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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 4846925, member: 12088"] Excellent post. I might even say Iowa is better than they were last year. Stuelke is not enough to make up for the loss of Czinano yet, but she’s made huge strides so far. Goodman and O’Grady are also a significant addition to the frontcourt over last season. And maybe most significant is the play of Molly Davis, who has really stepped up. The same structural defect still plagues the team, namely their over dependence on Caitlin. In some sense she has inhibited the team’s development even as she has also made them contenders. We’ll be saying these phrases a lot this season, “single-handedly” and “carried the team.” But if she can carry them to a title, she’ll deserve a ton of credit, especially if it involves upsetting SC and UCLA. I also agree about ISU and Audi Crooks. She is a force in the low post. Addy Brown is also having a great season. But I think they don’t have all the pieces yet to be contenders. I’d seen a few highlight videos of Crooks in high school and she looked intriguing. I finally saw a full game, against Hopkins no less, and it became crystal clear how much potential she had. Natural concerns about stamina kept her off most coaches radar, I guess. But ISU took a chance on her and I suspect they’ve hit the jackpot. If Ryan returns to last season’s form and they pick up another top guard or wing next season, they could surprise all of us. [/QUOTE]