2025 Transfer Portal

I have seen the posts you made on this subject and you are right. At this point, it’s a waste of time even responding to posters that keep focusing on this simple topic.
Nobody is saying all 5 freshmen will automatically be a part of the main rotation.
However, we do recognize that as highly talented freshmen each will be given the opportunity during camp to develop and play early if they are ready to compete on this level.
Multiple top teams inserted freshmen throughout the season in their rotation and have advanced deep in the tourney.
These current freshmen are on the same level as the incoming freshmen at UT and they’ve fared well in college.
The posters questioning playing freshmen which is a completely different topic than relying on them had to find something to critique.
If we had just two freshmen committed some would be complaining now about how we rely too much on the transfer portal.
CKC has scholarships to use to add posts players which she has detailed her recruitment plan in length and the returnees with experience some starting 2 to 4 years to build a core along with the incoming freshmen.
We really have 3 and need to get a post and another experience shooting guard to move past the sweet 16. We lost a lot of shooting with our SRS
 
Now let’s hit that portal hard and get ready for next season! A lot of positive to work with coming off Caldwell’s first season. Season two has to be a little easier, likely no pregnancy and having a scout on teams.

Going to be lots of new pieces to work in but I love what we have coming back.
And also make sure we're recruiting all of our returning players to stay! 🙏
 
An aspect we haven't addressed is that this system generates a ton of statistics and metrics.

CKC and the staff have stats for at least 10 players against every starting lineup we faced this season. There are stats for every combination of players, for matchups, for breakdowns. Those stats enable the staff to truly identify which upgraded capabilities would generate the most improvement for the team over the course of a season.

Seeing as Kim's system is predicated on the assumption that there are more ways to skin a cat than just matching up mano-a-mano, size-for-size, skill-for-skill... I wouldn't be surprised if the portal transfers we obtain present an asymmetrical response to this year's perceived matchup deficiencies.

So I do feel confident in predicting another off-season of second-guessing CKC.
But that's just us being us.

*note: Just because the staff knows what they need, doesn't mean there's a player available with those capabilities who would also fit this team. Santa Claus doesn't take portal requests.
 
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For those saying freshman we cannot count on well Texas both elite freshman were the difference off the bench for them. In Kim's System the young ones get to use there GOD Given Gifts. Yes they will make mistakes but will have all of us singing Rocky Top. Now we do need a big to help Zee no doubt and another Forward to pair with Latham. Yes if elite Guard is available you take. Going to be fun off season. Remember regardless of System Players win championships but with Kim's System roster filled with great players really looking forward to seeing it in action. In CHRIST Alone
 
For those saying freshman we cannot count on well Texas both elite freshman were the difference off the bench for them. In Kim's System the young ones get to use there GOD Given Gifts. Yes they will make mistakes but will have all of us singing Rocky Top. Now we do need a big to help Zee no doubt and another Forward to pair with Latham. Yes if elite Guard is available you take. Going to be fun off season. Remember regardless of System Players win championships but with Kim's System roster filled with great players really looking forward to seeing it in action. In CHRIST Alone
Texas also has a first team All-American and the Sec Player Of The Year. If we get that type of player in the portal, I’ll be more comfortable with the freshman playing their role.
 
Texas also has a first team All-American and the Sec Player Of The Year. If we get that type of player in the portal, I’ll be more comfortable with the freshman playing their role.
Yes they do only 1 player type like this in Portal because of the team she was with. These players have to come through recruiting HS. But I'm for improving team if right guard is in Portal. We both know we need Forward and Center that fit our system.
 
Yes they do only 1 player type like this in Portal because of the team she was with. These players have to come through recruiting HS. But I'm for improving team if right guard is in Portal. We both know we need Forward and Center that fit our system.
We also need shooters, and atleast 1 proven player that can create their own shot and get a bucket when needed, we actually need more than just post players but maybe it’s a few years to get all of that.
 
Looking forward to next season! I give kudos to Kim and coaching staff in their 1st season on Rocky Top! Unfortunately I'm thinking we lose at least 2 or 3 to the portal and maybe even more if players are not welcome back or advised that they dont fit the system
i.e Avery and Wells. So along with the freshman class and a few good pieces from the portal Tenn should compete next season.
 
A player that looks really good from a mid-major is Laura Ziegler. She has some very strong numbers scored 43 in a game this season and average double digit rebounds. She also shoots the three really well. She is a very versatile player I believe she would be very capable at the next level reminds me a lot of Strack of Kentucky.

 
Now let’s hit that portal hard and get ready for next season! A lot of positive to work with coming off Caldwell’s first season. Season two has to be a little easier, likely no pregnancy and having a scout on teams.

Going to be lots of new pieces to work in but I love what we have coming back.
That’s if everyone comes back!
 
Now let’s hit that portal hard and get ready for next season! A lot of positive to work with coming off Caldwell’s first season. Season two has to be a little easier, likely no pregnancy and having a scout on teams.

Going to be lots of new pieces to work in but I love what we have coming back.
That’s if everyone comes back!
 
I know it has been said already, but I reeeeeaaaallllly wish the portal weren't opened until the day after all the post-season tournaments are over. It's ridiculous that there are 16 coaching staffs in the NCAA tourney (don't know how many are still in the WNIT and WBITs) who are having to prepare their current teams for their biggest stretch of games of the season, yet are having to be dealing with the portal as well. Coaches still coaching should be rewarded, not stretched even thinner, for still being alive in the tournaments.

The NCAA and WBCA should decide together to rework the portal schedule.
I agree.
 
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Looking forward to next season! I give kudos to Kim and coaching staff in their 1st season on Rocky Top! Unfortunately I'm thinking we lose at least 2 or 3 to the portal and maybe even more if players are not welcome back or advised that they dont fit the system
i.e Avery and Wells. So along with the freshman class and a few good pieces from the portal Tenn should compete next season.
I think Cooper hits the portal just by she’s acting on the court lately.
 
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Now let’s hit that portal hard and get ready for next season! A lot of positive to work with coming off Caldwell’s first season. Season two has to be a little easier, likely no pregnancy and having a scout on teams.

Going to be lots of new pieces to work in but I love what we have coming back.

I wasn’t upset during the game because despite playing our hearts out we looked overmatched and inexperienced.

Let’s get the best rim protector you can find and a heady guard.
 
I wasn’t upset during the game because despite playing our hearts out we looked overmatched and inexperienced.

Let’s get the best rim protector you can find and a heady guard.
Yeah I agree, Texas defense in particular was just a cut above ours. We played really hard and defended pretty well but they got the best of us.
 
Wish we would try to get in on Kneepkens saw where UConn is pushing for her. You want an all around player that can score at all three tiers she is the player. Big 80 percent from the free throw line and we need free throw shooters. Coach Kim said we were looking to add a few players how many that means no one knows. We need some rosters spots to do it. We really don't need to get outplayed in the portal by Texas, LSU and SC.
 
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Need to really fire up on the portal this week get the players in here we want and lock them down while Sc, Texas, and LSU are still playing. Williams, Kneepkens, Scott, and Cunningham would be a good class.
 
My guess is the end of our current bench w eligibility left either retires or transfers. Possibly to Mizzu. Don't think any major players transfer, tho Coop is an intriguing mystery.
There's one anomaly about this 2nd year that is a unique factor:
Even players who didn't play many minutes know and can teach the system to newcomers. CKC has already praised them for how they practiced and made their teammates better.

Having those "practice" players working with all the newcomers during the summer is uniquely valuable starting the 2nd season because it's such a drastically different system. Bench players often understand more than those who were on the court. They observe what's happening and hear the coaches responding correctively.

For this 2nd season, especially during the season when coaches are limited in the time they can spend with practicing players, I think their value is significant. Significant enough that I wouldn't be surprised to see NIL deals being offered to keep some of them here.

Attempting to quantify their value for just this summer, I'm thinking that a conservative guestimate would be that by the first Fall practice, those end-o-the-bench players would have all the newcomers at least six weeks ahead of where the whole team was at the start of this past season.

That's not just 6 weeks ahead mentally, but also in breaking ingrained basketball habits and ahead in conditioning. These players now know the level of conditioning it takes, and achieving that before Fall practice begins will allow the coaching staff to spend more of their allotted Fall practice time teaching instead of just running them.
IMHO
 
My guess is the end of our current bench w eligibility left either retires or transfers. Possibly to Mizzu. Don't think any major players transfer, tho Coop is an intriguing mystery.
I figure any of them leaving get in by at least this next Friday or they are staying. Coop is hard to read always looks so distressed and out of touch with the coaches. Really don't want to sound mean but we need two roster spots and they need to come at the end of the bench.
 
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Story out on On3 that Ole Miss already leads for two transfers. It is behind a playwall so don't know who they are, but one could be Scott or Auburn just from what I have heard.
 
There's one anomaly about this 2nd year that is a unique factor:
Even players who didn't play many minutes know and can teach the system to newcomers. CKC has already praised them for how they practiced and made their teammates better.

Having those "practice" players working with all the newcomers during the summer is uniquely valuable starting the 2nd season because it's such a drastically different system. Bench players often understand more than those who were on the court. They observe what's happening and hear the coaches responding correctively.

For this 2nd season, especially during the season when coaches are limited in the time they can spend with practicing players, I think their value is significant. Significant enough that I wouldn't be surprised to see NIL deals being offered to keep some of them here.

Attempting to quantify their value for just this summer, I'm thinking that a conservative guestimate would be that by the first Fall practice, those end-o-the-bench players would have all the newcomers at least six weeks ahead of where the whole team was at the start of this past season.

That's not just 6 weeks ahead mentally, but also in breaking ingrained basketball habits and ahead in conditioning. These players now know the level of conditioning it takes, and achieving that before Fall practice begins will allow the coaching staff to spend more of their allotted Fall practice time teaching instead of just running them.
IMHO
Any of them may choose teaching over playing for sure. Maybe want to coach some day. We’ll see.

I don’t think learning this style is a big deal. They rarely change up presses and Lord knows dont have fancy offensive schemes. But actually executing it is really, really hard. It’s just balls to the wall all the time, leave the floor, rinse, repeat. That’s why it wasn’t November that was ugly, it was Feb.

Will be so interesting how they adjust for this next season. Train harder or does that wear them out even sooner. Does having “more athletic “ players automatically mean more stamina? Since CKC owned the issue this season, I have confidence they’ll figure it out.

Also, I give her huge credit for reeling this team back in mentally after the SEC tournament. She totally gathered the sheep who had gone astray. A huge 2 weeks for her.
 
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