Amy Thompson's HS Senior Season

[CousinRicky]

4 hours ago, panchosanchez99 said:

For those of you still worried about her competition, Amy plays at the highest level in Minnesota (4A); so you can imagine the quality of defenders she has to face each game. I have read articles where her coach states that she is constantly facing double teams every game. Despite this, the fact that she was able to put up the numbers she did and still maintain a 40%-plus percent shooting percentage (from three) is amazing. That is 5 straight years of shooting 40% from three. Amy ended up leading the entire state of Minnesota (all division levels) in three pointers made this season, was 12th in the state in total points (680), and 13th in points per game (26.2). 

We all hope you are right. To get Sami back and a more consistent Blasigh along with Amy we'll just need a couple of bigs to transfer in to get some rebounds and play post D and we should be back to the USF WBB team that we're used to.

[Tim Howard]

I actually AM Amy Thompson's uncle (Tim Howard) and I discovered this blog by chance a couple days ago.  I have been to a couple Lady Bulls games in person and am excited to see what the next four years will bring for Amy and how she can help the team.  The team is cleary very well coached, has an outstanding roster of players, and an incredible winning history over the last 15 years or so.  But I don't think anyone should be building Amy up to be the "answer" or the "catalyst" that will propel the team back to the top of the conference.  Much more prudent to under-promise and over-deliver.  I have seen Amy play since she was a kid and have spent hundreds of hours in the gym with her, her Mom, and her Dad.  I know her game as well as anyone.  Is she an elite three point shooter with a quick release and a killer step back that can put points up in a hurry?  Absolutely!  I watched her drop 48, 47, 44, 38 and more this year with the 38 coming with Coach Fernandez looking on.  Along with Sammie and Vittoria, the Bulls may have the three best long range shooters in the conference on the same team next season!  But Amy is a high school senior playing against high school players right now.  She plays in the largest school division in MN so the competition is very good but next year she will be playing with and against players that ALL were the best player on their team, their conference, and maybe their city or state.  D1 college ball is a much different animal and Amy will have to work very hard to be in a position to make a contribution to the team next year.  The good news is she knows that, she has a tremendous work ethic, and she will put in as many hours as needed to reach her goals and the team's goals.  So Pancho, we up here in MN really love your enthusiasm, your appreciation for Amy's talent, and what she has accomplished so far.  I do think her skills, especially her three point shooting and extended range, will translate well to the next level.  Will she make an impact in her first year?  Who knows, we hope so!  She certainly will do everything she can to contribute to the success of the team.  But let's not set the bar too high and create expections that may or may not be met.  Better to be pleasantly surprised.  Go Bulls!

Edited March 1 by Tim Howard

[CousinRicky]

2 hours ago, Tim Howard said:

I actually AM Amy Thompson's uncle (Tim Howard) and I discovered this blog by chance a couple days ago.  I have been to a couple Lady Bulls games in person and am excited to see what the next four years will bring for Amy and how she can help the team.  The team is cleary very well coached, has an outstanding roster of players, and an incredible winning history over the last 15 years or so.  But I don't think anyone should be building Amy up to be the "answer" or the "catalyst" that will propel the team back to the top of the conference.  Much more prudent to under-promise and over-deliver.  I have seen Amy play since she was a kid and have spent hundreds of hours in the gym with her, her Mom, and her Dad.  I know her game as well as anyone.  Is she an elite three point shooter with a quick release and a killer step back that can put points up in a hurry?  Absolutely!  I watched her drop 48, 47, 44, 38 and more this year with the 38 coming with Coach Fernandez looking on.  Along with Sammie and Vittoria, the Bulls may have the three best long range shooters in the conference on the same team next season!  But Amy is a high school senior playing against high school players right now.  She plays in the largest school division in MN so the competition is very good but next year she will be playing with and against players that ALL were the best player on their team, their conference, and maybe their city or state.  D1 college ball is a much different animal and Amy will have to work very hard to be in a position to make a contribution to the team next year.  The good news is she knows that, she has a tremendous work ethic, and she will put in as many hours as needed to reach her goals and the team's goals.  So Pancho, we up here in MN really love your enthusiasm, your appreciation for Amy's talent, and what she has accomplished so far.  I do think her skills, especially her three point shooting and extended range, will translate well to the next level.  Will she make an impact in her first year?  Who knows, we hope so!  She certainly will do everything she can to contribute to the success of the team.  But let's not set the bar too high and create expections that may or may not be met.  Better to be pleasantly surprised.  Go Bulls!

Welcome to the Bullspen. Look forward to having her (and the family) join our Bulls family. There is a decent number of diehard WBB fans at USF who love all our players. I agree with your observation that we can't expect too much from an incoming FR right out of the gate. But we sure hope she becomes a big contributor. Any chance she can grow 5 or 6 inches over the summer? 

[USFBulls12]

1 hour ago, CousinRicky said:

Welcome to the Bullspen. Look forward to having her (and the family) join our Bulls family. There is a decent number of diehard WBB fans at USF who love all our players. I agree with your observation that we can't expect too much from an incoming FR right out of the gate. But we sure hope she becomes a big contributor. Any chance she can grow 5 or 6 inches over the summer? 

Contact Governor DeSantis, he may know a guy who can help. 

[panchosanchez99]

12 hours ago, Tim Howard said:

I actually AM Amy Thompson's uncle (Tim Howard) and I discovered this blog by chance a couple days ago.  I have been to a couple Lady Bulls games in person and am excited to see what the next four years will bring for Amy and how she can help the team.  The team is cleary very well coached, has an outstanding roster of players, and an incredible winning history over the last 15 years or so.  But I don't think anyone should be building Amy up to be the "answer" or the "catalyst" that will propel the team back to the top of the conference.  Much more prudent to under-promise and over-deliver.  I have seen Amy play since she was a kid and have spent hundreds of hours in the gym with her, her Mom, and her Dad.  I know her game as well as anyone.  Is she an elite three point shooter with a quick release and a killer step back that can put points up in a hurry?  Absolutely!  I watched her drop 48, 47, 44, 38 and more this year with the 38 coming with Coach Fernandez looking on.  Along with Sammie and Vittoria, the Bulls may have the three best long range shooters in the conference on the same team next season!  But Amy is a high school senior playing against high school players right now.  She plays in the largest school division in MN so the competition is very good but next year she will be playing with and against players that ALL were the best player on their team, their conference, and maybe their city or state.  D1 college ball is a much different animal and Amy will have to work very hard to be in a position to make a contribution to the team next year.  The good news is she knows that, she has a tremendous work ethic, and she will put in as many hours as needed to reach her goals and the team's goals.  So Pancho, we up here in MN really love your enthusiasm, your appreciation for Amy's talent, and what she has accomplished so far.  I do think her skills, especially her three point shooting and extended range, will translate well to the next level.  Will she make an impact in her first year?  Who knows, we hope so!  She certainly will do everything she can to contribute to the success of the team.  But let's not set the bar too high and create expections that may or may not be met.  Better to be pleasantly surprised.  Go Bulls!

Hi Tim, welcome and glad to have you on board! I am excited to see Amy play for us next season; however, I hope I was not giving the impression that she will be the greatest thing since sliced bread for us. My enthusiasm is a result of my observing skills that she has, together with what I believe was a lack of acknowledgement by others here that she is talented. My expectation is not that she will average 25 ppg as a freshman. It is more that her threat to score from deep or to take it to the basket (something we currently don't have) presents a problem for opposing teams that will need to make a decision to let her do her thing without help or bring help, which will open things up for our other shooters. Go Bulls!

[panchosanchez99]

12 hours ago, Tim Howard said:

Along with Sammie and Vittoria, the Bulls may have the three best long range shooters in the conference on the same team next season!

And this is one of the things that I am excited about. I think it will create a nightmare for opposing teams. If Amy is bringing the ball up the court, her defender will need to be on her once she approaches 10 feet outside the arc because she can hit those 3s with tremendous accuracy from that distance. If they guard her tightly, she has the skills to dribble past the defender to take it to the hoop. If help comes, she can dish to Puisis, Blasigh, or Levy (don't forget Levy as a long range shooter). If Amy does not beat her defender, she has the option to step back and hit the shot with remarkable accuracy, which is a skill that no one on our roster can currently match. 

It is just the presence of Amy being on the court and other teams knowing what she brings that will present a problem for those teams.

[CousinRicky]

49 minutes ago, panchosanchez99 said:

Hi Tim, welcome and glad to have you on board! I am excited to see Amy play for us next season; however, I hope I was not giving the impression that she will be the greatest thing since sliced bread for us. My enthusiasm is a result of my observing skills that she has, together with what I believe was a lack of acknowledgement by others here that she is talented. My expectation is not that she will average 25 ppg as a freshman. It is more that her threat to score from deep or to take it to the basket (something we currently don't have) presents a problem for opposing teams that will need to make a decision to let her do her thing without help or bring help, which will open things up for our other shooters. Go Bulls!

Don't think anyone ever said that. 

[John Lewis]

11 minutes ago, CousinRicky said:

Don't think anyone ever said that. 

Agreed.

Anyone who is up to be a McDonald's All American has to be very talented.

Can only imagine how things open up for our offense if she is playing PG for us.

 

[panchosanchez99]

13 minutes ago, CousinRicky said:

Don't think anyone ever said that. 

And that is why I said "I believe." No one else seemed to be excited by her signing. 

Out of curiosity, why have her grow 5-6 inches? Is it because you wish we can get a good big?

[CousinRicky]

32 minutes ago, panchosanchez99 said:

And that is why I said "I believe." No one else seemed to be excited by her signing. 

Out of curiosity, why have her grow 5-6 inches? Is it because you wish we can get a good big?

Yep. It was a tongue in cheek statement. We may be in need of a center next year with Evelyn leaving. Not sure if Emma will be back. Mbuutu (sp?) has done okay in limited minutes but not sure if she'll be starting next year.