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If their only interest is getting paid we need to take a pass. That applies mostly to players from the portal. In recruiting we need to up our game. We won't be getting the very top recruits as they all seem headed to the same dozen schools every year. We need to look at mid level players who have had solid high school careers who can come in and contribute immediately. We shouldn't shy away from players that won't be with us for 4 or 5 years. A year or two from a good recruit is the best we can hope for these days. It's fine to have a few players who are going to need a few years to develop. That's good for continuity. I actually think the fifth year seniors we will have this year is a good move and hopefully there will be more of that. It's tough these days with all the player movement but at least Natalie won't need to replace the entire team each year as is the case with coach Aker. Previous Message
Logan was a good recruit but she was not a nationally sought after recruit. Based on what Tyler told me her final two were LBSU and Hawaii. He also said that Stanford contacted her early but did not focus on her. Schools throw out a bunch of letters when players are younger and then fade as the signing period gets closer. I expect Logan will be a very good player for Florida since she is so young and still has a lot of growth potential.
I do not think the coach is going to avoid top players but players focuesed on getting paid is not something the coach can accommodate and in todays recruiting environment that will eliminate the very top players.
Interested, how far down the recruiting list do you still consider the top players you are referring to?
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I don't recall the exact context but I believe it was a question about the difficulty recruiting high level players in general. Did you consider Logan King to be a "me first player?" Just don't want to see Natalie pass on a Logan King type player because the recruiting process won't be easy. When Robyn was coach at Hawaii she attempted to recruit the top players each year. While she had no discernible success she never gave up trying to lure those players to Hawaii. Previous Message
If you are referring to the bumpsetchat interview of the coach, I do not remember her saying that she does not recruit high level players. If I remember correctly she does not recruit "me first" players and looks to players that puts team first. Does that eliminate many top players probably but me first players will not work at LBSU or be around very long. Previous Message
Agreed and I wasn't referring to the 2026 team. Looking at the commitment trending I was projecting ahead 2 or 3 years. Hopefully they are planning to utilize our 2028 commit as a right side hitter and not a middle. Is Natalie going after the best available players? She made what I thought was a troubling comment in a interview in which she said she doesn't recruit the higher level players. Why not? Cal Poly does and the last time I looked they are still staying in the Big West. Previous Message
Programs need to get the best available players and there are plenty of "undersized" players that are a lot more productive then a lot of taller ones. Of course you would like to have 6-5 players that are athletic and multi- dimensional but there are not many of those. As an example of two BW players that come to mind is six foot flat Kash at LBSU that was first team all big ten in her lone year after LBSU and currently sub six foot Travis from UCSB now at Wisconsin. She is picked by many to be a starting pin at that top 5 school. Of course size maters if you have everything else. Previous Message
Interesting that all 4 of our 2027 recruits are under 6'0 and that trend is continuing with our first 2028 commitment. I'd like to think our program going into the near future can at least remain competitive in the Big West. Not sure being the shortest team in the conference is the way to go. I was in favor of Natalie getting the head coach position not because I thought she was going to develop into a great coach but because I was terrified of Mr Slitheran and Mr. Apple hiring the next WVB coach. That thought was to awful to comprehend. Time will tell. Previous Message
Reagan Williams, Mater Dei, MB/OH has committed. She's only 5'11 now but has two more years of high school to grow and get better.
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on 6/17/2026, 3:50 pm, in reply to "