How do you approach recruiting at this point?

[Dannynoonan]

I wonder how the WBB staff approach recruiting this off season. Idk if anyone knows if Bill retiring after this year is a given, so do they look for senior heavy players or approach it as any other year? The obvious problem could be finding players to come knowing there could be a different coach the following season.

NIL changes the game for sure. Along that thought I wonder what Pollard meant when he said(paraphrasing )- coaches will have more than enough money for finding high quality players. I wish he would elaborate on where these funds are coming from. This could be the new president finding money.

 

[acoustimac]

Lots of unknowns. IF Fennelly plans to retire, recruiting becomes exponentially tougher. If he is staying for the next 2-3 years it opens lots of options. Knowing the calamity of what was to follow the senior heavy class next year, it would seem pulling in a mix would be the most common sense answer. But, first and foremost, its find the right pieces to assemble a team. Getting a serviceable post will be a priority (someone who can give you 10-12 points per game and 5-7 rebounds). Finding a couple of athletic forwards would be on the list as well. Finally, the unicorn...a decent shooting guard. We have a point coming in with Comito. Her backup would be AJ. Paulk very well could be one of those forwards in the starting lineup if she gets her shot going in.

Personally, there will be more than enough players in the portal to create a decent team. It's up to the staff to know what they need and sift through them all. Now's the fun part...waiting to see what those pieces will be.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

You sell them on playing time, our crowd support, our history of making the tournament, and the national exposure we get. Any women that commit to us are going to know the likelihood of a coaching change coming in. Expecting a long-term commitment from anyone in the NIL era is foolish since you have to re-recruit everyone every single year anyway.

As much as we like to gripe about certain things, we're still an attractive destination compared to a lot of places. I think we'll be fine. It's just different from what we're used to.

 

[Jkclone15]

You sell them on playing time, our crowd support, our history of making the tournament, and the national exposure we get. Any women that commit to us are going to know the likelihood of a coaching change coming in. Expecting a long-term commitment from anyone in the NIL era is foolish, so you have to re-recruit everyone every single year anyway.

As much as we like to gripe about certain things, we're still an attractive destination compared to a lot of places.

All that and the money. Not the largest NIL war chest, but more than most mid majors and close enough to other P4 programs.

 

[ISUKyro]

You sell them on playing time, our crowd support, our history of making the tournament, and the national exposure we get. Any women that commit to us are going to know the likelihood of a coaching change coming in. Expecting a long-term commitment from anyone in the NIL era is foolish since you have to re-recruit everyone every single year anyway.

As much as we like to gripe about certain things, we're still an attractive destination compared to a lot of places. I think we'll be fine. It's just different from what we're used to.

Yup! Playing time is a good way to sell it.
Then maybe see if there is some local-ish talent that want ti be a part of ISU. (Think Tamin like mentality) Likely not getting many of thise but if you do, you could end up with a kid or two to hang around Rough times

 

[iowastatefan1929]

Bring in a bunch of Midwesterns that no one wants. Play cat and mouse snails pace ball. Pay them all the same.

 

[cytor]

 

[Marcelason78]

View attachment 170019

Yup, straight cash homie. Good mid majors already have playing time. Sell seniors on Big12 competition, media exposure, and NIL.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Or, we could always scour the club volleyball circuit, recruit as many 6'4" girls as you can find and teach them basketball over the summer.

We could have Blum and Brend make a documentary of the process. Then, in the fall, we fund our NIL with video sales of Cool Runnings 2: Twister Sisters.

 

[bozclone]

Sale them on playing for our legendary coach.

 

[Clones2023]

Well here’s why we are in trouble. Jenson backing out of her transfer means that this is the best we can do. A player that is fringe Missouri Valley type that is going to play a lot if not start. So I fully expect this roster to be made up of lower level gals that are 7th or 8th players off the bench at other P4 programs but will be starting/first off the bench here.

 

[Lyon309Cy]

I think the types of players we bring in will be telling of what style of team we're going to try to be. For everything else you can say about him, Fennely has tried to win a variety of ways. We've been super up tempo and relied on shooting, we had a great run of PGs, the Poppins/Prins teams relied on defense, for several years in a row we had the best SF in the nation and ran our offense through them, obviously lately our whole offense has tried to feed the post.
I'm not sure how many of those changes were planned. It has often felt like we stumbled into something new. We have a good PG, so we bring in a post. The PG leaves, and now we've got a post, but we need shooters, etc, etc. The strength of the team shifts, so we shift how we play and then try to plug holes. I have had the feeling some years that we are playing how we have to play, rather than how the staff wants to play.
But now we have a clean slate. It will be interesting to see what the staff chooses to try to be when we're not just trying to build around or accommodate any specific player. Add in that it's likely Bill's last go, and I hope we see him put together a team he likes. There have definitely been several teams, and he's said as much at times, that he hasn't enjoyed coaching.

 

[KennyPratt42]

Our wbb NIL is better, compared to all D1 programs, than some people think/realize. It’s significantly more than almost any mid major program and more than probably a quarter of major conference programs (look at the Big 12 standings to see the programs I'm talking about). Of the remaining major conference schools there is a decent size group we are comparable to, we're not at the top of that group but are solidly in it. At present I'd say that is an NIL budget between upper six figures and about a million and a half. Then maybe 15 to 20 schools who are spending quite a bit more than everyone else (a combination of having plenty of money and caring about wbb).

So we have plenty of playing time and a moderate amount of NIL to offer. We aren't just going to be scraping the bottom of the barrel for players. Its going to be very similar to football, we should be able to bring in very productive players from smaller schools and younger role or bench players from bigger programs that are looking for opportunity. It will just be a matter of executing on that, which is a question mark because the women's program has never had to fill 5 to 10 spots from the portal before. But this isn't uncharted territory for a program in any sport in college the last 2 to 3 years.

Also in the modern era of college athletics a coach being near retirement or on the last year of a contract isn't nearly as big of a deal as it used to be. A lot of players only care about the comp package and opportunity for next season, because if its a good fit great but if something changes you can always just transfer again the next year so there is no risk on the players end.

 

[Peter]

It’s anew era and any new coach is basically going to bring their entire team with them.

 

[CyLyte2]

You approach recruiting like TJ did. He’s in the same building. Just go ask him.

 

[Run Faster]

The warm winters and all the sandy creek beds.

 

[buf87]

Many player transfer 3-4 times anyway. Give them NIL and worry about next year when it comes

 

[cykadelic2]

Lots of unknowns. IF Fennelly plans to retire, recruiting becomes exponentially tougher. If he is staying for the next 2-3 years it opens lots of options

If he is staying for the next 2-3 years? He doesn't have a contract beyond next season.

Until he does (and I highly doubt JP and Bill will agree to an extension), he can only tell portal and HS recruits that he can't commit beyond next season And he has been telling HS recruits that anyway for the last couple of years.

It's going to be a challenge but Bill has agreed to go through the process of doing so instead of retiring now.

 

[isucy86]

I don't see Bill's status beyond next year being as big of an issue with portal/rev share/NIL. Players will lean into next year and see who the next coach is. Would also think Iowa State, Hilton Magic, Ames, etc. would all be point of emphasis in recruiting new players. So if Bill is a one & done, the players have come to Iowa State for a few reasons.

IMO the staff builds from what they have:

1. Jackson is a 2. But probably not back up PG.
2. Paulk is a 3. Definitely a 10-15mpg bench player. Could start with the right players around her and her shot improves over the offseason.
3. Jensen is a 2. I wouldn't expct her to play 10+ mpg, but the staff didn't have to take her back after announcing her portal intentions. Might mean she wasn't told to look elsewhere, but is looking for playing time. There might be players, but I can't recall CBF pushing players to leave after their freshman year. After their sophomore year, yes.

With 10+ open scholarships, there are a lot of needs. But revenue share/NIL money needs to be spent on a PG and stretch-4. Then bring in a solid center (aka 10ppg/8rpg). Fill the remaining roster multi-postiion jump shooters with athleticm.

Hopefully, the staff gets it right. Because CBF's legacy will be largely based on next season.

 

[BCClone]

Or, we could always scour the club volleyball circuit, recruit as many 6'4" girls as you can find and teach them basketball over the summer.

We could have Blum and Brend make a documentary of the process. Then, in the fall, we fund our NIL with video sales of Cool Runnings 2: Twister Sisters.

Have Eight 6 4 girls and 2 little people at 3’. The bigs can rebound and the little people will be very hard to steal the ball from while dribbling.