Carter Booth, the Gophers best Middle this past season, our best Middle since at least Regan Pittman, and a freshman with potential to be the best Gopher Middle ever, is leaving. Booth’s father, a former NBA player, who attended many of Carter’s matches this past season, seems to to be a major influence in her life. In her statement, Carter said she left school (for the holidays) thinking she was staying, but after a long conversation with her parents, she decided that she “owed it to herself to explore her options.”
WORSE YET: Booth is transferring to Wisconsin! Coach Sheffield said that when he saw Booth’s name in “The Portal,” he reached out to her immediately. I’ll bet he did. Besides weakening the Gophers, Booth’s transfer makes the Badgers stronger. Booth could easily become the Badgers best player.
The Transfer Portal is a reality of modern, inter-collegiate sports, not likely to go away anytime soon. And one could argue that it’s a good thing; why should a talented young athlete be locked into playing her/his entire career at one school based on a decision made when she/he was 17? Especially if the promises (implied, if not literal) regarding coaching are broken.
But The Portal is brutal on teams with coaching changes. Under the stability of McCutcheon, the Gophers had experience minimal losses, mostly of players seeking more playing time elsewhere. (Notably Adanna Rollins, likely to lose her starting role anyway, and Lauren Barnes, stuck behind McGraw.) Minimal compared to when Russ Rose retired from Penn State, and the Nittany Lions’ whole team transferred. (The N. L.’s were surprisingly competitive this past season – but a long way from Final Four material.) When McCutcheon dropped his mid-season bombshell, I was worried this could happen to the Gophs. And it still could. We haven’t heard anything about Wooker, Shaffmaster or Hanson. Landfair announced she was staying, but she can change her mind – as Booth apparently did. I sure hope not.
Perhaps The Portal will provide Coach Cook an opportunity to replenish the roster. This past season’s Huskie Roster included a promising sophomore Middle, Sophie Summers, and a promising sophomore Libero. Lauren Bays. (I’d have rather kept the players we had.) Very discouraging!