NCAA Women's Bball Transfer Portal

[mickey one 109]

QUESTION: in this age of the TRANSFER PORTAL, where 1/3 of all players are on the move at the end of each season: instead of going from high school to a Power 5 school, and risk being stuck on the bench (+ some coaches will not play freshmen), wouldn't a better strategy be to go to a mid-major or lower grade university, distinguish yourself there, and THEN move up to a "Power 5" conference, if you have shown yourself to be good enough?

Case in point: Emely Rodriguez goes to a sub-par team (UCF), does exceptionally well, picked to All-Rookie team in Big 12, and now she is in demand. I hope IU gets her.

At the other end, Faith Wiseman is well-regarded in HS, pursued by IU, Iowa, Maryland, and she sits on the bench freshman year at IU--almost no PT. Even the fans almost forget that she is there. Wouldn't she have been better off going to UCF or Miami (Ohio) or a Mountain West or A-10 team, get rookie of the year, all-conference, and THEN you have all kinds of experience, and people want you. There are a whole bunch of examples of this in the portal this year.

I suppose the "danger" is that you will not be great in the A-10 and get "stuck" there, but if you weren't going to be great in the A-10, then you probably were not going to be great in the Big 10 or SEC either.

I know there are slogans like "challenge yourself" or "be all that you can be", but that's hard when you do not get into the game, and develop through challenge and adversity. Maybe we need a new "paradigm" for success and player development, driven by the transfer portal (which is here to stay, like it or not)?

What do you think?

[TTT 1,362]

17 minutes ago, mickey one said:

QUESTION: in this age of the TRANSFER PORTAL, where 1/3 of all players are on the move at the end of each season: instead of going from high school to a Power 5 school, and risk being stuck on the bench (+ some coaches will not play freshmen), wouldn't a better strategy be to go to a mid-major or lower grade university, distinguish yourself there, and THEN move up to a "Power 5" conference, if you have shown yourself to be good enough?

Case in point: Emely Rodriguez goes to a sub-par team (UCF), does exceptionally well, picked to All-Rookie team in Big 12, and now she is in demand. I hope IU gets her.

At the other end, Faith Wiseman is well-regarded in HS, pursued by IU, Iowa, Maryland, and she sits on the bench freshman year at IU--almost no PT. Even the fans almost forget that she is there. Wouldn't she have been better off going to UCF or Miami (Ohio) or a Mountain West or A-10 team, get rookie of the year, all-conference, and THEN you have all kinds of experience, and people want you. There are a whole bunch of examples of this in the portal this year.

I suppose the "danger" is that you will not be great in the A-10 and get "stuck" there, but if you weren't going to be great in the A-10, then you probably were not going to be great in the Big 10 or SEC either.

I know there are slogans like "challenge yourself" or "be all that you can be", but that's hard when you do not get into the game, and develop through challenge and adversity. Maybe we need a new "paradigm" for success and player development, driven by the transfer portal (which is here to stay, like it or not)?

What do you think?

Some validation in what you say.  I am sure some players have that idea especially if they are not a big time player going to big time program.  (NIL has contributed to a transfer portal craziness in the last two or three years.

Transfer portal started 2015.

Then, NIL started 2021

(some coaches on the men’s side complain…but ironically they contributed to the craziness because of the crazy high salaries they were demanding).

= has grown into whatever one might call it now.

FAITH WISEMAN:  4 star at 93. And had offers because of her size, in high school bigger than other players, played volleyball, pretty good player (not great or even excellent) but has excellent upside.  Faith was going to pretty much have to be developed at any major program for college.  She probably would have played some at mid majors.  

Wiseman just wanted to go to IU if at all feasible because she was raised down the road.  (dream come true).

Still a mystery….but she should become a good player that could impact the game for IU Ladies…..even though she has not showed it yet.  (Last year probably wasn’t good enough to see the floor).

[mickey one 109]

https://hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/hawkeyes/womens-basketball/2025/04/29/iowa-womens-basketball-targets-transfer-portal-ucf-emely-rodriguez/83351931007/

Had offers from UConn, South Carolina, Florida State, and UCF . . . and chose UCF . . . and is all-rookie team in Big 12, and pursued by Iowa, IU, & Oklahoma. Girl looks smart to me.

[TTT 1,362]

50 minutes ago, mickey one said:

https://hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/hawkeyes/womens-basketball/2025/04/29/iowa-womens-basketball-targets-transfer-portal-ucf-emely-rodriguez/83351931007/

Had offers from UConn, South Carolina, Florida State, and UCF . . . and chose UCF . . . and is all-rookie team in Big 12, and pursued by Iowa, IU, & Oklahoma. Girl looks smart to me.

Exactly what IU Ladies need and 6’0”  physical scoring guard.  Plus smart athletic upside (better all around player than K. Peterson).  

T. Moren a guard herself would be excellent coach for this guard. (Rodriguez a big time hard worker…that would positively impact team).  T. Moren would love this one with Ciezki.

Then, one 6’1 or 6’2” wing like Kubek/Maryland comes to mind or a player like Williams/Wisconsin…..could change IU Ladies 20-26 projection really upward…..even without a 6’5” or 6’6” center.

(6’5” and 6’6” centers were popular in men’s basketball 1950’s and early 1960’s.

[TTT 1,362]

Rodriguez has IU Ladies on her list of several programs and is going to be a challenge but would be an A+ get for both her and IU Ladies.

[TTT 1,362]

Williams/Wisconsin to UCONN

[HoosierHoopster 8,345]

How many more do we think Moren will bring in for 2025?

[TTT 1,362]

1 hour ago, HoosierHoopster said:

How many more do we think Moren will bring in for 2025?

Unless it’s Kubek (don’t know if IU is even involved) and Rodriguez = 2

Rodriguez= 1

Neither Rodriguez nor Kubek = 1

but who knows who it would be…..Scalia’s sister was or still is in portal and could be a maybe.  I am sure she would try hard and give it her best.

Without a taller dominant center as in really good big ten star caliber….doubt if she starts but will have to make a small miracle of improvement especially scoring is Faith Wiseman that has not been seen and wondering what she is currently doing to develop her game for next year.  This is a situation that is one of the biggest opportunities for her in the whole country bar none.  (the question…is she good enough.

sidenote: thoughts…Caitlin Clark though she did not stay for her 5th year at Iowa, however, she did stay at Iowa after her main partner the Iowa center Cinzano graduated…..something that Garzon did not do after being treated well within program.  Garzon abandon ship.  Yes, it was Clark at Iowa but…Garzon is no Clark ….and at IU T. Moren especially outwardly treated Garzon as royalty.  

 

[mickey one 109]

15 hours ago, TTT said:

Williams/Wisconsin to UCONN

https://www.si.com/onsi/womens-fastbreak/news/uconn-fans-foresee-championship-repeat-after-serah-williams-transfer-commitment-01jt3skrdz4t

[TTT 1,362]

On 4/29/2025 at 7:13 PM, mickey one said:

QUESTION: in this age of the TRANSFER PORTAL, where 1/3 of all players are on the move at the end of each season: instead of going from high school to a Power 5 school, and risk being stuck on the bench (+ some coaches will not play freshmen), wouldn't a better strategy be to go to a mid-major or lower grade university, distinguish yourself there, and THEN move up to a "Power 5" conference, if you have shown yourself to be good enough?

Case in point: Emely Rodriguez goes to a sub-par team (UCF), does exceptionally well, picked to All-Rookie team in Big 12, and now she is in demand. I hope IU gets her.

At the other end, Faith Wiseman is well-regarded in HS, pursued by IU, Iowa, Maryland, and she sits on the bench freshman year at IU--almost no PT. Even the fans almost forget that she is there. Wouldn't she have been better off going to UCF or Miami (Ohio) or a Mountain West or A-10 team, get rookie of the year, all-conference, and THEN you have all kinds of experience, and people want you. There are a whole bunch of examples of this in the portal this year.

I suppose the "danger" is that you will not be great in the A-10 and get "stuck" there, but if you weren't going to be great in the A-10, then you probably were not going to be great in the Big 10 or SEC either.

I know there are slogans like "challenge yourself" or "be all that you can be", but that's hard when you do not get into the game, and develop through challenge and adversity. Maybe we need a new "paradigm" for success and player development, driven by the transfer portal (which is here to stay, like it or not)?

What do you think?

A parallel to what IU Ladies basketball was this year (and other years)…like a farm team (in professional baseball) go to IU Ladies program and develop your skills and get professional coaching (though unintentional but this year it turned out that way) but recruited players that needed and received player development in so many ways….and transfer to another program…..inability to recruit at high enough level to sustain (were very significant for a period of time) significance.

IU Ladies with a significant hire are looking to return to significance.

sidenote:  wondering why he left Alabama for IU.

[TTT 1,362]

Amber Scalia to Miami of Ohio.  Good for her and Miami of Ohio.

[Aaron 4,544]

FYI an interview with Yarden at Maryland now.

Confirms everything I have been told in regards to her departure. While she faced anti-Semitism, it was not factor in her decision for leaving and felt well supported at IU. Without saying it per se, this interview matches everything I have heard in that she is leaving for more money and better chance to win.

With filter off now and talking to a Maryland Jewish newspaper, she could easily air any dirty laundry and this interview pretty much confirms what I have said that it was NIL related and wanting to win more without being part of a rebuild. Definitely no ill feelings towards IU. 

https://umdmitzpeh.com/2025/04/30/visual-composer-15703/

[TTT 1,362]

49 minutes ago, Aaron said:

FYI an interview with Yarden at Maryland now.

Confirms everything I have been told in regards to her departure. While she faced anti-Semitism, it was not factor in her decision for leaving and felt well supported at IU. Without saying it per se, this interview matches everything I have heard in that she is leaving for more money and better chance to win.

With filter off now and talking to a Maryland Jewish newspaper, she could easily air any dirty laundry and this interview pretty much confirms what I have said that it was NIL related and wanting to win more without being part of a rebuild. Definitely no ill feelings towards IU. 

https://umdmitzpeh.com/2025/04/30/visual-composer-15703/

I pretty much posted Gazon wanted to play for honestly better team a month or so ago….Recent IU recruiting was just not enough as in championship contention for her final year. 

However, Garzon seems very dismissive about T. Moren and staff, she was on a big ten championship team as a starter, highly ranked team and a sweet 16 (though things may have not been perfect) the good far outweighs the bad talking about her campus life.  Gazon had excellent support overall.  
Garzon is a very good player but not as good as she thinks she is.  If she stayed at IU with current transfer players IU would have only been one big player short from being pretty good which she could have continued to excel.

Maryland has showed her the strength of their Jewish community but at IU was supportive as well.  She may or may not run into an obstacle at 1 year at Maryland and that vs 3 years at IU.  

3 years communication while in high school with T. Moren who supported her at a distinguished level and developed her game at IU under T. Moren and staff with supportive players around her (maybe Garzon didn’t like the inside game challenges put on her) but Garzon was getting better at it including her overall game.  And Garzon just seems so dismissive of what she spent 3 high school years and 3 college years.  
Her development as a player seems she thinks it’s all her.  T. Moren and IU program was responsible for much of her development.  Only to use her final year where her growth may be somewhat stunted in a new system (then that could be an excuse for her).  Garzon could have stayed with her current IU team of transfers growing in a system her final year at IU watching her statistics continue to rise if she wants to go WNBA which is a ? Maybe it’s her way of moving forward and not looking back giving Brenda Frese who has not set her on the bench yet for poor play all her love that she should be giving T. Moren as T. Moren gave Yardon Garzon.

 

[mickey one 109]

CTM praised Garzon to the high heavens . . . really a bit more than was justified. Maryland has been a cauldron where players are tossed and have to compete for time. You've got people like Kaylene Smikle, Mir McLean, Saylor Poffenbarger, Okananwa, and more. They're good. If Garzon can earn minutes on that squad, great. But, Brenda will not do her any favors.

[TTT 1,362]

5 minutes ago, mickey one said:

CTM praised Garzon to the high heavens . . . really a bit more than was justified. Maryland has been a cauldron where players are tossed and have to compete for time. You've got people like Kaylene Smikle, Mir McLean, Saylor Poffenbarger, Okananwa, and more. They're good. If Garzon can earn minutes on that squad, great. But, Brenda will not do her any favors.

And Garzon best chance for WNBA was to stay with T. Moren though I think she is probably overseas player due to lack of strength, she gets thrown off her game with physicality and toughness and who is she going to guard. T. Moren was trying to continue to make her stronger and develop her game and was very very flexible with her and supportive letting her play through shooting/scoring/defensive/slumps etc.

[TTT 1,362]

No indication of happening but Kubek would be a good trade for IU.  Good shooter/scorer, good rebounder, and tough.