2019/20 UConn Recruiting

[donalddoowop]

I don't think much separates them though they are different types of players.

ESPN has Hailey Van Lith #3 and Bueckers #5.

Prospects Nation has Hailey Van Lith #1 but a recent tweet by Keil Moore suggests Bueckers may ascend to that spot in their next re-ranking.

Blue Star has Bueckers 5th and Hailey Van Lith 13th though they were slow to come around on the latter.

One of Premiere Basketball's evaluators, Jason Key, has Bueckers as his #1 overall.

Thank you. I see why many BY seem to want Bueckers more.

 

[TitleTown]

What is it about Hailey Van Lith that has different organizations rating her higher than Bueckers when so many on the BY talk so highly of Bueckers? What does she do better?

Hailey Van Lith is more of a "floor general", has a better handle, is a better on ball defender, and is better at reading defenses and getting the ball to the open player.

 

[donalddoowop]

Hailey Van Lith is more of a "floor general", has a better handle, is a better on ball defender, and is better at reading defenses and getting the ball to the open player.

Thank you.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Hailey Van Lith is more of a "floor general", has a better handle, is a better on ball defender, and is better at reading defenses and getting the ball to the open player.

I highly disagree with this assessment, particularly 1 and 4/5.

 

[Alydar]

What is it about Hailey Van Lith that has different organizations rating her higher than Bueckers when so many on the BY talk so highly of Bueckers? What does she do better?

In general, (and IMO), raters put a lot of emphasis on what guards do with the ball in their hands, ball handling in particular. To a certain extent that is understandable since they have the ball in their hands a great deal on most teams. UConn's guards however don't do a lot of fancy dribble moves as UConn is much more of a passing team. UConn guards, except for transitions, pass far more often than they dribble. You rarely see any UConn player dribble more than 3 times before either shooting or passing. So guards that find open team mates and who can play without the ball are more valuable in Storrs than someone who has great spin moves.

I haven't seem Hailey Van Lith much in game situations but I have seen Bueckers. She is to my eye significantly longer, both in height and in reach. Her length gives her an advantage defending away from the ball as she deflects and intercepts a lot of passes. It also allows her to rise higher on drives to the hoop.

But then I have been high on Bueckers for about 2 years and once I fall in love with a player it's hard to talk me off them. Beyond skills I love her on-court attitude, confident, in fact unintimidatable (is that a word?), bordering on cockiness. She looks like there is nowhere in the world she would rather be.

I see Hailey Van Lith taking over at Oregon when Ionescu graduates. No knowledge, just a hunch.

 

[Alydar]

I highly disagree with this assessment, particularly 1 and 4/5.

Haven't seen Hailey Van Lith but I haven't seen anyone better than Bueckers at 1, 4 & 5 in many many years. If Hailey Van Lith is better then they should reserve a pedestal at whatever school she chooses.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Jordan says she wants a coach who will push and develop her. I don’t see her getting coached up at UNC, OSU, or Tenn.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Haven't seen Hailey Van Lith but I haven't seen anyone better than Bueckers at 1, 4 & 5 in many many years. If Hailey Van Lith is better then they should reserve a pedestal at whatever school she chooses.

It would be the modern day equivalent of having Bird and Taurasi in the same class. There is room for both of them. Geno likens Paige to Diana. She is longer and flashier than Hailey Van Lith. I hope we get Paige, but getting Hailey Van Lith, whether as a back-up plan or with Paige, would be huge. I think Geno and Jas can convince Hailey Van Lith that Gampel is the place for her.

 

[MilfordHusky]

If Geno can get Horston, Bueckers, and Van Lith, the season assist record will be toast.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I can't begin to imagine how difficult it would be to get an engineering degree in four years while playing basketball.....kids have a tough enough time with no extracurricular activities never mind the endless practices and travel..

Ruth Hamblin got an engineering degree during her 4 years at Oregon St., I think she was at the top of her class as well.

 

[Charliebball]

Hailey Van Lith is more of a "floor general", has a better handle, is a better on ball defender, and is better at reading defenses and getting the ball to the open player.

not sure that I agree with you on reading the defenses and passing to the open player..........From what I have seen, nobody gets the ball to the right player at the right moment better then PB........that's one of the main reasons why her teammates love to play with her.......

 

[Charliebball]

Ruth Hamblin got an engineering degree during her 4 years at Oregon St., I think she was at the top of her class as well.

that's an amazing accomplishment.........I wonder if she will ever take advantage of that degree.......

 

[nwhoopfan]

that's an amazing accomplishment....I wonder if she will ever take advantage of that degree..

I would imagine she will eventually. I'm pretty sure she's no longer on anyone's roster in the WNBA but I think she's been playing overseas.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Van Lith is a pitbull that will stick her nose anywhere. She's strong, physical, and relentless. She's going to score and get people out of the seats with her skills. She's also likely going to be a good rebounder for her size due to the attributes mentioned above.

Bueckers is smooth as silk with an amazing feel for the game and basketball IQ. She too will get people out of the seats with her no-look passes and incredible finishing ability.

I think Van Lith's lower center of gravity and strength (5-7 vs 5-11) will likely make her a better defender in tight, but Bueckers' IQ, quickness, and length will make her a better one in space.

 

[southie]

oh right...I think I remember reading that a while back......she certainly would be the focus of their team if she were to choose UNC

I believe I read that she had already made 2 official visits -- UCLA and North Carolina.

 

[Charliebball]

In general, (and IMO), raters put a lot of emphasis on what guards do with the ball in their hands, ball handling in particular. To a certain extent that is understandable since they have the ball in their hands a great deal on most teams. UConn's guards however don't do a lot of fancy dribble moves as UConn is much more of a passing team. UConn guards, except for transitions, pass far more often than they dribble. You rarely see any UConn player dribble more than 3 times before either shooting or passing. So guards that find open team mates and who can play without the ball are more valuable in Storrs than someone who has great spin moves.

I haven't seem Hailey Van Lith much in game situations but I have seen Bueckers. She is to my eye significantly longer, both in height and in reach. Her length gives her an advantage defending away from the ball as she deflects and intercepts a lot of passes. It also allows her to rise higher on drives to the hoop.

But then I have been high on Bueckers for about 2 years and once I fall in love with a player it's hard to talk me off them. Beyond skills I love her on-court attitude, confident, in fact unintimidatable (is that a word?), bordering on cockiness. She looks like there is nowhere in the world she would rather be.

I see Hailey Van Lith taking over at Oregon when Ionescu graduates. No knowledge, just a hunch.

I agree with your description of UConn guard play but I wonder whether always playing with that kind of unselfishness is partly to blame for the end of the game issues in the past two years..........having a player that can get her own shot regardless of the defense could be the difference between winning and losing as we witnessed in the ND game..........having a great ball handler/shooter is a nice insurance policy to have even if it's rarely used.........

 

[CocoHusky]

In reality any of the 3 top 2020 PGs: Van Lith, Bueckers, or Clark would excel in UCONN's system.
I don't see how two of the three could work overlapping with Christyn Williams for 2 years and potentially with Azzi Fudd for 3 years. Give me any one of the three and Cameron Brink and I'll be a very happy camper.

 

[Charliebball]

Van Lith is a pitbull that will stick her nose anywhere. She's strong, physical, and relentless. She's going to score and get people out of the seats with her skills. She's also likely going to be a good rebounder for her size due to the attributes mentioned above.

Bueckers is smooth as silk with an amazing feel for the game and basketball IQ. She too will get people out of the seats with her no-look passes and incredible finishing ability.

I think Van Lith's lower center of gravity and strength (5-7 vs 5-11) will likely make her a better defender in tight, but Bueckers' IQ, quickness, and length will make her a better one in space.

don't forget PB's floater.............I bet that darn shot will win multiple games in the final seconds during her college career............

 

[nwhoopfan]

I think Van Lith's lower center of gravity and strength (5-7 vs 5-11)

Didn't Van Lith talk about her height in that interview that was posted earlier in this thread? Thought she said she was 5-9 ish on a good day. Also that she grew a little bit taller already this summer.

 

[Charliebball]

In reality any of the 3 top 2020 PGs: Van Lith, Bueckers, or Clark would excel in UCONN's system.
I don't see how two of the three could work overlapping with Christyn Williams for 2 years and potentially with Azzi Fudd for 3 years. Give me any one of the three and Cameron Brink and I'll be a very happy camper.

aren't Williams and Fudd both really more shooting guards then point guards?...........I would think pairing them with any of the 2020 pg's would be a beautiful thing........

 

[Charliebball]

I believe I read that she had already made 2 official visits -- UCLA and North Carolina.

ahhhhhhhh two really wonderful schools...............just not the best for WBB................

 

[Charliebball]

In reality any of the 3 top 2020 PGs: Van Lith, Bueckers, or Clark would excel in UCONN's system.
I don't see how two of the three could work overlapping with Christyn Williams for 2 years and potentially with Azzi Fudd for 3 years. Give me any one of the three and Cameron Brink and I'll be a very happy camper.

the folks at ND believe that they have a good chance of landing both Clark and Bueckers..........now that might be a bit tricky for MM if it happened............

 

[CocoHusky]

aren't Williams and Fudd both really more shooting guards then point guards?......I would think pairing them with any of the 2020 pg's would be a beautiful thing...

It would be a beautiful thing to pair one 2020 PG with Williams & Fudd. Two 2020 PGs however would be overkill IMO because one of them would have to play SG (backup) or a backup PG role. I think you have 3 alpha in these three 2020 PGs. Which of them would be willing to play a backup role?

 

[Golden Husky]

I agree with your description of UConn guard play but I wonder whether always playing with that kind of unselfishness is partly to blame for the end of the game issues in the past two years.....having a player that can get her own shot regardless of the defense could be the difference between winning and losing as we witnessed in the ND game.....having a great ball handler/shooter is a nice insurance policy to have even if it's rarely used....

Do you believe CW fits that description?

 

[Charliebball]

It would be a beautiful thing to pair one 2020 PG with Williams & Fudd. Two 2020 PGs however would be overkill IMO because one of them would have to play SG (backup) or a backup PG role. I think you have 3 alpha in these three 2020 PGs. Which of them would be willing to play a backup role?

I agree...........don't need to be greedy.........I'll take anyone of the three although PB is still my favorite............getting shut out on all three though would be very distressing indeed...........

 

[CocoHusky]

the folks at ND believe that they have a good chance of landing both Clark and Bueckers.....now that might be a bit tricky for MM if it happened..

I think ND would have a similar problem except it might be more acute.
ND brings in 3 quality guards in 2018 ( Gilbert, Nixon, Prohaska)
ND brings in 1 quality guard in 2019 (Peoples) might be more.
If ND were to bring in 2 more quality guards in 2020 that would be 6 quality guards. Who among those 6 would be willing to play a backup role? Would Azzi be happy being #7 guard?