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Message: [QUOTE="BBallF, post: 4407245, member: 10435"] Interesting thread with a lot of nuanced points of view. One thing that is not being emphasized enough IMO is that Nika is a born leader who would run through a brick wall for this team if she had to. She works as hard as anyone and brings enthusiasm and tenacity whenever she is playing. It is very important to have a great defender at the point and there can be no dispute about that ability of hers, with a caveat as to tick tacky fouls at times. Geno has often described her as the leader on the floor when she is out there. When Nika comes out moving Azzi to the point is an easy fix and probably the configuration you want against top tier teams. Against BE lower tier teams you will probably see Ines at times to get her sea legs. So I see Nika , Azzi, CD, Lisa and Dorka starting and Lou and Aubrey spelling the guards/small forward and Ayanna coming in underneath for Liya with Amari and Ice as well for the 5 position which is Dorka. Of course, everything is situational and depends on the flow of the game. If Azzi is the best player every practice as Geno says, it sounds like she will be on the floor in any kind of close game with the ball in her hands at the point when we need to score and that her minutes will be extended in those types of games. Having said all of that, I am very anxious to see this year's version of Nika. There was no real bump up last year from the summer but I think that will not be the case this year. We also don't know what the practices are showing. If Lou Two is that good and does start, it means Nika doesn't to me. CD is a natural 3, a match up problem for anyone because she moves so classically without the ball, and is a highly versatile shooter and scorer who proved she could carry the team last year as a freshman with no sense of nervousness or timidity once she had to perform. So in the final analysis, it's not Nika or Azzi, it's Lou or Nika. I think it's Nika. Having Lou, Aubrey, and Ayanna coming in as first substitutions is pretty impressive. Points, defensive chaos, and power. A very strong first 8 and I also hesitate to overlook Amari and Ice because we just don't know. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach