[81alum]

The key next year will be the development of the Hull sisters.
They made so many exceptional hustle plays that we forget how disappointing they were on offense.
Drive into the key and predictably pass outside.
NEVER (almost) went to the hoop and thus never required defensive help.
And their occasional inside shooting was almost as wild as Maya's.
Very disappointing to me.

If they can successfully penetrate to the basket next year, it's a whole different ball game.

I'll have more thoughts later, but for now, I'd direct you to this highlights video from the week Lexie was named PAC-12 Freshman of the Week: PAC-12 Frosh of the Week

Lexie does have some nice moves inside and does go to the hoop. Maybe not as often as we'd like, but with Smith, Williams, and Carrington on the floor, she's at best our fourth best option to go inside and draw defenders. Why would Tara use her that way unless the play developed such that it was the open shot? (And she did it at least once successfully last night vs. Notre Dame, if I recall.) I also feel like the stress fracture really stunted her development - she never quite seemed as explosive after she came back. And despite that, she shot the ball at .398 FG% coming off the bench, with better 3PT% (.382) than Williams (.367), whom I think we think of as a sharpshooter. I think that's pretty great offensive production for freshman playing through a chronic stress injury.

Also, remember that Lexie was recruited as a SG and Lacie as a Wing. I'm not sure either was expected to be an off-the-dribble, penetrate-to-the-basket type of player. Here's their recruiting summaries:

Lexie: 

Consistent back court production, manufactures, delivers off the bounce in mid-range game; executes in half-court game; plays both ends of the floor; teammate; an elite prospect in the class of 2018.

Lacie:

Fundamental, versatile perimeter performer; drives, finishes plays in traffic; mid-range game threat moves to the arc; executes in half-court game; teammate. (Olson) 

With all due respect, I think you're asking them to be players we didn't recruit them to be, and they were never sold as being. If you were disappointed, it is probably because you expect them to do things they weren't recruited to do, especially as freshmen.

Early in the season Lexie Hull was billed as the one with great moves to and around the basket and as the highlight reel shows, she looked a lot like McPhee.  Lacie Hull was thought to be the better three point shooter and defender, although the three point shooting turned out to favor Lexie.  But no one stays the same.  Lexie Hull looked at first like she would be a four year starter and started the first two games of the season, scoring 11 and 17.  In those games she was our best rebounder at 8 rpg.  She was 5/8 from inside and 6/14 from beyond the arc.  It looked like we had a freshman who was immediately stepping into the McPhee role and might even be better in some ways than the star we lost.

In her third game she scored only 4, and then we learned she was injured, and she missed the next 9 games.   By the time she came back she was too far behind Lacie Hull defensively for Tara to throw her back into the starting lineup.  For the season, Lexie Hull (.382) was a better three point shooter than Kiana Williams (.367) and second only to Alanna Smith (.397.)  She was also by far our best free throw shooter (.864.)  She also averaged twice as many rebounds as her sister.  Lacie had a lot more steals and hustle plays, and while it is harder for a casual fan to judge defense, she probably was a better defender even before Lexie got hurt.

I think Lexie will become a much better player than McPhee, since she seems to me to have the three point shooting that McPhee was so inconsistent about, but she also has the inside moves that McPhee did not really start to show until her sophomore year.  With a summer to get completely healthy and further absorb Tara's lessons, I expect to see Lexie Hull starting next year and becoming a major scoring threat. 

If Maya Dodson can do an Erica McCall type sophomore-to-junior year transformation, then the best case scenario would be a starting lineup like this:

5 Dodson 
4 Jones
3 Carrington
2 Lexie Hull
1 Kiana Williams
(with 1-4 almost interchangeable.)

Prechtel, Belibi and Jump all are likely to get significant minutes in the fall as Tara gauges how quickly they can develop.  Lacie Hull could stay ahead of one of the 1-4, and Jenna Brown could also make a leap forward.  I suspect that Fingall and Jerome and Brewer are now what they are going to be--I don't expect (but would be pleasantly surprised) if one of them broke out, and Fingall and/or Jerome could start some games if Dodson doesn't improve and Prechtel needs time to develop.

It is going to be highly competitive in practice and the early games for time.

[81alum]

The key next year will be the development of the Hull sisters.
They made so many exceptional hustle plays that we forget how disappointing they were on offense.
Drive into the key and predictably pass outside.
NEVER (almost) went to the hoop and thus never required defensive help.
And their occasional inside shooting was almost as wild as Maya's.
Very disappointing to me.

If they can successfully penetrate to the basket next year, it's a whole different ball game.

I'll have more thoughts later, but for now, I'd direct you to this highlights video from the week Lexie was named PAC-12 Freshman of the Week: PAC-12 Frosh of the Week

Lexie does have some nice moves inside and does go to the hoop. Maybe not as often as we'd like, but with Smith, Williams, and Carrington on the floor, she's at best our fourth best option to go inside and draw defenders. Why would Tara use her that way unless the play developed such that it was the open shot? (And she did it at least once successfully last night vs. Notre Dame, if I recall.) I also feel like the stress fracture really stunted her development - she never quite seemed as explosive after she came back. And despite that, she shot the ball at .398 FG% coming off the bench, with better 3PT% (.382) than Williams (.367), whom I think we think of as a sharpshooter. I think that's pretty great offensive production for freshman playing through a chronic stress injury.

Also, remember that Lexie was recruited as a SG and Lacie as a Wing. I'm not sure either was expected to be an off-the-dribble, penetrate-to-the-basket type of player. Here's their recruiting summaries:

Lexie: 

Consistent back court production, manufactures, delivers off the bounce in mid-range game; executes in half-court game; plays both ends of the floor; teammate; an elite prospect in the class of 2018.

Lacie:

Fundamental, versatile perimeter performer; drives, finishes plays in traffic; mid-range game threat moves to the arc; executes in half-court game; teammate. (Olson) 

With all due respect, I think you're asking them to be players we didn't recruit them to be, and they were never sold as being. If you were disappointed, it is probably because you expect them to do things they weren't recruited to do, especially as freshmen.

Early in the season Lexie Hull was billed as the one with great moves to and around the basket and as the highlight reel shows, she looked a lot like McPhee.  Lacie Hull was thought to be the better three point shooter and defender, although the three point shooting turned out to favor Lexie.  But no one stays the same.  Lexie Hull looked at first like she would be a four year starter and started the first two games of the season, scoring 11 and 17.  In those games she was our best rebounder at 8 rpg.  She was 5/8 from inside and 6/14 from beyond the arc.  It looked like we had a freshman who was immediately stepping into the McPhee role and might even be better in some ways than the star we lost.

In her third game she scored only 4, and then we learned she was injured, and she missed the next 9 games.   By the time she came back she was too far behind Lacie Hull defensively for Tara to throw her back into the starting lineup.  For the season, Lexie Hull (.382) was a better three point shooter than Kiana Williams (.367) and second only to Alanna Smith (.397.)  She was also by far our best free throw shooter (.864.)  She also averaged twice as many rebounds as her sister.  Lacie had a lot more steals and hustle plays, and while it is harder for a casual fan to judge defense, she probably was a better defender even before Lexie got hurt.

I think Lexie will become a much better player than McPhee, since she seems to me to have the three point shooting that McPhee was so inconsistent about, but she also has the inside moves that McPhee did not really start to show until her sophomore year.  With a summer to get completely healthy and further absorb Tara's lessons, I expect to see Lexie Hull starting next year and becoming a major scoring threat. 

If Maya Dodson can do an Erica McCall type sophomore-to-junior year transformation, then the best case scenario would be a starting lineup like this:

5 Dodson 
4 Jones
3 Carrington
2 Lexie Hull
1 Kiana Williams
(with 1-4 almost interchangeable.)

Prechtel, Belibi and Jump all are likely to get significant minutes in the fall as Tara gauges how quickly they can develop.  Lacie Hull could stay ahead of one of the 1-4, and Jenna Brown could also make a leap forward.  I suspect that Fingall and Jerome and Brewer are now what they are going to be--I don't expect (but would be pleasantly surprised) if one of them broke out, and Fingall and/or Jerome could start some games if Dodson doesn't improve and Prechtel needs time to develop.

It is going to be highly competitive in practice and the early games for time.