The Portal
Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:17 pm
We all know that last year Vandy hit the jackpot in the portal with Ciaja Harbison and Marnelle Garraud. The latter was a grad out of Boston College who associate head coach Tom Garrick recruited out of high school. There are a couple of intriguing players in this year's portal who are from Boston U. Boston College also has a couple of bigs in the portal. Could the staff be looking toward Boston again?
The Athletic came up with a list of nine players they consider among the best in the portal so far, though there will surely be a lot more entering the portal as their teams are eliminated from post-season play. I'm including only freshmen and seniors here as that is what coach Ralph has said she has to work with in the portal (I still think there could be exceptions to that). The Athletic's synopsis:
Sydney Johnson, Boston U. 5'9 senior point guard
"For teams looking to fill a gap or add depth at point guard, Johnson could be a smart add. She started 97 games during her BU career and was twice an all-conference first-team selection. She averaged 12.8 points and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 42 percent on 3-pointers this season."
Maren Durant, Boston U. 6'3 senior forward
"A 52 percent shooter, Durant would be a solid pickup for any team looking to secure the middle of the floor. But she’ll also bring a lot of value defensively. She has 86 career starts and averaged 7.7 rebounds over the last four seasons, including eight rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this year. She was named to the Patriot League’s all-defensive team this past year."
Frannie Hottinger,, Lehigh 6'1 senior wing player
"Hottinger has her COVID-19 season to use, and the reigning Patriot League player of the year has opted to go elsewhere. She averaged 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds this season and has 62 career starts under her belt, so she’d bring productivity and experience with her. She should be able to make the jump to the power conference level. With Dawn Plitzuweit named the Gophers’ new coach Saturday, could we see this Minnesota native return home?"
Kennedy Fauntleroy, Georgetown, 5'7 freshman point guard
"With three seasons ahead of her, it’s fair to assume the reigning unanimous Big East freshman of the year will receive a lot of interest. She’s a former top-100 recruit who adjusted well to college competition and filled out her entire stat line, averaging 10.9 points, 2.4 steals, 2.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game this season. There’s room in her game to grow, but with time to develop in another program, coaches will be excited about the Maryland native." (My note: She's in the portal presumably because her coach was dismissed after the season).
The most talented, or at least the most decorated (ESPN Hoopgurlz #74), of that small sample would appear to be Fauntleroy. She's a Maryland kid, though, and Brenda Frese has proven very adept playing the portal game. Might be hard for Vandy or anyone else to get her away from Maryland if they go after her.
It's also worth noting that all the seniors in the Ivy League will be available if they want to keep playing. The Ivy League does not allow players to take the extra year of eligibility sanctioned by the NCAA. There are quite a few players who I feel could help us.
We all know this staff loves its small guards, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them pick up at least one more to go with the five we already have. I'd love to see them also bring in an experienced big to help Sacha Washington and take some pressure off the incoming freshman posts and give them a chance to develop at a more natural pace. We should know something in the next few weeks, I think.
The Athletic came up with a list of nine players they consider among the best in the portal so far, though there will surely be a lot more entering the portal as their teams are eliminated from post-season play. I'm including only freshmen and seniors here as that is what coach Ralph has said she has to work with in the portal (I still think there could be exceptions to that). The Athletic's synopsis:
Sydney Johnson, Boston U. 5'9 senior point guard
"For teams looking to fill a gap or add depth at point guard, Johnson could be a smart add. She started 97 games during her BU career and was twice an all-conference first-team selection. She averaged 12.8 points and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 42 percent on 3-pointers this season."
Maren Durant, Boston U. 6'3 senior forward
"A 52 percent shooter, Durant would be a solid pickup for any team looking to secure the middle of the floor. But she’ll also bring a lot of value defensively. She has 86 career starts and averaged 7.7 rebounds over the last four seasons, including eight rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this year. She was named to the Patriot League’s all-defensive team this past year."
Frannie Hottinger,, Lehigh 6'1 senior wing player
"Hottinger has her COVID-19 season to use, and the reigning Patriot League player of the year has opted to go elsewhere. She averaged 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds this season and has 62 career starts under her belt, so she’d bring productivity and experience with her. She should be able to make the jump to the power conference level. With Dawn Plitzuweit named the Gophers’ new coach Saturday, could we see this Minnesota native return home?"
Kennedy Fauntleroy, Georgetown, 5'7 freshman point guard
"With three seasons ahead of her, it’s fair to assume the reigning unanimous Big East freshman of the year will receive a lot of interest. She’s a former top-100 recruit who adjusted well to college competition and filled out her entire stat line, averaging 10.9 points, 2.4 steals, 2.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game this season. There’s room in her game to grow, but with time to develop in another program, coaches will be excited about the Maryland native." (My note: She's in the portal presumably because her coach was dismissed after the season).
The most talented, or at least the most decorated (ESPN Hoopgurlz #74), of that small sample would appear to be Fauntleroy. She's a Maryland kid, though, and Brenda Frese has proven very adept playing the portal game. Might be hard for Vandy or anyone else to get her away from Maryland if they go after her.
It's also worth noting that all the seniors in the Ivy League will be available if they want to keep playing. The Ivy League does not allow players to take the extra year of eligibility sanctioned by the NCAA. There are quite a few players who I feel could help us.
We all know this staff loves its small guards, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them pick up at least one more to go with the five we already have. I'd love to see them also bring in an experienced big to help Sacha Washington and take some pressure off the incoming freshman posts and give them a chance to develop at a more natural pace. We should know something in the next few weeks, I think.