Lexi Donarski entering transfer portal

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ISU40

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I said that’s what it sounds like to me…. so yes…. it’s my opinion.

If you think her relationship with Bill is fine…. I don’t know what to tell you. It’s clear as can be. She loved everything about being here, but ‘accidentally’ left out Bill? Not buying it. Sorry.
I don't disagree that she left the coaches out and I do believe it was purposefully, but what if it was a dislike with Jody or Billy or Latoya or Carper? My point is we are all grabbing at straws when really we are just sad about this whole situation. I have been more effected by this than I want to admit and thought about this way too much this weekend. I have come to the conclusion that it is because we don't have that closure if you will.
 

casey1973

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I don't love the quote TBH.
I don't either. And with that it appears that there was friction between him and Lexi. Such a generic statement. His recruiting has been good recently but not great since who is going to be our post presence or 2 inside? Same ol same ol. Maybe a portal transfer....Soares was the exception. Many on here say look what it was before CBF? Well that doesn't mean a change in coaching will now revert back to what it used to be with all due respect. Thanks to CBF, the program is in great shape. I just think a changing of the guard may be in order. We have a tremendous fan base.
 

ISU40

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I don't either. And with that it appears that there was friction between him and Lexi. Such a generic statement. His recruiting has been good recently but not great since who is going to be our post presence or 2 inside? Same ol same ol. Maybe a portal transfer....Soares was the exception. Many on here say look what it was before CBF? Well that doesn't mean a change in coaching will now revert back to what it used to be with all due respect. Thanks to CBF, the program is in great shape. I just think a changing of the guard may be in order. We have a tremendous fan base.
What is hard is when Texas Tech was in the same boat when Sharpe left and they are on their 4th coach since then? and fans did not stay.
 

c.y.c.l.o.n.e.s

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""Her family made the decision. Obviously this wasnt the place she wanted to be. That's okay, that's her choice."
"I'm focused on the kids that want to play at Iowa State."

From CF Twitter.

On KXNO, Bill said "Lex made a....Her family made a decision".

I have zero inside information but I think his careful wording there was just as intentional as Lexi's intentional wording in her post. They have both chosen to say exactly what they wanted to say.

For those who didn't hear, he also said that Maggie Vick would likely play down a level near Tennessee and that MEM and Morgan have said all year that this would be their last here.
Also said that of the transfers, Lez was the only one that would have likely seen minutes next year which I thought was maybe honest but not the best thing to say considering the contributions of Morgan and MEM this year.

Interview starts at around the 19 minute mark.

 
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ChiClone22

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I went and listened to Fenn and the comment is a little out of context. There was a lot of words in between the two 'sentences'. I would say to listen and make your own judgement.
Thank you for sending the link to the audio recording and suggesting that people listen to it…. When you listen to all that Bill says in the interview about Lexi entering the transfer portal, he comes off much more respectful (and not bitter) than I would’ve thought from the previous post noting what he said. He handled the questioning professionally.
 

CourtCyd

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How many WNBA MVPs can you name in the last 10 years not named Delle Donne?

Can you name 3 people in the WNBA top 10 all time scoring list?

Caitlyn Clark is trending worldwide right now. She’s the first player to ever get a triple double with 40+ points in the NCAA tournament. You think she’s trending worldwide if she does that exact same thing in Game 7 of the WNBA finals whilst making a fraction of the money?
There are only 5 games in the WNBA Finals....
 
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CourtCyd

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Have been lurking here since I am a big Lexi fan and wondered if I was the only one shocked. I will not claim to know a lot (I actually know nothing) and I have only watched ISU basketball since she arrived. I have been a longtime women's basketball watcher, though.

I think there is almost no chance she ends up in Iowa City. The first reason is, as everyone said, there are limited or no spots. Second, though, she doesn't even follow Caitlin or Kylie on Instagram. I checked after Kylie left (wondering if there was bad blood) and they unfollowed each other. She also used to follow Caitlin and after checking just now, they don't anymore. I would say it is out of the question.

I predict schools such as UConn and Tennessee will recruit her heavily. After consideration, though, she would have to fight for a spot at UConn. Azzi, Paige, and Nika are guaranteed to get a lot of playing time next year. I know she was friends with Azzi (based on Instagram), but again, playing time would be the question.

She would likely fit well into Tennessee's program and they could use a guard like her. Oklahoma is another possibility if she decides to follow Aubrey.

The question is, what's her end goal? WNBA development and chasing a national title? I imagine it is not being the star of the team because, well, she would have likely been that at Iowa State next year.

While I could never see her going to South Carolina, does anyone see that as a possibility? Dawn obviously loves good defenders and she is one of the best in the country. Carolina's one weakness is 3-point shooting and she is a reputable 3-point shooter (struggled this year, but has proven success). They lose Cooke and Fletcher, and I imagine she could play alongside Raven Johnson as the 2-guard. Additionally, they have great post players, so that would open up the 3-point line for her.

I also thought Texas was a legit option, but she would have to compete with Harmon and Gonzales for playing time. Same thing with competing with Miles, Citron, and Bransford at Notre Dame for playing time. I imagine after 3 years of starting, she wouldn't want to come off the bench, but who knows. I also would hypothesize Indiana, but she is behind Moore-McNeil, Scalia, and Parrish, even though I believe she is an all-around better player than Scalia and would fit nicely in Indiana.

Other possible wildcards I could see are Louisville or Maryland. Both systems rely on defense and have used the transfer portal very well in the past, so I imagine they will be pursuing her hard. She would face similar struggles at Maryland as she did at ISU, though, since their post-game is almost nonexistent.

Then there are teams like Wisconsin and Montana due to the home / sister factors as people said. Also saw Drake comment on Twitter that she should reunite with a former HS teammate, so angles like that could play a factor.

The possibilities are endless. Wherever she goes, I'll continue watching and wishing her the best.

I was going to say just because a player enters the portal doesn't mean they are definitely leaving (even though likely), but damn, that Twitter post made it clear she is out. My guesses are Indiana or Louisville.
She is friends with Cameron Brink at Standford. Can't get a much better post player than that and All-American Haley Jones is going pro so they need another high level guard.
 

isucy86

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On KXNO, Bill said "Lex made a....Her family made a decision".

I have zero inside information but I think his careful wording there was just as intentional as Lexi's intentional wording in her post. They have both chosen to say exactly what they wanted to say.

For those who didn't hear, he also said that Maggie Vick would likely play down a level near Tennessee and that MEM and Morgan have said all year that this would be their last here.
Also said that of the transfers, Lez was the only one that would have likely seen minutes next year which I thought was maybe honest but not the best thing to say considering the contributions of Morgan and MEM this year.
Listened to the interview. His comment regarding only Lexi as part of next year's rotation.

Earlier in the interview Bill said MEM and Morgan had announced some time back their decision not to return to ISU for the 2023/24 season. So he was excluding them from his comments about playing time next season.

It sounded like Maggie Vick leaving was mutual decision. Thought Bill said a family member has been ill and she wanted to be closer to home and probably drop down a level.

IMO the decision for Lexi to leave comes down to ISU not being the best place for her to develop into a WNBA/ Professional player.
 
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ISUTex

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Does anybody know this girl personally? Her family? I don't. Just wondering. Maybe it wasn't the coaches. Maybe it was. Why is everyone automatically giving the player the benefit of the doubt? Heck, maybe she didn't want to listen to Mr. Joens for another four years. Maybe she was a CIA spy. Who the **** knows?
 

NWICY

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I thought I had read a week or two ago that BF hasn't lost anyone from his staff in like 15 years. That is unheard of.

Jack Easley left to go back to Okie State in 2012 . That was the last big staff change that I know of.
 

bozclone

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Lexi was a Top 15 recruit in her class and our first McDonald’s All American on the Women’s Team. By all accounts she was a gym rat, took coaching well, and was a solid teammate. She played here three years and by most accounts regressed as an offensive player. If she has aspirations to play past college, I don’t think we can blame her and her family for wanting to make a change. They likely feel Bill’s offense wasn’t a good fit for her and they know Bill likely won’t change his offense or coaching style significantly. Really sad to see her go, but I can’t blame her as she only has one shot at this college experience. It’s not like she or her family are asking the University to fire Bill. In my opinion, when a player the quality of Lexi leaves there should be some self reflection by the coaching staff and the AD should have a pretty good understanding of the whole situation.
 
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Cycsk

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Correct. What wasn't said in the post was deafening.

What wasn't said might be relevant, but we don't know. I'm very hesitant to read too much into what what wasn't said. For instance, she could have had a massive blow up with the coaches, or a minor disagreement of her strategic allocation, or it could have been nothing at all to do with the coaches. The fact is that we still don't know why she is leaving. And I think it is unwise to be too confident based on what she didn't say.
 

Cloneon

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Does anybody know this girl personally? Her family? I don't. Just wondering. Maybe it wasn't the coaches. Maybe it was. Why is everyone automatically giving the player the benefit of the doubt? Heck, maybe she didn't want to listen to Mr. Joens for another four years. Maybe she was a CIA spy. Who the **** knows?
Hypothetically speaking, even if it was the coaches, one would have to ask themselves a couple of questions (ethics aside):
1. Would you trade the handful of players having left for the success Bill has accomplished?
2. Do different players react differently to different discipline approaches?
 
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JP4CY

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I don't know what it would be like to have a job that depended on the decisions/judgement of 18 to 20 year old kids. I probably wouldn't last long.
When you think about it, there's a lot of places in Ames that have this scenario.
 
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