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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 5287621, member: 12088"] I'm not as optimistic about the freshmen as you seem to be. But I agree that Taniya adds something that was missing and could be a difference maker. She's a better all-around scorer than Paopao was and a quicker defender. I also think the loss of Ashlyn midseason was critical, and her return will be equally critical, if she can finish her rehab and get back up to speed early enough. Without her in the lineup, Chloe was forced to take on rebounding and rim protection roles that stretched her capabilities too far, in my opinion. She just isn't strong enough or quick enough to replace Ashlyn. And I don't think Agot or Ayla will be ready for that challenge. I like the look of Maddie, but I suspect she's still a year away from being an adequate replacement for Raven. And though Tessa was my favorite recruit in that class, and seemed like an absolute steal to me at the time, I'm not sure she's developed as much as Dawn needed to see last season. I'm cautiously optimistic about her for next season. And I worry about the loss of Bree as much as that of Saniya -- those were two quick, strong athletes to lose and there doesn't seem to be any clear replacements for them. In my view, the core of the team will be Raven Taniya Ashlyn Joyce and some platoon of the other bigs (Maryam, Okot, Adhel) at the 5, with Chloe Tessa and Maddie coming off the bench. I'll be surprised if the rotation in February is much different that this, barring injury. This is the group that will carry SC into the tournament. [/QUOTE]

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