2023/2024 Portal News

[Ellis21d]

This is what the rest of the country is going up against. I know Kim from her early days at Baylor and I’ve said on here before, she knows how to recruit. She can make sugar melt in there mouth. She has that sweetness and southern drawl that the recruits can’t resist. And she knows how to win National Championships! If you’re on her side and know her you adore her but if not it’s very easy to hate her lack of humility, rebellious disposition and gaucheness. Which is clearly visible in the below video.

 

[Born in ATX]

I guess this might be equivalent of Texas volleyball getting 6(!) experienced transfers in for the 2022 season.

Except those 6 players were team players and had a lot of class. Can’t say the same about Reese and hVl.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

Spear just got back to Texas I guess for the summer vacation and started following coach Lovato and coach Hylton this morning. Hopefully we get her on a visit soon.

 

[brnkj]

Spear just got back to Texas I guess for the summer vacation and started following coach Lovato and coach Hylton this morning. Hopefully we get her on a visit soon.

I hope she sees that she is the missing link that would potentially make us a Top 5 team.

 

[Moooooo]

Spear just got back to Texas I guess for the summer vacation and started following coach Lovato and coach Hylton this morning. Hopefully we get her on a visit soon.

That's good news. The past couple of days I had seen Maryland's Brenda Frese start to follow her on IG, and Jewel returned her follow.

 

[512HornsUp]

 

[Moooooo]

Figured that would be the case; one of the Duke assistant coaches started following her on IG over the weekend. And, she did visit Duke first; that seems to be a pattern where school who gets first visit gets the transfer.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

Figured that would be the case; one of the Duke assistant coaches started following her on IG over the weekend. And, she did visit Duke first; that seems to be a pattern where school who gets first visit gets the transfer.

Well Vic better fly a helicopter to Dallas and pickup Spear out her backyard to get the first visit

 

[hoopsalot]

Very understandable choice considering that Duke lost last season’s starting pg to the portal.
Hoping hard for Spear.

 

[BALL IS LIFE]

Lauren Ware to Aggie. Wow. That came from nowhere

 

[brnkj]

Lauren Ware to Aggie. Wow. That came from nowhere

Wow that IS a surprise. I'm wondering if Georgia was one of her finalists out of high school.

 

[GameOfHorns]

Wow that IS a surprise. I'm wondering if Georgia was one of her finalists out of high school.

Not according to hoopgurlz

 

[Jacob Johnson]

Spear followed Blair today as well.

 

[Moooooo]

Elena Lovato started following Jewel's brother, high school freshman Dakari, on Instagram today. Gotta get the family on board!

Fear the Spear: Freshman Dakari Spear continuing family’s hoops legacy at The Colony | Star Local Sports | starlocalmedia.com

 

[Jacob Johnson]

Elena Lovato started following Jewel's brother, high school freshman Dakari, on Instagram today. Gotta get the family on board!

Fear the Spear: Freshman Dakari Spear continuing family’s hoops legacy at The Colony | Star Local Sports | starlocalmedia.com

lol I just saw that. If she’s following family members then we really must be going hard for her as we should!

 

[Moooooo]

lol I just saw that. If she’s following family members then we really must be going hard for her as we should!

With all our assistant coaches following her on IG, there's no doubt they want her and are going hard after her; the questions we all want answered is if she's receptive to that interest and will take a visit (soon).

 

[brnkj]

With all our assistant coaches following her on IG, there's no doubt they want her and are going hard after her; the questions we all want answered is if she's receptive to that interest and will take a visit (soon).

There is a big gaping hole in our roster speaking in terms of missing skill sets. I hope she recognizes that her skills make her a perfect fit to step right into the situation and fill the void. She can go from being the key player on a team that could barely break .500 to being the key player on a team that could make a push for a Final Four.

 

[Moooooo]

There is a big gaping hole in our roster speaking in terms of missing skill sets. I hope she recognizes that her skills make her a perfect fit to step right into the situation and fill the void. She can go from being the key player on a team that could barely break .500 to being the key player on a team that could make a push for a Final Four.

Going to Wake Forest and staying for 3 seasons (despite many thinking she should bolt for a bigger program) tells me that Jewel dances to the beat of her own drummer; it would be great to know her reasons for leaving WF, and what she wants in her new school/program. We just don't know her objectives.

 

[GameOfHorns]

Interview with Lexi Donarski. Posted yesterday, but seems likely recorded before her UNC announcement. Her take on the worst take-a-charge “flopper” she’s played against? Well she wouldn’t say other than to indicate that they were “formerly” in the Big 12. My guess, could be Audrey W(?). Donarski also spoke about what she was looking for in a new school.

The Her Hoop Stats Podcast: WNBA & NCAA Women’s Basketball - Dice it Up 27 | Lexi Donarski on Stitcher

 

[Moooooo]

Yuck

 

[BALL IS LIFE]

Yuck

Rogers is legit. Hunter and Ware are gambles at this point. A@M doing a good job though rebuilding.

 

[Texashorns2022]

Looks like a lot of Tennessee players and coaches started following jewel spears ughh

 

[brnkj]

Looks like a lot of Tennessee players and coaches started following jewel spears ughh

That's concerning. Tennessee offers a better fan base, but what they don't offer is good quality coaching. Harper can't even be mentioned in the same sentence with Vic. However, it's going to be whatever it's going to be. Whether we pick up additional talent or not... Vic hired his staff and he and his staff will have assembled whatever roster we end up with. Whatever that looks like you better do something with it. Do whatever you need to do, make whatever adjustments you need to make to your coaching schemes to be successful with the team that you have.

I'm sure most of you all can tell that I'm ride or die with Vic, nobody could have been more thrilled than me when he was named as our coach. I still say I would rather have someone who gets the most out of less, than to have a coach who can get all the talent and can't coach it to its full potential. But the University of Texas and all its resources, facilities, and academics should not be struggling to bring in talent.

 

[BALL IS LIFE]

That's concerning. Tennessee offers a better fan base, but what they don't offer is good quality coaching. Harper can't even be mentioned in the same sentence with Vic. However, it's going to be whatever it's going to be. Whether we pick up additional talent or not... Vic hired his staff and he and his staff will have assembled whatever roster we end up with. Whatever that looks like you better do something with it. Do whatever you need to do, make whatever adjustments you need to make to your coaching schemes to be successful with the team that you have.

I'm sure most of you all can tell that I'm ride or die with Vic, nobody could have been more thrilled than me when he was named as our coach. I still say I would rather have someone who gets the most out of less, than to have a coach who can get all the talent and can't coach it to its full potential. But the University of Texas and all its resources, facilities, and academics should not be struggling to bring in talent.

Tennessee offers a great NIL incentive. That’s the major difference. I think Vic need to seriously consider hiring or making someone a NIL specialist like KM has done. We always hear publicly about the SEC NIL budget and it’s like Texas doesn’t want to discuss theirs.

 

[brnkj]

Tennessee offers a great NIL incentive. That’s the major difference. I think Vic need to seriously consider hiring or making someone a NIL specialist like KM has done. We always hear publicly about the SEC NIL budget and it’s like Texas doesn’t want to discuss theirs.

Yep! Texas needs to get with the program, especially since we'll be in the SEC beginning in 2024. I still don't see why there is such a struggle to bring in talent in WBB. It doesn't seem to affect other women's sports like volleyball or track and field, and our former staff didn't seems to have a whole lot of trouble bringing in top talent.

 

[BALL IS LIFE]

Yep! Texas needs to get with the program, especially since we'll be in the SEC beginning in 2024. I still don't see why there is such a struggle to bring in talent in WBB. It doesn't seem to affect other women's sports like volleyball or track and field, and our former staff didn't seems to have a whole lot of trouble bringing in top talent.

Unfortunately we are now in a “flaunt your money” era. Just look at Twitter and you see Angel in front of her new Mercedes and on Morrows visit she had dollar bills all over her bed.

 

[brnkj]

Unfortunately we are now in a “flaunt your money” era. Just look at Twitter and you see Angel in front of her new Mercedes and on Morrows visit she had dollar bills all over her bed.

It's such a turnoff.

 

[DFW_Horn]

The Longhorns have an outstanding coach, elite facilities or offer a better degree than almost every school that has gotten high profile transfers so far. I interpret that "Money talks" is now the most decisive factor. Some of the schools that have reeled in big transfers - I'm not mentioning the facilities because none of them can touch UT currently:

• LSU - Joke of a degree by comparison
• North Carolina - Coach can recruit but has shown little else
  
• UCLA - See North Carolina
  
• Ohio State - Coaching is pretty good
• Miami - Uhhh....0/3
• Duke - Coach can recruit and is popular on social media but has shown little else

I'm not some Pollyanna who thinks money shouldn't be important but the vast majority of these players will not be creating 'generational wealth' from NIL or playing professionally. A lot of decisions being based on instant gratification, social media splash and quick bucks.

All that being said, Texas has to do a better job with NIL and their women's athletics programs. @BALL IS LIFE is absolutely correct - the best and most immediate way to show recruits and transfers that the Longhorns are dedicated to being among the best when it comes to offering NIL opportunities is to create a position to identify and coordinate them.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

I believe she’s on a visit right now. She did post her at the airport a few days ago. I’m going to be highly upset if we don’t at least get a visit. That will be another swing and miss by our staff if so. I have full faith in them to deliver but seeing everyone get transfers while we get nothing is really frustrating.

 

[Bucksgal]

Well, I guess I could conjecture that Vic is already pleased with his roster. BUT, I still believe the problem is NIL money and the fact that these free-spirited, high-flying players don't like Vic's style. They want to be offensive stars...that's what makes their brand, enhances their WNBA prospects, etc. I'm probably wrong, but I think Boston was the only WNBA draftee that was consistently tied to her defensive prowess.