The Washington Huskies Women’s Basketball team has two standout players in Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor. Will third player stand up in time for their championship run?
Basketball Analytics may not be the governing force driving the Washington Huskies women’s basketball team. But like gravity or wind, it does not need to be seen or observed to act. It simply is.
One of the basic premises in analytics is that to be a championship team, the basketball team needs three standouts. So far, the University of Washington’s women basketball team has two.
Now, mind you, the two are incredible. Kelsey Plum is a scoring juggernaut. Chantel Osahor can score, but her forte’ is rebounding. But even with two, the path to dethrone reigning champion UConn seems very formidable. The team needs more.
Who can step up? We have three nominees: Katie Colier, Natalie Romeo, and Aarion McDonald.
Katie Colier
Katie Colier is a 6-foot-3 redshirt senior out of Covington, Washington. She has appeared in 20 of 21 games for the Huskies in a forward/center role. She is averaging 7.6 points per game on an average of 21.7 minutes. Her claim to fame is her shooting accuracy, as well as her rebounding. She is currently shooting 50.4 percent from the floor, and averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. But she can show up big in big games. Against the 9th-ranked UCLA Bruins, she pulled down 15 rebounds to go with 8 points. She also leads the team with blocks, rejecting 1.2 shots per game. If Colier can improve on her three-point shooting accuracy, say bring it from 33.3 percent up to 37.5 percent accuracy, she would be a strong candidate.
Aarion McDonald
Aarion McDonald is a 5-foot-7 freshman guard out of Tracy, California. She has appeared in just 14 of 21 games as a guard. She has seen an average of 22.2 minutes per game and scored 9.1 points, handed out 1.3 assists, generated 1.6 steals, and pulled down 2.4 rebounds per game. Since she is a freshman, she has plenty of upside. She has struggled against ranked opponents, but continued exposure should improve her play in big games significantly.
Natalie Romeo
Natalie Romeo is a 5-foot-7 junior guard out of Martinez, California. She is the only other player besides Kelsey Plum to appear in all 21 games. She is another player who gets involved in much of the team’s stats: scoring 9.6 points, pulling down 1.2 rebounds, handing off 1.2 assists, and generating .9 steals per game. While her 39.8 percent accuracy from the floor is the least of the starting five, her three-point accuracy of 39.6 percent is admirable. Romeo is another player who seems to fade when the competition stiffens. If she can attain consistency, she would be a valuable part in a championship run.
There are games to play and plenty of time to settle who will contribute.
Next: USA TODAY Ranks 2017 Washington Recruiting Second In PAC-12
But there is no present like the time.