Dcheetah said:

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I think her talent evaluation is ok as she has gotten interest from a number of top players at one point or another who could fulfill those criteria very well. She just can't get any of them to sign and come aboard. You are right that she has not identified any major talent outside the top 60 or so that have excelled but I think that is pretty tough for everyone and for every hit there are a lot of misses. I really like your last paragraph on needs.

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My comment wasn't directed at the players Baylor didn't land, but at a few of the players taken.
CNC gets a pass those first 2-3 years due to the roster mess she inherited (only two players returning after Year One and one of those a COVID 5th year). She had to build depth and a disproportionate % of misses was probable).

But at this point the roster shouldn't be populated by so many "not Top 25 Team (note team ranking not position ranking) caliber players". Every player should be a Top 75 at their position (whether Top 75 Starting Guard or Top 75 backup post) with the ability/probability to move into Top 50 at some point. At least 1/3 of the roster are simply not talented enough to be at Baylor. That is a tough reality but a reality.

We have enough NIL to land 3 key players and then fill out the rotation with quality Top 40-60 players and fill the remaining roster with fringe Top 75 development players.

Part of it seems to be understanding what type of team we are going to be…….we have migrated toward a D first team but have several players who don't fit that design. And the next few weeks are going to show IN SPOTLIGHT FORM why O creators are required to play pro action O.

Loops back to the prior Strategic comments. Every part of the program needs to be aligned. Recruiting, O style, D style, Portal, etc. We seem to be flailing and attaching a Chevy frame to a Ford motor and a Chrysler transmission and then wondering why the car doesn't run.

Chiming in with my assessment of the program:

1) We only have one player who can create shots and get to the basket regularly (Scott).
2) We shoot way too many 3's and miss many of them. Get to the basket!
3) We do not have ball handlers. Jana looks completely out of control and turns the ball over way too much.
4) We have underutilized Deng. She is a shooter. Put her in.
5) Players do not fear Nikki (like Kim). She is their friend. Players make terrible plays and she just stands there.
6) Nikki won with Kim's recruits. She has digressed every year since then.
7) Buggs and Fonteroy were not the big recruits that many expected. Look at their stats this year as seniors.
8) Baylor is slow on defense and prone to give up back door screens.
9) Did I mention turnovers?
10) I am not sure what Nikki's offense is supposed to look like? It seems to be a lot of dribbling and wild shots.
11) Our recruiting is not good. I think I read that last year's class was somewhere in the 60's. Not good.
12) We aren't getting the top players in Texas (or even central Texas for that matter).
13) Baylor rarely scores above 75 (even against bad opponents). We are offensively challenged.

My friend attended the UT game and called me. Direct quote "what in the World has happened to Baylor? All they do is run down the court, dribble wildly, and shoot 3's". He then said "when they are not turning the ball over". We will beat some of the lower tier Big 12 teams, but I am not confident against the top tier.

And yes, I miss making the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, and Championships. And, I miss the fire of Kim Mulkey.