WBB: Phelia to Texas, Evans to Utah
Laila Phelia just announced a transfer to Texas on Instagram. Seems like she's ready to be the second option on an elite team that is returning most of its production instead of the lead option on a middling Michigan team.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6FKEOgxXdx/?igsh=MTl3Mmo5b2hyMHdxeQ==
Chyra Evans also announced her commitment to Utah. Probably also trying to play on a better team, but Utah was a 5 seed in the tourney and graduated a first round WNBA draft pick (Alissa Pili), so they could easily take a step back.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6CrlopraVX/?igsh=cW4zZDQxcGZuYmgy
Get ready to see what Olson and Swords can do day 1.
Ok cool, hook ‘em
K byeeeeeeeee
All my exes live in Texas
And Texas is a place I'd dearly love to be
But all my exes live in Texas
And that's why I hang my hat in Tennessee
Rosanna's down in Texarkana
Wanted me to push her broom
Sweet Eileen's in Abilene
She forgot I hung the moon
And Allison's in Galveston
Somehow lost her sanity
And Dimples who now lives in Temple's
Got the law looking for me
All my exes live in Texas
And Texas is a place I'd dearly love to be
But all my exes live in Texas
And that's why I hang my hat in Tennessee
I remember that old Frio River
Where I learned to swim
But it brings to mind another time
Where I wore my welcome thin
By transcendental meditation
I go there each night
But I always come back to myself
Long before daylight
All my exes live in Texas
And Texas is a place I'd dearly love to be
But all my exes live in Texas
Therefore I reside in Tennessee
Some folks think I'm hidin'
It's been rumored that I died
But I'm alive and well in Tennessee
In the heart of Georgia, where the magnolias bloomed and the southern twang hung in the air like sweet molasses, there lived a young man named Johnny. Johnny wasn't much of a talker, but his fiddle did all the talking for him. He could make that instrument sing like it was born in his hands.
One warm evening, as the sun dipped low behind the horizon, Johnny found himself perched on the porch of an old farmhouse, playing his fiddle to the rhythm of the crickets' chirps. Little did he know, he had an audience beyond the mortal realm.
The Devil himself had heard tale of Johnny's talent and decided to pay him a visit. He sauntered down to Georgia, his eyes gleaming with mischief, and spotted Johnny on that porch, his fingers dancing over the strings of his fiddle.
"Ah, there's my opportunity," the Devil muttered to himself, his grin widening. "A soul as pure as gold, ripe for the taking."
With a flourish, the Devil approached Johnny, his red cloak billowing behind him like the flames of hell itself. Johnny looked up, startled, as the Devil perched himself on a nearby hickory stump.
"Well, howdy there, son," the Devil drawled, his voice smooth as honey but with a hint of malice. "I couldn't help but hear that fine fiddlin' of yours. Mighty impressive."
Johnny eyed the stranger warily. There was something about him that sent shivers down his spine, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The Devil leaned in closer, his eyes burning with a fiery intensity. "Tell you what, Johnny," he said, his voice dripping with temptation. "I've got a proposition for you. How about we have ourselves a little contest? A fiddle duel, if you will. If you win, I'll give you a fiddle made of pure gold. But if I win... well, let's just say I'll be takin' a little something of yours in return."
(AI GENERATED)
How green are the valleys how tall are the trees
How cool are the rivers how soft is the breeze
If it's just like my dreams then I must go and see
For the Red Hills of Utah are calling me
So long I have waited since I was a child
Merely the thought keeps my heart running wild
I've waited so long now it's hard to believe
The Red Hills of Utah at last I will see
How pretty are flowers that bloom in the spring
How sweet are the songs the mockingbirds sing
If it's just like my dreams then I must go and see
For the Red Hills of Utah are calling me
Mgoblog after football and basketball are over: Nothin' shakin' but the rent.
Horns down.
April 22nd, 2024 at 10:06 PM ^
This has to be hard on KBA. She’s spent the bulk of her career here building the program up from nothing and has to watch it go backwards because we don’t compete in today’s NIL arena.
April 22nd, 2024 at 10:25 PM ^
Not to take anything away from KBA, she’s done a fantastic job and has taken the program to new heights. But “building the program up from nothing” is taking away a lot of the credit that Kevin Borseth deserves for making this program respectable. KBA inherited a team that made the NCAA Tournament.
April 22nd, 2024 at 11:00 PM ^
Still, these transfers do not make a ton of sense. Is it all about NIL?
That and/or wanting a better shot at a title.
Utah has no chance, while Texas could make it to final four.
Utah’s chances are probably better than UM’s. And if we’re being honest, Evans isn’t the type of player that is going to command game changing NIL. Especially in a sport that isn’t exactly throwing a ton of money around to begin with.
I would love to think women's basketball as a whole has come far enough to generously offer plenty of NIL to players. But I doubt that is the sole reason they left. I do however, come from the beginnings of time when my high school only offered girls sports after they had to - because of Title IX. It may well be the reason why I got into UM Dental also.
on Philea side, yes. For others, not necessarily.
Back in the 80s I was a rockin', top 40 listening teen that rarely listened to country music. I joined the Navy and I overheard two of the recruits introducing themselves to one another. One was from Texas, the other from Tennessee. One spoke up, "Hey, T for Texas, T for Tennessee". I thought to myself, the Navy will let anybody in...
We talk a lot about the NIL influence. It's impossible to assess the impact right now. The landscape changes almost weekly. Now, it looks like coaches might finally have a role to play in putting together NIL deals.
A few weeks ago, it was common to hear that when a player asked a coach about NIL, the coach couldn't really answer the question. Recruits come in and their AAU coaches are involved in the deals, but college coaches were forbidden to play a part.
We also forget that some states have laws about NIL, or laws preventing the NCAA from messing with NIL, and others do not. For the most part, the NCAA reacts to the laws, and changes trickle down to other states. But this seemingly changes weekly as well, and it will continue to do so until athletes are considered employees and there's some sort of CBA for each sport or all sports.
KBA must be navigating things fairly well, or she couldn't have pulled the 2024 class she did. Especially since the state of Michigan isn't exactly a leader in this fight-the-NCAA legislation.
But it would be naive to think that NIL didn't draw Phelia and maybe Evans off the team. Rather than blame them, to me it's just one more reason college sports kinda sucks right now - they would be leaders on a potentially great team next season, but that doesn't really matter any more.
In the end, 34-13, 27-20, 30-24. I'm still good. That'll work for a long time.