2023/2024 Portal News

I'd say it's a big fail if Vic/Sark didn't get Gavin Holmes to spend some time with her, or maybe that's happened. :idk:
 
Jacob Johnson said:
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.
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She's probably on a visit to TN now based upon all the follows today and yesterday. But as for her airport post a few days ago, the way I interpreted that story the other day was she flew home and the first thing she went for was a Whataburger. That told me she misses some of the comforts of the old stomping grounds. I think at a minimum we will get a visit and, hopefully, a fair shake. On my IG, Rori just started following her this week. If she wants to play closer to home, we are the best choice. I think it may come down to the place she is just the most comfortable at.
 
Kelly Harper just gave a BOOM tweet about 45 minutes ago. This is a tweet she does when a player commits. Not good considering Spear is visiting today.
 
BALL IS LIFE said:
Kelly Harper just gave a BOOM tweet about 45 minutes ago. This is a tweet she does when a player commits. Not good considering Spear is visiting today.
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I'll say this... if at this stage we're getting beat out of getting coveted transfers (who are from the state of Texas) by out of state programs that have underperformed (yep Tennessee has grossly underperformed in recent years IMO), then not only is that highly disappointing but there is something definitely wrong that needs to be addressed and fixed.
 
BALL IS LIFE said:
Kelly Harper just gave a BOOM tweet about 45 minutes ago. This is a tweet she does when a player commits. Not good considering Spear is visiting today.
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Writing seems to be on the wall for this one. She now follows the whole Vols team and staff. It’s pretty shocking we didn’t get a visit. Our lack of portal player interest is concerning and Vic’s momentum seems to be fading, even coming off a big 12 title season.
 
So I’m currently on the Vols Nation board right now and one comment struck me: “She knows NIL wise she has the best opportunities. Texas doesn’t put much into NIL for wbb”. Hopefully this isn’t the reputation we now have.
 
Very disappointing. The team will have the same flaws that it had this year. It's crazy to think that players like Rori will once again be forced to play essentially the entire game because she's the only trusted ball handler on the team. Also the fact that Vic will continue to play a pressure man to man defense without the athleticism/quickness that's needed to play that way.

I just don't get how they're not capable of bringing in a quality guard transfer or two. Especially when Vic said himself that the other potential perimeter players in Maul and Codio are still working their way back from rehab and may not be ready.
 
05Longhorn said:
Writing seems to be on the wall for this one. She now follows the whole Vols team and staff. It’s pretty shocking we didn’t get a visit. Our lack of portal player interest is concerning and Vic’s momentum seems to be fading, even coming off a big 12 title season.
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Well, if she committed this quickly then she already knew where she was going when she hit the portal, and no others were ever in the picture to begin with. IMO the few follows between her and other programs were merely to make it seem less obvious.
 
brnkj said:
Well, if she committed this quickly then she already knew where she was going when she hit the portal, and no others were ever in the picture to begin with. IMO the few follows between her and other programs were merely to make it seem less obvious.
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I guess there’s always a small chance it could be Coulibaly. Desperate thought. Lol
 
I’m at the point where CDC has to come with it. Texas has always been at the forefront of whatever with college athletics anf now with NIL it seems as if we are losing ground well at least in men’s and women’s basketball. I wouldn’t be shocked if Rori leaves after next year if everything is the same. Yea I said it
 
brnkj said:
Well, if she committed this quickly then she already knew where she was going when she hit the portal, and no others were ever in the picture to begin with. IMO the few follows between her and other programs were merely to make it seem less obvious.
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This is dead on. It means she was likely recruited. Compare that to someone like Shaylee who took 3 visits first and had something to compare things to. This is just the way its going to be, and especially in the SEC where NIL just legalized what was already happening in the first place. I hope she enjoys the car she will have to give back in a year. Because the team she's headed to won't be a contender while she's there.
 
Sincerely hookem said:
I’m at the point where CDC has to come with it. Texas has always been at the forefront of whatever with college athletics anf now with NIL it seems as if we are losing ground well at least in men’s and women’s basketball. I wouldn’t be shocked if Rori leaves after next year if everything is the same. Yea I said it
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I don't buy this whole NIL thing as for the reason that they haven't been able to get transfers this year, especially in wbb. So I guess they used all the NIL money up when they brought in three highly regarded transfers last year.
 
Sincerely hookem said:
I’m at the point where CDC has to come with it. Texas has always been at the forefront of whatever with college athletics anf now with NIL it seems as if we are losing ground well at least in men’s and women’s basketball. I wouldn’t be shocked if Rori leaves after next year if everything is the same. Yea I said it
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100 percent! This is a problem higher than Vic. When the sand witch is able to pass out 25k with ease that says something.
 
Born in ATX said:
This is dead on. It means she was likely recruited. Compare that to someone like Shaylee who took 3 visits first and had something to compare things to. This is just the way its going to be, and especially in the SEC where NIL just legalized what was already happening in the first place. I hope she enjoys the car she will have to give back in a year. Because the team she's headed to won't be a contender while she's there.
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If this is actually the case like we think, then I guess we really don't have anything to be upset about. We weren't beat out for a transfer recruit if we were never truly in the equation to begin with.

The question now is what makes an underachieving program like Tennessee so much more attractive than a program like ours that overachieved two out of the past three seasons? One can maybe even argue that we overachieve the last year based on injuries and lack of depth. Tennessee had as much talent as anyone in the country on their roster this past season, and more than the vast majority. Yet they made it one game further than we did and the NCAA tournament and got beat bad on several occasions during the season.

I always liked Kelly Harper as a player, but she ain't much as a coach. Her teams play sloppy, don't take care of the ball, don't defend all that well, and when they DO score at a decent clip it's solely based on their raw talent.

What makes that program more attractive than ours? Is it Vic? Is there a narrative being written out there? Is he helping write that narrative with his demeanor? Again... I'm a huge Vic Schaefer fan but I just don't understand the recruiting struggles.
 
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Moooooo said:
After Quinerly, Rori has also started following Oregon junior guard, 5'9 Te-Hina Paopao, and vice versa; not read anything that she is a transfer candidate, but Oregon missed the tourney this season. Obviously, Rori has probably met many of Oregon's players due to her significant other. Still worth watching . . .

Te-Hina Paopao - Women's Basketball - University of Oregon Athletics (goducks.com)
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This was from March 25th. And, days later, Paopao entered the transfer portal.

I noticed today that Rori started following UConn's Nika Muhl on Instagram, and vice versa. At first, I thought that maybe they met at Kelsey Plum's camp a couple of weeks ago; but, it was Azzi Fudd who represented UConn.

Those follows could mean absolutely nothing as it relates to Muhl entering the transfer portal. But, stranger things have happened. And, Rori following her out of nowhere seems odd; perhaps there's a logical connection.
 
brnkj said:
Done deal. Spear to Tennessee.
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In viewing her commitment video, I think this one was just where she wanted to go all along. That doesn't mean she wasn't recruited there, but I don't think she ever really considered anyone else. The portal closes in a week. If we don't go after anyone else, that tells me Vic is content with what he's got vs. bringing in someone he doesn't think will be better.
 
Born in ATX said:
In viewing her commitment video, I think this one was just where she wanted to go all along. That doesn't mean she wasn't recruited there, but I don't think she ever really considered anyone else. The portal closes in a week. If we don't go after anyone else, that tells me Vic is content with what he's got vs. bringing in someone he doesn't think will be better.
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I think Vic is also sending a message that he is committed to developing the high school recruits that he brings in, rather than recruiting over them with transfers like so many other schools are doing.
 
We must win with what we have. That will improve our appeal to players (transfers and recruits). We are Texas, I refuse to beleive money, resources or our fanbase is the problem.
I also could be tone deaf and blind....:brickwall:
 
Malcom said:
We must win with what we have. That will improve our appeal to players (transfers and recruits).
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Bingo! I hate to use her as an example on this board, but KM won her first NC at BU with no big name recruits. They won with a team full of recruits that were mostly under the radar. They developed those players into a championship team. We know what happened after that over the next couple of decades. Vic is going to have to keep coaching players up and winning with whatever he gets. There's a mega star in the making coming in this summer, and she's going to be depended on to play a big role immediately.
 
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Building from Freshman is certainly best. Players are developed and a team culture is built. But sometimes due to injuries, transfers or other reasons you end up with a gap that needs to be filled with an experienced portal player. And right now Texas had a huge gap at backup PG that hasn't been filled.

Even a good ball handling SG would help as Shaylee has made it clear she is not and does not want to be that player.
 
Run Pincher said:
Building from Freshman is certainly best. Players are developed and a team culture is built. But sometimes due to injuries, transfers or other reasons you end up with a gap that needs to be filled with an experienced portal player. And right now Texas had a huge gap at backup PG that hasn't been filled.

Even a good ball handling SG would help as Shaylee has made it clear she is not and does not want to be that player.
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As I'm sure you know, incoming freshman Booker is a great ball handler and passer. Pretty sure Maul is a decent ball handler as well. But they are both freshmen.... and there's a question mark about Maul's availability rehabbing from the ACL injury. You're absolutely right, there's still a depth issue in the back court that is very concerning. I hate to think of Rori YET AGAIN having to play every minute of every game.
 
brnkj said:
As I'm sure you know, incoming freshman Booker is a great ball handler and passer. Pretty sure Maul is a decent ball handler as well. But they are both freshmen.... and there's a question mark about Maul's availability rehabbing from the ACL injury. You're absolutely right, there's still a depth issue in the back court that is very concerning. I hate to think of Rori YET AGAIN having to play every minute of every game.
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Agree with you, Malcom, and others that we will need to dance with the the assembled team, whatever that looks like. To support Rori, I'm still truly hopeful that there is a portal guard that has flown under our radar, but who our staff is fully aware of--someone with skill and athleticism and a desire to be developed. Grateful for our incoming freshmen and wishing the best for our rehabbing players, and that they surprise us in their recovery and in what they are capable of on and off the court.

The grass almost always looks greener in other programs (human nature, I suppose), but I want to believe, like others, that Vic knows the realities of the program much better than I do. Please gawd let that be true. :hookem:
 
brnkj said:
Bingo! I hate to use her as an example on this board, but KM won her first NC at BU with no big name recruits. They won with a team full of recruits that were mostly under the radar. They developed those players into a championship team. We know what happened after that over the next couple of decades. Vic is going to have to keep coaching players up and winning with whatever he gets. There's a mega star in the making coming in this summer, and she's going to be depended on to play a big role immediately.
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Kim did that before the portal. I know Texas has talent but like the men’s team I worry if they have enough bodies.
I think Texas needs to prove it will spend NIL money to land and retain top players. Perhaps that’s happening and we just don’t see it but it sure seems like Texas has been MIA so far
this off season when it comes to working the portal.
 
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