[stopandpop]

Agree BC  Note that Brink last season was listed as a Forward.  And introduced as a Forward.

Based on what Cam and her mom told us at the Awards Luncheon, Tara is putting her at power forward (not post) which means someone else will be in the middle.  Who that is?  Can only guess.

My guess is there's more than one - Belibi, Iriafen, and Betts all have more limited offensive range than Brink, so any of them would be a logical 5 to her 4 on offense, since she can step back and shoot the three. 

To me the important wild card here is Demetre, since she and Jump are our two best hopes for regular outside shooting. In theory we could have a lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink, Belibi/Betts/Iriafen, which would presumably give us an edge on size over just about any team in the country, but that lineup would suffer from turnover issues and also issues covering speedy guards on defense. 

I'll admit that for all the terrific players we have this coming season, this is one of the more puzzling set of players to work with of any year I can remember. Can't wait to see how Tara the Chess Master figures out how to use all her pieces.

The lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink & Belibi will probably get the job done against most of our opponents this coming season, but not against the Gamecocks.  At least two players of size required to defend Boston.  But you are right about Tara- the Chess Master.

[stopandpop]

Agree BC  Note that Brink last season was listed as a Forward.  And introduced as a Forward.

Based on what Cam and her mom told us at the Awards Luncheon, Tara is putting her at power forward (not post) which means someone else will be in the middle.  Who that is?  Can only guess.

My guess is there's more than one - Belibi, Iriafen, and Betts all have more limited offensive range than Brink, so any of them would be a logical 5 to her 4 on offense, since she can step back and shoot the three. 

To me the important wild card here is Demetre, since she and Jump are our two best hopes for regular outside shooting. In theory we could have a lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink, Belibi/Betts/Iriafen, which would presumably give us an edge on size over just about any team in the country, but that lineup would suffer from turnover issues and also issues covering speedy guards on defense. 

I'll admit that for all the terrific players we have this coming season, this is one of the more puzzling set of players to work with of any year I can remember. Can't wait to see how Tara the Chess Master figures out how to use all her pieces.

The lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink & Belibi will probably get the job done against most of our opponents this coming season, but not against the Gamecocks.  At least two players of size required to defend Boston.  But you are right about Tara- the Chess Master.

[BosCard]

Agree BC  Note that Brink last season was listed as a Forward.  And introduced as a Forward.

Based on what Cam and her mom told us at the Awards Luncheon, Tara is putting her at power forward (not post) which means someone else will be in the middle.  Who that is?  Can only guess.

My guess is there's more than one - Belibi, Iriafen, and Betts all have more limited offensive range than Brink, so any of them would be a logical 5 to her 4 on offense, since she can step back and shoot the three. 

To me the important wild card here is Demetre, since she and Jump are our two best hopes for regular outside shooting. In theory we could have a lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink, Belibi/Betts/Iriafen, which would presumably give us an edge on size over just about any team in the country, but that lineup would suffer from turnover issues and also issues covering speedy guards on defense. 

I'll admit that for all the terrific players we have this coming season, this is one of the more puzzling set of players to work with of any year I can remember. Can't wait to see how Tara the Chess Master figures out how to use all her pieces.

The lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink & Belibi will probably get the job done against most of our opponents this coming season, but not against the Gamecocks.  At least two players of size required to defend Boston.  But you are right about Tara- the Chess Master.

I like Jones, Demetre, Jump in the guard/wing spots from a pure scoring perspective but Jones needs help bringing the ball up and Jump and Demetre are not ball handlers.  Yes Jones brought the ball up sometimes last year but remember she was being defended by a forward.  This year she will be guarded by a smaller quicker guard who presumably can pressure Jones’ high dribble.  I think either Lepolo or Nivar will see significant playing time just to share the ball handling duties with Jones because we need Jones to primarily focus on scoring.

[BosCard]

Agree BC  Note that Brink last season was listed as a Forward.  And introduced as a Forward.

Based on what Cam and her mom told us at the Awards Luncheon, Tara is putting her at power forward (not post) which means someone else will be in the middle.  Who that is?  Can only guess.

My guess is there's more than one - Belibi, Iriafen, and Betts all have more limited offensive range than Brink, so any of them would be a logical 5 to her 4 on offense, since she can step back and shoot the three. 

To me the important wild card here is Demetre, since she and Jump are our two best hopes for regular outside shooting. In theory we could have a lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink, Belibi/Betts/Iriafen, which would presumably give us an edge on size over just about any team in the country, but that lineup would suffer from turnover issues and also issues covering speedy guards on defense. 

I'll admit that for all the terrific players we have this coming season, this is one of the more puzzling set of players to work with of any year I can remember. Can't wait to see how Tara the Chess Master figures out how to use all her pieces.

The lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink & Belibi will probably get the job done against most of our opponents this coming season, but not against the Gamecocks.  At least two players of size required to defend Boston.  But you are right about Tara- the Chess Master.

I like Jones, Demetre, Jump in the guard/wing spots from a pure scoring perspective but Jones needs help bringing the ball up and Jump and Demetre are not ball handlers.  Yes Jones brought the ball up sometimes last year but remember she was being defended by a forward.  This year she will be guarded by a smaller quicker guard who presumably can pressure Jones’ high dribble.  I think either Lepolo or Nivar will see significant playing time just to share the ball handling duties with Jones because we need Jones to primarily focus on scoring.

[stopandpop]

Agree BC  Note that Brink last season was listed as a Forward.  And introduced as a Forward.

Based on what Cam and her mom told us at the Awards Luncheon, Tara is putting her at power forward (not post) which means someone else will be in the middle.  Who that is?  Can only guess.

My guess is there's more than one - Belibi, Iriafen, and Betts all have more limited offensive range than Brink, so any of them would be a logical 5 to her 4 on offense, since she can step back and shoot the three. 

To me the important wild card here is Demetre, since she and Jump are our two best hopes for regular outside shooting. In theory we could have a lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink, Belibi/Betts/Iriafen, which would presumably give us an edge on size over just about any team in the country, but that lineup would suffer from turnover issues and also issues covering speedy guards on defense. 

I'll admit that for all the terrific players we have this coming season, this is one of the more puzzling set of players to work with of any year I can remember. Can't wait to see how Tara the Chess Master figures out how to use all her pieces.

The lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink & Belibi will probably get the job done against most of our opponents this coming season, but not against the Gamecocks.  At least two players of size required to defend Boston.  But you are right about Tara- the Chess Master.

I like Jones, Demetre, Jump in the guard/wing spots from a pure scoring perspective but Jones needs help bringing the ball up and Jump and Demetre are not ball handlers.  Yes Jones brought the ball up sometimes last year but remember she was being defended by a forward.  This year she will be guarded by a smaller quicker guard who presumably can pressure Jones’ high dribble.  I think either Lepolo or Nivar will see significant playing time just to share the ball handling duties with Jones because we need Jones to primarily focus on scoring.

It looks like Haley will be moved to guard.

Haley Jones prepares for different role with title-chasing Stanford – JWS (justwomenssports.com)

[stopandpop]

Agree BC  Note that Brink last season was listed as a Forward.  And introduced as a Forward.

Based on what Cam and her mom told us at the Awards Luncheon, Tara is putting her at power forward (not post) which means someone else will be in the middle.  Who that is?  Can only guess.

My guess is there's more than one - Belibi, Iriafen, and Betts all have more limited offensive range than Brink, so any of them would be a logical 5 to her 4 on offense, since she can step back and shoot the three. 

To me the important wild card here is Demetre, since she and Jump are our two best hopes for regular outside shooting. In theory we could have a lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink, Belibi/Betts/Iriafen, which would presumably give us an edge on size over just about any team in the country, but that lineup would suffer from turnover issues and also issues covering speedy guards on defense. 

I'll admit that for all the terrific players we have this coming season, this is one of the more puzzling set of players to work with of any year I can remember. Can't wait to see how Tara the Chess Master figures out how to use all her pieces.

The lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink & Belibi will probably get the job done against most of our opponents this coming season, but not against the Gamecocks.  At least two players of size required to defend Boston.  But you are right about Tara- the Chess Master.

I like Jones, Demetre, Jump in the guard/wing spots from a pure scoring perspective but Jones needs help bringing the ball up and Jump and Demetre are not ball handlers.  Yes Jones brought the ball up sometimes last year but remember she was being defended by a forward.  This year she will be guarded by a smaller quicker guard who presumably can pressure Jones’ high dribble.  I think either Lepolo or Nivar will see significant playing time just to share the ball handling duties with Jones because we need Jones to primarily focus on scoring.

It looks like Haley will be moved to guard.

Haley Jones prepares for different role with title-chasing Stanford – JWS (justwomenssports.com)

[2006alum]

It looks like Haley will be moved to guard.

Haley Jones prepares for different role with title-chasing Stanford – JWS (justwomenssports.com)

That's in line with what I think makes sense for this team (we have so many good bigs and a relatively weaker backcourt), but also if she wants to ball with the best in the W. Jones should be taking 1,000 3 point attempts a day this summer, because her biggest weakness will be the lack of offensive versatility from the perimeter. i've always been much more sanguine about her TOs than most around here because I think the tradeoff is her exceptional high-risk passes keep defenses off balance, and the net is worth it. But she's got to develop a consistent three point shot as she transitions to the next level. Heck, even 6'2" Nneka, who never played anything less than the 4 at Stanford, is shooting 39% from outside this season...

[2006alum]

It looks like Haley will be moved to guard.

Haley Jones prepares for different role with title-chasing Stanford – JWS (justwomenssports.com)

That's in line with what I think makes sense for this team (we have so many good bigs and a relatively weaker backcourt), but also if she wants to ball with the best in the W. Jones should be taking 1,000 3 point attempts a day this summer, because her biggest weakness will be the lack of offensive versatility from the perimeter. i've always been much more sanguine about her TOs than most around here because I think the tradeoff is her exceptional high-risk passes keep defenses off balance, and the net is worth it. But she's got to develop a consistent three point shot as she transitions to the next level. Heck, even 6'2" Nneka, who never played anything less than the 4 at Stanford, is shooting 39% from outside this season...

[joemontes]

Based on what Cam and her mom told us at the Awards Luncheon, Tara is putting her at power forward (not post) which means someone else will be in the middle.  Who that is?  Can only guess.

My guess is there's more than one - Belibi, Iriafen, and Betts all have more limited offensive range than Brink, so any of them would be a logical 5 to her 4 on offense, since she can step back and shoot the three. 

To me the important wild card here is Demetre, since she and Jump are our two best hopes for regular outside shooting. In theory we could have a lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink, Belibi/Betts/Iriafen, which would presumably give us an edge on size over just about any team in the country, but that lineup would suffer from turnover issues and also issues covering speedy guards on defense. 

I'll admit that for all the terrific players we have this coming season, this is one of the more puzzling set of players to work with of any year I can remember. Can't wait to see how Tara the Chess Master figures out how to use all her pieces.

The lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink & Belibi will probably get the job done against most of our opponents this coming season, but not against the Gamecocks.  At least two players of size required to defend Boston.  But you are right about Tara- the Chess Master.

I like Jones, Demetre, Jump in the guard/wing spots from a pure scoring perspective but Jones needs help bringing the ball up and Jump and Demetre are not ball handlers.  Yes Jones brought the ball up sometimes last year but remember she was being defended by a forward.  This year she will be guarded by a smaller quicker guard who presumably can pressure Jones’ high dribble.  I think either Lepolo or Nivar will see significant playing time just to share the ball handling duties with Jones because we need Jones to primarily focus on scoring.

It looks like Haley will be moved to guard.

Haley Jones prepares for different role with title-chasing Stanford – JWS (justwomenssports.com)

This is essentially an imperative move, with 3 starting guards who played major minutes (the HULL twins and WILSON)  having graduated plus the current logjam at the PF/C position with the arrival of BETTS (BETTS, BRINK, PRECHTEL, BELIBI, IRIAFEN).

Yup, 6'1 do-it-all Haley JONES will be Stanford's starting PG at the start of this season:

"This offseason has been JONES first running the point fulltime, and she's relishing being a mentor to the two incoming point guards, Indya NIVAR and Talana LEPOLO."

I kinda predict JONES at PG, JUMP at SG, DEMETRE at SF, BRINK with either BELIBI/PRECHTEL at the 2 post positiions to start the forthcoming season.

[joemontes]

Based on what Cam and her mom told us at the Awards Luncheon, Tara is putting her at power forward (not post) which means someone else will be in the middle.  Who that is?  Can only guess.

My guess is there's more than one - Belibi, Iriafen, and Betts all have more limited offensive range than Brink, so any of them would be a logical 5 to her 4 on offense, since she can step back and shoot the three. 

To me the important wild card here is Demetre, since she and Jump are our two best hopes for regular outside shooting. In theory we could have a lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink, Belibi/Betts/Iriafen, which would presumably give us an edge on size over just about any team in the country, but that lineup would suffer from turnover issues and also issues covering speedy guards on defense. 

I'll admit that for all the terrific players we have this coming season, this is one of the more puzzling set of players to work with of any year I can remember. Can't wait to see how Tara the Chess Master figures out how to use all her pieces.

The lineup of Jones, Jump, Demetre, Brink & Belibi will probably get the job done against most of our opponents this coming season, but not against the Gamecocks.  At least two players of size required to defend Boston.  But you are right about Tara- the Chess Master.

I like Jones, Demetre, Jump in the guard/wing spots from a pure scoring perspective but Jones needs help bringing the ball up and Jump and Demetre are not ball handlers.  Yes Jones brought the ball up sometimes last year but remember she was being defended by a forward.  This year she will be guarded by a smaller quicker guard who presumably can pressure Jones’ high dribble.  I think either Lepolo or Nivar will see significant playing time just to share the ball handling duties with Jones because we need Jones to primarily focus on scoring.

It looks like Haley will be moved to guard.

Haley Jones prepares for different role with title-chasing Stanford – JWS (justwomenssports.com)

This is essentially an imperative move, with 3 starting guards who played major minutes (the HULL twins and WILSON)  having graduated plus the current logjam at the PF/C position with the arrival of BETTS (BETTS, BRINK, PRECHTEL, BELIBI, IRIAFEN).

Yup, 6'1 do-it-all Haley JONES will be Stanford's starting PG at the start of this season:

"This offseason has been JONES first running the point fulltime, and she's relishing being a mentor to the two incoming point guards, Indya NIVAR and Talana LEPOLO."

I kinda predict JONES at PG, JUMP at SG, DEMETRE at SF, BRINK with either BELIBI/PRECHTEL at the 2 post positiions to start the forthcoming season.

[81alum]

I do wonder how quickly Lepolo and Nivar can come along.  Tara expects so much out of her point guards that it seems the least likely position to be held down by a freshman.  And so Jones gets the start.

I do hope she can improve her open court ball handling skills.  I can almost imagine Vic Schaeffer salivating at the thought of putting 5'6" Rori Harmon on Jones, or Dawn Staley sending 5'7" Destiny Henderson--short, speedy, quick guards who can attack that high dribble.  Sure, if Jones gets the ball up court it will produce a great mismatch opportunity for us.  But how many steals can we afford to give away in a game? 

Maybe we should go back to the never-dribble-the-ball-but-only-pass-it-up-court routine.  Like we are breaking the press on every possession.

South Carolina does have four  6'1" guards, so Jones isn't so unusual.  But notice which guards South Carolina puts on the court....

Finally, there is this.  Perhaps Jones at PG will work out perfectly on offense, and a summer of practice will help keep turnovers down to acceptable levels.  But then who do we have on defense to defend the Hendersons and Harmons?  If we put Jones and Jump and 3 bigs out there, who can defend against teams with two speedy little guards, to which we were already vulnerable last year?  We are going to need some kind of new defensive scheme.  We can put dual shot blockers inside if Brink and Betts don't get into foul trouble--but the opponents are going to get a lot of open looks at treys if they speed around the outside faster than Jones and Jump and Demetre can keep up.

It almost seems like the year of the zone.

[81alum]

I do wonder how quickly Lepolo and Nivar can come along.  Tara expects so much out of her point guards that it seems the least likely position to be held down by a freshman.  And so Jones gets the start.

I do hope she can improve her open court ball handling skills.  I can almost imagine Vic Schaeffer salivating at the thought of putting 5'6" Rori Harmon on Jones, or Dawn Staley sending 5'7" Destiny Henderson--short, speedy, quick guards who can attack that high dribble.  Sure, if Jones gets the ball up court it will produce a great mismatch opportunity for us.  But how many steals can we afford to give away in a game? 

Maybe we should go back to the never-dribble-the-ball-but-only-pass-it-up-court routine.  Like we are breaking the press on every possession.

South Carolina does have four  6'1" guards, so Jones isn't so unusual.  But notice which guards South Carolina puts on the court....

Finally, there is this.  Perhaps Jones at PG will work out perfectly on offense, and a summer of practice will help keep turnovers down to acceptable levels.  But then who do we have on defense to defend the Hendersons and Harmons?  If we put Jones and Jump and 3 bigs out there, who can defend against teams with two speedy little guards, to which we were already vulnerable last year?  We are going to need some kind of new defensive scheme.  We can put dual shot blockers inside if Brink and Betts don't get into foul trouble--but the opponents are going to get a lot of open looks at treys if they speed around the outside faster than Jones and Jump and Demetre can keep up.

It almost seems like the year of the zone.

[chimera]

This coming season will be an odd one from a roster management standpoint.  We need to get Brink, Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen and probably Betts in the game, but can any one of them play the 3 even a little on occasion?  Assuming not, two positions for all that talent is tough.  You noted the potential issues with Jones at pg - defense against smaller, quicker players who ballhawk her high dribble and can get by her possibly.  We do have rim protectors but fouls could become an issue.  

If reports are correct that Brink will play much more at the 4, leaving the inside to Iriafen and perhaps Betts, depending on how she adjusts to college ball, I think that might work out well for Brink, who can shoot outside and is mobile enough to play there, as long as she does not reach and get silly fouls.  What of Belibi, who has played well enough to merit serious playing time, and Prechtel, same but maybe more a niche roll.  Iriafen and Betts almost all at the 5, Brink and Belibi at the 4, and Prechtel floats to either position as needed????

Who is the 3?  I had hoped it would be Jones so she could still rebound and create off the ball, but that seems not to be the plan (for now, since things could change).  Demetre would seem to fit there if she is quick enough to guard smaller 3's, which we don't know yet.  What about someone like Bosgana, who has been well praised as having a lot of potential and is doing well playing for Greece this summer?  Does she get time at the 3 or the 2?  

Jump seems to be in line to start at the 2 or the 3 and play heavy minutes.  She is the only proven three point shooter we have right now, unless you could Brink in limited attempts.  Who else plays there?  Bosgana?  Harriel?  

The sticking point is the pg spot, as we all know.  We have no idea how the frosh might do.  Even if Jones plays a lot of pg, someone has to back her up.  Unless Harriel is a combo guard who can play pg (no idea how she plays since we did not see her at all last season), seems like a freshman is the backup there?  Who knows?  Whatever happens our perimeter defense is going to be worse, just has to be after who we lost.  Can they make up for that with more scoring?  Our perimeter players last season were great D, not so much O (Wilson and Lacie Hull).  This season might be middling D but a lot more O.  As long as you outscore the other team, that's ok, I think (hope).

If I had to construct a rotation without seeing the freshman and thus not being able to slot them in anywhere aside from maybe Betts (Gotta think #1 recruit will be getting minutes fairly early on at least some and building to more) I would go this way (with the caveat that this presumes Iriafen makes the expected leap as a soph, that Betts is ready to go early, and that Jones has got a more reliable and comfortable three ball):

5: Iriafen/Betts/Brink if the youngsters struggle/Prechtel as the swiss army knife who fills in at the 4 and 5.
4:  Brink/Belibi/Prechtel
3: Jones/Emma-Nnopu or Demetre or Bosgana (Can Belibi guard the perimeter enough to play here a little against some teams?????)
2: Jump/Emma-Nnopu/Bosgana?/Harriel?/a freshman???
1:  Darned if I know but I hope someone other than Jones can grab the spot and free her up/Jones as backup but not full time pg.

If nobody is close to ready a the point so Jones is a full time pg, which seems to be what is planned:

5: same as above
4: same as above
3: Another darned if I know, probably Demetre, Emma-Nnopu and Bosgana?  Not seeing much of the sophs last year has made this hard
2: Jump/Emma-Nnopu/Harriel?/Bosgana?/frosh???
1: Jones/Who knows, one of the frosh I guess.

Neither of these line-ups are without issue.  If Tara likes puzzles, she has one this season.  How to play all the bigs who deserve it, get Jones where her talents are best utilized, and sort out all the young guards who we really do need to help out at the 1 and the 2?  Maybe Jones at the 1 will work out great.  Maybe her threes will be popping and her handle tightened, and as a senior, she is ready to run the team and still create and score herself.  Seems a lot to ask, though.  When times were desperate in previous season she was a go to scorer.  Can she still do that and run the point and play strong D out there?

Fun to speculate but we usually are wrong about line-ups, putting freshmen in when in reality they are rarely ready early on, especially at pg.  I have this feeling I am forgetting someone too...

Edited to add I did forget someone - Emma-Nnopu! Sorry, Agnes!!! She would be a candidate to play the 2 or the 3 I think. I will go back and slot her in there...

[chimera]

This coming season will be an odd one from a roster management standpoint.  We need to get Brink, Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen and probably Betts in the game, but can any one of them play the 3 even a little on occasion?  Assuming not, two positions for all that talent is tough.  You noted the potential issues with Jones at pg - defense against smaller, quicker players who ballhawk her high dribble and can get by her possibly.  We do have rim protectors but fouls could become an issue.  

If reports are correct that Brink will play much more at the 4, leaving the inside to Iriafen and perhaps Betts, depending on how she adjusts to college ball, I think that might work out well for Brink, who can shoot outside and is mobile enough to play there, as long as she does not reach and get silly fouls.  What of Belibi, who has played well enough to merit serious playing time, and Prechtel, same but maybe more a niche roll.  Iriafen and Betts almost all at the 5, Brink and Belibi at the 4, and Prechtel floats to either position as needed????

Who is the 3?  I had hoped it would be Jones so she could still rebound and create off the ball, but that seems not to be the plan (for now, since things could change).  Demetre would seem to fit there if she is quick enough to guard smaller 3's, which we don't know yet.  What about someone like Bosgana, who has been well praised as having a lot of potential and is doing well playing for Greece this summer?  Does she get time at the 3 or the 2?  

Jump seems to be in line to start at the 2 or the 3 and play heavy minutes.  She is the only proven three point shooter we have right now, unless you could Brink in limited attempts.  Who else plays there?  Bosgana?  Harriel?  

The sticking point is the pg spot, as we all know.  We have no idea how the frosh might do.  Even if Jones plays a lot of pg, someone has to back her up.  Unless Harriel is a combo guard who can play pg (no idea how she plays since we did not see her at all last season), seems like a freshman is the backup there?  Who knows?  Whatever happens our perimeter defense is going to be worse, just has to be after who we lost.  Can they make up for that with more scoring?  Our perimeter players last season were great D, not so much O (Wilson and Lacie Hull).  This season might be middling D but a lot more O.  As long as you outscore the other team, that's ok, I think (hope).

If I had to construct a rotation without seeing the freshman and thus not being able to slot them in anywhere aside from maybe Betts (Gotta think #1 recruit will be getting minutes fairly early on at least some and building to more) I would go this way (with the caveat that this presumes Iriafen makes the expected leap as a soph, that Betts is ready to go early, and that Jones has got a more reliable and comfortable three ball):

5: Iriafen/Betts/Brink if the youngsters struggle/Prechtel as the swiss army knife who fills in at the 4 and 5.
4:  Brink/Belibi/Prechtel
3: Jones/Emma-Nnopu or Demetre or Bosgana (Can Belibi guard the perimeter enough to play here a little against some teams?????)
2: Jump/Emma-Nnopu/Bosgana?/Harriel?/a freshman???
1:  Darned if I know but I hope someone other than Jones can grab the spot and free her up/Jones as backup but not full time pg.

If nobody is close to ready a the point so Jones is a full time pg, which seems to be what is planned:

5: same as above
4: same as above
3: Another darned if I know, probably Demetre, Emma-Nnopu and Bosgana?  Not seeing much of the sophs last year has made this hard
2: Jump/Emma-Nnopu/Harriel?/Bosgana?/frosh???
1: Jones/Who knows, one of the frosh I guess.

Neither of these line-ups are without issue.  If Tara likes puzzles, she has one this season.  How to play all the bigs who deserve it, get Jones where her talents are best utilized, and sort out all the young guards who we really do need to help out at the 1 and the 2?  Maybe Jones at the 1 will work out great.  Maybe her threes will be popping and her handle tightened, and as a senior, she is ready to run the team and still create and score herself.  Seems a lot to ask, though.  When times were desperate in previous season she was a go to scorer.  Can she still do that and run the point and play strong D out there?

Fun to speculate but we usually are wrong about line-ups, putting freshmen in when in reality they are rarely ready early on, especially at pg.  I have this feeling I am forgetting someone too...

Edited to add I did forget someone - Emma-Nnopu! Sorry, Agnes!!! She would be a candidate to play the 2 or the 3 I think. I will go back and slot her in there...

[2006alum]

Really enjoying reading everyone's thoughts, and amusing that we've all settled on the same not-quite-right-but-can't-find-a-better lineup of Jones-Jump-Demetre-Brink-Belibi/Betts/Iriafen. Unless Tara had already told Jones in April she she'd be holding down the prime PG role next season, in retrospect it's pretty puzzling Van Gytenbeek transferred, because boy would the 1 be hers to lose otherwise. I wonder if we'll ever get the explanation for that - as far as I know, she's been totally silent about why she transferred.

[2006alum]

Really enjoying reading everyone's thoughts, and amusing that we've all settled on the same not-quite-right-but-can't-find-a-better lineup of Jones-Jump-Demetre-Brink-Belibi/Betts/Iriafen. Unless Tara had already told Jones in April she she'd be holding down the prime PG role next season, in retrospect it's pretty puzzling Van Gytenbeek transferred, because boy would the 1 be hers to lose otherwise. I wonder if we'll ever get the explanation for that - as far as I know, she's been totally silent about why she transferred.

[BostonCard]

Why can’t Jones play a Nicole Powell point forward role?  She brings the ball up on offense, but defensively guards the opposing team’s small forward.  Then we are really talking about having two guards who can defend smaller opposing guards, can shoot from the outside, and, if needed, can help bring up the ball if there is pressure, but don’t need to be the primary ball handler.

BC

[BostonCard]

Why can’t Jones play a Nicole Powell point forward role?  She brings the ball up on offense, but defensively guards the opposing team’s small forward.  Then we are really talking about having two guards who can defend smaller opposing guards, can shoot from the outside, and, if needed, can help bring up the ball if there is pressure, but don’t need to be the primary ball handler.

BC

[chimera]

Why can’t Jones play a Nicole Powell point forward role?  She brings the ball up on offense, but defensively guards the opposing team’s small forward.  Then we are really talking about having two guards who can defend smaller opposing guards, can shoot from the outside, and, if needed, can help bring up the ball if there is pressure, but don’t need to be the primary ball handler.

BC

Seems like that would work ok but who gets the job at "defensive pg" I guess we could call it?  If they do this, I would hope they would use a strong defender like maybe Emma-Nnopu, though not sure about her against very quick guards, and also someone who they hope will be a full time pg in the future, build that player up in that position as much as possible.  Probably like most years what we see early is not what we will see later.

[chimera]

Why can’t Jones play a Nicole Powell point forward role?  She brings the ball up on offense, but defensively guards the opposing team’s small forward.  Then we are really talking about having two guards who can defend smaller opposing guards, can shoot from the outside, and, if needed, can help bring up the ball if there is pressure, but don’t need to be the primary ball handler.

BC

Seems like that would work ok but who gets the job at "defensive pg" I guess we could call it?  If they do this, I would hope they would use a strong defender like maybe Emma-Nnopu, though not sure about her against very quick guards, and also someone who they hope will be a full time pg in the future, build that player up in that position as much as possible.  Probably like most years what we see early is not what we will see later.

[BosCard]

We’ve pointed out the cons of Jones at the point (possibility of more turnovers and having too much to do running the offense and being the primary scorer), but let’s not forget the pros.   First, Jones is by far our best player in transition.  The difference between Lacie Hull having the ball in transition (always looking to pass) and Jones (great at finishing) is like night and day.  Second, Jones will be guarded by a much smaller player so expect a lot of inversions where Brink or Prechtel float to the 3-point line bringing their defender with them and Jones goes in the post against her small guard defender.  

The other possibility of a new role was Jones as a wing but that is such a 3-point shooting heavy role and that is the one thing Jones isn’t great at yet.

[BosCard]

We’ve pointed out the cons of Jones at the point (possibility of more turnovers and having too much to do running the offense and being the primary scorer), but let’s not forget the pros.   First, Jones is by far our best player in transition.  The difference between Lacie Hull having the ball in transition (always looking to pass) and Jones (great at finishing) is like night and day.  Second, Jones will be guarded by a much smaller player so expect a lot of inversions where Brink or Prechtel float to the 3-point line bringing their defender with them and Jones goes in the post against her small guard defender.  

The other possibility of a new role was Jones as a wing but that is such a 3-point shooting heavy role and that is the one thing Jones isn’t great at yet.

[magnus]

Not that it changes 81alum's point, but Henderson now facilitates for Lexie.

[magnus]

Not that it changes 81alum's point, but Henderson now facilitates for Lexie.

[qwerty49]

This coming season will be an odd one from a roster management standpoint.  We need to get Brink, Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen and probably Betts in the game, but can any one of them play the 3 even a little on occasion?  Assuming not, two positions for all that talent is tough.  You noted the potential issues with Jones at pg - defense against smaller, quicker players who ballhawk her high dribble and can get by her possibly.  We do have rim protectors but fouls could become an issue.  

If reports are correct that Brink will play much more at the 4, leaving the inside to Iriafen and perhaps Betts, depending on how she adjusts to college ball, I think that might work out well for Brink, who can shoot outside and is mobile enough to play there, as long as she does not reach and get silly fouls.  What of Belibi, who has played well enough to merit serious playing time, and Prechtel, same but maybe more a niche roll.  Iriafen and Betts almost all at the 5, Brink and Belibi at the 4, and Prechtel floats to either position as needed????

Who is the 3?  I had hoped it would be Jones so she could still rebound and create off the ball, but that seems not to be the plan (for now, since things could change).  Demetre would seem to fit there if she is quick enough to guard smaller 3's, which we don't know yet.  What about someone like Bosgana, who has been well praised as having a lot of potential and is doing well playing for Greece this summer?  Does she get time at the 3 or the 2?  

Jump seems to be in line to start at the 2 or the 3 and play heavy minutes.  She is the only proven three point shooter we have right now, unless you could Brink in limited attempts.  Who else plays there?  Bosgana?  Harriel?  

The sticking point is the pg spot, as we all know.  We have no idea how the frosh might do.  Even if Jones plays a lot of pg, someone has to back her up.  Unless Harriel is a combo guard who can play pg (no idea how she plays since we did not see her at all last season), seems like a freshman is the backup there?  Who knows?  Whatever happens our perimeter defense is going to be worse, just has to be after who we lost.  Can they make up for that with more scoring?  Our perimeter players last season were great D, not so much O (Wilson and Lacie Hull).  This season might be middling D but a lot more O.  As long as you outscore the other team, that's ok, I think (hope).

If I had to construct a rotation without seeing the freshman and thus not being able to slot them in anywhere aside from maybe Betts (Gotta think #1 recruit will be getting minutes fairly early on at least some and building to more) I would go this way (with the caveat that this presumes Iriafen makes the expected leap as a soph, that Betts is ready to go early, and that Jones has got a more reliable and comfortable three ball):

5: Iriafen/Betts/Brink if the youngsters struggle/Prechtel as the swiss army knife who fills in at the 4 and 5.
4:  Brink/Belibi/Prechtel
3: Jones/Emma-Nnopu or Demetre or Bosgana (Can Belibi guard the perimeter enough to play here a little against some teams?????)
2: Jump/Emma-Nnopu/Bosgana?/Harriel?/a freshman???
1:  Darned if I know but I hope someone other than Jones can grab the spot and free her up/Jones as backup but not full time pg.

If nobody is close to ready a the point so Jones is a full time pg, which seems to be what is planned:

5: same as above
4: same as above
3: Another darned if I know, probably Demetre, Emma-Nnopu and Bosgana?  Not seeing much of the sophs last year has made this hard
2: Jump/Emma-Nnopu/Harriel?/Bosgana?/frosh???
1: Jones/Who knows, one of the frosh I guess.

Neither of these line-ups are without issue.  If Tara likes puzzles, she has one this season.  How to play all the bigs who deserve it, get Jones where her talents are best utilized, and sort out all the young guards who we really do need to help out at the 1 and the 2?  Maybe Jones at the 1 will work out great.  Maybe her threes will be popping and her handle tightened, and as a senior, she is ready to run the team and still create and score herself.  Seems a lot to ask, though.  When times were desperate in previous season she was a go to scorer.  Can she still do that and run the point and play strong D out there?

Fun to speculate but we usually are wrong about line-ups, putting freshmen in when in reality they are rarely ready early on, especially at pg.  I have this feeling I am forgetting someone too...

Edited to add I did forget someone - Emma-Nnopu!  Sorry, Agnes!!!  She would be a candidate to play the 2 or the 3 I think.  I will go back and slot her in there...

Chimera, I agree with your thoughts but I'll add a wild card: what about Prechtel at the 3?  I think she might be the 2nd best outside shooter at this point.  I'm not sure we need her to rebound now that we have Betts/Iriafen/Belibi (and even Brink) in the paint.  I've often thought she was a 3 trapped in a post's body.  So the starting lineup might be Betts, Brink, Prechtel, Jump, Jones.

[qwerty49]

This coming season will be an odd one from a roster management standpoint.  We need to get Brink, Belibi, Prechtel, Iriafen and probably Betts in the game, but can any one of them play the 3 even a little on occasion?  Assuming not, two positions for all that talent is tough.  You noted the potential issues with Jones at pg - defense against smaller, quicker players who ballhawk her high dribble and can get by her possibly.  We do have rim protectors but fouls could become an issue.  

If reports are correct that Brink will play much more at the 4, leaving the inside to Iriafen and perhaps Betts, depending on how she adjusts to college ball, I think that might work out well for Brink, who can shoot outside and is mobile enough to play there, as long as she does not reach and get silly fouls.  What of Belibi, who has played well enough to merit serious playing time, and Prechtel, same but maybe more a niche roll.  Iriafen and Betts almost all at the 5, Brink and Belibi at the 4, and Prechtel floats to either position as needed????

Who is the 3?  I had hoped it would be Jones so she could still rebound and create off the ball, but that seems not to be the plan (for now, since things could change).  Demetre would seem to fit there if she is quick enough to guard smaller 3's, which we don't know yet.  What about someone like Bosgana, who has been well praised as having a lot of potential and is doing well playing for Greece this summer?  Does she get time at the 3 or the 2?  

Jump seems to be in line to start at the 2 or the 3 and play heavy minutes.  She is the only proven three point shooter we have right now, unless you could Brink in limited attempts.  Who else plays there?  Bosgana?  Harriel?  

The sticking point is the pg spot, as we all know.  We have no idea how the frosh might do.  Even if Jones plays a lot of pg, someone has to back her up.  Unless Harriel is a combo guard who can play pg (no idea how she plays since we did not see her at all last season), seems like a freshman is the backup there?  Who knows?  Whatever happens our perimeter defense is going to be worse, just has to be after who we lost.  Can they make up for that with more scoring?  Our perimeter players last season were great D, not so much O (Wilson and Lacie Hull).  This season might be middling D but a lot more O.  As long as you outscore the other team, that's ok, I think (hope).

If I had to construct a rotation without seeing the freshman and thus not being able to slot them in anywhere aside from maybe Betts (Gotta think #1 recruit will be getting minutes fairly early on at least some and building to more) I would go this way (with the caveat that this presumes Iriafen makes the expected leap as a soph, that Betts is ready to go early, and that Jones has got a more reliable and comfortable three ball):

5: Iriafen/Betts/Brink if the youngsters struggle/Prechtel as the swiss army knife who fills in at the 4 and 5.
4:  Brink/Belibi/Prechtel
3: Jones/Emma-Nnopu or Demetre or Bosgana (Can Belibi guard the perimeter enough to play here a little against some teams?????)
2: Jump/Emma-Nnopu/Bosgana?/Harriel?/a freshman???
1:  Darned if I know but I hope someone other than Jones can grab the spot and free her up/Jones as backup but not full time pg.

If nobody is close to ready a the point so Jones is a full time pg, which seems to be what is planned:

5: same as above
4: same as above
3: Another darned if I know, probably Demetre, Emma-Nnopu and Bosgana?  Not seeing much of the sophs last year has made this hard
2: Jump/Emma-Nnopu/Harriel?/Bosgana?/frosh???
1: Jones/Who knows, one of the frosh I guess.

Neither of these line-ups are without issue.  If Tara likes puzzles, she has one this season.  How to play all the bigs who deserve it, get Jones where her talents are best utilized, and sort out all the young guards who we really do need to help out at the 1 and the 2?  Maybe Jones at the 1 will work out great.  Maybe her threes will be popping and her handle tightened, and as a senior, she is ready to run the team and still create and score herself.  Seems a lot to ask, though.  When times were desperate in previous season she was a go to scorer.  Can she still do that and run the point and play strong D out there?

Fun to speculate but we usually are wrong about line-ups, putting freshmen in when in reality they are rarely ready early on, especially at pg.  I have this feeling I am forgetting someone too...

Edited to add I did forget someone - Emma-Nnopu!  Sorry, Agnes!!!  She would be a candidate to play the 2 or the 3 I think.  I will go back and slot her in there...

Chimera, I agree with your thoughts but I'll add a wild card: what about Prechtel at the 3?  I think she might be the 2nd best outside shooter at this point.  I'm not sure we need her to rebound now that we have Betts/Iriafen/Belibi (and even Brink) in the paint.  I've often thought she was a 3 trapped in a post's body.  So the starting lineup might be Betts, Brink, Prechtel, Jump, Jones.

[BobK]

Fun tread.
I’d love to see Pretchel playing outside hitting threes
We will Play close to 40 games. Our defense will be fine in 33-35 of those games
Playing the Point on O doesn’t mean plsying it on D but the only starter named above who can is Jones
A question that Others and I have discussed what will be missed without Amy? She has been one of the best evaluators of potential recruits for for 35 years or now it’s a hobby?
We need a spy in the gym

[BobK]

Fun tread.
I’d love to see Pretchel playing outside hitting threes
We will Play close to 40 games. Our defense will be fine in 33-35 of those games
Playing the Point on O doesn’t mean plsying it on D but the only starter named above who can is Jones
A question that Others and I have discussed what will be missed without Amy? She has been one of the best evaluators of potential recruits for for 35 years or now it’s a hobby?
We need a spy in the gym

[81alum]

Fun tread. 
I’d love to see Pretchel playing outside hitting threes
We will Play close to 40 games.  Our defense will be fine in 33-35 of those games
Playing the Point on O doesn’t mean plsying it on D but the only starter named above who can is Jones
A question that Others and I have discussed what will be missed without Amy?  She has been one of the best evaluators of potential recruits for for 35 years or now it’s a hobby?
We need a spy in the gym

I love the idea of Prechtel as a 3.  Kayla Pedersen did that at least one year but her three point shooting was in a bit of a slump.  Prechtel could do it and shoot 33% or better and she would be impossible for most opponents to defend.  She could just shoot over the top of nearly anyone, and if the opposing bigs came to stick their hands up--she passes to Brink or Iriafan inside.  With so much height inside, every three point shot that misses becomes a possible putback, so we should be taking a lot of them.

The danger is that Prechtel on defense won't be quick enough to guard the perimeter.  That is why I think a 3-2 zone may be in order.  A couple of good shot blockers inside and several very long players on the perimeter.

I also suspect that Emma-Nnopu will see a lot of time as a defensive specialist, replacing Jump or the 3 whenever the opponent has a high-scoring, quick guard.

---

Not that it changes 81alum's point, but Henderson now facilitates for Lexie.

Thanks Magnus.  I did look it up, but was deceived as South Carolina still has their 21-22 roster listed on their website.  I am happy to see her go ;)

[81alum]

Fun tread. 
I’d love to see Pretchel playing outside hitting threes
We will Play close to 40 games.  Our defense will be fine in 33-35 of those games
Playing the Point on O doesn’t mean plsying it on D but the only starter named above who can is Jones
A question that Others and I have discussed what will be missed without Amy?  She has been one of the best evaluators of potential recruits for for 35 years or now it’s a hobby?
We need a spy in the gym

I love the idea of Prechtel as a 3.  Kayla Pedersen did that at least one year but her three point shooting was in a bit of a slump.  Prechtel could do it and shoot 33% or better and she would be impossible for most opponents to defend.  She could just shoot over the top of nearly anyone, and if the opposing bigs came to stick their hands up--she passes to Brink or Iriafan inside.  With so much height inside, every three point shot that misses becomes a possible putback, so we should be taking a lot of them.

The danger is that Prechtel on defense won't be quick enough to guard the perimeter.  That is why I think a 3-2 zone may be in order.  A couple of good shot blockers inside and several very long players on the perimeter.

I also suspect that Emma-Nnopu will see a lot of time as a defensive specialist, replacing Jump or the 3 whenever the opponent has a high-scoring, quick guard.

---

Not that it changes 81alum's point, but Henderson now facilitates for Lexie.

Thanks Magnus.  I did look it up, but was deceived as South Carolina still has their 21-22 roster listed on their website.  I am happy to see her go ;)

[WBB fan]

I haven't weighed in for a while, but I've been reading and thinking about all the fascinating and thought-provoking comments. Much good discussion going on. However, one name in the 1 or 2 discussion seems to be missing as a possibility -- Harriel. A few mentions of her here and there, but not much serious consideration. I think she might be a positive surprise lurking for the team. She's had a year of practice and exposure to make her ready. And don't forget, she was on the Stanford 3x3 team this spring and did quite well. So . . . , I think she belongs in this Cardboard conversation.

[WBB fan]

I haven't weighed in for a while, but I've been reading and thinking about all the fascinating and thought-provoking comments. Much good discussion going on. However, one name in the 1 or 2 discussion seems to be missing as a possibility -- Harriel. A few mentions of her here and there, but not much serious consideration. I think she might be a positive surprise lurking for the team. She's had a year of practice and exposure to make her ready. And don't forget, she was on the Stanford 3x3 team this spring and did quite well. So . . . , I think she belongs in this Cardboard conversation.

[Jskass]

Yes Harriel could be a contender. She improved significantly throughout the 3x3 (a few games of which I saw in person).

[Jskass]

Yes Harriel could be a contender. She improved significantly throughout the 3x3 (a few games of which I saw in person).

[WBB fan]

Not really sure where this article belongs, but since it's about a member of the 2023 team I'm putting the link here. Cam (plus Carrington) featured in a NY Times article about women's basketball players marketing themselves via their looks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/24/sport...=url-share

[WBB fan]

Not really sure where this article belongs, but since it's about a member of the 2023 team I'm putting the link here. Cam (plus Carrington) featured in a NY Times article about women's basketball players marketing themselves via their looks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/24/sport...=url-share

[qwerty49]

Not really sure where this article belongs, but since it's about a member of the 2023 team I'm putting the link here. Cam (plus Carrington) featured in a NY Times article about women's basketball players marketing themselves via their looks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/24/sport...=url-share

Care to summarize? It's behind a paywall.

[qwerty49]

Not really sure where this article belongs, but since it's about a member of the 2023 team I'm putting the link here. Cam (plus Carrington) featured in a NY Times article about women's basketball players marketing themselves via their looks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/24/sport...=url-share

Care to summarize? It's behind a paywall.

[stopandpop]

Yes Harriel could be a contender. She improved significantly throughout the 3x3 (a few games of which I saw in person).

I think we all agree there are no concerns about our size, length, scoring ability and defense up-front where we will have a clear advantage over most of our opponents.  Even with Haley as PG I have concerns about our (possible) lack of quickness at guard.  Hoping Harriel could be that final piece.

[stopandpop]

Yes Harriel could be a contender. She improved significantly throughout the 3x3 (a few games of which I saw in person).

I think we all agree there are no concerns about our size, length, scoring ability and defense up-front where we will have a clear advantage over most of our opponents.  Even with Haley as PG I have concerns about our (possible) lack of quickness at guard.  Hoping Harriel could be that final piece.