I've noticed several high profile women's basketball programs are also seeing top players transfer. Interestingly, Maryland is losing three players who are transferring, including national freshman of the year Destiny Slocum. They also are losing a 6-2 sophomore from Connecticut who was a big time recruit named Kiah Gillespie (but didn't play a ton this past season). I wonder if Tina Langley had any part in recruiting her (she does follow her on twitter)?

Ohio State also had two high profile freshmen saying they were leaving, and South Carolina is losing two players to turn pro early and declare for the WNBA draft.

I don't think the trend has hit women's basketball quite yet of graduate transfers and I'm pretty sure all of these players will have to sit out a year. But a transfer like Gillespie is certainly worth waiting for.

Why is Maryland loosing so many players? Was there a coaching change?

(04-08-2017 09:40 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I've noticed several high profile women's basketball programs are also seeing top players transfer. Interestingly, Maryland is losing three players who are transferring, including national freshman of the year Destiny Slocum. They also are losing a 6-2 sophomore from Connecticut who was a big time recruit named Kiah Gillespie (but didn't play a ton this past season). I wonder if Tina Langley had any part in recruiting her (she does follow her on twitter)?

Ohio State also had two high profile freshmen saying they were leaving, and South Carolina is losing two players to turn pro early and declare for the WNBA draft.

I don't think the trend has hit women's basketball quite yet of graduate transfers and I'm pretty sure all of these players will have to sit out a year. But a transfer like Gillespie is certainly worth waiting for.

(04-09-2017 03:46 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Why is Maryland loosing so many players? Was there a coaching change?

(04-08-2017 09:40 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  ... Maryland is losing three players who are transferring, including national freshman of the year Destiny Slocum. They also are losing a 6-2 sophomore from Connecticut who was a big time recruit named Kiah Gillespie (but didn't play a ton this past season). I wonder if Tina Langley had any part in recruiting her (she does follow her on twitter)? ...

SB Nation Testudo Times (Thomas Kendziora@TKendziora37) Wrote:... the only reasonable explanation for Slocum’s departure is that she needs to be closer to home. She grew up in Idaho and dealt with plenty of family health issues as a child. From the Baltimore Sun:

In a late-January interview, Slocum said she initially thought Maryland was too far away from her family’s home in Meridian, Idaho. She had helped nurse her mother through breast cancer and had grown up with her father coaching her every day.
The Washington Post’s Gene Wang raised similar points after reporting on the transfers, though he didn’t name anyone specific.

> > > Gene Wang @gene_wang

Homesickness for some, lack of playing time for others.

https://t.co/nVUmTOI9nY

5:20 AM - 4 Apr 2017 < < <

...

Gillespie looked like she’d be a star at the very start of her freshman season, but struggled to adjust to the college game and never seemed to find a role on this year’s team. Staiti was a deep-bench backup to Brionna Jones as a rookie and figured to be a much bigger contributor with Jones in the pros, but the Cumming, Georgia, native apparently felt out of place in College Park as well.

Source: http://www.testudotimes.com/maryland-ter...i-transfer

6'9" Nancy Mulkey of Oklahoma is leaving the Sooners (along with another of their pretty good freshmen from this past year). I haven't heard anything about Mulkey's destination but she is from Houston and was high school teammates of the Ogwumike sisters. I doubt OU will let her go to any Big 12 school and A&M just got a 6-4 transfer from Louisville so if she wants to come back to Texas maybe we're in the mix?

"Hearing that Rice (C-USA) is a serious contender to land Oklahoma transfer Nancy Mulkey, who's from the Houston area."

That was a May 30 tweet from Raoul_000, a Michigan alum who tweets about women's basketball.

nance.‏Verified account @nancymulkey
I am officially a Rice Owl and on top of that, I get to play with my best friends again. Thank you, God, for leading me to the right path.

Highest rated Rice basketball recruit ever?

Wow, she was apparently a top-20 national recruit coming out of high school. She started 18 games last year as a true freshman for an Oklahoma team that went 23-10, were runners-up in the conference tournament, and lost in the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. Wonder if Rice recruited her out of high school, or if she just wanted to return to Houston and fell into Rice's lap?

We just keep hearing great news from WBB. JK better make sure we keep Langley. Tara VanDever is closing in on retirement age and I would think Stanford would be interested in Langley when Tara retires.

With her, the Ogwumikes, and the returnees, we ought to be tough, although she will be sitting out a year.

Mulkey will certainly be the tallest Rice player ever. I believe the tallest women's basketball player we've had is 6-6 Rebecca Carlson who only played here 1 year before transferring back to California. She and 6-5 Nikki Manzo came in together. Both were from California.

As far as top-rated recruit, possibly? Marla Brumfield was the Houston player of the year at Elsik and led them to the state title. She would have been a top-50 national recruit at least I'd imagine. We had some top-100 national recruits transfer into Rice in McKinney's early years (the girl from Michigan State and then Kim Smallwood from Tennessee).

My first scoop in awhile!

Coach Langley has done a tremendous job. What an excellent recruiter and all the players from Texas. We need to double the season tickets next year. WBB will be a premier sports program at Rice in the future like tennis and baseball has been.

(06-06-2017 04:32 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Mulkey will certainly be the tallest Rice player ever. I believe the tallest women's basketball player we've had is 6-6 Rebecca Carlson who only played here 1 year before transferring back to California. She and 6-5 Nikki Manzo came in together. Both were from California.

As far as top-rated recruit, possibly? Marla Brumfield was the Houston player of the year at Elsik and led them to the state title. She would have been a top-50 national recruit at least I'd imagine. We had some top-100 national recruits transfer into Rice in McKinney's early years (the girl from Michigan State and then Kim Smallwood from Tennessee).

My first scoop in awhile!

Pretty big scoop (no pun intended)

(06-06-2017 03:37 PM)Ranger Wrote:  We just keep hearing great news from WBB. JK better make sure we keep Langley. Tara VanDever is closing in on retirement age and I would think Stanford would be interested in Langley when Tara retires.

With her, the Ogwumikes, and the returnees, we ought to be tough, although she will be sitting out a year.

That's a good point about Tara VanDerveer. I think Coach Langley is currently our highest-value coach. I think the upside potential for Women's basketball is now greater than all our other sports. I would rather our Athletic Department spend extra money keeping her, even if it means paying other coaches less and risking their leaving.

(06-06-2017 03:04 PM)07owl Wrote:  nance.‏Verified account @nancymulkey
I am officially a Rice Owl and on top of that, I get to play with my best friends again. Thank you, God, for leading me to the right path.

Her best friends, I presume ... (photo from Nancy's Mulkey's twitter):


... are the younger pair of Ogwumike sisters (Olivia & Erica), who are now at Rice.

(06-06-2017 04:32 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Mulkey will certainly be the tallest Rice player ever. I believe the tallest women's basketball player we've had is 6-6 Rebecca Carlson who only played here 1 year before transferring back to California. She and 6-5 Nikki Manzo came in together. Both were from California.

As far as top-rated recruit, possibly? Marla Brumfield was the Houston player of the year at Elsik and led them to the state title. She would have been a top-50 national recruit at least I'd imagine. We had some top-100 national recruits transfer into Rice in McKinney's early years (the girl from Michigan State and then Kim Smallwood from Tennessee).

For others, who like me did not know: Nancy Mulkey was 6'-9" tall coming out of Cy Woods. In this ESPN assessment, she was the country's #4 center, #19 prospect overall and a McDonald's All-American Team member in 2016.

Quoting scout Olson: "A true center with superior length, shot blocking presence; continues to develop consistent offensive arsenal in paint; rebounds and outlets, initiates fast break."

Here's a link to a long Houston Chronicle profile published during her junior year (Feb. 15, 2015): http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/a...083012.php

(06-06-2017 05:18 PM)Minnewaska Owl Wrote:  

(06-06-2017 03:37 PM)Ranger Wrote:  We just keep hearing great news from WBB. JK better make sure we keep Langley. Tara VanDever is closing in on retirement age and I would think Stanford would be interested in Langley when Tara retires.

With her, the Ogwumikes, and the returnees, we ought to be tough, although she will be sitting out a year.

That's a good point about Tara VanDerveer. I think Coach Langley is currently our highest-value coach. I think the upside potential for Women's basketball is now greater than all our other sports. I would rather our Athletic Department spend extra money keeping her, even if it means paying other coaches less and risking their leaving.

I agree also, though if a P5 school really wants her, based on the culture that exists in college coaching, she is likely gone.
She has really sold the Rice product, and this makes at least 4 high quality transfers

Oughta push the attendance well into the high hundreds.

(06-06-2017 08:30 PM)InterestedX Wrote:  Oughta push the attendance well into the high hundreds.

living in Honolulu, I have not been back to Houston for awhile ( and no time soon w 2 week old twin girls!). Typically when I buy season tix(football, MBB, WBB) I have them directed to the Ronald McDonald house
Are there organizations in the Houston area that ticket donations could not only benefit the charity, but also bring more potential Rice Owls in contact w the University. If so, could potentially aid recruiting. If someone has suggestions, please let me know
I truly believe that WBB is a prime example of ther kind of student athlete that actually belongs at Rice , knowing that most of them aren't going pro( yes, I saw the NCAA ads!)

(06-06-2017 08:30 PM)InterestedX Wrote:  Oughta push the attendance well into the high hundreds.

I can remember when it was in the low teens.