BB RECRUITING Portal Shopping

[jakeboldenbrp]

My sources say that the Lady Raider's have been looking heavily for a true point guard and/or a 4 (forward) via the portal.

This would confirm my thoughts in a post early last week. Really need a true 1-point guard much like we had with Wheeler. I don't necessarily believe they have to be a 15+ ppg guard either, someone with high ball IQ. This roster is loaded with proven scorers even with the loss of Wheeler and Whitson. In regards to the 4, I do believe they want a skilled ball handler and someone to space the floor (if you can catch my Whitson-like drift). If they could pull someone with size (6'3"+) this team could be a force next March (assuming the roster stays in tact).

 

[SpaceRaider]

2024-25 transfer rankings: The top 10 names in the portal right now

More than 650 women's college basketball players are already in the transfer portal. Who are the top players looking for a new school next season?

www.espn.com

 

[Tomorrow299]

Denim Deshields out of UAB is in the portal. CRI loves a small PG, she can distribute, her 3 point shooting needs some work, but she’s solid.

Denim DeShields - Women's Basketball - UAB Athletics

Denim DeShields (0) Guard - 2023-24 AAC All-Conference Third Team Ranks fourth in the record book in assists (170) in a single season Playe...

uabsports.com

 

[jakeboldenbrp]

Denim Deshields out of UAB is in the portal. CRI loves a small PG, she can distribute, her 3 point shooting needs some work, but she’s solid.

Denim DeShields - Women's Basketball - UAB Athletics

Denim DeShields (0) Guard - 2023-24 AAC All-Conference Third Team Ranks fourth in the record book in assists (170) in a single season Playe...

uabsports.com

Saw her enter the portal. Really good player, only bright spot for UAB her freshman season. I don't know if her position of shooting guard would fit the needs of MTSU, or her expectation of volume playing time that she experienced at UAB. I don't know if she has dreams of being a role player for a P4 but she could be a big hand for a fringe mid-major.

 

[MTOleBlue]

My sources say that the Lady Raider's have been looking heavily for a true point guard and/or a 4 (forward) via the portal.

This would confirm my thoughts in a post early last week. Really need a true 1-point guard much like we had with Wheeler. I don't necessarily believe they have to be a 15+ ppg guard either, someone with high ball IQ. This roster is loaded with proven scorers even with the loss of Wheeler and Whitson. In regards to the 4, I do believe they want a skilled ball handler and someone to space the floor (if you can catch my Whitson-like drift). If they could pull someone with size (6'3"+) this team could be a force next March (assuming the roster stays in tact).

That's kind of what I was thinking with Chen when she entered the portal, though I imagine she'll end up at UConn or another "bigger-name" program. A size 4 would be incredible to add and give extra depth with Iullia/Nas not having to really play out of position all that much.

 

[Shayne_Pickering]

Denim Deshields out of UAB is in the portal. CRI loves a small PG, she can distribute, her 3 point shooting needs some work, but she’s solid.

Denim DeShields - Women's Basketball - UAB Athletics

Denim DeShields (0) Guard - 2023-24 AAC All-Conference Third Team Ranks fourth in the record book in assists (170) in a single season Playe...

uabsports.com

Very athletic family. Her sister was a stud for the Lady Vols and was a top-3 pick in the WNBA Draft. Brother is in the MLB and was a first round pick. Mom was an All American track star at Tennessee

 

[MidTennFootball]

Very athletic family. Her sister was a stud for the Lady Vols and was a top-3 pick in the WNBA Draft. Brother is in the MLB and was a first round pick. Mom was an All American track star at Tennessee

Believe the father is Delino, who had a long career in the MLB

 

[MTOleBlue]

Having an experienced PG to help lead the way when Jada is getting back to full speed will be important. That way she will be ready for the next several years and not have to be thrown into the fire immediately

 

[MidTennFootball]

Having an experienced PG to help lead the way when Jada is getting back to full speed will be important. That way she will be ready for the next several years and not have to be thrown into the fire immediately

Worst case scenario I think we could take a by committee approach if we strike out in the portal. Would like to see Hamby on the floor when it matters to see how far along she is in her development. She's never gonna score like Wheeler, but always liked watching her play at Blackman

 

[MTOleBlue]

Worst case scenario I think we could take a by committee approach if we strike out in the portal. Would like to see Hamby on the floor when it matters to see how far along she is in her development. She's never gonna score like Wheeler, but always liked watching her play at Blackman

When she has gotten out there, she's looked great and very promising, lots of innate skills - even while recovering still from her injury.

 

[MTFAN61]

Some really great insight on upcoming possible signings. Lady Raiders have an ever developing large fan base. In the past I've been disappointed concerning the low number of individuals talking about the team & its concerns on our website. However, really enjoy seeing the increased numbers of interested fans gathering here. The women's basketball program is the best large scale fan based program Middle Tennessee has to offer at this time. The recruiting factor plays such a huge role. Glad to see our fan base noticing the efforts & caliber of high quality athletes our staff is going after.

 

[MidTennFootball]

Some really great insight on upcoming possible signings. Lady Raiders have an ever developing large fan base. In the past I've been disappointed concerning the low number of individuals talking about the team & its concerns on our website. However, really enjoy seeing the increased numbers of interested fans gathering here. The women's basketball program is the best large scale fan based program Middle Tennessee has to offer at this time. The recruiting factor plays such a huge role. Glad to see our fan base noticing the efforts & caliber of high quality athletes our staff is going after.

Still could be much better. How many post about MBB, but don't do the same about WBB? A bunch. If you like basketball, you should appreciate it from either side, maybe even more from the women's side bc at least half the team is from the area and that filters into the coaches as well

 

[MTOleBlue]

Still could be much better. How many post about MBB, but don't do the same about WBB? A bunch. If you like basketball, you should appreciate it from either side, maybe even more from the women's side bc at least half the team is from the area and that filters into the coaches as well

And, not to mention, the women are good unlike the men lol

 

[MTFAN61]

Read that Clarksville's Berry has narrowed her choices to UNC, UK, & Louisville. Apparently has already visited Louisville & getting ready to make visit to UK.

 

[Blue Raider Lightning]

I went to the celebration event tonight and can't repeat verbatim what Matt Insell said but he made reference to the message board talk about signing two transfers and said that the speculation was correct. Not sure if he was talking specific names mentioned and getting a commitment from them, or the thought of what we needed in general. The coaches and players addressed the crowd and Matt brought this up in his speech noting that one of his brothers reads the message board and what was being discussed here was right.

That said, great event tonight. Big turnout and wonderful atmosphere. This truly has been a special team and one of, if not the greatest to suit up. I appreciate them elevating us to new heights and can't wait for next season to start!

 

[MTFAN61]

Looking forward to signing day 04/17/2024! Have a feeling Matt could have some special transfers coming our way.

 

[subkyle]

Has our fan base for the women’s team grown this year? Even before the win against Louisville, I’ve had a feeling that we have more eyes on this program this year. I’m really hoping that is the case because we need as much money and clout as possible to bring in some of these Top girls. I think it’s great having all state shooters come to our program but if we’re going to get into that top 20 we need at least a couple blue chip players

 

[jakeboldenbrp]

Has our fan base for the women’s team grown this year? Even before the win against Louisville, I’ve had a feeling that we have more eyes on this program this year. I’m really hoping that is the case because we need as much money and clout as possible to bring in some of these Top girls. I think it’s great having all state shooters come to our program but if we’re going to get into that top 20 we need at least a couple blue chip players

In terms of average attendance, it grew from 3,559/game in '22-'23 to 3,954/game in '23-'24.

Which both seasons would be good enough to be Top-26 in the country compared to the latest NCAA record report (which they poll 2 years after-the-fact).

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_basketball_RB/2023/Attend.pdf

 

[MTOleBlue]

I think it has. There has been a lot more excitement this year and this message board is a good example of that. Man, if we get two of the top transfers in the portal this year, that would be unreal!

 

[subkyle]

The home attendance increase is phenomenal. Also noticed how many showed up to the conference tournament. We all know we weren’t heading down there to see the men

 

[MidTennFootball]

Has our fan base for the women’s team grown this year? Even before the win against Louisville, I’ve had a feeling that we have more eyes on this program this year. I’m really hoping that is the case because we need as much money and clout as possible to bring in some of these Top girls. I think it’s great having all state shooters come to our program but if we’re going to get into that top 20 we need at least a couple blue chip players

TN is one of the top 10-15 states when it's comes to producing Division I talent so signing all state "shooters" like Savannah Davis before UT can really talk to them is always gonna play.

Getting blue chip players isn't gonna happen here but getting players like Jada Harrison, 4 star types that get P4 interest, is doable. Our future depends on identifying the talent early and developing it, which CRI does well.

Personally, I only want transfers that are a scheme fit and help the team in a big way. Otherwise I'd rather trust the girls we got. I say that just as Hailey Van Lith entered the portal lol

 

In terms of average attendance, it grew from 3,559/game in '22-'23 to 3,954/game in '23-'24.

Which both seasons would be good enough to be Top-26 in the country compared to the latest NCAA record report (which they poll 2 years after-the-fact).

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_basketball_RB/2023/Attend.pdf

10% increase is pretty good when considering that no high profile opponents played here. Hoping for 4500-5000 next year. Maybe have a RuCo night like MT does for MCS, that's a pretty efficient way to promote the program and the school

 

[MTOleBlue]

Portal news... Hailey van Lith is in the portal. She struggled to fit in at LSU but is an excellent PG in the right system. One year left as a grad transfer.

 

[MidTennFootball]

Portal news... Hailey van Lith is in the portal. She struggled to fit in at LSU but is an excellent PG in the right system. One year left as a grad transfer.

If your looking for a short term insurance policy at pg that's familiar with your program, you could do alot worse

 

[MTOleBlue]

If your looking for a short term insurance policy at pg that's familiar with your program, you could do alot worse

100%. I expect her to end up at a Stanford, UConn, etc. but if we could convince her... would be a major coup

 

[MTFAN61]

This may be going off the deep end, but if we could get a combo of something like Kaitlyn Chen & Gracie Merle combined with new arrival Savannah Davis mark us down as Top 20 caliber next year.

 

[MidTennFootball]

100%. I expect her to end up at a Stanford, UConn, etc. but if we could convince her... would be a major coup

I think she's more than likely headed to a P4 or High Major, but MT is high enough in status that I dont think it's impossible . She went for the greener side and found it wasn't a good fit

 

[MTFAN61]

I think she's more than likely headed to a P4 or High Major, but MT is high enough in status that I dont think it's impossible . She went for the greener side and found it wasn't a good fit

Will say this about Hailey. She is the one that openly gave MT the vote of confidence on Selection Sunday by proclaiming our victory over Louisville. So she certainly doesn't think of us as a lowly program. It would be stunning, but you never know.
The major factor has to be the $$$. Between Louisville & LSU the NIL earnings she's collected has to be sizable. Once you get a taste of an ample income it would be hard to imagine giving up an opportunity for for similar bucks one last time. The one thing in a school like MT's favor is she would be an absolute rock star here. Her star absolutely shined at Louisville, but I agree that her year at LSU didn't shine the way many expected probably including herself as well. She would have 2 pretty nice choices to select from though. A beloved Rock star & a smallish income at MT, or slightly tarnished former star & bigger money at another P4 program.

 

[MTOleBlue]

Will say this about Hailey. She is the one that openly gave MT the vote of confidence on Selection Sunday by proclaiming our victory over Louisville. So she certainly doesn't think of us as a lowly program. It would be stunning, but you never know.
The major factor has to be the $$$. Between Louisville & LSU the NIL earnings she's collected has to be sizable. Once you get a taste of an ample income it would be hard to imagine giving up an opportunity for for similar bucks one last time. The one thing in a school like MT's favor is she would be an absolute rock star here. Her star absolutely shined at Louisville, but I agree that her year at LSU didn't shine the way many expected probably including herself as well. She would have 2 pretty nice choices to select from though. A beloved Rock star & a smallish income at MT, or slightly tarnished former star & bigger money at another P4 program.

At most other P4 programs you will run into the same issue you find at LSU - fading into the background and not fitting in - and, not to mention, most P4 programs don't have the same fan support and engagement as we do, which is rare to find in an allegedly non-power WBB program.

 

[crassyblue]

I like to think that Insell doesn't look only at talent, but chemistry for the team. With the experience of previous transfers that were uber-talented but team poison, I think the coaches will be extra careful. Hailey will probably go for the big NIL bucks anyway.

 

[MTOleBlue]

I like to think that Insell doesn't look only at talent, but chemistry for the team. With the experience of previous transfers that were uber-talented but team poison, I think the coaches will be extra careful. Hailey will probably go for the big NIL bucks anyway.

Hailey has been a consummate teammate on every team she's been on from all I've seen and heard - usually the loudest defender of her teammates, no matter what. That said, I agree she prob will go for big NIL bucks.

 

[crassyblue]

Maybe just the association with LSU players affected my opinion? She will go for the big bucks though. I would say it would be substantial. If it came down to it and Insell thought she would be a good fit, of course she is very talented. When she played at MTSU, I don't think I have seen any girl with a vertical like hers. She is hard nosed on defense. Insell would like that. She actually did as good a job as anyone has with Caitlin Clark.

 

[MidTennFootball]

I wouldn't be surprised if it came out that Van Lith was just ring chasing and didn't get a ton of NIL money. I do think she's a good fit and I think her potential addition gives Middle a pretty good chance to host, which would make her a legend here

I'd be willing to bet if CRI absolutely needed her commitment, enough funds could be rounded up. Were giving a terrible MBB team the kind of money that could get an elite player for WBB

 

[MTOleBlue]

I wouldn't be surprised if it came out that Van Lith was just ring chasing and didn't get a ton of NIL money. I do think she's a good fit and I think her potential addition gives Middle a pretty good chance to host, which would make her a legend here

I'd be willing to bet if CRI absolutely needed her commitment, enough funds could be rounded up. Were giving a terrible MBB team the kind of money that could get an elite player for WBB

Absolutely. It seems like we've got donors who could put together a pretty decent NIL deal for a superstar addition...

 

[blue rai]

Watched a lot of HVL and she looks great in warmups. Didn’t seem to show much in big games. Caitlyn Clark hung 41 on her last week. I know she is a former All American but if I was picking my team, I would pick Sav Wheeler over her every time,.

 

[SpaceRaider]

I remember this particular thread on HVL on the UL meesage board and there was a lot discussion on her time at UL and since

HVL Fallout

HVL Fallout

247sports.com

 

[MidTennFootball]

Watched a lot of HVL and she looks great in warmups. Didn’t seem to show much in big games. Caitlyn Clark hung 41 on her last week. I know she is a former All American but if I was picking my team, I would pick Sav Wheeler over her every time,.

Much as I love Wheeler, Clark is hanging 40+ on anybody she wants

 

[MidTennFootball]

Absolutely. It seems like we've got donors who could put together a pretty decent NIL deal for a superstar addition...

If anything, Middle should acknowledge who they are and go all in on funding towards WBB. We're never gonna be a top 25 or better program with MBB, we just might with the girls, they're so close to being there

 

[MTFAN61]

From reading much of the UL blog about van Lith many felt much of what was going on with her was pushed by her father. If true that's always a bad sign. No one understands her anger towards Louisville which appeared to embrace her the entire time she was there. And now she's moving on from LSU. Dad again? Sadly we've already experienced enough of interloper father's here in the past. Those guys can be a cancer to an entire team. May be best to let daddy pick another home for her outside of Murfreesboro.

 

[MidTennFootball]

From reading much of the UL blog about van Lith many felt much of what was going on with her was pushed by her father. If true that's always a bad sign. No one understands her anger towards Louisville which appeared to embrace her the entire time she was there. And now she's moving on from LSU. Dad again? Sadly we've already experienced enough of interloper father's here in the past. Those guys can be a cancer to an entire team. May be best to let daddy pick another home for her outside of Murfreesboro.

For 1 year, I trust the team culture is strong enough to handle 1 overzealous dad. Nobody can be worse than the Hayes

 

[MTFAN61]

Confirming how many scholarships for next year. Was under the impression we had 2 spots, but with Whitson & Wheeler leaving plus 2 more in the portal that gives 4 departures. Of course Davis coming is an automatic addition. So am I correct in now thinking we have 3 available additions for next year's team?