Transfers

[sybarite]

Duomba for two, and Reece for the class of '19, a great prospect, actually ok's highest ranked one according to prospect nation. Hope he doesn't grab Gregory as well :-(

I think we had quit recruiting prior to the Doumbia signing. We had our guards. I don't know that we were interested in Reece. Just because some site rates a player high doesn't mean she belongs there.

 

[cjhsooner]

Duomba for two, and Reece for the class of '19, a great prospect, actually ok's highest ranked one according to prospect nation. Hope he doesn't grab Gregory as well :-(

You see Gregory's #Dax2Norman tweet a couple days ago? Dax Hill is a top 40 football recruit, and she literally tweeted that out. I think OU is in very good shape for her.

 

[sooner8693]

women’s basketball transfers: Spring/summer 2018

d-i women’s basketball players transferring (arranged by former school), based on reports from february forward. The player’s class (fr, so, jr, sr) is for the 2017–18 season. (last updated: May 3, 2018—recent additions to the list and those with a recently announced transfer destination are highlighted in red)

stats
• total listed: 198
• those with their new school noted: 89
• grad transfers: 35
• transferring from power 5 schools: 64
• transferring to power 5 schools: 13
• d-i → d-ii: 18
• d-i → naia: 3
• d-i → juco: 5

akron
• destiny perkins, 5-6 fr guard, mccordsville, in → iupui

alabama
• daijia ruffin, 5-9 jr guard, louisville, ky (grad xfer)

appalachian state
• q. Murray, 5-9 rs jr guard, baltimore, md (immediately eligible; 2 years) → towson

ball state
• carmen grande, 5-8 jr point guard, madrid, spain (grad xfer)

binghamton
• jasmine sina, 5-5 rs jr point guard, lake hopatcong, nj (grad xfer) → st. John’s

boston college
• ella awobajo, 6-1 rs jr forward, kaduna, nigeria (grad xfer) → hartford

bowling green
• kennedy williams, 5-6 fr guard, marshall, il → southern indiana (d-ii)
• carly santoro, 5-10 jr guard, bellevue, oh (grad xfer) → ohio state

byu
• liz eaton, 5-10 so guard, mapleton, ut → weber state
• haley bodnar rydalch, 6-3 jr center, st. George, ut (grad xfer)

cal poly
• ayzhiana basallo, 5-5 fr point guard, san francisco, ca → san jose state

uc santa barbara
• sarah bates, 5-9 fr guard, fresno, ca → kansas state
• akilah jennings, 5-10 jr guard, san jose, ca
• sarah porter, 5-10 rs jr guard, san diego, ca (grad xfer) → utah
• nina radford, 6-0 fr wing, portland, or → northern arizona

chicago state
• chanel khammarath, 5-8 guard, chicago, il

clemson
• jaia alexander, 5-10 so guard, baltimore, md → butler
• nelly perry, 5-10 sr guard, camden, nj (grad xfer)

cleveland state
• ashanti abshaw, 5-9 rs jr forward, cleveland heights, oh (not on csu 2018–19 roster; grad xfer?)

colorado
• ariana freeman, 5-9 sr guard, manassas, va (grad xfer) → george mason

colorado state
• anna dreimane, 6-5 so center, riga, latvia
• jordyn edwards, 5-8 rs fr guard, seattle, wa
• callie kaiser, 5-10 jr wing, broomfield, co
• nathalie linden, 5-10 so guard, stockholm, sweden
• sofie tryggedsson, 6-0 jr guard, aarhus, denmark

columbia
• alexa giuliano, 5-6 sr guard, hackettstown, nj (grad xfer) → fordham

uconn
• andra espinoza-hunter, 5-11 fr guard, ossining, ny → mississippi state

delaware state
• ryan jones, 5-5 fr point guard, columbia, md

denver
• carie weinman, 5-9 fr guard, glenview, il
• sidney wentland, 6-0 fr forward, elk river, mn

depaul
• claire mcmahon, 6-1 so shooting guard, frankfort, il
• vinisha sherrod, 5-9 fr guard, bourbonnais, il → northern illinois

detroit mercy
• gracie roberts, 5-8 jr guard, nelson, new zealand

drexel
• hayley wardwell, 5-10 fr guard, hanover, ma

east tennessee state
• morgan martin, 6-1 rs jr forward, davenport, ia (grad xfer)
• alayjah sherer, 5-10 g, tupelo, ms → northwest florida state college (juco)

eastern michigan
• esabelle levine, 5-5 so point guard, eden prairie, mn → nova southeastern (d-ii)

eastern washington
• symone starks, 5-6 so point guard, highlands ranch, co

evansville
• crimson jones, 5-11 so guard, flora, il

fairfield
• erika schlosser, 5-9 so guard, apple valley, mn → northwest missouri state (d-ii)

florida
• mikayla hayes, 6-2 fr forward, brooklyn park, mn
• tameria johnson, 5-6 fr point guard, ocala, fl
• jalaysha thomas, 6-2 fr forward, ocala, fl

george mason
• danielle deoul, 6-2 fr forward, washingtonville, ny
• dejah williford-kelley, 6-1 so guard/forward, columbia, sc

george washington
• kendall bresee, 5-11 so guard, frederick, md

hampton
• dejane’ james, 5-3 jr guard, hartford, ct

high point
• haleigh hatfield, 6-0 so wing, winston-salem, nc
• jiselle thomas, 5-9 fr guard, norwalk, oh

idaho state
• amanda betlere, 5-6 fr guard, riga, latvia
• nicole murugarren, 6-2 jr forward, madrid, spain

illinois
• cydnee kinslow, 6-2 rs so forward, oakley, ca
• addaya moore, 5-11 fr guard, granite city, il
• jnaya walker, 6-1 fr forward, bolingbrook, il

illinois state
• amaria allen, 5-10 so guard, cincinnati, oh
• zakiya beckles, 5-6 so guard, middlesex, nj
• ajai simmons, 5-10 fr guard, studio city, ca
• deja turner, 5-11 so guard, tampa, fl
• morgan vanhyfte, 6-0 so guard, annawan, il → central missouri (d-ii)

indiana state
• maryam wilcher, 6-0 so guard, berwyn, il → st. Edward’s (d-ii)

iupui
• taylor drake, 6-3 so center, round lake height, il

iona
• alexis lewis, 5-10 jr guard, pittston, pa → seton hall

iowa state
• bride kennedy-hopoate, 6-4 jr forward, brisbane, australia

jacksonville state
• morgan towells, 5-7 so guard, atlanta, ga

la salle
• shaquana edwards, 5-6 rs fr point guard, hartford, ct

liberty
• iva ilic, 5-7 so shooting guard, koprivnica, croatia
• ola makurat, 6-2 so guard/forward, sierakowice, poland → utah

lipscomb
• morgan turner, 6-2 jr forward, guston, ky (grad xfer)

long beach state
• chanterria jackson, 6-1 jr forward, mckinney, tx → tarleton state (d-ii)

lsu
• chloe jackson, 5-9 rs jr shooting guard, upper marlboro, md (grad xfer) → baylor
• tatum neubert, 6-2 rs jr forward, elizabeth, co (grad xfer) → colorado state
• dekeriya patterson, 5-9 fr guard, lehigh acres, fl

louisiana tech
• maria delgado, 5-9 jr guard, bucaramanga, colombia → angelo state (d-ii)

louisville
• sydney zambrotta, 5-9 so guard, north babylon, ny

maine
• julie brosseau, 5-8 so shooting guard, repentigny, quebec → utah

manhattan
• kellyanne o’reilly, 5-7 so shooting guard, montville, nj

marquette
• myriama smith traore, 6-2 fr forward, whitewater, wi → st. Louis univ.

Marshall
• ekaterina zhibareva, 6-0 jr forward, liski, russia

umass
• alexia allesch, 6-2 fr wing, basking ridge, nj
• autumn giles, 5-7 fr guard, fort myers, fl → nova southeastern (d-ii)

umass lowell
• jennifer louro, 5-8 fr guard, belmar, nj → monmouth

memphis
• damonique miller, 5-11 rs jr wing, little rock, ar (grad xfer) → eastern illinois

michigan
• keasja peace, 6-3 so forward, toledo, oh → houston

ole miss
• alissa alston, 5-8 jr point guard, new haven, ct
• shelby gibson, 6-3 so forward/center, murfreesboro, tn
• marlee hatcher, 5-7 jr guard, pontotoc, ms → blue mountain college (naia)
• barbara johnson, 5-8 jr guard, toronto, on
• madinah muhammad, 5-8 jr guard, chicago, il
• chyna nixon, 5-9 so guard, philadelphia, pa
• kate rodgers, 6-2 jr forward, birmingham, al → troy
• promise taylor, 6-5 fr center, issaquah, wa

umkc
• bri stiers, 5-11 so forward, denver, co

monmouth
• alaina jarnot, 5-7 so point guard, brooklyn park, mn → north dakota
• kayla shaw, 5-10 so guard, scottsdale, az → delaware

montana
• nora klick, 6-0 rs fr guard, simms, mt
• hailey nicholson, 6-0 so forward, malta, mt → montana state university–northern (naia)

montana state
• coral gillette, 6-0 fr wing, bismarck, nd → university of mary (d-ii)
• laura pranger, 6-2 fr forward, centennial, co → azusa pacific (d-ii)

morehead state
• sisalynn norman, 5-11 so guard, raleigh, nc

morgan state
• lexus spears, 6-2 rs jr forward, jacksonville, fl (grad xfer) → east tennessee state

navy
• kaila clark, 5-11 so forward, hughesville, md → richmond

new hampshire
• emily peters, 5-6 jr guard, lindstrom, mn (grad xfer)

new mexico
• mykiel burleson, 5-11 so guard, pflugerville, tx → texas a&m–commerce (d-ii)
• n’dea flye, 5-7 fr point guard, oregon city, or
• jasmine smith, 5-7 fr guard, houston, tx

new mexico state
• jeneva toilolo, 6-3 rs so center, honolulu, hi → alaska anchorage (d-ii)

north carolina central
• jada blow, 5-5 so guard, chicago, il
• kayla hall, 6-3 fr forward, queens, ny
• alyssa thompson, 6-1 fr forward, charlotte, nc → fayetteville state (d-ii)

north dakota
• fallyn freije, 6-0 jr forward, edmore, nd → montana state

north dakota state
• kennedy childers, 5-9 jr guard, johnston, ia
• anna goodhope, 5-11 rs so forward, sioux falls, sd → sioux falls (d-ii)

north texas
• jada poland, 6-0 so forward, st. Louis, mo

northern arizona
• abbey jensen, 6-1 fr forward, yuma, az

northern colorado
• courtney smith, 6-3 jr center, thornton, co → denver

northwestern state
• cheyenne brown, 6-2 jr center, ben wheeler, tx

oakland
• carah burdette, 5-6 fr point guard, lexington, ky

ohio state
• sierra calhoun, 6-0 rs jr guard, brooklyn, ny (grad xfer)

omaha
• sara echelberry, 6-2 rs so guard/forward, conway springs, ks
• amber vidal, 5-6 jr point guard, san antonio, tx → lamar

oregon
• sierra campisano, 6-3 fr forward, san diego, ca
• anneli maley, 6-2 fr wing, melbourne, australia → tcu
• mallory mcgwire, 6-5 so forward, reno, nv → boise state

penn state
• de’janae boykin, 6-2 rs so forward, springdale, md → west virginia

pepperdine
• sydney bordonaro, 5-7 rs so guard, pittsburgh, pa (2-yr. Grad xfer) → long beach state

pitt
• yacine diop, 5-10 rs jr wing, dakar, senegal (grad xfer) → louisville

providence
• ny’dajah jackson, 5-5 so guard, oakland, ca → youngstown state

purdue
• miracle gray, 5-6 so guard, stone mountain, ga

rhode island
• charise wilson, 5-5 sr point guard, west babylon, ny (grad xfer) → seton hall

richmond
• tonysha curry, 5-10 fr guard, louisville, ky
• taisha murphy, 5-10 jr guard, clayton, nc (immediately eligible; 2 years) → east tennessee state

rider
• jaiden morris, 5-8 fr guard, richmond, va → morgan state

rutgers
• desiree keeling, 6-2 jr forward/center, roanoke, va → north carolina central

sacred heart
• korina guerra, 5-10 fr shooting guard, white plains, ny

st. Bonaventure
• keely fresh, 5-8 rs so guard, lexington, va (grad xfer)
• jalisha terry, 5-6 so point guard, flint, mi → oakland

saint mary’s
• joy akaegbu-cleveland, 6-2 so forward, spokane, wa → uc irvine

san francisco
• anna pierce, 5-6 so guard, plano, tx
• cierra roufosse, 6-3 rs so forward, abbotsford, british columbia → azusa pacific (d-ii)
• ninni salmi, 6-2 rs so wing, kauhajoki, finland (grad xfer) → northern illinois

san jose state
• taylor turney, 5-9 so point guard, henderson, nv

savannah state
• lauryn fields, 5-5 sr guard, cape may court house, nj (grad xfer)

seton hall
• jayla jones-pack, 6-3 so center, amityville, ny → north carolina a&t
• deja winters, 5-11 so wing, cleveland, oh → north carolina a&t

siena
• candela hermida, 5-8 fr guard, vigo, spain

south carolina
• bianca cuevas-moore, 5-6 sr point guard, bronx, ny (grad xfer) → west virginia
• victoria patrick, 5-8 so guard, orlando, fl → north florida

south dakota
• jaycee bradley, 5-9 jr guard, norfolk, ne

southern cal
• candela abejón, 6-1 jr guard, gijon, spain (grad xfer) → manhattan

usc upstate
• tamera thorpe, 5-8 jr guard, greensboro, nc

stetson
• sydney wagner, 5-6 fr point guard, phoenixville, pa → william & mary

syracuse
• nikki oppenheimer, 5-9 fr guard, glenview, il

ut martin
• kendall spray, 5-7 so guard, lebanon, tn

texas
• rellah boothe, 6-3 fr forward, ocala, fl → northwest florida state college (juco)
• khaléann caron-goudreau, 6-4 rs jr forward, gatineau, quebec → laval university (quebec)

texas a&m
• anriel howard, 6-1 jr forward, atlanta, ga (grad xfer)
• emer nichols, 6-5 fr center, pearland, tx
• danni williams, 5-10 jr guard, clovis, nm (grad xfer)

texas a&m–corpus christi
• k’neshia bush, 5-11 fr forward, jacksonville, fl → eastern oklahoma state college (juco)

ut arlington
• crystal allen, 5-9 sr guard, fort worth, tx (grad xfer)

tcu
• mikayla christian, 5-9 so guard, round rock, tx
• amber ramirez, 5-8 so guard, san antonio, tx

utep
• faith cook, 5-3 so point guard, baytown, tx
• najala howell, 5-10 jr wing, desoto, tx → new mexico
• roeshonda patterson, 5-8 so guard, odessa, tx
• rachel tapps, 5-8 so guard, cypress, tx

texas tech
• grayson bright, 5-11 so guard, fort worth, tx
• lyndsey whilby, 5-11 fr guard, powder springs, ga

toledo
• olivia cunningham, 5-7 rs jr guard, horn lake, ms (grad xfer)
• zaria wright, 5-8 fr guard, concord, nc

towson
• etalyia vogt, 5-8 so guard, long island, ny

utah
• megan jacobs, 6-1 so wing, las vegas, nv → colorado state
• tori williams, 5-9 fr guard, boise, id

utah state
• jessie geer, 5-8 so guard, gillette, wy → sioux falls (d-ii)

vanderbilt
• kayla overbeck, 6-1 so forward, newbury park, ca → southern cal
• paige warren, 6-4 fr center, dublin, oh
• erin whalen, 6-1 so guard/forward, charlotte, nc → dayton

vermont
• kianna funderburk, 5-9 fr guard, charlotte, nc
• dani lozzi, 5-10 fr guard, horsham, england

vcu
• bria gibson, 6-1 jr forward, columbia, md → high point

virginia tech
• celeste akoro, 6-2 fr center, o’fallon, il
• diandra darosa 5-6 sr point guard, pawtucket, ri (grad xfer)
• chanette hicks, 5-6 jr point guard, norfolk, va
• sierra votaw, 6-1 fr foward, harrells, nc → eastern florida state college (juco)

washington
• kierra collier, 5-6 fr point guard, kansas city, mo

washington state
• louise brown, 6-3 rs jr forward, melbourne, australia (grad xfer) → tennessee
• cameron fernandez, 5-10 so forward, makawao, hi → alaska anchorage (d-ii)
• nike mcclure, 6-3 rs jr forward, tenino, wa (grad xfer) → new mexico
• taryn shelley, 6-2 fr forward, shoreline, wa → montana state billings (d-ii)
• kayla washington, 6-0 so forward, san bernardino, ca

west virginia
• ashley jones, 5-6 fr guard, philadelphia, pa → temple

western carolina
• nikki johnson, 5-8 so guard, parsippany, nj

western michigan
• emma vanzanten, 6-4 so center, grand rapids, mi → youngstown state

william & mary
• nari garner, 5-7 so shooting guard, tampa, fl

wisconsin
• roichelle marble, 5-7 rs jr guard, des moines, ia (grad xfer) → colorado state

xavier
• jordyn dawson, 5-10 fr guard/forward, huntington, wv → wabash valley college (juco)

youngstown state
• natalie myers, 5-11 so guard/forward, lower burrell, pa
• anne secrest, 6-0 fr forward, claypool, in → indiana wesleyan (naia)

tmi

 

[Mac]

Chou Leaving Baylor.. personally I never thought she was a good fit there, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her land at a Pac 12 school, Cal could really use her.

https://sicem365.com/s/2669/wbb-chou-granted-release-to-transfer/4

 

[Soonerguy06]

She seemed very overrated from her high school ranking to Me. Maybe had lots of potential she just did not tap into due to confidence but wish her well wherever she goes.

 

[sybarite]

5 Erin Boley Notre Dame
7 Destiny Slocum Maryland
8 Natalie Chou Baylor
10 Tori McCoy, Ohio State
12 Amber Ramirez, TCU
13 Ciera Johnson, Louisville
14 Sierra Campisano, Oregon
15 Valerie Higgins, USC
16 Jennifer Staiti, Maryland
19 Nancy Mulkey, Oklahoma
23 A'Tayanna Gaulden, Florida State
24 Kiera Lewis, Ohio State
25 Jasmine Walker, Florida State

Thirteen of the top twenty-five have transferred? Over half? Have any of these, other than Slocum, stood out? This was the class of Dungee and Mulkey.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

I think Chou would have been a nice pick up for us. I don't know enough about the rest.

 

[Soonerguy06]

Wow, that's a remarkable percentage of transfers! It's becoming more and more prevalent in the women's game, as much as the men's almost, and I'll be honest, I don't like it at all! I hate even more that one has to sit out a full school year in most cases after transferring. Does anyone know the reasoning behind this?

Looks to me that that specific class may have been a flop, with the exception of a small few. I'll be interested to see how Dungee does at Arkansas this coming season, as well as Mulkey at Rice. Very interested indeed.

Also, can someone clarify for me, will Bloom be eligible to play for us come January 2019??

 

[sybarite]

First, we have no clue as to Bloom's status. But, I strongly suspect that Sherri would make no attempt to use her this year.

We have EJ, Aspen, and Nydia. I suspect that we would try to develop Aspen and Nydia into the new version of post that Sherri has, using EJ as the connection to the old. Then, I would anticipate that Bloom will be developed in practice, but having the eligibility retained to work with the incoming freshmen, recruits, and Shaina and Ana. I doubt she sees the floor until November, 2019.

 

[sybarite]

Aliyah Wilson transferred from Arkansas at the same time. So, Dungee is essentially taking her place.

 

[Soonerguy06]

Yeah, Wilson was the highest recruit out of Oklahoma that class, to my knowledge. Too bad she didn't want to come back home to OU! I still feel like we need one more player in this incoming class. I just have that feeling that 11 players is not enough. Considering our history with illness, injury, etc. Call me crazy, but I see us running into trouble again in having quality replacements for the starters when needed.

 

[sybarite]

Yeah, Wilson was the highest recruit out of Oklahoma that class, to my knowledge. Too bad she didn't want to come back home to OU! I still feel like we need one more player in this incoming class. I just have that feeling that 11 players is not enough. Considering our history with illness, injury, etc. Call me crazy, but I see us running into trouble again in having quality replacements for the starters when needed.

Wilson only scored about 4 ppg and shot about 28%.

 

[Soonerguy06]

As a freshman, right? That means nothing to me, Dungee only averaged around 7ppg but I guarantee further in her career she'll produce more. According to hoopgurlz very reliable rankings (sarcasm), Wilson is a better player, so who knows why she didn't produce more, could have been the coaching, or some other conflict. My point is, in my opinion she's a good player and we could have used her.

 

[sybarite]

I don't always agree with HoopGurlz (or Prospect Nation, although I regard them more highly). After watching Muskogee play Choctaw a couple of years ago in the state semi-finals, I thought that Ana had the ability to play D-1 ball. Wilson? What I noticed was that Wilson scored most of her points by being about a 5-11 Guard who really didn't shoot much from outside. She took it to the rim, being larger than the players who defended her. She missed often, but got the rebound over-and-over until she scored, almost always a layup. I didn't think she would shoot well enough to play outside as a guard in D-1, and I suspected that she would not be able to dominate the boards as she had against Choctaw, a team without a tall player. Although she might end up better than what I saw, I suspected that she would not be all that successful unless at a mid-major. Her freshmen year statistics seemed to bear that out. Dungee and Ana both outperformed her, and she was supposed to be the star over Dungee. Texas had a guard this year that I felt much like that about: highly-ranked, show me. So far, she hasn't.

 

[Soonerguy06]

I don't always agree with HoopGurlz (or Prospect Nation, although I regard them more highly). After watching Muskogee play Choctaw a couple of years ago in the state semi-finals, I thought that Ana had the ability to play D-1 ball. Wilson? What I noticed was that Wilson scored most of her points by being about a 5-11 Guard who really didn't shoot much from outside. She took it to the rim, being larger than the players who defended her. She missed often, but got the rebound over-and-over until she scored, almost always a layup. I didn't think she would shoot well enough to play outside as a guard in D-1, and I suspected that she would not be able to dominate the boards as she had against Choctaw, a team without a tall player. Although she might end up better than what I saw, I suspected that she would not be all that successful unless at a mid-major. Her freshmen year statistics seemed to bear that out. Dungee and Ana both outperformed her, and she was supposed to be the star over Dungee. Texas had a guard this year that I felt much like that about: highly-ranked, show me. So far, she hasn't.

Which Texas player are you referring to? I think it's pretty sad with how many all-americans Texas has, and Baylor, that we still can play them as closely as we did this year, not having any on our team. Maybe a good indicator that the rankings are not accurate or that we might in fact have better coaches? Who knows. I've always noticed that freshman at OU get more playing time then other Big 12 schools, usually because depth and lack of older Talent. Nonetheless I'm super excited to see these Freshmen that have come in this season!! Lampkin is the most intriguing player to me and cannot wait to see her play

 

[sybarite]

Which Texas player are you referring to? I think it's pretty sad with how many all-americans Texas has, and Baylor, that we still can play them as closely as we did this year, not having any on our team. Maybe a good indicator that the rankings are not accurate or that we might in fact have better coaches? Who knows. I've always noticed that freshman at OU get more playing time then other Big 12 schools, usually because depth and lack of older Talent. Nonetheless I'm super excited to see these Freshmen that have come in this season!! Lampkin is the most intriguing player to me and cannot wait to see her play

I don't want to mention names. It is the reason that I never liked skilledserv. He wanted to criticize our recruits. I never specifically addressed Wilson during the Dungee/Wilson arguments. If she leaves Texas, I'll be specific. Wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Mac]

Texas A&M will have 3 McDonald’s All Americans on there roster next year, Carter, Wilson, and Johnson... I think they will be top 3 in the SEC next year.

 

[sybarite]

Texas A&M will have 3 McDonald’s All Americans on there roster next year, Carter, Wilson, and Johnson... I think they will be top 3 in the SEC next year.

I doubt they make the first division. First, something is wrong. Why does a good team lose two seniors to transfer: Dani Williams and Anriel Howard. Both were much better than the transfers in.

Secondly, why would someone who could only hit about four points per game at Arkansas or Louisville as freshmen be so valuable? Unless they suddenly develop, it would appear that they were overrated to be McDonald's All-Americans.

Thirdly, it seems like something may be disturbing to A&M players about being in Chennedy Carter's shadow. With a star freshmen, they had a lot transfer out.

 

[Mac]

Any time you have the best player in the league you have a chance to be good.

 

[sybarite]

I think you have a chance to win any game. But, unless she is an All-American every night, you need a team. Why did so many of her team leave? They lost a rebounder who was getting ten boards a game. In return, they got transfers who may not get a hundred rebounds in a season. Why did they leave a team with a superstar?