In Reply to: Kneepkens posted by lafong on May 30, 2025 at 11:59:37
Kneepkens I believe is expected to be a signifiant contributor. I expect that means she will be expected to start, perhaps taking Londynn Jones' spot.
Charisse Leger-Walker is expected to start at the point, Kiki Rice as the off guard, Lauren Betts at center. There will need to be another tall player to join with Lauren. I expect by late season that could be Sienna Betts; whom it will be early on who knows at this point? Angela Dugalic? Amanda Muse? Timea Gardiner? Both Dugalic and Gardiner have started outside, on the perimeter, despite their post-like height. Amanda seems to be more of a play in the paint player. Unsure - this is going to have to work itself out on the court.
Gabriela could start as a third perimeter player but with Lauren drawing double- and triple-teams, it would seem that having a second big body capable of play8ing inside would be pretty much required at least for rebounding purposes.
I think things are going to have to work themselves out as the team comes together and grows. Gabi could be the third guard, a larger guard who can also defend opposing threes and guards both and who can also rebound. Or she could be the best sixth player in the country.
Dugalic, like Jaquez, is a Swiss Army knife talent, capable of playing on the perimeter, a pretty good three point shooter, and also being able to move inside and rebound as needed and very talented at contributing assists. Gardiner is so talented a three point shooter, you really do want her to start outside the rim and move around to get good looks at shooting threes. (Shooting and making a decent number of threes, to keep defenses more honest and give Lauren a bit more room, is one of the elements this team will need to be sure is in its arsenal of weapons.)
According to Leger-Walker - a terrific interview with her released by Kris Johnson today on his 4s Up podcast - Muse has been working hard and developing more offense. She could be the second center, Lauren's backup and relief.
And Sienna Betts is a huge talent, ranked the #2 HS player in the nation. She is 6'4" - and it wouldn't surprise to see her grow a bit more given her family history and the height of her two siblings, Lauren and HS freshman Dylan (7'2"_. She will almost certainly be a key player on the team by late season.
Managing all that talent is going to be a complicated and vital step in putting this team together and managing it to another shot at a national championship and you of course have put your finger on one of the key decisions, lafong. Can't wait to see how this plays out in the coming season