1. They play a fun style of basketball
2. they have fan support.
3. It's a Nike school
4. Their coach is a player's coach
Maybe, throw Frese in the group as well. They recruit as many good players as possible. They attract a lot of talent but lose a lot as well. Their programs are revolving doors.
It is a lot like players and their AAU teams. Coaches and players focus on what is best for themselves. If I get a better offer, I leave my AAU (maybe at halftime of a game) team. If I can get a better PG than the one I have, I do. If one leaves, simply the cost of doing business.
IMO, there will be more of this activity moving forward. Roster building is changing quickly and dramatically. WBB is looking for more overseas talent. The transfer portal is blowing up. More grad player movement. I think the NCAA will grant more Jessica Shepard immediate playing time exceptions. The end result? Fewer players stay at one school for four years.
Ironic that none of the last three NCAA champs (UConn, SC, ND) before Baylor can field a team with 10 scholarship players, who came from HS to their program. One would think that top players would love to come to these schools, be willing to sit for year or two, develop their game, and enjoy a whole of winning. But, it seems like many demand immediate playing time, even when they may not be ready for it.
Whether one views the changes as good or bad is irrelevant. The changes are occurring.
IMO, old school coaches, like Muffet and Geno, will need to adjust. They have to think about including more turnover when building their rosters. I also think it will be tougher to win back to back NCs or get back to the Final Four on a consistent basis. More up and down, like SC in the last two years and maybe ND next year. Too much movement and too many variables that the coaches do not control.
From my memory he only had one year where 2 recruits transferred out and 1 transferred in was similar to what happened to Muffet, and I doubt you'd compare her to the UL coach. But Muffet mostly has recruited 5 stars, but still had 5 star Ali Patberg (2015 Hoopsgurlz/ESPN #13)) and 5 star Erin Boley (2016 Hoopsgurlz/ESPN #5) transfer out the same year Jess and Lili Thompson xfrd in. Oregon lost Ayusa (int'l player who went pro), Campisano (2016 Hoopsgurlz/ESPN #14) )and 4 star McGwire (2016 Hoopsgurlz/ESPN #98) the year after when Erin Boley gained eligibility after she sat out the year before.
That anomaly was the result of Graves' only large recruiting class of 2016 which had 6 players, but grew larger when Sabrina enrolled in Oregon very late as she delayed her recruiting since she wanted to be with her twin. ND tried to get her and it would have affected ND as well Prior to that and since Graves classes have been smaller. Most of the time he usually kept his players,
What he did have was a history of recruiting international players so he could compete in the West Coast Conference (Gonzaga & St. Mary's) prior to coming to Oregon which he has parlayed to get even better international players. He also was very good at bringing transfers in, mostly from the west coast as Gonzaga started doing well. The article attached gives a lot of background
It wasn't until his first recruiting class in Oregon that he ever got a 5 star player, though he has found stars like Courtney Vandersloot who was overlooked in high school and is the only Division-I player with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career assists, until Sabrina breaks it next year. As the article points out his first big Ducks recruit (3 stars Lexi Bando) was going to go to Gonzaga. Then he got 5 star Oti Gildon(2015 Hoopsgurlz/ESPN #37) the next year because of his relationship he had with her in Spokane and she said she would have gone to Gonzaga had he stayed He also got 3 star international player Cazorla who was another diamond in thr rough. Then in 2016 he had his big 6 person class with three 5 stars (Sabrina, Campisano, & Hebard), two 4 stars (McGwire & Australian Yaeger), and 3 star Giomi. Considering he has been new there I don'tsee how you can bucket him in with Walz.
With 2 straight Elite 8 teams, then this year's final 4, and Sabrina and most of the team back getting preseason ranked #1, he and Oregon are on a roll which is why they just got Parish and are getting Watson to visit. As Dillon posted earlier Oregon & Stanford are the two teams he fears most competing for players ND wants.
But before we blame all the coaches, it's chicken/egg thing. This transfer because you get yelled at or are not an immediate starter is getting crazy. So the coaches go out and recruit 5 to every class knowing they are losing half and a few already on the team.
I don't know the answers, but it's not pretty. Meanwhile we have 7 scholarship players available (last year) or 8 (next year)
And now they are the premier school. Do we have to win it every year now to get whoever we want?
Does not work out. Do not blame her. But I thought Oregon is and will be
pretty full in the post. Domerduck, can you up date us on that. Thanks.
SEG/Chief