Taylah Thomas. She had 17 against Uconn. But...Neighbors...and Arkansas guards forgot she was a starter most of the time. lol
Love, love, love Taylah, but she is 6'1" in one-inch shoes. She played the post (mostly due to limited options), but she was not a "big," per se. If opposing teams let her use her speed to get down the court and score in transition, she was a great asset. (She also became a VERY reliable FT shooter over the course of her career.) She was not a great low post option in the half-court against teams with legit post-sized players, though. (I am actually hoping she has a great grad-transfer year as a 4 in TTU's offense.)
I think the Hogs will have more options this year. It's time for Destinee Oberg to step up and show what she can (or can't) do, and the Fr Emrie Ellis is a very versatile presence. She is 6'2"-6'3", but she is really long and good shot blocker/changer. Not sure how SEC-ready she is, though. And Erynn Barnum is a lot like Thomas, but with more strength and offensive game, and a little more height (but not as good at FT's, by a long shot).
The Hogs have been so short for Neighbors' tenure, but they look to have four 6'+ players on the court for much of the time this year (even if Dauda red-shirts, which seems likely): Goforth (6'1"), Eaton (6'), Wolfenbarger (6'4"-6"5"), Oberg (6'3"), Ellis, Marquesha Davis (6'), Barnum (6'2"), and Fr. Ashlyn Sage (6'2"). Of the folks who are likely to see the most playing time, only Ramirez and Makayla Daniels (both 5'9") are on the shorter side.
The concern for me about the Hogs is youth/inexperience. Ramirez and Daniels are also their most experienced players. Goforth has a year at OSU, and Davis and Barnum have been important role players for 2 years in Neighbors' system. Otherwise, the other players are new or have seen very few minutes. How will they come together? How will they replace Dungee's production? I'm kind of envisioning a slow start but rounding into shape as the season moves on ... which I guess isn't that bold a prediction lol.
