My line-up:
Nika
Paige
Azzi
Aaliyah
Dorka
Paige and Azzi are practically locks for the starting line-up because duh. Getting to see them both at 100% and consistently playing together (barring any injuries PLEASE GOD) is so exciting I can’t even put it into words. They both have the potential to be First Team All-Americans and challenge for NPOY. I’m excited to see Paige (and the rest of the 2020 recruiting class) take on more of a leadership role without last year’s senior class to defer to. Then, if Azzi makes a sophomore leap, look out! She showed a bit of what she is capable of this year after missing basically half the season. A bit more confidence and experience plus the amazing skill set and work ethic she already has gives her the potential to be a superstar.
You start Nika for the defense intensity, leadership, and intangibles she brings. It’ll be interesting to see if she gets that starting spot from Day 1 next year because in the past 2 years her insertion into the starting line-up came mid-season and marked a turning point. DPOY again for sure. Maybe even an all-conference selection. I do wanna see her gain more confidence driving to the rim. I feel like she did a bit more of that her freshman year than her sophomore year. But her 3-point shot improved immensely throughout the course of the season. Like Geno said before, with the offensive weapons around her she really only needs to make enough shots to keep defenses honest. Nika’s bread and butter will always be how she turns defense into offense.
I think Aaliyah is the nearly a lock in the starting line-up as well. She brings physicality, relentless rebounding, defensive versatility, and allows us to match up well with bigger teams when she is at the 4. I hope she has a big summer and makes a delayed “sophomore leap” that we didn’t see this year. I think her improvement is the key to a successful year. When she is good and on, she changes the game and can bring something that no one else does. I’m interested to see how Ice Brady backs her up because I think their skill sets are similar.
You start Dorka for size, rebounding, passing, and offensive versatility. She’ll get to play more of a 5 than a backup 4 this year in the absence of Liv. If she recovers well from the wrist injury and isn’t nagged by lingering issues throughout the preseason, I can see her having a big year and potentially making all-conference.
I’m putting in an early ballot for Caroline Ducharme as 6th Woman of the Year. I also wouldn’t be surprised if she’s in the starting lineup either. However, I do think she is the first one off the bench this year and leads the second unit. I’m looking forward to seeing how she improves over the summer and preseason. Hopefully her performance in the NC game gives her some momentum going into the summer. It was the first time since the head injury that she looked like the Caroline that carried us through basically all of January. Her biggest areas for improvement are probably getting her 3-point shooting more consistent and defense. I want more CD blocks (a la the January Creighton game) and post-ups (a la the Louisville game). Hoping for a big year for her as well. I think she’s the X-factor come March.
As for the rest of the team, their roles and impacts are a big question mark and I don’t think there is enough info to guess how their seasons will go. Hopefully Ayanna and Ice can adjust quickly and make instant impacts. I think Ayanna plays a backup wing position (similar to Caroline) and Ice backs up Aaliyah. Hoping for a good senior year for Aubrey but coming off a back injury is tough. I think she gives some minutes off the bench at the wing as well. Depending on her recovery and summer+preseason performance, she is either in front of or behind Ayanna on the wing depth chart (with Caroline being the primary wing). I’m hopeful for Amari and think she could have an impactful year. She is the only one with the potential to play a backup 5 (to Dorka) because of her size but she brings a much different look to Dorka. She has the potential to fill alot of the gaps we have from losing Liv (mainly high-post passing) and her outside jumpshot could be a key weapon for stretching defenses out. Finally, I think Lou plays more of a backup 2 (to Azzi). Hopefully her game translates to better competition. She adds some good size and versatility to the backcourt. She could also be the secondary wing option (to Caroline). Again, all depending on how summer and preseason pan out.
