Coach Jody Wynn inserting true freshman Tameiya Sadler into the Washington starting lineup is the good news Huskies fans didn’t know they needed.
On November 17th, at PAC-12 Media Day, Huskies Head Coach Jody Wynn casually dropped a bombshell in response to a question about how the freshman players were looking.
“Tameiya Sadler is a freshman from Vallejo, California. And she’ll be our starting point guard,” Wynn announced.
Make no mistake, the 5’8″ Sadler is a big-time recruit in a small (but sturdy) package.
Severely underrated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, it was the Huskies’ confidence in their own recruiting expertise that got them to the front of the line for Sadler’s services.
Over time, it should be a perfect fit for Washington and Sadler.
Tameiya Sadler comes to UW with a reputation as a pass-first point guard that only recently, as a high school junior and senior, became more aggressive on the offensive end.
Sadler’s increased physical aggressiveness and solid build made her a legitimate contender for the starting point guard.
After Missy Peterson’s knee injury, and with the shortened non-conference schedule and expanded 22-game PAC-12 format, it was my belief that Sadler would win the starting job in January 2021 — out of UW coaches’ precaution not to ask the freshman to compete at a PAC-12 level right away.
Clearly, however, Tameiya Sadler came to Washington ready to compete, with her game hitting on all cylinders, and it became impossible to deny the immense potential.
Here’s a quick overview of what to expect when Sadler takes the floor as the lead Dawg.
In half-court offense, Sadler’s first step off-the-dribble is elite level quick.
And at full speed in the open court, Sadler is nearly impossible to contain — with the ability to go coast-to-coast to attack the basket.
It will take a guard with elite quickness to contain Sadler one-on-one, but as we know the PAC-12 has a few of those, such as Aari McDonald (Arizona) and Charisma Osborne (UCLA), so get your popcorn when those matchups take place.
As a freshman, however, Tameiya Sadler’s main job will be to facilitate the offense and she will need help, so hopefully Sadler can pick up the nuances of the pick-and-roll.
More specifically, Sadler in the pick-and-pop with Husky veteran three-point sharpshooters Darcy Rees and Haley Van Dyke should improve her performance as a facilitator.
Tameiya Sadler also puts her elite quickness to good use on the defensive end; and in time Sadler should develop into an excellent defender at the PAC-12 level.
Essentially, smart money says not to bet against Sadler’s talent — even versus PAC-12 competition — as she was always considered an underrated prospect by people in the know.
Finally, during Coach Wynn’s announcement, I watched UCLA head coach Cori Close and ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne closely, and saw knowing looks and barely perceptible head nodding as Wynn proclaimed Sadler a special talent.
Huskies opponents know that Washington is betting on the future by leveling up in the present.
If Sadler gets comfortable quickly, then Washington could make opponents uncomfortable quickly as well.
GO DAWGS!