Wiseguy86

Over the weekend, I attended Kelly Woolwine's amazing Life Ring Foundation fundraiser. For purposes of this board, I had some wonderful conversations with Coach Duffy, our new AD, our former AD, and the WBB goat (Liz Kitley). The new reality of NIL and explosion of money for athletes is surreal and quite the challenge for coaches who are working tirelessly to build and retain a championship roster. Coach Duffy continues to stand out as a first-class coach and person. Who knows how competitive we will be next year? I do know that we have an awesome leader who is doing everything she can to put us in a position to succeed. For our part, we need to support the program with our time, energy and resources. Go Hokies.

Go Hokies!

As usual, the photos posted for the annual Cascades hike are awesome. It seems like great bonding with the players, coaches and staff. Go Hokies.

I have really paid attention to women's CBB, especially VT and ACC, over the past 4 years. One of my biggest takeaways is that there are very few polished, talented and dominating post players over 6'4''. We got so spoiled with Liz. And we have seen many players who are 6'5'' or taller who are not very good. I am comfortable with the "bigs" on our current roster. It seems that we have at least 5 players who are in the 6'4'' range who are also athletic. (We all loved Kayl but she was not tall enough to excel in the ACC/P4.) Go Hokies!!!

Let's be objective. If you are a stud point guard and have an opportunity to play one more season for a team in the national spotlight with a national player of year candidate OR a team that is on the rise but not yet there, which one would you choose. And, of course, we do not know the NIL in play here but would expect that VT made a significant offer. Coach Duffy is going to keep grinding and will have the best team she can put together. I am not going to fret because we lost this player to ND. Go Hokies.

Loved everything about Mackie's VT journey and the joy with which she played over the last couple of years. Seems like a great person. When she entered the portal, I assumed she wanted to return to northeast and/or for the NIL dollars. I am really surprised she decided to stay in ACC and commit to Clemson. She would have excelled next year with VT. I don't buy that Clemson is a "better fit" for her (whatever what means). I will turn the page. As Pops reminds us, it's a marathon, not a sprint. I feel certain we will find an excellent point guard and that she will mesh well with the team. Go Hokies!

Winning is hard. I respect and trust Coach Duffy's plan. I truly hope we have enough money to compete because I know that Coach Duffy and her staff will maximize the results. I am so thankful that Carleigh is "all in" and has had a great experience thus far in Blacksburg. f there is anything else you think it would be helpful for true fans to know, I hope you will find a way to convey it. In the interim, I will be patient. Go Hokies!

The Athletic recently ran an article on the Reddit co-founders $3M gift to UVA WBB over 4 years that has allowed UVA to have success in the NIL era. (I am well aware that we beat the Wahoos twice this year!) Duke, Louisville, ND, UNC, NC State, and UVA will all continue to be players in this new age. (Not sure about Syracuse, Stanford, Cal, Ga. Tech, Clemson). I love everything Coach Duffy is doing with our program. As everyone knows, however, it is going to take some real money to stay, or become more, competitive. I fall into the category (like many) of being a fervent supporter but not in a position to write a big check. There is great enthusiasm for our WBB program. We also need lots of money. Hope we can find it. Go Hokies

I am under the radar but have attended virtually every home game the last few years. I met you and your wife after the first VT-Iowa game in Charlotte. You remember that game--every time Caitlyn Clark breathed, they called a foul on VT.

If you view my posts over the season, you will see that they are overwhelmingly positive. We all want the team to be the best they can in this new portal world. Last year, the fans were all clamoring for Coach to bring in a 6'4''+ post in the portal. (We were so spoiled with Liz!) She wisely stuck to her principles and found a player, Frelon, who bought in and was an asset. I would love to see Petersen, Wells and Swanson all thrive next year. And maybe it is not my place to pose the questions of their futures. I am not trying to spread negativity. Go Hokies.

I am invested in program and huge fan of Coach Duffy. Like all of us I want us to continue to improve. Swanson was not the contributor we hoped she would be this year. Question for her and coaches is what about next year?

Is it realistic to expect Swanson to have an impactful season for Hokies next year? I doubt it. Maybe she never quite recovered from whatever injuries she had to start the season. It does not seem she has the foot speed that Coach wants in a guard. I know she can shoot better than 25% (her average for this year). It seems that we could do better in the portal. We'll see. On the positive side, I'm sure the season did not go as she expected it to go. She seemed to be a good team player and tried hard when called on.

In my judgment, Wells and Peterson are not ACC caliber players. I get that they bring a lot of positives, have high basketball IQ and do a lot of little things well. Simply put, Wells is not a good shooter, and Peterson is not tall enough to stop a good post player. Yes, chemistry is important. And they are both still sophomores. But I believe we can improve in the portal. I'll trust the coaches with these hard decisions. Hope we don't lose anyone that we want to keep. The new NIL world makes this complex. Go Hokies.

Thank you to Coach Duffy and the entire WBB program. A well deserved NCAA appearance after a 23 win season and 6th place finish in the ACC. Let's celebrate a successful season!

I am going to stay positive but wonder why we chose not to permit a live feed. @davidcunningham, any inisghts?

With so much negativity (at VT and otherwise), let's celebrate a successful year 2 for Coach Duffy, her staff and the entire VT WBB program. I really believe Coach has gotten the most out of the roster she has created and developed. While there is plenty of talent, we won many games based on grit, defense and playing together. Frelon is a great example. It was quite a risk to recruit her as a 5 with her relative lack of height and modest resume. She was solid for us all year--we did not lose games because of our lack of height. I trust Coach Duffy's vision and patience with this program. By all measures, this season has already been a success. We earned a spot in the Big Dance. Go Hokies.

Interesting that NCAA has chosen to reveal its top 16 teams who will host the 1st 2 rounds next weekend. Duke, Louisville and UNC made the cut. I think this is good idea. Look forward to hearing the Hokies name called tomorrow night. Go Hokies.

We consistently drew just over 4,000 for most home games this year. Think we only surpassed 5K on one occasion--UVA. The student turnout, on the whole, was disappointing. It is a fun team to watch and root for. Not sure what else VT can do to enhance student attendance. Cassell Guard needs to support the WBB team as well.

Appreciate her tenacity and hard work. Go Hokies.

Season is not over and we can still make the tourney. Today, however, was another prime example that talent matters. 35, 12 and 3 were awesome for NC St. In my opinion, Wells and Petersen are not ACC caliber players. Freelon is super athletic, an awesome rebounder, but not a good shooter. Mackie has been a little off of late. Although Wentzel and Baker can be elite scorers, the shooting percentage and turnovers can be problems. Dailey seems to be in the dog house and Swanson has barely seen the floor. I am not giving up on this team (I go to every home game and cheer them on.) To beat elite teams, we either need better talent and/or better performance. Go Hokies.

Really good win today. 18-5 and 8-3 in ACC w/ 7 game win streak. I know the road gets tougher but love how Coach Duffy prepares her team and adjusts during the game. Go Hokies

Allow me to make a few observations. As context, I am an older male who played basketball and understands the game. I also have been an avid VT WBB basketball supporter (including financially) especially over the last few years. I am a huge fan of Coach Duffy, her coaching staff and what she is building. Carleigh is a warrior. I am so glad she is a Hokie. After yesterday's game, however, a primary concern I have is that our ball handlers may struggle against elite ACC competition. With Mackie, Carleigh, Samyha, and Leila, my hope was that an extra year of experience/maturity would lead to more confidence and fewer turnovers--still hope this turns out to be true. Given our lack of size, our guard play is even more important this year. Every possession matters. Yesterday was a nice win and I especially loved the crisp execution once the Beavers cut the lead to 3 late. Let's have big crowds on Thursday and Sunday for 2 big games. Go Hokies.

Yes, I like the fact that these games allow us the freedom to play together some more and get some minutes for our bench players. But man was this a mismatch. Got a kick out of fact that Niagra had 3 fans. Yes, 3. And they video recorded the entire game and seemed to be having a swell time. Next 5 games will be the first real tests. Hope we ace them. Go Hokies.

I have been to both games. One surprise is that Sophie has not played much and has not excelled when she has played. I think we are going to need her especially her 3 point shooting. Thought I saw that she might have had a minor injury that set her back. She does not have the lightning quickness of our other guards but comes with much experience (and some swagger). In short, it is a long season and I hope she is able to turn the corner soon. Go Hokies.

Really under the radar signing. What's the scoop? Thanks.

Nice job by VT WBB social media to feature individual player working out, with short video clips.

Coach Duffy and her staff seem to be patiently building a program based on culture, fit, skill and athleticism. They are resisting adding players just because they are tall or played for a top college. In our "win now" NIL era, will this strategy work?

As I look at my Liz VT 33 bobble head in my office, I am forever thankful for the amazing years she gave us. 3 time ACC player of the year, and took us to the Final Four. Yes, I am following her with the Aces and smiled when I saw her stat line from yesterday's game. None of us know what type of pro career she will have. For me, it does not matter--anything she does from here is a bonus. She and her family are everything that is good about life and athletics. (P.S. I also enjoyed the clip of Liz's teammates nudging her to break out some dance moves after a recent Aces win!) ** Edited by Wiseguy86 at 5/26/2025, 11:25:18 AM

David, thank you for your perspective and reality check. Amazing that over 1000 players in portal and less than 100 have committed. So what about Sophie? The more I read, the more I think this is a solid pickup for us. Are there some previous relationships in place? How did this come together if you know?

Lani had a huge, positive impact on the team this year.

Surprised how poorly ND and their stars have played, especially in 4th quarter. Van Lith has been awesome. Good for her. Guess ND will reload next year but they fell apart over last few weeks. Will be interesting to follow. Too bad the Marquette player could not join us--did not work out for her at ND this year. Go Hokies.

Ramiya and Myah seemed to accept their roles and were solid teammates this year. And I fully accept that they were freshman with a long way to go. While I am no expert, I think it unlikely that they evolve and mature into top tier post players. I know Ramiya has lost weight but it does not seem that she can develop the foot speed. Myah is more intriguing--would love to know more about her skills/abilities when KB recruited her. You can't teach 6'4" and she seems to be athletic. But she seemed like a fish out of water during her limited playing time. If I am wrong about one or both, I would happily accept it. I know we have talented recruits coming but think we need to hit the portal to replace Rose. Trust the coaching staff to make these hard decisions.

Thank you Rose for persevering, staying at VT, and having a superb year! Consider these facts and observations. After transferring to VT from Minnesota (quite the move), our former coach benched Rose and she did not even play in 10 games. (She only played the last 4 games after Liz got hurt.) Last year, Rose averaged 4 points and 3 boards per game. This year, Rose was a completely different player. She averaged over 12 points and 7 rebounds. And she was our primary post player who often got called improperly for fouls whenever she set a pick that the opponent did not see coming. If I were a post player, I would look at Rose's results and come to Blacksburg to play for Coach Duffy and Coach Hoover (and the other coaches as well). Rose, you will always hold a special place as a winner at Virginia Tech. Thank you.

My favorite home games were Cal and Louisville. Even though Rutgers had a down year, the win over Rutgers was also a fun game to watch. Lots of great memories watching this team this year. Thank you Tilly and Rose--you are great representatives of Virginia Tech.

I understand being a ref can be challenging. My biggest beef today (and most of year) is the inconsistency. Just because a player sets a hard screen does not mean it is a foul. They often make ticky-tack calls and then miss obvious physical contact. We did not lose today because of the officials. But they were bad today.

Not going to analyze or dwell on this one. Hokies win. Lani and Mac were awesome and Kayl was a shot blocking machine. Crowd was okay. Hope for bigger turnout on Sunday.

How do I get in contact with you? Thanks.

Rose and Carys also deserving. The improvement of these 3 young ladies from last year was really impressive.