Portal Season '24

[WarriorVoice]

Just remember, it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes a good house cleaning is needed. Not all these guys are leaving on their own. Probably half are being told to move along.

"Probably". Great analysis Dick Vitale...

[IUP24]

No doubt. I think the perception is it is always the players leaving on their own.

Reality is the coaches just miss on many of the high school recruits. They aren't nearly as good at this level as their film suggested a year ago. Add to it the academic issues, legal items, etc., and I'd venture a solid percentage are essentially told to enter the Portal. If they are getting any scholarship money, that is only a one-year (at a time) thing. It gets pulled all the time.

The dead weight needs removed.

I'm not saying I disagree with you.

But I think you could also be discrediting the importance of "coaching" in that regard. To your point, "the perception is it is always the players leaving on their own." That means the truth is coaches are moving on from players very quickly. Not sure that exactly speaks highly of their "coaching" ability when it comes to working with and developing players. I feel like the same way we hammer the student athletes for helping to create a transient world of college athletics, the coaches need to be held just as responsible for that.

Using a local example and not saying anything otherwise, I'd rather see Joe work his tail off to get the absolute most out of Dolan Waldo and grow and develop him into the player everyone assumed he could be. Sometimes that takes work and time. That shows coaching ability. Says far less about coaches these days, in my opinion, if they are just good at "hitting" on guys coming in from the portal on one-year deals. But fans and donors everywhere expect instant and immediate success. So coaches simply become a product of the environment that keeps the checks coming.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The state of athletics is a now fast food nation.

No doubt. I think the perception is it is always the players leaving on their own.

Reality is the coaches just miss on many of the high school recruits. They aren't nearly as good at this level as their film suggested a year ago. Add to it the academic issues, legal items, etc., and I'd venture a solid percentage are essentially told to enter the Portal. If they are getting any scholarship money, that is only a one-year (at a time) thing. It gets pulled all the time.

The dead weight needs removed.

[Bart]

Just remember, it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes a good house cleaning is needed. Not all these guys are leaving on their own. Probably half are being told to move along.

The state of athletics is a now fast food nation.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I feel for this kid. He actually has ability and understands the game. His body is just a late development. Some kids just aren't capable of bulking up. At this level, you can't get thrown around like a rag doll.

I actually wonder if he could make the transition to shooting guard.

We never got to see it but he allegedly has a very good outside shot.

He runs the floor well and obviously would go from being undersized underneath to a 6'7" matchup problem at the 3.

To stay underneath at this level he needs at least 20 more pounds on his frame.

I completely understand him leaving but I think IUP could regret this departure. They could have done some interesting things with him the next three years - perhaps in a hybrid G/F.

There's no polite way to say it but he got totally screwed this season. He easily should have played 12-14 mpg all year (pretty decent amount for a redshirt freshman).

The charade of going from opening night starter to 'final 30 seconds guy' was a travesty.

[Scrub]

West Virginia State's starting forward Arthur Cox is in the portal. Wouldn't be surprising to see him land elsewhere in the region.

[IUPalum]

Dolan Waldo / IUP


What took him so long?

I feel for this kid. He actually has ability and understands the game. His body is just a late development. Some kids just aren't capable of bulking up. At this level, you can't get thrown around like a rag doll.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Two more for Millersvile, now up to six. Mansfield still in the lead with seven.

Just remember, it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes a good house cleaning is needed. Not all these guys are leaving on their own. Probably half are being told to move along.

[Bart]

Two more for Millersvile, now up to six. Mansfield still in the lead with seven.

[Ship76]

Najeh Allen , 6’3” redshirt freshman from Shippensburg in portal . Rumor from good source - a lot players not happy with athletic department’s . 4 players gone and several more potentially headed to portal. Wow .

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Haha...Maybe Joe should take some of the blame for not keeping them "ready to play" by playing them over the 6 week period??

One would think.

[boatcapt]

I loved when he hadn't played in 6 weeks and then Joe had to play him and Waldo in the home Cal game. Next day Joe said guys needed to be ready when called. Lol

Haha...Maybe Joe should take some of the blame for not keeping them "ready to play" by playing them over the 6 week period??

[Ship69]

The team we'll never get to see evolve is (was) at Clarion.

They had a tremendous all-high school recruiting class last year. They were sophomores this year (and dealt with the injury bug). I'd have loved to see that group the next two years but they've one by one started leaving. I'd assume two more hit the portal this week (Easter and Harris).

I worry the older (ish) coaches in the league will be left behind -- 'coaching' is just a part of it now. You need a dang-near full-time computer nerd working in evaluating transfers.

I think the Lombardi/Manchel/Fite types are struggling in this area.

Fite is not an old guy, and I think he will adjust. His roster got caught out of sync, and he paid the price. Two of the guys coming out of redshirt next year are 6-3 and 6-5, plus he has what look to be two very mobile guys coming in as freshmen who are 6-5 and 6-6. I think Whippen has another year and if Frank stays around to go with the new guys the days of an undersized roster will disappear quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if Fite brings in a couple of more big bodies as well.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Dolan Waldo / IUP


What took him so long?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I laughed about his fearlessness to shoot every time he got in. Obviously Joe wasn’t as amused as I was.

I loved when he hadn't played in 6 weeks and then Joe had to play him and Waldo in the home Cal game. Next day Joe said guys needed to be ready when called. Lol