New school commitments by Transfers - March 2024 | Page 40 | The Boneyard

New school commitments by Transfers - March 2024

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DaBball said:
Wow. UCLA now has the top-3 players from the 2022 class and four of the top-6.

Betts, Gardiner, Barker, Dugalic, Bessoir, Muse, Sontag. Really deep.
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Bessoir and Sontag no longer on the UCLA WBB Team. Bessoir chose not to take her extra year. Back in Germany rehabbing and hoping to be available for the German Women Olympic Bball team.
Sontag retired (sort of) to focus on gaining admission to Medical School also in Germany. She has stated she wants to continue to play basketball.

From the 2022 entering class UCLA will have #1 Betts, #2 Rice, #3 Barker, #6 Gardiner, #19 Jaquez and #22 Jones next season. Plus McD AA’s Dugalic, Muse, Kendall Dudley and Zania Socka-Nguemen. Charlisse Leger-Walker, Avary Cain, and Finnish freshman guard Elina Aarnisalo round out the 13 player roster. UCLA’s most talented wbb roster ever. Hope they mesh and make a deeper tournament run than in years past. The two USC vs UCLA games will make for huge WBB events in LA next season.
 
GamecockFam said:
I don't know how I feel about Barker at UCLA. It doesn't feel like a good fit to me. I would expect her to come off the bench behind Betts and/or Gardiner.
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Yeah I agree. I never understand moves like this. And I typically don't understand it from the coach/schools perspective. Dugalic is a 5th year, Betts was one of the most improved players. Then you sign Gardener which makes sense, she spreads the floor, is only scratching the surface of who she could be as her first year was married by injury. To add Barker though, who at one point was trying to go to the league after three years, idk. So you have 80 minutes for 4 quality bigs. If anything I thought Barker needed to be in a place where she could be more aggressive and have more touches
 
jdote33 said:
Yeah I agree. I never understand moves like this. And I typically don't understand it from the coach/schools perspective. Dugalic is a 5th year, Betts was one of the most improved players. Then you sign Gardener which makes sense, she spreads the floor, is only scratching the surface of who she could be as her first year was married by injury. To add Barker though, who at one point was trying to go to the league after three years, idk. So you have 80 minutes for 4 quality bigs. If anything I thought Barker needed to be in a place where she could be more aggressive and have more touches
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It's great for UCLA from a roster talent perspective. The frontcourt players will have to buy into shared minutes and be happy when they aren't on the court playing.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Could Betts ironically find herself in a similar situation as her Fr. year at Stanford--too many talented front court players and not enough minutes to go around?
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None of them are like her, so I think she'll still get some playing time. Her numbers may never be one of a super dominant center though. Tara was just flat out not playing her
 
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nwhoopfan said:
Could Betts ironically find herself in a similar situation as her Fr. year at Stanford--too many talented front court players and not enough minutes to go around?
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Betts will start but this is an overloaded frontcourt IMO. Betts, Gardiner and Barker all have star potential but 1 (or 2) will come off the bench (likely Barker). Angela Dugalic is back too.

Based on HS ranking, UCLA has an insane junior class. From the 2022 class they have:
#1 ranked recruit Lauren Betts
#2 Kiki Rice
#3 Janiah Barker
#6 Timea Gardiner
#19 Gabriela Jaquez
#22 Londyn Jones

Anything less than a Final Four the next 2 years will be a big let down.

If Barker wants to compete for a title, I would've thought LSU, USC or NC State would be a better fit based on roster personnel. Nonetheless, I hope she thrives in LA. She's just oozing with potential and could be a big star for women's basketball if she develops.
 
Reypl21 said:
None of them are like her, so I think she'll still get some playing time. Her numbers may never be one of a super dominant center though. Tara was just flat out not playing her
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UCLA's other posts have either left or graduated. Amanda Muse is more of a power forward and hasn't played much as a rising sophomore. Zania Socka is a freshman and also may be more of a 4. I don't see much change in Betts' playing time, and she may have an uptick if her conditioning has picked up.
 
bballnut90 said:
Betts will start but this is an overloaded frontcourt IMO. Betts, Gardiner and Barker all have star potential but 1 (or 2) will come off the bench (likely Barker). Angela Dugalic is back too.

Based on HS ranking, UCLA has an insane junior class. From the 2022 class they have:
#1 ranked recruit Lauren Betts
#2 Kiki Rice
#3 Janiah Barker
#6 Timea Gardiner
#19 Gabriela Jaquez
#22 Londyn Jones

Anything less than a Final Four the next 2 years will be a big let down.

If Barker wants to compete for a title, I would've thought LSU, USC or NC State would be a better fit based on roster personnel. Nonetheless, I hope she thrives in LA. She's just oozing with potential and could be a big star for women's basketball if she develops.
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I could see a lineup of:
1. Rice (Cain)
2. Jones (Leger-Walker, Aarnisalo)
3. Gardiner (Jaquez, Dudley)
4. Barker (Dugalic)
5. Betts (Socka, Muse)
That doesn't seem too overloaded to me. Lots of flexibility from some of those players. Might be light at the point. Leger-Walker has an indeterminate return date. My issue is that the clutch shooter, Jones, is probably the back-up point and is super-streaky. But this is a solid roster if they get comfortable with each other. Not crazy amounts of ego here.
 
bballnut90 said:
Anything less than a Final Four the next 2 years will be a big let down.

If Barker wants to compete for a title, I would've thought LSU, USC or NC State would be a better fit based on roster personnel. Nonetheless, I hope she thrives in LA. She's just oozing with potential and could be a big star for women's basketball if she develops.
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Believe it was stated that her girlfriend lives in L.A. And, Barker will actually be eligible for the WNBA draft after her upcoming junior season.
 
southie said:
Believe it was stated that her girlfriend lives in L.A. And, Barker will actually be eligible for the WNBA draft after her upcoming junior season.
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I read on Twitter she has said she would after her junior year
 
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BruinGold said:
I could see a lineup of:
1. Rice (Cain)
2. Jones (Leger-Walker, Aarnisalo)
3. Gardiner (Jaquez, Dudley)
4. Barker (Dugalic)
5. Betts (Socka, Muse)
That doesn't seem too overloaded to me. Lots of flexibility from some of those players. Might be light at the point. Leger-Walker has an indeterminate return date. My issue is that the clutch shooter, Jones, is probably the back-up point and is super-streaky. But this is a solid roster if they get comfortable with each other. Not crazy amounts of ego here.
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It’s a strong lineup that could work, but I think Jaquez should be starting with how productive she’s been through 2 years. We’ll see how it plays out, UCLA is definitely a team to watch this year. Thanks for sharing input about your team.
 
Gardiner at the 3 could work, I think of her as a combo forward or a stretch 4. But I don't think she played the 3 much if at all at OSU.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Gardiner at the 3 could work, I think of her as a combo forward or a stretch 4. But I don't think she played the 3 much if at all at OSU.
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I was thinking the same thing about her not having played small forward. I wonder if Gardiner knew before she chose UCLA that Barker was likely to join the squad as well. I honestly don't understand why it took Barker so long to make her choice public; yes, i know she is on her own timetable, but it does have an impact on others such as her future teammates, especially incoming transfers at her same position. If Gardiner did know, then she had all the facts when she made her choice.
 
I'm also a lacrosse fan and the Final Four was this weekend, so this news slipped by me. Whoa.
Thanks to @BruinGold for his input and all the usual contributors for their inputs, ranging from why Barker would go there in the first place and her purported time frame to how the line-ups would work. On one hand, I could see them. On the other, my skeptical side is moving in fast motion, wondering if this borders on a "recruiting over" situation.
  • Angela Dugalic started all but one game last year. Is she willingly going to go to the bench?
  • Like @ballnut90, I thought Jasquez was one of the Bruin's most consistent players last year.
  • Also, Barker's really there for one year? Is her head going to be in support of the Bruins or the WNBA draft? (Something Coach Ivey emphasizes is that she has thorough discussions with her HS and transfer prospects about her expectations and philosophy to see if there's a fit. Hope that's the case here...)
  • And there were other forwards (Sontag, Iwuala) that started. Where are they? Did they leave? Does Emily Bessoir have any years left?
  • Did the rest of the players know about these inputs? And when (including Gardiner, as brought up)? If everyone is on board, we'll see.
If not, one could be entering Walz/Freese territory next transfer period.
 
Dillon77 said:
I'm also a lacrosse fan and the Final Four was this weekend, so this news slipped by me. Whoa.
Thanks to @BruinGold for his input and all the usual contributors for their inputs, ranging from why Barker would go there in the first place and her purported time frame to how the line-ups would work. On one hand, I could see them. On the other, my skeptical side is moving in fast motion, wondering if this borders on a "recruiting over" situation.
  • Angela Dugalic started all but one game last year. Is she willingly going to go to the bench?
  • Like @ballnut90, I thought Jasquez was one of the Bruin's most consistent players last year.
  • Also, Barker's really there for one year? Is her head going to be in support of the Bruins or the WNBA draft? (Something Coach Ivey emphasizes is that she has thorough discussions with her HS and transfer prospects about her expectations and philosophy to see if there's a fit. Hope that's the case here...)
  • And there were other forwards (Sontag, Iwuala) that started. Where are they? Did they leave? Does Emily Bessoir have any years left?
  • Did the rest of the players know about these inputs? And when (including Gardiner, as brought up)? If everyone is on board, we'll see.
If not, one could be entering Walz/Freese territory next transfer period.
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To answer your Bessoir and Sontag question, @jake0414 posted this earlier:

"Bessoir and Sontag no longer on the UCLA WBB Team. Bessoir chose not to take her extra year. Back in Germany rehabbing and hoping to be available for the German Women Olympic Bball team.
Sontag retired (sort of) to focus on gaining admission to Medical School also in Germany. She has stated she wants to continue to play basketball".
 
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Dillon77 said:
  • And there were other forwards (Sontag, Iwuala) that started. Where are they? Did they leave? Does Emily Bessoir have any years left?
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To answer the Iwuala question, she has landed at Ole Miss.
 
CBus13 said:
To answer the Iwuala question, she has landed at Ole Miss.
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Thanks. I guess she saw the writing on the wall about PT...and that was before Gardiner and Barker came to Westwood!
 
cancontent said:
To answer your Bessoir and Sontag question, @jake0414 posted this earlier:

"Bessoir and Sontag no longer on the UCLA WBB Team. Bessoir chose not to take her extra year. Back in Germany rehabbing and hoping to be available for the German Women Olympic Bball team.
Sontag retired (sort of) to focus on gaining admission to Medical School also in Germany. She has stated she wants to continue to play basketball".
Expand ...
I guess I've been concentrating on the sport of sticks the last few weeks (makes sense, since I played it).

Bessoir always seemed to take one step forward and two steps back with injuries. I liked Sontag in the short stints she was on the floor.

So, there are some openings in reserve land, but that's still a lot of firepower to eat up/manage minutes.
 
Dillon77 said:
I guess I've been concentrating on the sport of sticks the last few weeks (makes sense, since I played it).

Bessoir always seemed to take one step forward and two steps back with injuries. I liked Sontag in the short stints she was on the floor.

So, there are some openings in reserve land, but that's still a lot of firepower to eat up/manage minutes.
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Also makes sense as that ND squad was INSANE!!!! Watched some highlights and was really impressed.
 
Dillon77 said:
Thanks. I guess she saw the writing on the wall about PT...and that was before Gardiner and Barker came to Westwood!
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Not certain the “she” you refer to in your post. I don‘t think playing time concerns entered into Bessoir’s decision. She tore her left ACL twice in three years. Emily had a starting spot on Germany’s National WBB Team that earned entry to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Germany then clinched a spot in the Paris Olympics, marking its first ever appearance. Emily returned to Germany in April to facilitate her recovery. If successful she will play in the Olympics after eight months of rehab. She will then enter the professional leagues somewhere in Europe.

Sontag, on the other hand, battled nagging injuries that started in FIBA tournament play last summer. Lina never really got going last season. Lina did play for the German National Team squad that qualified for the Olympics in February. Could PT considerations have shaped her decision to retire? Perhaps. Lina is very intent on becoming a physician. Her situation is similar to Arizona forward Maya Nnaji‘s decision to give up basketball (temporarily) to concentrate on her medical school program.

Christeen Iwuala transferred to Ole Miss. She cherished her time as a Bruin and was beloved by her teammates, staff and fans. But she wanted more opportunity to play and saw limited upside serving as Lauren Betts backup and with Sienna Betts arrival in 2025.
 
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BRS24 said:
There it is -
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20230509_004744~2.jpg
 
bballnut90 said:
The 2 most remaining coveted front court players in the portal transferring to the two schools that are completely stacked in the front court was not on my bingo card
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Dauda was between SC and Baylor. Someone at SC won't be happy.

The streets are saying Barker went to UCLA because her girlfriend is in Cali.
 
Dillon77 said:
I'm also a lacrosse fan and the Final Four was this weekend, so this news slipped by me. Whoa.
Thanks to @BruinGold for his input and all the usual contributors for their inputs, ranging from why Barker would go there in the first place and her purported time frame to how the line-ups would work. On one hand, I could see them. On the other, my skeptical side is moving in fast motion, wondering if this borders on a "recruiting over" situation.
  • Angela Dugalic started all but one game last year. Is she willingly going to go to the bench?
  • Like @ballnut90, I thought Jasquez was one of the Bruin's most consistent players last year.
  • Also, Barker's really there for one year? Is her head going to be in support of the Bruins or the WNBA draft? (Something Coach Ivey emphasizes is that she has thorough discussions with her HS and transfer prospects about her expectations and philosophy to see if there's a fit. Hope that's the case here...)
  • And there were other forwards (Sontag, Iwuala) that started. Where are they? Did they leave? Does Emily Bessoir have any years left?
  • Did the rest of the players know about these inputs? And when (including Gardiner, as brought up)? If everyone is on board, we'll see.
If not, one could be entering Walz/Freese territory next transfer period.
Expand ...

Congrats on the LAX championship. I didn't realize that the center of power had shifted from Maryland/Virginia.
 
Geew1992 said:
Dauda was between SC and Baylor. Someone at SC won't be happy.

The streets are saying Barker went to UCLA because her girlfriend is in Cali.
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Her visit "interview" was with Raven (leader) and Feagan (direct position competition)
 
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