With Skrba and Phillips in the post, Blue gets big
Tim Rohan
Daily Sports WriterDecember 1st, 2008
The Michigan women’s basketball team has a tandem in the post that is wreaking havoc. Instead of facing opposing defenses at the same time, the two have tag-teamed their way to success this season.
Senior forward Stephany Skrba and junior center Krista Phillips both have distinct styles of play and have split time in the post. Michigan coach Kevin Borseth sees their differences as positives on the court.
“Skrba can score with her back to the basket,” Borseth said. “She’s got a really soft set of hands. … She shoots the turnaround. She shoots the jump hook. She has the ability to take the ball to the basket.”
On the other hand, Phillips is more comfortable facing a basket and squaring up to shoot. But Borseth can still use his tallest player with her back to the basket.
When Michigan lost 59-56 to Texas A&M on Nov. 20, Aggies coach Gary Blair said his post players had trouble guarding Phillips, a center who can shoot three-pointers. Even though shooting is one of her strengths, Phillips has shot 2-for-8 from behind the arc this season.
After starting 26 of 33 games last year, Phillips’ role on the team has diminished this season. She has come off the bench in each of the Wolverines six games this season, and her scoring has suffered. After leading Michigan in scoring her sophomore year (10.3 points per game), she is now fourth on the team (6.3 points per game).
Skrba, who used to come off the bench for Phillips, has replaced her in this year’s starting lineup. Skrba is also now experiencing the same success Phillips had last season, and the two have literally switched minutes played and points per game between this season and last.
Skrba was named to the All-Tournament team, in the Lady Eagle Classic, after averaging 17.5 points and seven rebounds in two games. Phillips played just 22 minutes all weekend.
The advantage this year seems to go to Skrba, who is second on the team in scoring, first in blocked shots and third in rebounding. Her presence in the post also helps the offense run smoothly.
“That person (down low) offensively has to be able to score it down there, and/or distribute it,” Borseth said. “They are the hub. They are the center of everything.”
On offense, Borseth said Phillips too often gets pushed out of the paint without a call from the official, making her less effective as a distributor and an inside scoring force. But on defense, Phillips has the edge.
“(Phillips) understands the defense concept completely, where Stephany doesn’t quite understand the way (Phillips) understands it,” Borseth said. “(Phillips) understands the defense, switching screens and the whole nine yards. She gets all of that. She sees the floor real well.”
Skrba and Phillips’ contrasting styles of play could complement each other while both are on the court at the same time. Borseth said he may use the two at the same time later in the season, when the Wolverines face bigger teams that the 6-foot-2 Skrba and 6-foot-6 Phillips can handle.
Michigan (4-2) leaves Ann Arbor for sunny Southern California to face USC (3-1) tonight at 10 p.m. Skrba and Phillips will face USC’s front court, which features 6-foot-5 sophomore forward Kari LaPlante.
And it doesn’t really matter which Wolverine post player starts.
“I don’t know if it is really significant which one of those two kids is in the starting lineup,” Borseth said. “I could rotate the two of them. They both have to be able to play. They both give us some of the same and something different … It’s not important who starts, but who finishes.”
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:53:30 -0500