NC State by decade since 1960?

For starters, the Gamecocks aren't going to be very active in the portal and for good reason. They've got unbelievable team chemistry and thus far only Kamilla Cardoso is leaving. Sahnya Jah entered the portal as well but she was dismissed from the team in early February. Sakima Walker has not announced if she will be entering the transfer portal. Walker played in 31 of 38 games this season and averaged 2 points and 1.3 rebounds a game. Her role is not likely to increase if she stays. South Carolina is her third stop after Rutgers and Juco, so she might be tired of moving. She's a Columbus, OH native and has one more of eligibility. When not playing, Walker was almost like a coach on the bench and would often sit next to the freshman when they were struggling. She might want to stick around under the best for 1 more year. The staff is very high on 6'5 Adhel Tac. Tac was ranked as the 33rd best prospect by Hoop Gurlz for 2024. She would have been ranked higher but she essentially missed two seasons of high school basketball with injuries. After suffering a season ending injury in November, the Grand Prairie, TX native enrolled at USC in January, just as Chloe Kitts did last year. It would appear that Dawn wanted her sx/rehab done in-house. Tac dislocated her knee cap and tore her medial patellofemoral ligament, she underwent surgery on February 2,. Staley has said she compares Tac's defensive presence to Aliyah Boston.

South Carolina doesn't have to add anything in the portal, but they are looking for a 6'4- 6'5 post in case Tac isn't completely ready to go for next season. There is also the category of player that is "too good to turn down," but there are maybe 1-2 players in the portal that fit that bill that would be an immediate upgrade on a team full of All-Americans that Staley returns in 2025.

Here are some of the bigger names in the portal and if SC will likely have interest:

Kiki Iriafen (Stanford)- She averaged 19.6 ppg and 11 RPG. She's leaving Stanford after the retirement of Tara VanDerveer. Iriafen is a native of Los Angeles and it is believed that UCLA and So Cal are the frontrunners. She's 6'3 but falls in the category of too good to pass up. Iriafen has a do not contact designation which she likely knows where she is going or has a narrow list. Committed to So Cal.

Georgia Amoore (Virginia Tech)- As expected she followed head coach Kenny Brooks to Kentucky.

Raegan Beers (Oregon State)- the Beavers have had a mass exodus from Corvallis due to the PAC12 implosion and Oregon State no longer having a home in a power basketball conference. UConn is the favorite here. Beers is a good player but she doesn't fit South Carolina's uptempo style. Took a visit to Oklahoma April 20th. OU appears on the verge on hiring the Oregon State assistant coach that recruited Bears- if so, got to think OU takes over in the driver seat. Beers is down to Oklahoma and UConn. I think OU has the momentum.

Lucy Olsen (Villanova)- She's one of the better scorers in the portal. Iowa is pushing really hard here. 5'9 guard has one season left to play. She averaged 23.3 pts and Iowa has some pretty big shoes to fill. She did commit to Iowa.

Timea Gardiner (Oregon St)- No interest from Carolina. She's a Utah native and would be a nice replacement for Alissa Pili.

Taliah Scott (Arkansas)- She lit up the first 2 months of the season for Arkansas and then mysteriously disappeared. Her entering the transfer portal was a given. She committed to Auburn with three years left to play. Committed to Auburn.

Grace VanSlooten (Oregon)- 6'3 forward with no outside shot, so not someone Carolina would look at. She's an Ohio native and probably headed to Ohio State. Committed to Mich State.

Kaitlyn Chen (Princeton)- 5'9 senior guard- probably headed out west. Committed to UConn.

Janiah Barker (Texas A&M)- Staley nearly got a commitment from out of HS. She's somewhere between 6'2 and 6'4. She's not a great defensive player but averages 12 ppg on offensive throughout her career. She has two years left. Could be some interest here but the staff would have to remold her game to fit Dawn's style of play.

Hailey Van Lith (LSU)- left after Mulkey got her embarrassed against Caitlin Clark. HVL was playing out of position for LSU all season. She needs to be a SG and not a PG- minus defender for sure. Not a fit at SC. She's visited Miss State. I've also seen Kentucky is interested. Committed to TCU, or did she. HVL has now come out and said that she has not committed anywhere. Seems strange since multiple outlets reports that she had committed to TCU last week. She ended up committing to TCU after all.

Deja Kelly (UNC)- she was gassed in second round tourney game in Columbia and it showed as the Gamecocks ate her alive. The Texas native has one year remaining. Kelly isn't much of a 3-point shooter. Rumor is LSU- Mulkey not learning her lesson as she takes another non-PG that she is going to play at PG.

Charlisse Leger-Walker (Wash St)- torn ACL in January- she's probably taking a medical redshirt next season where ever she ends up. She's a PG and won't get a look from SC. Committed to UCLA- nice pick for the Bruins that are currently living in the shadow of their cross town rival.

Talia von Oelhoffen (Oreg St)- really nice versatile player with a year remaining. I think Dawn would like her- but there just isn't a spot in Columbia.

Maddie Scherr (Kentucky)- Not a take for Carolina. She's likely headed to Iowa or Indiana for his last season. Committed to TCU

There are others but lets get to some players that SC might be interested in:

Teonni Key (UNC)- her stats aren't impressive but if Walker moves on she might be a take for Carolina at 6'4. She was the #9 overall prospect in 2021 and heavily considered the Gamecocks. Committed to Kentucky

Lety Vasconcelos (Baylor)- She's 6'7 but didn't do much her first season at Baylor.

Hannah Gusters (Ok State)- 6'5 post averaged 14.3 ppg but only 4.1 rpg last season. She played one season at Baylor, LSU, and OK St. Doesn't have the best reputation so she is likely a pass. Committed to UCF.

Amari DeBerry (UConn)- 6'5 post was the #15 overall player in the stacked 2020 class. For whatever reason she could never get going at UConn. She only averaged 4.5 mins and 1 point this season. Committed to Maryland.

Kennedy Basham (Oregon)- 6'7 post. She's 6'7 and 6'7 doesn't grow on trees. She was the #59 player in the 22' class. Only averaged 4.5 ppg this season. Committed to Arizona State

Saylor Poffenbarger (Arkansas)- She's only 6'2 but she was one of the better rebounders in the SEC. Also averages 10.2 ppg. Originally at UConn she was the 30th rated player in the 21' class. Committed to Maryland.

LSU has seen two players from their highly rated 23' class transfer out in Angelica Velez and Janae Kent. Both are guards and didn't play much this season. LSU is going to continue to be thin with some very high-end talent. Kent committed to Texas A&M.

The portal remains open until May 1. Graduate transfers can enter at any time and players affected by a head coaching change after the May 1 deadline are also eligible to enter.

Per todays: WSJ:

“The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the five most prominent athletic conferences agreed to a $2.77 billion settlement of a class-action lawsuit on Thursday, ushering in a new era of college sports in which schools can pay athletes directly.

The move marks a dramatic shift for the NCAA, breaking with its century-old stance that college athletes are amateurs and therefore cannot share in any of the money they generate for their universities.”

HOOVER, Ala. — You can see by the dateline where I am, still am in fact! It's day five of the SEC Baseball Tournament, South Carolina is in the semifinals for the first time since 2017 and only the second time since 2004, and the Gamecocks get a rematch with LSU today. Expect a very similar type of game to Thursday. Both teams have great offenses, are on fire, and have little to no pitching left.

South Carolina is starting Roman Kimball, who has struggled mightily and hasn't pitched in over two weeks, and LSU is starting Javen Coleman, who hasn't pitched at all since April. Here's the full lineup:

Austin Brinling - CF
Ethan Petry - 1B
Blake Jackson - RF
Cole Messina - DH
Parker Noland - 2B
Kennedy Jones - LF
Dalton Reeves - C
Talmadge LeCroy - 3B
Will Tippett - SS

Roman Kimball - Pitcher

For giving a Georgia player an NCAA record. I had a feeling something like that was going to happen when we were down 4-0 after just one out of the game.

HOOVER, Ala. — Hello from the Hoover Met, basically my second residence now. South Carolina has one more chance to get into the tournament semifinals today, taking on Kentucky. It's Dylan Eskew vs. Mason Moore on the mound, a rematch of the game where South Carolina run-ruled Kentucky 10-0 in the rubber game of the regular season series at Founders Park.

Will Tippett also replaces Talmadge LeCroy at shortstop in the lineup, a move I have to assume is a reaction to the four errors as a team yesterday. Here is how Mark Kingston lines up the rest of his team:

Austin Brinling - CF
Ethan Petry - 1B
Blake Jackson - RF
Cole Messina - DH
Parker Noland - 2B
Kennedy Jones - LF
Dalton Reeves - C
Gavin Casas - 3B
Will Tippett - SS

Dylan Eskew - Pitcher

HOOVER, Ala. — Greetings from the Hoover Met once again. It is day three of the SEC Baseball Tournament. South Carolina will have two shots to advance to the semifinals, needing to win either today against LSU or tomorrow against Kentucky. A win today would mean an off day tomorrow and LSU would have to play Kentucky.

Gamecocks of course taking on LSU today, a game which should be high scoring with both teams low on pitching and hot offensively. And, obviously, it is the first time they'll face Michael Braswell since he transferred out of the program. Here's how Mark Kingston lines the Gamecocks up:

Austin Brinling - CF
Ethan Petry - 1B
Blake Jackson - RF
Cole Messina - C
Paker Noland - 2B
Kennedy Jones - LF
Dalton Reeves - DH
Talmadge LeCroy - SS
Gavin Casas - 3B

Tyler Pitzer - Pitcher

D1 currently projects that the SEC in going to send a record 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament. 10 is the prior record that was also set by the SEC. As we looked at yesterday, South Carolina is one of five 13-17 SEC record schools fighting for a spot. https://southcarolina.rivals.com/news/life-on-the-bubble-5

If all 11 get in- then nothing in Hoover really is going to matter except for Ole Miss (win the tournament or the season's over) and Miss St (fighting for a host spot). Below is a complete at where college baseball's postseason sits at the moment. We will update as the week progresses.

There are 30 automatic births for conference champions and 34 at large births for the NCAA Tournament. There are 16 clear 1-bid leagues with zero chance of an at large. This is a quick look at each league.

American East Conference
Automatic Birth: Bryant
At large births: none this is a 1-bid league.

American Athletic Conference
Automatic Birth: Tulane
At large locks: The Green Wave stole a bid from someone because ECU was the only team getting in otherwise.

A10 Conference
Automatic Birth: VCU
At large births: None this as 1-bid league

ACC
Automatic Birth: Duke
At large births: FSU, UNC, Clemson, NC State, Wake, and UVA are locks. GT will sweat it out tomorrow.

A-Sun Conference
Automatic Birth: Stetson.
At large births: 1-bid league

Big XII
Automatic Birth: Ok State
At large births: Oklahoma, WVU, and Texas are locks. TCU and KState are on the bubble and will wait out selection Monday. I'd place the pecking order at TCU then KState.

Big East
Automatic Birth: St Johns- Johnnies may have stolen a bid.
At large births: UConn is a lock. Xavier is on the bubble- probably the wrong side

Big South
Automatic Birth: High Point
At large births: none this is a 1-bid league

Big Ten
Automatic Birth: Nebraska.
At large births: Illinois is somehow a lock. Indiana is on the bubble but I don't think they make it.

Big West
Automatic Birth: UC Santa Barbara
At large births: UC Irvine is a lock.

Coastal Athletic Conference
Automatic Birth: UNCW
At large births: Charleston is on the bubble. They are the first team out in D1 latest projection.

Conference USA
Automatic Birth: Dallas Baptist
At large births: Louisiana Tech is a lock. No stolen bid here as DBU was a lock.

Horizon League
Automatic Birth: Northern Kentucky
At large births: 1-bid league

Ivy League
Automatic Birth: Penn
At large births: None

MAAC
Automatic Birth: Niagara
At large births: 1-bid league.

MAC
Automatic Birth: Western Michigan
At large births: 1-bid league

Missouri Valley Conference
Automatic Birth: Evansville
At large births: Indiana State is lock. Another bid was stolen here.

Mountain West Conference
Automatic Birth: Fresno State
At large births: 1-bid league

Northeast Conference
Automatic Birth: Long Island
At large births: 1-bid league

Ohio Valley Conference
Automatic Birth: Southeast Missouri
At large births: 1-bid league

Pac 12
Automatic Birth: Arizona
At large births: Oreg St and Oregon are locks. Cal is squarely on the bubble.

Patriot League
Automatic Birth: Army
At large births: None

SEC
Automatic Birth: Tennessee
At large births: 9 locks (UGA, TAMU, Miss St, Ark, UK, Vandy, Bama, SC, and LSU). UF is going to try to ride their SOS into the field of 64 but it will be close.

SoCon
Automatic Birth: Wofford
At large births: Probably one bid but UNC Greensboro is at least on the bubble.

Southland Conference
Automatic Birth: Nicholls
At large births: 1-big league

SWAC
Automatic Birth: Grambling
At large births: 1-bid league

Summit League
Automatic Birth: Oral Roberts
At large births: 1-bid league

Sun Belt
Automatic Birth: Southern Miss
At large births: Louisiana is lock. Troy, Coastal and James Madison are all on the bubble. Two at best get in- could be just one.

West Coast Conference
Automatic Birth: San Diego
At large births: San Diego is a lock. Portland is on the bubble

WAC
Automatic Birth: Grand Canyon
At large births: 1-bid league

I promise this has a Gamecock angle. #1 pick in the 2023 mlb draft Paul Skenes from LSU is getting called up to the Pirates and will start on Saturday. He gave up 3 runs in 27 innings pitched in Triple A ball. He throws regularly over 100 mph. This is last year of course but we scored 3 runs on him in Columbia, had 2 homers against him and were one of only two teams he took a loss to. Either way, the guy is very impressive and dominant. And his girlfriend is the smoking hot gymnast, Livvy Dunne.

HOOVER, Ala. — Good afternoon from the Hoover Met, where we've reached the double elimination portion of the week. South Carolina takes on Arkansas today, which will start 30 minutes after this LSU-Kentucky game currently in the 8th inning ends. Gamecocks are starting Eli Jones on the mound, while Arkansas, already with a top-8 seed locked down, is starting a midweek guy in Ben Bybee. Here's how South Carolina's lineup looks:

Austin Brinling - CF
Ethan Petry - 1B
Blake Jackson - RF
Cole MEssina - C
Parker Noland - 2B
Kennedy Jones - LF
Dalton Reeves - DH
Talmadge LeCroy - SS
Gavin Casas - 3B

Eli Jones - Pitcher

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This is a two-way talent who is transferring prep programs in south Florida. The more programs look into him, the more his recruitment has ballooned. Gamecock OV set for the first weekend of June, and the program likes him as a TE/Hback

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/nfl-games-on-netflix

Netflix Will Be the Home to Live NFL Games This Christmas Day

Santa won’t be the only one seen all over the world.
BY HENRY GOLDBLATT
MAY 15, 2024
Netflix has an early Christmas gift for you — but it won’t fit under the tree. On Dec. 25, 2024, we’ll be the global home of the NFL’s two Christmas Day marquee games: the Super Bowl LVII-winning Chiefs vs Steelers and Ravens vs. Texans. And mark your calendar for Christmas Day in 2025 and 2026 when we’ll be streaming at least one holiday game each year as part of this three-season deal.

Netflix has been playing ball with the NFL for a couple of years now, beginning with the hit series Quarterback in 2023. This summer, Receiveris set to premiere on Netflix and will follow five of the NFL’s best pass catchers through their 2023 season on and off the field: Davante Adams (Raiders), Justin Jefferson (Vikings), George Kittle and Deebo Samuel (of the 49ers), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions).

“Last year, we decided to take a big bet on live — tapping into massive fandoms across comedy, reality TV, sports, and more,” says Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences NFL football attracts. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world,” says Hans Schroeder, NFL Executive Vice President of Media Distribution. “The NFL on Christmas has become a tradition and to partner with Netflix, a service whose biggest day of the year is typically this holiday, is the perfect combination to grow this event globally for NFL fans.”

The NFL launched Yuletide games in 1971 before bringing them back on a semi-regular basis in 1989. Since 2020, they’ve been a holiday staple with last year’s three Christmas games ranking among the top 25 most-viewed TV programs of 2023; the Raiders vs. Chiefs match (yes, Taylor Swift and Santa Claus attended) drew the highest Christmas Day viewership since 1988. In total, the NFL has staged 30 Christmas contests and in keeping with the NFL’s long-standing holiday tradition, the Netflix Christmas Day games will air on broadcast TV in the competing team cities, and be available on US mobile devices with NFL+. The league has also released its complete 2024-2025 schedule.

HOOVER, Ala. — Hello from the Hoover Met, where it's not raining. An actual miracle!

Anyway, South Carolina takes on Alabama here today in an absolutely vital game for both teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble. They both might be safe anyway with top-20 RPIs, but a win for either would all but lock up a bid. Gamecocks are also trying to snap a six-game losing streak. Here's how South Carolina will line up:

Austin Brinling - CF
Ethan Petry - 1B
Blake Jackson - RF
Cole Messina - C
Parker Noland - 2B
Kennedy Jones - LF
Dalton Reeves - DH
Talmadge LeCroy - SS
Gavin Casas - 3B

Dylan Eskew - Pitcher

Is anyone in the Summerville area that can help with the ridiculousness that is going on with the last Lower state game. Apparently Summerville won, but violated the pitch count rule. Thereby rewarding Ashley Ridge with the Lower state championship. First game for State is set for tomorrow in Lexington and is a pitching advantage to Lexington. Now I hear they both cheated and they will wait until Monday to decide, which negates the pitching advantage for Lexington. Anyone know?

Give a coach a big raise then they lay an egg for him. Lamont Paris, Shane Beamer, soon to be Kingston)

Will update this all throughout the off-seaon with ingoing and outgoing players, but the first Gamecock in the portal is Jackson Phipps. Left-handed relief pitcher who pitched 12 times in 2021, then had to get Tommy John surgery, pitched nine times last season and not at all in 2024.

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Whether you are for keeping MK for another year (not sure there are many of these left) or pro firing. We all still want Carolina to make the postseason. We will track that hard this week.

Transferred to OSU……

Continuously burned here, bench-warmer there???

Yesterday I posted that Carolina was 30th of 30. After that post they played a little better and the field started to struggle. The scores have been high today too. Gamecocks are about to tee off, they are in 18th and 3 shots off the top 15 cut line. They’ll need their best day thus far, but they are alive.

The Gamecocks used 4 hits to score 5 runs beating Utah 5-1. They’ll have to beat Duke twice to advance. The Durham regional is matched with the Columbia, MO regional. Missouri currently has to beat Omaha twice to advance. Lot of things still need to happen, but if Carolina can survive Durham there is a strong chance they’d be playing at home for the right to go to the WCWS.

Duke game should start around 4.