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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 4361669, member: 12088"] Losing Paige may motivate them this time around. Last year, it happened mid year and threw them all (except maybe Evina) for a loop. They had to regroup and reimagine how the team would operate on the fly and with very little practice to prepare. Nika will be ready. If Caroline’s hip is ready, she’s already shown she knows how to carry a team. If Azzi’s foot is healed, she will know how to “put the pedal to the metal” from the start. What Paige did against Arkansas, Azzzi will do all season long. If Dorka’s wrist is healed, she and Aaliyah will be unleashed, because she wants to make her last season count, and Aaliyah won’t give into the same early season swoon again. And Lou — she can get her shot off against D1 competition (she proved that last year) and she won’t be the only shooter teams have to stop. A lot of If’s, I know. But here’s the biggest one of all. Amari Ice and Ayanna will rise to the occasion. CD and Jemelle will whisper a little magic in their ears, and they’ll come out fighting. At first, it will just be to fill a niche in the rotation. But by January, they’ll have gotten a taste of higher level competition, and more responsibility than they expected, and it will act like a heady liqueur on them. Ayanna first, after the first few opposing players bounce off her in the lane, and then Ice will feel the power of pulling down a rebound and hitting a long outlet pass, and they won’t be able to let go of that feeling. All Amari will need is to see her friend Paige sitting next to her on the bench to want to do more than she’s ever done. For her, it will start in the defensive end as soon as she rediscovers the thrill of blocking shots. And then she’ll find that she can pass from the high post just like Liv did last year. She has it in her. That’s my optimistic reading of how the year will go for each of them. We’ll probably see the first signs of it against Iowa. What’s your most optimistic reading of the season to come? [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach