Syracuse Recruits Internationally a Lot. And Many Then Leave

Syracuse Recruits Internationally a Lot. And Many Then Leave
by dillon77 (2019-06-12 08:19:00)

I was perusing Raoul's blogs on outgoing and incoming transfers (he does a superb job) and it showed me that there was a fair amount of turnover this year (four out, three in).
But what really caught my attention was that all four outgoing transfers were international recruits, two of whom from France.

Syracuse has gotten a lot of plaudits for going overseas in it's recruiting but that does not mean the retention challenge the staff faces is any better. Who knows, expectation and acclimation issues may be even more stringent and/or daunting.

Here are the outgoing and the incoming:

- Chelayne Bailey, 5'6" Jr. Guard, Pickering Ontario. (Grad Transfer to W. Michigan)
- Marie-Paule Foppossi, 6'1" Redshirt Freshman Forward from Strausbourg, France. (Transfer to Rhode Island)
- Kadiatou Sissoko, 6'2" Freshman Guard from Paris. (Transfer to Minnesota)
- Veronika Vorackova, 5'9" Freshman Shooting Guard from Ceske' Budejovice, Czech Republic (also transferred to Rhode Island).

And here are the three incoming transfers, all of whom are grad transfers so they can play immediately and give Coach Q one year only, which may be the intent:
- Brooke Alexander, 6' Redshirt Junior Guard from Frisco, Texas (transfer from UT Arlington)
- Elemy Colome, 5'7" Reshirt Junior Buard from Lawerence, MA (transfer from Rhode Island...aha! Is there a reciprocality understanding here?)
- Whisper Fisher, 6'2" Forward from Owings Mills, MD (transfer from Radford)
(Candidate for best transfer's name)

BTW, 'Cuse still has a lot of success with international players:
- Point Guard Tiana Mangakahia from Australia is superb; aand,
- Forward Digna Strautman from Latvia is a constant presence for the 'Cuse.

Still, the amount has dropped from seven to three.

One Option to Stop the Constant Roster Shuffling

The one and done movement is AAU like and not in keeping with the four year commitment associated with the collegiate experience. The process is intensifying because coaches and schools are under pressure to win ASAP. The NCAA is becoming more amenable to bending rules and granting players immediate eligibility.

IMO, the only possible way to stem the constant movement is for the NCAA to tie WBB scholarships to school graduation rates. They would need to add a caveat or two, so legit four year students counted more than grad transfers.

FWIW, I doubt they implement something like this. The association has long been a toothless paper tiger, bowing to the demands of its members.

The constant turnover seems to be the new normal. Not that it matters but not a change that I endorse.

This post is NOT intended ...

as a commentary about what is the most appropriate, beneficial or equitable for student-athletes, coaches or institutions.

It's simply the observation of someone who has been following professional and college sports for over 50 years.

Yearly player options for NBA superstars, "one-and-dones" playing such a prominent role in men's college basketball and increasing transfers among men's and women's college basketball seem to be moving ever-closer to the notion of pick-up games at the Rock.

There can be lots of talent, but I'm not particularly invested in the outcome of a game (or season) when the team is (largely or significantly) assembled for a single season (or night at the Rock).

Again, this is not to argue that NBA players don't deserve to negotiate whatever terms they're able to negotiate, or that players shouldn't have greater (or complete) freedom to change institutions at will.

But I have no interest in paying attention to men's college basketball when several of the best teams have completely (or predominantly) different starting lineups from one season to the next.

And the NBA and women's college basketball are starting to develop a similar feel, to my subjective view.

I agree. It's difficult to become a loyal fan when there

appears to be less loyalty among players and coaches.

However, there would be little reason to check on the contents of this forum, in June, if not for the ramped up competition between programs/schools for unsigned recruits, transfers, and even rostered players. The trend has added to the off-season, off-court competitive dynamic that keeps this fan interested and plugged-in 24-7-365.

Btw... if there were a streaming package for pick-up games at the rock, I'd probably be a subscriber.

I was glad to see that Marta Sniezek's ND picture

featured The Rock in the background. I liked that reminder of the gritty basketball played there.