Along with Victoria Reynolds, Nyla Pollard was the backbone of the Tribe’s stout defense this year.

Overview

Nyla Pollard is an all-around baller. She only averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest this year, her junior campaign, but she was an important piece on this team. Pollard started all 28 games she played for the Tribe, and oftentimes was guarding the opposing team’s best player. Even so, she put in work defensively, racking up the third-most steals on the team and generally shutting her player down. So, Pollard receiving the Coaches’ Award postseason from W&M’s staff makes sense.

There are two specific traits that Pollard has more of than anybody else on the team. One is quickness. This is extremely evident when the Tribe presses, which it leaned on more this year than recent seasons. Pollard may not have had the most steals on the team, but she forced a ton of turnovers. She is a master of staying in front of her player, playing fundamental pressure defense, and forcing the opponent into a poor decision.

The other is court vision. Pollard led the Tribe in assists per game with 3.8, while only turning the ball over 2.1 times, ranking third in the conference in assist/turnover ratio. One of W&M’s issues offensively was turnovers in 2019-20 — when the ball was in Pollard’s hands, she was going to make the best play, more often than not.

Of course, Pollard is not perfect — she struggled from the field, shooting just 38.3%, and could stand to get more aggressive on the boards — but she’s a great role player for this team, letting other people do the scoring while locking down on defense and finding open teammates on the offensive end. For a 2020-21 Tribe squad that goes into the year looking to improve upon its best year ever, Pollard is a key piece to its upward trajectory.

Here’s a Number: 3rd

Pollard did not play point guard much, if at all, for the Tribe. Yet, she still managed to rank third in the conference in assists, ahead of a bunch of actual point guards. That has to speak to Pollard’s unselfishness and mind for the game. She may not be a scorer, but, as a grinder, she’s gotta be a coach’s dream.

High Hopes

Pollard shot 30.7% from three-point range this year — an improvement on both her freshman and sophomore years while putting up a higher volume. If she continues to up that percentage, she might upgrade from “a great role player” to “the perfect role player,” helping to space the floor for players like Eva Hodgson while still providing her defense, passing, and energy.