is implemented for this year.
Molly Miler at GCU has done a great job, considering they only have one senior/grad student and a freshman, Katie Cross, who leads the team in scoring at 18.9 ppg while only playing 21 mpg. Hard to have a good team, at any level, without senior leadership. If CBU sweeps GCU, then I have to give the coach of the WAC to Olson. If they split, or GCU sweeps I can see Miller.
I will check out your links to read the write ups.
Post by iebeatwriter on Jan 29, 2021 7:18:47 GMT -5
And the Lancers are now idle this weekend as a result of a tier one positive COVID-19 test from UTRGV. If New Mexico State can get off of their pause the two sides will meet in Riverside next Friday & Saturday. Games on the WAC Digital Network
I can't answer for sure why no one nationally is paying attention to CBU's success. But I think playing in the WAC, which is one of the weakest Div. I conferences, doesn't help them out. Last year’s Stanford game that iminoc mentioned gave them legitimate press. They need to schedule those Power-5 teams (or a consistent mid-major program like Gonzaga or BYU – as west-coast examples) as often as possible in order to truly be seen. And now that CBU's establishing itself as a solid program, those teams will want to play them as well. Unfortunately, this was the year to get spontaneously aggressive with the scheduling. I see several out-of-conference teams on CBU's schedule that Pac-12 programs also scheduled (SDSU, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, etc.), but CBU missed out on scheduling the Pac-12 programs themselves (or at least that one high-level program). Hopefully it starts happening consistently next year.
The coach Jarrod Olson is one of the best coaches around. Surprised he hasn't been offered a chance at a Power 5 team, because he would be great (unless he wants stay at CBU.)
He soon might. I know that the head-coaching contracts of both Colorado and Utah are set to run out at the end of this season, and I bet at least one of them (if not both) won't get renewed due to each program's lack of success within those coaches' respective tenures. It would be a big jump from the WAC to the Pac, though – he would still likely be considered a risky hire, if nothing else but because of the uncertainty of if he can recruit at a bigger school. No doubt that he can coach 'em up like you said, at least.
Last Edit: Jan 29, 2021 17:55:36 GMT -5 by Deleted
Post by iebeatwriter on Jan 30, 2021 11:11:12 GMT -5
Really the mid majors aren't as a whole getting a lot of attention. Delaware has only one loss (George Washington) and a P5 win over Pitt (their first over an ACC program in nearly a decade) yet you hear no talk about them
Really the mid majors aren't as a whole getting a lot of attention. Delaware has only one loss (George Washington) and a P5 win over Pitt (their first over an ACC program in nearly a decade) yet you hear no talk about them
Agreed. Any attention normally given to the mid-majors might be taken up by the covid-related issues teams everywhere are facing. All the parity within the top title-contending programs this year doesn’t help the mid-majors get coverage either.
Post by iebeatwriter on Feb 6, 2021 13:28:15 GMT -5
Update: #9 CBU (collegeinsider.com mid-major poll) returned to play yesterday and defeated New Mexico State 94-53 in game one of their Western Athletic Conference series. The Lancers connected on 17 three pointers and gave head coach Jarrod Olson his 200th win at the school in 9 years. I'll be out there for game two this afternoon at 2pm with a story to come at inlandsports.wordpress.com later
Update: #9 CBU (collegeinsider.com mid-major poll) returned to play yesterday and defeated New Mexico State 94-53 in game one of their Western Athletic Conference series. The Lancers connected on 17 three pointers and gave head coach Jarrod Olson his 200th win at the school in 9 years. I'll be out there for game two this afternoon at 2pm with a story to come at inlandsports.wordpress.com later
I hope Avila-Ambrosi's knee is okay. She went down early in the game and was on the bench with an ice bag on it. She is a solid freshman.
Post by iebeatwriter on Feb 6, 2021 22:30:51 GMT -5
For my money she is the WAC Freshman of the Year at this point. Katie Scott of GCU is the other contender for that award in my mind but NMSU basically rendered her ineffective that weekend. Avila-Ambrosi has been effective the entire way and I echo your sentiments wishing her a speedy recovery. GCU & UTRGV play tomorrow morning at 11am on the WAC Digital Network.
Post by iebeatwriter on Feb 10, 2021 9:45:18 GMT -5
Wonder if this will be a nationally broadcasted game or a WAC Digital Network game? Either way I'll have coverage of that game as well as game one of their series with Grand Canyon University next week. We have an interview with Coach Olson on the WAC Hoops Digest podcast scheduled to post sometime today.
Wonder if this will be a nationally broadcasted game or a WAC Digital Network game? Either way I'll have coverage of that game as well as game one of their series with Grand Canyon University next week. We have an interview with Coach Olson on the WAC Hoops Digest podcast scheduled to post sometime today.
I thought CBU also had a game or two on ESPN3, this season. No matter what it should be a good match up, although both teams will be finishing up 3 games in 4 days, which is not the norm nowadays, except an early season tournament.