37620VOL
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For the record, a yes or no question.
Are you OK with Tennessee not signing players out of high school and depending on the portal as the source for new players ?
I know you know this is not true. Obviously, ridiculously easily disproven. Yet it's the opening line of the sermon. Ruins it for me.The only place recruiting from the portal is being discussed as an issue comes from a pocket of fans on this forum.
Even more energy spent refuting the out of minders point by point.Who in their right mind wastes this kind of energy making one factor outweigh several factors of a winning program?
I wish I could like this 17284930285930298482 times! You get it!!!!I think that those predicting doom for the program, because of the lack of high school recruits, are worried long term. Certainly, this year the LV's will be among the top teams in the country. The uncertainty comes into play in the following years.
If you consistently strikeout recruiting high school players, then you MUST get multiple quality players from the portal. A failure to do so would set the program back years.
Look at this year's team. If Key, Horston and Jackson turn pro after this upcoming season, the chances of replacing them with players of equal ability are practically zero.
A more likely result would be to get a few good, but not great, players from the portal.
And that's if we're successful in the next portal event. If we do less well then that we will still have a decent team, but not one that will challenge for the SEC title or final 4.
Ideally, there would be a combination of a couple of highly rated high school recruits combined with players from the portal each year. Those portal players can either fill needs or be a difference maker that takes the team to another level (Hopefully, Jackson is that player this year).
Please note: I don't think depending heavily on the portal is CKJH's premeditated, long term strategy. I think it's a result of missing out on wanted high school players.
Here's another POSSIBLE problem with depending so heavily on the portal. If you continually bring in players from the portal to start for your team, (Which we have most likely done this year and will probably have to next year) what does that tell the freshman and sophomore players on your team ? Or high school recruits that are thinking of joining your program ? It tells them that there's a good likelihood that an unknown, more experienced player from the portal will be your competition for playing time in the upcoming years. Not the best atmosphere for recruiting high school players.
Depending on the portal so heavily for players is not, imo, an optimal strategy for long term, consistent success. The question remains, why has such an historically successful and currently attractive program done so poorly (Justine being the exception), in recruiting high school players the last 2 years ?
I'm sure she has a plan in place and has a list of veteran names that may be available when the proper time comes....After all, these veteran players come to us, like new presents, with their batteries already included..
It's all good!
To me it's UT Stanford and South Carolina and everyone else, at least for this upcoming season. Maybe another university that surprises. The talent on paper is ridiculously good for UT. Can that much talent and bodies mesh, time will tell. Barring any major injuries UT should be at the top of women's basketball this season. Sure not having 1 high school recruit isn't ideal and also personally don't understand not 1 elite recruit not coming to Knoxville. I see both sides. However if the discussion is just this season only, UT is winning big time. As fans let's enjoy this current season and worry about next season as it unfolds. Is it Tuesday yet?
That's the same thing you said last year at this time, and then all of a sudden appeared Jackson, Powell, Franklin, and Hollingshead out of thin air, as if by magic.
It might become a problem to not get high school players over an extended period of time, but for next season we need two or three players max and we'll be fine. I don't think we plan to carry a fifteen player roster more like 12 maybe 13 so with 9 returnees you need three possibly four if you find players you want. The main needs are center, point, and two guard. The way the portal works is you find players that you can give immediate playing time to and that is the selling point. Any center in there would have max playing time and any point or two guards the same. Three and Four position are covered no needs there.I doubt anyone really knows anything concrete about sustainability given the portal has not been around long enough to draw conclusions.
Or the sunshine pumpers...... the elephant is in the room,people don't see it...
Treading for top players in pro sports Distroy the team right...ur point means that we shouldn't get portal players when we didn't get high school recruits