...which I thought about while exercising.

Here goes. If I was picking them from scratch for a pick-up game, I'd personally go with 1) Cooks; 2) Watson; and 3) Tshitenge-Mutombo.

However, picking them for the Irish is not done in a vacuum and as Doggie78 pointed out, they're coming in at different times and fulfilling somehat different functions due to that timing.

- If Tshitenge-Mutombo can be let out of her NC letter-of-intent (LOI), she could be here in the summer to work with this new team from scratch and could very well spell Mik Vaughn down low, offering defense and rebounding;

- Cooks would be a "normal" transfer and while she should try for a waiver (with the NCAA you never know what will happen), let's say she does not become eligible to play until 2020. However, she can work out with the team in 2019-20 and would be very valuable working with (and on) our other posts.

In 2020, I have no doubt she could then step right into a rotation and make a solid impact, much like she did in the NCAA's this March right here in South Bend. She wants to go pro and has the attributes to do so, with both inside moves, a nice jumper up to the elbow and excellent athletic ability.

- Watson would come aboard in 2020 and I think she'd be a great complement to Nat Marshall and would also work well with Sam Brunelle. HOwever, I don't think she'll see the floor much that year because Paterson will hopefully be having a kick-butt senior season

So, if you want some incremental help this year, hope for Mutuombo. But if you want some "behind the scenes help" this year and then get a solid payoff in 2020, hope for Cooks. And Watson will learn a lot in 2020-21, then be ready to contribute in 2021.

The scenario with Cooks and Watson coming in then with Cooks having a year of working out with the team under her belt sounds like a winner.

This next season is a transition year no matter how you slice it imo.

Watson is 2020
I believe Cooks would have to sit out a year so she would be 2020 as well