Transfer bug hits WBB
- Thread starter cyberhawk
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Hey @BRANDONJ8, I don't know Megan or the Meyer family but I'm guessing she realizes that she's not ever going to have a chance to start at PG with Caitlin on the team and SG will be difficult as well with Gabbie Marshall being the same age/class and Iowa bringing in Kylie Feuerbach/Sydney Affolter, who are both good players. I'm guessing she would like to opportunity to start somewhere eventually and there just isn't that much of a chance of that at Iowa right now.
Would some WBB player please transfer so BRANDON can move on with his life.
If Megan does end up transferring for more playing time, I'm not sure that would impact her younger sister's recruitment much. If her younger sister really is the best in the family, then playing time for her shouldn't be an issue. I guess it might depend on whether Megan is still happy with the Coaches and just wants an opportunity elsewhere, or if she feels like she's being slighted in some way.
Another dynamic to this is that we don't know how much longer Coach Bluder plans to coach. It's entirely possible that she sees out the rest of Clark's career, then retires. We could have a completely new coaching staff by the time the younger sister is ready for college.
Brandon, it’s already happened. You’re waiting for something to become official that I already know has occurred. That’s the point of inside info. Timeline is not important. It’s done. When you know, I will already have known for days.
It's official. Thank you hawkbuck70 for the insider information!
Hawk or not, wishing Megan nothing but the very best for the rest of her collegiate career and beyond! I hope she can find a school that is a great fit for her.
Hawkbuck thank you for the information. I am sorry to see Megan transfer but I get it. Nothing but the best for Megan.
It’s already done. There will be no press conference on this matter. Only thing we will see or hear is when one of the local reporters calls Coach Bluder for a statement on Meyer’s departure.
I have to say I thought this unlikely, though I supposes she may have decided to finish the semester, let her head clear, then make the decision. I'd think a lot of alternatives have already closed for her that might have been available had she made her decision earlier. But certainly best of luck to her.
Im disappointed with this transfer. There was generally a drop off in play when Clark left the floor, and it seems probably that that gets worse next year. Megan seemed to be the most capable point guard in the program after Clark. I think for Iowa to get better, they need Clark to be able to get rest, as well as have coverage for if she gets hurt. Its possible that Gabby or Kylie can fill those minutes, but it seems like we are missing a true backup point guard.
Soapbox/old guy moment, but this is just indicative of the wider societal attitude. You were recruited to play the best basketball you could and help the team. Were you told that the team wouldn't have kids that play the same position? Were you told that you would play as much as you want regardless of the other players talent levels or your/their performance, or what is best for the team?
I get it; you want to play and I would too. You made a choice and commitment to attend this school but now that you are behind another player(s), you're breaking the commitment and taking your ball and going home. Certainly don't work harder and try to get better and earn more time. You are OWED the playing time you want. You are OWED that which you want.
I get it; you want to play and I would too. You made a choice and commitment to attend this school but now that you are behind another player(s), you're breaking the commitment and taking your ball and going home. Certainly don't work harder and try to get better and earn more time. You are OWED the playing time you want. You are OWED that which you want.
I've been watching replays of games from this past year the last few days. And in my opinion Megan isn't a true point guard. More of a copy of Gabbie Marshall. A decent ball handler but not great, can't take it to the basket with any effectiveness. No mid range pull up jumper off the dribble. Basically a spot up shooter from three like her older sister and not really consistent. How much is lack of coaching, lack of playing time, or lack of a good work ethic is a good question. She does show potential and athleticism. To me shes a 5-10 min. per game back-up. And that may be all she will get at another school.
Tomi Taiwo didn't play much at all until midway through last year of her junior year. But she stuck it out and when she got her chance made the most of it. I wish Megan would have done the same.
That being said, Good Luck to you Megan.
Tomi Taiwo didn't play much at all until midway through last year of her junior year. But she stuck it out and when she got her chance made the most of it. I wish Megan would have done the same.
That being said, Good Luck to you Megan.
There will be a logjam for minutes in the backcourt in the coming years and I think they saw the writing on the wall. Affolter is a big, strong, physical guard who will defend and knock down open shots. Feurbach is taller and a better shooter. That is before you include Clark and Marshall, who are known commodities at this point. And the McCabe girl will be here before you know it and she can slide over and play some point if necessary, however, she is an absolute sniper.
This is the "downside" of Iowa's enhanced recruiting the last several years. Lisa used to never want to use all her scholarships or recruit over too much, as she said you would just end up with unhappy players. Chemistry has always been a big deal. Every 3-4 years Iowa would have what turned out to be an empty recruiting class then. The last one was 2017 with Zion and Paula, neither of whom played.
However, success on the court has translated to consistently strong recruiting classes the last several years, with more to come. You wouldn't want to turn any of them away, but losing a Lauren Jensen and Megan Meyer will inevitably happen. I hope Megan finds success somewhere else now. I'm sure it was an extremely tough decision.
I think this is a generational difference. I'm still in my 20s and have no problem with Megan leaving. To many in my generation, if you're not happy in a particular situation, it's better to leave and try to find a better situation for yourself.
I understand the philosophy of working to improve your situation where you are, but Megan was never going to take minutes from Clark. She's a generational talent. And with all the players we have at 2 and 3, the odds were against her getting significant minutes there, too. Rather than try fighting against those odds and risk another season of unhappiness, she chose to try to find a situation that would make her happier. I can't fault her for it.
I dont have a problem with Megan leaving if she feels like shes playing out of position and is unlikely to be able to get minutes at her actual position in the future. My concern is that for whatever reason, the will be no primary point guards on the team as far as I can tell. It looks to me like a huge logjam at the 2/3. For Iowa to take a big jump next year, that means improved defense is needed. But thats hard to do when you are playing one player 38 minutes a game, and hes your best offense. The natural result is resting on defense. I think for Iowa to be at its best Caitlin need to be playing in the 30-35 minute range. As a result, the team needs someone capable of running the team for about 10 minutes a game at a high level. I'm not sure who that would be on this team right now. If it were me coaching, I would take stagger Gabby and Caitlin's time on the bench and use her as backup point. Tomi, Kylie, and Sydney can fill in at the 2 without much drop-off.
Totally agree, and appreciate the "civility" and reasoned response. I totally get the Clark Factor is massive--nobody is going to beat her out for minutes. The person(s) behind her on the depth chart are only going to see 'meaningful' minutes if she's in foul trouble or God forbid, injured.
And I'm not against her being happy or finding a situation that would make her happier--we're all only here a short time so we should be as happy as we can as often as we can, as long as we can. And I would also recommend everyone find situations that are better for them as well.
Where I shake my head (and it's not just Ms. Meyer) is basically, "what did you think was going to happen and what changed?". Now, if she was sold a bad bill of goods, lied to, or mistreated, or didn't blend well with the rest of the girls, then absolutely go. I don't know Lisa Bluder personally, but do knew some who do and she sounds like an absolutely solid person and coach and treats her players fabulously--I don't think that's difficult for any of us to believe based on how we see the kids and staff's relationships.
It appears FAR too often that as soon as something goes against folks, they bag it and head out. Meyer isn't going to be "the man" while she's here, but she has the chance to be a significant contributor/role player on what could be some very good and accomplished teams during her career. She would have had a large say in the size of that role by her effort and improvement. But "that's too hard, I'll go somewhere where I don't have to work to improve and can be what I am now, but play a larger role" seems to be the attitude of today. If that's the choice they make, then that's absolutely their right--sorry you didn't get a trophy for participating (not intended to sound as Dickish as it looks in type). I don't intend to tell folks how to live their lives, just disappointed when so many today take the Homer Simpson attitude of "nothing hard is worth doing very long".
In Megan's defense, I would say she did work tremendously hard. All I know is what I see on the court as a fan, but I don't remember a player improving as much from their freshman to sophomore year as Megan. Last year I thought she was a wasted scholarship and only here out of Lisa's loyalty to her sister. Then this year she went from nothing to actually earning backup minutes. But anyone can see that is as far as she will probably go. So I don't blame her for looking elsewhere. And she will pay a price for that in giving up being a part of a close knit and successful team while having to start all over with a new team. She only gets one college career so that is a lot to weigh.
A couple things about your post:
--As to "What did you think was going to happen and what changed?" -- Megan committed to Iowa before Caitlin. In fact, Caitlin committed in November 2020, right as Megan's first season was beginning. This is extremely late in the process for someone as highly touted as Caitlin was. So that's a very big variable that "changed" that most people (probably including Megan though I can't speak for her) didn't expect.
--Additionally, I take issue with your characterization of Megan's choice as "stay at Iowa and continue to work hard" vs. "that's too hard, I'll go somewhere where I don't have to work to improve and can be what I am now." Whether you intended it or not, this implies that Megan isn't/wasn't a hard worker. That's unfair to her (as well as to countless other transfers). There's no reason to believe she won't continue to work just as hard at her new school whether she is a starter or coming off the bench again. Also, I'm guessing it wasn't easy for her to decide to transfer: the choice to leave what she had in the past described as her "dream school" as well as leaving her current support system of teammates, friends, coaches, etc. So making this decision is itself already hard work.
In short, what I'm saying is, we don't have the right to judge someone's situation and motivations from the outside. There are many variables we cannot see. What we should do is thank her for her time here, wish her the best, and root for her to succeed in basketball and in life after basketball.
(Edit: I noticed mphawk posted something similar to this right before me. I echo mphawk's sentiment as well.)
Agree (for the most part). I'm alright with a kid breaking their commitment, but there should be some consequences. That had been the requirement to sit out a year, and that was fair. A school devotes hundreds/thousands of dollars recruiting a player, and then continues to invest in the kid in making them a better player and student. Now that the kid can transfer and play right away, it's just too easy to up and leave for more playing time -- leaving the school high and dry.
Absolutely fair and didn't mean to make it sound like MM wasn't/isn't a hard worker, nor others--you don't get to play ANYTHING in college without putting work in. I meant it more as an analogy of sorts. And your Clark point IMO sort of furthers my point--were MM and others who transfer upset that the coaches brought in someone who turns out to be better than them? They had to assume they would be recruiting more players who play their spots, but now that the new ones are better players, they quit and leave? Again, I don't intend to dog on decisions folks make for their lives, nor tell them they're wrong for doing what they feel is best for them, just a commentary on the apparent attitudes that lead so many--not all--to transfer; I'm not happy unless I'm getting exactly what I want, and if I don't, I quit (obvious paraphrasing).
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I'm generally in favor of the one-time free transfer rule where the player doesn't have to sit out if it's their first transfer. Here's a horror story about an Oregon player and the difficulties she faced when she was at Texas and had a medical issue. It seems awful to me that she couldn't leave Texas and play somewhere else without penalty given her experience there.
Most situations obviously aren't that extreme, but players don't really know what they have committed to until they arrive on campus. Coaches can say and behave in a certain way during recruiting and act completely differently in practice and during the season.
By all the accounts I have seen, Coach Bluder runs a good program and is generally loved by her current and former players. She seems to put her players first in most situations. We have to realize that not all coaches and programs are like that.
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