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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 5361009, member: 12088"] I was watching another practice video this morning, this one featuring KK's sparkling personality, and there were a couple of interactions with Allie that made me think. Most of the kids on the roster -- maybe all of them -- were the go-to player on their high school teams. This may not be quite as true of Kayleigh, Kelis or Gandy, for different reasons. But KK and Ash, Azzi and Sarah, Morgan and Allie, Caroline and Ayanna -- they all carried their teams wherever they were going to go. I suspect it takes a significant shift of mindset for these kids go from carrying the team to being led by someone else in college. Allie in particular may be experiencing exactly this. In high school, she always knew what to do, what her teammates needed, and if they needed someone to guide them or someone to take the clutch shot, or merely someone to look up to, she knew what to do. Last year, she probably felt at a loss for what to do and where she fit in. KK is on the case, offering encouragement at every turn. That's a long preamble to get to [B]Blanca[/B] -- sorry about that. In high school, Blanca didn't exactly have that experience, though her skills and confidence would have suited such a role. And in various 'all-star' games that were limited to high school kids in Italy and the US it was easy to see that her confidence and maturity really stood out from the crowd. In one sense, this is an advantage for her. She knows how to follow where more mature kids lead -- the pros she's been playing with over the last few years. And in her freshman year this may be just right. The only question in my mind is how long it will take her to understand exactly where her maturity level will place her in the team dynamic. She belongs very near the top, in my opinion. After Azzi, Serah and Caroline depart, she will have to be Sarah's primary partner, the pair who lead and carry the team. The language barrier will be an obstacle, at least initially. But she has already experienced playing various roles for several years. She will figure this out, perhaps sooner than I expect. And don't worry, I'm not forgetting about KK and Ash, or Ice and Jana. They will also be integral parts of the next one or two runs to the NC. But I just have a feeling Blanca and Sarah will be front and center, carrying an extra heavy load. [/QUOTE]

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