Week 14 - Feb 2 to 8

[LwrcasefaN]

I feel for players like Barker. This is her 3rd school and she has found little satisfaction at any of them. Her college career is like a cautionary tale. She showed glimmers of great talent coning out of high school, and has not been able to build something great out of it. I imagine she'll find a place in the W. Maybe she'll fit in better there.

I wouldn’t draft her unless she grew up. I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Hope she gets some help.

 

[Sifaka]

Can't wait to listen to Caldwell's post game press conference.

She threw her players under a burning bus and
took no personal responsibility for the fiasco.

The only positive in her remarks was an acknowledgment that SC had done a good job.

 

[TheGOAT23]

But with her “platoon system” said bench players will still play no? 🤪

Exactly! Who do you bench in her system?

 

[GamecockFam]

I wouldn’t draft her unless she grew up. I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Hope she gets some help.

I go back and forth on her. I could see a team desperate for a big to draft her. Vegas may be a good spot for her to mature under A'ja's wing while giving Vegas a depth piece. The Wings taking her in the second round would also be intriguing but I don't think they have the veterans to help keep her in her place so I'm scared she would be a locker room cancer here. The Valkyrie would be another intriguing option as her style of play may make a good fit for that system. She is a high ceiling and low floor player, so after the lottery picks, she is as intriguing a pick as anyone else in this draft. I could see her going as high as #7 overall or as low as bottom of the 2nd round.

 

[Vowelguy]

TCU goes down to Colorado 80-79. This is another moment to second guess Olivia Miles’s decision to forego the draft last season. Watching the game, what mainly stands out is how much better than her competition Miles really is. The Big12 is a weak conference. At times, it seemed like she was playing against high school defenders. And I continue to be impressed by the ongoing evolution of Marta Suarez.

Her salary at TCU is likely higher than the W.
And if a new agreement ever gets signed, arent rookie salaries going up significantly?

 

[Puppy Love]

She threw her players under a burning bus and
took no personal responsibility for the fiasco.

The only positive in her remarks was an acknowledgment that SC had dine a good job.

That press conference was just as embarrassing as the game. I know that it’s probably financially impossible, but honestly I’d fire her today. It seems as though she’s lost the team and there isn’t much benefit to keeping her. The shorter portal window will force players to make decisions sooner and if the AD wants any hope to keep the recruiting class, drastic action is needed.

 

[FanInNC]

TCU goes down to Colorado 80-79. This is another moment to second guess Olivia Miles’s decision to forego the draft last season. Watching the game, what mainly stands out is how much better than her competition Miles really is. The Big12 is a weak conference. At times, it seemed like she was playing against high school defenders. And I continue to be impressed by the ongoing evolution of Marta Suarez.

I imagine Miles got paid much better to play at TCU than she would have received as a top 3 draft pick. I don't think her draft stock has changed for the worse or anything. She perhaps could have transferred to another school if she wanted to compete for a national title or something, but I don't think she made a poor choice financially or for her career progression.

 

[FanInNC]

Really enjoyed watching UVA beat ND 81-70 today. Maybe the 1st time we’ve beaten ND since we moved to VA, 11 years ago. Best game we’ve played this year - focused, played with intensity and intent…clearly looked like the better team. 4th quarter fall off as ND increased their intensity, but held on. I was surprised at how the Irish kept passing into Cowels (sp?) as the Hoos just kept collapsing on her and causing turnovers. Loved the fact that Mo outplayed Hannah!

UVa finally got a win to hang their hat on. I think ND is sort of a dangerous team because of HH obviously, but also a team very capable of losing. Big win for UVa's resume. I've always been a fan of Johnson, I do think sometimes she's turnover prone and apt to take some questionable shots. But she has a ton of talent and ability. Glad to see UVa get a big win!

 

[Ladeeeeda]

Barker is a good example of needing to find a team with a good fit for her and she just hasn't done that:

-originally committed to Georgia, an average SEC program that is very defensive focused. Never seemed like a good fit.

-Decommitted and followed Taylor to A&M where Joni had to build from nothing. First year was rough, 2nd year went better but A&M didn't look like a team poised to become a Sweet 16 caliber school in the next few years. Barker enters the portal for the first time.

-Janiah transferred after 2 years to UCLA rumored to be due to a relationship. UCLA was one of the only schools in the country that had zero use for her services with Dugalic and Gardiner already on the roster. Cori Close warned her that it might not be a good fit since UCLA had players in front of her and is a much more structured system, but Barker insisted she wanted to come anyway. She stayed 1 year, it wasn't a good fit, then she entered the portal.

-Barker joined Tennessee which looked like a decent fit on paper except they already had Zee Spearman on the roster who is incredibly similar to Barker. Tennessee also has a brand new team with only 2 of their 7 top scorers back and a roster fully of highly touted freshmen playing in an unorthodox platoon style system that has high highs and low lows. It worked pretty well a year ago, and it hasn't worked well this season.

I will say, I do think her draft stock is up from where it was the last couple of years but her collegiate career has been a disappointment relative to expectations coming in. She was the #3 recruit in a solid class and a major standout at the McDonald's All American game. In hindsight a lot of players from the 2022 class were improperly ranked but the general consensus is that Barker should've become a much better player than she has.

Re: Barker
I don't think there is a good fit for her....her issues will continue to hold her back until SHE changes

 

[Bone Dog]

Her salary at TCU is likely higher than the W.
And if a new agreement ever gets signed, arent rookie salaries going up significantly?

Won't she qualify for endorsements in the W, too?

 

[Geew1992]

She threw her players under a burning bus and
took no personal responsibility for the fiasco.

The only positive in her remarks was an acknowledgment that SC had done a good job.

If you ask volnation…. It’s the refs fault

 

[JeannoCT]

If you ask volnation…. It’s the refs fault

It always is ... and for all sports.

 

[Phil]

It always is ... and for all sports.

I'm never surprised to find an occasional fan who grosses about refs on occasion, but Voll nation brings this to a whole 'nother level. If the result is a one point loss one can always find some example of a rough call that might make a difference but I find it astonishing that on the 40+ point beat down there are multiple Vol fans whining about the refs