2015 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Media Day: Danielle Rodriguez suited for culture change at Utah
SAN FRANCISCO — Considering the contrast in styles of the University of the Pacific and Utah women’s basketball teams over the last few years, you’d think there would be a major culture shock for the Utes with former Tigers head coach Lynne Roberts heading to Salt Lake City.
Roberts is known for her up-tempo teams – the Tigers averaged about 71 points and 62 shots per game. Utah under Anthony Levrets, meanwhile, liked to play games in the 50s, averaging 55 points per game overall and 52 points per contest in Pac-12 play, and averaged just 52 shots per game.
Now that Roberts has made the move to the SLC, there will be plenty of more possessions for the Utes each game. Despite previous Utah teams playing more in the half court, Roberts feels that a Levrets recruit – senior guard Danielle Rodriguez – is the ideal point guard to run her fast-paced system.
[Related: 2015-16 Utah women's basketball schedule]
Yes, it will take a couple of recruiting classes to really get a fully-realized Roberts-style team in Utah, but Rodriguez can help mitigate some of those changing pains.
“I feel really luck that I got to inherit her as my point guard; she’s my type of point guard,” Roberts told reporters at 2015 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Media Day. “I need a point guard that has speed and she has speed.”
And Rodriguez is eager to show off that speed.
“I’m excited to get the brakes off and play a little bit more,” said Rodriguez, who enters the 2015-16 season 10th on the school’s career list with 316 assists. “We’re just gonna play basketball.”
And that means Rodriguez is going to have more free reign in her collegiate swan song. A career 38 percent three-point shooter, she has more license to let it rip from distance.
“She has the green light,” Roberts said, patting Rodriguez on the shoulder.