[stopandpop]

RE: away road trip to Oregon. 

While Rueck and Graves are excellent coaches, I think that this year they may be slightly weaker than in years past. The Ducks have lost Endiya Rogers and Te-hina Pao-Pao to the transfer portal. In Corvalis key contributors, Bendu Yeaney and Jelena Mitrovic, have moved on to graduation - but they do still have a formidable trio in Reagan Beers, Talia Van Oelhoffen, and Timea Gardiner. I wouldn't be surprised if the Beavers surpassed the Ducks this season despite Chance Gray's and Grace Van Slooten's best efforts in Eugene. 

In looking at the Pac-12 schedule, it looks like we have an inside track to the title as we have the fortune of only playing UCLA/USC and Colorado/Utah once each. I'd think that that gauntlet of teams will all be inside the Top 5/6 this year - so hopefully we'll find a way to come through unscathed against them.

Oregon State will be much better this season.  Van Oelhoffen was never 100% healthy last season and it showed in many of OSU's close losses.  She's much better now.  Talia is the engine that makes the Beavers one of those teams that could contend for one of the top 4-5 spots.

Oregon State has a pretty good core consisting of last season's top 3 scorers 
in 6'4 BEERS (#10 overall in 2022), 5'11 VAN OELHOFFEN (#25 overall in 2021)
and 6'3 GARDINER (#6 overall in 2022) plus wing players
6'1 MAROTTE (#63 overall in 2021)  and 6'0 BLACKLOCK.  
They will probably comprise their starting five.

The graduated 6'9 MITROVIC will be sufficiently replaced by a pair of transfers 
in 6'5 Kelsey REES (from Utah) and 6'7 Sela HEIDE (from Cal)

In my opinion, what they really lack is a true PG in the recent tradition

of Mikayla PIVEC, Destiny SLOCUM and Aliyah GOODMAN,   
The graduated Bendu YEANEY was their starting PG last year, 
and she was pretty decent at best.

Van Oelhoffen, who was a #2 last season, is switching back and forth (2 to 1 to 2) in practice.  Susana Yepes (from Columbia) and Dominika Paurova (from the Czech Republic) don't look bad either.

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1695712305[/url]']
Thanks for the info on BESSOIR and SONTAG
with the German Senior National Team.

That's good to know. 

6'4 BESSOIR as a natural SF makes sense to me
given her propensity to shoot the 3, 
but 6'3 SONTAG and quite bulky at that
as a natural SG is really a surprise to me.

Well, so that settles it quite nicely for UCLA then:
SF - JACQUEZ 6'0
SF - BESSOIR 6'4

PF - IWUALA 6'2
PF - DUGALIC 6'4

PF/C - ANSTLEY 6'4
C - MUSE 6'4
C - BETTS 6'4

SG - SONTAG 6'3
SG - BROWN 5'11
SG - JONES 5'4

PG - OSBORNE 5'9
PG - RICE 5'11

6’3” Sontag as a guard surprises many Bruin WBB fans as well.  UCLA WBB website lists her as a forward so in your position breakdown I’d include her with the SF’s.  She has a long wingspan and defensive quickness that, along with her height, led her to get many steals and blocks last season.

Other changes:
1. Make Osborne an SG, her preferred and natural position.  She will start at the two along side PG Rice.
2. Could move Londynn Jones to PG as I expect her to sub for Rice.  Osborne can play PG if she’s on the floor when Kiki goes to the bench in which case Jones will play SG.  It’s all pretty interchangeable anyway as Coach Close subbed pretty freely last season.  Other than Anstey who was injured most of last season Iwuala averaged the fewest minutes per game at 12.1 mpg, more than Betts played for the Cardinal.
3. Correct spelling is ANSTEY not ANSTLEY.

Betts has never looked fluid at the post.  I would not be surprised if Close starts Bessoir and Dugalic (both 6'4), and quicker than Betts.  Close likes quickness.  There is a possibility that Betts does not start and finds herself (once again), competing for minutes.

[stopandpop]

RE: away road trip to Oregon. 

While Rueck and Graves are excellent coaches, I think that this year they may be slightly weaker than in years past. The Ducks have lost Endiya Rogers and Te-hina Pao-Pao to the transfer portal. In Corvalis key contributors, Bendu Yeaney and Jelena Mitrovic, have moved on to graduation - but they do still have a formidable trio in Reagan Beers, Talia Van Oelhoffen, and Timea Gardiner. I wouldn't be surprised if the Beavers surpassed the Ducks this season despite Chance Gray's and Grace Van Slooten's best efforts in Eugene. 

In looking at the Pac-12 schedule, it looks like we have an inside track to the title as we have the fortune of only playing UCLA/USC and Colorado/Utah once each. I'd think that that gauntlet of teams will all be inside the Top 5/6 this year - so hopefully we'll find a way to come through unscathed against them.

Oregon State will be much better this season.  Van Oelhoffen was never 100% healthy last season and it showed in many of OSU's close losses.  She's much better now.  Talia is the engine that makes the Beavers one of those teams that could contend for one of the top 4-5 spots.

Oregon State has a pretty good core consisting of last season's top 3 scorers 
in 6'4 BEERS (#10 overall in 2022), 5'11 VAN OELHOFFEN (#25 overall in 2021)
and 6'3 GARDINER (#6 overall in 2022) plus wing players
6'1 MAROTTE (#63 overall in 2021)  and 6'0 BLACKLOCK.  
They will probably comprise their starting five.

The graduated 6'9 MITROVIC will be sufficiently replaced by a pair of transfers 
in 6'5 Kelsey REES (from Utah) and 6'7 Sela HEIDE (from Cal)

In my opinion, what they really lack is a true PG in the recent tradition

of Mikayla PIVEC, Destiny SLOCUM and Aliyah GOODMAN,   
The graduated Bendu YEANEY was their starting PG last year, 
and she was pretty decent at best.

Van Oelhoffen, who was a #2 last season, is switching back and forth (2 to 1 to 2) in practice.  Susana Yepes (from Columbia) and Dominika Paurova (from the Czech Republic) don't look bad either.

---

1695712305[/url]']
Thanks for the info on BESSOIR and SONTAG
with the German Senior National Team.

That's good to know. 

6'4 BESSOIR as a natural SF makes sense to me
given her propensity to shoot the 3, 
but 6'3 SONTAG and quite bulky at that
as a natural SG is really a surprise to me.

Well, so that settles it quite nicely for UCLA then:
SF - JACQUEZ 6'0
SF - BESSOIR 6'4

PF - IWUALA 6'2
PF - DUGALIC 6'4

PF/C - ANSTLEY 6'4
C - MUSE 6'4
C - BETTS 6'4

SG - SONTAG 6'3
SG - BROWN 5'11
SG - JONES 5'4

PG - OSBORNE 5'9
PG - RICE 5'11

6’3” Sontag as a guard surprises many Bruin WBB fans as well.  UCLA WBB website lists her as a forward so in your position breakdown I’d include her with the SF’s.  She has a long wingspan and defensive quickness that, along with her height, led her to get many steals and blocks last season.

Other changes:
1. Make Osborne an SG, her preferred and natural position.  She will start at the two along side PG Rice.
2. Could move Londynn Jones to PG as I expect her to sub for Rice.  Osborne can play PG if she’s on the floor when Kiki goes to the bench in which case Jones will play SG.  It’s all pretty interchangeable anyway as Coach Close subbed pretty freely last season.  Other than Anstey who was injured most of last season Iwuala averaged the fewest minutes per game at 12.1 mpg, more than Betts played for the Cardinal.
3. Correct spelling is ANSTEY not ANSTLEY.

Betts has never looked fluid at the post.  I would not be surprised if Close starts Bessoir and Dugalic (both 6'4), and quicker than Betts.  Close likes quickness.  There is a possibility that Betts does not start and finds herself (once again), competing for minutes.