04-04-2023, 11:16 AM
The P12 is going to be so tough next year. Highly doubtful anyone will run the table. I would guess 14-4 wins it, maybe even 13-5. Utah is good, but I don't think they are reliable enough being so dependent on the 3 ball. I've posted this before, and will stick to it again...I think we are going to naturally improve offensively without Haley in the lineup. Not a knock on Haley - I think she's tremendous. But it was never easy to blend her skills with the rest of the team. A lineup of Brink, Iriafen/Betts, Demetre/Bosgana, Lepolo/Nivar should naturally score more. There's way better role clarity, the ball will move, and it's a better shooting lineup.
Lots of posts on transfers and the portal. Just wanted to comment on that. Outside of Stanford, the transfer portal is a brobdingnagian improvement for the athlete. Previously, players who were miserable at their university were pretty much stuck. They could always transfer, but it was very difficult to find a new deal so not many did. Put yourself in the shoes of an 18 year old and pick your poison from one of these: 1) Abusive coach 2) Over the top physical demands 3) Poor academics 4) Bad culture 5) Not playing 6) Getting recruited over, etc. etc. etc. Kids make bad choices. Or sometimes things just don't work out. The argument of "but you're getting a 4 year scholarship" still might work for Stanford but it doesn't in most programs. The portal undoubtedly shifts leverage to the player and I think that's a great thing. Why not allow them to go somewhere else to seek happiness? I'm just challenging the sentiment that the transfer portal ruins everything. It might not be your cup of tea as a fan (and this is a fan board so I get that), but I guarantee it's a great thing for a lot of miserable players. If you buy that, then what's the issue with other programs using the transfer portal to build out their roster? Why are they evil for doing it? The players are the ones who make their moves first. I'm not a Mulkey fan, but she didn't have much choice when she started there. And look how it worked out for LSU. A bunch of players who found a place that was a better fit for them and they won the whole thing. It's actually a pretty cool story.
Lots of posts on transfers and the portal. Just wanted to comment on that. Outside of Stanford, the transfer portal is a brobdingnagian improvement for the athlete. Previously, players who were miserable at their university were pretty much stuck. They could always transfer, but it was very difficult to find a new deal so not many did. Put yourself in the shoes of an 18 year old and pick your poison from one of these: 1) Abusive coach 2) Over the top physical demands 3) Poor academics 4) Bad culture 5) Not playing 6) Getting recruited over, etc. etc. etc. Kids make bad choices. Or sometimes things just don't work out. The argument of "but you're getting a 4 year scholarship" still might work for Stanford but it doesn't in most programs. The portal undoubtedly shifts leverage to the player and I think that's a great thing. Why not allow them to go somewhere else to seek happiness? I'm just challenging the sentiment that the transfer portal ruins everything. It might not be your cup of tea as a fan (and this is a fan board so I get that), but I guarantee it's a great thing for a lot of miserable players. If you buy that, then what's the issue with other programs using the transfer portal to build out their roster? Why are they evil for doing it? The players are the ones who make their moves first. I'm not a Mulkey fan, but she didn't have much choice when she started there. And look how it worked out for LSU. A bunch of players who found a place that was a better fit for them and they won the whole thing. It's actually a pretty cool story.