2025 Recruiting


Mara Braun when healthy is the best guard the Gophers have had since the Days of Keke Bell, Rachel Banham, and Carlie Wagner. Oh, BTW ALL OF THOSE were drafted or (Banham) still in the league. Mara Braun is viewed as a future WNBA player.

Also, can we start being REALISTIC?! This is still a program on the rise and has to build up. No one in the big ten is winning the conference outside of UCLA or USC for the next couple of seasons. Making the tournament is the next step and a needed step to attract "WNBA LEVEL" players. Iowa literally had to build with the likes of Megan Gustafson, Kathleen Doyle etc before they got their superstar in Clark. You are not getting superstars without the stars like Mara, Mallory, Amaya building up the program. Plain and simple.

But also ... literally the top recruiting class in the history of the program....and now we saying not good enough. MN Fans will be the reason why some players don't wanna deal with staying home.
Mara Braun is not viewed as a future WNBA player. That is crazy talk. The Gophers are a lower tier BIG10 team where Mara is in a great situation to shoot way more than she should because the team needs her scoring. Players that go to the WNBA are the top players on sweet sixteen teams.
 

Mara Braun is not viewed as a future WNBA player. That is crazy talk. The Gophers are a lower tier BIG10 team where Mara is in a great situation to shoot way more than she should because the team needs her scoring. Players that go to the WNBA are the top players on sweet sixteen teams.
Glad to know you’re an expert in your own mind.
 

Mara Braun is not viewed as a future WNBA player. That is crazy talk. The Gophers are a lower tier BIG10 team where Mara is in a great situation to shoot way more than she should because the team needs her scoring. Players that go to the WNBA are the top players on sweet sixteen teams.
I agree that Braun is not WNBA caliber now. However, she has two more years and I am hoping that she can improve her game enough to get into the WNBA. She needs to improve her ability to get to the basket and her defense. I see some similarities with Scalia, who didn't get into the WNBA this season but I think have I read that she is playing overseas. With some more seasoning, maybe Scalia will get a shot at the WNBA.
 

Mara Braun is not viewed as a future WNBA player.

This may not be directly relevant to Braun’s WNBA chances, but, when you exclude pre-BIG recruits for Maryland and Rutgers, there are surprisingly few BIG players in the W. This is especially true among starters. I must be missing someone, but other than Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, I’m hard-pressed to think of a BIG starter in the W (excluding the pre-BIG Rutgers and Maryland players).
 


Mara Braun is not viewed as a future WNBA player. That is crazy talk. The Gophers are a lower tier BIG10 team where Mara is in a great situation to shoot way more than she should because the team needs her scoring. Players that go to the WNBA are the top players on sweet sixteen teams.
Like Rachel Banham who never played in an NCAA tournament game?

Kah Copper or Laney from Rutgers? Alysha Clark from Middle Tennessee?

Need any more examples to disprove your off-base theory?
 






Mara Braun is not viewed as a future WNBA player. That is crazy talk. The Gophers are a lower tier BIG10 team where Mara is in a great situation to shoot way more than she should because the team needs her scoring. Players that go to the WNBA are the top players on sweet sixteen teams.
- Kah Copper ( MVP)
- Laney (a very soild role player for the Liberty)
- Clark ( who won as championship with Vegas and Seattle)
- Banham ( a solid role player)
- Courtney Williams played at USF.. been in the league for 10 years
 



Texas has money, but they also have Vic Schaefer. Look what he did recruiting and winning at relative backwater Mississippi State.

And he's in a league where he's up against SC and LSU so he is definitely keeping up with the Jones. With Harmon back I have them pencilled in as a Final Four team this next season unless they have more injuries (had some bad luck with that the last couple of years).
 







Offer for Henley West. She is a 6-4 center from Oklahoma.
Henley West has offers from Illinois St, Idaho St, SWOSU, Stephen F Austin, Missouri Southern, Brown, Texas Arlington, Central Arkansas, West Texas A&M, Fort Hays St,
Central Missouri AND Minnesota.
A poor mans Sophie Hart. Similar game.
 

Henley West has offers from Illinois St, Idaho St, SWOSU, Stephen F Austin, Missouri Southern, Brown, Texas Arlington, Central Arkansas, West Texas A&M, Fort Hays St,
Central Missouri AND Minnesota.
A poor mans Sophie Hart. Similar game.
Perhaps Coach P sees something in her that could be developed by working with Ariel, Aaron, and Jason. I believe they are great developers of bigs.
 
Last edited:

Perhaps Coach P sees something in her that could be developed by working with Ariel, Aaron, and Jason. I believe they are great developers of bigs.
Not saying she can't be All Big Ten. Basically, Monika Czinano has the same attributes as Sophie and Henley. It all comes down to scheme, utilization and development. Obviously, they have a vision for her.
 


I saw the attached article on SI.com which indicated that if MN could land Parchment they would have one of the top 2025 recruiting classes in the B1G. That would be pretty impressive for Coach P and her staff if they can get that done in only their 2nd recruiting class.

 
Last edited:

I saw the attached article on SI.com which indicated that if MN could land Parchment they would have one of the top 2025 recruiting classes in the B1G. That would be pretty impressive for Coach P and her staff if they can get that done in only their 2nd recruiting class.

While a commitment from Parchment would give them two top-50-rated players, I say this respectfully, but careful taking advise or listening to this author. He gives little to no actual attention to the WBB team. Everything he said is going off service level or searched tweets. I promise you he couldnt pick any of the two commits out of a lineup.
 

While a commitment from Parchment would give them two top-50-rated players, I say this respectfully, but careful taking advise or listening to this author. He gives little to no actual attention to the WBB team. Everything he said is going off service level or searched tweets. I promise you he couldnt pick any of the two commits out of a lineup.
To be fair, whichever B1G team gets her will then have one of the top recruiting classes in the B1G.
 

While a commitment from Parchment would give them two top-50-rated players, I say this respectfully, but careful taking advise or listening to this author. He gives little to no actual attention to the WBB team. Everything he said is going off service level or searched tweets. I promise you he couldnt pick any of the two commits out of a lineup.

I appreciated his WBB coverage when he was writing for the Daily. He's done some articles for Gopher Hole (I think). I have no opinion on his scouting effort.
 

If distance is a factor we are Parchment's farthest destination by a fair amount. Michigan is 4 hrs 58 minutes , Maryland 6 hours 49 minutes
and Champaign 9 hrs
Gophers 16 hours.... Ferry route has me a bit skeptical at 14 hours 17 min...alternative 14 hour 25 min route too
Screenshot 2024-08-12 at 11.36.51 PM.png
MINNESOTA
Screenshot 2024-08-12 at 11.39.38 PM.png
I started my search not knowing where exactly Fort Erie Ontario was...hoping we were the closest. Wrong side of the province.
 
Last edited:




Top Bottom