I love the way this women's team is coming together -- and they may not be done recruiting yet. But even if Seton chooses to hold his last scholarship, this could be the deepest ISU women's team since the undefeated conference champions that Ardie had. (The Lightfoot-Doma teams were great, no doubt, but they were dominated by those two stars). Here's an early look at what the depth chart could look like:
C--Vella returns here, obviously, but Seton has to be hoping that Jeppeson or Floyd can earn their way into the starting lineup by the time conference season rolls around, which would allow Vella to move to her more natural PF position. Either way, there appears to be plenty of talent and depth at this position, which was woefully thin last year.
PF--Even if Vella stays at the 5, the 6-foot Floyd, who shot 54 percent from the field, including 40 percent from the 3, seems to be a perfect complement upfront. And if the two sophomores, Horton and Jensen, continue to progress, again there should be plenty of depth here.
SF--I'm assuming Pickering moves to her more natural three spot with the sudden abundance of "bigs" -- or at least, "biggers" -- now available to Seton. Maracigan and incoming freshman Joudry, who averaged almost 18 ppg her senior year, would seem to be logical backups at the wings, either at the 3 or the 2.
SG--Again, I'm assuming Lindsey Reed moves down a spot to the shooting guard after playing the SF last year as a freshman. Maracigan, Joudry, returner Kara Jenkins and incoming freshman Schrimpscher can all play here. I'd expect one or maybe two of the freshmen guards to redshirt given the depth in the backcourt.
PG--Oakes returns after a huge sophomore season, Bitter needs to work on her shot but had a decent freshmen season as a backup, and incoming freshman Brady is a good candidate to redshirt and continue her recovery from a mid-year knee injury.
