I just finished reading an article about the transfer portal. Duke coach Kara Lawson said that the coaches know way ahead of time on what players are entering the portal during the season. Players and coaches are communicating with each other during the season. Basically coaches are recruiting players off of other teams during the season.
What Kara Lawson said
- Thread starter KozmasAgain
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Undoubtedly, players reach out to teams directly and their agents keep in touch with both the player and teams that the player has expressed an interest in. Coaches also actively reach out to player’s agents. The only thing that’s prohibited (and even that is hard to enforce) is direct contact between a player on team A and a coach on team B.
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It kind of makes you wonder why Skylar Jones announced she was entering the portal and leaving the team. The portal doesn’t officially open until April 6 after the playoffs are over. She could have finished out the season. Was there something behind her leaving early? Maybe the coach of a team she already knows she is transferring to. Or was there tension with her and the team?
No inside information here … but here’s my best guess.
I just assumed with Skylar that she was pissed off about having to pick all those splinters out of her backside in the UNC and Duke ACCT games. She only played 11 minutes total in those two games, even though the Duke game went to OT.
I figured she went to Coach Walz and said she wasn’t happy, and Coach Walz told her that if she wanted to play more then she needed to play better. She didn’t like that answer, so she decided to quit the team.
She did average 25 mpg and 10.7 ppg at Arizona as a sophomore, so she could not have been pleased to see those numbers drop to 16.6 mpg and 8.4 ppg this year.
I just assumed with Skylar that she was pissed off about having to pick all those splinters out of her backside in the UNC and Duke ACCT games. She only played 11 minutes total in those two games, even though the Duke game went to OT.
I figured she went to Coach Walz and said she wasn’t happy, and Coach Walz told her that if she wanted to play more then she needed to play better. She didn’t like that answer, so she decided to quit the team.
She did average 25 mpg and 10.7 ppg at Arizona as a sophomore, so she could not have been pleased to see those numbers drop to 16.6 mpg and 8.4 ppg this year.
Your comments are probably closer to the facts of the situation and not that she was recruited away. Coach Walz has been commenting on Jones and her approach to the game all season.
Statistically, Skylar had a 1.0 to 1.2 assist to turnover ratio - the only player averaging more than 12 minutes per game with more turnovers than assists. Also, her 3pt FG% (30.2 %) was lower than those other 6 players, yet she insisted on shooting the 5th most 3pters on the team.
I tend to look at those stats as someone who was more “me” focused than team focused, and that probably goes back to her being frustrated by her reduced playing time compared to what she enjoyed at Arizona.
As Jeff said when her departure was announced - better for both parties that she chose to leave.
I tend to look at those stats as someone who was more “me” focused than team focused, and that probably goes back to her being frustrated by her reduced playing time compared to what she enjoyed at Arizona.
As Jeff said when her departure was announced - better for both parties that she chose to leave.