In Reply to: Did a very quick scan of the power conferences posted by Punahou on April 23, 2026 at 14:50:34
I think any of those would be pretty much a great pick up.
My pov all along is that Betts is a 5, she's a starter, she's going to get 25 mpg. So, whatever loot we had, I would not have wanted it thrown at a 5. We have Muse as the back-up. Hoping she can play 15 minutes per game.
At 4, we have Gardiner. We have Bilic that can take some of those minutes and some of the minutes at 3.
At 3 we have Bilic and Brown. I feel like that's a quality front line. We need another body for depth, and in case Muse is not there yet.
I think that there are people that don't see Betts as a 5. And, there are certainly people that don't see Bilic as depth at 4 and 5 (in addition to her primary role). We'll see what happens in November.
But, to me, just going on stats, Diahkate would be a great pick up. 6'5" and in addition to what you listed, she averages 1.4 blocks per game.
that said - I think actually my top priority in the portal at this point would be O'Neal from Florida. I don't know anything about her but what you posted and what's on her Florida bio. But, dang, if she's a team player, she seems like she'd be an incredible pick-up.
6'4". Your source lists her as a guard, Florida lists her as a Forward. Let's assume she's a 6'4" wing.
Shot 38.1% on threes (a huge improvement from her 27% her freshman year). 53% from the field. In 25 min per game, 13.6 ppg, 6 boards. 1.4 blocks per game. For perspective, that puts her slightly ahead of SoCaro's Madina Okot.
CCC had said she wants to pick up 5-6 players in the portal. We're at 4, I think (Aarnisalo, Deas, Donovyn, Brown, am I missing someone?). If we coud get O'Neal, that would be great. If we could get Diakate, that would be very good. I think we have two slots open. If we could get both, that would be Incredible. (on paper).
Here is what the Florida webpage says about O'Neal:
Overview
Named a McDonald's All-American in 2024
Represented Florida at the 2025 USA Basketball 3X Nationals
Was a top-50 ranked recruit in the country (2024)
Third ranked recruit out of Texas (2024)
In The News
TheAlligator.com (Dec. 7, 2025)—From potential to production: Me'Arah O'Neal is making her mark
ESPN.com (Nov. 10, 2023)—How Me'Arah O'Neal emerged from Shaq's basketball shadow.
2025-2026, Sophomore Season
Recorded double-doubles in her first three games of the season—14 points and 11 rebounds vs. North Florida on Nov. 3; 14 points and 10 rebounds vs. Chattanooga on Nov. 6; 20 points and 11 rebounds vs. Jacksonville on Nov. 10.
Named the SEC co-player of the week on Dec. 30, 2025 after scoring 22 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, handing out 4 assists, recording 3 steals and blocking 4 shots in the Gator's win over Furman.
2024-2025, Freshman Season
Made her first start as a Gator against Florida Atlantic (Nov. 4, 2024)
Tallied 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in first appearance as a Gator
Scored a season-high 19 points against Arkansas (Feb. 2, 2024)
Logged her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds (Dec. 2, 2024)
Led UF in scoring for the first time against Arkansas with 19 points (Feb. 2, 2024)
Prep
33rd-ranked recruit in the country (Prospects Nation and the ESPNW Top 100)
Third-best prospect in the state of Texas for the 2024 recruiting class
Selected for the 2024 McDonald's All-American roster
Invited to play in the 2024 Jordan Brand Classic Game
Led her team to win the Southwest Preparatory Conference Class 4A girls state basketball title
All-Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) with Episcopal as a junior
During the summer of 2023, O'Neal played with Texas-based EYBL club CyFair Elite on the AAU circuit
Averaged 7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists in 19.8 minutes per game