Stanford's Lili Thompson transfers to ND

[UcMiami]

I'm uncomfortable with this. I realize Lili may be sitting out this year due to injury and/or concussion issues, and I agree that students should be allowed to "red shirt" and still get four years to play if they want to, even if they have already earned their degree. (e.g. Morgan Tuck could have played another year at UConn). But I don't like the idea of "transferring" after graduating, to play somewhere else for that last year. I worry that allowing this to happen encourages players who are really good, and who find their team isn't as good as they had hoped, to sit our their senior year and then become "free agents" looking for a strong team to join and maybe win a title. I don't think this is the case with Lili, but I don't like the precedent it sets. Maybe the rule should be that if you sit our your senior season, you can only play for the school you were attending.

The number of healthy players who would walk away from a team as a senior after sweating with them for the previous three years is pretty small, and the number of coaches that would accept a one year transfer in those circumstances is pretty small as well I would think.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I'm uncomfortable with this. I realize Lili may be sitting out this year due to injury and/or concussion issues, and I agree that students should be allowed to "red shirt" and still get four years to play if they want to, even if they have already earned their degree. (e.g. Morgan Tuck could have played another year at UConn). But I don't like the idea of "transferring" after graduating, to play somewhere else for that last year. I worry that allowing this to happen encourages players who are really good, and who find their team isn't as good as they had hoped, to sit our their senior year and then become "free agents" looking for a strong team to join and maybe win a title. I don't think this is the case with Lili, but I don't like the precedent it sets. Maybe the rule should be that if you sit our your senior season, you can only play for the school you were attending.

Some do not sit out their senior year and transfer. Some graduate in 3 years, then become grad students and can transfer, with no year to sit out.
Kaneesha Horn, played for Alabama, graduated in 3 years from Bama, and played as a Grad student at USC for one year.

In another case, Temi Fagbenle, played at Harvard for 3 years. There was a problem her first year and she could not play(something to do with the NCAA Clearinghouse for school credits, I think). The Ivy Leagues, I believe, do not allow you to get financial assistance for more than 4 years(no scholarships at Ivy League schools, only financial assistance based on need). So she could not play a 4th year, except on her own dime, at Harvard. She transferred to USC and played last season as a Grad Student, with a scholarship.
Every situation is different.

 

[mhshuskies]

"I'm excited to join what is already a stellar team, and to get to work on winning a National Championship."

She may have been cleared for a concussion but it is obvious she is delusional!

 

[Geew1992]

I'm a little confused. I don't recall her being a redshirt, that she just left the team. Doesn't a player have to "apply" to be a redshirt? If she wasn't a redshirt, how does she have eligibility?

 

[Gate81]

My impression is that she is healthy and there was some type of friction between her/her parents and the Stanford staff so she wasn't even involved in summer activities or referred to in quotes by the coaching staff after last season ended. Never heard the full truth but that is what one could infer from various posts during the spring/summer and into the fall. Real shame but I guess if she really thinks going to Notre Dame is for her, that's fine. By the way, we always hear they're going to some school for a year but never seem to hear what they'll be studying (and if this is 1 of 2-3 years in an academic program)....

 

[stamfordhusky]

I'm a little confused. I don't recall her being a redshirt, that she just left the team. Doesn't a player have to "apply" to be a redshirt? If she wasn't a redshirt, how does she have eligibility?

A player is allowed to play four seasons of a sport over a five year period. No need to apply for anything if they don't play for a year due to injury or just to get stronger/older. They still are entitled to play four years. Sitting out a year voluntarily is the true version of a redshirt, and no paperwork or applications are needed.

Then there is the case of a player who plays a limited number of games and then is injured. In this case, assuming the player didn't play in more than 30% of the games (and meets a few other criteria), the player can apply for what is officially a "medical hardship waiver" (mistakenly called a redshirt by many). Then the player may end up playing five seasons, one of which was shortened by injury.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Notre Dame has done well with players who have a motor...... Bernadette Peters Kayla McBride..... etc.... Big names who have come in haven't done spectacularly.... Turner for example.... that could though be a bit harsh....

I just do not see Thompson making a great bit of difference

 

[CocoHusky]

Notre Dame gains but Stanford does not lose. With six or more Nykesha Sales cooling their heels on the bench, the Cardinals can dispense with Lili Thompson like the 1996 olympic team without Rebecca Lobo's services. Stanford has no problem losing to Tennessee with or without her.

"Nykesha Sales" type players don't sit on the bench! Six or more Nykesha Sales player on the Cardinal?

 

[msf22b]

I'm uncomfortable with this. I realize Lili may be sitting out this year due to injury and/or concussion issues, and I agree that students should be allowed to "red shirt" and still get four years to play if they want to, even if they have already earned their degree. (e.g. Morgan Tuck could have played another year at UConn). But I don't like the idea of "transferring" after graduating, to play somewhere else for that last year. I worry that allowing this to happen encourages players who are really good, and who find their team isn't as good as they had hoped, to sit our their senior year and then become "free agents" looking for a strong team to join and maybe win a title. I don't think this is the case with Lili, but I don't like the precedent it sets. Maybe the rule should be that if you sit our your senior season, you can only play for the school you were attending.

You may not like it, but there are grad/transfer students playing for different teams all over the place.

 

[msf22b]

Notre Dame has done well with players who have a motor. Bernadette Peters Kayla McBride..... etc.... Big names who have come in haven't done spectacularly.... Turner for example.... that could though be a bit harsh....

I just do not see Thompson making a great bit of difference

Really?
Don't agree.
Exactly what ND needs
Speed and athleticism, no fear; a top tier point.
Played a huge role in our last loss (if anyone can remember that far back)
Still: Won't get them a National Championship...but a strong runner up perhaps.

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm uncomfortable with this. I realize Lili may be sitting out this year due to injury and/or concussion issues, and I agree that students should be allowed to "red shirt" and still get four years to play if they want to, even if they have already earned their degree. (e.g. Morgan Tuck could have played another year at UConn). But I don't like the idea of "transferring" after graduating, to play somewhere else for that last year. I worry that allowing this to happen encourages players who are really good, and who find their team isn't as good as they had hoped, to sit our their senior year and then become "free agents" looking for a strong team to join and maybe win a title. I don't think this is the case with Lili, but I don't like the precedent it sets. Maybe the rule should be that if you sit our your senior season, you can only play for the school you were attending.

That is not how scholarship work, when a player decides to sit they will get a bill for tuition for the next semester. In the case of Lili Thompson & Taya Reimer both schools decided to continue the scholarships and allow the players to graduate. The Graduate transfer rule has been in place for a very long time with little impact for WCBB. Once the player accumulates enough credits to earn a diploma (graduate) regardless of who paid for the classes (scholarship or mom & dad) the school can no longer restrict the player from transferring and playing somewhere else.

 

[bballnut90]

Notre Dame has done well with players who have a motor. Bernadette Peters Kayla McBride..... etc.... Big names who have come in haven't done spectacularly.... Turner for example.... that could though be a bit harsh....

I just do not see Thompson making a great bit of difference

This is quite innacurate. The only big name (aka top 5 players) who have come to Notre Dame that I can think of are Diggins, Loyd, Reimer, and Turner. Diggins/Loyd more than exceeded their expectations as players, and Turner was an All Americans by her sophomore season. She hasn't come close to fully tapping her potential, but she also wasn't healthy last year and has a season and a half to go. Reimer quit the team twice and I don't think would have developed into a top 5 player at any program, so I wouldn't count her as a strike against Muffett.

 

[bballnut90]

I'm uncomfortable with this. I realize Lili may be sitting out this year due to injury and/or concussion issues, and I agree that students should be allowed to "red shirt" and still get four years to play if they want to, even if they have already earned their degree. (e.g. Morgan Tuck could have played another year at UConn). But I don't like the idea of "transferring" after graduating, to play somewhere else for that last year. I worry that allowing this to happen encourages players who are really good, and who find their team isn't as good as they had hoped, to sit our their senior year and then become "free agents" looking for a strong team to join and maybe win a title. I don't think this is the case with Lili, but I don't like the precedent it sets. Maybe the rule should be that if you sit our your senior season, you can only play for the school you were attending.

Many players don't jive well with the coaching staff and would like the opportunity to play at a different program under a different coach without having to sit out a full year. I don't see anything wrong with that. More significantly, maybe players want to go to a specific school to enroll in a graduate program not offered by their undergraduate university. Each situation is different.

 

[UcMiami]

Many players don't jive well with the coaching staff and would like the opportunity to play at a different program under a different coach without having to sit out a full year. I don't see anything wrong with that. More significantly, maybe players want to go to a specific school to enroll in a graduate program not offered by their undergraduate university. Each situation is different.

And a lot of graduate schools recommend and students prefer going to a different university for a graduate degree - departments are not that large and by graduation students are pretty familiar with and to the faculty of their major subject. It can be a more rounding experience to be challenged by the change of venue.

 

[HuskyNan]

I'm uncomfortable with this. I realize Lili may be sitting out this year due to injury and/or concussion issues, and I agree that students should be allowed to "red shirt" and still get four years to play if they want to, even if they have already earned their degree. (e.g. Morgan Tuck could have played another year at UConn). But I don't like the idea of "transferring" after graduating, to play somewhere else for that last year. I worry that allowing this to happen encourages players who are really good, and who find their team isn't as good as they had hoped, to sit our their senior year and then become "free agents" looking for a strong team to join and maybe win a title. I don't think this is the case with Lili, but I don't like the precedent it sets. Maybe the rule should be that if you sit our your senior season, you can only play for the school you were attending.

The UConn men have had a couple very good graduate students that made a big difference on the team - one from Cornell and one from Seton Hall. If I were talented enough to play at a school like UConn, diploma already in hand, I'd go for it. Coaches can come and go as they please, without regards to what's best for teams, why should students be stuck in a situation the don't want if a better prospect presents itself?

Graduate transfers boosting UConn men's basketball team

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Graduate transferring in all sports seems to have increased. I suspect greater numbers of athletes are starting college immediately in the summer after high school and are allowed to start earning credits immediately. If a player is a good student they could possibly enter with credits through advanced placement courses as well.

Thompson could help ND next year as it will be adjusting from a 4 year starter at PG. I understand why this board may not be huge fans but ND is a top 4 program and offers a good education. UConn will be loaded next year but the Irish could be close behind.

 

[bballnut90]

Graduate transferring in all sports seems to have increased. I suspect greater numbers of athletes are starting college immediately in the summer after high school and are allowed to start earning credits immediately. If a player is a good student they could possibly enter with credits through advanced placement courses as well.

Thompson could help ND next year as it will be adjusting from a 4 year starter at PG. I understand why this board may not be huge fans but ND is a top 4 program and offers a good education. UConn will be loaded next year but the Irish could be close behind.

Props to Thompson, she'll have a Stanford undergrad, Notre Dame graduate degree. Those are two schools that most people (including myself) could only dream of attending.

Interested to see how it affects team chemistry/dynamic after reading some comments on other boards regarding her parents. That said, on paper they look great:

C-Turner
F-Westbeld
F-Mabrey
G-Ogunbowale
G-Thompson

Bench:
Patberg
Boley
Young

If Young and Boley can take the next step and develop into effective players, Notre Dame will be really good.

I don't think they'll be able to compete with UCONN, but they'll be good nonetheless.

 

[FanFromMaine]

The situation with Lili Thompson raises a couple of thoughts me:

1. Practically, I wonder why she just didn't go pro next year.

2. But emotionally, her transfer cuts further into the fantasy that I have (and that colleges stress) that team sports are meant to bring together persons of different backgrounds who are taught to merge their talents into a whole. Lili's actions (as the actions of the football players who sat out bowl games this year) bring into startling focus the reality of college sports. I am very able to see what it really is but I always sit by screen hoping to get caught up in the fantasy.

 

[bballnut90]

The situation with Lili Thompson raises a couple of thoughts me:

1. Practically, I wonder why she just didn't go pro next year.

2. But emotionally, her transfer cuts further into the fantasy that I have (and that colleges stress) that team sports are meant to bring together persons of different backgrounds who are taught to merge their talents into a whole. Lili's actions (as the actions of the football players who sat out bowl games this year) bring into startling focus the reality of college sports. I am very able to see what it really is but I always sit by screen hoping to get caught up in the fantasy.

She wouldn't be a top pick after her season last year. I don't think she necessarily makes a roster in the W.

She also gets a chance to play on a team that has a strong chance to make the title game and gets a free graduate degree from an extremely prestigious school. Staying a year to get a graduate degree from Notre Dame will likely propel her life more than jumping to the pros.

 

[cordarone]

The UConn men have had a couple very good graduate students that made a big difference on the team - one from Cornell and one from Seton Hall. If I were talented enough to play at a school like UConn, diploma already in hand, I'd go for it. Coaches can come and go as they please, without regards to what's best for teams, why should students be stuck in a situation the don't want if a better prospect presents itself?

Graduate transfers boosting UConn men's basketball team

In the recent past, Lasan Kromah, a grad transfer from GWU, was on the 2014 NC winning team.

On the men's side, Coach K, Calipari, and Roy W were all against it (link), which is hypocritical, I think.
They're against the 'one year rental' yet they benefit the most from the one-and-dones who go to the NBA after spending a semester in their schools.

 

[UConn79]

1) I have no problem with her transferring, but she received a scholarship to play basketball at Stanford. If she cannot play due to injury fine, but choosing not to play the scholarship should be gone. Have Stanford send her a bill for her senior year.

2) Since when is she the second coming of Sue Bird, Mo, or Skylar Diggins ? IMO, A good player, but I dont see a huge upgrade over what ND would have otherwise.

 

[HuskyNan]

1) I have no problem with her transferring, but she received a scholarship to play basketball at Stanford. If she cannot play due to injury fine, but choosing not to play the scholarship should be gone. Have Stanford send her a bill for her senior year.

2) Since when is she the second coming of Sue Bird, Mo, or Skylar Diggins ? IMO, A good player, but I dont see a huge upgrade over what ND would have otherwise.

Scholarships are only good for one year and and renewed - or not - at the discretion of the school. Theoretically, Stanford could decide not to renew a scholarship and there would be no recourse for the player. The school doesn't owe the player anything and vice versa.

 

[UConn79]

Scholarships are only good for one year and and renewed - or not - at the discretion of the school. Theoretically, Stanford could decide not to renew a scholarship and there would be no recourse for the player. The school doesn't owe the player anything and vice versa.

I humbly disagree. An athlete is given a scholarship which includes tuition, room and board, books and other expenses. At Stanford approx $60,000 per yr. In exchange, the agree to play the sport they were recruited for. This is a contract, either signed or implied.

As I stated, if she was hurt and advised not to play for medical reasons, fine. However, just choosing not to play should not allow her continue receiving her scholarship. She is a regular student and should pay for her education like every other student there.

Stanford is being nice to her, but unfair to other students.

 

[HuskyNan]

I humbly disagree. An athlete is given a scholarship which includes tuition, room and board, books and other expenses. At Stanford approx $60,000 per yr. In exchange, the agree to play the sport they were recruited for. This is a contract, either signed or implied.

As I stated, if she was hurt and advised not to play for medical reasons, fine. However, just choosing not to play should not allow her continue receiving her scholarship. She is a regular student and should pay for her education like every other student there.

Stanford is being nice to her, but unfair to other students.

I think we have a misunderstanding? Thompson has fulfilled her obligation to Stanford this year. She is under no obligation to play for the Cardinal next year as this year's scholarship will hav expired.

 

[Huskee11]

Is there a way to get a read on her stats wise? Most team websites archive all that info for prior years, but if Stanford does I can't seem to access it. Anyone? Anyone?

 

[ochoopsfan]

Is there a way to get a read on her stats wise? Most team websites archive all that info for prior years, but if Stanford does I can't seem to access it. Anyone? Anyone?

Try this link

GoStanford.com | Stanford Athletics

 

[Huskee11]

Thanks ochoopsfan!

 

[UConn79]

I think we have a misunderstanding? Thompson has fulfilled her obligation to Stanford this year. She is under no obligation to play for the Cardinal next year as this year's scholarship will hav expired.

Maybe I am confused. Prior to this season, it was originally announced she would not be playing for Stanford this year, I thought it also stated she was still receiving her scholarship for the 2016-17 school year. Is this not correct ?

Next year is not a question as she will have graduated from Stanford while using only 3 of her 4 years of athletic eligibility.

 

[CocoHusky]

Maybe I am confused. Prior to this season, it was originally announced she would not be playing for Stanford this year, I thought it also stated she was still receiving her scholarship for the 2016-17 school year. Is this not correct ?

You are correct.
"In a potential blow to Stanford’s return to the top of women’s basketball, three-year starting guard Lili Thompson won’t return for her senior season, the player’s father told this news organization Thursday.
Greg Thompson said in a text message that his daughter will remain on scholarship and graduate with her class. "
Mystery surrounds Stanford star Lili Thompson’s decision to skip senior season – The Mercury News

 

[UConn79]

You are correct.
"In a potential blow to Stanford’s return to the top of women’s basketball, three-year starting guard Lili Thompson won’t return for her senior season, the player’s father told this news organization Thursday.
Greg Thompson said in a text message that his daughter will remain on scholarship and graduate with her class. "
Mystery surrounds Stanford star Lili Thompson’s decision to skip senior season – The Mercury News

Thx Coco