Our bench last season scored 306 points on 311 shot attempts. That is why I think the four incoming freshmen move well ahead of any returnees other than Green. Rennie, Darby, and Saunders went 17 of 59 from the field. I'm fairly confident that Striplin, Puckett, Wynn and Miles will do better. We've also had a few post about Striplin couldn't match KK's production which was 169 points in 25 games and 24 minutes a game. Also 47 percent from the free throw line 21 of 47. Were talking about a player that averaged almost 30 ppg in a 32 minute game, as they only play 8 minute quarters in high school. Of course the competition is a lot stronger. She has played against top talent before in AAU and All Star games and has always been a top player. I'm not saying she will be a superstar as a freshman, but she doesn't have to be able to do much to match last years production at the four. I expect her to play both the four and the five about 20 minutes per game. Green was putting up some really good offensive numbers in the four games she played 27 points on 19 shot attempts so she will also be a huge factor in making that position stronger.
You look at the team and analyze how you think next year could be successful and three things keep becoming the determining factors.
1- Same season as last from Burrell and Dye. Green same production rate in an extended season. This meaning what Dye did at Troy last year same production at Tennessee. Seems capable she was better in her two games against SEC teams than against some of the teams in her own conference.
2-Key, Horston, and Walker have to be way more effective on offense than they were last season. Key just seems to need more shot attempts which certainly means ability to play more minutes. Key has been questionable as far an endurance in her first two seasons was seemingly getting a lot stronger and tired less as the season progressed.
3-Better bench play which almost seems certain since the bench was terrible both offensively and defensively. I don't think there is anyway that Striplin, Puckett, Wynn, and probably Suarez are not a far better bench than last season.
If all three of these happen I think we win over 20 games and if not looking a lot like last season with a couple more conference losses. I think it is possible to win 12 conference games. I don't see how we don't win at least 8 conference games.
I still can't decide where players like Suarez, Saunders, Rennie, and even Darby fit into the every game mix.
I think Key, Green, Dye, Burrell, and Walker or Horston will be the starters and top six. I think you then come in with Striplin, Puckett, and Wynn. I think they will also want to get some playing time for Miles early against easier teams. How she plays certainly determines what will happen to her in SEC play.
Having fourteen players seems to be more of a problem than a blessing. Someone is going to do a lot of sitting when SEC play starts. Certainly don't know who that will be. I do think I know which nine of current roster players will be playing a lot of minutes. If there is a 10 or 11 I don't think there will be a lot of playing time left for either of them. After eleven I see next to nothing maybe an entrance in a game were winning by 20 with two minutes left. I wouldn't expect that will happen very often in SEC play.