New Women’s transfer
- Thread starter kougkurt
- Start date
Looks like an outstanding get. Apparently she didn't play at all last year because of injuries. Pulling her away from ASU and Charli TT is quite a coup.
Very nice pickup. The depth continues to get better and better.
From the official site:
The Washington State women's basketball team announced Thursday, May 27, the addition of transfer forward Keeli Burton-Oliver. The 6-3 forward will be eligible to play for the Cougars in the upcoming 2021-22 season and has four years of eligibility remaining in her collegiate career.
Burton-Oliver, a Seattle native, returns to the Evergreen State after spending one season at Arizona State. The post player was a standout at Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Washington, where she was a two-time Washington Class 4A Player of the Year. Additionally, Burton-Oliver was a two-time Washington 4A first team selection and was ranked as the 12th-best player at her position in 2020 class by ESPN.com....
wsucougars.com
From the official site:
The Washington State women's basketball team announced Thursday, May 27, the addition of transfer forward Keeli Burton-Oliver. The 6-3 forward will be eligible to play for the Cougars in the upcoming 2021-22 season and has four years of eligibility remaining in her collegiate career.
Burton-Oliver, a Seattle native, returns to the Evergreen State after spending one season at Arizona State. The post player was a standout at Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Washington, where she was a two-time Washington Class 4A Player of the Year. Additionally, Burton-Oliver was a two-time Washington 4A first team selection and was ranked as the 12th-best player at her position in 2020 class by ESPN.com....
Women's Basketball Lands Transfer Burton-Oliver - Washington State University Athletics
PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team announced Thursday, May 27, the addition of transfer forward Keeli Burton-Oliver. The 6-3 forward will be eligible to play for the Cougars in the upcoming 2021-22 season and has four years of eligibility remaining in her collegiate...
wsucougars.com
Turner Thorne said something about a "pre-existing condition"? She looks like she's in much better shape so hopefully whatever it was is cleared up. She definitely has good offensive skills. I think the thing that might have been in question is how her defense might translate to the Pac 12. She could be the 4 help we need to go along with Ula.
Along with grabbing one from ASU she's also from Seattle and played on the NW Blazers. Aren't they one of the better AAU programs in the northwest?
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I have read the same thing in a few articles, that she red-shirted last season due to a "pre-existing condition" None of them say what the condition is. I also didn't see anything that said she was missing games when she was in high school. So, whatever it is, hopefully it is behind her and will not affect her going forward. ESPN had her a three star player with a 90 grade. I saw another website rate her as the 90th best player of the 2020 class. She had also committed to ASU as a junior. Glad she is now going to be a Cougar.
I think she is a good rebounder, and also a good passer. She has said she wants to be a good all around player. I read she is good at the outlet pass to start the fast break.
Yeah, seems like she does a lot of different things. Turner Thorne referred to her as a "point-post" in an article I found on their recruiting class. I like that sound of that. We really need some post depth. If she can contribute at the 4 and/or 5 that would really be huge for the rotation.
First 3 years we have had the shortest bench in the conference. Programs like Oregon and Oregon State consistently go 9 or 10 deep. Burton-Oliver, Wallack, and Burrows should give us some help.
4A POY, 4A tournament MVP, state championship. She's gotta be able to do something. ASU's signing class article has a lot of good things to say about her. https://thesundevils.com/news/2019/...sundevilwbb-announces-2020-signing-class.aspx
I think the lack of depth cost the Cougars several games, including the tournament game. We will have to wait to see if Burton-Oliver is ready to contribute immediately, or if she will take time. She does provide the team with another big body, which the team needs.
There still is no backup point guard until Burrows is eligible the second semester. But, I think she is going to be a good one. Probably better than Krystal Ledger-Walker by the time she graduates.
I am really looking forward to watching the women's and men's teams. Oh, and by then, Larry Scott will be a distant memory.
What is the most common women's BB HS injury? Achilles? Something in the lower leg...seems like a decent bet for the "pre-existing condition". Any of those should be rehabbed by now, and knowing the vulnerability there is a fair chance of avoiding it again in the future.
On the other hand if it is something unusual, then who knows?
On the other hand if it is something unusual, then who knows?
If my count is correct I think we have one more to give for next year. I saw a follow from someone on the staff that was interesting (player from NZ). Whether or not that turns into an offer we could still be looking for next year.
Depth was definitely an issue. Far too many minutes for KL-W, CL-W, and Ula. We really need players to improve over the offseason if we want to compete in the top half again.
FWIW the player they might be looking at is a guard. She shot 46.8% from 3 last year as a JC. Seemed somewhat like a Teder although not sure about the defensive end.
FWIW the player they might be looking at is a guard. She shot 46.8% from 3 last year as a JC. Seemed somewhat like a Teder although not sure about the defensive end.
Kaitlin Burgess (5-8" SG) from CSI. She was NJCAA 3rd team All-American. I don't believe she has an offer so the follows might not mean much. Plus it's Deb Patterson who I don't believe can "recruit" (?) but not sure on that.
I would assume she if we are looking at her we are looking at others as well.
I would assume she if we are looking at her we are looking at others as well.
Yeah, highlights but seems like a fit in terms of the way she plays plus we need scoring and shooting. If we are actually interested and ultimately offer it probably comes down to whether she wants P5 and to compete against incumbent starters versus stepping in at a lower division school. I don't know Boise State's situation but know they have a solid program.
Don't you think Sarver and Teder can handle some of the point duties? I would love to see Bella come close to her potential. She has the ability to be a difference make, but has to show it.
I think Teder can take the point and we see that in ooc next year. She plays pg for the Estonian National team (age group) and there was a poster that saw her at her JC and said she was the backup. I'm not so sure about Sarver but we need her to step up and provide consistent production.
C-LW can basically play anywhere as well but ideally you probably want her to focus on scoring.
C-LW can basically play anywhere as well but ideally you probably want her to focus on scoring.
C-LW can be the Cougars version of Allen Iverson. Until the second semester when Burrows is eligible, I can see Teder or Sarver being the PG. But, I can also see one of them listed as the backup, but more likely they will all be interchangeable combo guards.
Gosh, isn't it nice to actually have enough good players that we can debate which one(s) will play where? And a coach who is bright enough to make use of those players? There were a lot of dark years when that sort of debate would never have taken place.
I saw a few weeks ago Burgess seemed to stop following Patterson. Burgess committed to Boise State a few weeks ago. I still hope we are looking for help next season.
...and now we find out why she's not playing. Burton-Oliver "was diagnosed with left ventricular non compaction syndrome" and was never medically cleared to play at ASU. After transferring to WSU, it appears she decided to forgo hoops. She's still a Coug and pursuing a bio med sciences degree.
Part of the depth issue was the zero pre-season. We were literally playing for our lives day one, so no time to develop anything off of the bench. Just put the 5 best players on the court and stick with them. These early/easy games, along with a few testers, are most important for the players coming off of the bench. Obviously we have a few more pieces for the puzzle this year as well...
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