Bella Ragone 2026

1,603 Views | 4 Replies | Last: 10 mo ago by mmixon
mmixon
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Coach Abe and staff have offered Bella as of yesterday. Her mother and father both are Louisville University legends. We were not the first to offer, we are way down the list to be honest. We have to change recruiting because we are headed to the bottom if we don't. Andy Landers only missed the NCAA twice in his historic career, 1992 and 94. We are definitely going to miss the tournament this year and if Coach Abe doesn't hit the transfer portal this off season and get some talent in there, next year will be as bad or worse. With Coach Abe and staff, you have 6 coaches there is no reason not to be visiting schools to watch kids play to identify the late bloomers. We don't have the reputation right now to compete with the top schools for recruits, so you have to find the kids in your state who haven't gotten the big name yet. I haven't seen UGA this bad talent wise since before Landers took over in 1979. You can't recruit on the internet. You have to go to the schools and meet the coaches and the parents. Since Tubby Smith left the men's basketball team, 8 coaches have been fired. Landers continued to win, Joni Taylor was steady and signed her best class before she left. Coach Abe must hit the transfer portal or she will be in dangerous times.
Dawg44
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We were invited to attend a practice this past Thursday. She told us she needed four players from the portal in March. But we have almost zero NIL funds. We have no chance to get good players if we don't step up our NIL game. Schools like LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee will get all the good players over us. Those schools pay very well. And this problem is not on our coaching staff.
mmixon
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Dawg44, I agree with you 100 percent. The UGA fan base is going to have to help get sponsors for the women's team. It is more than recruiting now, you have to create funds for NIL. The Football team and Men's basketball team I have to believe has support. In the decade of the 70s before Dooley hired Andy Landers, UGA had one winning season at 11 and 9. We are headed back to those days unless true fans of UGA steps up to the plate. When Teresa Edwards and team played Tennessee in the SEC semifinal in 1996, I was one of less than a handful of fans at the game in Athens. UGA would be a number one seed that won 30 games and that was the kind of support the Ladydawgs got. In the early nineties the SEC moved the women's tournament to Albany Georgia and the support was super, especially for UGA because we love women's basketball in that area, which is a 30 minute drive from my house. Unfortunately that time, Landers had 2 of his weaker teams but it didn't matter to us because we were there and supported them, but the other coaches wanted the tournament to move around which is understandable. But what I am saying is we need to support our Ladydawgs basketball team like we do the football and men's basketball team.
Dawg44
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I agree with everything you said. Kirby came to this practice event last year and encouraged us to donate to the NIL funds. Kirby said there were two very good players that loved our coaches and school and really wanted to play for us, but they both got nice NIL deals at two other different SEC schools. We would have been a much much better team this year with those two difference makers. I can't blame our coaches for any of that.
mmixon
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Dawg44, I definitely believe that because I thought we had Madisen McDaniel, Eris Lester and Vivian Iwuchukwu in this class. Now I know NIL played a big role in their signing because all three loved UGA and they knew that they would be starters as freshmen. Who wants to sit on the bench when you have started since little league. I am praying that we get some sponsors for our ladies because they deserve the same chance as the other sports.
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