Five Out: The Pain of the Portal, Post-Draft Gems and Dallas' New Sole Superstar

April is the bridge between the end of the college season and the start of WNBA play so there's plenty to talk about this Easter Monday...

AP Photo/Pamela Smith

It’s been two weeks since we’ve had a Five Out and quite a lot has happened in that time. Major stars have entered the transfer portal or already joined their next program, the coaching carousel continued to turn and the WNBA Draft came and went.

We did a ton of post draft analysis and while we’ll still touch on some of that here, I’d be remiss if I didn’t link to our Steals & Swings, YouTube Grades and Rashard’s Team By Team Analysis. There’s no rest for the weary when it comes to women’s basketball. The college season ends, you have one week until the Draft and then another three weeks or so until the WNBA regular season begins.

To get you ready for that, we’ve unveiled a new social media campaign with the goal of bringing everyone up to speed, from first time fans to longtime diehards. It’s called Welcome to Women’s Basketball and every day we give you a new short form video that brings you some piece of WNBA history. We’ve already gotten started so if you’ve missed any so far, be sure to follow us on our social platforms from TikTok to Instagram, Facebook to X/Bluesky.

Our preseason coverage is also kicking off later this Monday afternoon. Every other day you’ll have a dedicated team preview in your inbox while our “Ball-Knowers” will get subscriber access to special podcasts with reporters from various WNBA beats. There’s plenty of fun content coming and if you don’t want to worry about having to find it every day, subscribe to us for free and get the content straight to your email inbox. If you’re already along for the ride, buckle up and enjoy! It’s W season, folks!

Now, to the column…

1. Can You Put The Proverbial Transfer Portal Genie Back In The Bottle?

I think everyone watching college sports right now knows that the system of NIL (or Name, Image & Likeness) is broken. Whether it’s football or basketball and potentially other sports like volleyball, softball or baseball, the entire concept has mutated into an unregulated system of free agency that is a disaster for everyone involved. Surprisingly, Cam Newton actually said it best this week on his podcast.

What NIL was, and is intended for, is just to make your college experience comfortable. This is not forever money. If you’re getting advice from someone who’s never been in your situation, you gotta cite that source.

This was in relation to University of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava who is now the poster child of two distinct eras of NIL in college sports. He originally set the market for college football players when he initially signed for the Vols and now is a face of what NOT to do, as he tried to hold out for more money and have a legitimate contract written with UT football. He skipped a practice, was effectively kicked off the team and just turned up at UCLA. While Cam Newton is typically not doling out the deepest of takes, I found this one to be a legitimately important one while we’re watching the portal wreak havoc on women’s basketball.

What we’re seeing is not “you’re a star and we can help you leverage your brand to bring in some additional money”. This is “name a price and we’ll see if the boosters can pay it”. It was supposed to be a helpful augment to the scholarship you got (which, is a pretty good deal all things considered) and help you be able to make some additional money off your social channels or individual brand. Now, it’s basically just a salary in all but name.

I’m all for worker power, to be clear. But the issue here isn’t as simple as labor (athletes) vs. capital (universities).

In the world of women’s basketball, there are few coaches more upfront in their discussion of portal issues than Fairfield assistant Blake DuDonis (maybe Jeff Walz but he does it in a very different way). Blake’s point on positional need and the inflating of market values below is one that dovetails perfectly with what Cam Newton discussed on his show…

The issue with NIL effectively becoming unregulated free agency is that these payments, promises and deals aren’t coming as a result of actual star power of the players themselves. It really comes down to the markets and good old fashioned unfettered capitalism. Players that fit a specific niche get a ton of money thrown at them while others may hit the market because they know a teammate they outperformed is making more money than them. That latter point was a concern before NIL came into play but we (myself included) handwaved it away.

To be clear, there is still an argument to be made about players being compensated for their services but the lack of guard rails is creating an environment where the only people that know how to effectively navigate it are predatory “agents” or people looking for a come up by getting in players ears. The moves are becoming less about finding the best fit and more about short term gain at the expense of long term performance.

Personally, I think the only immediate fix is to bring back a one year sit period on a second transfer (first one is immediately eligible) with waivers only being granted to players whose coach left the school. That might help alleviate some of the movement of players that are just going school-to-school in search of minutes or a payday as well as give collectives, coaches or programs the chance to make these NIL deals feel a bit more like traditional contracts.

Of course, the real villain here is the NCAA who dragged their feet on this issue, impulsively pushed out a bunch of new rules with no thought to the long term and now are paralyzed as they await the implementation of the House ruling. The issue is that House isn’t going to fix the portal situation. At the end of the day, the movement exists because of the NCAA regulations and they have the ability to try and corral some of this chaos.

The best coaches in the sport are figuring things out, making due and finding ways to succeed. But there is simply no way this is sustainable in its current form. The only likely future we’re headed towards is NCAA Tournaments as chalky as what we just got with 2-3 teams that either have the money or generational coach that can retain talent for more than a couple years. Good for fans of those programs, bad for the growth of the game.

2. A Tweet Made Me Realize How Big Paige Bueckers Can Be In Dallas…

I’ll present this first without comment…

An amazing shitpost, to be sure. But look at the interactions on the tweet itself. 6.2 million views, 14,000+ retweets and 174,000+ likes. A certified banger.

I never really thought of Paige Bueckers as a spiritual successor to Luka but in the aftermath of the Mavericks baffling choice to send their superstar to Los Angeles, I’m coming around on the concept. Dallas needs a hero right now. The absolutely hamfisted and completely callous way the Mavs decided to jettison their franchise cornerstone — who, by all accounts, loved being there and never wanted to leave — has left fans feeling understandably raw. Then consider the following: there really isn’t a generational star on any of Dallas’ other professional teams.

The Stars have some talented guys but no one that you’d say is a superstar in the NHL (and the ones you would are older). The spotlight for the Dallas Cowboys is always on Jerry Jones, usually at the expense of everyone else. Despite winning the 2023 World Series, the Texas Rangers just kind of feel…there? Most of their big names are older and young ace, Jack Leiter, isn’t exactly Clayton Kershaw just yet.

So, absent Luka, there is actually a pretty gaping hole in terms of who the ‘star’ of the Dallas sports scene is. Why couldn’t that be Paige Bueckers the way Caitlin Clark is for Indiana or A’ja Wilson is for Las Vegas? There’s a legit argument that both of those players are the biggest name in their current market. The tweet is tongue-in-cheek but it may end up looking rather prophetic. If the Wings are able to make the fits work with everyone on their roster, we might end up watching Paige be a motion maker that will rival established WNBA superstars.

3. My Three Favorite Undrafted Free Agent Signings…

There were a lot of interesting names that came out of the WNBA Draft but every now and then there are some gems that you can find as undrafted free agents. Becky Hammon and Erica Wheeler are two of the biggest UDFA gets in the league’s history while Kayla Thornton, who just helped the New York Liberty win their first WNBA championship, is another. Colorado alum Jaylyn Sherrod is a recent example of a player that was a UDFA but stuck on a roster and later won a ring.

So who are three players that I like to potentially make a roster as an undrafted free agent? Let me tell you…

Deja Kelly (Las Vegas Aces)

I’ve been a Deja Kelly truther for awhile and really do believe that she’s one of those players that could stick on a roster due to some of her more intangible qualities. She has a great motor, was a positive leader in the Oregon locker room this year and does have that mind for making big plays at the right time. The knock on her for the last couple of years has been her shotmaking and that’s probably not something that’s going to change overnight.

While Tyler Marsh and Natalie Nakase have left the Las Vegas Aces, Becky Hammon added Ty Ellis, who you could call more of a development guy based on resume. If Deja can improve her efficiency, particularly from range, then all of the other qualities will become much more prized. The Aces have had mixed success with developing draft picks but have done a good job of getting talented veteran names out of college (Dyaisha Fair, Harmoni Turner, Kate Martin, Deja Kelly) and given them a chance to try and make the W. I think there’s good potential here for both parties.

Maria Gakdeng (Atlanta Dream)

I really liked watching Maria Gakdeng at North Carolina and felt that she was an underrated player whose impact went beyond the counting stats. I think it’s a fair argument that her injury cost the Tar Heels a shot to advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament this year. She’s a solid rim protector and has a nice post game and has some of those same effort intangibles that can at least get you a look by WNBA front offices.

While she doesn’t have much of an offensive bag outside of the circle, operating in Karl Smesko’s system in Atlanta might actually cover that weakness a bit. The Dream will be a bit more analytically driven, focusing on three pointers and shots around the rim. Gakdeng may not have a mid-range game but, in this system, she may not really need it. The goal will be to score some points in the post and rebound the ball. While space feels a bit limited on the roster with Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon up front, Gakdeng could be a nice backup and get some minutes here and there.

Sammie Puisis (Chicago Sky)

Puisis is a favorite of our draft expert and NCS scout Rashard Hall. Here’s what he said in his Mock Draft 3.0…

Sammie Puisis perfectly aligns with what General Manager Jeff Pagliocca is seeking in the upcoming draft. A career 37.8% shooter from beyond the arc, she’s made a strong comeback this season after missing the previous year due to injury.

In her senior year, she’s been outstanding, averaging 15.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 43.3% from three. Her standout performances against top-tier teams like South Carolina and Duke highlight her ability to compete with the best.

Puisis would be a smart pick for Chicago, offering the floor spacing necessary to maximize the impact of their post players.

While he had her going to Chicago towards the end of the first, I’d say Rashard knows his stuff because clearly GM Jeff Pagliocca felt the same way. Puisis is a deadeye shooter and helps fill a void on the Sky’s roster. She’s got good size at 6’1 and played for a South Florida program that is well respected and usually develops players into WNBA roster spots. Puisis may not be a role player immediately but her game feels like it could help the Sky and thus, give her a shot to stick on the roster this season.

4. A Word of Caution on Celebrating Sedona Prince’s Draft Status…

I will say this upfront: I’m really glad Sedona Prince wasn’t drafted on Monday night. The last handful of years, as multiple intimate partner violence allegations have come out against the former TCU center, have been exhausting to cover. For starters, talking about the Horned Frogs and the amazing story of Hailey Van Lith became an exercise in mental gymnastics. How much can you praise HVL when a big component of her success is her 6’7 pick-n-roll partner who has a petition calling for her removal from the team? Mark Campbell, as great a job as he has done this year with TCU, had a rather weird quote in Katie Barnes excellent ESPN piece on Prince that makes you wonder his true thoughts on all of this. At the same time, you’re the head coach, so it’s not like someone put a gun to your head and said ‘put her on the team’.

But what started to become rather grating as the Horned Frogs progressed in the Tournament was the seeming lack of self-awareness from Prince herself, referencing her own ‘adversity’ and the ability to overcome obstacles to get to this spot. The minute you want to see HVL get a single shot on her during a postgame, there’s Prince, almost deliberately rubbing it in your face that she’s there. It’s an understandably difficult place for TCU to be in given that there were never any formal criminal charges or convictions that were made but the amount of testimony from multiple different people indicates, at the very least, a problematic pattern of behavior.

Here’s the only cold water I’ll throw on the fact that she wasn’t selected in the draft and likely won’t be signed as a free agent either: it had nothing to do with the allegations against her. I know that there is still a belief that the WNBA operates with a league wide moral code that makes it different than other sports properties. While we affix the moniker of ‘activist league’ to the W, there’s been decades of sample data that tells us that the league, while more progressive than its’ counterparts, is still a capitalistic entity that is about its’ bottom line and the pursuit of a championship. It’s important to remember that there have been individuals in the W that have been involved in intimate partner violence. In some cases, those players continued to perform in the league while others (like Riquna Williams) were eventually cast out but not after attempts to keep them in the fold.

Sedona Prince not being drafted may be a win for the moral compass and the W but it also requires a pragmatic understanding that it really came down to the fact that she just wasn’t good enough to play at this level. Throw out the counting stats and the picture becomes clear. She was a 25 year old with a distinct height advantage playing in a good but not great conference and shrank when matched up against the top players at her position. It didn’t matter if it was with Oregon or at TCU, the story was the same. She was never a WNBA caliber player because she never showed those flashes against players that were. If she truly had the goods, someone probably would’ve selected her. One GM even said as much. Barnes’ article made a difference in that someone didn’t decide to take a flyer on her in the 3rd round or in free agency. And while that momentary display of ethical behavior does matter to a degree, I’d caution people on the idea that this was some great stand that makes the WNBA different from other leagues with similar goals.

5. The WNBA Social Media Task Force is Another Example of A League Rooted In Reactive Action…

One of the interesting things to come out of Cathy Engelbert’s press conference ahead of the WNBA Draft was the creation of a dedicated task force to help get a hold on the social media problems we saw last year. This from Doug Feinberg’s AP story…

“There’s no space for hate, and I think there is just continuing drain on all of us, on players, on staff, staff on our teams,” Engelbert said. “After last year, I think we just really wanted to do something ... it was time to put this task force together and really hit it head-on, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

On the surface, great stuff here from the league and from its’ commissioner. Conduct standards across the W’s social platforms is being changed, there are additional security measures at games and for teams as well as dedicated mental health clinicians.

But here’s the issue.

This was Cathy Engelbert talking to CNBC back in September…

“It is a little of that Bird-Magic moment, if you recall. Where those rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one black and so we have that moment with these two but the one thing about sports that I know is that you need rivalry.”

So while these are good steps that hopefully mean a safer environment for players, coaches, team employees and fans, it also speaks to a radical change to their position on the matter seven months ago. I don’t want to poopoo what the league is doing but we are once again faced with a bunch of C-Suite level executives that are operating from a place of reactivity instead of proactivity.

Anyone with an internet connection could’ve told you in July that the level of discourse online about the league and towards its’ players wasn’t sustainable. Not only was the WNBA unprepared for what Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s arrival meant but also seemed sort of content to ride the wave of positive news while almost ignoring the cancerous tumor that was developing on the growing organs, festering in the swamps of the manosphere and talk radio.

It’s good that Engelbert and her cohort running the league are taking this seriously now because, to their credit, they could just continue on the present course. In this particular timeline, when a lot of companies are rolling back worker protections, I do think they deserve a shout for taking the step. In the midst of a CBA negotiation, this whole thing could’ve been used as leverage by a commissioner with less scruples. The hope, at minimum, is that they learned the lesson of this past year and understand that proactive measures, if too much, can always be rolled back to better suit a situation. But if you’re too late to arriving to an issue, the damage will already be done if you’re not careful.