So it looks like this season won't count toward a year of eligibility for basketball players. I don't know if this benefits us or not because we don't have room on our roster. So unless they expand the scholarship limit then I don't see us giving another year to anyone. Collier definitely won't be here another 3 years. Idk if Lambert would want to stay another year and I don't know if Harmon would want to be a backup because I know she expected to come in and take over the reigns. Of course she would still have to work for it but experience wins most of the time and that's Lambert. Taylor and Ebo would be the only two I would give another year to. This is going to be a big mess especially with the transfer rule. I expect a lot of 2021 freshman to either decommit or transfer once they realize veterans will be coming back.
One would think Lambert's situation would largely be tied to whether she finishes her grad degree in 1 year or 2. If she finishes in 1, she moves on. If it's a 2-year program, she'd be insane not to stay on scholarship for that 2nd year. Considering she got 2 undergrad degrees in 4 years at Duke, I'd be surprised if she doesn't finish in 1. When it comes to giving the extra year of eligibility, the optics on yanking the scholarship of a player that late into their Longhorn career would not be pretty. However, nudging those players towards transferring was a common practice before Covid and could be used for those players. I honestly don't see this being a huge threat to any of the current commits. Even if Kyra stays, Rori becomes the primary backup and takes over in her second year. As good as Deyona and Elyssa may be, I don't think either of them scares Aaliyah. Kyndall might be the most impacted should Joanne get another year - at her height (5' 7"), she can't really play the hybrid G/W role like Celeste or Shay. Of all the players, Joanne might be the most likely to actually need the extra year for her degree (Mechanical Engineering).
It’s official... NCAA grants extra year for winter sport athletes UConn women's coach Geno Auriemma said he thought a lot of his fellow coaches would object to the adjusted eligibility rule. "I don't have to worry about, I don't have any seniors," Auriemma said. "But I think you're going to have a lot of coaches that are going to go, 'You're putting me in a tough spot here.' Because now you're going to have some seniors go, 'Hey, I want to stay.' And then you've got a coach going like, 'I wasn't planning on you staying.' Now what are you going to do, turn the kid out?
Exactly! Lambert is the only one but I don't know if they would count her as a "typical senior". Since we have no seniors then I don't really see the point in giving freshman, sophomore, and juniors another year since the scholarship limit will have to go back after this season. Unless we are willing to sacrifice recruiting but I don't think the staff will choose to do so. As I said before Ebo, Taylor and Lambert would be the only players I would give another year to because Collier is pretty much a done deal in the wnba after this season which is why I think Texas is still recruiting the 6'8 player from Canada. She would get Collier's current scholarship.
