[TheFarm07]

My two cents:

While I am obviously disappointed that Rice did not choose us, I am looking forward to hopefully getting Nivar for this year or maybe we might have opportunities at Watkins or Shade in the Class of '23 or Dudley in the Class of '24 in regards to top guards.

In the meantime, without Rice and pending other recruits committing, our relative weakness will be at the guard position, especially given our talent and depth at wing and in the paint. We'll have to overcome guard-centric opponents with interior play and hope our lack of relative strength will not be our undoing like during the Ogwumike years.

Notice I said "relative," I am not saying Pohlen was bad or that Van Gytenbeek, Harriel or Hamilton are either, but compared to Haley Jones, Brink, Prechtel, etc., that's not our obvious strength and can be a weakness compared to the teams loaded at those positions.

I hope that the recruiting services are underestimating Harriel and Lepolo and they are not always right, but I feel like they generally get it correctly, so I don't have too high expectations, but we'll see. It would have been nice to have gotten Rice to match up against Fudd and Bueckers or Johnson and Rivers (South Carolina guard duo entering this year), but hopefully Agnes-Nnopu's improved defensive skills can shut them down and we can use our strengths in the post when we play those contests.

Back to the recruiting miss. Even though I doubt many fans of other programs have much sympathy for us given the stars that have chosen Stanford, it still stings for us more than a UConn or South Carolina supporter.

Geno misses out on Rice, but he still got 4 of the last 5 number one recruits and is usually in the running every year for the top tier recruits and Staley is building up the same success at South Carolina as well, but because of our academic standards, there can be longer stretches for us where the elite recruits are not eligible for admissions and so there are not as many chances for Tara to vie for the next top-3 player. At least, that's a major reason for me on why it stings so badly when an elite recruit gets admitted and chooses somewhere else.

We've been fortunate to get three Top-3 recruits in the last four years including two #1s, but as we saw in the 2010s, we went through an eight year stretch between Top-10 recruits and it could more easily happen here than in Storrs or Columbia.

[TheFarm07]

My two cents:

While I am obviously disappointed that Rice did not choose us, I am looking forward to hopefully getting Nivar for this year or maybe we might have opportunities at Watkins or Shade in the Class of '23 or Dudley in the Class of '24 in regards to top guards.

In the meantime, without Rice and pending other recruits committing, our relative weakness will be at the guard position, especially given our talent and depth at wing and in the paint. We'll have to overcome guard-centric opponents with interior play and hope our lack of relative strength will not be our undoing like during the Ogwumike years.

Notice I said "relative," I am not saying Pohlen was bad or that Van Gytenbeek, Harriel or Hamilton are either, but compared to Haley Jones, Brink, Prechtel, etc., that's not our obvious strength and can be a weakness compared to the teams loaded at those positions.

I hope that the recruiting services are underestimating Harriel and Lepolo and they are not always right, but I feel like they generally get it correctly, so I don't have too high expectations, but we'll see. It would have been nice to have gotten Rice to match up against Fudd and Bueckers or Johnson and Rivers (South Carolina guard duo entering this year), but hopefully Agnes-Nnopu's improved defensive skills can shut them down and we can use our strengths in the post when we play those contests.

Back to the recruiting miss. Even though I doubt many fans of other programs have much sympathy for us given the stars that have chosen Stanford, it still stings for us more than a UConn or South Carolina supporter.

Geno misses out on Rice, but he still got 4 of the last 5 number one recruits and is usually in the running every year for the top tier recruits and Staley is building up the same success at South Carolina as well, but because of our academic standards, there can be longer stretches for us where the elite recruits are not eligible for admissions and so there are not as many chances for Tara to vie for the next top-3 player. At least, that's a major reason for me on why it stings so badly when an elite recruit gets admitted and chooses somewhere else.

We've been fortunate to get three Top-3 recruits in the last four years including two #1s, but as we saw in the 2010s, we went through an eight year stretch between Top-10 recruits and it could more easily happen here than in Storrs or Columbia.

[joemontes]

I wish her well, but I also don't get that choice given their guard situation.  They have too many top guards, if that can even be a thing.  Is she going to push Osborne out when she comes in with Osborne a junior?  What does Londynn Jones, another top guard going to UCLA who is a point, think of this?  They all can't play the point, as pointed out above, and playing the point is key to getting a better shot at the WNBA, all that stuff.  Close has done better getting her talent to be a cohesive and winning team in the past few years than she used to but still and all, she is what I think of as a prime example of a decent coach but not a great one, whose teams have generally not played up to the talent level.  She had the WNBA rookie of the year for this year on her team, plus Canada, who is in the WNBA, etc., and not all that much to show for it.  Maybe Rice takes them to the next level?  Is she that good?  

I hope Nivar sees plenty of playing time and says yes.

Charisma OSBORNE is really more of a SG who was forced to play PG during her first two seasons at Westwood.  Next season, when Kiki RICE and Lyndonn JONES joins her, I envision that the three of them will comprise the bulk of the rotation at SG/PG (so OSBORNE/RICE or OSBORNE/JONES or RICE/JONES) with OSBORNE = 32 minutes/game, RICE = 24 minutes/game and JONES = 16 minutes/game and the remaining 18 minutes to be split between Dominique ONO and freshman Paris CLARK. 

And, YES!  Kiki RICE is that good.  She's 5'11, so taller than most PGs, and very athletic and very quick for her size - I'm sure her also being named Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer has something to do with this.  A year ago, she was just ranked #7 overall in the Class of 2022, but recent improvement in her outside shooting has catapulted her ranking to #2 overall.

[joemontes]

I wish her well, but I also don't get that choice given their guard situation.  They have too many top guards, if that can even be a thing.  Is she going to push Osborne out when she comes in with Osborne a junior?  What does Londynn Jones, another top guard going to UCLA who is a point, think of this?  They all can't play the point, as pointed out above, and playing the point is key to getting a better shot at the WNBA, all that stuff.  Close has done better getting her talent to be a cohesive and winning team in the past few years than she used to but still and all, she is what I think of as a prime example of a decent coach but not a great one, whose teams have generally not played up to the talent level.  She had the WNBA rookie of the year for this year on her team, plus Canada, who is in the WNBA, etc., and not all that much to show for it.  Maybe Rice takes them to the next level?  Is she that good?  

I hope Nivar sees plenty of playing time and says yes.

Charisma OSBORNE is really more of a SG who was forced to play PG during her first two seasons at Westwood.  Next season, when Kiki RICE and Lyndonn JONES joins her, I envision that the three of them will comprise the bulk of the rotation at SG/PG (so OSBORNE/RICE or OSBORNE/JONES or RICE/JONES) with OSBORNE = 32 minutes/game, RICE = 24 minutes/game and JONES = 16 minutes/game and the remaining 18 minutes to be split between Dominique ONO and freshman Paris CLARK. 

And, YES!  Kiki RICE is that good.  She's 5'11, so taller than most PGs, and very athletic and very quick for her size - I'm sure her also being named Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer has something to do with this.  A year ago, she was just ranked #7 overall in the Class of 2022, but recent improvement in her outside shooting has catapulted her ranking to #2 overall.

[76lsjumb]

I think our guards are fine, just currently in a transition from a multi-year starter at pg to whatever comes next.  We have had excellent guards, just not a top 5 guard recruit, for a while now.  I think some of the issue is top guards seem to want to play in a system where they are the straw that stirs the drink, as it were, driving and dishing, hitting circus drives and all that, and they don't see our system as allowing them to do that.  And maybe that is why UCLA has had more highly ranked guard recruits recently than we have...but haven't had the success, because that way may please recruits but it may not be optimal for actually winning unless you have a team full of top 5 recruits, which UCLA does not, certainly not their bigs.

I think your analysis makes a lot of sense, although I would also argue that the drinks offered up by Ionescu, McDonald and a host of other top guards over the years were fairly well-stirred, rather than shaken.  If only our coaches could convince recruits that adding a top-flight PG to our system [and existing talent at the others spots] could produce a once-in-a-generation squad.

[76lsjumb]

I think our guards are fine, just currently in a transition from a multi-year starter at pg to whatever comes next.  We have had excellent guards, just not a top 5 guard recruit, for a while now.  I think some of the issue is top guards seem to want to play in a system where they are the straw that stirs the drink, as it were, driving and dishing, hitting circus drives and all that, and they don't see our system as allowing them to do that.  And maybe that is why UCLA has had more highly ranked guard recruits recently than we have...but haven't had the success, because that way may please recruits but it may not be optimal for actually winning unless you have a team full of top 5 recruits, which UCLA does not, certainly not their bigs.

I think your analysis makes a lot of sense, although I would also argue that the drinks offered up by Ionescu, McDonald and a host of other top guards over the years were fairly well-stirred, rather than shaken.  If only our coaches could convince recruits that adding a top-flight PG to our system [and existing talent at the others spots] could produce a once-in-a-generation squad.

[joemontes]

The real winner in the Kiki RICE lottery is the PAC 12, with (7 of the Top 10 recruits) / (11 of the Top 22) from the Class of 2022 set to build their WCBB careers in PAC 12 schools:

#1   -  Lauren BETTS        6'7      C       Stanford
#2   -  Kiki RICE                5'11    PG     UCLA
#6   -  Timea GARDINER  6'3      PF     Oregon State
#7   -  Chance GRAY        5'9      PG     Oregon 
#8   -  Aaliyah GAYLES     5'9      PG     USC
#9   -  Maya NNAJI          6'4      PF      Arizona
#10 -  Reagan BEERS       6'2      C       Oregon State

#13 -  Grace VanSlooten   6'3      PF     Oregon
#19 -  Gabriela JAQUEZ     6'0      PF     UCLA
#21 -  Paris CLARK             5'8      SG    UCLA
#22 -  Londynn JONES       5'5     PG     UCLA


By the way, #20 overall Indya NIVAR is now down to her two finalists NC State and Stanford.

[joemontes]

The real winner in the Kiki RICE lottery is the PAC 12, with (7 of the Top 10 recruits) / (11 of the Top 22) from the Class of 2022 set to build their WCBB careers in PAC 12 schools:

#1   -  Lauren BETTS        6'7      C       Stanford
#2   -  Kiki RICE                5'11    PG     UCLA
#6   -  Timea GARDINER  6'3      PF     Oregon State
#7   -  Chance GRAY        5'9      PG     Oregon 
#8   -  Aaliyah GAYLES     5'9      PG     USC
#9   -  Maya NNAJI          6'4      PF      Arizona
#10 -  Reagan BEERS       6'2      C       Oregon State

#13 -  Grace VanSlooten   6'3      PF     Oregon
#19 -  Gabriela JAQUEZ     6'0      PF     UCLA
#21 -  Paris CLARK             5'8      SG    UCLA
#22 -  Londynn JONES       5'5     PG     UCLA


By the way, #20 overall Indya NIVAR is now down to her two finalists NC State and Stanford.

[teejers1]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

[teejers1]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

[Card10Fan]

In Cori Closes 10 years, the best UCLA has done in the tourney is ONE elite 8. They’ve had plenty of talent in the past. While Rice will help, it’s not necessarily a championship ready program if that was really a priority for her.

[Card10Fan]

In Cori Closes 10 years, the best UCLA has done in the tourney is ONE elite 8. They’ve had plenty of talent in the past. While Rice will help, it’s not necessarily a championship ready program if that was really a priority for her.

[norcard]

Congrats to Kiki.  But really, some of the posts on here are in poor taste.  Commenting on her body focus and wondering if she was admitted?  Really?

[norcard]

Congrats to Kiki.  But really, some of the posts on here are in poor taste.  Commenting on her body focus and wondering if she was admitted?  Really?

[old spanish trail]

I wish her well, but I also don't get that choice given their guard situation.  They have too many top guards, if that can even be a thing.  Is she going to push Osborne out when she comes in with Osborne a junior?  What does Londynn Jones, another top guard going to UCLA who is a point, think of this?  They all can't play the point, as pointed out above, and playing the point is key to getting a better shot at the WNBA, all that stuff.  Close has done better getting her talent to be a cohesive and winning team in the past few years than she used to but still and all, she is what I think of as a prime example of a decent coach but not a great one, whose teams have generally not played up to the talent level.  She had the WNBA rookie of the year for this year on her team, plus Canada, who is in the WNBA, etc., and not all that much to show for it.  Maybe Rice takes them to the next level?  Is she that good?  

I hope Nivar sees plenty of playing time and says yes.

Charisma OSBORNE is really more of a SG who was forced to play PG during her first two seasons at Westwood.  Next season, when Kiki RICE and Lyndonn JONES joins her, I envision that the three of them will comprise the bulk of the rotation at SG/PG (so OSBORNE/RICE or OSBORNE/JONES or RICE/JONES) with OSBORNE = 32 minutes/game, RICE = 24 minutes/game and JONES = 16 minutes/game and the remaining 18 minutes to be split between Dominique ONO and freshman Paris CLARK. 

And, YES!  Kiki RICE is that good.  She's 5'11, so taller than most PGs, and very athletic and very quick for her size - I'm sure her also being named Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer has something to do with this.  A year ago, she was just ranked #7 overall in the Class of 2022, but recent improvement in her outside shooting has catapulted her ranking to #2 overall.

Totally agree, Joe. And, yes, Close does appeal to pg's.

[old spanish trail]

I wish her well, but I also don't get that choice given their guard situation.  They have too many top guards, if that can even be a thing.  Is she going to push Osborne out when she comes in with Osborne a junior?  What does Londynn Jones, another top guard going to UCLA who is a point, think of this?  They all can't play the point, as pointed out above, and playing the point is key to getting a better shot at the WNBA, all that stuff.  Close has done better getting her talent to be a cohesive and winning team in the past few years than she used to but still and all, she is what I think of as a prime example of a decent coach but not a great one, whose teams have generally not played up to the talent level.  She had the WNBA rookie of the year for this year on her team, plus Canada, who is in the WNBA, etc., and not all that much to show for it.  Maybe Rice takes them to the next level?  Is she that good?  

I hope Nivar sees plenty of playing time and says yes.

Charisma OSBORNE is really more of a SG who was forced to play PG during her first two seasons at Westwood.  Next season, when Kiki RICE and Lyndonn JONES joins her, I envision that the three of them will comprise the bulk of the rotation at SG/PG (so OSBORNE/RICE or OSBORNE/JONES or RICE/JONES) with OSBORNE = 32 minutes/game, RICE = 24 minutes/game and JONES = 16 minutes/game and the remaining 18 minutes to be split between Dominique ONO and freshman Paris CLARK. 

And, YES!  Kiki RICE is that good.  She's 5'11, so taller than most PGs, and very athletic and very quick for her size - I'm sure her also being named Gatorade Player of the Year in soccer has something to do with this.  A year ago, she was just ranked #7 overall in the Class of 2022, but recent improvement in her outside shooting has catapulted her ranking to #2 overall.

Totally agree, Joe. And, yes, Close does appeal to pg's.

[WBB fan]

In all these many, many earlier posts -- some I agree with, some I think are a bit sour grapish (sp, a word?) etc., some miss the mark, others right on. My bottom line, I wish Kiki Rice well and hope that she finds that UCLA is the right fit for her. It's Stanford's loss, but not necessarily hers. All that said, my overall reaction is a very simple one: Rats!! I really wanted to see her playing for Stanford.

[WBB fan]

In all these many, many earlier posts -- some I agree with, some I think are a bit sour grapish (sp, a word?) etc., some miss the mark, others right on. My bottom line, I wish Kiki Rice well and hope that she finds that UCLA is the right fit for her. It's Stanford's loss, but not necessarily hers. All that said, my overall reaction is a very simple one: Rats!! I really wanted to see her playing for Stanford.

[joemontes]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

Additions to UCLA's recruiting Class of 2022:
***********************************
Lina SONTAG           6'3      SF/PF       (member of Germany's 2021 U19 and 2019 U16 national teams)
Elena BUENAVIDA  5'9      SG/PG       (member of Spain's 2021 U19 and 2019 U16 national teams) 


The way I see it, for next season, UCLA will employ a center, a stretch forward (combo SF/PF) and 3 guards most of the time.  

Example of Starting Line-up:
***********************  
6'4  ANSTLEY  or  6'4  DUGALIC    at  Center
6'4  BESSOIR                                  at  SF/PF  (can post up and shoot from the beyond the arc)
5'11  RICE                                       at  SG/PG
5'9  OSBORNE                                at  SG/PG
5'5  JONES                                      at  SG/PG

That's a very young team: RICE and JONES are freshmen; ANSTLEY, DUGALIC and BESSOIR are RS sophomores

Others coming off the bench (5 freshmen and 1 RS sophomore):

6'0  JACQUEZ         SF/PF
6'3  SONTAG          SF/PF
6'3  IWUALA            C
5'9  ONU                SG
5'9  CLARK             SG
5'9  BUENAVIDA    SG/PG

The international flavor is undeniable, with ANSTLEY (Australia), BESSOIR (France), BUENAVIDA (Spain), DUGALIC (Serbia) and SONTAG (Germany).  All are or have been members of their country's U19 national teams, while DUGALIC played for Serbia in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics

[joemontes]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

Additions to UCLA's recruiting Class of 2022:
***********************************
Lina SONTAG           6'3      SF/PF       (member of Germany's 2021 U19 and 2019 U16 national teams)
Elena BUENAVIDA  5'9      SG/PG       (member of Spain's 2021 U19 and 2019 U16 national teams) 


The way I see it, for next season, UCLA will employ a center, a stretch forward (combo SF/PF) and 3 guards most of the time.  

Example of Starting Line-up:
***********************  
6'4  ANSTLEY  or  6'4  DUGALIC    at  Center
6'4  BESSOIR                                  at  SF/PF  (can post up and shoot from the beyond the arc)
5'11  RICE                                       at  SG/PG
5'9  OSBORNE                                at  SG/PG
5'5  JONES                                      at  SG/PG

That's a very young team: RICE and JONES are freshmen; ANSTLEY, DUGALIC and BESSOIR are RS sophomores

Others coming off the bench (5 freshmen and 1 RS sophomore):

6'0  JACQUEZ         SF/PF
6'3  SONTAG          SF/PF
6'3  IWUALA            C
5'9  ONU                SG
5'9  CLARK             SG
5'9  BUENAVIDA    SG/PG

The international flavor is undeniable, with ANSTLEY (Australia), BESSOIR (France), BUENAVIDA (Spain), DUGALIC (Serbia) and SONTAG (Germany).  All are or have been members of their country's U19 national teams, while DUGALIC played for Serbia in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics

[jfredmuggs]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Teejers. UCLA is a great school, and Rice may find it a better fit for her talents. I am just as disappointed as anyone, but let’s give our elitism a rest, OK? As for Hulk, this is the guy who said the Lopez twins were a couple of stiffs who would never make it in the NBA. LMAO.

[jfredmuggs]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Teejers. UCLA is a great school, and Rice may find it a better fit for her talents. I am just as disappointed as anyone, but let’s give our elitism a rest, OK? As for Hulk, this is the guy who said the Lopez twins were a couple of stiffs who would never make it in the NBA. LMAO.

[jk1926]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

Additions to UCLA's recruiting Class of 2022:
***********************************
Lina SONTAG           6'3      SF/PF       (member of Germany's 2021 U19 and 2019 U16 national teams)
Elena BUENAVIDA  5'9      SG/PG       (member of Spain's 2021 U19 and 2019 U16 national teams) 


The way I see it, for next season, UCLA will employ a center, a stretch forward (combo SF/PF) and 3 guards most of the time.  

Example of Starting Line-up:
***********************  
6'4  ANSTLEY  or  6'4  DUGALIC    at  Center
6'4  BESSOIR                                  at  SF/PF  (can post up and shoot from the beyond the arc)
5'11  RICE                                       at  SG/PG
5'9  OSBORNE                                at  SG/PG
5'5  JONES                                      at  SG/PG

That's a very young team: RICE and JONES are freshmen; ANSTLEY, DUGALIC and BESSOIR are RS sophomores

Others coming off the bench (5 freshmen and 1 RS sophomore):

6'0  JACQUEZ         SF/PF
6'3  SONTAG          SF/PF
6'3  IWUALA            C
5'9  ONU                SG
5'9  CLARK             SG
5'9  BUENAVIDA    SG/PG

The international flavor is undeniable, with ANSTLEY (Australia), BESSOIR (France), BUENAVIDA (Spain), DUGALIC (Croatia) and SONTAG (Germany).  All are or have been members of their country's U19 national teams, while DUGALIC played for Croatia in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics

New here.  UCLA grad and wbb program donor.  Surprised as anyone Rice committed to the Bruins as I thought she'd pick the Cardinal.

Great summary of UCLA's potential 2022 lineups.  One minor correction.  Dugalic was born in the Chicago-land area to SERBIAN immigrant parents.  She holds both US and Serbian citizenship, earned a spot on the Serbian Senior National Team, and got to play with pros on a team that won the 2021 Eurocup and took fourth place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Looking forward to seeing the Pac-12 shine against the other P5 conferences this season.

[jk1926]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

Additions to UCLA's recruiting Class of 2022:
***********************************
Lina SONTAG           6'3      SF/PF       (member of Germany's 2021 U19 and 2019 U16 national teams)
Elena BUENAVIDA  5'9      SG/PG       (member of Spain's 2021 U19 and 2019 U16 national teams) 


The way I see it, for next season, UCLA will employ a center, a stretch forward (combo SF/PF) and 3 guards most of the time.  

Example of Starting Line-up:
***********************  
6'4  ANSTLEY  or  6'4  DUGALIC    at  Center
6'4  BESSOIR                                  at  SF/PF  (can post up and shoot from the beyond the arc)
5'11  RICE                                       at  SG/PG
5'9  OSBORNE                                at  SG/PG
5'5  JONES                                      at  SG/PG

That's a very young team: RICE and JONES are freshmen; ANSTLEY, DUGALIC and BESSOIR are RS sophomores

Others coming off the bench (5 freshmen and 1 RS sophomore):

6'0  JACQUEZ         SF/PF
6'3  SONTAG          SF/PF
6'3  IWUALA            C
5'9  ONU                SG
5'9  CLARK             SG
5'9  BUENAVIDA    SG/PG

The international flavor is undeniable, with ANSTLEY (Australia), BESSOIR (France), BUENAVIDA (Spain), DUGALIC (Croatia) and SONTAG (Germany).  All are or have been members of their country's U19 national teams, while DUGALIC played for Croatia in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics

New here.  UCLA grad and wbb program donor.  Surprised as anyone Rice committed to the Bruins as I thought she'd pick the Cardinal.

Great summary of UCLA's potential 2022 lineups.  One minor correction.  Dugalic was born in the Chicago-land area to SERBIAN immigrant parents.  She holds both US and Serbian citizenship, earned a spot on the Serbian Senior National Team, and got to play with pros on a team that won the 2021 Eurocup and took fourth place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Looking forward to seeing the Pac-12 shine against the other P5 conferences this season.

[teejers1]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Teejers.  UCLA is a great school, and Rice may find it a better fit for her talents.  I am just as disappointed as anyone, but let’s give our elitism a rest, OK?  As for Hulk, this is the guy who said the Lopez twins were a couple of stiffs who would never make it in the NBA.  LMAO.

You may be thinking of another prominent poster from the old Bootleg days vis a vis the Lopi:  Longwinded.  But it's possible Hulk was not confident about their NBA playing potential (but usually Hulk is over-the-top positive about Stanford player, Stanford "mortal lock" recruit, and/or Stanford coach.

As for your (dis)agreement with my takes, admit it . . . you're finding yourself in begrudging agreement about the one I've been most vocal about over the years . . . Regardless, differences of opinion are what make fan sites (and general civil discussion) interesting.  Echo Chambers are boring (and I fear that this one might becoming that to some extent on aforementioned long-running topic).  

Tomorrow night would be a great time to pull a rabbit out of the hat.  I'm going with Stanford's D having 5 deflections at the LOS.  It might take something quite extraordinary like that for a McKee-less Stanford to compete.  We'll see . . .

[teejers1]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Teejers.  UCLA is a great school, and Rice may find it a better fit for her talents.  I am just as disappointed as anyone, but let’s give our elitism a rest, OK?  As for Hulk, this is the guy who said the Lopez twins were a couple of stiffs who would never make it in the NBA.  LMAO.

You may be thinking of another prominent poster from the old Bootleg days vis a vis the Lopi:  Longwinded.  But it's possible Hulk was not confident about their NBA playing potential (but usually Hulk is over-the-top positive about Stanford player, Stanford "mortal lock" recruit, and/or Stanford coach.

As for your (dis)agreement with my takes, admit it . . . you're finding yourself in begrudging agreement about the one I've been most vocal about over the years . . . Regardless, differences of opinion are what make fan sites (and general civil discussion) interesting.  Echo Chambers are boring (and I fear that this one might becoming that to some extent on aforementioned long-running topic).  

Tomorrow night would be a great time to pull a rabbit out of the hat.  I'm going with Stanford's D having 5 deflections at the LOS.  It might take something quite extraordinary like that for a McKee-less Stanford to compete.  We'll see . . .

[joemontes]

Stanford will  still be a strong Final Four contender next season (2022-2023), based on the following depth chart:

SF:
**
Haley JONES               (#1   - 2019)
Brooke DEMETRE       (#11 - 2021)

PF:
**
Cameron BRINK         (#3   - 2020)
Fran BELIBI                 (#19 - 2019)
Kiki IRIAFEN                (#19 - 2021)

Center:
*****
Lauren BETTS             (#1  - 2022)
Ashten PRECHTEL      (#15 - 2019)

SG:
**
Hannah JUMP             (#50 - 2019)
Agnes EMMA-NNOPU
Elena BOSGANA

PG:
**
Jana VAN GYTENBEEK  (#39 - 2020)
Jzaniya HARRIEL           (#78 - 2021)
Talana LEPOLO             (#70 - 2022)

If Class of 2022 #20 overall Indya NIVAR decides on Stanford, then she will adds 
depth at both SG and PG positions.  Stanford can also avail of Jenna BROWN's 
services as a RS senior, at the PG position. 


For the 2023-2024 season:

SF:
**
Brooke DEMETRE             (#11 - 2021)           
Elena BOSGANA

PF:
**
Cameron BRINK               (#3   - 2020)
Kiki IRIAFEN                      (#19 - 2021)

Center:
*****
Lauren BETTS                    (#1   - 2022)

SG:
**
Agnes EMMA-NNOPU
Nunu AGARA                     (#38  - 2023)

PG:
**
Jana VAN GYTENBEEK       (#39  - 2020)
Jzaniya HARRIEL                (#78  - 2021)
Talana LEPOLO                  (#70  - 2022)

Again, if Class of 2022 #20 overall NIVAR decides on Stanford, she adds depth 
at both SG and PG positions.  Obviously, Stanford needs a stellar Class of 2023 
recruiting to deepen the SF, PF, Center and SG positions.

[joemontes]

Stanford will  still be a strong Final Four contender next season (2022-2023), based on the following depth chart:

SF:
**
Haley JONES               (#1   - 2019)
Brooke DEMETRE       (#11 - 2021)

PF:
**
Cameron BRINK         (#3   - 2020)
Fran BELIBI                 (#19 - 2019)
Kiki IRIAFEN                (#19 - 2021)

Center:
*****
Lauren BETTS             (#1  - 2022)
Ashten PRECHTEL      (#15 - 2019)

SG:
**
Hannah JUMP             (#50 - 2019)
Agnes EMMA-NNOPU
Elena BOSGANA

PG:
**
Jana VAN GYTENBEEK  (#39 - 2020)
Jzaniya HARRIEL           (#78 - 2021)
Talana LEPOLO             (#70 - 2022)

If Class of 2022 #20 overall Indya NIVAR decides on Stanford, then she will adds 
depth at both SG and PG positions.  Stanford can also avail of Jenna BROWN's 
services as a RS senior, at the PG position. 


For the 2023-2024 season:

SF:
**
Brooke DEMETRE             (#11 - 2021)           
Elena BOSGANA

PF:
**
Cameron BRINK               (#3   - 2020)
Kiki IRIAFEN                      (#19 - 2021)

Center:
*****
Lauren BETTS                    (#1   - 2022)

SG:
**
Agnes EMMA-NNOPU
Nunu AGARA                     (#38  - 2023)

PG:
**
Jana VAN GYTENBEEK       (#39  - 2020)
Jzaniya HARRIEL                (#78  - 2021)
Talana LEPOLO                  (#70  - 2022)

Again, if Class of 2022 #20 overall NIVAR decides on Stanford, she adds depth 
at both SG and PG positions.  Obviously, Stanford needs a stellar Class of 2023 
recruiting to deepen the SF, PF, Center and SG positions.

[BobK]

Well up to Nivar now who will announce soon. Right now we have two openings.
Sure was a disappointment but life goes on. Especially after a very good martini lol

We already have a great jump on 2023

Let the season begin. We are THE national champions

[BobK]

Well up to Nivar now who will announce soon. Right now we have two openings.
Sure was a disappointment but life goes on. Especially after a very good martini lol

We already have a great jump on 2023

Let the season begin. We are THE national champions

[Hulk01]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Teejers.  UCLA is a great school, and Rice may find it a better fit for her talents.  I am just as disappointed as anyone, but let’s give our elitism a rest, OK?  As for Hulk, this is the guy who said the Lopez twins were a couple of stiffs who would never make it in the NBA.  LMAO.

---

I had no way to assess the Lopez twins.  I don't follow men's basketball
and only started following the women last season.

[Hulk01]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Teejers.  UCLA is a great school, and Rice may find it a better fit for her talents.  I am just as disappointed as anyone, but let’s give our elitism a rest, OK?  As for Hulk, this is the guy who said the Lopez twins were a couple of stiffs who would never make it in the NBA.  LMAO.

---

I had no way to assess the Lopez twins.  I don't follow men's basketball
and only started following the women last season.

[jfredmuggs]

My apologies, Hulk. It was Longwinded, not you.

[jfredmuggs]

My apologies, Hulk. It was Longwinded, not you.

[WBB fan]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Teejers.  UCLA is a great school, and Rice may find it a better fit for her talents.  I am just as disappointed as anyone, but let’s give our elitism a rest, OK?  As for Hulk, this is the guy who said the Lopez twins were a couple of stiffs who would never make it in the NBA.  LMAO.

---

I had no way to assess the Lopez twins.  I don't follow men's basketball
and only started following the women last season.

Welcome to following WBB. You're in for a great ride. And to start it with a season that ended in a national championship -- what a way to begin. We did it the same way, except that our first season as dedicated fans was 1989-90, which ended in the 1st natty. We went to Knoxville for the game. What an experience.

And BTW, for any of you who are wondering, and someone needs to clarify this for our wonderful announcer (who really is wonderful), the FIRST season when there were season tickets was that 1989-90 season. I know this  because we got them, and selected our seats which we've had ever since. The deal was that if you went to the 1st open practice that season, you could select your season ticket seats. So . . . , when she asks, how many people have been season ticket holders for 35 years, as she did at the open practice last week, the answer is 0 -- even if a couple of people did hold up their hands.

[WBB fan]

How can UCLA get quality guard after quality guard and we can't recruit guards worth a crap. That's the missing piece for us. I'll feel better if Nivar picks Stanford. If not, just another disappointment. We've had so many misses with guards, it's hard to even remember them all. 

Wait, I thought Hulk told us to book Kiki?  (I swear, whenever that guy says "A is a lock," my immediate reaction is "A ain't happening.").

And some of the posts in this thread - no need to specify - are a little too elitist/sour grape-ish.
UCLA is a great school and Rice will thrive there.  Maybe the Bruins will be firs women's team to cut down the nets with a 4 guard lineup.  The way the Warriors revolutionized the men's pro game (which is trickling down everywhere), it would not surprise me.

This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Teejers.  UCLA is a great school, and Rice may find it a better fit for her talents.  I am just as disappointed as anyone, but let’s give our elitism a rest, OK?  As for Hulk, this is the guy who said the Lopez twins were a couple of stiffs who would never make it in the NBA.  LMAO.

---

I had no way to assess the Lopez twins.  I don't follow men's basketball
and only started following the women last season.

Welcome to following WBB. You're in for a great ride. And to start it with a season that ended in a national championship -- what a way to begin. We did it the same way, except that our first season as dedicated fans was 1989-90, which ended in the 1st natty. We went to Knoxville for the game. What an experience.

And BTW, for any of you who are wondering, and someone needs to clarify this for our wonderful announcer (who really is wonderful), the FIRST season when there were season tickets was that 1989-90 season. I know this  because we got them, and selected our seats which we've had ever since. The deal was that if you went to the 1st open practice that season, you could select your season ticket seats. So . . . , when she asks, how many people have been season ticket holders for 35 years, as she did at the open practice last week, the answer is 0 -- even if a couple of people did hold up their hands.

[joemontes]

Hoping for Class of 2022 #20 overall 5'9 SG/PG Indya NIVAR to choose Stanford over NC State:

Quoting Shane Laflin from his write-up on NIVAR for espn.com on Sept 29, 2021 entitled 
"Which women's college basketball recruits took their games to new levels?": 

(quote)
Indya NIVAR
Apex Friendship High School (North Carolina)
New espnW 100 ranking: 20
Previous espnW 100 ranking: 54
Recruiting Finalists:  NC State, Stanford

Nivar created quite the buzz among college coaches this summer. After not being able to watch live high school basketball for over a year, Division I coaches benefitted from finally being able to return to the packed sidelines to view players again.  Nivar took that opportunity to prove that she had added to her game and earn several scholarship offers.  

The 5-foot-9 Nivar has a naturally strong build and leaping ability, and demostrates this as she glides to finishes at the rim or takes contact on powerful finishes off of two feet against bigger defenders.  Her pull-up jump shot is fundamentally sound and she is a catch-and-shoot 3-point threat as well. Nivar has a solid handle and uses her footwork and angles to get to her spots.

Defensively, her lateral speed and quickness allow her to guard multiple positions on the perimeter.  As mentioned, her jumping ability helps her efforts to rebound and quickly start the transition break.

Nivar rose this summer by becoming more aggressive offensively.  She announced her final three schools on September 7: North Carolina, NC State and Stanford."
(unquote)

[joemontes]

Hoping for Class of 2022 #20 overall 5'9 SG/PG Indya NIVAR to choose Stanford over NC State:

Quoting Shane Laflin from his write-up on NIVAR for espn.com on Sept 29, 2021 entitled 
"Which women's college basketball recruits took their games to new levels?": 

(quote)
Indya NIVAR
Apex Friendship High School (North Carolina)
New espnW 100 ranking: 20
Previous espnW 100 ranking: 54
Recruiting Finalists:  NC State, Stanford

Nivar created quite the buzz among college coaches this summer. After not being able to watch live high school basketball for over a year, Division I coaches benefitted from finally being able to return to the packed sidelines to view players again.  Nivar took that opportunity to prove that she had added to her game and earn several scholarship offers.  

The 5-foot-9 Nivar has a naturally strong build and leaping ability, and demostrates this as she glides to finishes at the rim or takes contact on powerful finishes off of two feet against bigger defenders.  Her pull-up jump shot is fundamentally sound and she is a catch-and-shoot 3-point threat as well. Nivar has a solid handle and uses her footwork and angles to get to her spots.

Defensively, her lateral speed and quickness allow her to guard multiple positions on the perimeter.  As mentioned, her jumping ability helps her efforts to rebound and quickly start the transition break.

Nivar rose this summer by becoming more aggressive offensively.  She announced her final three schools on September 7: North Carolina, NC State and Stanford."
(unquote)

[AxeMan89]

Didn't make it Saturday but would've responded that way. I had student tickets/pass and went to the games starting in 86-87. So it felt like season tickets even if the formality came later. But we always hope for newer fans, so welcome aboard!

[AxeMan89]

Didn't make it Saturday but would've responded that way. I had student tickets/pass and went to the games starting in 86-87. So it felt like season tickets even if the formality came later. But we always hope for newer fans, so welcome aboard!