What happens when you recruit over your signees?

[cancontent]

Thank you. I should have specified that my post wasn’t about LSU, per se, but more about the fallout from transfers

Louisville is probably a better example as the program has been going through this for several years. Their challenge now seems to be landing recruits lately.

 

[BobbyJ]

Likely because that Bird was at Indiana State?

Knight recruited him in and Bird transferred out of Indiana after a few weeks to go to ISU.

 

[Carnac]

Are you suggesting that Kim gave her a nudge toward the portal?

I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed in her if she did. When coaches are hired at a new school (and after they assemble their coaching staff), the first thing they do is evaluate each player on the roster and decide who they want to keep, and who needs to leave to make room for portal players they want to bring in. Few if any coaches stand pat with the roster as it is when they arrive. What do you do if a player(s) wants to leave regardless? You can't make someone want to play for you. LSU was a dumpster fire and circling the drain when Mulkey took over. LSU was 9-13/6-8 under Nikki Fargas in her last year (2020-2021). LSU was knocked out of the 2nd round of the SEC Tournament by Texas A&M that year 77-58. They received no post-season tournament bids or invitations.

As an incoming coach, you are expected to produce wins IMMEDIATELY!! You are expected to do better than your predecessor did. That's why you're there. You must hit the ground running. You must improve on the things the former coach did with the players he/she had, and create a winning culture. Mulkey did that!!!

Coaches like athletic directors want THEIR players/coaches, not someone else's. The reverse is also true. Players will often want to leave because the coach that recruited them is no longer there, and they have no interest in playing for the "new regime" that they have no connection or relationship with. There's no love loss on either side.

I read posts and comments here in the yard that Kim and Kara Lawson (Duke) told some returning players to find another program their first week on the job. There were other players they wanted to bring in, and they needed their scholarships. Every college coach in America has the same mindset with respect to job retention........If I'm going to get fired, I'm going out doing things MY WAY!!! (the old Frank Sinatra approach).

 

[Carnac]

Hedging implies keeping the players and bringing in hedge players I think.

Keeping SOME of the players. Players at the bottom of the depth chart are seldom viewed as "reliable assets" that can help you win. Those scholarships can be used to bring in experienced/mature portal players than can.

 

[cancontent]

Knight recruited him in and Bird transferred out of Indiana after a few weeks to go to ISU.

Wasn't aware of that part of his recruitment history. I was a toddler during those days. My bad.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Keeping SOME of the players. Players at the bottom of the depth chart are seldom viewed as "reliable assets" that can help you win. Those scholarships can be used to bring in experienced/mature portal players than can.

Yes, @Carnac I get it, but if those bench players hit the portal and you don't get much in return ... think Tennessee and there are probably others ... then you may be forced to take lower end portal players to have a bench. Like so much in life, it's a matter of timing.

 

[BobbyJ]

Wasn't aware of that part of his recruitment history. I was a toddler during those days. My bad.

A little FYI from 2009.

Seth Davis on Larry Bird and Bobby Knight

CBS and Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis has a new book out, titled “When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball.” For my work at Yahoo!, I had the chance to read an advance copy of the book and interview ...

www.insidethehall.com

 

[Carnac]

Yes, @Carnac I get it, but if those bench players hit the portal and you don't get much in return ... think Tennessee and there are probably others ... then you may be forced to take lower end portal players to have a bench. Like so much in life, it's a matter of timing.

Rocky, I couldn't agree with you more. Rome was not built in a day. You know as I do, it takes most coaches 2-3 years (recruiting cycles) to build anything close to a contender. That's why it was so amazing that Kim Mulkey was able to turn a losing dumpster fire 9-13 program at LSU into a national champion in only two years. Timing IS everything!!

Like her or not, she knows what she is doing. She developed a model that worked for her at Baylor. That same model will work for her at LSU. Now many of the top-ranked elite recruits WANT to go to LSU and play for Kim. Like Dawn Staley at South Carolina, Mulkey does not have any trouble recruiting elite high school seniors or those already in college to play for her, especially now that she has that NC trophy sitting on the credenza behind her desk.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Rocky, I couldn't agree with you more. Rome was not built in a day. You know as I do, it takes most coaches 2-3 years (recruiting cycles) to build anything close to a contender. That's why it was so amazing that Kim Mulkey was able to turn a losing dumpster fire 9-13 program at LSU into a national champion in only two years. Timing IS everything!!

Like her or not, she knows what she is doing. She developed a model that worked for her at Baylor. That same model will work for her at LSU. Now many of the top-ranked elite recruits WANT to go to LSU and play for Kim. Like Dawn Staley at South Carolina, Mulkey does not have any trouble recruiting elite high school seniors or those already in college to play for her, especially now that she has that NC trophy sitting on the credenza behind her desk.

You have to respect her basketball abilities and that clout drew people to her and rightly so. I seem to recall maybe a couple of Baylor kids followed her.

Where Kim and I part company is her moral values. I don't think she has any.

 

[Carnac]

You have to respect her basketball abilities and that clout drew people to her and rightly so. I seem to recall maybe a couple of Baylor kids followed her.

Where Kim and I part company is her moral values. I don't think she has any.

You are correct. Moon Ersin and Hannah Gusters followed her to LSU.

However, Ursin left the program. She re-entered the portal and transferred to Tulane (Lisa Stockton) just months after following Mulkey to LSU.

Gusters left LSU for Oklahoma State during the holiday break in 2022. [Link]

Sophomore center Hannah Gusters has left the LSU women’s basketball program, the school confirmed Thursday. Gusters left the team before preseason practice began in October according to team spokesman Grant Kuvar, Gusters is expected to remain enrolled at LSU at least through the fall semester.

A 6-foot-5 native of Dallas, the former five-star prospect was the one player who transferred to LSU from Baylor when coach Kim Mulkey left the Texas school to take the LSU job. Gusters played in 27 of LSU’s 32 games last season, averaging 4.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

 

[visitingcock]

Likely because that Bird was at Indiana State?

Not his freshman year

 

[cancontent]

Not his freshman year

Getting caught up thanks to @BobbyJ.

 

[Huskee11]

Knight recruited him in and Bird transferred out of Indiana after a few weeks to go to ISU.

He didn`t go directly. He almost didn`t go at all. Bill Hodges, Coach of Indiana State, did a great job convincing him to go to ISU.

Between Indiana and Indiana State, Larry worked back home as a garbage man. He was also ironically one of the game`s greatest trash talkers ever.

As a result of his situation, the NBA rules back then allowed Bird to be drafted after the 1977-1978 season even though he had an additional year to play for ISU if he wanted. Red Auerbach took the gamble and drafted him sixth overall (after such luminaries as Rick Robey and Purvis Short) and Bird did take that extra year of college eligibility. After the 1978-1979 season, though, the Celtics signed him just before their rights to him were going to expire with the 1979 draft. Auerbach`s gamble paid off, and it led to three Celtic championships and a lot of great memories.

 

[Waquoit]

Like her or not, she knows what she is doing.

Agreed. Once Brittney Griner was was done winning games for her, Kim dropped her like a bad habit. She knows what she is doing.

 

[Carnac]

Agreed. Once Brittney Griner was was done winning games for her, Kim dropped her like a bad habit. She knows what she is doing.

Agreed. Once Brittney Griner was was done winning games for her, Kim dropped her like a bad habit. She knows what she is doing.

When I suggested that Mulkey knows what she was doing, it DID NOT take into account whatever philosophical views that she had or may have with respect to Griner and her relationship with her during the period of Griner's matriculation at Baylor. What happened between her and Griner was public knowledge. It's possible that - that matter may keep some recruits from accepting a scholarship offer from LSU.

Notwithstanding, It's still my opinion that Mulkey knows how to get recruits to come to her program and play for her. That is evidenced by the number of top-ranked players she has recruited out of the portal since she's been there. The highlighted text above is YOUR words (opinion), not mine. The relationship between those two is none of my business. So I don't have an opinion on that one way or the other. To be honest, I really haven't given it too much thought. If that's your opinion, I'm ok with it.

 

[Cuango]

Wasn't aware of that part of his recruitment history. I was a toddler during those days. My bad.

One of Knight’s big regrets. He didn’t recognize Bird’s shyness and the fact that he felt out of place at IU. By the time he did, it was too late, Bird had decided to move to a smaller campus and chose Northwood Institute, a two year college where he played before finally transferring to Indiana State where he led them to an undefeated regular season and the famous title game confrontation with Magic. Knight would likely have won at least one, possibly two more titles if he could have helped Bird with his transition into the big time college atmosphere.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Rocky, I couldn't agree with you more. Rome was not built in a day. You know as I do, it takes most coaches 2-3 years (recruiting cycles) to build anything close to a contender. That's why it was so amazing that Kim Mulkey was able to turn a losing dumpster fire 9-13 program at LSU into a national champion in only two years. Timing IS everything!!

Like her or not, she knows what she is doing. She developed a model that worked for her at Baylor. That same model will work for her at LSU. Now many of the top-ranked elite recruits WANT to go to LSU and play for Kim. Like Dawn Staley at South Carolina, Mulkey does not have any trouble recruiting elite high school seniors or those already in college to play for her, especially now that she has that NC trophy sitting on the credenza behind her desk.

Carnac- - - Kim came to LSU at the perfect time to rebuild a program! Two years earlier Kim couldn't make that jump in talent!
Without the transfer portal she wouldn't have been able to build her roster so fast!
The portal gave her a chance to get 5 to 6 players that would push LSU toward the top very quickly and nothing succeeds like success!
Hailey Van Lith and Morrow wouldn't have had 1 thought about LSU if Kim didn't get immediate improvement! from her transfers!