Mia and Mya Pauldo to Tennessee!

[ttharp]

Look y'all, if wbb players ranked in the top 50 aren't serious about nil, that's a big red flag for me. Their family is either rich or they aren't very motivated/smart. You have such a short runway to make $ in sports that you have to maximize every opportunity.

Bingo

Also:

1) It’s hard as heck to make it in the W these days.

2) While education has its place, a Bachelors degree ain’t what it used to be.

Get that NIL money and build your brand while you can!

 

[PRG]

Saw an interview with Kim posted on here by BruisedOrange, and one thing stood out to me. She said her team was going to be the hardest working team in WBB. Interviewer ask was she confident she could get all the players to buy into that. Her answer was: " I'm not going to give them another option." This is going to be good.

The one I remember! “We want to be the team that everyone hates to play !” Every league has them …. South Carolina and maybe LSU? But now Texas …: and soon to be US !

 

[BruisedOrange]

Great to have players who are first and probably foremost interested in Building their brand! the new world of recruiting - ugh

Just what it is, might as well embrace it.

I had the same initial reaction. But let me pose a question that maybe re-frames the issue:

Isn't the purpose behind inve$ting four years of your life in college to come away better prepared for life as an adult, in both knowledge and earning potential?

Framed that way, the Pauldo's plan for their four year college investment sounds mature, practical, and well thought out.

The problem for most of us (at least, we who grew up with blue collar, southern, or Bible-based values) is that we've always viewed self-promotion as a character flaw. We grew up with Jesus' parable of the man who seated himself in a place of honor, only to have the host reseat him further back. We were told, "If you're good, someone will recognize it and push you to the fore."

So how did we get to where self-promotion is a life skill, like you'd find taught in a Home Economics class?
[Socio-history scribblings follow--read at your own risk!]

Promotion as an industry has always been sketchy, from P.T. Barnum to Kardashian-wannabee influencers. But when promotion embraced the modern, big business model, risk management (i.e., control) began to wag the dog. (You could see the same cautionary restrictions coming out of Col. Tom Parker, back in the day when Elvis was generating previously unimaginable profits).

I hear from professional musicians about what the Nashville labels did to the music scene. When risk management became worth more to the bottom line than discovering and promoting new sounds, the system began to limit and pass over talent rather than promote it--IF it didn't fit the business model & market they had already defined. That's the reason why for years so many male country singers sounded alike, and the reason why so many lyrics promoted the same mythical small town Southern lifestyle to music consumers who mostly lived in cities.

Breaking through the corporate gatekeepers into these huge, albeit homogenized markets got more difficult.

Enter new technologies which allowed talent to bypass the business-modeled promoters and create more of their own content at home and find their own audience (if they were willing to work at it), and promote themselves using social media. This is the world that the Pauldo twins have grown up in and committed to.

I'm an idealist who's dubious about the direction of this technocratic world. But I also used to play golf--and unless the rules of the day allow, you have to play the ball as you find it. So admittedly, I can understand their father wanting to keep as much of the decision-making for his family within his family, rather than entrust it to the corporations that dominate the sports world.

So what was once a character question about "self-promotion" has became a pragmatic business question, for many reframed as a question of stewardship over one's own talents and their potential to be used as a positive* influence in society.

*Note: A lot of initially sincere "preachers" followed that same path of reasoning, many to their own demise. Poets, theologians, and thinkers from Jacques Ellul in the '60s to Wendell Berry and Joel Salatin today, have warned that technologic thinking always flips moral values on their head.

Now some do their self promotion with more grace than others, but even that isn't necessary. Recall the career of Rush Limbaugh. He made outlandish self-promotion his schtick (just as radio DJs had been doing for generations before him) yet endeared himself to millions with the content of his broadcasts.

There are lots of ways to play this game, and mistakes could be made from any side--the kids, the family, or the athletic department. It's a brave new world... and yet, there's nothing new under the sun.
------------------

My takeaway on all this is that we old timers need to do what the wisest old timers before us did: encourage and support the people, and carefully pick our moments to point out pitfalls ahead--which usually only people with many life experiences can foresee.

 

[madtownvol]

I had the same initial reaction. But let me pose a question that maybe re-frames the issue:

Isn't the purpose behind inve$ting four years of your life in college to come away better prepared for life as an adult--in knowledge and earning potential?

Framed that way, the Pauldo's plan for their four year college investment sounds mature, practical, and well thought out.

The problem for most of us (at least, we who grew up with blue collar, southern, or Bible-based values) is that we've always viewed self-promotion as a character flaw. We grew up with Jesus' parable of the man who seated himself in a place of honor, only to have the host reseat him further back. We were told, "If you're good, someone will recognize it and push you to the fore."

So how did we get to where self-promotion is a life skill, like you'd find taught in a Home Economics class?
[Socio-history scribblings follow--read at your own risk!]

Promotion as an industry has always been sketchy, from P.T. Barnum to Kardashian-wannabee influencers. But when promotion embraced the modern, big business model, risk management (i.e., control) began to wag the dog. (You could see the same cautionary restrictions coming out of Col. Tom Parker, back in the day when Elvis was generating previously unimaginable profits).

I hear from professional musicians about what the Nashville labels did to the music scene. When risk management became worth more to the bottom line than discovering and promoting new sounds, the system began to limit and pass over talent rather than promote it--IF it didn't fit the business model & market they had already defined. That's the reason why for years so many male country singers sounded alike, and the reason why so many lyrics promoted the same mythical small town Southern lifestyle to music consumers who mostly lived in cities.

Breaking through the corporate gatekeepers into these huge, albeit homogenized markets got more difficult.

Enter new technologies which allowed talent to bypass the business-modeled promoters and create more of their own content at home and find their own audience (if they were willing to work at it), and promote themselves using social media. This is the world that the Pauldo twins have grown up in and committed to.

I'm an idealist who's dubious about the direction of this technocratic world. But I also used to play golf--and unless the rules of the day allow, you have to play the ball as you find it. So admittedly, I can understand their father wanting to keep as much of the decision-making for his family within his family, rather than entrust it to the corporations that dominate the sports world.

So what was once a character question about "self-promotion" has became a pragmatic business question, for many reframed as a question of stewardship over one's own talents and their potential to be used as a positive* influence in society.

*Note: A lot of initially sincere "preachers" followed that same path of reasoning, many to their own demise. Poets, theologians, and thinkers from Jacques Ellul in the '60s to Wendell Berry and Joel Salatin today, have warned that technologic thinking always flips moral values on their head.

Now some do their self promotion with more grace than others, but even that isn't necessary. Recall the career of Rush Limbaugh. He made outlandish self-promotion his schtick (just as radio DJs had been doing for generations before him) yet endeared himself to millions with the content of his broadcasts.

There are lots of ways to play this game, and mistakes could be made from any side--the kids, the family, or the athletic department. It's a brave new world... and yet, there's nothing new under the sun.
------------------

My takeaway on all this is that we old timers need to do what the wisest old timers before us did: encourage and support the people, and carefully pick our moments to point out pitfalls ahead--which usually only people with many life experiences can foresee.

If you ask people to name two gymnasts. I think the top names would be Simone Biles and Olivia Dunne. One is the very best of all-time and the other is a genius at social media (and an above average college gymnast but no where near being Olympic caliber).

Right now, I think see this contrast as the defining issue - being great at your sport versus being great at self-promotion but these two talents do not have to be mutually exclusive.

But I don't think the world has changed as much as some seem to suggest.

Let's turn the clock back 25 years, no NIL, no transfer portal, and very limited options for WCBB players. In that era, players wanted to play for CPS or Geno or Tara and the handful of other marquee programs because those programs gave athletes the best shot for media exposure, a chance at the pros, coaching or broadcasting careers, and so on.

In other words, in the good ole days, players were not selfless angels who wanted to represent the LVs because it was a moral calling that they were born with. No, they were self-interested actors who wanted to optimize their opportunities. In today's world, the self-interested motivations are more explicit since they are monetized and distributed across a much broader array of programs.

Back to the LVs, these signing are ahead of schedule for CKC. The Pauldo sisters could have gotten great NIL deals at many different schools but they are betting their brand on a new coach with no track record at this level of competition. So, Mia and Mya are taking some risks here with their "brand" and can not be accused of being only mercenaries and second, CKC can close.

 

[BruisedOrange]

[...]
Let's turn the clock back 25 years, no NIL, no transfer portal, and very limited options for WCBBs. In that era, players wanted to play for CPS or Geno or Tara and the handful of other marquee programs because those programs gave athletes the best shot for media exposure, a chance at the pros and so on.
[...]

I think you may have undervalued the inner fire in players to become the best they are capable of becoming, and thus choosing the coaches/programs that they believed could do that.

I'm just getting that civil-toned disagreement in, before former players descend upon your head like anvil-carrying locusts.

 

[GameTime]

Speed is coming back to Rocky Top....

 

[madtownvol]

I think you may have undervalued the inner fire in players to become the best they are capable of becoming, and thus choosing the coaches/programs that they believed could do that.

I'm just getting that civil-toned disagreement in, before former players descend upon your head like anvil-carrying locusts.

I love the smell of anvil carrying locusts in the morning!!

Again motivations are never singular. Sure motivated players want to become the best they can be but for what purpose? Attaining success in one domain generally opens up other opportunities.

 

[hound dog hillbil]

This team gonna be quick,agile ,mobile volatiel. Great job coach

 

[BruisedOrange]

I love the smell of anvil carrying locusts in the morning!!

Again motivations are never singular. Sure motivated players want to become the best they can be but for what purpose? Attaining success in one domain generally opens up other opportunities.

I can tell my relative age by how many times I've needed an anvil emoji, only to (re)discover that my phone doesn't have one. How do kids communicate without an anvil???

That might be a good thread to start in The Pub forum: what emojis would we have if they were marketed to old timers?
[...and, done!]

 

[madtownvol]

I can tell my relative age by how many times I've needed an anvil emoji, only to (re)discover that my phone doesn't have one. How do kids communicate without an anvil???

That might be a good thread to start in The Pub forum: what emojis would we have if they were marketed to old timers?

Shaking fist emoji! Screaming at the wind emoji; and the napping emoji

 

[Mafiaboss]

It sounds like these girls are go-getters. It is not easy to build an enterprise up from scratch the way they are doing. What are most kids spending their time doing at that age?

Sure, it is always a concern that they might get pulled into too many directions, or bite off more than they can chew. Or they can experience success and egos can get out of control. That is when the parents and coaches come in.

But I like people who are aggressive and forge their own way in the world because that is what I did.

There is nothing more alpha than starting your own business and succeeding at it. We need that attitude if we are going to once again become a going concern that produces a championship product.

Yeah. I didn’t mean to imply that players who can get the money can’t also work hard. I don’t think Kim would take a player who won’t work hard.

 

[RAVOL]

Great to have players who are first and probably foremost interested in Building their brand! the new world of recruiting - ugh

To build their brand they must succeed at high level which bodes well for Lady Vols Basketball . In CHRIST Alone

 

[1reVOLver]

So, the Pauldo sister are taking some risk here with their "brand" and can not be accused of being only mercenaries and second, CKC can close.

Yes she can, and without intervention by a little girls' guru, or approval by any former fans.

I can tell my relative age by how many times I've needed an anvil emoji, only to (re)discover that my phone doesn't have one. How do kids communicate without an anvil???

That might be a good thread to start in The Pub forum: what emojis would we have if they were marketed to old timers?

How have we survived without a California Job Case emoji?

 

[BruisedOrange]

How have we survived without a California Job Case emoji?


View attachment 658191

Amen, Mr. Gutenberg!

 

[vegasvolfan]

First thing she had to do was recruit. What’s the NIL situation for the Lady Vols?

 

[VolBalls33]

I am not sure if the interview I saw with Geno and Mulkey was posted here or not. Unfortunately tried to google what I listened to with no avail. Both Mulkey and Geno were open about the NIL and Mulkey said LSU was the first university to fully embrace it. Her words were along the lines of either embrace the new way of collegiate athletics or get left behind. Geno said for him players still have to work hard regardless of NIL money or they won't be coached by him. 2 elite coaches being open and honest was refreshing. Only mentioning this because it seems UT is ready to join the big dogs in women's basketball. I am sure AD White wants to show he chose the right coach to replace Kellie.

 

[NEO]

I got a feeling this coach returns the LV to glory. Just a weird gut feeling.

 

[1reVOLver]

I am not sure if the interview I saw with Geno and Mulkey was posted here or not. Unfortunately tried to google what I listened to with no avail. Both Mulkey and Geno were open about the NIL and Mulkey said LSU was the first university to fully embrace it. Her words were along the lines of either embrace the new way of collegiate athletics or get left behind. Geno said for him players still have to work hard regardless of NIL money or they won't be coached by him. 2 elite coaches being open and honest was refreshing. Only mentioning this because it seems UT is ready to join the big dogs in women's basketball. I am sure AD White wants to show he chose the right coach to replace Kellie.

Posted in Non Lady Vol News…. A very interesting discussion.

Non-Lady Vol Basketball News 2023-24

She had 5 Starters drafted, most of which were either All-Americans or the Best of the Best from the country they came from and didn't win a National Championship and then she was able to put a team on the floor loaded with all Americans the following season with a 6-7 post who was one of the...

www.volnation.com

 

[feathersax]

Saw an interview with Kim posted on here by BruisedOrange, and one thing stood out to me. She said her team was going to be the hardest working team in WBB. Interviewer ask was she confident she could get all the players to buy into that. Her answer was: " I'm not going to give them another option." This is going to be good.

Their names say a lot...

 

[Mafiaboss]

I am not sure if the interview I saw with Geno and Mulkey was posted here or not. Unfortunately tried to google what I listened to with no avail. Both Mulkey and Geno were open about the NIL and Mulkey said LSU was the first university to fully embrace it. Her words were along the lines of either embrace the new way of collegiate athletics or get left behind. Geno said for him players still have to work hard regardless of NIL money or they won't be coached by him. 2 elite coaches being open and honest was refreshing. Only mentioning this because it seems UT is ready to join the big dogs in women's basketball. I am sure AD White wants to show he chose the right coach to replace Kellie.

I think UT was on it earlier or about the same time as LSU

 

[chuckiepoo]

I am not sure if the interview I saw with Geno and Mulkey was posted here or not. Unfortunately tried to google what I listened to with no avail. Both Mulkey and Geno were open about the NIL and Mulkey said LSU was the first university to fully embrace it. Her words were along the lines of either embrace the new way of collegiate athletics or get left behind. Geno said for him players still have to work hard regardless of NIL money or they won't be coached by him. 2 elite coaches being open and honest was refreshing. Only mentioning this because it seems UT is ready to join the big dogs in women's basketball. I am sure AD White wants to show he chose the right coach to replace Kellie.

Definitely a great interview. Looked but can’t find it either.

 

[lvocd]

I had the same initial reaction. But let me pose a question that maybe re-frames the issue:

Isn't the purpose behind inve$ting four years of your life in college to come away better prepared for life as an adult, in both knowledge and earning potential?

Framed that way, the Pauldo's plan for their four year college investment sounds mature, practical, and well thought out.

The problem for most of us (at least, we who grew up with blue collar, southern, or Bible-based values) is that we've always viewed self-promotion as a character flaw. We grew up with Jesus' parable of the man who seated himself in a place of honor, only to have the host reseat him further back. We were told, "If you're good, someone will recognize it and push you to the fore."

So how did we get to where self-promotion is a life skill, like you'd find taught in a Home Economics class?
[Socio-history scribblings follow--read at your own risk!]

Promotion as an industry has always been sketchy, from P.T. Barnum to Kardashian-wannabee influencers. But when promotion embraced the modern, big business model, risk management (i.e., control) began to wag the dog. (You could see the same cautionary restrictions coming out of Col. Tom Parker, back in the day when Elvis was generating previously unimaginable profits).

I hear from professional musicians about what the Nashville labels did to the music scene. When risk management became worth more to the bottom line than discovering and promoting new sounds, the system began to limit and pass over talent rather than promote it--IF it didn't fit the business model & market they had already defined. That's the reason why for years so many male country singers sounded alike, and the reason why so many lyrics promoted the same mythical small town Southern lifestyle to music consumers who mostly lived in cities.

Breaking through the corporate gatekeepers into these huge, albeit homogenized markets got more difficult.

Enter new technologies which allowed talent to bypass the business-modeled promoters and create more of their own content at home and find their own audience (if they were willing to work at it), and promote themselves using social media. This is the world that the Pauldo twins have grown up in and committed to.

I'm an idealist who's dubious about the direction of this technocratic world. But I also used to play golf--and unless the rules of the day allow, you have to play the ball as you find it. So admittedly, I can understand their father wanting to keep as much of the decision-making for his family within his family, rather than entrust it to the corporations that dominate the sports world.

So what was once a character question about "self-promotion" has became a pragmatic business question, for many reframed as a question of stewardship over one's own talents and their potential to be used as a positive* influence in society.

*Note: A lot of initially sincere "preachers" followed that same path of reasoning, many to their own demise. Poets, theologians, and thinkers from Jacques Ellul in the '60s to Wendell Berry and Joel Salatin today, have warned that technologic thinking always flips moral values on their head.

Now some do their self promotion with more grace than others, but even that isn't necessary. Recall the career of Rush Limbaugh. He made outlandish self-promotion his schtick (just as radio DJs had been doing for generations before him) yet endeared himself to millions with the content of his broadcasts.

There are lots of ways to play this game, and mistakes could be made from any side--the kids, the family, or the athletic department. It's a brave new world... and yet, there's nothing new under the sun.
------------------

My takeaway on all this is that we old timers need to do what the wisest old timers before us did: encourage and support the people, and carefully pick our moments to point out pitfalls ahead--which usually only people with many life experiences can foresee.

I enjoyed this post very much. Thank you.

 

[BruisedOrange]

Definitely a great interview. Looked but can’t find it either.

 

[Special Ed]

Speed is coming back to Rocky Top....

As coaching legend John Wooden said to his players during practice, "Be quick, but don't hurry."

 

[Remy]

In the past, Tennessee (and the SEC in general) has fared well with this type of small and quicky and crafty point guard. Lawd, if either of these players is even 75% of what Shannon Bobbitt and Temeka Johnson brought to their teams we'll be very, VERY happy fans.

Yeah, the longer guards are great, but sometimes the matchups call for a smaller, lower-to-the-ground guard who can see UNDER the trees to make brilliant passes as well as swipe the ball from taller guards who might dribble a little too high.

I'm super excited to see how these two will fare in Caldwell's high-octane system. My guess is they'll be perfect for it.

As with EVERY recruit, I'm also anxious to see what level of dedication these kids will have in the classroom. It's obviously too early to tell for sure, but my greatest hope is that Kim Caldwell is signing young women who will be proud to carry on the amazing tradition of excellence in the classroom and within the community. Somehow I think she'll check that box, too.

You must have never attended a Catholic high school or university. I did. Trust me Catholic kids get it done in the classroom.