[joemontes]

Everything in the media is saying Koval is down to ND and LSU. I have not seen any indication we are still a finalist FWIW.

Well, that's frustrating if it's true. Not that our recent recruiting has fallen off a cliff, but with Jones' graduation, Betts and Nivar's transfers and this being the final year for Brink, we badly need to find our next generation of elite stars. It's been frustrating to watch top-tier recruits such as Watkins, Hidalgo, Rice and Miles go somewhere else in the last couple years.

I know that not even mighty UConn gets all of the players they want, but they and most other programs can easily pivot to the next top-five recruit if they miss out on someone. We cannot and so every program-changing recruit that has the academic credentials and desire to play for us but ultimately chooses somewhere else, is that much more devastating to us.

And then once we secured a couple of elite players and see them both transfer out after just one season, is a critical blow. For other schools, they just see who is out there on the transfer portal and fill in their roster gap. As discussed here at length, it's nearly impossible for us to do so with similar ease.

I know NIL does us no favors, but it's frustrating that the promise of a Stanford degree (esp. for those who professed to be more academically inclined), playing under a HoF coach and regularly being in the mix to make deep postseason runs is still often not enough.

I'm afraid the transferring out of Stanford's highest profile recruit
in #1 overall 6'7 BETTS along with Top 20 and McD AA NIVAR's
after only their freshman season, will have adverse effects 
on Stanford recruiting for one reason or another.  Unfortunately, 
the lure of a Stanford diploma, especially among top 5 or 
even Top 10 recruits, can only do so much
in this day and age of NIL.

Some have been critical of BETTS during her freshman season
and even beyond, but I really see her as a major contributor at UCLA 
starting this season, especially after her high profile performance 
at the recent AmeriCup vs centers of senior squads from Canada, Brazil etc.  
With fellow sophomores and McD AAs #2 RICE, #19 JACQUEZ, 
and #22 JONES for three years, and with next season's 
high profile recruits in #14 Kendall DUDLEY and #24 Avery CAIN
for two seasons, I predict UCLA is finally Final Four bound
starting either this season or next.     

As for Stanford next season, they still have three former McD AAs 
in 2023 #10 SF/SG OGDEN, 2021 #11 SF/PF DEMETRE and 
2021 #19 PF IRIAFEN plus steady PG LEPOLO and shifty 
Greek import SF/SG BOSGANA to build their season around.   
But I don't think Stanford will be able to get any of the remaining 
uncommitted  2024 Top 10 or even Top 25 recruits.  
Hopefully, 2022 #37 PF AGARA, 2022 #39 SG CLARDY, 
2023 #40 PF/C UMEH and/or 2023 #44 PG IJIWOYE 
will surprise. Hopefully...

[joemontes]

Everything in the media is saying Koval is down to ND and LSU. I have not seen any indication we are still a finalist FWIW.

Well, that's frustrating if it's true. Not that our recent recruiting has fallen off a cliff, but with Jones' graduation, Betts and Nivar's transfers and this being the final year for Brink, we badly need to find our next generation of elite stars. It's been frustrating to watch top-tier recruits such as Watkins, Hidalgo, Rice and Miles go somewhere else in the last couple years.

I know that not even mighty UConn gets all of the players they want, but they and most other programs can easily pivot to the next top-five recruit if they miss out on someone. We cannot and so every program-changing recruit that has the academic credentials and desire to play for us but ultimately chooses somewhere else, is that much more devastating to us.

And then once we secured a couple of elite players and see them both transfer out after just one season, is a critical blow. For other schools, they just see who is out there on the transfer portal and fill in their roster gap. As discussed here at length, it's nearly impossible for us to do so with similar ease.

I know NIL does us no favors, but it's frustrating that the promise of a Stanford degree (esp. for those who professed to be more academically inclined), playing under a HoF coach and regularly being in the mix to make deep postseason runs is still often not enough.

I'm afraid the transferring out of Stanford's highest profile recruit
in #1 overall 6'7 BETTS along with Top 20 and McD AA NIVAR's
after only their freshman season, will have adverse effects 
on Stanford recruiting for one reason or another.  Unfortunately, 
the lure of a Stanford diploma, especially among top 5 or 
even Top 10 recruits, can only do so much
in this day and age of NIL.

Some have been critical of BETTS during her freshman season
and even beyond, but I really see her as a major contributor at UCLA 
starting this season, especially after her high profile performance 
at the recent AmeriCup vs centers of senior squads from Canada, Brazil etc.  
With fellow sophomores and McD AAs #2 RICE, #19 JACQUEZ, 
and #22 JONES for three years, and with next season's 
high profile recruits in #14 Kendall DUDLEY and #24 Avery CAIN
for two seasons, I predict UCLA is finally Final Four bound
starting either this season or next.     

As for Stanford next season, they still have three former McD AAs 
in 2023 #10 SF/SG OGDEN, 2021 #11 SF/PF DEMETRE and 
2021 #19 PF IRIAFEN plus steady PG LEPOLO and shifty 
Greek import SF/SG BOSGANA to build their season around.   
But I don't think Stanford will be able to get any of the remaining 
uncommitted  2024 Top 10 or even Top 25 recruits.  
Hopefully, 2022 #37 PF AGARA, 2022 #39 SG CLARDY, 
2023 #40 PF/C UMEH and/or 2023 #44 PG IJIWOYE 
will surprise. Hopefully...