One of the posters stated that it is good experience for the team and helps develops them for next season. My logic was that it only helps them develop and play better together for the next season if they are going to be on the team the next season. In RU's case Tyler and Gia Greene were starters that are graduating as is one of the first off the bench, Jaz Rollins. The other one graduating is Fitzpatrick who alternated starting with Greene. Our point guard KK Sanders will be a senior next year, but she has been nursing an elbow injury so was playing limited minutes in the last few games of the season. If we did play in the WNIT, I believe CVS would have not played Sanders much if at all and would have limited Tyler's minutes as well, both for health reasons and because winning that tournament just isn't that important to them (like it or not). Next year we are going to be a very different team without Tyler, our only star. Our scoring from guards will most likely come primarily from Guirantes (sitting out this year under transfer rules) and Broughton - an incoming freshman.
I'll reply to points you made in your first and second responses.
- Regarding whether MM or Geno would accept a WNIT bid with the injuries, I think DefenseBB stated it well. However, ND -- as has been noted all season -- has been playing with a short bench and relishing the challenge.
- However, there is a team from ND that is very much in a similar kind of situation that the Rutgers women are in and that's the ND Men's team, which lost out on an NCAA slot when Davidson upset Rhode Island and took the slot ND was hoping to get. Mike Brey's team had Bonzie Colson come back as fast as he could from a broken bone and Matt Farrell has been playing on ankles that roll all over the place. Yet they accepted that WNIT bid in a heartbreak and those two seniors will be out there grinding.
- To paraphrase the Bard, "the game's the thing." Don't you want to play? And, if you don't, why not? Most of these players are not going to play at the next level, so one day they'll look back and wonder why not.
And why wouldn't one want to play underclassmen? That's half the reason a lot of football teams take lower level bowls.....kids get to play some more in game(s) situations.
- I listed a whole number of other reasons why I think the program and Rutgers should've taken the bid and played hard. They've had a good rebound season but need to take that and continue to move forward....and this would possibly help with branding and/or recruiting.
You might think it does not matter that much, but I think it does....a lot of people don't remember C. Viv's salad days: gotta produce.
- Lastly, I'd think most fans were glad to see a rebound year, not happy about the late-season fade and not particularly pleased this decision, based on the comments I've read on nj.com.
I'm a Jersey guy and will hope for Jersey teams to do well, but the C. Viv regime seems to be taking a lot of energy and not necessarily giving it all back. Hope I'll be proven wrong in future years, but I'm not holding my breath.
