Beck assumes leadership role

Sophomore point guard Kim Beck exhibited characteristics of a leader against the Everyone’s Internet All-Stars Sunday. Beck did all the little things: taking a charge, making sound decisions on fast breaks and hitting six of 10 three-point shots.

Coach Joe McKeown said the biggest change Beck has made for this year has been her increased leadership during both practice and games.

As far as her play is concerned, McKeown said that she will be relied on to score more this year, comparing her to former Celtics guard Nate Archibald. In the game, she did not drive much, and when she did, she usually kicked it out to an open teammate spotting up.

“She’s more vocal during games and more vocal in practice,” McKeown said. “I think you’re really going to see her be more of a scoring threat.”

John shows poise

Freshman Chantelle John played all but one minute in the first half and most of the second half.

“It seemed like she’d been on the floor for two years,” McKeown said. “She carried herself with a lot of poise against real good players. She doesn’t get too high or too low … I’m real excited about her.”

Matched up against former first-team All-American Chantelle Anderson, John was impressive on both ends of the floor, McKeown said.

On defense, she was aggressive, yet managed to stay straight up and down to avoid being called for blocking. Offensively, she was effective in the post, as expected, but also hit an open mid-range jumper, showing her range.

Simmonds steps out

Senior Jessica Simmonds had a double-double, asserting her dominance in the post. She is expected to move outside more this season with the addition of players such as John and Jessica Adair down low, McKeown said, in order to take some of the pounding off her body.

Left open from outside, Simmonds attempted three jumpers, none of which went down. McKeown said that playing outside does not necessarily often entail pull-up jumpers, but gives Simmonds an opportunity to take advantage of her quickness.

Injuries not serious

Freshmen Jessica Adair and Faith Peters both did not play due to injuries suffered in practice Friday, McKeown said. He did not go into detail about the type of injuries, but said neither are serious and that their status for Friday’s game against Virginia is uncertain.