2025 Transfer Portal | Page 54 | The Boneyard

2025 Transfer Portal

Status
Not open for further replies.
It's not a talent issue--it's a production issue. Lay didn't produce at the level that would've made Latson a luxury instead of a necessity. Having the "run of the floor" works both ways, as it also makes it easier for defenses to key in on you. Despite being on the first page of every scouting report against FSU, Ta'Niya was able to lead the nation in scoring and did so with higher shooting splits than Lay.

There are better shooters in the country than Tessa, but that doesn't mean that Tessa isn't a good shooter. She's an INCONSISTENT shooter, which was the problem this year. People see "47% from the field and 43% from three" and are convinced that this alone is indicative of her impact. But a 43% 3-point shooter can shoot 6-7 from three one night and 0-7 from three the next. That's why context is important. It's important to actually watch the games.

Back to Fulwiley: If Lay plays on another team, she likely could put up Hannah Hidalgo numbers. However, if she's not actually leading her team to conference championships and Sweet 16s (like Hannah has done), does it really matter? That would mean that she's not having a Hannah Hidalgo-like impact. Numbers don't mean squat if they're not impactful. We'll see what Lay does--she does have a lot of ground to make up if she's going to challenge the likes of Hannah and JuJu for individual honors.


I agree that it takes a certain type of player to excel coming off the bench, which is why I thought, at that time, that Joyce was more deserving of Sixth Woman of the Year than Lay. I disagree with the second part of this. Despite not having a dominant scorer on the roster, Dawn Michelle Staley was able to guide the team to a Top 2 finish nationally. Not starting Tessa or Lay didn't cause South Carolina to lose the championship. Those extra 3-5 minutes per game played by our seniors were not the difference between a title and a title game loss. The inability of the sophomore guards to step up and present a near-impossible challenge to CDS is the reason why this year's team didn't win it all. Again, Dawn's not mining the portal for the NCAA's leading scorer if she knows that Tessa and Lay could produce at that level.
I have no idea why Fulwiley was the 6th woman. I thought she was undeserving, but never looked into alternative candidates because why would I?
 
I like SC but you can't call me generational and play me 18 minutes a game for 2 years and then not clear the way for me my junior year. I just think is a hooper who loves to play. I get Paopao stayed an extra year and now Raven is as well so it's unforseen. But I don't disagree with the decision from a basketball point of view.
I agree. This is a big move though, but not as big as her next decision. Where does she go that can give her let's say 30 minutes, a shot at a title, doesn't create a domino effect on the new team...oh, and gifts her a bag? First thought was TN... but they play hockey shifts. LSU? Ole Miss? Duke? UCLA is promising. ND and USC would fit on paper, but the locker room is another thing.
 
I'll just say that if there is a deficit on the Uconn roster it is the leadership that is walking out the door in both Paige of course but also Chen. And that was probably the most important part of getting Chen in, relieving a little of the pressure on Paige and giving her someone in the mold of what Geno gets from CD and the assistants - a sounding board. And she was not a long term commitment so the roster implications were for one year.

A rising sophomore with limited playtime isn't bringing that - she may be a great player, and you get potentially three years, but it does also jam up the progression for the current roster including incoming freshmen, and future HS recruiting, so is it worth it?
Funny how year after year, regardless of who graduates, UConn always comes up with outstanding leaders each and every season. Azzi, KK and Caroline will all be exceptional leaders on and off the court for this team next season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Ash, Sarah & Jana all step up as well.
 
I can't call a player "generational" if she can't do enough in practice or during games to supplant Raven, Pao, or Breezy. No offense to any of those players, but they're closer to average than they are to being superstars (by contrast, Ta'Niya is a superstar). Generational players are supposed to make that choice difficult, but made it surprisingly easy. Either Dawn doesn't know what she's doing or isn't actually generational. We shall see, but I'm not doubting Dawn Michelle Staley.

Well Dawn called her a generational "talent" so it was mostly her own doing.

I disagree that she ever flipped a switch and played consistently well this year.

She had good games but overall regressed. And you could see her being almost defiant in a few games about taking bad shots. She clearly felt like part of her purpose was making sportscenter.

Good luck to her. She could easily haunt us, but this is probably good result for everyone involved.
 
Last edited:

Very big news as Fulwiley exits SC.
It would be so awesome if she signed with Kim and LSU. This young lady was undervalued. As Diana said she should have started. I agree.
 
I have no idea why Fulwiley was the 6th woman. I thought she was undeserving, but never looked into alternative candidates because why would I?
It was a way to get a South Carolina player an individual award for the team going 15-1 in the conference (Texas, meanwhile, took home POY and COY). Voters just chose the wrong Gamecock.
 
Okay - so which phase are we at after an ayahuasca cleanse? The levels of inebriation the portal is going through makes Canadian bush parties seem tame. ;)
Wow, I expect to learn about basketball when I come here, but I’ve learned about something completely unrelated. I didn’t even learn about ayahuasca in my reckless youth reading Carlos Castenada.
 
She’s been better than Ice Brady (#5 recruit) and Ayanna Patterson (#4 recruit, though lots of injuries for her). Others in the top 10 who haven’t made noise include #8 Aaliyah Gayles (gun shot victim), and #9 Maya Nnaji (quit basketball). FWIW, #6 recruit Timea Gardiner performed similarly to Barker this year.

But Barker definitely had more hype out of HS than all the players mentioned above. She looked unbelievable in the McDonald’s AA game and I thought had shades of Candace Parker to her game.
Barker's numbers may have been better than Ice Brady's, but in a structured offense or defense I would take Brady over Barker any day of the week. Your assertion that Barker was better than players who did not play -- including Ayanna Patterson, Aaliyah Gayles, and Maya Nnaji -- is sophomoric, I usually look forward to your posts, and often as not learn from them. Are you having a bad day?
 
Well Dawn called her a generational "talent" so it was mostly her own doing.

I didageee that she ever played flipped a switch and played consistently well.

She had good games but overall regressed. And you could see her being almost defiant in a few games about taking bad shots. She clearly felt like part of her purpose was making sportscenter.

Good luck to her. She could easily haunt us, but this is probably good result for everyone involved.
I think in general Dawn expects the players to adapt to the team and the system. Usually a good thing, but some special talents just are not a good fit if they can't play Dawn's way. Rivers and Cooper at NC State and Tennessee were obviously very talented but unique players, who never were relevant at South Carolina but blossomed with their new teams.

Latson will be interesting, because she will need to blend her great one on one scoring talents into a team system as well, after being used to being a very high usage player that the offense revolved around. I suspect she will transition pretty well, but it will be a challenge for coach and player, because it probably won't be just changing teams and playing exactly the same way.
 
@triaddukefan no way you expected this


I think we can all drop the act of not acting like money doesn’t play a major role in a lot of these decisions. Duke was going to be a preseason top 5. Potentially had the chance of making a good final four run. That’s not what some of these players chase anymore. They are chasing money. What a time to be a college basketball fan.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Online statistics

Members online
174
Guests online
1,283
Total visitors
1,457

Forum statistics

Threads
163,980
Messages
4,377,489
Members
10,167
Latest member
CTFan142


.
..
Top Bottom