In Reply to: I’m feeling like you don’t need that many players. posted by TheHappyBurgermeister on April 08, 2026 at 06:18:33
I think you're just a bit shy on that, HB, but you're right there are certainly limits. Cori Close has set the target number at 12. She certainly found the limits a year ago when six tired of sitting and left after the season - mostly freshmen plus Janiah Barker who found herself behind Lauren Betts - Barker clearly blamed the coach for not playing her more but when a team has L Betts, Dugalich, Gardiner and Jaquez, Barker could either fit in and earn minutes in the rotation or move on and play more. Good for her - she got what she wanted. And of course Sienna was on the horizon to come in this year.
All in all, what transpired was for the best. Jones got to play at SC, also, but our team was better with Sienna, Muse and Bilic and Karamouzi appears to have the patience to learn and grow.
It's not only season-ending injuries like that of Leger-Walker who sat all of last year or Gardiner who sat this year, but just Lauren having to step away for a while as a sophomore and players missing a few games or even 12 or so like Sienna this year. And keeping your players' legs fresh becomes a major focus later in the season - especially with all the traffic we do.
Cori did a terrific job rotating players this season. Lauren would sit after a few minutes, then each of the starters would rotate out on a pretty regular schedule. That not only rested the lead six players but it also allowed her to play the next three or four who were prepared enough and ready to show - especially through practice - that they were ready to be out there on the floor at least some. A much more effective roster management with an eye always on showing the subs they were not forgotten and keep them involved and happier.
So when I say 12, which certainly costs more money (but not nearly as much more on Close's team than Cronin's - unfair but reality at this point - I am thinking that the last two or three have to understand they are in a process of learning and developing and preparing for when they enter the primary rotation if they can earn that place. So, youngsters, freshmen who have a future and see that they can benefit from taking a year to develop although playing little. It just gives you a much greater margin to weather the unexpected in the course of a long season.
In the past we've tried to get by with 9 or so - remember Charisma's years - but starting with 9 we've actually been reduced to having only 7 or even just 6 players available for games and that's just too few. Two foul out and you're reduced to four players on the court. It never reached that point for us, but there were times we wore down late in games with everyone having to play too many minutes in a game.