WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal

WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - Printable Version

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RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - M T - 04-08-2023

As for more playing time for a player that didn’t look good on the court,
I’m glad we aren’t talking about Brink transferring. Yeah, put Betts in during mop up time, against weaker teams and she did ok. To hear some here, it seems they wanted less time for Brink so Betts would make her mistakes in more challenging games.

I’ll also point out that entering the portal doesn’t mean the player has to choose to leave. But, if they do leave, I say good riddance.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - Stanfanforever - 04-08-2023

Lol.
We had players playing major mins with 0 production all season who were also a defensive liability so not sure what you mean and she definitely only didn’t look good against weaker teams.
Anyway reap what you sow, be ready for next season.

(04-08-2023, 03:53 AM)M T Wrote: As for more playing time for a player that didn’t look good on the court,
I’m glad we aren’t talking about Brink transferring. Yeah, put Betts in during mop up time, against weaker teams and she did ok. To hear some here, it seems they wanted less time for Brink so Betts would make her mistakes in more challenging games.

I’ll also point out that entering the portal doesn’t mean the player has to choose to leave. But, if they do leave, I say good riddance.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - cardfan1996 - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 04:00 AM)Stanfanforever Wrote: Lol.
We had players playing major mins with 0 production all season who were also a defensive liability so not sure what you mean and she definitely only didn’t look good against weaker teams.
Anyway reap what you sow, be ready for next season.

(04-08-2023, 03:53 AM)M T Wrote: As for more playing time for a player that didn’t look good on the court,
I’m glad we aren’t talking about Brink transferring. Yeah, put Betts in during mop up time, against weaker teams and she did ok. To hear some here, it seems they wanted less time for Brink so Betts would make her mistakes in more challenging games.

I’ll also point out that entering the portal doesn’t mean the player has to choose to leave. But, if they do leave, I say good riddance.

I assume you are the family member. Betts wasn’t bashed all season. Most people on this board were actually advocating for more playing time for Betts and others but you know that. There will always be a few exceptions and people who might not see the same potential. This board has been far more critical of Tara and her coaching staff (more calls for her retirement than ever before which is unprecedented). And yet this board is no reflection of the larger Stanford fanbase. It’s literally maybe less than 0.1%, and skews older (like elderly). Hopefully you are not basing life decisions off the insignificant opinions of fans because you will get opinionated fans everywhere and in larger numbers.

For what it’s worth, I am sorry Betts is leaving. I am a big supporter of the transfer portal and hope she finds a better situation to develop her talent. She will be highly coveted prospect and make any team better.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - Stanfanforever - 04-08-2023

Nope not a family member but an advocate for the young lady and a big Card fan .
Wish her well as she deserves better .

(04-08-2023, 05:33 AM)cardfan1996 Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 04:00 AM)Stanfanforever Wrote: Lol.
We had players playing major mins with 0 production all season who were also a defensive liability so not sure what you mean and she definitely only didn’t look good against weaker teams.
Anyway reap what you sow, be ready for next season.

(04-08-2023, 03:53 AM)M T Wrote: As for more playing time for a player that didn’t look good on the court,
I’m glad we aren’t talking about Brink transferring. Yeah, put Betts in during mop up time, against weaker teams and she did ok. To hear some here, it seems they wanted less time for Brink so Betts would make her mistakes in more challenging games.

I’ll also point out that entering the portal doesn’t mean the player has to choose to leave. But, if they do leave, I say good riddance.

I assume you are the family member. Betts wasn’t bashed all season. Most people on this board were actually advocating for more playing time for Betts and others but you know that. There will always be a few exceptions and people who might not see the same potential. This board has been far more critical of Tara and her coaching staff (more calls for her retirement than ever before which is unprecedented). And yet this board is no reflection of the larger Stanford fanbase. It’s literally maybe less than 0.1%, and skews older (like elderly). Hopefully you are not basing life decisions off the insignificant opinions of fans because you will get opinionated fans everywhere and in larger numbers.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - 81alum - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 05:33 AM)cardfan1996 Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 04:00 AM)Stanfanforever Wrote: Lol.

We had players playing major mins with 0 production all season who were also a defensive liability so not sure what you mean and she definitely only didn’t look good against weaker teams.

Anyway reap what you sow, be ready for next season.

(04-08-2023, 03:53 AM)M T Wrote: As for more playing time for a player that didn’t look good on the court,

I’m glad we aren’t talking about Brink transferring. Yeah, put Betts in during mop up time, against weaker teams and she did ok. To hear some here, it seems they wanted less time for Brink so Betts would make her mistakes in more challenging games.

I’ll also point out that entering the portal doesn’t mean the player has to choose to leave. But, if they do leave, I say good riddance.

I assume you are the family member. Betts wasn’t bashed all season. Most people on this board were actually advocating for more playing time for Betts but you know that. There will always be a few exceptions and people who might not see the same potential. This board has been far more critical of Tara and coaching staff. And yet this board is no reflection of the larger Stanford fanbase. It’s literally maybe less than 1%, and skews older (like elderly). Hopefully you are not basing life decisions off the insignificant opinions of fans because you will literally get opinionated fans everywhere.

When I searched for Stanfanforever's posts, I found fewer than half a dozen total, and every single won was about Betts's lack of playing time. This person is entitled to opinions about Betts, and might be right in some of those opinions. But this person has not expressed a single opinion about any other aspect of Stanford sports or even much of anything about the rest of the WBB team. When I see a "single issue poster" like this, I do think it is likely a family member or someone else close to the player who posts here out of frustration for their loved one. That may put the remarks in some perspective. It doesn't mean I am not (and everyone cannot) be sympathetic.

I, for one, will be sorry to see Betts go, and also sorry to see Emma-Nnopu go. (I really hope that Emma-Nnopu gets her degree.) As for Betts, I think two things can both be true. First, she is enormously talented and it would have been best for Tara to figure out a way to use her more than she did. Second, she is still learning and has some weaknesses that improved over the year but which the coaches believed made her a defensive liability in certain situations. I remember Tara's response at a presser to a question about Betts--I think it came about mid year. "She is instant offense." Notable for what it did not say. And I remember what assistant coaches said at chalk-talks when fans asked over and over about Betts's playing time. "Different players develop at different rates."

The problem, as I saw it, is that Betts played good defense against other players who were similar to her, and certainly would be likely to get better defensively with more playing time. So I don't subscribe to the view that she would have played badly against Boston or Cardoza. Instead, she had a hard time playing defense against smaller, quicker teams that had no one for her to guard one-on-one. I think of teams like UCLA, whose only "big" (6'4" Emily Bessoir) shoots 36% from three point range and doesn't even need to go under the basket.

My guess is that Tara would privately admit that this was one of her weaker years coaching--not just the final results, but the lack of steady improvement from November to March that has, in the past, been the hallmark of her success and has put her ahead of so many other top coaches, who win primarily through recruiting rather than through team development. But this year, Tara was never able to get the puzzle pieces to fit together. The team on-the-floor (not necessarily in the locker room) did not jell. There was never a settled rotation. There was never a "precise" offense that worked like a machine. There were too many worthy players for too few minutes--but most of the players were "worthy" in niche ways when we needed glue players and not niche players. The total was therefore less than the sum of the parts.

This situation struck me as temporary, however, and I was looking forward to more of a return to the "normal" Tara teams next year. Jones was a unique and wonderful player, but her talents did not mesh with the players around her this year, and her graduation might actually make fitting the puzzle together a lot easier. Cam needs to develop her outside shooting for the pros, and I expect she will do so for next year. So I think Betts was set up for a breakout sophomore year at the 5, Brink at the 4. Iriafen would get a lot of minutes spelling both of them, given the departure of Prechtel and Belibi. Naturally, I have no knowledge of what Tara did or did not say to her players, but I've watched Tara for long enough to know she doesn't make promises about playing time to anyone. Regardless, I felt that Betts was going to be a featured player and a dominant force on offense for us, and so it is very surprising to see her go.

The silver lining is: we will see just how good a player Iriafen is capable of being. All the complaints about playing time could have been made by her and her advocates, too. Will she improve with her expanded role? That becomes a central question for next year's team.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - Maple Leaf - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 07:15 AM)81alum Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 05:33 AM)cardfan1996 Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 04:00 AM)Stanfanforever Wrote: Lol.

We had players playing major mins with 0 production all season who were also a defensive liability so not sure what you mean and she definitely only didn’t look good against weaker teams.

Anyway reap what you sow, be ready for next season.

(04-08-2023, 03:53 AM)M T Wrote: As for more playing time for a player that didn’t look good on the court,

I’m glad we aren’t talking about Brink transferring. Yeah, put Betts in during mop up time, against weaker teams and she did ok. To hear some here, it seems they wanted less time for Brink so Betts would make her mistakes in more challenging games.

I’ll also point out that entering the portal doesn’t mean the player has to choose to leave. But, if they do leave, I say good riddance.

I assume you are the family member. Betts wasn’t bashed all season. Most people on this board were actually advocating for more playing time for Betts but you know that. There will always be a few exceptions and people who might not see the same potential. This board has been far more critical of Tara and coaching staff. And yet this board is no reflection of the larger Stanford fanbase. It’s literally maybe less than 1%, and skews older (like elderly). Hopefully you are not basing life decisions off the insignificant opinions of fans because you will literally get opinionated fans everywhere.
When I searched for Stanfanforever's posts, I found fewer than half a dozen total, and every single won was about Betts's lack of playing time. This person is entitled to opinions about Betts, and might be right in some of those opinions. But this person has not expressed a single opinion about any other aspect of Stanford sports or even much of anything about the rest of the WBB team. When I see a "single issue poster" like this, I do think it is likely a family member or someone else close to the player who posts here out of frustration for their loved one. That may put the remarks in some perspective. It doesn't mean I am not (and everyone cannot) be sympathetic.

I, for one, will be sorry to see Betts go, and also sorry to see Emma-Nnopu go. (I really hope that Emma-Nnopu gets her degree.) As for Betts, I think two things can both be true. First, she is enormously talented and it would have been best for Tara to figure out a way to use her more than she did. Second, she is still learning and has some weaknesses that improved over the year but which the coaches believed made her a defensive liability in certain situations. I remember Tara's response at a presser to a question about Betts--I think it came about mid year. "She is instant offense." Notable for what it did not say. And I remember what assistant coaches said at chalk-talks when fans asked over and over about Betts's playing time. "Different players develop at different rates."

The problem, as I saw it, is that Betts played good defense against other players who were similar to her, and certainly would be likely to get better defensively with more playing time. So I don't subscribe to the view that she would have played badly against Boston or Cardoza. Instead, she had a hard time playing defense against smaller, quicker teams that had no one for her to guard one-on-one. I think of teams like UCLA, whose only "big" (6'4" Emily Bessoir) shoots 36% from three point range and doesn't even need to go under the basket.

My guess is that Tara would privately admit that this was one of her weaker years coaching--not just the final results, but the lack of steady improvement from November to March that has, in the past, been the hallmark of her success and has put her ahead of so many other top coaches, who win primarily through recruiting rather than through team development. But this year, Tara was never able to get the puzzle pieces to fit together. The team on-the-floor (not necessarily in the locker room) did not jell. There was never a settled rotation. There was never a "precise" offense that worked like a machine. There were too many worthy players for too few minutes--but most of the players were "worthy" in niche ways when we needed glue players and not niche players. The total was therefore less than the sum of the parts.

This situation struck me as temporary, however, and I was looking forward to more of a return to the "normal" Tara teams next year. Jones was a unique and wonderful player, but her talents did not mesh with the players around her this year, and her graduation might actually make fitting the puzzle together a lot easier. Cam needs to develop her outside shooting for the pros, and I expect she will do so for next year. So I think Betts was set up for a breakout sophomore year at the 5, Brink at the 4. Iriafen would get a lot of minutes spelling both of them, given the departure of Prechtel and Belibi. Naturally, I have no knowledge of what Tara did or did not say to her players, but I've watched Tara for long enough to know she doesn't make promises about playing time to anyone. Regardless, I felt that Betts was going to be a featured player and a dominant force on offense for us, and so it is very surprising to see her go.

The silver lining is: we will see just how good a player Iriafen is capable of being. All the complaints about playing time could have been made by her and her advocates, too. Will she improve with her expanded role? That becomes a central question for next year's team.

Excellent Post!

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - cardfan1996 - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 07:15 AM)81alum Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 05:33 AM)cardfan1996 Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 04:00 AM)Stanfanforever Wrote: Lol.

We had players playing major mins with 0 production all season who were also a defensive liability so not sure what you mean and she definitely only didn’t look good against weaker teams.

Anyway reap what you sow, be ready for next season.

(04-08-2023, 03:53 AM)M T Wrote: As for more playing time for a player that didn’t look good on the court,

I’m glad we aren’t talking about Brink transferring. Yeah, put Betts in during mop up time, against weaker teams and she did ok. To hear some here, it seems they wanted less time for Brink so Betts would make her mistakes in more challenging games.

I’ll also point out that entering the portal doesn’t mean the player has to choose to leave. But, if they do leave, I say good riddance.

I assume you are the family member. Betts wasn’t bashed all season. Most people on this board were actually advocating for more playing time for Betts but you know that. There will always be a few exceptions and people who might not see the same potential. This board has been far more critical of Tara and coaching staff. And yet this board is no reflection of the larger Stanford fanbase. It’s literally maybe less than 1%, and skews older (like elderly). Hopefully you are not basing life decisions off the insignificant opinions of fans because you will literally get opinionated fans everywhere.
When I searched for Stanfanforever's posts, I found fewer than half a dozen total, and every single won was about Betts's lack of playing time. This person is entitled to opinions about Betts, and might be right in some of those opinions. But this person has not expressed a single opinion about any other aspect of Stanford sports or even much of anything about the rest of the WBB team. When I see a "single issue poster" like this, I do think it is likely a family member or someone else close to the player who posts here out of frustration for their loved one. That may put the remarks in some perspective. It doesn't mean I am not (and everyone cannot) be sympathetic.

I, for one, will be sorry to see Betts go, and also sorry to see Emma-Nnopu go. (I really hope that Emma-Nnopu gets her degree.) As for Betts, I think two things can both be true. First, she is enormously talented and it would have been best for Tara to figure out a way to use her more than she did. Second, she is still learning and has some weaknesses that improved over the year but which the coaches believed made her a defensive liability in certain situations. I remember Tara's response at a presser to a question about Betts--I think it came about mid year. "She is instant offense." Notable for what it did not say. And I remember what assistant coaches said at chalk-talks when fans asked over and over about Betts's playing time. "Different players develop at different rates."

The problem, as I saw it, is that Betts played good defense against other players who were similar to her, and certainly would be likely to get better defensively with more playing time. So I don't subscribe to the view that she would have played badly against Boston or Cardoza. Instead, she had a hard time playing defense against smaller, quicker teams that had no one for her to guard one-on-one. I think of teams like UCLA, whose only "big" (6'4" Emily Bessoir) shoots 36% from three point range and doesn't even need to go under the basket.

My guess is that Tara would privately admit that this was one of her weaker years coaching--not just the final results, but the lack of steady improvement from November to March that has, in the past, been the hallmark of her success and has put her ahead of so many other top coaches, who win primarily through recruiting rather than through team development. But this year, Tara was never able to get the puzzle pieces to fit together. The team on-the-floor (not necessarily in the locker room) did not jell. There was never a settled rotation. There was never a "precise" offense that worked like a machine. There were too many worthy players for too few minutes--but most of the players were "worthy" in niche ways when we needed glue players and not niche players. The total was therefore less than the sum of the parts.

This situation struck me as temporary, however, and I was looking forward to more of a return to the "normal" Tara teams next year. Jones was a unique and wonderful player, but her talents did not mesh with the players around her this year, and her graduation might actually make fitting the puzzle together a lot easier. Cam needs to develop her outside shooting for the pros, and I expect she will do so for next year. So I think Betts was set up for a breakout sophomore year at the 5, Brink at the 4. Iriafen would get a lot of minutes spelling both of them, given the departure of Prechtel and Belibi. Naturally, I have no knowledge of what Tara did or did not say to her players, but I've watched Tara for long enough to know she doesn't make promises about playing time to anyone. Regardless, I felt that Betts was going to be a featured player and a dominant force on offense for us, and so it is very surprising to see her go.

The silver lining is: we will see just how good a player Iriafen is capable of being. All the complaints about playing time could have been made by her and her advocates, too. Will she improve with her expanded role? That becomes a central question for next year's team.

What we do know from Michelle Betts is:

In response to Marisa Ingemi from the SFChronicle saying Betts was projected to get a big bump in playing time next season:

“With all due respect, your projections or anyone’s projections don’t really don’t mean anything. The coaches make the decisions and none of you have any idea what they might have planned or not planned for Lauren. I won’t respond again but I felt I had to say that.”

In response to Michelle Smith saying Betts minutes would dramatically increase and increase next to Brink next season:

“Respectfully, I think your last two tweets about Lauren have been short sided. You do not know. You are guessing and projecting. I will not respond again but just wanted to let you know.”

Which seems to align with “non-family” poster.

Bottomline, Tara is probably a poor communicator and it seems Betts and her parents didn’t want to leave but felt they had to given whatever they were told by Tara would or would not happen next season.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - StanfordMatt - 04-08-2023

(04-07-2023, 07:03 PM)2006alum Wrote: Seriously wondering if it's time for me to find a new sport to get excited about. Any suggestions?

At the college level (outside of the SEC), baseball takes a back seat to football and basketball but it is the one Stanford sport that I truly can get excited about these days.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - chimera - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 08:07 AM)StanfordMatt Wrote:
(04-07-2023, 07:03 PM)2006alum Wrote: Seriously wondering if it's time for me to find a new sport to get excited about. Any suggestions?

At the college level (outside of the SEC), baseball takes a back seat to football and basketball but it is the one Stanford sport that I truly can get excited about these days.

I am hoping that the WNBA expands into the Bay Area soon, as it is projected they may. The level of basketball is much, much better. You can follow player movement as in any pro league since there are rules, not a free for all. You can be much more dispassionate about discussing the strengths and weakness of a team and individual players. No one's mommy will turn up to get mad. I will stick around here, albeit with way less emotional attachment to the team, but my attitude has changed. Now that I feel sure these are professional athletes playing in college I will discuss them like the pros they are.

As for Betts, good luck to her but I will not be rooting for her. I don't know her, she is going to take a job elsewhere, so whatever, fine, no longer my concern. If she and her family did not have the patience for her to develop and earn playing time, and we all saw that early in the season she did not look ready to contribute big minutes, that is their prerogative, doesn't mean we have to pretend she was fantastic out of the gate. I agree that Tara could have played her more, mostly toward the end of the season but the overall trajectory of her first year tracked with her performance. Coaches have to balance individual development with team development and with winning the games. Maybe they got it wrong a bit with Betts. Maybe not. Whatever they did she sure looked a lot better in Feb than she did in Nov/Dec or even Jan.

I also don't believe the plan for next season would have been Betts sits while Brink plays the 5 for 30+ minutes. Brink's best position as a pro will be a 4. Brink has a nice mid-range shot and has been a decent three-point shooter, which will be needed in the pros. Makes total sense to me to have Betts and Iriafen at the 5 with both getting a lot of time, and Brink mostly at the 4. I also doubt coaches told anyone exactly what position they would play next year and how much because why do that 6 months before the first practice. People may or may not like Tara, but she isn't stupid (S doesn't stand for stupid, does it?) and with all her experience would she commit to a line-up now? Seems suspect to me.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - Stanfanforever - 04-08-2023

It’s interesting that you think a number 1 recruit , 2 time national team player and McDonalds All American would be happy just being Brinks back up for 2 more years possibly .
Tara tried the Brink at the 4 experiment and didn’t like it .
Maybe she has career goals too?? Wants to he happy ??
A Stanford degree doesn’t trump everything in life.

(04-08-2023, 09:04 AM)chimera Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 08:07 AM)StanfordMatt Wrote:
(04-07-2023, 07:03 PM)2006alum Wrote: Seriously wondering if it's time for me to find a new sport to get excited about. Any suggestions?

At the college level (outside of the SEC), baseball takes a back seat to football and basketball but it is the one Stanford sport that I truly can get excited about these days.

I am hoping that the WNBA expands into the Bay Area soon, as it is projected they may. The level of basketball is much, much better. You can follow player movement as in any pro league since there are rules, not a free for all. You can be much more dispassionate about discussing the strengths and weakness of a team and individual players. No one's mommy will turn up to get mad. I will stick around here, albeit with way less emotional attachment to the team, but my attitude has changed. Now that I feel sure these are professional athletes playing in college I will discuss them like the pros they are.

As for Betts, good luck to her but I will not be rooting for her. I don't know her, she is going to take a job elsewhere, so whatever, fine, no longer my concern. If she and her family did not have the patience for her to develop and earn playing time, and we all saw that early in the season she did not look ready to contribute big minutes, that is their prerogative, doesn't mean we have to pretend she was fantastic out of the gate. I agree that Tara could have played her more, mostly toward the end of the season but the overall trajectory of her first year tracked with her performance. Coaches have to balance individual development with team development and with winning the games. Maybe they got it wrong a bit with Betts. Maybe not. Whatever they did she sure looked a lot better in Feb than she did in Nov/Dec or even Jan.

I also don't believe the plan for next season would have been Betts sits while Brink plays the 5 for 30+ minutes. Brink's best position as a pro will be a 4. Brink has a nice mid-range shot and has been a decent three-point shooter, which will be needed in the pros. Makes total sense to me to have Betts and Iriafen at the 5 with both getting a lot of time, and Brink mostly at the 4. I also doubt coaches told anyone exactly what position they would play next year and how much because why do that 6 months before the first practice. People may or may not like Tara, but she isn't stupid (S doesn't stand for stupid, does it?) and with all her experience would she commit to a line-up now? Seems suspect to me.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - cardfan1996 - 04-08-2023

Haley’s best position was the 4. She is a terrific defensive rebounder (which fuels transition offense her specialty). Haley was not a great 3 because she never developed her shot beyond 15 ft and she was not a great perimeter defender. So at times when they struggled, Haley was moved back to the 4 and Tara inserted Agnes for a few games at 3.

In the S.Carolina game, Ashten and Kiki were guarding Boston (a 5), never Brink. Brink is a 4, Kiki is a natural 4 and Haley was the best 4 among them.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - 81alum - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 11:30 AM)Stanfanforever Wrote: It’s interesting that you think a number 1 recruit , 2 time national team player and McDonalds All American would be happy just being Brinks back up for 2 more years possibly .

Tara tried the Brink at the 4 experiment and didn’t like it .

Maybe she has career goals too?? Wants to he happy ??

A Stanford degree doesn’t trump everything in life..

First, Brink is not staying for two years. She was eligible to leave after this year and chose to stay, and responded in a press conference "one of the reasons you go to Stanford is to get a degree." She will do so next year. It doesn't make sense to me that you imagine that she would be here two more years. She will go pro with the Stanford degree under her belt.

Second, the reason Tara did not like Brink at the 4 was that putting her there bumped Haley Jones out of her best (4) spot--given that Jones could not develop a longer range shot. With Jones graduating, there is every reason to expect that Tara would return to her preference and put Brink at the 4 again. You could even say that Brink made a sacrifice for the team, this year, playing at the five so that our #1 recruit (Jones) could play at her natural position, when it would have been in Brink's best interest to be developing her midrange and long range game a little further away from the basket.

As far as career goals and happiness, I'll certainly give you that, particularly if you know Betts and are not speculating like all the rest of us. Every player needs to make decisions that comport with their long term goals and their happiness and well being.

As for a Stanford degree "trumping" other things in life, I agree. There are students who are not suited to Stanford, and some who don't really take advantage of what Stanford offers them. However, this has not often been the case with WBB. Looking at the record of the alums of Stanford WBB, most of them have done spectacularly well as students and then used their degrees long after their professional playing days were over. They received a superior education that prepared them broadly for the many different opportunities. We have college professors, medical doctors, lawyers, business leaders, broadcasters, social workers, optometrists, coaches at all levels--who had a blast playing basketball--often made some money at it in the pros--and then made careers both in and outside basketball after their playing days.

Every player is one injury away from the end to their basketball career, and every player should have a plan for what comes next--since it almost always comes sooner than expected. Ally Beebe is a case in point. I would wish that any daughter of mine would face that transition with a Stanford degree, particularly given that the very best paid WBB pro players make a tiny fraction of the average NBA pro. How many NBA players moonlighted in Russia to make extra income? The degree is potentially far more important to WBB players than to the elite male players.

Of course, if Betts happens to be one of those who were made unhappy by the Stanford experience, then she is doing the right thing by leaving. I just hope she has good support as she considers the ramifications of her decision--and that the decision is genuinely her own and made unencumbered by pressure of any kind, from anyone.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - CardinalWBBFan - 04-08-2023

Nivar in the portal as well.

And Rogers from Oregon.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - cardfan1996 - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 12:20 PM)CardinalWBBFan Wrote: Nivar in the portal as well.

And Rogers from Oregon.

Time for Tara to retire and Stanford to hire Becky Hammon as a head coach

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - 81alum - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 12:26 PM)cardfan1996 Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 12:20 PM)CardinalWBBFan Wrote: Nivar in the portal as well.

And Rogers from Oregon.

Time for Tara to retire and Stanford to hire Becky Hammon as a head coach

Good grief. It might be time for Tara to retire, but if she does so it will not help our program one whit. Stanford's problems with NIL and the revolving door are unique to Stanford the institution, and have nothing to do with coaching. The coaching can be debated separately.

Rogers will be working on her third school now. Hopefully she gets her degree from Oregon and a grad degree from somewhere else. This would be the least objectionable of several transfers, if it is so.

I think the LSU victory has planted the seed in a lot of athletes's minds that they can go for fame and glory with no commitment to any particular school. If that band of mercenaries can do it, why should I suffer through the ups and downs of any particular program when I might be able to transfer straight to the top?

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - Lorcan - 04-08-2023

I wonder if Tara told the team that this next season was her last and some players decided they wanted a coach for the next three years or something to that effect.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - 81alum - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 12:37 PM)Lorcan Wrote: I wonder if Tara told the team that this next season was her last and some players decided they wanted a coach for the next three years or something to that effect.

I have been wondering about something along those lines too. Or even more subtly, she may have been asked how long she would coach and may have hedged her answer. I think she did do that about a decade ago when she was honestly thinking about whether she should retire then, and it may have cost her a recruit. But then she did come back and won a natty, among many other great seasons.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - cardfan1996 - 04-08-2023

I feel everyone is ignoring everything flowing from the players and Michelle Betts. Tara was the problem. Lack of playing time was the problem. Nil may also be an issue but no one is talking about $$$ just playing time and Tara. That is not speculation. Everything else is.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - Hoops9092 - 04-08-2023

I just think there are so many more inspiring coaches out there and lucrative programs that unless you have ties to the area or really here for the degree (IE Belibi), you are inclined to look at all your options.

Nivar was on my mind. Not surprised. She will probably head back home to Duke or UNC and play for an up-and-coming coach, still get a great education and probably a lot more freedom and playing time.

RE: WBB: Lauren Betts and Agnes Emma-Nnopu in Transfer Portal - chimera - 04-08-2023

(04-08-2023, 11:30 AM)Stanfanforever Wrote: It’s interesting that you think a number 1 recruit , 2 time national team player and McDonalds All American would be happy just being Brinks back up for 2 more years possibly .
Tara tried the Brink at the 4 experiment and didn’t like it .
Maybe she has career goals too?? Wants to he happy ??
A Stanford degree doesn’t trump everything in life.

(04-08-2023, 09:04 AM)chimera Wrote:
(04-08-2023, 08:07 AM)StanfordMatt Wrote:
(04-07-2023, 07:03 PM)2006alum Wrote: Seriously wondering if it's time for me to find a new sport to get excited about. Any suggestions?

At the college level (outside of the SEC), baseball takes a back seat to football and basketball but it is the one Stanford sport that I truly can get excited about these days.

I am hoping that the WNBA expands into the Bay Area soon, as it is projected they may. The level of basketball is much, much better. You can follow player movement as in any pro league since there are rules, not a free for all. You can be much more dispassionate about discussing the strengths and weakness of a team and individual players. No one's mommy will turn up to get mad. I will stick around here, albeit with way less emotional attachment to the team, but my attitude has changed. Now that I feel sure these are professional athletes playing in college I will discuss them like the pros they are.

As for Betts, good luck to her but I will not be rooting for her. I don't know her, she is going to take a job elsewhere, so whatever, fine, no longer my concern. If she and her family did not have the patience for her to develop and earn playing time, and we all saw that early in the season she did not look ready to contribute big minutes, that is their prerogative, doesn't mean we have to pretend she was fantastic out of the gate. I agree that Tara could have played her more, mostly toward the end of the season but the overall trajectory of her first year tracked with her performance. Coaches have to balance individual development with team development and with winning the games. Maybe they got it wrong a bit with Betts. Maybe not. Whatever they did she sure looked a lot better in Feb than she did in Nov/Dec or even Jan.

I also don't believe the plan for next season would have been Betts sits while Brink plays the 5 for 30+ minutes. Brink's best position as a pro will be a 4. Brink has a nice mid-range shot and has been a decent three-point shooter, which will be needed in the pros. Makes total sense to me to have Betts and Iriafen at the 5 with both getting a lot of time, and Brink mostly at the 4. I also doubt coaches told anyone exactly what position they would play next year and how much because why do that 6 months before the first practice. People may or may not like Tara, but she isn't stupid (S doesn't stand for stupid, does it?) and with all her experience would she commit to a line-up now? Seems suspect to me.

I was positing that Brink would start at the 4 and Betts at the 5, not that Betts would sit for two more years. Brink is almost certainly not staying for two more years anyway. She will be a senior. Even if Betts did not start, there would only have been three posts - Brink, Betts and Iriafen, for 80 minutes of playing time at the 4 and 5. Surely there would be time for all of them. Not like there are many wonderful options on the perimeter. At any rate, I no longer give an ish who stays or who goes. I am just here to watch the sad end of the program, which is what we are seeing. I thought it was coming given the NIL and transfer environment. I did not think it would happen this quickly though. So sure, everyone leave. I already decided that WCBB is not something I want to invest my emotions in any longer. This all just adds to that.