WBB Recruiting

[JacobPadilla]

IMO, unless you have a Clark who can outscore most teams, you must have someone 6’5” or bigger to anchor your middle if you want to compete with UConn,SCs and LSUs of the sport.

With Ronsiek gone we need a center for next year for sure.

Gentry is 6'3" and will be here for next season. I'd like to see a few more her size or taller on the roster. They could fill the Mallory Brake roll on offense as being a screener and rebounder, and can guard the post. A stretch 5 would be nicer, but just having some size is a must, IMO.

Flan has always prioritized recruiting basketball players over checking size boxes.

The last true post that was truly productive at Creighton was Brianna Rollerson, and she was only 6'. Alexis Akin-Otiko was productive before that but only 5'11". There've been a handful of posts 6'1" to 6'3" since Creighton has moved to the Big East but none of them have been able to carve out big role or average more than a couple points per game.

Sarah Nelson, Audrey Faber and Ronsiek have been the best frontcourt players Flan has recruited over the last decade plus and they're all stretch forwards (though Faber was at least 6'2"). He just hasn't had a lot of success recruiting true difference-making posts with size, and has opted to lean more heavily into the skilled players he knows he can land to trade 2s for 3s and win with five-out skill.

We'll have to see if Gentry can contribute more than the likes of Gracey Griglione, Mykel Parham and Ali Greene.

[Jet915]

I get that and it works well against 90% of womens D1 but once u are in the tournament and you are facing South Carolina and UCLA there is a stark difference in size thats very hard to overcome.

[JacobPadilla]

I get that and it works well against 90% of womens D1 but once u are in the tournament and you are facing South Carolina and UCLA there is a stark difference in size thats very hard to overcome.

On the other hand, Creighton likely isn't ever going to be able to line up like for like and beat those teams at their own game. Does a tall center really help you all that much if she's so much worse than the likes of Lauren Betts or Kamilla Cardoso? Or are you better off trying to attack them in a different way? There's no doubt that having more size would help if they can land a center that can really play, and that's likely a key part of taking the next step as a program, but it's not something they've been able to do to this point.

[BellevueJay]

Flan has always prioritized recruiting basketball players over checking size boxes.

The last true post that was truly productive at Creighton was Brianna Rollerson, and she was only 6'. Alexis Akin-Otiko was productive before that but only 5'11". There've been a handful of posts 6'1" to 6'3" since Creighton has moved to the Big East but none of them have been able to carve out big role or average more than a couple points per game.

Sarah Nelson, Audrey Faber and Ronsiek have been the best frontcourt players Flan has recruited over the last decade plus and they're all stretch forwards (though Faber was at least 6'2"). He just hasn't had a lot of success recruiting true difference-making posts with size, and has opted to lean more heavily into the skilled players he knows he can land to trade 2s for 3s and win with five-out skill.

We'll have to see if Gentry can contribute more than the likes of Gracey Griglione, Mykel Parham and Ali Greene.

I get Flans process and system, but then you have players like Mallory Brake, who was not a 3 point shooter, wasn't really an offensive threat at all, and played 24 minutes a game, you can replace her with someone 6'3" - 6'4" with a similar offensive role and be able to defend the post and battle for rebounds and has the height actually help. That's the glaring need this team has. Being able to get some more boards when playing big teams, where we lose the rebounding battle significantly, would be a huge difference for this team.

[JacobPadilla]

I think that completely underrates what Brake did for the team this year. She was their best defender who essentially guarded 1-5 and made all the hustle plays you need to complement the firepower of the big three. And that's kind of the point — Brake gave more to this team than players like Griglione (6'1"), Norby (6'2"), Morgan Turner (6'2") or Kylie Brown (6'3") did. There aren't many female players 6'4" or taller who can really play, and it's going to be really difficult to land the ones that exist.

You can try to fill the glaring need you described, but if you're giving up advantages in other areas to do so, do you come out ahead in the end? Opposing posts also have to guard the likes of Ronsiek and Faber, and in some cases you're trading their 2s for your 3s there.

To punch through to the next level, Flan's probably going to have to land a difference-making post. But that's easier said than done and in the mean time he just has to recruit the best roster he can. They'll keep taking cracks at it and hope to eventually find the right player to break that mold at Creighton.

[Gmorrowfan]

To punch through to the next level, Flan's probably going to have to land a difference-making post. But that's easier said than done and in the mean time he just has to recruit the best roster he can. They'll keep taking cracks at it and hope to eventually find the right player to break that mold at Creighton.

Amen. Am certain Flan would like nothing better to land an Aliyah Boston type player, just like I'd like to come home from work and find a nymphomaniac supermodel on my couch. In addition to the relatively small universe of these type of players, I wonder if the 15 player scholarship limit plays a role, as the top tier programs seem to stockpile 5 stars. Maybe our odds increase with the transfer market being what it is and the success the program has had.

[TXJaysFan]

I think that completely underrates what Brake did for the team this year. She was their best defender who essentially guarded 1-5 and made all the hustle plays you need to complement the firepower of the big three. And that's kind of the point — Brake gave more to this team than players like Griglione (6'1"), Norby (6'2"), Morgan Turner (6'2") or Kylie Brown (6'3") did. There aren't many female players 6'4" or taller who can really play, and it's going to be really difficult to land the ones that exist.

You can try to fill the glaring need you described, but if you're giving up advantages in other areas to do so, do you come out ahead in the end? Opposing posts also have to guard the likes of Ronsiek and Faber, and in some cases you're trading their 2s for your 3s there.

To punch through to the next level, Flan's probably going to have to land a difference-making post. But that's easier said than done and in the mean time he just has to recruit the best roster he can. They'll keep taking cracks at it and hope to eventually find the right player to break that mold at Creighton.

Definitely. Brake was easily the most improved Jay this year. I was surprised when she was announced as a starter, she hadn't shown that kind of capability in the past. Her defense changed multiple games and her activity and cutting on offense lead to some baskets too. It is unfortunate her shot is so inconsistent. Even a small improvement there for next year (assuming she returns) would be huge. Something so that opposing defenses can't sag off her as often.

[Wizard of Westroads]

Regarding recruiting, this is a very different situation from the men. The Big East is not a power conference, it just has UConn. The rest of the BE schools play mostly in small gyms like Sokol and don't have football money to back them up. Check out the women's Final Four: There hasn't been a non-big time football school make it since 2001. The men have had 12, by my count.

Unlike with the men, Nebraska's women outrecruit CU, but Flan still beats them. Everyone needs to appreciate how remarkable the Elite Eight run was. I'm not saying we're at our ceiling, but there's a reason we don't get top-level big centers.

Jacob can correct me if I"m wrong, but I don't think we stood a chance with Britt Prince. She's a big time recruit, and I doubt she saw herself playing in front of a crowd of 1,000 at Sokol.

[BellevueJay]

Regarding recruiting, this is a very different situation from the men. The Big East is not a power conference, it just has UConn. The rest of the BE schools play mostly in small gyms like Sokol and don't have football money to back them up. Check out the women's Final Four: There hasn't been a non-big time football school make it since 2001. The men have had 12, by my count.

Unlike with the men, Nebraska's women outrecruit CU, but Flan still beats them. Everyone needs to appreciate how remarkable the Elite Eight run was. I'm not saying we're at our ceiling, but there's a reason we don't get top-level big centers.

Jacob can correct me if I"m wrong, but I don't think we stood a chance with Britt Prince. She's a big time recruit, and I doubt she saw herself playing in front of a crowd of 1,000 at Sokol.

And I believe Britt is very good friends with Kennadi Williams, Amy Williams daughter. The only way she didn't end up in Lincoln is if they fired the coach because of the Title IX issues with the assistant that they tried to sweep under the rug.

[JacobPadilla]

Regarding recruiting, this is a very different situation from the men. The Big East is not a power conference, it just has UConn. The rest of the BE schools play mostly in small gyms like Sokol and don't have football money to back them up. Check out the women's Final Four: There hasn't been a non-big time football school make it since 2001. The men have had 12, by my count.

Unlike with the men, Nebraska's women outrecruit CU, but Flan still beats them. Everyone needs to appreciate how remarkable the Elite Eight run was. I'm not saying we're at our ceiling, but there's a reason we don't get top-level big centers.

Jacob can correct me if I"m wrong, but I don't think we stood a chance with Britt Prince. She's a big time recruit, and I doubt she saw herself playing in front of a crowd of 1,000 at Sokol.

Might have been a different story had Sy stayed at Creighton, but the Nebraska ties were always going to be tough to overcome. I do think Creighton recruited her really well and she liked the program. Think it was Nebraska, Creighton and Indiana at the end.