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Message: [QUOTE="#12in21, post: 4396608, member: 10763"] I suspect that if this back and forth on Nika continues that this will end up being another locked thread and I don't believe it will be primarily due to posts by 'Nika's fan club' but rather due to the degree of vitriol in posts by some of her detractors. To be clear, there are several posters that justifiably point out Nika's past deficiencies, areas she can improve on. Many of these same posters have expressed hope that she comes back having made the needed improvements. Those that do should not fall into the pitfall of doubling down because they feel they are being labeled as 'Nika haters'. Those terms, 'Nika's fan club' and 'Nika's haters' have been inserted into this and several other threads by those that, for reasons beyond my understanding want to, make this a fight. I have been cited, by handle, by [URL='https://the-boneyard.com/goto/post?id=4396498']CocoHusky[/URL] within this thread and as early as freshman year as being delusional at best and at worst blinded by my love of Nika. The irony is that if you look back at my posts this summer and preseason I have said repeatedly that Nika needs to come back this season having improved her offensive game to the degree that defenses can't play off her and double team others. I have said that I believe Geno has told her that and that she has acknowledged that and further that her stated goal going into this season is to do just that. I am a huge Nika fan, that isn't a question but I am so because of who she is for this team, which includes her ability to continue to grow her game to fill the needs of the team. To deny that her freshman year she was an intregal part of the teams success is not based in reality. Geno, inserted her into the starting lineup and kept her there until his injury. Doing so meant moving Paige to the two. In response I'm sure a rebuttal will be made that she only entered the starting lineup due to injury. We don't know that, for a fact, that was Geno's only reasoning. But she stayed in that role after Anna had recovered and when going into the Arizona game Geno said in reference to not having Nika 100%, that Aubrey nor Anna could bring what Nika brought to the team. This was a positive reference to her contributions. When Geno said about Aaliyah and Nika, that you just want those two on the floor. This was a positive reference to her contributions. When Geno said the team was different with Nika on the floor. This was a positive reference to her contributions. This past season when Geno said that Nika was the voice her teammates listened to. This was a positive reference to her contributions. To interpret these references any other way is to not consider context. So who among us can agree that Nika had things in her offensive game that she needed to improve on this offseason? Who believes that has been her focus? Who believes she is capable of improving? I am looking forward to seeing the improvements of all our players come November and am excited about what this group can achieve together. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach