[treetop11]

Brink does seem to excel at the 5.  I think her best games are on the low block.  And Tara has made a decision to keep her there--and basically make the first offensive option always Brink.

This has a pretty negative corollary for Iriafen, Belibi, and Betts, who can only play at the five.  But Brink playing at the four makes her not as good, and it bumps Jones to the 3 where she is also not as good offensively.

With those two in and the rest of our stable of bigs sitting, it puts a lot of emphasis on our younger guards.  They are not our strength offensively, given all the offensive guards we have missed in recruiting the last few years.  But they seem to be there primarily for their defense, except Jump.  Makes it easier for the opponents to pack the paint.

My question is why not more Prechtel, perhaps at the 3 on offense and switching to the 5 or 4 on defense?  She is the one big who has good range with her shot and she should be able to complement Brink and Jones well, in a way that Betts, Belibi, and Iriafen cannot (yet).  If we play her at the three, the other team will have to bring a big out to the perimeter to guard her, and that will open more space for Brink and Jones to maneuver inside--so long as Prectel can take and make some threes.   Has her three point shooting gone so cold in practice that Tara is afraid to use her more?  Or is there something I am missing?  Perhaps there are not that many teams who have the kind of player she can defend well--although she did a very creditable job on Aliyah Boston, and it seems to me she could have taken Beers on.

Offense:
5 Brink
4 Jones
3 Prechtel
2 Jump
1 Lepolo

Defense:
5 Prechtel
4 Brink
3 Jones
2 Jump
1 Lepolo

I'm in total agreement with you 81alum. I've been contending for a while that Haley is best at 4 due to her rebounding skills, lack of outside shot, and her versatility allows her to go where she wants as opposed to being a traditional power forward. Agree fully on Ashten and if she gets major minutes her threes will be more consistent and your point about her opening up space for Cam is spot on. It will also give Jump and Lepolo more space. I've always liked having our post combos of a thinner, more athletic post with a bulkier, more physical post i.e. Cam and Ashten, Kiki and Fran/Lauren. And defensively, Cam and Ashten are dynamite. 

Off the bench, Demetre or Bosgana for Prechtel, Kiki and Fran/Betts for Cam and Haley, Nnopu for Jump, Nivar/Harriel for Lepolo. Obviously, don't want "line change" like this. I'm referring to one or two coming into the game as part of the rotation. The subs would be designed to balance ballhandling, shooting, and D.

Anyway, I like your base ore starting lineup that I believe is the best going into March and possible tightening of the rotation.

[treetop11]

Brink does seem to excel at the 5.  I think her best games are on the low block.  And Tara has made a decision to keep her there--and basically make the first offensive option always Brink.

This has a pretty negative corollary for Iriafen, Belibi, and Betts, who can only play at the five.  But Brink playing at the four makes her not as good, and it bumps Jones to the 3 where she is also not as good offensively.

With those two in and the rest of our stable of bigs sitting, it puts a lot of emphasis on our younger guards.  They are not our strength offensively, given all the offensive guards we have missed in recruiting the last few years.  But they seem to be there primarily for their defense, except Jump.  Makes it easier for the opponents to pack the paint.

My question is why not more Prechtel, perhaps at the 3 on offense and switching to the 5 or 4 on defense?  She is the one big who has good range with her shot and she should be able to complement Brink and Jones well, in a way that Betts, Belibi, and Iriafen cannot (yet).  If we play her at the three, the other team will have to bring a big out to the perimeter to guard her, and that will open more space for Brink and Jones to maneuver inside--so long as Prectel can take and make some threes.   Has her three point shooting gone so cold in practice that Tara is afraid to use her more?  Or is there something I am missing?  Perhaps there are not that many teams who have the kind of player she can defend well--although she did a very creditable job on Aliyah Boston, and it seems to me she could have taken Beers on.

Offense:
5 Brink
4 Jones
3 Prechtel
2 Jump
1 Lepolo

Defense:
5 Prechtel
4 Brink
3 Jones
2 Jump
1 Lepolo

I'm in total agreement with you 81alum. I've been contending for a while that Haley is best at 4 due to her rebounding skills, lack of outside shot, and her versatility allows her to go where she wants as opposed to being a traditional power forward. Agree fully on Ashten and if she gets major minutes her threes will be more consistent and your point about her opening up space for Cam is spot on. It will also give Jump and Lepolo more space. I've always liked having our post combos of a thinner, more athletic post with a bulkier, more physical post i.e. Cam and Ashten, Kiki and Fran/Lauren. And defensively, Cam and Ashten are dynamite. 

Off the bench, Demetre or Bosgana for Prechtel, Kiki and Fran/Betts for Cam and Haley, Nnopu for Jump, Nivar/Harriel for Lepolo. Obviously, don't want "line change" like this. I'm referring to one or two coming into the game as part of the rotation. The subs would be designed to balance ballhandling, shooting, and D.

Anyway, I like your base ore starting lineup that I believe is the best going into March and possible tightening of the rotation.