[GK3]

If we can't have her, I am grateful she went to a weak Pac-12 team for two reasons.  1) Stanford does better when the Pac-12 gives us good competition.  I'd just as soon not have Oregon-beats-us-three-times-a-year competition as in 2019-20, but in the long run our NET and our recruiting is better when the Pac 12 is perceived as the best conference for WBB.  2) I'd much rather she help strengthen a bottom-dwelling team than that she strengthen a perennial contender like South Carolina.

I also suspect that these decisions are just not as important as they used to be.  Her NIL deal is independent of where she plays, is it not?  And we have already seen WBB players playing for three different teams over their college career.  Perhaps she wanted to stay close to home for a year or two, but will feel more adventurous after making the college adjustment.

Or perhaps she simply wanted to stay close to home and bank her NIL, then decide what pro options to pursue.  "Bringing a championship" to one's alma mater is a nice quaint concept, but not the only measure of success now that college sports are no longer a purely amateur endeavor.

I wonder how much our depth and talent level affects some recruits.  Unless you are a really exceptional talent you are going to have to wait your turn and earn your time.  If you can go to USC and start from day 1 maybe that is more important to some young players than than maybe winning a national championship.  Plus if you plan on living and working in So Cal, a degree from USC and being a starter on an athletic team is going to open a lot of doors. Most of us pretty much hate USC for sports reasons, but it is a very good university from which someone can go on to great things.

[GK3]

If we can't have her, I am grateful she went to a weak Pac-12 team for two reasons.  1) Stanford does better when the Pac-12 gives us good competition.  I'd just as soon not have Oregon-beats-us-three-times-a-year competition as in 2019-20, but in the long run our NET and our recruiting is better when the Pac 12 is perceived as the best conference for WBB.  2) I'd much rather she help strengthen a bottom-dwelling team than that she strengthen a perennial contender like South Carolina.

I also suspect that these decisions are just not as important as they used to be.  Her NIL deal is independent of where she plays, is it not?  And we have already seen WBB players playing for three different teams over their college career.  Perhaps she wanted to stay close to home for a year or two, but will feel more adventurous after making the college adjustment.

Or perhaps she simply wanted to stay close to home and bank her NIL, then decide what pro options to pursue.  "Bringing a championship" to one's alma mater is a nice quaint concept, but not the only measure of success now that college sports are no longer a purely amateur endeavor.

I wonder how much our depth and talent level affects some recruits.  Unless you are a really exceptional talent you are going to have to wait your turn and earn your time.  If you can go to USC and start from day 1 maybe that is more important to some young players than than maybe winning a national championship.  Plus if you plan on living and working in So Cal, a degree from USC and being a starter on an athletic team is going to open a lot of doors. Most of us pretty much hate USC for sports reasons, but it is a very good university from which someone can go on to great things.