Yea I don't understand it either as it relates to WBB. Grace VanSlooten #13 for ESPN in class of '23 has also enrolled at IMG for her senior season as well.
For me it's a sign that the business of basketball continues to overtake the sport itself. I get kids want to attend their dream schools, etc., but there has to be some realism there.
Hopefully Todd and VanSlooten are having their tuition costs covered. With the exchange rate for the US dollar in Canada, their annual tuition is the equivalent of attending university in Canada for 3-4 years combined.
For me, I keep wondering where this is all going and I'm looking at it from a couple viewpoints. One as a single parent, lucky enough to have a daughter who earned a scholarship without having to go broke. The costs some families are putting into just the high school years alone worries me. There's no way I could afford what is being spent nowadays and it's making basketball inaccessible for good kids.
Second as a volunteer coach who is seeing a lot of churn in HS basketball in the Toronto and Ontario region. People joke about a HS transfer portal. It isn't a joke from what I'm seeing. I'm seeing kids change schools annually now in the hope that they will get better "exposure" depending on what has been promised.
Todd left a good program after her Grade 9 year to join Royal Crown. Her Grade 10 year was a struggle because of the talent around her. Grade 11 didn't happen due to COVID and it was to be a stacked team. She's also posted a final 5 months ago. If these are considered "locks" for offers (except Syracuse for obvious reasons), I don't get how moving to IMG would help her that much more.
Apologies for the wordiness, but I'm really perplexed here. Maybe I shouldn't care so much, but I've seen what this sport has done to benefit my daughter. Just hope kids can continue to get these opportunities without having to go through all of what I'm seeing lately.