WWAD?
- Thread starter Royalclone
- Start date
I think she has the potential to be the Victor Alexander of ISU WBB. Anyone that remember the Big Vic era will know what I mean.
Reportedly Tomi Taiwo & Logan Cook - role playing contributors who can be upgraded.
There's a New World Order emerging via the transfer portal and "standing pat" isn't good enough when you're trying to convince your accomplished All American to return for a "bonus" year.
For those who say finding an athletic post is an unreasonable expectation, I submit KU's Taiyanna Jackson, a 6'5 athlete who can score and block shots. I believe KU found her in the Junior College ranks.
Assuming we could persuade Ashley to return, we have four very nice returning starters (Ryan, Lexi, Dyew) and good guard depth off the bench in MEM & Fritz. Find a portal post to start, sub in developing Izzy (& Vick), and we're better than we were this year. JMHO
In regard to KU’s Jackson, here is her interesting path prior to KU:
“Jackson, who originally committed to Ole Miss out of high school, never made it to Oxford. She spent the last two seasons at Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College, where she was the 2019-20 NJCAA Region 14 Freshman of the Year. Last season she led the team to the national championship where it fell 67-60 to Northwest Florida State.”
… an impressive find by KU.
“Jackson, who originally committed to Ole Miss out of high school, never made it to Oxford. She spent the last two seasons at Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College, where she was the 2019-20 NJCAA Region 14 Freshman of the Year. Last season she led the team to the national championship where it fell 67-60 to Northwest Florida State.”
… an impressive find by KU.
CW thinks we'll know here today/tomorrow probably. And it could lean our way.
Unless she has an educational goal I don't know what else she can accomplish at ISU from a basketball standpoint. I think she moves along. With Russia the way it is right now women's pro hoops is going to be a mess for a few years so that might change the thinking some.
I think it really boils down to if she wants to keep playing. I really don't see her game translating well to the WNBA, there are too few teams and the teams so it's damn tough to stick.
The declaration deadline is today (for any player not still in the NCAA tournament).
It was reported by Tommy Birch (I think) that she still needs to complete her student teaching. Also players not still competing need to declare for the WNBA draft by the end of the day today. It does not necessarily mean that we will hear her decision but it has to be made by today.
I’m not sure how she could have. A student teacher is required to compete x number of days in succession for student teaching. Her playing schedule wouldn’t have permitted that to happen. The only excuses for missing a day is illness or school closing.
I’m not sure her ball handling skills are good enough. Then again they might be very good, considering how much she was fouled when she had the ball
Apologies for the double posting, but I think is relevant to the comments in this thread regarding recruiting needs... athletic (i.e., quick, good fee and hands, reaction time) post that are 6'4" or taller are rare and the best are likely to be McDonald's All Americans.
Probably need to appreciate the results with the talent we recruit more and celebrate that our women's basketball team is often top 20 in the nation... not a fan of the 'ceiling' references -- as if greater success is easy to achieve -- as we all can see how hard it is to maintain top tier status over time for all but a few programs nationally.
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South Carolina has 11 McDonald's All Americans on their roster this year! For reference, Maryland (another perennial top 10 team) has had 23 McDonald's All Americans in the past 20 years... and Iowa State has had 1... yes, 1 (Lexi Donarski).
Iowa State runs a system and Fennelly recruits for that system and often over achieves with the talent recruited. He (and his coaching team) seldom recruit players east of the Mississippi River or from the West Coast as he is pragmatic on who he can land. To be a consistent top 10 / Elite Eight, you have to regularly be in top 10 recruiting class rankings (which means, likely getting McDonald's All Americans out of high school to come to Iowa State).
I have been a fan of Iowa State women's basketball since the late 70s and can say unabashedly that this year's team was right up there with the Welle/Taylor/Freese teams in terms of being so much fun to watch. Very appreciative of the women's basketball program achievements over Fennelly's incredible tenure. While it is always the desire to win championships (Big 8/12 and NCAA), let's not lose sight of the great success achieved during these years. Would we like to see this level of success every year? Of course, but let's hope this run of greatness extends as the last runs to the Elite Eight were a decade apart.
Looking forward to next year and wishing Ashley the absolute best -- whether she returns or goes to play professionally. Grateful she is a Cyclone and have great appreciation for what a the role model she has been as one the hardest working players in college basketball (men or women) and in Cyclone history.
Probably need to appreciate the results with the talent we recruit more and celebrate that our women's basketball team is often top 20 in the nation... not a fan of the 'ceiling' references -- as if greater success is easy to achieve -- as we all can see how hard it is to maintain top tier status over time for all but a few programs nationally.
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South Carolina has 11 McDonald's All Americans on their roster this year! For reference, Maryland (another perennial top 10 team) has had 23 McDonald's All Americans in the past 20 years... and Iowa State has had 1... yes, 1 (Lexi Donarski).
Iowa State runs a system and Fennelly recruits for that system and often over achieves with the talent recruited. He (and his coaching team) seldom recruit players east of the Mississippi River or from the West Coast as he is pragmatic on who he can land. To be a consistent top 10 / Elite Eight, you have to regularly be in top 10 recruiting class rankings (which means, likely getting McDonald's All Americans out of high school to come to Iowa State).
I have been a fan of Iowa State women's basketball since the late 70s and can say unabashedly that this year's team was right up there with the Welle/Taylor/Freese teams in terms of being so much fun to watch. Very appreciative of the women's basketball program achievements over Fennelly's incredible tenure. While it is always the desire to win championships (Big 8/12 and NCAA), let's not lose sight of the great success achieved during these years. Would we like to see this level of success every year? Of course, but let's hope this run of greatness extends as the last runs to the Elite Eight were a decade apart.
Looking forward to next year and wishing Ashley the absolute best -- whether she returns or goes to play professionally. Grateful she is a Cyclone and have great appreciation for what a the role model she has been as one the hardest working players in college basketball (men or women) and in Cyclone history.
11 McDAAs on the SC roster! Wow.
Do the 'talent' people talk about this when doing their games?
This is why we see a combination of the same dozen or so teams filling just about every spot in the men's and women's final four every year.
I heard during one of the UNI broadcasts that Karli Rucker student taught prior to the basketball season and was going to finish her teaching after the season concluded. I don't know if Ashley was doing something similar or if that is possible. I just know what the game announcer said but know they don't always get the facts correct.
You make it sound as if it's an unattainable goal. It took me all of three minutes to find a portal post who could likely improve our starting five next season.
In the transfer portal right now, 6'3 Aaroneete Vonleh, who just completed her freshman season at Arizona. Per her profile, rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 9 post player in the country by ESPN … A top 100 recruit in the class of 2021 by ESPN.
It sounds as if she's stuck behind three returning "bigs" and a top 10 incoming recruit. Arizona isn't the only team with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to tall skilled young women - some of them are going to hit the portal and I hope ISU will court one (or two) of them! I'd think a post could be swayed by the prospect of helping a top-ten team.
Postscript: "Iron sharpens iron" - If Morgan & Bea want to play, let's make them earn that court time.
