Hey, folks, it's just this damned portal. Players come and players go. And the ones that come in through the portal usually saw little playing time and accumulated lousy stats at their previous schools.
Witness Shay Shippen at Columbia and Paige Lofing at Gonzaga.
Shippen: A grand total of nine points and three rebounds before she got hurt in the sixth game at Columbia, earning her a medical redshirt. And Lofing a meager 2.2 points per game at Gonzaga. Nothing really to get excited about. Just the damned portal.
But what if these two players had come to Montana a year earlier. The flags would be waving, drums pounding and trumpets blaring on one of the greatest recruiting coups in the history of the Lady Griz: Two Gatorade Players of the Year in the same recruiting class!
When has that ever happened before for either the men's or women's teams in the history of Griz basketball? (Okay, prove me wrong....)
And both showed flashes last year. Nine points and 3 rebounds in 31 minutes isn't a terrible stat line for Shippen, while Lofing shot 42% from deep on 38 attempts at Gonzaga. That's Steph Curry territory.
Yes, indeed. I believe at just the very moment the Lady Griz program was in dire straits and his job was on the line, Nate Harris pulled off a remarkable recruiting coup.
Witness Shay Shippen at Columbia and Paige Lofing at Gonzaga.
Shippen: A grand total of nine points and three rebounds before she got hurt in the sixth game at Columbia, earning her a medical redshirt. And Lofing a meager 2.2 points per game at Gonzaga. Nothing really to get excited about. Just the damned portal.
But what if these two players had come to Montana a year earlier. The flags would be waving, drums pounding and trumpets blaring on one of the greatest recruiting coups in the history of the Lady Griz: Two Gatorade Players of the Year in the same recruiting class!
When has that ever happened before for either the men's or women's teams in the history of Griz basketball? (Okay, prove me wrong....)
And both showed flashes last year. Nine points and 3 rebounds in 31 minutes isn't a terrible stat line for Shippen, while Lofing shot 42% from deep on 38 attempts at Gonzaga. That's Steph Curry territory.
Yes, indeed. I believe at just the very moment the Lady Griz program was in dire straits and his job was on the line, Nate Harris pulled off a remarkable recruiting coup.