Does Ivey actually prefer a smaller roster?

Or is it a matter of circumstances?

I've argued this before, but I'll point out again that some of the things she said might have been misinterpreted based on what she was talking about regarding circumstances.

The smaller rosters she started out with came about due to a lot of transfers out earlier. When she would say that she wasn't going to get many more players, was that because she wanted the smaller roster or was she saying that she didn't want to grab just anyone to fill up the roster? I know people like to talk about just being able to have bodies to put on the court, but if that player isn't at the level of the rest of the team, is that really that helpful? How many times have we seen players put in and the team performance goes way down while they're out there because the opponent can exploit that weakness?

I remember reading a year or so ago that Ivey said that she wanted to have a roster of about 12 players (which is typical). While some might point to the smaller recruiting classes, that might be a case of her trying to learn the delicate balance in recruiting (which even experienced head coaches can have trouble with). Do you concentrate more on the elite players, but risk them going somewhere else or do you go for the great (but not elite) players and risk missing out on an elite player who actually would have come? To mix metaphors, do you swing for the fences or do you go with the bird in the hand?

I think Ivey's strength as a recruiter might make her prone to taking a lot more risks as far as committing to the elite players at the expense of getting good/great players who could capably fill the roster. It's a bit of a tightrope act to get the proper balance.

Edit: I just wanted to add that maybe the Transfer Portal option might play a part in taking risks as well, since she can use that as a backup in case she misses out on the elite recruits.