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Message: [QUOTE="#12in21, post: 4517032, member: 10763"] Often in any of the discussions pertaining to Nika and in particular her value to/impact on the team there is talk of intangibles. Aside from her NCAA wcbb leading assist numbers, statistically she doesn't stand out. Along side many of her teammates who were highly ranked recruits not to mention a couple 'generational players' you wouldn't think she would stand out. And yet she does. I think if you ask opposing coaches and players, her teammates and her own coaches they would agree that she is very impactful. Geno recently said that she is unique, he has only had a handful of players over his career that he can compare her to, Jen Rizzotti being one of them. We all have acknowledged Nika's energy and intensity, her toughness and the edge she plays with but recently Geno cited another trait, her confidence. He said that she believes she can do anything and added that that has rubbed off on her teammates. So it's worth wondering if a great deal of the value Nika brings to her team is in how by her very being she has empowered her teammates. Why does she have so much influence, being the voice they listen to on the floor in their huddles, responding to her directions to shift on defensive coverage or run - not jog up the floor. Several of these guys are arguably more 'talented' players than Nika and yet she is their leader. I would argue that due to her very nature, her confidence is not only in herself but extends to her team, she see's herself as part of a whole not as an individual (she never misses an opportunity to frame herself in that context). So she is not only supremely confident in herself but by extension she is equally so in her team. She believes they can beat anybody, whatever the odds against them and with whatever five are available on any given night. I think that perhaps Nika's greatest value to her team is that they believe that as well. No questioning, no excuses they just go out there every game believing in themselves and that they are going to win. Perhaps the inner self confidence and drive that has led to Aaliyah's ascension this season and Lou's growth from being a tremendous scorer to becoming a fiercely completive complete basketball player have been at least in some part fed by absorbing the persona of the kid from Croatia. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach