Another exciting game going on at UCLA...

[Gate81]

I believe the belief WAS true and that due to the family situation she chose to stay closer to home. It's not just stated on this site but I've heard it around Stanford too.

 

[kat0189]

And add current younger players like Turner, Boley, Lambert (whose nickname per an ESPN article was Stanford) and UCLA's Monique Billings...

My understanding is that Boley very much had the grades and would have been admitted to Stanford, but chose Notre Dame instead. However, her decision not to go to Stanford seemed at least in part because she wanted to end the recruiting process early (numerous times she was quoted saying she found the recruiting process stressful and wanted to end it early), and she would have had to technically wait until after her junior year grades were in, in order to make it official with Stanford (although Anna Wilson verballed very early to Stanford, she still had to get those junior year grades in, in order for it to have been really official. She sort of took a chance in verballing so early, but fortunately it all worked out).

Now Turner seemed to have also had the grades for Stanford, but decided not to go through the application process and to instead choose Notre Dame. Though not as much of an obvious "lock" academically as Boley (who was #1 academically in her class), I know Turner had very good grades, and my impression is that she indeed would have been admitted had she gone through the application process. My impression is that timing played a role in her decision. Notre Dame was buzzing and simply the more "fashionable" choice at the time: 3 nail-biter wins over UConn that year, winning the Big East title outright as well as the conference tournament, Lil Wayne tweeting his crush on Skylar Diggins, etc. Stanford on the other hand got hammered in their early meeting against UConn then had an early exit in the NCAA Tournament getting upset by Georgia in the Sweet 16. I really do think timing made a difference in her decision.

Lambert did seem like a lock for Stanford, and I'm 99% sure she had the grades. My hunch is that she ultimately simply changed her mind, and that some specific difference between the curriculums available at Duke vs. Stanford might have played a role.

My impression is that Stanford was not an option for Billings, though still a good student. Same case for a local recruit Chidom, who ended up at Duke. Incidentally, Stanford saw their potential early and were after both of them before their stock rose.

 

[Lobo50Fan]

Something else I've noticed is that Tara sticks with her starting line up. They are the ones that will get the minutes, points, rebounds, etc. I'm sure coaches work with the rest of the players on the team, but it is pretty clear early on in their careers who will be living on the bench only seeing garbage time and who will be right in the mix. Normally, the past few graduation cycles anyway, there hasn't been any let up with big players coming in. From Nicole Powell to Candice, then to Jayne and the Ogwumike sisters. It doesn't appear a lot of the players have really...developed or they aren't prepared because they didn't see game time before where they suddenly are now.
That's always been one thing I've loved about Geno. The players he gets will all become the best players they can be and a lot of them improve to the point where they are big contributors in their later years. Someone like Stefanie Dolson for instance. People weren't sure what Geno saw in her when he recruited her. If she had gone to Stanford (for instance), she may have been one of those bench players. Geno saw the potential, pushed her, and she became another in a long line of great post players the program has seen.

 

[mudcat]

It really comes down to admissions for Stanford.

Off the top of my head, some relatively recent players for whom Stanford was their #1 choice but couldn't quite get admitted, despite being solid students:

#1) Played for the USA National Team last summer – Capital One Academic All-America Second Team (senior year), Capital One Academic All-District First Team (sophomore & senior years), Academic All-Big 12 First Team (sophomore through senior years), and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team member (sophomore year)
#2) First Round WNBA Draft Pick – All-ACC Academic Team (junior & senior years)
#3) Top 5 Recruit out of HS – SEC Academic Honor Roll (junior & senior years)
#4) Top 12 Recruit out of HS/Projected 1st Round WNBA Draft Pick – Academic All-Big 12 First Team (freshman through sophomore years, currently a senior)

Heck, Shoni Schimmel's #1 choice by a mile was Stanford (her dad played baseball there), but didn't quite have the grades.

I do, however, think Tara makes some mistakes in recruiting. One year she had to pass on a top 12 recruit b/c she didn't have room b/c she took a c couple benchwarmers a couple years earlier.

Also, Aly Beebe (ranked #13 out of HS) would have been a senior thids year but medically retired after 3 ACL's.

How come no names?

 

[Kibitzer]

In this thread we have had some enlightening factual insights about how the recruiting process has played out for a few individuals and at a few schools. Without appearing to discourage widespread but often dubious speculation, permit me to reiterate two beliefs that I have found to be reliable:

1. Those that know, don't talk. Those that don't know, do.

2. I have adapted the "urban legend" term to "internet legend" for use on message boards like our Boneyard and specifically applied it to recruiting speculation. What, you may ask, is an internet legend? It starts with a rumor, or perhaps a wishful or idle thought, expressed by a poster (e.g., "Word is that **** is an ND lean"). Next this "hot tip" is picked up and repeated. As it gains momentum through repetition, it appears to be immutable but in actuality it is merely just another internet legend, a source of gratification for the gullible.​

Thanks for your indulgence. Let the recruiting discussion continue.

 

[willtalk]

Don't get me wrong here; Tara is a terrific, all-time great coach in wcbb. But is something passing her by? If so, what 's rotten in Denmark?

There are a lot of factors in play. Some of which have already been mentioned. One factor is the upgrade in over all coaching in WCBB. When Tara, Summit etc first started their were not that many good coaches in WCBB. If those coaches were starting today they would not have gotten their reps. There are just so many good coaches in WCBB for a lot of different reason. A I have posted before, Geno was the vanguard of the new group of coaches in the game. Those schools just do not have the reps that pulls elite players as the programs once did. As is mentioned not only coaching parity but also player parity plays a big factor.