New Era of Super Teams?

[BRS24]

Super teams are fun until everyone wants to be the star. I’ll continue to be fine with UConn building a roster of ego-less players who’ll buy into the system.

Super teams will only work if the boss is the coach, the coach stays the boss, and doesn't let the players run things. UConn vs UNC is a classic example of this, IMHO.

 

[Dynastic]

Thank you for your comment.

Four of the five starters including the stars Sanogo and Hawkins were already on the roster. I am not saying the men’s teams do not have transfers. Per the coach, he brought in players to fill specific roles.

In contrast, LSU’s key players came in as transfers. Kim built a team from scratch.

LSU, is a transfer portal team , 5 of their top 6 players are from the portal last year… as one would say an ALL STAR team . If that is what is considered “from scratch” , maybe she Kim works with an Easy Bake oven.

 

[darrell]

Super teams will only work if the boss is the coach, the coach stays the boss, and doesn't let the players run things. UConn vs UNC is a classic example of this, IMHO.

Steve Kerr in the NBA as well.

Steve Nash had Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on one team and couldn’t make it work.

 

[BRS24]

Steve Kerr in the NBA as well.

Steve Nash had Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on one team and couldn’t make it work.

Ah yes. And yet, Pierce, Allen, and Garnett worked in Boston, partly due to their believe in Ubuntu and common goals.

 

[Cuango]

Transfers wanting to win a championship also have to find a team with a coach capable of winning one. It is unfair to think any coach can do what Kim Mulkey did this year. She is one of the top 3 coaches in the game and everything fell into place for her team in the tournament. The other thing about LSU is Reese is she is most likely the top player at her position in the country and she is freakishly athletic. I see portal players that are good, but not any that are going to make a team go from average to NC.

Though you are right about Reese, what really made the difference for LSU was the kid who went 7 for 7 in the first half with 5 threes, and the overall 11 for 17 (.647%) on threes. I’d be interested to know when a LSU women’s team has ever shot that percentage on threes with 15 or more attempts? (Or will again) Of course, they did it then, and that’s why they’re champions but Reese, as good as she obviously is, was not the driving force in that win. She is a great player but I’m not convinced they’re going to suddenly supplant SC as some are saying. They (LSU) have certainly served notice that they are going to be a problem for women’s basketball and particularly for SC and any other ascendant SEC team!

 

[npignatjr]

Though you are right about Reese, what really made the difference for LSU was the kid who went 7 for 7 in the first half with 5 threes, and the overall 11 for 17 (.647%) on threes. I’d be interested to know when a LSU women’s team has ever shot that percentage on threes with 15 or more attempts? (Or will again) Of course, they did it then, and that’s why they’re champions but Reese, as good as she obviously is, was not the driving force in that win. She is a great player but I’m not convinced they’re going to suddenly supplant SC as some are saying. They (LSU) have certainly served notice that they are going to be a problem for women’s basketball and particularly for SC and any other ascendant SEC team!

That player a transfer

 

[BBallF]

The opposite did not happen in the men’s game. The UCONN men had three key players that came from the portal. Other teams that advanced deep into the tournament also had key players from the portal.

The end of the Covid year in 2024-2025 should calm things down a bit in both the men's and women's games. My big concern is the influence of portal money which the NCAA will not be able to effectively monitor or regulate. Since we are making women's college basketball a mini-WNBA, minus the contractual obligations, let's make all the payments to a player to transfer or as a result of transferring public. Otherwise, booster money will insidiously infiltrate the system even more than it has already. Want to have a credible women's basketball program overnight? Raise 5 million and give out a million each in the portal. Please don't tell me the NCAA will regulate this. This is all by design. They want nothing to do with anything about this. This is a slippery slope and the sport is being changed by the minute. Play for pay by the highest bidder.

 

[JellyBean]

Ah yes. And yet, Pierce, Allen, and Garnett worked in Boston, partly due to their believe in Ubuntu and common goals.

Yup. That Boston Big 3 worked well because of so many factors and one of those factors was the whole Ubuntu mindset.

 

[BRS24]

With Geno stating that if NIL is brought up quickly (link here), I don't think UConn would intentionally go this route. If he were recruiting a bunch of top players and they all committed, it would be lightning in a bottle, just like TASSK. There are players that know they want to play at UConn and NIL is secondary, and those players aren't going away anytime soon. I am hoping that the shine wears off the ability to immediately transfer, and that players do even more due diligence. One item brought up in the Betts thread is that her recruiting was virtual due to the pandemic, which may have been a part of her decision then and now.

 

[Zarathustra]

Eventually all the stars will end up in either the SEC or B1G. That is where are the money will be. Those conferences will have the best NIL deals to offer, and the most money to pay for facilities and coaches. It will be very interesting watching how this all plays out in the next few years.

Reminds me of the current COLLEGE FOOTBALL = SEC Big 10.

 

[freshler40]

The end of the Covid year in 2024-2025 should calm things down a bit in both the men's and women's games. My big concern is the influence of portal money which the NCAA will not be able to effectively monitor or regulate. Since we are making women's college basketball a mini-WNBA, minus the contractual obligations, let's make all the payments to a player to transfer or as a result of transferring public. Otherwise, booster money will insidiously infiltrate the system even more than it has already. Want to have a credible women's basketball program overnight? Raise 5 million and give out a million each in the portal. Please don't tell me the NCAA will regulate this. This is all by design. They want nothing to do with anything about this. This is a slippery slope and the sport is being changed by the minute. Play for pay by the highest bidder.

Yes a big concern not even adding gambling and how that might influence the future. The team models are quite different, grow internally, mix with transfers or the LSU current winning model of plug-in transfers at every position.
It would seem that the latter is a hard do over ever year and difficult to repeat. We'll see, unless the transfers have two or more years of eligibility it would be a coaching nightmare. This model also might not fit the eye of the top players that are included in an all star line-up.

 

[tigers4ever]

Unless Mulkey changes her stated philosophy, LSU will not be a portal based team. Mulkey has said repeatedly that she believes in building team through hs recruits but has also admitted that she totally underestimated how much the portal could/would accelerate the rebuild. Does winning the NC in year 2 change her philosophy? Hopefully not but time will tell. The narrative about LSU and portall players is also interesting. LSU had 4 transfer portal players last year as part of Mulkey's rebuild but Reese was the only highly sought after of the 4. The stats of the other 3 prior to LSU were non spectacular. Looking at Raoul's site, 4 portal players wasnt an exceptional number but the success with which Mulkey utilized them was unexpected for sure.

 

[JellyBean]

Unless Mulkey changes her stated philosophy, LSU will not be a portal based team. Mulkey has said repeatedly that she believes in building team through hs recruits but has also admitted that she totally underestimated how much the portal could/would accelerate the rebuild. Does winning the NC in year 2 change her philosophy? Hopefully not but time will tell. The narrative about LSU and portall players is also interesting. LSU had 4 transfer portal players last year as part of Mulkey's rebuild but Reese was the only highly sought after of the 4. The stats of the other 3 prior to LSU were non spectacular. Looking at Raoul's site, 4 portal players wasnt an exceptional number but the success with which Mulkey utilized them was unexpected for sure.

I think Coach Mulkey will stay true to her philosophy of building a program through the high school ranks. Right now, Coach Mulkey seems to have the transfer mojo vibe. Other programs will catch that groove soon.

 

[Beemer]

WNBA is having the same experience since the new CBA took effect. See LV and NY. Small market teams like the Sun will not be able to compete. It was amazing that Curt Miller was able to keep them as competitive as they were, but that's over.

I agree with you. It's too bad, the Sun have a loyal & knowledgeable fan base and I'll bet the franchise is one of the few in the WNBA that actually makes money for ownership. Alas we out here in the sticks can't compete with the glamor of New York, LA, LV etc.

 

[Rowdy831]

Eventually all the stars will end up in either the SEC or B1G. That is where are the money will be. Those conferences will have the best NIL deals to offer, and the most money to pay for facilities and coaches. It will be very interesting watching how this all plays out in the next few years.

That is why UCLA and USC joined the Big Ten. Maybe not so much in other sports but definitely for the football programs. I do think the Blue Bloods of WCBB will continue to get the top players too whether they join a Super Conference or not.

 

[BBallF]

That is why UCLA and USC joined the Big Ten. Maybe not so much in other sports but definitely for the football programs. I do think the Blue Bloods of WCBB will continue to get the top players too whether they join a Super Conference or not.

Yes but I think it is the coaches who will by and large make up the Blue Bloods. The players will go where they think they will get ready for the next level and have the best chances of getting there. In Women's BB the coaches are key in my mind.

 

[BBallF]

I think Coach Mulkey will stay true to her philosophy of building a program through the high school ranks. Right now, Coach Mulkey seems to have the transfer mojo vibe. Other programs will catch that groove soon.

I disagree. After this season, she will be in the portal non-stop.

 

[Ozimoto]

If college sports go the way of using the transfer portal to build super teams it will completely change the landscape and will resemble professional sports in my opinion. Whether that is good or bad depends on your perspective, I suppose. Ultimately, the fans and alumni will decide if this approach to winning college sports titles is viable.

If colleges and their fan bases (especially well heeled booster demand a "win now" approach, the building of teams from the portal will become the norm and coaches won't have the luxury of developing high school recruits over several years. NIL might not be the driving force behind this, but it will be an important tool in attracting impact transfer portal players.

 

[Rowdy831]

Unless Mulkey changes her stated philosophy, LSU will not be a portal based team. Mulkey has said repeatedly that she believes in building team through hs recruits but has also admitted that she totally underestimated how much the portal could/would accelerate the rebuild. Does winning the NC in year 2 change her philosophy? Hopefully not but time will tell. The narrative about LSU and portall players is also interesting. LSU had 4 transfer portal players last year as part of Mulkey's rebuild but Reese was the only highly sought after of the 4. The stats of the other 3 prior to LSU were non spectacular. Looking at Raoul's site, 4 portal players wasnt an exceptional number but the success with which Mulkey utilized them was unexpected for sure.

No. She has a top class coming in this coming year and it will fill a lot of holes that she was left with when she arrived. The other side is I'm not sure if you did that every year you could rely on similar results. Every break went their way, every bad match up was defeated by someone else and they shot 65% on threes in the final. Great accomplishment, great season but not duplicatable.

 

[maple]

With Geno stating that if NIL is brought up quickly (link here), I don't think UConn would intentionally go this route. If he were recruiting a bunch of top players and they all committed, it would be lightning in a bottle, just like TASSK. There are players that know they want to play at UConn and NIL is secondary, and those players aren't going away anytime soon. I am hoping that the shine wears off the ability to immediately transfer, and that players do even more due diligence. One item brought up in the Betts thread is that her recruiting was virtual due to the pandemic, which may have been a part of her decision then and now.

I imagine that in a few years this is what will happen. I've said it elsewhere, but players can't just expect that they are magically happier/more successful/whatever by transferring somewhere else. They might very well be! But they might also find the grass is not so greener. And there is truly no way to know. (Outside of a coaching change/abuse situation or a unique medical/family issue.) It's always a risk to transfer, regardless of whether or not there is an immediate penalty (e.g., sitting out a year). I think in due time, players will start seeing bigger name "non-success" stories and think twice about transferring.