Saw on Twitter that Nebraska's head coach quite surprisingly just "stepped down."

Cayton could probably get a release from her LOI to Nebraska. Though we did face Nebraska in non-conference play, and may have agreed to play again on their home floor next year, I really think that shouldn't be used as a way to prohibit her from switching to Cal, if there was mutual interest.

ESPN report/article/video: http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15140413/connie-yori-resigns-nebraska-cornhuskers-women-basketball-coach

More details about the allegations: http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/womens-basketball/yori-out-as-nebraska-women-s-basketball-coach/article_3266e814-fb41-11e5-a21f-affa8006eb5c.html#utm_source=journalstar.com&utm_campaign=%2Femail-updates%2Fbreaking%2F&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline

kat0189;842674361 said:

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Saw on Twitter that Nebraska's head coach quite surprisingly just "stepped down."

Cayton could probably get a release from her LOI to Nebraska. Though we did face Nebraska in non-conference play, and may have agreed to play again on their home floor next year, I really think that shouldn't be used as a way to prohibit her from switching to Cal, if there was mutual interest.

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Does a release from a LOI usually happen with a coaching change like this one?

I read this about this as well. Surprising given her long and successful tenure there. It sounds like (and this is only conjecture) that perhaps the stress of her divorce bled into her work life. It's unfortunate and I wish her well. I always liked her as coach and imagine that if she "mistreating" players, it wasn't a long term practice...perhaps the unfortunate result of other stressors in her life. I hope she find is able to make her way through her family issues and maybe, if she's up to it, find a new coaching gig. At any rate it does seem like some recruits may want to think about their options...but it sounds like one of the front runners may be Nebraska grad Amy Williams who recently led her South Dakota team to the WNIT Championships...

kat0189;842674361 said:

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Cayton could probably get a release from her LOI to Nebraska. Though we did face Nebraska in non-conference play, and may have agreed to play again on their home floor next year, I really think that shouldn't be used as a way to prohibit her from switching to Cal, if there was mutual interest.

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Does anyone know if Cayton was ever interested in Cal? Her [URL="http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=210493688"][COLOR="#0000FF"]Nebraska bio[/COLOR][/URL] ends with:
"She chose Nebraska over Arizona State, Iowa State, Utah and Colorado."

Sounds as if her academics might not be top of the line based upon the schools that recruited her...

HC Gottlieb has to bring in another guard for next season. Ionescu holding out to April-May could be
stopping the Bears from making a move there. The positive is that Cal must seriously believe that
they're in it w/ Sabrina...Hopefully they have a Plan B waiting in the wings if the Miramonte star
goes in another direction.

http://m.omaha.com/huskers/players-distraught-following-connie-yori-s-resignation-as-nebraska-women/article_762b62d2-f12a-5756-a01c-c20586d53cc4.html?mode=jqm

Quote:

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LINCOLN Current members of the Nebraska women's basketball team didn't have much to say Tuesday night on social media after the resignation of coach Connie Yori. A few declined to comment.

But the former AAU coach of Husker guard Natalie Romeo said the sophomore was "distraught" Tuesday after Yori resigned amid allegations of player mistreatment.

Romeo, who made second-team All-Big Ten, is one of two Husker underclassmen who earned all-conference honors this season, along with first-team selection Jessica Shepard of Fremont.

"Natalie was so close to Connie," said Kelly Sopak, coach of the Cal Stars team. "So she's upset."

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CalWBBFan;842674635 said:

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http://m.omaha.com/huskers/players-distraught-following-connie-yori-s-resignation-as-nebraska-women/article_762b62d2-f12a-5756-a01c-c20586d53cc4.html?mode=jqm

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goodness gracious...the only player to speak out in her defense...is likely the one best acquainted with Cayton. Kinda feels like something I shouldn't even keep tabs on because it'll just get more and more confusing.

Anyway, I kinda doubt Cayton has academic issues...I feel like St. Mary's Stockton generally has kids who are at worst decent students. And if not, one of these message boards or another would have caught wind of it. The list of schools seems fine. Colorado is no Cal, but it's better than Oregon and Arizona, IIRC.

Anyway, the reason she did not have Cal among her finalist is because Cal likely did not recruit/offer her when she made her decision. We were likely still the leader for Ionescu, and entering the recruiting period for that 2016 class, LG said only Ionescu would be recruited out of the NorCal 2016's. Much later, she changed her mind and end up offering an improving Kat Tudor (Cayton's HS teammate). Tudor is ranked in the top 50-70 range, while Cayton the top 80-120.

The guard from the Midwest that we offered, but chose Dartmouth instead, kind of seemed like an, at best, a top 200 range player. Obviously, everything with Ionescu's recruitment is just...very different now. We have room for both, seems like a no-brainer to go for Cayton, it appears that the new Colorado coach (and former Santa Clara coach) might already be trying to score her (Cayton just recently started following her on Twitter).

That said. I'm not going to try to read LG's mind when it comes to recruiting!

I think the possible return of Natalie Romeo might be the most likely scenario ... but of course a) I know nothing because I haven't talked to anyone and am just guessing, and b) she'd have to sit out next year.

http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/womens-basketball/husker-signee-says-she-ll-probably-still-join-nu-after/article_a8cff820-a6e6-536c-9890-7cc2083f0fd3.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

Staying so far

ClayK;842674885 said:

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I think the possible return of Natalie Romeo might be the most likely scenario ... but of course a) I know nothing because I haven't talked to anyone and am just guessing, and b) she'd have to sit out next year.

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How did she do this year?

HoopDreams;842675236 said:

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How did she do this year?

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I knew Romeo had a good soph season. Just checked the stats, she actually had a great to amazing one.

16.0 ppg, including 104 3-pointers (in just 31 games) at an excellent 42.4% from deep. Syracuse's Butler just broke the NCAA single-season 3-pointers made record with 129 having played 7 more games than Romeo this season. Butler's 3-pt % way lower at 31.1%.

I recall some questioned her defensive prowess due to foot speed questions and being just 5'7" tall. She logged 44 steals over the season, well short of Gabby Green's 71 steals in just 27 games. But Green is our best ball thief, Courtney Range was a distant second with 37 steals, and Romeo's 44 was a team-high for Nebraska.

Also, 3.0 apg for Romeo w/ a good A/TO ratio.

Per the article bobbk linked, Cayton's current status is that she hopes and expects Nebraska's new hire will be a good fit, and that she ultimately ends up where she signed. Although the dynamic between Coach Yori and the Nebraska administration is very puzzling at the moment, Cayton mentions that the athletic administration quickly contacted her and is putting in effort to keep the incoming freshmen committed to Nebraska. They also just released an article summarizing each incoming freshman's senior HS season, and already list them on the website roster with photos and complete bios. My impression is that a strong late push and offer by Cal would absolutely be seriously considered, but it seems Cayton herself won't be reaching out to Cal or anyone, begging "please save me!"

IIRC, when USC released Mark Trakh was released from USC, the administration did not do enough to keep what was a great incoming class at the time, so a pair of them went elsewhere: top 10 ranked 6'3" Monique Oliver switched to Rutgers and top 60 ranked 6'2" Kendall Hackney to Northwestern. Oliver, perhaps expected to be a WNBA player eventually, had a very quiet career both individually and as a team at Rutgers. Hackney, on the other hand, had great individual stats including an immediate impact as a frosh and highs of 15.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg as a junior, though I don't think any NCAA tournament births.

Is an an NCAA birth a reference to Mr Summitt? Just kidding Kat.

Why is the Nebraska AD puzzling? They are trying to save their class

Great memory on the USC situation

The decline after the transfer to Rutgers is no surprise. C. Vivian Stringer is not a particularly good coach ...

bobbk;842675305 said:

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Is an an NCAA birth a reference to Mr Summitt? Just kidding Kat.

Why is the Nebraska AD puzzling? They are trying to save their class

Great memory on the USC situation

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lol, oh my! As much as I love snooping around for WBB gossip and "soap opera" drama, I'm trying to avoid the details about that LaTech situation... I simply wish those involved the best in getting everything resolved responsibly.

With Nebraska's AD, I referred specifically to the situation between Yori and the administration: "Although the dynamic between Coach Yori and the Nebraska administration is very puzzling at the moment..."

On the other hand, I agree the efforts by Nebraska's AD to preserve the incoming players (one guard from Illinois ranked top 25 by Blue Star) are obviously very prudent. I will also add that their approach also seems fair/reasonable, sorta just assuring them and respectfully asking them to be patient and see how things play out before making a rash decision.

Of course while the USC example demonstrated an administration not doing enough to retain their incoming class, the situation with UW back when Tia Jackson was hired was like the polar opposite! Remember that? A stellar 6-person incoming class, understandably UW wanted to keep 'em. But forcing them and not approving requests to be released from LOI's? Ultimately 4 of 6 transferred out anyway! My most absurd memory from that mess was how Katelan Redmon was totally clear and reasonable about wanting a release but simply denied one, with Tia Jackson being quoted saying something like, "I truly feel I was destined to coach the girl!"

Quote:

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Natalie Romeo denies Yori allegations, gets permission to transfer; another Husker looking at schools....LINCOLN One of the top players on this year's Nebraska women's basketball team said that abuse and mistreatment allegations against former Husker coach Connie Yori are false and the result of the team's immaturity.

Natalie Romeo, who set the school record for 3-pointers this season and landed second-team All-Big Ten honors, told the World-Herald she asked for a release from her scholarship Wednesday, one day after Yori resigned amid a two-month investigation into the program. She also supported Yori, who resigned on Tuesday and received a $1.2 million settlement package.

"None of the allegations are true," Romeo said. "Coach Yori is one of the best coaches I ever played for."

Romeo said she has not firmly decided to transfer, but she's considering playing basketball back on the West Coast. She's originally from Martinez, California. She'll wait to see who Nebraska hires as its head coach.

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http://m.omaha.com/huskers/natalie-romeo-denies-yori-allegations-gets-permission-to-transfer-another/article_120e7182-fdcf-11e5-8884-bb581687a7f2.html?mode=jqm

CalWBBFan;842675496 said:

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http://m.omaha.com/huskers/natalie-romeo-denies-yori-allegations-gets-permission-to-transfer-another/article_120e7182-fdcf-11e5-8884-bb581687a7f2.html?mode=jqm

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How about a 2'fer, Natalie and SI!

OBear073akaSMFan;842675583 said:

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How about a 2'fer, Natalie and SI!

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This seems like a no-brainer. Not only could we use Natalie Romeo PERIOD (she proven herself at Nebraska, and we've also lost Bre & Mercedes), I think it really could help our chances with Sabrina, her former AAU teammate.

It's such a no-brainer, that if LG doesn't go all out for this, I will honestly conclude that it is in fact that Ivy League educated brain off hers that's getting in the way of these simple, obvious, common sense decisions!

Can you imagine adding two great passers that also are dead-eye three-point shooters? Cal would be very hard to beat with that type of balance and "team" ball. GO BEARS!

My sense would be that Romeo is more likely than Ionescu, but who knows? This definitely changes the equation, even though Romeo won't be able to play until 2017-18.

And there are a few other Pac-12 schools that could find room for Romeo (who, by the way, most of them ignored when she was in high school).

Again, I think an issue is whether she wants to return close to home, or would rather be some distance away.

kat0189;842675605 said:

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This seems like a no-brainer. Not only could we use Natalie Romeo PERIOD (she proven herself at Nebraska, and we've also lost Bre & Mercedes), I think it really could help our chances with Sabrina, her former AAU teammate.

It's such a no-brainer, that if LG doesn't go all out for this, I will honestly conclude that it is in fact that Ivy League educated brain off hers that's getting in the way of these simple, obvious, common sense decisions!

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I would also throw in a kelly Sopak as a desperately needed strategist as a assist coach to sweeten the pot!:bravo

ClayK;842675712 said:

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This definitely changes the equation, even though Romeo won't be able to play until 2017-18.

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I'd like to see 5 guards on our roster, so I think Romeo could help us even if we end up with Ionescu and another 2016 or 2017 guard. And if we don't Romeo could be a major plus. Does anyone know who we're recruiting for 2017? I expect Romeo as a redshirt junior would contribute more than almost any 2017 freshie.

ClayK;842675712 said:

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My sense would be that Romeo is more likely than Ionescu, but who knows? This definitely changes the equation, even though Romeo won't be able to play until 2017-18.

And there are a few other Pac-12 schools that could find room for Romeo (who, by the way, most of them ignored when she was in high school).

Again, I think an issue is whether she wants to return close to home, or would rather be some distance away.

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Yea, even if we weren't the only Pac-12 to....underappreciate....Romeo, this "time around" she has likely 3 Pac-12 options with Final Four coaches, as opposed to just Cal before.

Clayton was granted her release

Meanwhile Cal had an official visit from a 2017

bobbk;842676096 said:

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Clayton was granted her release

Meanwhile Cal had an official visit from a 2017

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Nebraska made a no-brainer hire with Amy Williams, a former player at Nebraska and fresh off guiding South Dakota to the 2016 WNIT Championship. I doubt Cayton has met the new coach, and on paper I don't see a red flag not to at least consider her. I would guess Cayton's request for the release (which was granted) means that she senses that she will have some new and possibly better options, or at least still have her original finalists as options (Arizona State, Iowa State, Utah and Colorado). Colorado has a new coach so she may be intrigued there, Arizona State had a spectacular season so that might make them even more attractive now, and Utah also had a vastly improved record under Lynne Roberts's first year as HC there. Also, I think Cayton stated that she "expects to still end up at Nebraska" before Natalie Romeo was granted a release, so that might also have been a factor to some extent.

bobbk;842676096 said:

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Clayton was granted her release

Meanwhile Cal had an official visit from a 2017

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The visitor, Kiana Smith, was one of those players I decided not to mention on the Bootleg recruiting thread, even though she reportedly was a 4.1 GPA student. For whatever reason, no mention of being in the mix with Stanford.

She has an offer from UCLA, and UCLA has been noticeably more discerning with their offers after that #1 Fab Five 2014 recruiting class, so I think her #99 ranking by Prospects Nation must be a bit low. There's a local PG ranked slightly ahead of Smith on that list who has made known that UCLA is her top choice by a mile but I believe is still waiting for an offer. UCLA is aiming high and "far"—they offered and seem to be making a fairly serious effort for PG Dana Evans out of Indiana (ranked #9 overall) despite no known inside track. Thus, I'm guessing Smith projects as a better prospect than her current #99 ranking might suggest.

I like that she made another visit to Cal. Kennedy Burke also had offers from Cal and UCLA, but by this time almost exactly 2 years ago, had chosen UCLA over Cal. So it's encouraging to learn that Smith seems to still be looking at Cal very closely at this point in time.

Hey if y'all get wind of where Cayton ends up let us know... I don't have/do "Twitter"

Latest article....oh my. My guess IF she doesn't stick with Nebraska, wouldn't surprise me to hear she's going the Ute route... With UOP being up the street from St. Mary's Coach Roberts (former HC at UOP, now first season Ute coach) was around Morelli gym all those years networking, getting some girls from SMS to go there so it wouldn't surprise me if Utah lands her, but it would be nice if she would stay in NorCal!:gobears:


http://espn.go.com/espnw/sports/article/15280062/st-mary-micole-cayton-looking-new-home-connie-yori-resignation-nebraska

Fourteen years, with some notable success, is quite a run. However, the record of leg injuries, particularly ankles, could suggest some coaching and S&C practices that might be questionable. Evidently, there were examples of player and personnel verbal abuse from Coach Yori that may have contributed to the alleged negative environment around the Nebraska WBB Program. Nebraska obviously values the program so I'm confident their search will yield a top candidate.

puget sound cal fan;842689575 said:

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Nebraska obviously values the program so I'm confident their search will yield a top candidate.

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Amy Williams, Nebraska alum, coached South Dakota to the 2016 WNIT title.
[URL="http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=29&SPID=25&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=210881342&DB_OEM_ID=100"][COLOR="#0000FF"]Nebraska story[/COLOR][/URL]

Sounds like Williams is a capable, up-and-coming, HC, who's a Nebraska alum. Will her appointment keep MiCole in Lincoln?