Wrong on Sara!I

#26
#26
Rickea coming back meant a lot more from that perspective than the role players re-signing their deals.

The Boost-Her Club is doing the best it can for our athletes, and I have a lot of confidence in the people running it. Unfortunately, this program has a lot of well-heeled donors that are less supportive of the idea of student athletes making money, compared to some other schools that have been able to be very active in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail.

There are a lot of people and businesses locally that support the programs, but will only continue making their donations to the Tennessee fund and buy tickets, rather than supporting the volunteer club or the boost-her club to affect the NIL space.

DeerPark, knowing the program as well as you do, do you get the sense that those well-heeled donors do not support the new NIL environment because they believe it's unnecessary (or even "wrong," in some ethical sense), for Tennessee to participate, or is it more being unaware of just how impactful that support is for schools who are succeeding in recruiting?

Or perhaps a better way to ask this might be - do you get any sense that seeing these other schools succeed decisively in recruiting will spur them to adapt, or is their attitude more or less set in stone? It's been implied here and elsehwere, rightly or wrongly I couldn't say, that Tennessee has lost a few big names this recruiting cycle because of "better offers," and if those claims are true, I wonder how that donor group feels about those situations.
 
#27
#27
Rickea coming back meant a lot more from that perspective than the role players re-signing their deals.

The Boost-Her Club is doing the best it can for our athletes, and I have a lot of confidence in the people running it. Unfortunately, this program has a lot of well-heeled donors that are less supportive of the idea of student athletes making money, compared to some other schools that have been able to be very active in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail.

There are a lot of people and businesses locally that support the programs, but will only continue making their donations to the Tennessee fund and buy tickets, rather than supporting the volunteer club or the boost-her club to affect the NIL space.
Is that to read we went all in on RJ? And then had to take what we could get with what we got left over? Not leaving much to play with in regards to other top tier players so just appease the returning players.
 
Last edited:
#28
#28
Is that to read we went all in on RJ? And then had to take what we could get with what we got left over? Not leaving much to play with in regards to other top tier players so just appease the returning players.

I think they definitely went big to keep RJ, which I think is a smarter move than to let her go pro (when she wanted to stay anyway) and chase players that might have been out there. I'd rather have a Jackson that already loves Knoxville and her teammates than to hope to be able to win a battle that might be more about money than a desire to play for a championship.

I also don't think it's correct to say that RJ was all about money. She wanted to be here. So making the money in the same neighborhood as a WNBA rookie deal wasn't some super tall hill to climb.
 
#29
#29
DeerPark, knowing the program as well as you do, do you get the sense that those well-heeled donors do not support the new NIL environment because they believe it's unnecessary (or even "wrong," in some ethical sense), for Tennessee to participate, or is it more being unaware of just how impactful that support is for schools who are succeeding in recruiting?

Or perhaps a better way to ask this might be - do you get any sense that seeing these other schools succeed decisively in recruiting will spur them to adapt, or is their attitude more or less set in stone? It's been implied here and elsehwere, rightly or wrongly I couldn't say, that Tennessee has lost a few big names this recruiting cycle because of "better offers," and if those claims are true, I wonder how that donor group feels about those situations.

All of the above. We have a lot of donors that feel like a full scholarship plus cost of attendance is a really good deal, so they aren't getting involved in a space to provide more than that. I wonder if that will change over the coming years. There are a lot of donors that are supporting NIL, but not as readily as some places that we are competing against.
 
#30
#30
Rickea coming back meant a lot more from that perspective than the role players re-signing their deals.

The Boost-Her Club is doing the best it can for our athletes, and I have a lot of confidence in the people running it. Unfortunately, this program has a lot of well-heeled donors that are less supportive of the idea of student athletes making money, compared to some other schools that have been able to be very active in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail.

There are a lot of people and businesses locally that support the programs, but will only continue making their donations to the Tennessee fund and buy tickets, rather than supporting the volunteer club or the boost-her club to affect the NIL space.

That is surprising given how "all in" on NILs Tennessee's main competitors are. Sort of suggest that some of Kellie's recruiting problems were due to factors beyond her control. Hopefully, Rickea's deal will help to break down that barrier.
 
#31
#31
The "Sara Puckett is unhappy and will transer from Tennessee" thing was fabricated by speculation on this message board. This poster or that poster, often with no posting history to speak of, would ask in game threads about her leaving, stirring things up, and then people just ran with it. Discussed for months. Not once have I ever seen any actual news about her transferring or being unhappy. Not once. But everyone here kept riding that imaginary lawn mower and cutting that imaginary grass on that imaginary lawn.

Okay, look, the lawnmower analogy is weird, but the point stands. This is the only place where I saw people discussing her leaving. And it was treated seriously! I don't know. It occurs to me that there is a lesson somewhere in this, but, I doubt it's going to take.
Jon Gruden was wearing an orange tie a few years ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ATLVOLFAN01
#32
#32
Is that to read we went all in on RJ? And then had to take what we could get with what we got left over? Not leaving much to play with in regards to other top tier players so just appease the returning players.
It time they rethink their commitment. Alabama, LSU and Florida will sure pile on the donations. I think the NIL is a big mistake but it’s here and must be dealt with.
 
#33
#33
All of the above. We have a lot of donors that feel like a full scholarship plus cost of attendance is a really good deal, so they aren't getting involved in a space to provide more than that. I wonder if that will change over the coming years. There are a lot of donors that are supporting NIL, but not as readily as some places that we are competing against.

Not surprising to hear, but that also casts at least some of Tennessee's current recruiting situation in a different light. I'm honestly not sure what the expectations for a coach can or should be when they're competing with programs that can simply outbid them (more or less). External perception and internal reality could be completely misaligned. And utterly aside, but it would not surprise me to hear that some of the programs people idolize on this message board are the ones with more, ah, invested NIL mechanisms.

Anyway, thanks for the explanation.
 
#36
#36
I’m floored. Had spoken to a couple of people close to Pissot and she had, at that time, affirmed her commitment to Tennessee.
If DeerPark is floored, it's flooring. Makes me think even more it's about someone coming in. Or not about playing time at all.

Either way, it is a very bad and disappointing look. And the "told you so" machine around here turns up to a high, repeative shriek . . .
 
#37
#37
If DeerPark is floored, it's flooring. Makes me think even more it's about someone coming in. Or not about playing time at all.

Either way, it is a very bad and disappointing look. And the "told you so" machine around here turns up to a high, repeative shriek . . .

I don't pretend to be an insider, but anyone "floored" by this news didn't pay attention this past season...
 
#38
#38
I don't pretend to be an insider, but anyone "floored" by this news didn't pay attention this past season...
So you think she's leaving mad over lack of mins last season when a ton of mins, even a starting spot if she beats out Tess, is out there for her next season? Certainly, as the roster now stands, lots of backup mins available. Talk about biting off the nose to spite the face.

If DeerPark says JP was previously affirming, she was previously affirming. Something changed. Sure hope that means a new player on the way in.
 
#39
#39
So you think she's leaving mad over lack of mins last season when a ton of mins, even a starting spot if she beats out Tess, is out there for her next season? Certainly, as the roster now stands, lots of backup mins available. Talk about biting off the nose to spite the face.

If DeerPark says JP was previously affirming, she was previously affirming. Something changed. Sure hope that means a new player on the way in.

If you want to take DP's word as the gospel go ahead, but this isn't the first time his "sources" have proven to be wrong.

The possibility of Pissott leaving was discussed and even expected by many here...
 
  • Like
Reactions: GameTime
#40
#40
If you want to take DP's word as the gospel go ahead, but this isn't the first time his "sources" have proven to be wrong.

The possibility of Pissott leaving was discussed and even expected by many here...
Yes it was, as was a winless SEC season, failure to make the tourney, the execution by hanging of the entire coaching staff and a permanent shuttering of the program.

Still doesn't answer the contradiction of leaving over minutes when you're about to get alot more.

I'll continue to believe the gospel according to DP, by far the most knowledgable LV poster.
 
#44
#44
If you want to take DP's word as the gospel go ahead, but this isn't the first time his "sources" have proven to be wrong.

The possibility of Pissott leaving was discussed and even expected by many here...

It's not "sources," its the fact that she had told coaches and teammates that she was returning as recently as earlier this week and, as someone else posted above, had re-signed an NIL deal and was near the finish line on securing a couple of more.
 
#45
#45
The word was out around tournament time that she was leaving because she didn't enjoy the social environment of the south, but I too assumed that she had changed her mind when she signed the new NIL deal...interesting.

It's not "sources," its the fact that she had told coaches and teammates that she was returning as recently as earlier this week and, as someone else posted above, had re-signed an NIL deal and was near the finish line on securing a couple of more.
 
#49
#49
So, can we assume tampering??

I think some kids are more willing to stick it out and work to get better than their parents are to wait. Is that tampering? Parents have a lot more freedom to talk to a lot of different people than the kids do. But I’m not ready to say that somebody poached her or even consider possibilities of where she may be headed.
 
#50
#50
I think some kids are more willing to stick it out and work to get better than their parents are to wait. Is that tampering? Parents have a lot more freedom to talk to a lot of different people than the kids do. But I’m not ready to say that somebody poached her or even consider possibilities of where she may be headed.
I suspect maybe a mid major where she dont have to play much defense
 

VN Store



Back
Top