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Post by slxpress on Jun 29, 2024 15:21:55 GMT -5
Are you talking about the casual name-drop of "fuerbringer" in one article? Mentor? Haha, alright. Let me share my perspective. It's not really a mature decision to commit to a school just because you know one person. What if her "mentor" transfers? I don't believe Wisconsin will pass the "broken leg test" for Flanagan nor many of the other early commits who don’t even know where their school is on a map.
“Then through this whole process she was the one I went to with my questions. I was on the phone with her Saturday for like an hour, in between calls, just talking about Wisconsin. She would tell me what Kelly said about her. She was like the mediator between me and Kelly. I look up to her so much. Obviously she’s amazing and having a setter that I know and trust is a huge thing for me.”
After taking a number of calls on Saturday, Flanagan said she quickly narrowed her list to two schools — Wisconsin and UCLA. While the lure of staying close to home had some appeal, and her club coach at SCVC is an assistant coach for the Bruins, she pretty much knew where she wanted to go.
“I think I knew in my heart that Wisconsin was always going to be my school,” she said. “I think I was just hesitant to make that decision but around 4 I called Kelly and told him I was committed. I think it was just that feeling I got. I only imagined myself in a Wisconsin jersey. I think that’s what did it for me.So, at the risk of being redundant, we can believe Ms. Flanagan, a 16 year old woman with a mind of her own, or we can entertain the ramblings of another know it all on Volley Talk. The choice is easy for me. I don't care what you believe. Well, I’ll say you care what they believe on some level or you wouldn’t be responding. |
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Post by eyeroll2021 on Jun 29, 2024 15:22:52 GMT -5
I don't get why some people seem so dead set on crapping all over a 16 year old's choice of school. Maybe she wants to play for a current top 3 team. Maybe guaranteed playing time means less to her than it does to you. Maybe she hates California. Maybe she has a fetish for badgers.
The point is, she made the choice she wanted. Obviously it wasn't the choice you would have made, but so what.
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Post by hookem1 on Jun 29, 2024 15:36:38 GMT -5
I also think it’s funny that football players who “take their time” and elongate the recruiting process often have the highest rates of decommitment of any student athletes. Both before and after NIL. Meanwhile other sports you see recruits committing extremely early yet have drastically higher percentages of following through with their verbal commitments. Would you provide the data supporting your findings? Or are they merely your personal views? I guess you can call them my “personal views”, I would say they’re just general observations not views/opinions. I said football recruits generally take longer to decide, and also are more likely to flip their initial commitments. While Volleyball players decide sooner and don’t change these decisions as often. I didn’t use actual stats but taking a quick glance at the 2024 class for example, 5 of the top 25 on3 industry ranked recruits in football signed with a school other than where they originally committed. (And 1 decommitted but recommitted to the same school) Ames is the only top prospect off the top of my head who did in volleyball though I’m sure there’s some others. The median commitment date for football was summer 2023, while the majority of elite volleyball recruits committed Summer to Fall of 2022 (minus Stanford players). This is just my observation looking at the players. |
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Post by stevehorn on Jun 29, 2024 15:59:47 GMT -5
This is still a free country with free speech, although in far too many cases that is unfortunate. However, I’ve mentioned this before, the ridiculous number of early commitments, before prospects can talk face to face with coaches, players, or administrators; and truly experience an official visit is a result of two things - greedy and selfish coaches and the ugliness of social media. It is reasonable for legacies of a university - or homegrown athletes to decide early providing they have been to camps, matches, and many trips to the campus with their families. The pressure being applied by the coaches of highly successful programs and the websites making money by pushing for more early commits is disheartening. As a long-time club coach, this is causing incredible stress for the young people involved. No commitments should be made until after Aug. 1 - or move visits up to June 15. Here is what I’d ask you. Why is the recruiting cycle so much longer for football and men’s basketball? Why don’t the highest rated kids commit at the first moment possible at a similar rate? And even the ones who do commit early frequently take their visits anyway, and often switch their commitment. Why the dichotomy? Is the recruiting cycle for football & basketball longer or is just more public, while at the same time some parts of the early recruiting for volleyball likely went underground. The rule change that implemented the June 15th contact date did not prohibit the ability of volleyball coaches to evaluate players at tournaments at a relatively youhg age nor did it prohibit the ability of recruits to go to camps on college campuses at the same relatively young age. These just seem like "early" commits because there is a significant date on the calendar. There is just no similar date on the football or basketball recruiting calendar that would cause a number of commits at nearly the same time. |
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Post by straightnochaser on Jun 29, 2024 16:05:31 GMT -5
Here is what I’d ask you. Why is the recruiting cycle so much longer for football and men’s basketball? Why don’t the highest rated kids commit at the first moment possible at a similar rate? And even the ones who do commit early frequently take their visits anyway, and often switch their commitment. Why the dichotomy? I also think it’s funny that football players who “take their time” and elongate the recruiting process often have the highest rates of decommitment of any student athletes. Both before and after NIL. Meanwhile other sports you see recruits committing extremely early yet have drastically higher percentages of following through with their verbal commitments. Wow now that’s interesting! I mean no harm when I say this but we are talking about boys vs. girls! Just saying! |
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Post by 1volleyfan on Jun 29, 2024 16:07:07 GMT -5
Where though? If you mean Stanford, I don’t think Julia Blyashov played a single minute of her freshman year. A shame for talent like that to sit on the sidelines. If it were my daughter, I would have pushed for USC. They already have commitments from Favor, Livings, Messer, and Mullen for 2025- the best of the best, and she could have made a great pair with 2026 Ostevar, the Maxpreps Soph National POY. Plus, let's be real, a USC education will be way more prestigious and valued in her hometown compared to a degree from Wisconsin. I think it’s healthy for girls to get out of their hometown and see a little bit of the country. It’s a big wide world out there and the SoCal volleyball scene and Manhattan Beach are already so insular and most of those people come back to live and raise families. The worst that happens is she doesn’t like the cold Wisconsin winters and she comes home where any school would welcome her with open arms. Honestly I’m not sure SC would be the right fit for her and Layli both. Layli is a force but Audrey has a real gift and size that would quickly overshadow her and that might make for bad team vibes. |
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Post by stevehorn on Jun 29, 2024 16:09:42 GMT -5
To add onto your point on UW Madison, it is definitely well regarded academically. Often mentioned with Texas as a New Ivy/Public Ivy. And while I do not think “rankings” are just the be all end all when it comes to schools, they definitely have a general consensus when it comes to these schools. U.S. News 32 UT Austin (#9 public) 35 UW Madison (#12 public) 159 Nebraska (#84 public) Niche 42 UT Austin (#6 public) 59 UW Madison (#14 public) 188 Nebraska (#80 public) QS World Top 100 19 UT Austin 28 UW Madison N/A Nebraska However despite all this being said, academics is not going to be the primary criteria for the vast majority of elite recruits. Flanagan is just minutes away from a school in the same conference, a school that is academically ranked much higher than any you listed and a school where she could have played indoor and beach. But hey, you're right! If sell-out crowds and being a “celebrity” in a small town are what really matter to a recruit, then maybe California isn't the best fit. However, when you're moving from places like California or Texas to a less desirable location, I think it's super important to at least take a couple visits before making a four year commitment. Do you know that she hasn't visited the University of Wisconsin? Most likely she has been to at least one multi-day camp there. Also the possibility that her and/or her parents have visited the campus similar to non-athlete prospective college students visit schools that are on their possibility list. |
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Post by stevehorn on Jun 29, 2024 16:18:40 GMT -5
I also think it’s funny that football players who “take their time” and elongate the recruiting process often have the highest rates of decommitment of any student athletes. Both before and after NIL. Meanwhile other sports you see recruits committing extremely early yet have drastically higher percentages of following through with their verbal commitments. Would you provide the data supporting your findings? Or are they merely your personal views? I highly doubt anyone that closely follows recruiting in both sports would disagree with that statement. |
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crossover2
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Post by crossover2 on Jun 29, 2024 16:37:07 GMT -5
If it were my daughter, I would have pushed for USC. They already have commitments from Favor, Livings, Messer, and Mullen for 2025- the best of the best, and she could have made a great pair with 2026 Ostevar, the Maxpreps Soph National POY. Plus, let's be real, a USC education will be way more prestigious and valued in her hometown compared to a degree from Wisconsin. I think it’s healthy for girls to get out of their hometown and see a little bit of the country. It’s a big wide world out there and the SoCal volleyball scene and Manhattan Beach are already so insular and most of those people come back to live and raise families. The worst that happens is she doesn’t like the cold Wisconsin winters and she comes home where any school would welcome her with open arms. Honestly I’m not sure SC would be the right fit for her and Layli both. Layli is a force but Audrey has a real gift and size that would quickly overshadow her and that might make for bad team vibes. A poster mentioned Audrey Flanagan, and we were discussing her as an example of an early commit who may reconsider her school choice for a variety of reasons. If she would like to leave her State, good for her -as long as she visited her school a couple times prior to committing, in my opinion. I am not familiar with Ostaver's personality nor the personalities of other athletes in that class, but I have a hunch that a team with Halle Thompson and Audrey Flanagan, both very talented and of similar size, would make for a tense situation. Neither of them are ones to sit on the sidelines, so the energy that will bring will be quite interesting. And what I do know about Halle based on what I have heard, is she’s a force as well and extremely competitive. Traits that make her as good as she. |
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Post by VBallLife on Jun 29, 2024 16:49:52 GMT -5
If it were my daughter, I would have pushed for USC. They already have commitments from Favor, Livings, Messer, and Mullen for 2025- the best of the best, and she could have made a great pair with 2026 Ostevar, the Maxpreps Soph National POY. Plus, let's be real, a USC education will be way more prestigious and valued in her hometown compared to a degree from Wisconsin. I think it’s healthy for girls to get out of their hometown and see a little bit of the country. It’s a big wide world out there and the SoCal volleyball scene and Manhattan Beach are already so insular and most of those people come back to live and raise families. The worst that happens is she doesn’t like the cold Wisconsin winters and she comes home where any school would welcome her with open arms. Honestly I’m not sure SC would be the right fit for her and Layli both. Layli is a force but Audrey has a real gift and size that would quickly overshadow her and that might make for bad team vibes. She was considering UCLA not USC. |
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Post by 1volleyfan on Jun 29, 2024 17:02:38 GMT -5
I think it’s healthy for girls to get out of their hometown and see a little bit of the country. It’s a big wide world out there and the SoCal volleyball scene and Manhattan Beach are already so insular and most of those people come back to live and raise families. The worst that happens is she doesn’t like the cold Wisconsin winters and she comes home where any school would welcome her with open arms. Honestly I’m not sure SC would be the right fit for her and Layli both. Layli is a force but Audrey has a real gift and size that would quickly overshadow her and that might make for bad team vibes. She was considering UCLA not USC. Correct. That’s where I thought she would land. But good for her! An opportunity presented itself and she took it. Nothing wrong with that. I’m sure she and Charlie will commiserate come November when the weather sets in but it’s an experience of a lifetime and if she didn’t take it that would be a whole new thread. |
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Post by 1volleyfan on Jun 29, 2024 17:08:19 GMT -5
I think it’s healthy for girls to get out of their hometown and see a little bit of the country. It’s a big wide world out there and the SoCal volleyball scene and Manhattan Beach are already so insular and most of those people come back to live and raise families. The worst that happens is she doesn’t like the cold Wisconsin winters and she comes home where any school would welcome her with open arms. Honestly I’m not sure SC would be the right fit for her and Layli both. Layli is a force but Audrey has a real gift and size that would quickly overshadow her and that might make for bad team vibes. A poster mentioned Audrey Flanagan, and we were discussing her as an example of an early commit who may reconsider her school choice for a variety of reasons. If she would like to leave her State, good for her -as long as she visited her school a couple times prior to committing, in my opinion. I am not familiar with Ostaver's personality nor the personalities of other athletes in that class, but I have a hunch that a team with Halle Thompson and Audrey Flanagan, both very talented and of similar size, would make for a tense situation. Neither of them are ones to sit on the sidelines, so the energy that will bring will be quite interesting. And what I do know about Halle based on what I have heard, is she’s a force as well and extremely competitive. Traits that make her as good as she. I wasn’t trying to knock either players personalities. I don’t know either very well, They just have grown up and will continue to be cross town rivals. There are healthier combos out there if you are trying to add to a team. Both incredibly gifted athletes. To be honest I figured Simone Roslon would have been USCs undersized OH pick who could also play beach and use one of those scholarships. |
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crossover2
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Post by crossover2 on Jun 29, 2024 17:27:18 GMT -5
A poster mentioned Audrey Flanagan, and we were discussing her as an example of an early commit who may reconsider her school choice for a variety of reasons. If she would like to leave her State, good for her -as long as she visited her school a couple times prior to committing, in my opinion. I am not familiar with Ostaver's personality nor the personalities of other athletes in that class, but I have a hunch that a team with Halle Thompson and Audrey Flanagan, both very talented and of similar size, would make for a tense situation. Neither of them are ones to sit on the sidelines, so the energy that will bring will be quite interesting. And what I do know about Halle based on what I have heard, is she’s a force as well and extremely competitive. Traits that make her as good as she. I wasn’t trying to knock either players personalities. I don’t know either very well, They just have grown up and will continue to be cross town rivals. There are healthier combos out there if you are trying to add to a team. Both incredibly gifted athletes. To be honest I figured Simone Roslon would have been USCs undersized OH pick who could also play beach and use one of those scholarships. I'm not familiar with Roslen. Is she ranked on any sites? Has she committed yet? |
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Post by 1volleyfan on Jun 29, 2024 17:47:01 GMT -5
I wasn’t trying to knock either players personalities. I don’t know either very well, They just have grown up and will continue to be cross town rivals. There are healthier combos out there if you are trying to add to a team. Both incredibly gifted athletes. To be honest I figured Simone Roslon would have been USCs undersized OH pick who could also play beach and use one of those scholarships. I'm not familiar with Roslen. Is she ranked on any sites? Has she committed yet? She plays on the same Surfside 17 team with Kaci Demaria. She’s a very strong OH and has been on both beach and indoor NTDP. Problem is she’s 5’10 or 5’11 on paper and that may be generous but she is used to playing the back row behind a very dominant hitter (Demaria on club and Flanagan in high school) and she holds her own in beach so rumor was she would be like Taylor Deckert and play both. Ostevar committing kind of shot that rumor down though so who knows. As an aside I’m pretty sure even Audrey isn’t 6’3” as she’s listed on U19 but she’s at least over 6’1. |
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crossover2
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Post by crossover2 on Jun 29, 2024 18:49:23 GMT -5
I'm not familiar with Roslen. Is she ranked on any sites? Has she committed yet? She plays on the same Surfside 17 team with Kaci Demaria. She’s a very strong OH and has been on both beach and indoor NTDP. Problem is she’s 5’10 or 5’11 on paper and that may be generous but she is used to playing the back row behind a very dominant hitter (Demaria on club and Flanagan in high school) and she holds her own in beach so rumor was she would be like Taylor Deckert and play both. Ostevar committing kind of shot that rumor down though so who knows. As an aside I’m pretty sure even Audrey isn’t 6’3” as she’s listed on U19 but she’s at least over 6’1. Ah, yes, I remember her from Surfside. I don't see her on any indoor NTDP rosters the past couple trainings. I don't feel she shines as brightly as Ostevar and Bellamie Beus (Kentucky) do, as they are on the smaller side as well. Keller and Dain Blanton have their own unique preferences when it comes to players. Roslon might not have been the perfect match for them. But, if she's talented, I'm sure she'll find a great program to play for just like the other two have. |
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