My suggestion that the Gophers may have offered a full-ride to Olivia, who may not be a top-tier D1 Prospect, just to get Stella, is pure speculation, and nothing more. It is not based on any real information. I don’t even know that Olivia was offered a full-ride, and I don’t know what other schools may have been recruiting either or both. And I don’t know that Olivia won’t become productive for the Gophers before she finishes school.
But I’ve heard of such things, and I don’t think it even breaks any rules. Stella might have said that she wanted to sign with a team that would also sign her sister. Or her mother might have said it. Or McCutcheon/Cook might have inferred it. Plus there’s a 4th sister, a current sophomore, who will be the starting setter for Wayzata next fall, who the Gophs ought to be recruiting. Wooker’s older sister McKenna was on the Gopher Roster in 2022, for her first year of grad school — I’m guessing she was on scholarship. If Carter Booth had a sister we could have signed, she might still be a Gopher.
I saw Olivia play some in high school. She looked decent — but not dominant; Stella was, and so was Samantha. Wilhite and the Tapp Sisters were too. I didn’t even know their names when I saw these 5, but they caught my attention immediately — as top D1 prospects ought to. Wilhite didn’t even start for the Gophers in her freshman year, and Landfair struggled as a freshman. So maybe I’m underestimating Olivia.
I am skeptical that Olivia will ever be a regular in the Gopher rotation, but if Stella is as good as I think she is, meeting whatever demands she might have made was smart.