"IMO we need an experienced big to be up on that tier with them. If Jana does pan out and turns out to be a great freshman that’s awesome. But we’ve all seen it takes freshman awhile to adjust." I have confidence in Jana, I think the probabilities are high that she will turn out to be the next Breanna Stewart. I am also realistic and know that it very well may take a while, And the first 1/3 of the season is when we will need her to be outstanding; it is the nonconference games that we will be playing the powerhouse teams. The FIRST 1/3, and I don’t know for certain that UConn will have Patterson as an available backstop!
"My post-hoc rationalization on the lack of last-minute frantic buys, is that the post player pursuit is mainly insurance. I am relieved that this is probably the case." I would like to have an available backstop for the first 1/3 of the season. If that player turns out to be better than Jana, better than Ice, better than Ayanna then so be it and those other three get less playtime. If that player is on the team for just a single season it would have less of a negative impact to those other three than if the player were taking minutes for multiple years.
I agree but I don’t really think we need her to be “outstanding“, though that would be nice, but if she can just be solid, we should be fine. We have plenty of talent on this team, and while her being outstanding is obviously the best case scenario, if she can just give us a good 25-30 minutes of solid post play; 12-15 pts, 8-12 boards, a block or two, and decent defense in the paint, I’m pretty sure we’ll be a load for any team out there!
Let’s face it, offense is not something this team is likely to struggle with. The real key to fulfilling the potential of this team is going to depend on whether Geno continues last season’s renewed focus on suffocating defense! That is what turned our season around last year and that will (imo) be the single biggest determinant (aside from injuries, of course) as to whether this team can fully realize the full sum of its parts!
I have seen several posts downplaying the probability of us going to the press. I don’t claim to have the knowledge to speak on whether we could/should do that but I do wonder why, assuming everyone were to be fully healthy, that would not be an option? We are looking at having 14-15 contributing players! I look at our roster and there is not a single player out of that 14-15 that is not capable of being a solid player next season! We have size, speed, incredible shooting, and perhaps the “closest” team I’ve ever seen! Their love and respect for each other was something that really stood out last season, and given the outstanding leaders they clearly have, I would expect this group to be the same.
I know many here on the Boneyard are shellshocked from the last three or four years and seem to almost expect a continuation of that nightmare but there is another possibility as well. Imagine if all our players are finally healthy and stay that way ! Imagine if Jana plays like some believe she is capable of? Ice steps up and plays like the player Geno originally recruited! Sarah shows up in top shape and plays like Maya, Paige & Azzi finally play (together) up to their joint capabilities, KK, Ash, & Q all make a big sophomore jump, KC has a Lou like year, and Morgan and Allie play like KK and Ash did last season, and finally, imagine Aubrey, Yanna and Caroline show no signs of the injuries that held them back last year?
Do we get one more player to add to our overflowing cup? Will it be Dauda or Karlen? I don’t know, but I
am sure that Geno will only make that move if he is absolutely sure that it will be a net positive for the team and that he player will fit seamlessly in with the incredible roster he has so carefully assembled.
Some will say I’m dreaming, living in a fantasy land but remember this; nothing I said in my admittedly rose colored assessment, is impossible! To quote Robert Kennedy: “Some men see things as they are and ask “”Why?”” I dream of things that never were and ask “”Why not?””
The truth is, Geno & Co have put together the best roster I’ve ever seen in all the time I’ve followed women’s basketball! Likely or not, the fact is, it
is possible that all of these young women could be fully healthy next season! It’s also possible that every one of them has a career year next season! Just sit back for a moment and think about that! It’s pretty enjoyable!
