...I think Duffy came in and saw who's here and said "I can build a team around these players", so she can take some time and find the right pieces rather than panic. In a couple of years we are really going to appreciate Wenzel, Baker, Suffren, Nelson and Hazleton. I feel confident that's the core of a winning team. ** Edited by delmarva hokie at 4/15/2024, 12:59:59 PM

Rose and Tilly will give stability and veteran experience next season. The players I listed are the core building blocks to build the team around who will be here the next few seasons. Getting players from the portal is important but in this case, I see them to enhance what Coach Duffy already has to build around. Coach Brooks didn't leave the cupboard completely bare which is a plus for Coach Duffy.

anything solidifying Baker. No news is good news?

played through it last year. ** Edited by Stork at 4/15/2024, 2:29:50 PM

I sensed that she was being held back a bit and frustrated. If she was playing with an injury, that would explain a source of the frustration and why she was being held back. I'm really looking forward to having her back healthy next year.

About all I've heard is that she missed the Duffy introductory press conference and perhaps also a team meeting with Coach Duffy due to being in class which I'd qualify as an encouraged excused absence. If anything, I would have been worried about her transferring if Brooks stayed since I felt she may have been frustrated last season. Also, Lexi Blue might have been competing for her minutes next year. My sense is she may be a better fit for Coach Duffy's system and is quite happy to stay. We'll see. ** Edited by delmarva hokie at 4/15/2024, 1:53:44 PM

staying and she said yes. That is not iron clad (nothing will be until May 1 when the portal closes) but definitely in a good direction. She was on crutches and evidently played injured with a foot injury and just recently got surgery (think I heard that right). Probably why we have not seen her much. ** Edited by j9hokie at 4/15/2024, 1:31:45 PM

did given her condition. No wonder she got beat off the dribble so much

Kenny had a two or three week head start to possibly condition his current transferring players and recruits to his move- at the very least to develop a strategy to do so. We believe that a large amount of NIL was likely promised to him. How much did the powers that be promise coach Duffy who had to make a quick and likely unanticipated move to a completely new cultural environment? Coach Duffy is young, attractive, and articulate and will likely be able to find her way to getting the NIL money tree more active but likely not this year. I don't see 100 $20k or 10 $200k donors at the ready to pull in some of the high level talent that people are wishing for on the big name players to give us instant success.The ACC is going to be loaded next year and Stanford has been added. I'm going to try to be happy with a mid upper ACC finish and an occasional upset. Kenny had a long and tortuous path at VT get to the past 2 years arguably in great part because of Liz whose presence made recruiting a lot more attractive. There were several roaring non-conference starts followed by ACC season and late game collapses in the process. We need to give our new coach time to get things where she wants them.

Duffy feels confident in her coaching, so she is ok with the NIL we have. KB on the other hand..... ** Edited by j9hokie at 4/15/2024, 1:48:26 PM

temper expectations. The roster is still yet to be completely flushed out but it is always a challenge for the remaining players under any coaching change. A new way of doing things. New areas of priority with a new coach that might have not been in place before. New terminology in some instances. New practice structure. Different video reviewing. Even some fundamental changes on both offense and especially defense from a previous staff. All that and more. No player will be comfortable with knowing how Coach wants and expects things to be done because no one knows the new VT way. That is a lot of changes for players anywhere with coaching changes and not every player adapts right away. Don’t underestimate that adjustment period. I do fully expect to there being a much greater percentage of each practice devoted to defensive philosophy and principles. The upside to new roster construction is buying in defensively can help accelerate your program’s progress. Get your 5 best women on the floor defensively and try to impose your will defensively each game. That would become your hallmark and try to figure out ways offensively to win as many games. As you continue building your program and adding offensive pieces. I am looking forward to seeing how the balance of the roster gets filled. There is really only one proven double figure scorer remaining so one would expect we see some experienced additions from the portal or Juco where that is concerned. Then assess later after the roster is complete.

with coaching changes. 3rd one in 3 years for Ekh and Micheaux.

Who knows but Duffy may be rostering up for the future and this will be a transition year. I could see her going full bore on an experienced portal player who already knows her system (like Karlen, Hare) but does it really make sense to go all out on a 5th year senior who will take 1/2 a season to learn the new system, then graduates? Especially if these players are going to be in super high demand anyway (and the most talented ones will likely want to be on at least an elite 8 contender team)? Maybe it makes more sense to recruit a talented though lesser known freshman or sophomore and let them develop with our current young players? I think that is sorta what Kara Lawson did at Duke. Next year Duke is going to be very good because those young players matured with a lot of playing time. Thoughts?

Is when you bring in a new freshman class and aren’t relying or counting on them taking critical roles at all. You have returning players who have established themselves and have a proven track record. If any of your freshman force you to play them, then that is a bonus. But you don’t want to ever depend on them or pencil them into prime roles early. Force them to earn their way. Force them to impress you. Force them to earn your trust. That’s the template of a proven, sustained model basketball program.

would rather build for the future. The holdovers want playing time

There is a process and it doesn't happen overnight. Patience grasshopper.