If KBA can get one, I would want her to go after them. I hope Michigan will allow KBA to pony up the money to land a big, but I am not sure if they’ll let her do it because Michigan have had transfers due to NIL money.
I haven’t found a ton in the way of portal announcements for the women but just stumbled upon this account this afternoon:
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A quick persusal suggests very few bigs who aren’t demonstrably stiffs (little to no production) or rising seniors (which we can’t take). At least at this point.
Should note that Sofilkanich last year was an attempt to address this very issue!
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Sofilkanich works on her strength this summer and she can be significantly better. She was an up transfer who faced an adjustment. I think she will be more effective as a senior. Hopefully.
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I wish they ranked them but this is a good resource.
From scrolling through a good chunk of it, I’d say Gracie Merkle from Penn State fits the bill as the best big with size. She’s 6’6" and averaged over 19 & 8 with 1.1 blocks. She was a junior last year so I don’t know if that’s a hindrance.
The other one who caught my eye was 6’7" Pania Davis from FSU. She’s thinner and only averaged just under 8 & 6 with a block per game but did so in a top conference. She was a junior who played Juco her first two years so she may still be improving.
Those were the only two in the 6’4" and above category who I saw that were getting regular minutes.
Merkle would not fit in with our defensive approach. I dont see KBA changing the system for one playerr
Merkle Highlights against us last year. Even Yulia couldn’t match up with her:
I wasn’t able to find a highlight reel for Davis, other than from 2022. I did find some FSU game highlights. She’s super thin and looked like she was watching and reacting to plays on defense instead of anticipating things or being aggressive. She does run the floor well and had a nice Euro-step move on one play. Overall, she looks like a project. But she is 6’6" or 6’7" depending on the listing, so there’s that.
Too bad, Junior.
Pretty sure that KBA wouldn’t like her effort and conditioning level. She’s a traffic cone on defense.
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honestly a very strange and frustrating player. sort of like Luka Garza but even more O/D split
Crooks sort of Crooks’ your team, you sort of need to build the mousetrap around her on both sides, and I don’t see sidelining Olson, Swords, Holloway, etc. to do that. We need a defense-first big, not this.
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Wonder if Michigan has interest in her. A potential 1st round pick for ‘27 draft
True junior so imagine that would be a real tough sell.
Graduate early and transfer to Michigan! crying
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She’s at Stanford so she’s gotta be a smart cookie…maybe it’s possible!
I’m on Stanford’s campus right now, a few hundred yards from the athletic campus. I’ll put in a good word
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Oh good call. Well, bring her in as a graduate!