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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 4354447, member: 12088"] I don’t think anyone is dismissing Nika’s contribution. She’s clearly an important element of the team. But let’s not indulge in make believe. In the Stanford game, just to give one example, Geno used Nika in an offense/defense substitution pattern in the 4th quarter. This means he thinks she’s not his best offensive option. This doesn’t matter in blowouts, and Nika is often instrumental in creating blowouts. But in a tight game, where both teams are under intense pressure, a foul prone defender who doesn’t create her own offense except with a steal, and whose main perimeter threat is a slow developing mortar shot — that player has to be used with caution. Another way to put this: Nika is a transcendent talent in the 3rd quarter. This is when many blowouts happen. But in the 4th quarter of the late rounds of the NCAA tournament, she can be a liability if not used sparingly. Want a demonstration of this: just compare the Tennessee game, a blowout engineered largely by Nika (and Christyn) in the 3rd quarter, with the 4th quarter of the Stanford game. She’d played awesomely in the earlier quarters, but in the 4th Geno was much more cautious with her. No one’s denying her value. But I think we have to see the true limitations of it as well. She is working on improving her offense this summer, and if she succeeds, she will have rounded out her game nicely. I look forward to seeing it in November. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach