Post by zero-rotation outside hitter on Dec 24, 2019 17:40:48 GMT -5
With the Fab Four having graduated from Stanford, a brief era has come to an end. In its wake lurk three schools that stood out to me as potential candidates to usher in a new era of program dominance in division one volleyball. With it now being the off season, there’s a little less fodder on this board to chew, so hopefully someone will be bored enough to read past this sentence and offer his or her good opinion.
I’ll grant right off the bat that I don’t see Stanford going anywhere. It’s too great of a school with an amazing legacy in volleyball. While Kevin Habley still hasn’t coached a team he’s personally recruited to a championship, I just don’t see Stanford dropping out of the top four perpetual contenders. It lost a great senior class, and although they’re not as stacked next year, they’ve got a bunch of top recruits in the pipeline.
The three other big ones (Penn State, Nebraska, Texas), however, show some signs of vulnerability. Hear me out…
Yeah, yeah, yeah. All three are still armed with returning starters, promising recruits and and a pedigree of championships that scream “We’re still here!” But cracks have surfaced. Namely: Russ Rose and John Cook are old. It’s reasonable to assume that incoming freshmen in 2020 may be the last class of athletes either coach sees through their four years of college eligibility. Jerrit Elliot is only around 50. And while I expect that he’ll be the Texas coach for the foreseeable future, his dearth of national titles (despite annually landing the best high school players) portends a potential shift in recruits switching their allegiance--at least when they choose to play for a university in the state of Texas.
That leads me to the first of three schools I see as having the potential to crack the seemingly impenetrable wall of top four programs: Baylor. They seemed to come out of nowhere this year, and making the final four, getting the top seed in the tournament, coach of the year, player of the year...they seem legit. And they’re returning the bulk of their team—with the addition of Lauren Harrison transferring in from North Carolina. Now, it’s very possible that they’ll be a flash in the pan and do well just to make the tournament after next year. After all, they need the recruits. But something seems to be brewing in Waco, and it’s not just the Jesus juice. Or is it?
There was an interesting article that touched on the possibly unique experience students may be hoping to get when agreeing to play for Ryan McGuyre’s Bears. If you’re a high-level athlete who seeks a community of like-minded individuals, and know the coach specifically fosters that environment, I imagine it can be a very attractive prospect. McGuyre has turned the program into a national contender, and he’s young. He’s getting some top recruits for the first time in program history, and I wonder if the draw has been a cultural shift where he’s managed to nicely weave the best elements of faith and sport.
Even my soulless cyniscim was touched by the shared prayer circle between Baylor and Wisconsin. Had I been cordially invited to participate as an athlete after that match (by the team who LOST for crying out loud), I think I would have said yes. To me, it seemed like a warm welcome into someone’s home. And to say this as a pretty staunch non-believer (Baptists are like Martians to me), I can only imagine how engaging it could be for the Baylor team to cultivate that sense of fellowship. I realize similar experiences are likely not unique to Baylor, but couple it with a great coach and some new success under your belts, and it may give recruits enough impetus to say “yes” to McGyure over Elliot.
The other two teams I have in mind are a little less of a reach. After Hugh McCutcheon took over the helm from Mike Hebert at Minnesota in 2012, his team has reached the final four for the third time in five years. He also has the #1, #3, and #16 recruits in the nation coming to campus in 2020. The team is regularly landing top-ten recruits in general, is performing well in the B1G (especially when healthy), and McCutcheon, with his international resume is a big draw for kids, particularly in the Midwest. Minneapolis may not be as attractive as Austin or Palo Alto, but it’s a great city nonetheless, and with the aforementioned attributes, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see a string of titles for the program over the next ten years.
Minnesota right now sort of reminds me of Penn State in the mid to late 90s. Getting to some final fours, contending, landing some big recruits, but not quite going all the way. But once they do, they sort of go berserk with a dynasty-creating crop of athletes. Russ Rose has a generally laid back demeanor on the bench (not unlike McCutheon) but what he gets out of his teams, particularly come tournament time, is endlessly impressive to me. McCutcheon, I feel, has that same potential, and I believe his athletes see it too.
There’s a huge following in Nebraska (my guess is because there’s little else to get excited about living in Lincoln), and regardless of the length of Cook’s remaining tenure, fans are unlikely to settle for a weak replacement when the time comes. My wish for the Huskers to stop contending for titles is more due to the fact that I, like most folks in the other 49 states, dislike John Cook. Forget the pissed off look he always has on his deflated face, he’s just not gracious enough when talking about other teams or programs. He comments way too often in bad faith, and ever since his daughter’s hit-and-run in 2011 where he said “I wish my kid was a sorority girl then this wouldn’t be a big deal,” I’ve just had a strong aversion to him and his character.
With that in mind, the Wisconsin Badgers may be the heir-apparent to the B1G’s most recent national champion. They’ve had the Huskers’ number as of late (dare I bring up the three sweeps in a single season?), and from what I can tell, Madison is arguably scoring the edge in recruiting over the next two to three seasons. Let’s not forget that the core of this year’s championship final team is returning, with essentially only Madison Duello and Tiffany Clark to replace. That’s very doable, including another year of experience for the other members of this already-potent starting lineup.
So, it seems to come down to why players would want to play for certain programs. Legacy + current coaching staff I imagine are the main two factors, with overall impression of the campus and what offerings it has for any individual student athlete’s particular interest of study. I feel like USC, UCLA, Long Beach State, Florida, and Hawai’i have had their day, and are stagnant in regard to the next five years...at least when considering title chances. Maybe we’ll see further breakouts from Kentucky, Utah, Creighton or Pittsburgh. But I doubt it.
When all is said and done, Texas, Penn State and Nebraska are going to continue to be powerhouses into the next decade (Stanford stands alone now). But I’ll be curious to see the development of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Baylor as potentially the next trio of perennial final four and championship contenders.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I’ll grant right off the bat that I don’t see Stanford going anywhere. It’s too great of a school with an amazing legacy in volleyball. While Kevin Habley still hasn’t coached a team he’s personally recruited to a championship, I just don’t see Stanford dropping out of the top four perpetual contenders. It lost a great senior class, and although they’re not as stacked next year, they’ve got a bunch of top recruits in the pipeline.
The three other big ones (Penn State, Nebraska, Texas), however, show some signs of vulnerability. Hear me out…
Yeah, yeah, yeah. All three are still armed with returning starters, promising recruits and and a pedigree of championships that scream “We’re still here!” But cracks have surfaced. Namely: Russ Rose and John Cook are old. It’s reasonable to assume that incoming freshmen in 2020 may be the last class of athletes either coach sees through their four years of college eligibility. Jerrit Elliot is only around 50. And while I expect that he’ll be the Texas coach for the foreseeable future, his dearth of national titles (despite annually landing the best high school players) portends a potential shift in recruits switching their allegiance--at least when they choose to play for a university in the state of Texas.
That leads me to the first of three schools I see as having the potential to crack the seemingly impenetrable wall of top four programs: Baylor. They seemed to come out of nowhere this year, and making the final four, getting the top seed in the tournament, coach of the year, player of the year...they seem legit. And they’re returning the bulk of their team—with the addition of Lauren Harrison transferring in from North Carolina. Now, it’s very possible that they’ll be a flash in the pan and do well just to make the tournament after next year. After all, they need the recruits. But something seems to be brewing in Waco, and it’s not just the Jesus juice. Or is it?
There was an interesting article that touched on the possibly unique experience students may be hoping to get when agreeing to play for Ryan McGuyre’s Bears. If you’re a high-level athlete who seeks a community of like-minded individuals, and know the coach specifically fosters that environment, I imagine it can be a very attractive prospect. McGuyre has turned the program into a national contender, and he’s young. He’s getting some top recruits for the first time in program history, and I wonder if the draw has been a cultural shift where he’s managed to nicely weave the best elements of faith and sport.
Even my soulless cyniscim was touched by the shared prayer circle between Baylor and Wisconsin. Had I been cordially invited to participate as an athlete after that match (by the team who LOST for crying out loud), I think I would have said yes. To me, it seemed like a warm welcome into someone’s home. And to say this as a pretty staunch non-believer (Baptists are like Martians to me), I can only imagine how engaging it could be for the Baylor team to cultivate that sense of fellowship. I realize similar experiences are likely not unique to Baylor, but couple it with a great coach and some new success under your belts, and it may give recruits enough impetus to say “yes” to McGyure over Elliot.
The other two teams I have in mind are a little less of a reach. After Hugh McCutcheon took over the helm from Mike Hebert at Minnesota in 2012, his team has reached the final four for the third time in five years. He also has the #1, #3, and #16 recruits in the nation coming to campus in 2020. The team is regularly landing top-ten recruits in general, is performing well in the B1G (especially when healthy), and McCutcheon, with his international resume is a big draw for kids, particularly in the Midwest. Minneapolis may not be as attractive as Austin or Palo Alto, but it’s a great city nonetheless, and with the aforementioned attributes, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see a string of titles for the program over the next ten years.
Minnesota right now sort of reminds me of Penn State in the mid to late 90s. Getting to some final fours, contending, landing some big recruits, but not quite going all the way. But once they do, they sort of go berserk with a dynasty-creating crop of athletes. Russ Rose has a generally laid back demeanor on the bench (not unlike McCutheon) but what he gets out of his teams, particularly come tournament time, is endlessly impressive to me. McCutcheon, I feel, has that same potential, and I believe his athletes see it too.
There’s a huge following in Nebraska (my guess is because there’s little else to get excited about living in Lincoln), and regardless of the length of Cook’s remaining tenure, fans are unlikely to settle for a weak replacement when the time comes. My wish for the Huskers to stop contending for titles is more due to the fact that I, like most folks in the other 49 states, dislike John Cook. Forget the pissed off look he always has on his deflated face, he’s just not gracious enough when talking about other teams or programs. He comments way too often in bad faith, and ever since his daughter’s hit-and-run in 2011 where he said “I wish my kid was a sorority girl then this wouldn’t be a big deal,” I’ve just had a strong aversion to him and his character.
With that in mind, the Wisconsin Badgers may be the heir-apparent to the B1G’s most recent national champion. They’ve had the Huskers’ number as of late (dare I bring up the three sweeps in a single season?), and from what I can tell, Madison is arguably scoring the edge in recruiting over the next two to three seasons. Let’s not forget that the core of this year’s championship final team is returning, with essentially only Madison Duello and Tiffany Clark to replace. That’s very doable, including another year of experience for the other members of this already-potent starting lineup.
So, it seems to come down to why players would want to play for certain programs. Legacy + current coaching staff I imagine are the main two factors, with overall impression of the campus and what offerings it has for any individual student athlete’s particular interest of study. I feel like USC, UCLA, Long Beach State, Florida, and Hawai’i have had their day, and are stagnant in regard to the next five years...at least when considering title chances. Maybe we’ll see further breakouts from Kentucky, Utah, Creighton or Pittsburgh. But I doubt it.
When all is said and done, Texas, Penn State and Nebraska are going to continue to be powerhouses into the next decade (Stanford stands alone now). But I’ll be curious to see the development of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Baylor as potentially the next trio of perennial final four and championship contenders.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.