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Just FYI - I did not say Dawn was not up to the task. But losing Cardoso is definitely a hit. First off you bring up an irrelevant point about Boston and Cardoso. Those were NPOY caliber players. Watkins is potential 1st team A/A as a junior but not at the level of the senior Cardoso. You are mentioning Watkins taking mid-range shots as if that is some sort of scare. It can be but it is not a scare vs dumping the ball inside to Cardoso or your team's 3pt shooting. SO, when you speak of her shooting -- if I were a fan of another elite team I'd scream "Please Please take that mid-range jumper rather than be available for your awesome offensive rebounding and when you catch the ball mid-range exhibit that negative ass-to-turnover ratio passing."Is it a “hit?” Well, it’s logically a hit any time you lose a top 5 draft choice. Losing Boston to the draft was a hit just as much as losing Kamilla is. It’s definitely a change that Dawn will need to address.
And Watkins has some flaws that need to be corrected or accounted for. She does not have the “ballast butt” that both Boston and Cardosa have . This helps positioning without fouling in the low post. Ashlyn has to rely on upper body strength and leaping ability. Reliance on the former can lead to excessive foul calls. And she is a poor FT shooter. Add to this, she is.a bit of a whiner when called for a foul which could mark her for further calls by some refs. She needs to learn to control her emotions and keep the opponent out of her head.
But she has advantages that B&C lacked. Much more speed and can cover more ground than either. She can jump higher than either and blocked more shots per minute than Cardosa. She has a better (Though not superior) mid range. She can leave the bucket to defend the midrange and even three pointers. She needs to put up softer shots at point blank range ( as does Chloe) and further develop her hook shot.
Yes, it will be a change . I think Dawn is up to the task of managing the change and limiting the “ hit.” I don’t expect us to go undefeated again but I do expect us to be as good as last year - so long as we don’t have off-season, lazy big heads. Does that mean a repeat championship? We’ll see. Luck is always a factor.
And when you speak of quickness – that’s all fine and good but note I was speaking of the elite teams. For example, quickness vs UCLA-Betts won't have the same impact vs if you had Cardoso and her height/quickness for her size. Same with Texas. And there is a good chance there are other teams that have a bulkiest inside scorer in which the combo of Cardoso/Watkins could have handled much easier than what you will experience right now. Quickness can help to a degree but over time you are more susceptible to height/bulk that what you have experiennced the past 4 years. Maybe Tac can be a key contributor - but not sure how reliable this early in her career she can be.
Heck, this upcoming year UCONN has their best opportunity to beat you in years because they might be able to score inside for their outside game to b at least pretty good. You have totally taken out that inside the last 4 years. If teams like UCLA, Texas UCONN and other elite teams can score more easily inside, then they won't care about Watkins ability to be better at defending the midrange near as much.
I’ll reiterate your team is #1. With your team's experience, athleticsm, and shooting skill, they are great.
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