Will the Woman's Basketball team ever get back to the top?

[duck023]

I really like some of the recruits Oregon has gotten but Sabrina seems unreplaceable even if Oregon gains 5 phenomenal players. So do you think Oregon will ever be in the top 3 status again?

[Merganzer]

Yes. Whether it be in the top WBB conference in the country, top 25, or Final Four. I believe that Oregon WBB will continue to be elite. Losing the Big 3 creates a deficit that can't be filled in one off season. But with the nucleus of players returning and the surreal flock of recruits, the sky is the limit for next season.
Arizona & Stanford both return with deep, talented & experienced rosters, throw in the Beavs & Bruins, and the Pac-12 is going to be as challenging as ever. The Lady Ducks have won the season title 3 years in a row, so they know about being the hunted; I'm confident that Graves and Chavez, Shelley, and the other veterans will get the new players lined up; of course they know what to expect, it's why they signed with Oregon.

[lukeyrid13]

Graves just picked up 5 top 25, 5 star recruits this year. On top of adding in Sedona Prince. They won't be top 3 team next year all season long but long term, Oregon is passing Stanford (if they haven't already) as the premier west cost WBB school for the next 5+ years at minimum.

[UOducksTK1]

Graves just picked up 5 top 25, 5 star recruits this year. On top of adding in Sedona Prince. They won't be top 3 team next year all season long but long term, Oregon is passing Stanford (if they haven't already) as the premier west cost WBB school for the next 5+ years at minimum.

This. Barring any coaching change, Oregon is going to be a top team for a while. Similarly to how our softball was looking before our coach left.

[nogerO]

I really like some of the recruits Oregon has gotten but Sabrina seems unreplaceable even if Oregon gains 5 phenomenal players. So do you think Oregon will ever be in the top 3 status again?

Simple answer: one player does not a team make, no matter how good they are...Sab was surrounded by exceptionally talented ladies for the last couple of years. Trust in KG and his recruiting and in game coaching...

[Merganzer]

Graves just picked up 5 top 25, 5 star recruits this year. On top of adding in Sedona Prince. They won't be top 3 team next year all season long but long term, Oregon is passing Stanford (if they haven't already) as the premier west cost WBB school for the next 5+ years at minimum.

This. Barring any coaching change, Oregon is going to be a top team for a while. Similarly to how our softball was looking before our coach left.

It's fascinating how much the softball & WBB teams parallel one another. Softball had to pretty much start over and go through a rough season before the current one was off to a great start. WBB isn't starting from scratch, but like softball, is in the most competitive conference.

[panamaslim]

I predict at the very worst an Elite8 this year. Do I have too much faith in Kelly Graves' knack in managing elite athletes? I don't think so..Best coach in the Pac12 and top 3 in the nation, in no particular order.

Is the 20-21 roster full or is there room for one more?

[thomas time]

I think they are full now with the JC big they got last week

[UOducksTK1]

Graves just picked up 5 top 25, 5 star recruits this year. On top of adding in Sedona Prince. They won't be top 3 team next year all season long but long term, Oregon is passing Stanford (if they haven't already) as the premier west cost WBB school for the next 5+ years at minimum.

This. Barring any coaching change, Oregon is going to be a top team for a while. Similarly to how our softball was looking before our coach left.

It's fascinating how much the softball & WBB teams parallel one another. Softball had to pretty much start over and go through a rough season before the current one was off to a great start. WBB isn't starting from scratch, but like softball, is in the most competitive conference.

Yeah it is interesting. I'm really curious to see how our softball team does next year (Or the year after since corona will be around for a while)

[bigsugarduck]

Yes. Maybe even this season.

As of right now, I believe the Women's Basketball team has the best chance of winning a National Title of all the major sports (with the exception of Track, which I presume will go on a Title tear with the new stadium being built).

[shoparound]

Well hopefully they don't take the route of women's volleyball. Which this year had multiple top 10 and top 25 recruits, but had one of the worst looking teams in the country.

[duck023]

Thanks for all the great answers. I'm excited to see what they can do. The one thing I'm a little worried about is Graves has this super nonchalant attitude and Sabrina was the fire of that team. Graves always tries to take the pressure off his team by saying things like "we haven't done anything yet."(he said that two years ago when they were the 2 seed) However, it worked with Sabrina because it motivated her to prove him wrong. However with a bunch of freshman I hope that he can set high expectations for them. A team full of freshmen isn't going to handle downplaying them in the same way.

[nogerO]

Thanks for all the great answers. I'm excited to see what they can do. The one thing I'm a little worried about is Graves has this super nonchalant attitude and Sabrina was the fire of that team. Graves always tries to take the pressure off his team by saying things like "we haven't done anything yet."(he said that two years ago when they were the 2 seed) However, it worked with Sabrina because it motivated her to prove him wrong. However with a bunch of freshman I hope that he can set high expectations for them. A team full of freshmen isn't going to handle downplaying them in the same way.

Just my opinion but, I think you are completely fooled by Graves' demeanor. He acts cool and collected for a reason. He wants his team to reflect that. But inside Mr. Cool is a beast. If you watch the games close enough and focus on him when there's some BS hs ref call against his team, he unleashes that cat...I think a lot of people are misreading KG...

[nogerO]

Graves just picked up 5 top 25, 5 star recruits this year. On top of adding in Sedona Prince. They won't be top 3 team next year all season long but long term, Oregon is passing Stanford (if they haven't already) as the premier west cost WBB school for the next 5+ years at minimum.

This. Barring any coaching change, Oregon is going to be a top team for a while. Similarly to how our softball was looking before our coach QUIT.

fixed...

[UofDuck]

Small point of clarification, there can certainly be an argument made we were the top team in the country, but we were not ranked number 1 at season end. SC was always going to be a tough out for us. I think it would have been an epic game of two super-powers.