Looks like Coach Duffy will have to build team out of portal
Maybe take more players via portal than she planned. NIL has to be tough on coaches.
46 Replies
1y
bring-in 2-3 portal senior/grads that can have immediate role impact and mitigate heavier grad class years. Given the KB turnover, I suppose that # could be closer to 3-4, but retain a cultural core if possible. MBB is a different animal.
(In response to this post by BAMAHOKIE)
"Build a team out of portal." She's returning the majority of her roster!
(In response to this post by BAMAHOKIE)
1y
(In response to this post by David Cunningham)
Those numbers don’t necessarily tell the entire story with 2 graduating
seniors and 3 signees coming on board.
(In response to this post by VAHokie89)
1y
(In response to this post by BackInTheBurg)
Is that a good thing? I think he might be indicating we need to get better
Certainly need bigs and maybe PG improvement. Depends on how Duffy feels the young PGs can develop. Carleigh needs to be an emergency PG option only.
Duffy may be rethinking the roster makeup after 1 year of experience with them. No reason to run anyone off because we have plenty of roster spots, but it could be others leave if transfers are brought in to compete with them for playing time.
I’m just saying our key contributors next year may end up being more portal players than we think at this time.
(In response to this post by David Cunningham)
1y
Transferring out. Not sure which guards you’d prefer to leave, our young guards are pretty talented.
(In response to this post by vatechcowpatty)
Sure, but it's different to say VT needs to add pieces rather than rebuild.
(In response to this post by vatechcowpatty)
1y
(In response to this post by David Cunningham)
1y
(In response to this post by vtbball80)
1y
Duffy hasn't used the portal much in the past, etc.
I think the team roster is in a good place, work to be done, but there's always work to be done.
(In response to this post by VAHokie89)
V
VTBAMA
1y
thoughts that the team should most like be a better team next year by adding a few portal players to go along with the incoming freshman and the current players improving. People are not upset at the players that have entered the portal from VT. Basically everyone has wished them well.
(In response to this post by vtbball80)
1y
wrong. That said, there are alot of posts that overreact (mostly negative) on player transfer movement and the "low" number of players currently on the roster.
My take is that Hazelton's and White's departure absolutely do not change the incomming transfer needs of the team - and it's not that daunting. A starting center and a proven backup are all that's absolutely needed. Yes, they don't grow on trees, but viable to get.
Somewhere between need and want is an athletic wing - either a lock down defender or dynamic scorer (not just a shooter). I think this team needs more help defensively. If we lose a guard/wing to transfer, the wing transfer becomes more of a need.
(In response to this post by VTBAMA)
1y
which I guess continued this past year with Lani White so I get the feeling she wanted to build teams from the ground up, I don't think she ran them off but what do I know. There were plenty of spots left to bring in more players, certainly thought they would give them a go for one more year.
But yeah, reality lesson might be needs to bump up those portals gotta be pretty fluid these days.
(In response to this post by BAMAHOKIE)
1y
in general/ So past patterns might not indicate future actions :)
(In response to this post by `lag)
1y
left behind when she arrived at both.
The sense of urgency is slightly higher now than there.
She will build. Just needs a bit of a bridge for now to sustain getting there.
(In response to this post by `lag)
1y
Recruit
(In response to this post by BAMAHOKIE)
1y
Big picture, coaches will still recruit for development sustainment players, then push in candidates from portal. Some years they entire team will go, others more sparce. At the same time, the coaches have to evaluate players every year, who are dead weight, who is contributing and what capabilties have to be enhanced. PURE TRANSACTIONAL.
For fans who want to get invested in the players, enjoying them on campus for couple of years, seeing them come and go takes all the personal investment out of the college game. but its all about money... players, schools to make this thing called college sports work... unfortunately
(In response to this post by BAMAHOKIE)
Why do you say that? I’m pretty sure none of this is a surprise to Coach
Duffy at this point.
(In response to this post by BAMAHOKIE)
1y
Knowing that we had 3 recruits, 2 graduating players...she was going to come out of this season with a roster size max of 12... and I could envision seeing pretty early in the practice/off-season as she got to know what she had...that she knew she was going to have to dip into the transfer portal significantly to get more competitive quickly. Even with the recruits, you can't expect them to light the world on fire their freshman year.... So a team full of freshmen (3), sophomores (5 before the portal entries today), and then Wenzel/Baker/White/Suffren as the 4 juniors... Yeah, that version of this team before portal transfers would not look great on paper..
(In response to this post by BAMAHOKIE)
1y
(In response to this post by VAHokie89)
1y
We will see if there is any splash. Versus droplets. Not doom and gloom, just not assuming
(In response to this post by Stork)
1y
That happened last year.
And look how well we did this year after those loses.
(In response to this post by DGHOKIE)
1y
(In response to this post by Stork)
1y
Peterson
(In response to this post by Stork)
1y
Being able to live without any player is all about who would replace any player....
(In response to this post by Durham Hokie)
Totally disagree with this sentiment. I kind of understand what you’re im-
-plying, but you don’t just replace players like Strack, Amoore, etc.
(In response to this post by VAHokie89)
1y
So yeah, some players are harder to replace than others. Obviously, when teams or bemoans the loss of a franchise player, you feel it more if you don't replace them with franchise players. Programs that don't fall into doldrums do so by replacing "irreplaceable" players with good playters. South Carolina replaced Boston, Edwards, Wilson.... all someone could argue that they were vital. UConn likely has struggled to continue its dominance because (a) injuries, (b) SOuth Carolina, but (c) in some cases replacing great players with good players who were not killers (I am thinking when they lost to Notre Dame).
So while I am a huge fan of our current players, if we had recruits or portals that were good-to-great, people won't not think the were irreplaceable.
Again, i do NOT want them to leave. It was just an exercise in the thought that players can be replaced. Don't mean they will be.
(In response to this post by BackInTheBurg)
1y
Seems like we would want to retain the ones we have. They aren't easily replaced by VT.
(In response to this post by VAHokie89)
1y
or Silva that we lost last year to portal. And we survived that just fine. Along with loosing Kitley, King, and Summiel to graduation.
No worries.
** Edited by Stork at 3/26/2025, 8:27:42 AM
(In response to this post by Durham Hokie)
1y
(In response to this post by Stork)
You want to maintain your core players, especially those that want to be
here. It’s hard to rebuild team chemistry year in and year out if all your players are brand new. Coach Duffy overcame that this year despite a huge transition year because of the senior leadership of Rose and Tilly, keeping a really good core together and adding a few pieces to the mix. One of the reasons that my men’s basketball interest has waned over the last couple of years, although we still have 4 season tickets, is that the team has, for the most part, been brand new each year. And with that said, there’s just been something off with the team chemistry. Sometimes I would even question whether they even liked playing with each other. So yeah, maybe we’d be okay with a bunch of girls portaling out, but I hope not. I think these ladies genuinely like each other and like to play together. Team chemistry is huge in my book and shouldn’t be underestimated in terms of wins/losses.
** Edited by BackInTheBurg at 3/26/2025, 11:43:36 AM
(In response to this post by Stork)
1y
When we look at the men's team, except for a few players..wasn't alot of people of the mindset that it had to be torn down? I agree with you
(In response to this post by BackInTheBurg)
1y
said is if some choose to leave, it won’t be the end of the world.
We have Coach Duffy. Thankfully.
Players can be replaced.
Look at how well our 5 portals have worked out.
Ekh, Rose, Lani, Olivia Summiel, Taylor Soule. Not bad results. And pretty good chemistry from them.
The only one that didn’t was Owusu. And evidence points to Brooks more than her.
And it doesn’t appear anyone else if leaving. So it doesn’t matter anyway.
Now look at what we lost last year;
Kitley, Amoore, Strack, Silva, Summiel, Cayla King,
And our entire coaching staff.
All at the last minute, without a new coach to take the time to properly recruit and gain portal players.
And I’d say, we did pretty darn good this year after that fiasco. 1 game away from NCAA.
That’s why we shouldn’t sweat it. It all works out.
** Edited by Stork at 3/26/2025, 12:07:08 PM
** Edited by Stork at 3/26/2025, 12:11:33 PM
(In response to this post by BackInTheBurg)
Did you even read my post or do you just respond in kind? Sometimes I won-
-der.
** Edited by BackInTheBurg at 3/26/2025, 1:38:09 PM
(In response to this post by Stork)
1y
I did read it. And it didn’t apply to my previous post.
You appeared to focus here on team chemistry. And the concern portalling affects that.
And I responded, with facts, to our history with portal players. And how chemistry was actually enhanced, not affected negatively.
** Edited by Stork at 3/26/2025, 12:23:50 PM
(In response to this post by BackInTheBurg)
Haha. Until I post something about Kate Sears
(In response to this post by Stork)
1y
At (a) crowded position or (b) maligned player
(In response to this post by DGHOKIE)
1y
she falls under your (b).
But since it didn’t happen yesterday, I think those two are the only ones we’ll lose, and if so, Duffy does a great job with this ladies, and they obviously love and respect her to all come back.
Good to know.
** Edited by Stork at 3/26/2025, 7:46:29 AM
** Edited by Stork at 3/26/2025, 7:47:15 AM
(In response to this post by VAHokie89)