Is UConn out of the running for Megan Walker? Any news about other recruits?

[FlyRyGuy]

is it me or do these upcoming recruiting classes feel absent of major recruits ? (Danger field being the exception)

What's the latest news on Megan Walker? Is UConn out of it?

What's the latest news regarding other "big time" recruits?

 

[Orangutan]

is it me or do these upcoming recruiting classes feel absent of major recruits ? (Danger field being the exception)

What's the latest news on Megan Walker? Is UConn out of it?

What's the latest news regarding other "big time" recruits?

Megan Walker broke her school's single-game points record with 50 in a game on Feb. 8. As far as recruiting goes, there has been no news since her top-7 announcement in November (alpha order: Connecticut, Louisville, Maryland, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia). It certainly appears that UConn is very much in the running.

Regarding "major" recruits or a lack thereof, it depends on what you mean. I don't know if any of these kids are seen as a lock to dominate college ball like some past super-elite prospects but...

Megan Walker and Rellah Boothe seem to be "major" recruits in 2017.
The consensus top 4 in 2016 - Lauren Cox, Joyner Holmes, Dangerfield, Sabrina Ionescu all seem to have huge potential. And I'm biased but I'd throw Jackie Young and Erin Boley in there as well. I've also heard really good things about Destiny Slocum.

 

[johnnyc]

I'm guessing Geno and the staff think Molly Bent and Kyla Irwin are major recruits.

 

[Dillon77]

Following up on Orangutan, Sabrina Ionescu is still undecided at the point. California and the two Oregon schools are listed as the favorites. She can play either guard position and is supposed to be a terrific all-round player. Will be interesting to see what decision she makes this spring.

Looking at the post, I'll be turning an eye to the 6'9" Nancy Mulkey to see what she brings to Oklahoma. She committed to OU fairly early on, so didn't see that much scrutiny though out the process. Not expecting the second coming of Ms. Griner, but 6'9" gets your attention.

Settling into my ND fan persona, I'm looking forward to watching Jackie Young and Erin Boley bring their games to South Bend.

 

[ucalum]

Last week or the week before Geno went to watch Megan Walker so I think we are still in the recruiting hunt for her.

 

[Orangutan]

In case the OP meant a lack of major recruits have committed to UConn, it's still very early for '17 recruits. I wouldn't worry.

Also, as discussed in the Lexi Gordon thread, she is committing tomorrow and UConn is in the running.

Gordon seems to be a late-riser. I wouldn't be surprised if she and AEH each climb up the recruiting rankings in the future.

 

[iamcbs]

Following up on Orangutan, Sabrina Ionescu is still undecided at the point. California and the two Oregon schools are listed as the favorites. She can play either guard position and is supposed to be a terrific all-round player. Will be interesting to see what decision she makes this spring.

Looking at the post, I'll be turning an eye to the 6'9" Nancy Mulkey to see what she brings to Oklahoma. She committed to OU fairly early on, so didn't see that much scrutiny though out the process. Not expecting the second coming of Ms. Griner, but 6'9" gets your attention.

Settling into my ND fan persona, I'm looking forward to watching Jackie Young and Erin Boley bring their games to South Bend.

I've watched a couple of Erin Boley's games on Youtube and some highlights, she seems to me to be a clone of Westbeld, whatever you think of her.

 

[EricLA]

In case the OP meant a lack of major recruits have committed to UConn, it's still very early for '17 recruits. I wouldn't worry.

Also, as discussed in the Lexi Gordon thread, she is committing tomorrow and UConn is in the running.

Gordon seems to be a late-riser. I wouldn't be surprised if she and AEH each climb up the recruiting rankings in the future.

Agreed and as a side note - Hoopgurlz is not the only recruiting ranking service out there. Blue Star has Andra as the #3 kid on their list behind only Megan Walker and Rellah Booth. I don't know what she is on ASGR. Also Andra was on the Team USA U16 team and was one of the better players on the team.

 

[Orangutan]

Agreed and as a side note - Hoopgurlz is not the only recruiting ranking service out there. Blue Star has Andra as the #3 kid on their list behind only Megan Walker and Rellah Booth. I don't know what she is on ASGR. Also Andra was on the Team USA U16 team and was one of the better players on the team.

Not sure about ASGR. She's #17 on ProspectsNation. I had forgot how highly she was rated on Blue Star. I haven't really started compiling composite rankings for '17 yet.

 

[Carnac]

Following up on Orangutan, Sabrina Ionescu is still undecided at the point. California and the two Oregon schools are listed as the favorites. She can play either guard position and is supposed to be a terrific all-round player. Will be interesting to see what decision she makes this spring.

Looking at the post, I'll be turning an eye to the 6'9" Nancy Mulkey to see what she brings to Oklahoma. She committed to OU fairly early on, so didn't see that much scrutiny though out the process. Not expecting the second coming of Ms. Griner, but 6'9" gets your attention.

Settling into my ND fan persona, I'm looking forward to watching Jackie Young and Erin Boley bring their games to South Bend.

You're right. Mulkey will have my attention. She will be a very welcome addition to Sherry Coale's roster in the fall. I'm very interested to see her skill set. How long will it take her to make that high school to college transition? At 6'9", we assume she can dunk.

I'll be curious to see if: Can she shoot the mid-range jumper with any consistency?
We know 6'9" can/will block shots. Can she do so without fouling?
Finally..........can she run the floor? There are two types of bigs.
Those that run the floor like Kiah Stokes (smooth and fluid), and those that lumber (Slog). We shall see.

 

[Dillon77]

I've watched a couple of Erin Boley's games on Youtube and some highlights, she seems to me to be a clone of Westbeld, whatever you think of her.

I've probably watched many of the same highlights and games as you, as well as most of the televised/streamed ND games and I think there are a lot of similarities. However, I think Boley has a willingness and comfort level to take the mid- to slightly longer jumper (she also gets it off faster). Plus she's working on driving to the hoop from a bit further out. We'll see if that translates into ND's sets. Given how thin the Irish are up front, if she can be a Westbeld clone, let's go. (I think Kat has done yeoman-like work for the Irish this year and will continue to improve...she is only a sophomore.) However, I'm hoping to see a bit of the "stretch" that Coach McGraw highlighted in her remarks about her....we'll see.

 

[Alydar]

Agreed and as a side note - Hoopgurlz is not the only recruiting ranking service out there. Blue Star has Andra as the #3 kid on their list behind only Megan Walker and Rellah Booth. I don't know what she is on ASGR. Also Andra was on the Team USA U16 team and was one of the better players on the team.

Andra plays for Flynn's AAU team so that 3 ranking is suspect. But then she did pretty well on the U16 team leading in minutes played, 2nd in scoring and 5+ rb/game.

 

[Dillon77]

You're right. Mulkey will have my attention. She will be a very welcome addition to Sherry Coale's roster in the fall. I'm very interested to see her skill set. How long will it take her to make that high school to college transition? At 6'9", we assume she can dunk.

I'll be curious to see if: Can she shoot the mid-range jumper with any consistency?
We know 6'9" can/will block shots. Can she do so without fouling?
Finally.....can she run the floor? There are two types of bigs.
Those that run the floor like Kiah Stokes (smooth and fluid), and those that lumber (Slog). We shall see.

Good points all. Just a few thoughts:
- On blocking, will she (learn to) keep the blocks in bounds, for her team to possibly retrieve?
- Nimble feet in the lane. Tad different from running the floor. Can she more quickly to offer weak-side help (or intimidation, at that height). That ability to move also helps with rebounding.
- What are her go-to shots?

Interestingly, one of the posts here led to a website where I saw her exchanging tweets with Charli Collier, so those Texas-based posts seem to know each other.

 

[donalddoowop]

Following up on Orangutan, Sabrina Ionescu is still undecided at the point. California and the two Oregon schools are listed as the favorites. She can play either guard position and is supposed to be a terrific all-round player. Will be interesting to see what decision she makes this spring.

Looking at the post, I'll be turning an eye to the 6'9" Nancy Mulkey to see what she brings to Oklahoma. She committed to OU fairly early on, so didn't see that much scrutiny though out the process. Not expecting the second coming of Ms. Griner, but 6'9" gets your attention.

Settling into my ND fan persona, I'm looking forward to watching Jackie Young and Erin Boley bring their games to South Bend.

ND's guard position is in great shape for the next four years. I watched Young in her state championship game last season and plan on watching her this season if her team makes it this season. She is really good. I also saw Patberg play in her state championship game and she looked good.

 

[Orangutan]

ND's guard position is in great shape for the next four years. I watched Young in her state championship game last season and plan on watching her this season if her team makes it this season. She is really good. I also saw Patberg play in her state championship game and she looked good.

Unfortunately, Young's team was upset in the early rounds this year

If I recall correctly, Young scored 27 of her team's 33 or 34 points in the loss.

 

[bruinbball]

Unfortunately, Young's team was upset in the early rounds this year

If I recall correctly, Young scored 27 of her team's 33 or 34 points in the loss.

This is correct. I was hoping to see her Princeton team and Kelly Faris' old team Heritage Christian face off in the state finals with top 30 2016 uncommitted player Tyasha Harris leading the Eagles, but unfortunately that will not happen.

I watched Young in two games earlier this season and fell in love. She broke Indiana's All-Time scoring record this year, but that wasn't even what impressed me most. ND got a good one here.

I still very interested to see where Tyasha Harris lands for next year.

 

[SCGamecock]

I still very interested to see where Tyasha Harris lands for next year.

Hopefully with us. Rumor is she's down to Iowa and South Carolina. That rumor came from an Iowa message board where the OP said he's good friends with the coach at Heritage Christian. Don't know how accurate but I'm not holding my breath... we've missed on too many good recruits these last two classes for me to feel confident.

Back on topic... how likely is it that both Gordon and Walker want to play at the same school? They are both wing type players..

 

[iamcbs]

I've probably watched many of the same highlights and games as you, as well as most of the televised/streamed ND games and I think there are a lot of similarities. However, I think Boley has a willingness and comfort level to take the mid- to slightly longer jumper (she also gets it off faster). Plus she's working on driving to the hoop from a bit further out. We'll see if that translates into ND's sets. Given how thin the Irish are up front, if she can be a Westbeld clone, let's go. (I think Kat has done yeoman-like work for the Irish this year and will continue to improve...she is only a sophomore.) However, I'm hoping to see a bit of the "stretch" that Coach McGraw highlighted in her remarks about her....we'll see.

Westbeld eschewed tOSU because she felt ND was a better fit for her, I didn't she much of her in HS but after watching her for a year-and-a-half at ND, I agree. I don't see the quick-trigger from Boley although her range is superior to Westbeld and her handle isn't good enough at this stage to be able to get to wherever she want to go at the college level, that deficiency will be corrected with coaching and work. Boley is a nice player, but at this point I don't see her as a difference maker.

 

[CocoHusky]

Back on topic... how likely is it that both Gordon and Walker want to play at the same school? They are both wing type players..

Gordon, Walker & Espinoza-Hunter are all Wing type SF/SGs. But for UCONN this not that unusual in 2014 they brought in 4 guards Nurse, Edwards, Williams, and Ekmark. 2015 brought in 3 wings in KLS, Napheesa, De'Janae. The overlap at the SG and SF allows for Walker and Gordon to play as Freshmen and start as Sophomores with the departure of anticipated senior starters Kia & Gabby. Of course if Megatron is a good as advertised she could start as a Freshmen.

 

[donalddoowop]

Unfortunately, Young's team was upset in the early rounds this year

If I recall correctly, Young scored 27 of her team's 33 or 34 points in the loss.

Thanks for the information.

 

[bags27]

Gordon, Walker & Espinoza-Hunter are all Wing type SF/SGs. But for UCONN this not that unusual in 2014 they brought in 4 guards Nurse, Edwards, Williams, and Ekmark. 2015 brought in 3 wings in KLS, Napheesa, De'Janae. The overlap at the SG and SF allows for Walker and Gordon to play as Freshmen and start as Sophomores with the departure of anticipated senior starters Kia & Gabby. Of course if Megatron is a good as advertised she could start as a Freshmen.

Thanks: this is helpful. I'm pretty new at the intricacies of WCBB, and I just don't understand positioning in such a fluid offense as UConn plays. Obviously, you need an excellent ball handler and a couple of tough rebounders. Those are skills, not necessarily positions or people. Theoretically, 4 kids in the 5'11-6'1" range and maybe one 6'4 kid might well do the job. Everybody shoots from the outside, mid-range, and underneath, and 3 or 4 crash the boards. I'm really excited about Chrystal coming, but I don't think there necessarily has to be a "water bug" point guard, any more than there needs to be a "battleship" low post player. In fact, I suspect that next year, as Chrystal works her way in, Kia will play point and Lou will play a lot of 2 guard, directing offense from the top with her great court vision. Great coaches always adjust to their talent.

 

[Wally East]

"Crystal" No "h"

 

[EricLA]

Back on topic... how likely is it that both Gordon and Walker want to play at the same school? They are both wing type players..

Just my $.02 - Geno is/was unsure about Walker and decided to NOT have a replay of the Deshields situation where he passed over a great local talent in Bria Holmes thinking Deshields was coming to UCONN (i'm sure there's way more to it than that, but that's the gist of what I recall).

Point being, Gordon is a rising player - improved big time in the past year with LOTS of upside. If Walker wants to come to UCONN, great. Can't have too much of a good thing. If not, we already have a fabulous trio of Dangerfield, Hunter and Gordon to build on with the "youngsters" of Bent and Irwin as well... (when Nurse/Williams/Butler are seniors and Lou/Collier are juniors)

 

[Dillon77]

This is correct. I was hoping to see her Princeton team and Kelly Faris' old team Heritage Christian face off in the state finals with top 30 2016 uncommitted player Tyasha Harris leading the Eagles, but unfortunately that will not happen.

I watched Young in two games earlier this season and fell in love. She broke Indiana's All-Time scoring record this year, but that wasn't even what impressed me most. ND got a good one here.

I still very interested to see where Tyasha Harris lands for next year.

Bruinbball -- Excuse me for asking the obvious, but are you a UCLA Bruin fan? If so, I read somewhere that UCLA has offered another Indiana point guard -- Dana Evans from West Side, from the Class of 2017. Have you seen her play in person, as you did with Jackie Young?
BTW, there are many ND fans that would like to see the Irish offer Dana Evans, as well.