[BillBradley]

Would we be in a better position if NIL doesn't exist? Yes, but blaming NIL solely doesn't fully explain the step back we've taken.

I'm not sure I agree with this, though.  Many of the problems you accurately recite predated NIL and held us back from time to time then--the lack of elite guards, for example.  So this is nothing new and not a "step back" but business as usual.  Swain is a remarkable success and I hope will reverse that long standing problem. 

But I would say that the difference between last year and this year is almost entirely due to the toxic NIL/transfer stew.  Note that I am not saying that Iriafen and Betts made the wrong decisions for them, nor am I blaming them for using this new system to their advantage.  But under the old system they would be playing for Stanford, and under the new system they are not.  

The new system makes it difficult to impossible to plan roster management four years in advance--which is what Tara always did.  The majority of our players were recruited and developed into starters 1,2, or 3 years into their college careers.  Only a few started straight out of high school.  It took two years to develop Kiki into the truly great, elite player she became.  And then poof.  It is my understanding with her that she wanted to stay and could have stayed for this year, but was put under significant pressure by her family, who urged her to take the $800k and come home to play in front of them.  I don't think any of us are in a position to criticize her--that much money for some families would be life changing.  But the fact remains:  she is gone.   Thankfully, with a degree.

excellent points!!!

I certainly understand your point 81, and if all you are saying is "we would have been way better with Betts and Iriafen" then I'm 100% with you. But I'm not so sure it stops there with your position. I think it's important that when discussing topics like performance, recruiting, and coaching that the default position doesn't become "well, how do you expect we compete with these stupid rules in place?". The effort I saw on the court against Duke most definitely had nothing to do with NIL or the transfer portal. This team has enough in the cupboards to finish in the top half of the conference and make the tournament, even without Betts and Iriafen. That's where I think the line should be drawn. As their level of competitiveness continues to slip, I don't think the line of thinking should be "geez, the effects of the NIL and the transfer portal were way worse than I thought."

[BillBradley]

Would we be in a better position if NIL doesn't exist? Yes, but blaming NIL solely doesn't fully explain the step back we've taken.

I'm not sure I agree with this, though.  Many of the problems you accurately recite predated NIL and held us back from time to time then--the lack of elite guards, for example.  So this is nothing new and not a "step back" but business as usual.  Swain is a remarkable success and I hope will reverse that long standing problem. 

But I would say that the difference between last year and this year is almost entirely due to the toxic NIL/transfer stew.  Note that I am not saying that Iriafen and Betts made the wrong decisions for them, nor am I blaming them for using this new system to their advantage.  But under the old system they would be playing for Stanford, and under the new system they are not.  

The new system makes it difficult to impossible to plan roster management four years in advance--which is what Tara always did.  The majority of our players were recruited and developed into starters 1,2, or 3 years into their college careers.  Only a few started straight out of high school.  It took two years to develop Kiki into the truly great, elite player she became.  And then poof.  It is my understanding with her that she wanted to stay and could have stayed for this year, but was put under significant pressure by her family, who urged her to take the $800k and come home to play in front of them.  I don't think any of us are in a position to criticize her--that much money for some families would be life changing.  But the fact remains:  she is gone.   Thankfully, with a degree.

excellent points!!!

I certainly understand your point 81, and if all you are saying is "we would have been way better with Betts and Iriafen" then I'm 100% with you. But I'm not so sure it stops there with your position. I think it's important that when discussing topics like performance, recruiting, and coaching that the default position doesn't become "well, how do you expect we compete with these stupid rules in place?". The effort I saw on the court against Duke most definitely had nothing to do with NIL or the transfer portal. This team has enough in the cupboards to finish in the top half of the conference and make the tournament, even without Betts and Iriafen. That's where I think the line should be drawn. As their level of competitiveness continues to slip, I don't think the line of thinking should be "geez, the effects of the NIL and the transfer portal were way worse than I thought."