Oh, one more tidbit, although not a transfer - former Akron HC Melissa Jackson was named HC at Youngstown State, after spending a year as an assistant at Cleveland State. YSU's coach had resigned in January, sighting personal reasons.

So, YSU was able to get a new coach on-board very quickly. Wonder if they were talking to Jackson during the season already, which shouldn't be allowed typically. EMU let Castro go in December. Let's see how long it takes them to name a successor.

So then, presumably, Jackson won't be on the bench for UT's WBIT game against the Vikings on Thursday.

(03-19-2024 03:50 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Next Hoops now reporting that CMU's Capria Brown is in the portal. Started out at Dayton, transferred to Missouri State where she played I think all of 6 games before transferring mid-season to CMU. Now looking for school 4. Held a UT offer out of HS.

You really have to wonder about a player who is looking for her fourth school. There seem to be a surprising number of such players.

(03-19-2024 03:57 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Oh, one more tidbit, although not a transfer - former Akron HC Melissa Jackson was named HC at Youngstown State, after spending a year as an assistant at Cleveland State. YSU's coach had resigned in January, sighting personal reasons.

So, YSU was able to get a new coach on-board very quickly. Wonder if they were talking to Jackson during the season already, which shouldn't be allowed typically. EMU let Castro go in December. Let's see how long it takes them to name a successor.

So then, presumably, Jackson won't be on the bench for UT's WBIT game against the Vikings on Thursday.

$183K, 5 years

A couple interesting names in the portal for the height-obsessed, if UT had an open slot...

6'6 SO Gracie Merkel out of Bellarmine
- From Kentucky, originally verballed to Miami, but flipped to Bellarmine (this was before the Miami coaching debacle). A very, very big-bodied post, as a Freshman on a bad Bellarmine team, averaged 15 and 10, playing a surprisingly large 26 minutes a game, which was nearly 37% of the team's production. I think that % was the tops in all of D1. Did not play last year due to injury (I think).

6'4 FR Riley Rismiller out of Dayton
- From Coldwater, OH (near Wapakoneta) was a Freshman off the bench on a bad Flyers team. More of a slender athletic big as opposed to space-eating Merkel, she was a minor contributor for Dayton her 1st year, averaging 4 and 3 in about 12 minutes a game, shooting only about 39% which is low for a 6'4 player.

Another former MAC player, Rachel Loobie is in the portal out of Wright State as a grad transfer.
There's a link to an article about her on another thread, where she saw a resurgence last year at WSU (averaged 9 and 7) after going through trauma playing at CMU. The article indicated she liked WSU, but they don't offer her intended grad major (didn't say what that was). Could be a good add for some of the MAC schools with new coaches that are still gonna need to be filling in roster spots again this year.

Next Hoops has a couple more names:

Lachelle Austin Jr G (EMU)
Jayden Marable Sr G (NIU) - That's a big loss for NIU as she was one of the better PGs in the MAC, IMO, and they are graduating some other guards. She'll be a 5th year next year, so will be taking her COVID year elsewhere it appears

Wbbblog is also reporting a bunch more Akron players:
Leila Jones FR G
Dacia Lewandowski FR G
Annie Watson SO F
- Neither Lewandowski nor Watson played this year. Jones played sparingly. Lewandowski had a UT offer coming out of HS in Pittsburgh. I expect you may see some of these end up at YSU as they were all Jackson recruits.

Tons of P6 players already in the portal so it's not like these schools won't have opportunities to pick up good additions. Plus this is only the 1st wave, as there will be more as schools get beaten in the post season tourneys.

Former Rocket Halle Idowu is reportedly now in the portal, out of Northeastern. Should be a grad transfer. Was a starter there last year, but not sure about this past season. Maybe wants to get back closer to home.

I’d have to believe we would lose 2-3 to the portal due to lack of playing time

CMU, in what I think is record time, has already updated their roster with the players returning for next year. Capria Brown is missing, so that confirms the transfer report. Karrington Gordon's name is also missing as is Tiana Timpe, although I have seen no reports as of yet announcing either is in the portal.

Norris and Jean have graduated, and the walk-ons are gone except for Alina Anderson, the VB player who actually played a lot this year. Also still on the roster is the JUCO transfer Griffin who didn't play last year and was on/off/on the roster during the season.

That leaves CMU with only 7 returning players, only 6 of whom played. By my count, that's almost 60% of their production gone. They have 3 signed freshmen. If Anderson remains a walk-on (possibly still on VB scholarship?) that would mean they have 6 open slots that they can use in the portal, or on late HS/International recruits.

And wbbblog is reporting Lexi Boyke in the portal. Recall she signed with CMU out of Frankenmouth HS as a highly touted recruit, although had few offers, likely due to a reported 5 surgeries in HS. She disappeared from the roster before the season and folks assumed she was retiring because of the injuries, but maybe not. I do not know if she stayed enrolled at CMU this year or not.

They are also reporting Grace Hunter from NIU in the portal. I believe she would be a grad transfer.

Next Hoops is reporting another EMU player, Nia Boston in the portal.

CMU adds a late '24 commit from 5'7 G Amaya Smith, Powers Catholic, MI.
No other D1 offers ... from Sienna Heights, Kentucky Wesleyan, Cleary & Rochester Christian.

The Akron board is saying that Reagan Bass is in the portal. I can't find any confirmation.

both Next Hoops and wbbblog are reporting that BG's Abbie Riddle is in the portal.

Looks like Buffalo is picking up the 1st transfer in, Buffalo-area native, 5-6 G Lani Cornfield, transfer from So Miss. Played 2 years of JUCO in Florida before playing 2 years at So Miss. Last season averaged 7 points per game, shooting 37% from the floor and 26% from three.

(03-22-2024 08:40 PM)Lester Wrote:  The Akron board is saying that Reagan Bass is in the portal. I can't find any confirmation.

wbbblog is now reporting that Bass is in the portal. It's too soon to judge any of the new MAC coaches, but the Akron coach seems to have gotten off to a rough start. Despite being the earliest hired of the new coaches and having Bass return this past year, Akron was just as bad as Miami and Central Michigan. Now six players, including Bass, are in the portal. Time will tell, but I would rather be a Bowling Green, CMU, or Miami fan right now.

(03-24-2024 06:46 AM)Lester Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 08:40 PM)Lester Wrote:  The Akron board is saying that Reagan Bass is in the portal. I can't find any confirmation.

wbbblog is now reporting that Bass is in the portal. It's too soon to judge any of the new MAC coaches, but the Akron coach seems to have gotten off to a rough start. Despite being the earliest hired of the new coaches and having Bass return this past year, Akron was just as bad as Miami and Central Michigan. Now six players, including Bass, are in the portal. Time will tell, but I would rather be a Bowling Green, CMU, or Miami fan right now.

It's not all that unusual for the 2nd year of a new coach to be as chaotic as the 1st, especially if they are trying to take the team in a different direction, culture- or play style-wise. The players and coaches have had a year to decide whether they fit into the new system and some typically choose to move on. Just look at Fralick who won only 5 MAC games total her 1st 2 years at BG as she was doing a complete overhaul on the team makeup and style. So, year three is where we learn the most, I think.

Too bad for Akron and the MAC to lose Bass (assuming she leaves the MAC). She is an Engineering major and there were rumors (don't know if true) that she chose to stay at Akron this year mostly because she wanted to finish her degree there. But, things I guess have changed - unless she will have her degree after this year, which is possible (she's only a Junior but came in with a very high academic record), but I don't know.

YSU would be a landing spot for her you might think - has an Engineering grad school, is still relatively close to her home in Strongsville, and she'd be playing for her old coach there. Obviously, she is talented enough to go to a higher level BB school, but that will depend on her priorities.

Just looked up YSU's roster situation. They graduate at least 6 5th year players this year, possibly a couple more as they had 2 4th year seniors as well. One player is in the portal. They signed 7 incoming freshmen in November, and so if all of them stay committed, they have 1 slot open by my count, although that could change. Will have to see if they "make room" for Bass and/or some of the other Jackson-recruited Akron players who are transferring.

wbbblog also reporting that FR Guard Olivia Brown is out at Akron. Assuming all these reports are accurate, that's 8 players out at Akron, and they only have 1 confirmed signee coming in.

Interestingly this year I have not been able to confirm hardly any of the reported portal announcements from the players' own social media, or related accounts like family or whatnot. In the past couple years, most are easily confirmable within a day or so of the other reports. Not saying that the reports are not accurate, just strange this year so far.

I have confirmed Marable, Denson and Lewandowski, but that's it.

Also interesting is that several players went through senior day celebrations when it appears that they should still have a year of eligibility. Does that mean they are not coming back for year 5? It has not always, but it may. I.e. BG's Hill and Dziekan both were honored, although both still have a year of eligibility. The bird-board believes they are not coming back. So, I am scrambling to cobble together my list of changes so far.

(03-24-2024 08:40 AM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  

(03-24-2024 06:46 AM)Lester Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 08:40 PM)Lester Wrote:  The Akron board is saying that Reagan Bass is in the portal. I can't find any confirmation.

wbbblog is now reporting that Bass is in the portal. It's too soon to judge any of the new MAC coaches, but the Akron coach seems to have gotten off to a rough start. Despite being the earliest hired of the new coaches and having Bass return this past year, Akron was just as bad as Miami and Central Michigan. Now six players, including Bass, are in the portal. Time will tell, but I would rather be a Bowling Green, CMU, or Miami fan right now.

It's not all that unusual for the 2nd year of a new coach to be as chaotic as the 1st, especially if they are trying to take the team in a different direction, culture- or play style-wise. The players and coaches have had a year to decide whether they fit into the new system and some typically choose to move on. Just look at Fralick who won only 5 MAC games total her 1st 2 years at BG as she was doing a complete overhaul on the team makeup and style. So, year three is where we learn the most, I think.

Too bad for Akron and the MAC to lose Bass (assuming she leaves the MAC). She is an Engineering major and there were rumors (don't know if true) that she chose to stay at Akron this year mostly because she wanted to finish her degree there. But, things I guess have changed - unless she will have her degree after this year, which is possible (she's only a Junior but came in with a very high academic record), but I don't know.

YSU would be a landing spot for her you might think - has an Engineering grad school, is still relatively close to her home in Strongsville, and she'd be playing for her old coach there. Obviously, she is talented enough to go to a higher level BB school, but that will depend on her priorities.

Just looked up YSU's roster situation. They graduate at least 6 5th year players this year, possibly a couple more as they had 2 4th year seniors as well. One player is in the portal. They signed 7 incoming freshmen in November, and so if all of them stay committed, they have 1 slot open by my count, although that could change. Will have to see if they "make room" for Bass and/or some of the other Jackson-recruited Akron players who are transferring.

Well, that's the rumor on the Zips' board - that she will be going to Youngstown State. I'm guessing that someone on that board actually knows something, given that news of her being in the portal was posted there a couple of days before it was public knowledge.

(03-24-2024 06:46 AM)Lester Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 08:40 PM)Lester Wrote:  The Akron board is saying that Reagan Bass is in the portal. I can't find any confirmation.

wbbblog is now reporting that Bass is in the portal. It's too soon to judge any of the new MAC coaches, but the Akron coach seems to have gotten off to a rough start. Despite being the earliest hired of the new coaches and having Bass return this past year, Akron was just as bad as Miami and Central Michigan. Now six players, including Bass, are in the portal. Time will tell, but I would rather be a Bowling Green, CMU, or Miami fan right now.

BLASPHEMER!!!

Mühl and Barreto reportedly both in the portal out of Ball State. With Puiggros graduating, that is all of their experienced bench guards.