Gator Country

don23lucia · 08-21-2012, 01:21 PM

Thanks for the update I will be checking out since she is in my backyard
Adrienne Motley: 5'9 PG from Newport News, Virginia

G2MGA · 09-23-2012, 08:46 PM

Marques Webb was on campus for her official visit over the weekend. I saw on Twitter that she has already visited Vandy and will be going to Miami next weekend. That may be her final 3? Hope she enjoyed herself here - she could definitely step right into the PF spot that will open up with George graduating after this season.

An interesting factoid - Webb now attends Hoover High, the HS football powerhouse outside of Birmingham, where Janna Magette was a high school star.

EastTNG8TR · 09-25-2012, 05:22 PM

Great to hear that Webb made an official. I have not been able to find much on her. I know Motley has officially visited VaTech and Marshall with Miami, UF, and Fsu upcoming. Williams has visited Baylor, Georgia, and FSU with I believe UT and UF upcoming. The only official I know for Kai James was FSU and she will visit UF...I am assuming Butler will have several of these girls here for the LSU football game weekend. I am a little less optimistic based on internet chatter about Ronni Williams and Kai James but more optimistic on Adrienne Motley and now Webb knowing she took an official. One way or another the dominos should start falling fairly soon.

**stingbb** · 09-25-2012, 08:52 PM

The dominoes need to start falling Butler's way. Her ability to recruit the top in-state talent has not been good and if she wants to get the program to the next level, Butler will have to start recruiting better in Florida.

EastTNG8TR · 09-25-2012, 09:04 PM

Recruiting has been her forte so far. The talent level in this class is unreal though so a great opportunity to take it to the next level. Next year we will have elite recruits at PG, SG, and SF with Peoples, Cooper, and Moss. An elite level PF should be the biggest priority this year. Would love to see a Center too since McIntyre will only be here 2 years.

bossman · 09-25-2012, 11:52 PM

Some other updates:
Raigyne Moncrief official list is: UM, South Carolina, Duke, LSU, and Oklahoma
Kai James: FSU, UF, Clemson, Oklahoma, and UGA
Ronni Williams: Not 100% guranteed to happen but its believed that her and Mccaskill would like to play together in college, Only schools that made both of their list were UGA and FSU, who are recruiting them as a package deal.
Shanae Armbrister: decommited from FSU and supposedly verballed to UGA awhile ago just never reported.
Faith Woodard: down to USF and Georgetown
Shayla Cooper: Has visited TAMU, Miami, and South Car. (so far)
Ivey Slaughter: recently visited FSU with Kai James.

EastTNG8TR · 09-26-2012, 01:09 AM

I have seen the same on Williams which is what makes me less optimistic about her. I had also seen some mention of James and Moncrief going to the same schoo
L but a lot is just internet chatter. Pieces should start falling in place within the next few weeks though. At this point (if the Williams/Mcaskill package deal is true) hope our efforts are on Motley, Small, and Webb....along with James who is hard to find much info on where she might be leaning. A '14 player that I am hoping will be an early commitment to UF is Alexa Middleton, guard and a top 25 national player out of Mt Juliet, TN...where Butler is from and a friend and former teammate of Chandler Cooper.

bossman · 09-26-2012, 02:47 AM

UF also made the final five of #16 Rebekah Dahlman from minnesota (along with Iowa St, Vandy, Minnesota, and Tennesee).

**stingbb** · 09-26-2012, 08:08 AM

Recruiting has not been Butler's forte, especially within the state of Florida. Yes, she has some decent prospects coming in this year but she needs to recruit better in this state to succeed.

There are only three girls on the roster from Florida, and the one they brought in this year wasn't ranked among the top instate recruits. It seems like each year there are more top prospects coming out of Florida and for some reason, they aren't coming to UF.

When you can't get the top girls from your state and have to go into other areas like TN ad GA and sign players the Vols and Bulldogs don't want, it is hard to take the next step.

I like Butler and think she is a good coach. But recruiting will have to improve, especially in the state of Florida, if UF is to be a top-25 program. There seems to be an issue between UF and the Florida HS coaches that Butler will have to work out.

EastTNG8TR · 09-26-2012, 04:47 PM

I think people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to women's recruiting. It is not like football or even men's basketball. UF is not an established player on the national stage. Imo you get the best talent you can get regardless of what state they come from. You have to recruit nationally just like UT, UConn, Baylor, etc. Sydney Moss was heavily recruited by teams like LSU and Louisville. Chandler Cooper chose UF over Duke and Baylor. Cassie Peoples was a McDonald's All-American, and January Miller(the Floria girl) was a top 40 national recruit on BlueStar. Butler also signed Deaundra Young a few years back but she had medical issues and ended up transferring. Has she missed on some elite recruits in state....yes but so has every coach in the country outside of the big name schools. Henson went to Duke, Alexis Prince and Nia Jonson went to Baylor (the defending champions), LSU and UNC recruit Florida well and there is also FSU and Miami in state to contend with. Unlike football, UF doesn't have the tradition and allure to just automatically pull in the elite level in state talent and Carolyn Peck nearly destroyed the program. The recruiting payoff is apparent when you compare the talent level when Butler got here to this years team.

swampgas44 · 09-26-2012, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastTNG8TR

I think people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to women's recruiting. It is not like football or even men's basketball. UF is not an established player on the national stage. Imo you get the best talent you can get regardless of what state they come from. You have to recruit nationally just like UT, UConn, Baylor, etc. Sydney Moss was heavily recruited by teams like LSU and Louisville. Chandler Cooper chose UF over Duke and Baylor. Cassie Peoples was a McDonald's All-American, and January Miller(the Floria girl) was a top 40 national recruit on BlueStar. Butler also signed Deaundra Young a few years back but she had medical issues and ended up transferring. Has she missed on some elite recruits in state....yes but so has every coach in the country outside of the big name schools. Henson went to Duke, Alexis Prince and Nia Jonson went to Baylor (the defending champions), LSU and UNC recruit Florida well and there is also FSU and Miami in state to contend with. Unlike football, UF doesn't have the tradition and allure to just automatically pull in the elite level in state talent and Carolyn Peck nearly destroyed the program. The recruiting payoff is apparent when you compare the talent level when Butler got here to this years team.

+1

**stingbb** · 09-27-2012, 08:06 AM

It is not unrealistic expectations to say UF should recruit the state of Florida much better than it has in recent years. In the last two seasons, the state has had a bunch of highly rated prospects and Butler was not able to sign any. Miller was not ranked among the top-5 players in Florida last year and neither was the girl UF signed the year before from The Rock in Gainesville.

Apparently, the 2013 class is absolutely loaded in Florida. ESPN lists four girls from the state in their top-25, and 10 over-all in their top-100. Several have committed (none to UF) and we will see in November if Butler will be able to take advantage of all the talent available in Florida.

**tampajack1** · 09-27-2012, 10:53 AM

Who do you play for if your choice is to play for the Gators in front of around 500 people, or play for Tennessee in front of 20,000 people? IMO, fan support is a huge factor in recruiting.

EastTNG8TR · 10-03-2012, 07:01 AM

Dahlman has dropped Tennessee and Minnesota so it is down to three...Iowa State, Vanderbilt, and UF.

[url]http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_21682982/gophers-womens-basketball-braham-star-rebekah-dahlman-says[/ur

From what I gathered on other boards UF has her for an OV this weekend.

bossman · 10-03-2012, 11:32 AM

K. James has changed her top 5, dropping UGA and adding GT(UF, FSU, Clemson,and OU)
Syd Mccaskill committed to UGA (Many are expecting Ronni W to follow but she wont make a decision till next month)

Is motley coming for an OV this weekend?, she was at miami last weekend and only has UF and FSU left to visit

EastTNG8TR · 10-03-2012, 12:48 PM

I am assuming several will be at UF. Motley, Williams, and James along with Dahlman I would guess. Though the South Carolina game weekend may have a few. I saw where Mccaskill went with UGA...so I do think that puts them in the lead with Williams but she didn't follow suit yet and UF still has an OV so we will see. It's not over. There are still a number of great possibilities. I tend to think our best case is a class of Motley, Dahlman, Williams, and James though my guess is James will end up at Miami with Moncrief at this point but who knows. Motley, Dahlman, and Webb is a class I could see unfolding realistically and that would be excellent...maybe try to pick up one more big like Ivey Slaughter but we could always just hold that spot for next year.

bossman · 10-03-2012, 02:42 PM

James isnt considering miami

EastTNG8TR · 10-03-2012, 05:22 PM

That is great...didn't know she dropped them and she supposedly wants to play close to home so UF is now the closest.

**MJGator8104** · 10-03-2012, 08:40 PM

Thanks for the updates, EastTN.

bossman · 10-04-2012, 04:46 PM

#21 Marqu'es Webb will announce her decision tomorrow between UF, Miami, and Vandy.