Not a bad interview, in fact probably the best thing I have read from Holly.
But I think the 'change' happened a lot longer ago - in Pat's heyday, she could load up on talent and the ones that didn't fully buy in, just sat on the bench. I don't think she ever learned to be selective in who she recruited and I certainly don't think Holly has either. That the percentage of passionate 'basketball' players may have decreased is likely true, but Geno and CD talk about the issues with some players buying in back when they arrived which is a reflection of the same issue.
As for injuries, I think it is a result of athleticism - players are much more athletic - faster, quicker, jumping higher, stronger, and bigger and all of those increases put much greater strain on joints, ligaments, muscle, and bone, and that human anatomy and the make up of those structures has not evolved at the same speed. Is there some part of the issue that relates to specialization in a single sport at too early an age - maybe, but I think that is only a small aspect, and probably more mental and related to the passion issue than injuries. (And the EDD burn-out model is still pretty rare in women's sports - a tennis player here, a golfer there.)
