Just a few observations on the new teams in my conference, while waiting for the Cup game . . .
Chanute: what an interesting squad. with a name like Sharpshooters, i get the idea that he favors players that can score, maybe from a distance. regardless, right now gwoodyard has a 10 man squad with one PF, no centers, and 2 SF. i have a lot of respect for SF, and Chanute looks like they have an exceptional one with Martinez. This is fundamentally the squad that got him here (he sold a older C), so we may have us a non-LI approach to offense. The squad is young but thin, and i will be pretty surprised if Chanute does not get a big man sometime soon. that said, with that youth, this team has a very solid core.
Muppet Honey: another interesting bunch. a deeper squad, but with relatively low salaries. however, i'm not sure there are many teams in DII.3 who have quite as many players with double-digit game ratings as the Badgers. by the end of last season she had a squad full of players in the 15 game rating range -- really extraordinary. and remember this is with low salaries. i think Muppet Honey will eventually discover what i did, that at this level, you need some brutes to handle, or at least neutralize, the Trahairs and Goss' monsters so many teams have (see Martinez, above, for a non-C brute). nevertheless, i could see 15 - 16 wins in her first season in DII.
right now, the Great 8 looks quite competitive. heaven help us if we don't get bot teams in the Cup.