Only six programs with more money than Iowa? So you're saying Iowa has more money than Texas, Oklahoma, Duke, Kentucky, UNC, TCU, Ole Miss, Tennessee? And everyone else manages to get several 5-star caliber players, except Iowa. It must be a matter of luck. Okay, we can live on illusions too.
- South Carolina
- UConn
- LSU
- Notre Dame
- USC
- UCLA
- Tennessee
- Duke
- Texas
- Maryland
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- TCU
- Kentucky
- UNC
- Vandy
- Michigan
First of all, I'm not sure you grasp how expensive Dani Carnegie is. She is not just a 5 star player -- and not all 5 star players cost the same. As a first-team All-SEC player she is one of the most expensive players in the country -- ESPN ranks her as the 3rd biggest get in the portal. She could very well be the 3rd most expensive player in the portal as well. She likely costs as much as 3 (maybe 4) typical 5 star players. Being a 5 star player does not mean you automatically command as much money as you want.
Most programs could not afford Carnegie -- because she costs as much as 3 or 4 other players. Same with Woliczko -- few players command as much money as she does as a freshman but Jan thinks she is worth it. In contrast, Addie Deal is commanding no more than 1/3 of what Woliczko commands -- her 5 star rating isn't doing much for her. There are plenty of 5 star players out there who didn't live up to their ranking and they're not getting paid as much as they want. That's why they're all transferring--but like Deal, many will learn that your performance on the court commands portal money, not your HS ranking. Kaelynn Carroll, recent name that popped up in Hawkeye recruiting circles, is another example -- she was ranked in the Top 15 by ESPN, was barely a blip for KY this season. She'll be lucky to get $250k at this point. That's why she was recently linked with Iowa -- Iowa had gotten to the point where we're not spending anymore than that on any players, and so they got talking.
You're likely also underestimating how much Jan is paying Heiden. Heiden would probably command almost as much as Audi Crooks if she entered the portal because athletic centers are hard to come by. She should be getting paid at least as much as Woliczko, in my estimation. My guess is Jan is also compensating Chat very well. Woliczko, Heiden, Carnegie and Chat -- 4 of our players -- likely command
at least $2 million per season. In contrast, Iowa State only has $1 million and change to work with
total.
None of Michigan, Vandy, Maryland, Kentucky, UNC, Duke, or Ole Miss (nor Oklahoma State, usually) have that much money. Michigan lost their entire roster 2 seasons ago because of it -- fans knew it and were complaining about it all over the internet. I don't know what they're paying Olsen and Swords but I'd be shocked if it's overly impressive. There's a reason they haven't been able to recruit a real big to play alongside their stellar guards and I think it's because they don't have the money for it.
The only other schools that definitely have more money for WBB than Iowa are South Carolina, UConn, LSU, TCU, Oklahoma, and maybe Texas (just assuming, never heard real numbers that prove this). All of these schools recruit well because their coach is good at recruiting and their brands have far more cachet than Iowa. If a coach has ever made the Final Four (i.e., Kentucky), it's much easier to get a top kid to look at you. Jan is always going to be playing catch-up until/unless she can do so as well.
Newsflash, Iowa didn't get many 5 star players before revenue sharing. We *are* getting them now,
because we have an AD that understands the value of WBB and is willing to invest in it (I know Lucy Olsen and Carnegie weren't 5 stars, but they cost as much as a 5 star and perform like 5 stars, so I'm counting them all the same). That's helping us get over the hump(s). But we're not going to start recruiting like UConn overnight. It's not just money, it never has been and never will be in WBB. WBB recruiting is still deeply intwined with networking and AAU teams and relationships. Look at what Lasondra has done for us with Chat and Dani.
That's also a big part of TCU's draw. Campbell developed Sabrina Ionescu and is known as an elite guard coach. Kids like playing for him, families believe their kids are in good hands. Jan is still proving herself and finding her footing in many ways, including along the lines of building relationships. Barrett is a huge boost for that. Another thing about TCU is that they do kill it in the portal but they also don't really recruit high school kids. They have more turn-over and therefore more money becoming available every year. If we didn't have Woliczko, we could afford 2 or 3 more "5 star" kids (or near that caliber) as well. That doesn't mean that they'd collectively be better than Woliczko though. Clearly Jan doesn't think that's the case.
