[81alum]

Here's a fantasy: Kokenis is cleared to play, and proves in the first two rounds that she's 90%.

What does anyone think about a Sweet 16 starting lineup of Chiney, Joslyn or Mikaela, Sara, Tony and Amber?

My thinking is that Sara's scrappiness might be more valuable than size. I also think Ruef's rebounding and sharp interior passing is, situationally, more valuable than Tinkle's ability to get hot from long range. Either as #6 in the rotation would be fantastic, and Tara could always sub in Bonnie & Taylor to bomb away.

Those are nice thoughts, but as you say, for Toni to contribute she really needs to get time in the first two rounds--given how much time she has missed.  I hope she does--I'd love to see her play a couple more games at Maples this year.

As for Sara--I think a lot would depend on who we were playing and how the players match up.  Right now I think we can defend any posts effectively with Chiney and Ruef and Tinkle.  We have done fairly well defending the perimeter if you look at our stats against three point attempts over the season (opponents .235).  Where we have had problems is defending slashers and pull up mid-range jumpers--Chuckie Jeffrey, Layshia Clarendon, Mosqueda-Lewis, Britanny Boyd, Markel Walker, etc.  Even when these guards can shoot the three, they tend to have sub-par games from beyond the arc against us.  They do their damage by slashing, pulling up, collecting fouls, etc.

Toni can defend those kinds of players very well.  Sara has been tasked to do that and I think she has done better than some of us expected.  But I don't have a particularly good eye for defense.  And if we come up against a team with two or three really effective slashers then we may have problems unless we get Toni back.

[81alum]

Here's a fantasy: Kokenis is cleared to play, and proves in the first two rounds that she's 90%.

What does anyone think about a Sweet 16 starting lineup of Chiney, Joslyn or Mikaela, Sara, Tony and Amber?

My thinking is that Sara's scrappiness might be more valuable than size. I also think Ruef's rebounding and sharp interior passing is, situationally, more valuable than Tinkle's ability to get hot from long range. Either as #6 in the rotation would be fantastic, and Tara could always sub in Bonnie & Taylor to bomb away.

Those are nice thoughts, but as you say, for Toni to contribute she really needs to get time in the first two rounds--given how much time she has missed.  I hope she does--I'd love to see her play a couple more games at Maples this year.

As for Sara--I think a lot would depend on who we were playing and how the players match up.  Right now I think we can defend any posts effectively with Chiney and Ruef and Tinkle.  We have done fairly well defending the perimeter if you look at our stats against three point attempts over the season (opponents .235).  Where we have had problems is defending slashers and pull up mid-range jumpers--Chuckie Jeffrey, Layshia Clarendon, Mosqueda-Lewis, Britanny Boyd, Markel Walker, etc.  Even when these guards can shoot the three, they tend to have sub-par games from beyond the arc against us.  They do their damage by slashing, pulling up, collecting fouls, etc.

Toni can defend those kinds of players very well.  Sara has been tasked to do that and I think she has done better than some of us expected.  But I don't have a particularly good eye for defense.  And if we come up against a team with two or three really effective slashers then we may have problems unless we get Toni back.