[WBB fan]

Dodson also has figured out something at N.D. She is averaging 12.6 pts per game this season with double digit scoring in seven of her last eight games and going over 20 points four times this season.

One difference for Dodson is that ND has a brutally short rotation; as a result, she’s getting to take lot of shots. As an example, she jacked up 22 shots in their loss to Duke. It looks like she’s thriving on a team that needs to use her as a one of 2-3 primary scoring options. Realistically, Stanford wasn’t ever going to be a team that needed that many shots from her. Perhaps her shot selection has also improved. I always got the sense that the Stanford coaches got frustrated when she took shots outside of her spots.

Glad Dodson is doing well at another school.  We just have so many talented low post players and Dodson would have been 4th in the depth chart behind Brink, Belibi and Iriafen.  We use Prechtel more as a wing on offense so I’m not including her.

And to that point, I think it's a bit premature to anoint Betts a starter - even as the #1 in the class. She will be competing against the senior versions of Belibi and Prechtel, the junior version of Brink, and the sophomore version of Kiki. That's a lot of experience from some national championship caliber players for an incoming freshman to dislodge. Strength/conditioning, pace of play, mastering the sets - it's so different than high school or AAU. Plus, Tara isn't going to just start her from day 1 - she will have to beat out the players ahead of her. As a reference point, Kiki and Demetre are damn good and they are averaging ~6 minutes a game as freshmen. Deep, deep team.

Tara has started very, very few frosh bigs at the beginning of the season, though some broke in quite soon. For example, Brink last year. I know that Nneka did not start her freshman year, but she had Appel ahead of her (who had also not started much if at all her frosh year). Not sure about Chiney, though she was starting later in the year. Just can't remember if it was at the beginning. Rachael Hemmer and Kayla Pederson did start from day one, but Val Whiting did not. She never started her freshman year, but she was still national freshman of the year.
And then there was Kristen Folkl, who, IIRC correctly, never started, just Tara's thing about the fact that she was only a "part-time" player. Of course, she did wind up being a 1st team All American for both Volleyball and Basketball, but she didn't start, as least definitely during her 1st year.

[WBB fan]

Dodson also has figured out something at N.D. She is averaging 12.6 pts per game this season with double digit scoring in seven of her last eight games and going over 20 points four times this season.

One difference for Dodson is that ND has a brutally short rotation; as a result, she’s getting to take lot of shots. As an example, she jacked up 22 shots in their loss to Duke. It looks like she’s thriving on a team that needs to use her as a one of 2-3 primary scoring options. Realistically, Stanford wasn’t ever going to be a team that needed that many shots from her. Perhaps her shot selection has also improved. I always got the sense that the Stanford coaches got frustrated when she took shots outside of her spots.

Glad Dodson is doing well at another school.  We just have so many talented low post players and Dodson would have been 4th in the depth chart behind Brink, Belibi and Iriafen.  We use Prechtel more as a wing on offense so I’m not including her.

And to that point, I think it's a bit premature to anoint Betts a starter - even as the #1 in the class. She will be competing against the senior versions of Belibi and Prechtel, the junior version of Brink, and the sophomore version of Kiki. That's a lot of experience from some national championship caliber players for an incoming freshman to dislodge. Strength/conditioning, pace of play, mastering the sets - it's so different than high school or AAU. Plus, Tara isn't going to just start her from day 1 - she will have to beat out the players ahead of her. As a reference point, Kiki and Demetre are damn good and they are averaging ~6 minutes a game as freshmen. Deep, deep team.

Tara has started very, very few frosh bigs at the beginning of the season, though some broke in quite soon. For example, Brink last year. I know that Nneka did not start her freshman year, but she had Appel ahead of her (who had also not started much if at all her frosh year). Not sure about Chiney, though she was starting later in the year. Just can't remember if it was at the beginning. Rachael Hemmer and Kayla Pederson did start from day one, but Val Whiting did not. She never started her freshman year, but she was still national freshman of the year.
And then there was Kristen Folkl, who, IIRC correctly, never started, just Tara's thing about the fact that she was only a "part-time" player. Of course, she did wind up being a 1st team All American for both Volleyball and Basketball, but she didn't start, as least definitely during her 1st year.