More fallout from Louisville/Oregon/Russell

[EricLA]

How about not true at all. Duke was taking Emily Waner either way, as the team needed a point guard. And Emily Waner was a top 60 player and the state player of the year in Colorado.

Might want to be aware of the facts before making a bold proclamation...

Yeah, but what's the fun in that, Cam?!!

 

[Husky68]

How about not true at all. Duke was taking Emily Waner either way, as the team needed a point guard. And Emily Waner was a top 60 player and the state player of the year in Colorado.

Might want to be aware of the facts before making a bold proclamation...

Top 60 player who wanted to transfer into Duke would not be good enough to be recruited by Duke. How many other transfers in has Duke taken, can't think of one, maybe there are some. Emily was not exactly a star her freshman year. She averaged 7.1 pts per game for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Quotes from news sources in 2004 "April 19th announced (Emily) that she is leaving the Buffaloes for chance to play with Abby"
April 30th Abby commits to Duke.
Quotes from news sources about Abby's commitment on May 1st of 2004 " With this commitment, the Blue Devils also picked up a second guard, Abby's sister, Emily"

So if you want to sell that Duke in 2004 with the recruiting classes Gail was putting together were about to offer Emily a scholarship after her freshman performace at Colorado to sit out a year and transfer to Duke without 1st getting her sister Abby you can sell all you want, the facts speak for themselves. No way Gail recruits Emily without Abbey.

So you are saying that Emily makes statement on April 19th and Abby thinks "I want to go to Duke and I don't care what Emily wants, if she isn't good enough to get a scholarship to Duke I guess we'll never play together". I would suggest given statements made by Emily and timing of scholarship offers and the complete lack of performance by Emily as a college freshman that would attract a recruiting colossal like Duke to take her as a transfer - you protest too much vs. Duke's motive on giving Emily a transfer scholarship - get Abby.

 

[stwainfan]

Russell and Tucker are both signed.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Top 60 player who wanted to transfer into Duke would not be good enough to be recruited by Duke. How many other transfers in has Duke taken, can't think of one, maybe there are some. Emily was not exactly a star her freshman year. She averaged 7.1 pts per game for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Quotes from news sources in 2004 "April 19th announced (Emily) that she is leaving the Buffaloes for chance to play with Abby"
April 30th Abby commits to Duke.
Quotes from news sources about Abby's commitment on May 1st of 2004 " With this commitment, the Blue Devils also picked up a second guard, Abby's sister, Emily"

So if you want to sell that Duke in 2004 with the recruiting classes Gail was putting together were about to offer Emily a scholarship after her freshman performace at Colorado to sit out a year and transfer to Duke without 1st getting her sister Abby you can sell all you want, the facts speak for themselves. No way Gail recruits Emily without Abbey.

So you are saying that Emily makes statement on April 19th and Abby thinks "I want to go to Duke and I don't care what Emily wants, if she isn't good enough to get a scholarship to Duke I guess we'll never play together". I would suggest given statements made by Emily and timing of scholarship offers and the complete lack of performance by Emily as a college freshman that would attract a recruiting colossal like Duke to take her as a transfer - you protest too much vs. Duke's motive on giving Emily a transfer scholarship - get Abby.

From anything I've ever heard, I think you are overstating here. There was zero controversy about the Waner's going to Duke, really. I don't care if Duke was doing a favor for one or the other, I never heard that Abby wouldn't go if they didn't take Emily, only that they wanted to play together. Other sisters have presented themselves as a "package" deal, often to the detriment of both sisters in the end. There really was no downside in this for Duke.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Top 60 player who wanted to transfer into Duke would not be good enough to be recruited by Duke. How many other transfers in has Duke taken, can't think of one, maybe there are some. Emily was not exactly a star her freshman year. She averaged 7.1 pts per game for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Quotes from news sources in 2004 "April 19th announced (Emily) that she is leaving the Buffaloes for chance to play with Abby"
April 30th Abby commits to Duke.
Quotes from news sources about Abby's commitment on May 1st of 2004 " With this commitment, the Blue Devils also picked up a second guard, Abby's sister, Emily"

So if you want to sell that Duke in 2004 with the recruiting classes Gail was putting together were about to offer Emily a scholarship after her freshman performace at Colorado to sit out a year and transfer to Duke without 1st getting her sister Abby you can sell all you want, the facts speak for themselves. No way Gail recruits Emily without Abbey.

So you are saying that Emily makes statement on April 19th and Abby thinks "I want to go to Duke and I don't care what Emily wants, if she isn't good enough to get a scholarship to Duke I guess we'll never play together". I would suggest given statements made by Emily and timing of scholarship offers and the complete lack of performance by Emily as a college freshman that would attract a recruiting colossal like Duke to take her as a transfer - you protest too much vs. Duke's motive on giving Emily a transfer scholarship - get Abby.

My protest? Let me assure you, my information is based on fact, though some of it is from being an "insider," if you will.

You claim Emily would not be good enough to be recruited by Duke? She was ranked higher than Georgia Schweitzer, Vicki Krapohl, and others whom Duke recruited and who were very successful starters at Duke. In fact, there were and still are are players on Duke's roster who had lower rankings than Emily.

More importantly, she had demonstrated her three-point proficiency and potential while at Colorado. She ranked 10th in the Big 12 in three-point percentage and ranked 7th in the Big 12 in three-point baskets per game. She previously received multiple All-State honors and was the Colorado Player of the Year in high school.

As for the rest of the post, you claim the facts speak for themselves. One big problem...you are factually incorrect. First, you are purportedly quoting from (but not citing) "news sources." And one of the sources is itself wrong (unless you just quoted the headline, in which case only the headline is wrong). Emily committed before Abby. So your quoted news sources either contradict each other or you pick and chose parts that are factually incongruent.

Let's look at the timeline and the facts.

Harding was supposed to graduate after 2006 (this was before her suspension was announced). This is the spring of 2004. Duke struck out on Alexis Hornbuckle and Candice Wiggins in recruiting, two players they thought they led for. Duke, at the last minute, go Wanisha Smith, but she was a combo guard. Duke was having difficulty recruiting point guards in the high school Class of 2005 (and was worried that Mitch would have to play point, even though she was better suited to the wing and was not an athletic playmaker when she did have to play the point).

By having Emily, Duke solved its 2005 PG problem, as Emily would player the 2005-2006 season....when the 2005 class would arrive and Harding's senior year (as it turns out, Harding had the extra year from the suspension). Emily would back her up for one year, and take over the starting position as a junior. As for Abby, Duke had Wanisha Smith to play shooting guard and, at the time, was recruiting Marissa Coleman heavily for the small forward position. Duke could have played Wanisha and Abby together or Coleman next to Smith.

Two facts of which you were not aware:

- Duke targeted Emily for the position and used the CAPE program as part of the sales pitch, knowing Emily was tremendously academically inclined (high school valedictorian, etc.). Emily became one of three Duke female basketball players to go through CAPE (Georgia Schweitzer and Alison Bales were the other two). As an aside, Emily is finishing up her last year at Duke Medical School.

- Tim Waner, Abby and Emily's father, has repeatedly stated that Duke emphasized that it would take Emily no matter what Abby did because of need at the point guard position. He has also said this to ME on multiple occasions.

Did having Emily at Duke help in Abby's decision making process? Of course. But was it the reason Abby ended up at Duke? Absolutely not. Was getting Abby the reason why Duke took Emily Waner? Absolutely not. Was Emily Waner good enough to be recruited by and play at Duke? Absolutely.

 

[doggydaddy]

"Did having Emily at Duke help in Abby's decision making process? Of course. But was it the reason Abby ended up at Duke? Absolutely not. Was getting Abby the reason why Duke took Emily Waner? Absolutely not. Was Emily Waner good enough to be recruited by and play at Duke? Absolutely. "

Lawyers!!! Have to use 500 words for something that can be said so perfectly in less words.

 

[Outside Shot]

And Duke usually gets a pass on most matters, because they hold the moral high ground- just ask them. LOL

"Did having Emily at Duke help in Abby's decision making process? Of course. But was it the reason Abby ended up at Duke? Absolutely not. Was getting Abby the reason why Duke took Emily Waner? Absolutely not. Was Emily Waner good enough to be recruited by and play at Duke? Absolutely. "

Lawyers!!! Have to use 500 words for something that can be said so perfectly in less words.

 

[triaddukefan]

I didnt follow women's recruiting until the past couple of years. How great is it that I find out tidbits of Duke recruiting history in a thread about Louisville... on a UCONN message board. What a great Country this is

 

[UConnCat]

I didnt follow women's recruiting until the past couple of years. How great is it that I find out tidbits of Duke recruiting history in a thread about Louisville... on a UCONN message board. What a great Country this is

Not only that, you get up-to-the-minute information on the Tenn recruits that have signed their LOIs. I know I've been checking hourly for that information. And all this in a thread about Louisville and Oregon. No wonder so many fans read the Boneyard. You can learn a lot here.

 

[Bestiarius]

The rule is rather easy. A player may not play for a school where his parent is on the athletic department staff.

That would force Kim Mulkey to quit her job.

 

[sarals24]

Maybe if their parent had been a part of the athletic department for a set number of years? Say five? I think sometimes is very cool to see parent-child coaching interactions. Bryce Drew and Valparaiso come to mind...

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

And Duke usually gets a pass on most matters, because they hold the moral high ground- just ask them. LOL

No, that is not why Duke gets a pass. But that is why Duke graduates work at better restaurants...

 

[doggydaddy]

Russell and Tucker are both signed.

Shocking. Thanks for letting us know.

 

[Icebear]

That would force Kim Mulkey to quit her job.

Her choice.

 

[Icebear]

Maybe if their parent had been a part of the athletic department for a set number of years? Say five? I think sometimes is very cool to see parent-child coaching interactions. Bryce Drew and Valparaiso come to mind...

I suggested being at a school for two years .