(07-17-2021 08:15 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  https://vimeo.com/552726435

6-2 post from Cedar Park - helped lead them to the state 5A title last year (15 points, 8 rebounds a game). This video is a nice background on her. The story at the end is quite remarkable.

Looks like she had some offers from Tulsa, LA Tech, ACU, and SFA.

Notable that a national media member following hoops thought enough about this to post it in a tweet....

Quote:Kris M Gardner
@TheHRReview
·Shelby Hayes (@Shelby_B_Hayes), 6'2, Cedar Park HS, announces commitment to @RiceWBB - Hayes, Class of 2022, helped Cedar Park (27-1) win the 2021 5A State Championship. She averaged 15.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, and 1.3 spg last season.

Offer to 2023 Laila Hull. She's from Indiana and ranked as the #57 prospect in the 2023 class (per ESPN).

Looks like recruiting has picked up. I guess we have only transfer from the portal.

(07-18-2021 10:29 PM)Texasowl Wrote:  Looks like recruiting has picked up. I guess we have only transfer from the portal.

They're clearly focusing on 2022 and '23, their first full recruiting classes. The one transfer we got is much more of a role player than an impact player. Disappointed. Meanwhile, Langley has mopped up on transfers-- getting two other star players in addition to Mulkey and Schwartz.

Totally agree. Much too relaxed. Had hoped for a lot more 2021 transfer action to keep the momentum. Doesn’t make any sense to punt it all to future years. Even with that as the goal, it would be a lot easier to land the 2022 recruits she wants if we maintain the stature of the program. Just a few good transfers is all it takes and we were/are reasonably positioned to get them.

Recruiting is picking up because summer tournaments are being played and this is the first month or so during which coaches can actually go see players live. Expect a bunch more offers on the women's side.

Agree with the failure to utilize the transfer portal being a complete misstep. I get rebuilding the program typically means doing so with freshmen, but you still need some stopgaps. No reason not to grab 2-3 seniors just for depth. Doesn't even matter how good they are. You're going into the season with Jackson as your only real PG and Fisher, a true freshman, as probably your only traditional big (though we all obviously hope McCurry can take the next steps). There's absolutely no harm in grabbing a senior PG and big, even if they're not impact transfers. At the best, they're better than you expected. At the worst, they play some bench minutes and can step in if we have an injury crisis (and they're gone before the next recruiting class gets on campus).

There's no excuse for a program with the last 4 years that we've had to go into a season with 10 rostered players. It means the staff has employed a strategy which actively limits our potential or it means they completely whiffed on selling the program. Either way, it's cause for concern.

My understanding is that they have been very active in recruiting from the transfer portal to replace the four players that have departed..in fact, I've been told that they were really close last week to getting a couple of "big" transfers. Just because they haven't announced anything, I don't think you can assume they aren't working hard to salvage next season.

How about we wait until we actually know something about transfers before we assume there aren't some replacements coming for next year?

(07-19-2021 10:04 AM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote:  My understanding is that they have been very active in recruiting from the transfer portal to replace the four players that have departed..in fact, I've been told that they were really close last week to getting a couple of "big" transfers. Just because they haven't announced anything, I don't think you can assume they aren't working hard to salvage next season.

How about we wait until we actually know something about transfers before we assume there aren't some replacements coming for next year?

It's fine that they (the staff) haven't announced anything-but the reality is that most "big fish" on the portal have already selected a school (and announced via Twitter or other social media)-and we haven't gotten any of them.

Edmonds was hired more than a month prior to Cruz yet Cruz has had much more success in the portal.

(07-19-2021 10:04 AM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote:  My understanding is that they have been very active in recruiting from the transfer portal to replace the four players that have departed..in fact, I've been told that they were really close last week to getting a couple of "big" transfers. Just because they haven't announced anything, I don't think you can assume they aren't working hard to salvage next season.

How about we wait until we actually know something about transfers before we assume there aren't some replacements coming for next year?

Fair enough. But as the post above says, the portal is becoming increasingly thin. Because I'm weird and I keep track of this sort of stuff, I've copied below the players who you could possibly classify as a "big" transfer who also have made honor roll/commissioner's roll/all-academic/etc.

Brandi Ferby (Austin Peay) - 22.3 minutes, 7.1 points, 2.2 assists
Abby Kapp (Bucknell) - 30.8 minutes, 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds
Haleigh Talbert (UC Irvine) - 28.7 minutes, 8.9 points, 3.4 rebounds
Emma McCamus (CCSU) - 24.9 minutes, 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds
Carmella Walker (CSou) - 30.0 minutes, 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds
Keelah Dixon (Colgate) - 27.2 minutes, 10.9 points, 2.3 assists
Tina Lindenfeld (Radford) - 30.4 minutes, 9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds
Daija Moses (Rider) - 28.0 minutes, 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds
Myah Pace (San Diego) - 30.8 minutes, 11.8 points, 5.0 rebounds
Reagan Bradley (SMU) - 25.9 minutes, 6.3 points, 6.2 rebounds
Anastasia Warren (Stony Brook) - 29.1 minutes, 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds
Kyndall Golden (Vandy) - 15.7 minutes, 1.8 points, 3.2 rebounds
Gabby Rogers (W&M) - 21.1 minutes, 4.2 points, 4.5 rebounds

There are some good players, but it's an increasingly small list. Obviously this isn't exhaustive - the staff has more information about academics than I do. But time is running out on improving next year's team. Let's hope you're right and a couple names are announced over the coming weeks.

Speaking of weird obsessions, here's a photo the team released on twitter the other day of a recent practice. Now some of the ladies in the blue shirts could be coaches, but I count 11 women in blue shirts. So is there a chance that we actually have 11 players on the roster currently, but just haven't released one name? I'm assuming the person in the white shirt is a coach/manager.

(07-19-2021 12:40 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  

Speaking of weird obsessions, here's a photo the team released on twitter the other day of a recent practice. Now some of the ladies in the blue shirts could be coaches, but I count 11 women in blue shirts. So is there a chance that we actually have 11 players on the roster currently, but just haven't released one name? I'm assuming the person in the white shirt is a coach/manager.

Might assistant coach Tiffany Morton (https://riceowls.com/sports/womens-baske...orton/1668) be either the woman at the far left of the photo ... or the one standing just left of the woman wearing the pink head band (Malia Fisher?)?

I'm pretty sure incoming freshman Trinity Gooden is at the far left (to the left of Maya Bokunewicz who is the one with the knee brace on her left knee). That might be Lindsay Edmonds to her left? I'm not sure Destiny Jackson is in this photo, so it might be 9 players plus 4 coaches, or 9 plus 3 coaches and a manager? Yes, I think I can name most of the people in this photo outside of the one you mentioned and the one to the right of Gooden. I think if you're not in shorts, you're not a player most likely.

(07-19-2021 02:49 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  I'm pretty sure incoming freshman Trinity Gooden is at the far left (to the left of Maya Bokunewicz who is the one with the knee brace on her left knee). That might be Lindsay Edmonds to her right? I'm not sure Destiny Jackson is in this photo, so it might be 9 players plus 4 coaches, or 9 plus 3 coaches and a manager? Yes, I think I can name most of the people in this photo outside of the one you mentioned and the one to the right of Gooden. I think if you're not in shorts, you're not a player most likely.

Edmonds is the one in the pink sneakers, I think.

Another 2023 offer to combo guard Layla Conley from San Antonio. She appears to be a really strong outside shooter. Hit 7 3-pointers in one game this past year.

Jaquez finally got her offer from UCLA (and USC). Don't know if she'll follow in her brother's footsteps, but the more west coast offers she gets, the more unlikely it becomes that she finds her way to Texas.

(10-15-2020 01:44 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  Jada Brown (Bentonville, AR), Class of 2022, committed to Rice.

https://www.hudl.com/profile/11541733/Jada-Brown
https://twitter.com/jadabrown__

Quote:Jada Brown
@jadabrown__

Jul 13
After much prayer, consideration, and with the support of my family, I have reopened my recruitment.

She has recently been offered by Oklahoma and Marquette.

(07-26-2021 12:02 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  

(10-15-2020 01:44 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  Jada Brown (Bentonville, AR), Class of 2022, committed to Rice.

https://www.hudl.com/profile/11541733/Jada-Brown
https://twitter.com/jadabrown__

Quote:Jada Brown
@jadabrown__

Jul 13
After much prayer, consideration, and with the support of my family, I have reopened my recruitment.

She has recently been offered by Oklahoma and Marquette.

Keeping 2/4 recruits in this day and age isn't actually all too bad. A shame that both will end up playing power conference ball, but nothing you can really do with a coaching change.

Offer to 2022 Jazzy Owens-Barnett. From Liberty HS in Plano. Seems to have offers from North Texas and Abiline Christian.
http://tv5.espn.com/high-school/girls-ba.../id/242166

https://www.maxpreps.com/m/athlete/jazzy...efault.htm

https://mobile.twitter.com/jazzy_owens30

(07-26-2021 08:48 PM)dragon2owl Wrote:  Offer to 2022 Jazzy Owens-Barnett. From Liberty HS in Plano. Seems to have offers from North Texas and Abiline Christian.
http://tv5.espn.com/high-school/girls-ba.../id/242166

https://www.maxpreps.com/m/athlete/jazzy...efault.htm

https://mobile.twitter.com/jazzy_owens30

The staff might as well offer the entire Lady Drive Nation AAU team . That's now offers to Cockrell, McLeod, and Owens Barnett.