The Pitt women’s basketball team had a rough weekend, dropping a pair of games in the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off. But before the Panthers headed to Florida, they staked their claim to the city when they knocked off Duquesne 61-45 last Saturday.
Pitt needed all hands on deck to beat the Dukes, as Channise Lewis did not suit up at all and Dayshanette Harris was injured early in the contest. The Panthers reserves, particularly at guard, stepped up in a big way just in time for this article about the rotation players.
If you did not have a chance to check out my piece on the six players that had started at least once so far this season, I recommend giving that a read first, here.
Emy Hayford - Senior Guard: Steady, would be the word that I think best describes Hayford. She earned her first start of the year on Saturday with Lewis sitting out. The first guard off the bench for head coach Lance White, Hayford is averaging 16.8 minutes per game.
Hayford has no problem attacking off the dribble and demonstrates good balance and spatial awareness in the lane, both in relation to the basket and where her teammates are. Hayford also applies solid pressure on the ball and understands her defensive responsibilities. Not much of a shooter or overly efficient - career FG% of just 30% and 21% on three-pointers - but she can run the offense and holds up well enough defensively that White trusts her.
Taisha Exanor - Junior Guard: Even though Exanor is listed as a guard, she is basically Amber Brown-lite on the court. She has good touch around the basket, sets reasonable screens, works well in the high-low like Brown and is a relatively strong finisher. Exanor has improved her efficiency from the field in each of her three seasons, while continuously reducing the number of triples she takes - none so far this year.
As a guard, Exanor can put the ball on the floor but does not shoot well from the outside. Exanor plays within herself though, taking only wide-open shots in contests that I have watched. That is not necessarily a disadvantage for her though. With Maliyah Johnson and Gabby Hutcherson both having more perimeter-oriented games, it is good that Pitt has some overlap with Brown and to a lesser extent, Liatu King.
Marley Washenitz - Freshman Guard: Okay, so this one is puzzling to me. I figured Washenitz would play 12-18 minutes against Duquesne with Lewis out and Harris playing so little. But she did not get a chance to step on the court. Lance White leaned on experience against the Dukes in a matchup that was far more back-and-forth than the final score suggests. Still, Washenitz is the future lead guard of the team.
She has been solid on the defensive end. That is important because if you want to play for White, you need to be able to defend. Washenitz has held up well at the point of attack, she stays connected through ball screens, and is an active communicator.
In the final sequence above against the George Mason Patriots, she switches onto Hayford’s assignment in the ball screen and stays in the paint as her new assignment went to the weak side corner - a staple defensively philosophy of the team. But what stands out here is that Washenitz puts a body into Nalani Kaysia on the shot. She has little chance to out-rebound Kaysia here, so she makes the smart play by not allowing her to get a potential offensive board.
Offensively, Washenitz has not had the opportunity to find her groove yet. What is clear is that her tight handle and explosive first step pair well with her feel of when to change pace. This is an area that the Panthers do not have a lot of overlap. So, while Washenitz will need time to and experience to learn through the timing of her finishes in conjunction with the speed in which help defenders rotate at the collegiate level, the fact she gets to the basket relatively easily is a big plus.
She can find teammates off the dribble as well, as evidenced by her nifty one-handed dime to King in the above. But with limited minutes, Washenitz has only been able to showcase a portion of what she is capable of. She was a knock-down shooter in high school but has not attempted anything from beyond the arc thus far.
This is probably the toughest balancing act that White has on the roster. He has a lot of known quantities in rotational guards that handle the ball, but none with the upside of Washenitz. White has already reaped the benefits of allowing fellow freshman Avery “Ace” Strickland and Aislin Malcolm to grow by being on the floor. The former has not quite found her footing on her jump shot but has been stellar defensively. The latter has found success with sharpshooting from the perimeter but is still making strides on the defensive end.
Given the overall experience and talent level of this roster, there is a chance for them to finish higher in the standings than any of White’s previous four squads. The health of Lewis and Harris are paramount, but so is the balancing of playing time on a deep roster.
