Yolett McPhee-McCuin and Ole Miss navigating between the portal and traditional recruiting

For the past three seasons Yolett McPhee-McCuin, along with every other college coach, has worked to get her sea legs underneath her when it comes to the transfer portal. So far Ole Miss has been successful in finding the right players to fit McCuin’s system.

First it was landing Shakira Austin from Maryland who became a dominant player in the post for McCuin and was the first WNBA draft pick for Ole Miss since 2007. Then it was getting Angel Baker and last season getting Myah Taylor to make the move across enemy lines from Mississippi State to Oxford.
Last week McCuin unveiled her latest portal class of three players that included two from the Southeastern Conference and another from Atlantic Coast Conference.

Last season McCuin had to get nearly 10 players via the portal to help flesh out her roster but this year’s group of three is a tribute to her success at the traditional high school level and keeping a strong core heading into the 2023-24 season.

“As far as the transfers (are) concerned, I think it’s an art to it,” McCuin said when talking to the media on Monday. “I don’t think that you just get greedy. I think it’s positive that we only had to sign three portal kids because it shows that our team is starting to have some consistency.”

Ole Miss had nine new players last season and currently will have eight new players for this year’s team. Though five are coming in as true freshman while three more are seasoned players who have Division I experience.

With the transfer portal ramping up steam on a daily if not hourly basis McCuin acknowledged that having to sign such a heavy portal class a year ago is not something that is sustainable on a every-offseason basis.

“We were working nonstop. It’s actually exhausting to recruit in the portal,” McCuin said. “Because it’s nonstop and you got to try to make it work. For us, we were able to really target exactly what we needed to hopefully make another Sweet 16 and beyond.”

Ole Miss now has three transfer portal cycles under McCuin and success is building with each class.

There is the give and take of the portal that is the part McCuin and every other coach has yet to master and probably never will. Ole Miss can bring in players but they also have to try and see who will be wearing a Rebels jersey next season.

With success comes the recognition of other teams that Ole Miss has talented players that could benefit their own squad. Football is the king in having to deal with re-recruiting a roster but basketball is quickly closing in as a strong second place.

Mastering what a program needs from the outside is one thing but also having to keep a strong finger on the pulse of who is still currently at Ole Miss is the challenge McCuin has yet to get a strong hold of.

“What’s challenging about the portal is you don’t know who you’re going to have your roster,” McCuin said. “If you lose one or two pieces that you didn’t expect then you have to kind of replace it in the portal. I don’t think you can replace a transfer kid with a freshman. I just don’t believe it. I don’t think it’s possible.

“What the portal allows you to do is get that experience that you may lose. That’s going to always be evolving because you don’t know. I can’t tell you after next year who’s going to be on my roster. The fifth year (transfer) makes it tricky as well. You’ve got Madison Scott and Snudda (Collins) that will be fifth year seniors. They can opt to come back and be with us or they can use it and go somewhere or they can enter the draft. How do you plan for that? You’re going to have replace those kids if they were to leave with the portal.”