2025 Transfer Portal

[Bone Dog]

Points for using a vastly undervalued word….balderdash.

That word gave me a flabbergasm.

 

[JeannoCT]

Good for her. Enjoyed watching her at Belmont. She was completely being wasted at Tennessee.

Was she injured??

 

[stwainfan]

Was she injured??

She had a knee injury. Not sure if she was fully healthy.

 

[YoDore]

Was she injured??

She missed her first year at UT with a knee injury (the Harper year), but I didn't hear anything about an injury this past season under Caldwell.

 

[southie]

 

[Baller29]

 

[nwhoopfan]

Looking at stats, Wells has played a total of 19 games at Tennessee in 2 seasons. First year played in 10 games, averaged 6.8 ppg. Second year 9 games and only 1.3 ppg. This was after averaging 17.8, 16.6 and 19.5 in 3 years at Belmont. I'm certain somebody can get more out of her than what the Vols have managed to do.

 

[Geew1992]

This 94 feet person is not credible. Been called out by a few people.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Now it is a fact that LSU exerts a lot of pressure to cancel future visits.

 

[Geew1992]

Now it is a fact that LSU exerts a lot of pressure to cancel future visits.

Pretty sure she already visited UConn. And 94 feet is bs

 

[Baller29]

Pretty sure she already visited UConn. And 94 feet is bs

She visited unc earlier in the week too

 

[sivad40]

Nah. You are speaking like a player agent. Nobody at UConn (or other universities for that matter) would know what the market value of a player is, because the market value has not been established. As things stand right now, the WCBB environment is in an undefined marketplace. The "price" of an athlete's participation is thrown out there by agents and/or parents. The value of the player's abilities - much less the return on investment - is purely speculative, also inflamed by agents and parents.

Nobody is saying UConn is not playing in the NIL arena. Of course they are. Just not in the way you think they should be - i.e., throwing six figure bags of money at unproven players.

What makes UConn (and South Carolina) at the top of the WCBB pyramid, is their ability to play championship caliber team basketball. Geno takes very specific top talent and molds it into a top performing team. Dawn endeavors to do the same in Columbia. Team basketball requires more than getting extremely talented and exciting young women on a court. It takes time, effort and a team-oriented focus by each of the players. UConn has been the proof of this for the past 40 years.

There is so much top talent in WBB today that there is no reason to be throwing six-figure bags of money at unproven transfers or high school players. Player agents and some parents of these players would like the fans to think so, and are great fanning the flames of "if you don't get so-and-so, another school will and you will eventually fall behind and be unable to recover". Poppycock and balderdash.

It only requires a look at the teams in the National Championship game for the past 13 years in order for one to see the importance of team chemistry. Of the 12 National Champions, only LSU (three years ago in Mulkey's second year) had a starting line-up with more than two transfers. Six champions (Four UConn, Stanford, and S.Carolina) sent out starting line-ups with nothing but homegrown players, and three champions (ND, Baylor and UConn) won with only one transfer starting. Twice the Gamecocks started two transfers. Conclusion: team chemistry matters.

Of course teams (not just Dawn and Geno) won championships with most of their own players. It's been only a year or two since the NCAA allowed players to transfer freely with no restrictions. Prior to this, the players had to sit a year to transfer or apply for a waiver to NCAA to play immediately. The NCAA would randomly approve some players for a waiver and denied others with often no specific reason as to why they were denied. Prior to the waiver era, players were blocked from transferring to certain schools or from even transferring from the school by their head coach by either their coach, school or conference.

I apologize for slightly getting off topic. Now back to the topic at hand

 

[Lurker]

I know this swerve has gone far afield, though perhaps it’s inevitable at this point in the portal window.

I’m a supporter of NIL merely on the basis of restraint of trade issues. The players own property and shouldn’t be prevented from trading in it, as long as there’s no fraud involved. But this remark about revenue goes further.

The business of college sports has always traded on the work and appearance of players. ...

Thank you, I like your well reasoned and written analysis.

Ultimately, the whole WCBB system is supported by us consumers creating demand and value. If interest and value decline, the whole enterprise and the $300,000/year NILs go away. For me, as an example, I am now completely alienated (as are so many I know) from baseball, which I previously loved.

Is the hype in these WCBB portal player releases deliverable (or kinda sad in its exaggeration?), and are the projected earnings of the WCBB enterprise sustainable, particularly in light of what is often mediocre quality play? I currently love watching my team, but it's not hard for me to imagine that I could stop attending, donating, following. There are only so many watch worthy athletes like Paige and Strong, and match-ups like UConn/USC, out there. There is a lot of competition for eyeballs among the alternative activities. The hold of the WCBB enterprise on the consumer may be overrated and more limited than some think. It's hot now, but there isn't any guarantee it will continue. Honestly, I see a lot of empty (expensive) seats at games. Makes me think of the Goose that Layed the Golden Eggs.

 

[FanInNC]

Nah. You are speaking like a player agent. Nobody at UConn (or other universities for that matter) would know what the market value of a player is, because the market value has not been established. As things stand right now, the WCBB environment is in an undefined marketplace. The "price" of an athlete's participation is thrown out there by agents and/or parents. The value of the player's abilities - much less the return on investment - is purely speculative, also inflamed by agents and parents.

Nobody is saying UConn is not playing in the NIL arena. Of course they are. Just not in the way you think they should be - i.e., throwing six figure bags of money at unproven players.

What makes UConn (and South Carolina) at the top of the WCBB pyramid, is their ability to play championship caliber team basketball. Geno takes very specific top talent and molds it into a top performing team. Dawn endeavors to do the same in Columbia. Team basketball requires more than getting extremely talented and exciting young women on a court. It takes time, effort and a team-oriented focus by each of the players. UConn has been the proof of this for the past 40 years.

There is so much top talent in WBB today that there is no reason to be throwing six-figure bags of money at unproven transfers or high school players. Player agents and some parents of these players would like the fans to think so, and are great fanning the flames of "if you don't get so-and-so, another school will and you will eventually fall behind and be unable to recover". Poppycock and balderdash.

It only requires a look at the teams in the National Championship game for the past 13 years in order for one to see the importance of team chemistry. Of the 12 National Champions, only LSU (three years ago in Mulkey's second year) had a starting line-up with more than two transfers. Six champions (Four UConn, Stanford, and S.Carolina) sent out starting line-ups with nothing but homegrown players, and three champions (ND, Baylor and UConn) won with only one transfer starting. Twice the Gamecocks started two transfers. Conclusion: team chemistry matters.

Of course team chemistry matters.

The transfer deal is relatively new. It wasn’t a thing 13 years ago was it? I think the rule changed in 2021 about not having to sit out a year after transferring. The transfer “market” is a completely different thing in 2025 than it was in 2013. Wouldn’t it be more telling to look at the Champions of the last 4 years rather than 13 years back?

 

[WBBTakeover]

View attachment 108922

I honestly would be surprised if she left Baton Rouge without committing. They seem to have an uncanny ability to get the recruit to cancel her remaining visits.

 

[Forego]

I honestly would be surprised if she left Baton Rouge without committing. They seem to have an uncanny ability to get the recruit to cancel her remaining visits.

Kim is an excellent recruiter of elite tranfers and high school recruits. From the photos in the above post with Serah wearing LSU uniforms, it would appear that Kim fired the whole nine yards to win her over. Probably showed her the locker room with her name on a locker with the uniforms with her name and number on them hanging on the locker’s hooks. But not all recruits or transfers that visit LSU or are visited at home by the LSU coaching staff commit to LSU. It is likely that Sarah Strong got the same celebrity treatment when she visited LSU.

The bottom line is if Serah really wants to play for UConn then she will commit to UConn and earn the right to wear the uniform. Otherwise, she is not Husky material.

 

[Centerstream]

Unless it's from her social media post, the photos of her in LSU attire could be photo shopped,

 

[Topdawg]

Players have many reasons for choosing a school. Some forget that at the highest levels, basketball is a team sport. You need confidence to know if a smaller paycheck today + huge future upside is greater than a large paycheck today. Is it better to be a high scorer on a losing team or a valuable contributor on a winning team? Each player makes that evaluation to the best of their abilities. Some of the best make a choice to come to UConn (or any great program). The decision making process has become very hard for the kids.

 

[Zonepress]

Kim is an excellent recruiter of elite tranfers and high school recruits. From the photos in the above post with Serah wearing LSU uniforms, it would appear that Kim fired the whole nine yards to win her over. Probably showed her the locker room with her name on a locker with the uniforms with her name and number on them hanging on the locker’s hooks. But not all recruits or transfers that visit LSU or are visited at home by the LSU coaching staff commit to LSU. It is likely that Sarah Strong got the same celebrity treatment when she visited LSU.

The bottom line is if Serah really wants to play for UConn then she will commit to UConn and earn the right to wear the uniform. Otherwise, she is not Husky material.

I thought your last paragraph it was uncalled for

 

[th2421]

Looking at stats, Wells has played a total of 19 games at Tennessee in 2 seasons. First year played in 10 games, averaged 6.8 ppg. Second year 9 games and only 1.3 ppg. This was after averaging 17.8, 16.6 and 19.5 in 3 years at Belmont. I'm certain somebody can get more out of her than what the Vols have managed to do.

"What the Vols have managed to do." She tore her ACL her first season and was struggling to get back to form this year (especially in Caldwell's system) before getting injured again before the NCAA tournament. She really had a rough go of it (health-wise) at Tennessee, but I hope she can get healthy and have a better final year of college basketball.

 

[Forego]

I thought your last paragraph it was uncalled for

In the boneyard everyone is entitled to their opinion.

 

[Zonepress]

In the boneyard everyone is entitled to their opinion.

agree 100 percent
and u have mine

 

[ConnMotors]

How many post players passed on UConn last year?

 

[typhaon]

It's not that the top programs have the best players, that's kind of always been the case... it's the incessant jersey swapping that can really kill the fun I get, as a fan.

If college basketball (sports?) is going to be indistinguishable from a U25 pro-league, then I wish the NCAA would implement pro-league rules that would add a more competitive and fan-friendly structure to things. Other pro leagues do this.

None of this is about the quality of the colleges or "student"-athletes getting an education.

 

[azfan]

Unlike the leading football and men's basketball teams, how many WBB programs actually make money for their schools? I'd bet not many if any at all.........the economic model doesn't make sense in WBB on the college or pro level.......boosters can spend millions to recruit the best women players but it's nothing other than a vanity project......now players like Chavez have the pressure of meeting the expectations of grabbing all that money.......what happens if she turns out to be just a good basketball player but not a superstar.....do they not pay her as much for the next season? That's a lot of pressure to put on anybody never mind an eighteen-year-old living away from home for the first time......I think we are going to see some sad stories in the next few years but that's the way it is......

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