2022-2023 season: What opponent for Aubrey Griffins " senior" game?

[Zarathustra]

There are about 21 Division 1 WBB teams in the Poughkeepsie, NY (NYC)
metropolitan area. Which team who you advise GENO and Aubrey to schedule
for her 'Senior' close to home game? The league choices include: Big East ( probably not )
Big 10, Patriot League, the IVY League, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and
a possible exception of one "exhibition" type game with a Division III: the " Brewers" of Vassar! . So, would you choose the Black Knights, the Scarlet Knights, the RED FOXES, The Jaspers,
the Bulldogs, the Lions, the Stags, the Gaels, the Jaspers, the Peahens, the
Bobcats, or another team of your personal interest? Do you go for the obvious win or
some REAL competition ( to the tune of "on the banks of the Old Raritan" )? Do you
choose some school in Poughkeepsie ( there is a choice there! ) or a team willing to play
in the "PRU" Center in Newark, N. J. ( like this year's UCLA game ). Should GENO pick
a school of one of his long term coaching associates/friends or a school that needs some
public relations support ( advertising, attendance, etc. )? Does geography ( closeness to
Poughkeepsie) "count" for extra consideration points?
My " short list" is one of the "Knights" (Scarlet/Black ) , or one of the animals : the "Lions", "Red Foxes", or "Bobcats ".
Alternates lists to my primary list include any of the other MAAC teams but not the Big
East choices of Seton Hall or St. John's ( however, Aubrey's family does have "Pirate"
connections, as we all know). Does anyone wish to give an opinion and a reason why?

 

[eebmg]

The way she plays Seton Hall, no brainer.

 

[Zarathustra]

After watching ( again ) Aubrey's 2020-21 highlights I wondered what schools would
I suggest to GENO and Aubrey to consider for her " senior" (close to home ) game , 2022-23.
I found at least 21 Division I WBB teams and one extra Division III team ( in Poughkeepsie =
bonus : can you name "the Brewers" academic institution?). The choice is yours but the Leagues
include: Big East, Big Ten, Ivy, MAAC, and the Patriot ( and others if you wish to dig deeper
than I did). So ... would you choose a team being in a substantial "strength of schedule" conference
(there IS one), or a team from Poughkeepsie ( more than one!), or a team that is coached by
someone who has a long term relationship with Geno, or a team that needs a promotional "boost"
in the nature of publicity, or attendance, or some other reason? Would we play at their
home court ( most likely ) or in MSG or THE PRU in Newark, N. J. ( like the UCLA game this year )?
Who would pick ? and give a reason, if you like. My "long" list is either one of the "KNIGHTS" ( Scarlet or Black) or one of the animals : Lions, Bulldogs, Red Foxes, Stags, Bobcats, or Peahens. I suppose the default team could be Seton Hall of the BIG EAST ( Aubrey's family has connections to the PIRATES), but
that would be nothing "new" on the schedule for Aubrey and her Husky teammates). My current favorites
are THE LADY LIONS (Lioness?), or perhaps the school " on the banks of the old Raritan" = THE SCARET LADY KNIGHTS, or (for geographic reasons) the Red Foxes = no travel issues for Aubrey's family.)
Any recommendations for GENO and Aubrey?? Don't forget the Jaspers, or the Gaels!. AND.. would it be too far to go hunting TIGERS??? ( I think so).

 

[DEpup]

Yeah I don't think she needs a dedicated game since there are BE games nearby....I think of Tuck in this situation where the annual DePaul game was her senior game....there wasn't a need for a special scheduling event.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Can we get through 21-22 before worrying about 22-23?

 

[cabbie191]

I say try for Syracuse which is only 221 miles from Poughkeepsie. Hopefully Stewie can be present! Could she be an honorary coach for a day and take a seat on the bench?

Hey, some have been advocating adding Gonzaga to the BE. Comparatively, 221 miles is chump change.

 

[Vowelguy]

1) Not all players get "home" games
2) Players within a few hours of UConn have never gotten designated home games and/or have been 'covered' by a game against a conference opponent. See Bird, Sue; Charles, Tina; Chong, Saniya; Cash, Swin; Jones, Asjha; Jefferson, Moriah; Tuck, Morgan, ....

The only players with a shot to have scheduled games in the next few years are

• Aaliyah (though she's from nowhere near Toronto or any US school, so finding something suitable will be difficult)
• Paige in Minnesota (even though I've heard her family doesn't live there anymore)
• DeBerry near Buffalo

The other players live a few hours from UConn, Georgetown/Villanova, or are from Europe.

Further down the road, a possible SoCal game for Isuneh.

 

[Heytherego]

Is she from Poughkeepsie or Ossining? If Poughkeepsie I’d say Marist, if it’s Ossining I’d say Pace

 

[Jackcatscal]

Fordham Rams!

 

[Alydar]

How about the Sing Sing men's team?

And I think the team you are asking about is Marist. They used to dominate their conference. They had a great coach (?) but I don't know if he is still there. The only other school in that area is The Culinary Institute.

 

[stamfordhusky]

How about the Sing Sing men's team?

And I think the team you are asking about is Marist. They used to dominate their conference. They had a great coach (?) but I don't know if he is still there. The only other school in that area is The Culinary Institute.

Marist is the only D1 team in Poughkeepsie, but Vassar - which is D3 - is also located in that town. Btw, the Marist coach for many years has been Brian Giorgis. He is still there. Giorgis is one of the few coaches to go directly from being a high school coach to being a successful D1 head coach. Sherri Coale is another one who immediately comes to mind.

 

[Zarathustra]

I was wrong, Aubrey IS from Ossining ( not Poughkeepsie, NY). But they
are close- Ossining is about 42 miles south of Poughkeepsie! But
I would still like to play with the idea of UCONN / Geno selecting
Columbia University, coached by Megan Griffith. Columbia has
two Spanish players : Mary Lobon and Noa Comesana ( maybe that
will 'even up' with our Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl ! = just a
though, you know!) Full disclosure, my wife went to Columbia for
her graduate program in Physical Therapy. Remember Columbia
is DIVISION I. We could also play Yale and show Kiki Rice that
the Husky women are equal to one of her list of potential Colleges!

 

[#12in21]

Maybe if Andra Esponoza - Hunter sticks around in the big east for another year (seems like she has been in college for five already!) they could have a battle for the Big East beast from Ossining at Madison Square Garden during Aubrey's senior year. Pirates against the Huskys, with the Pride of Ossining, none other than our Saniya Chong flying in from China to do the color commentary!

 

[CL82]

Syracuse? With the change in head coach they may be more receptive.

 

[cancontent]

1) Not all players get "home" games
2) Players within a few hours of UConn have never gotten designated home games and/or have been 'covered' by a game against a conference opponent. See Bird, Sue; Charles, Tina; Chong, Saniya; Cash, Swin; Jones, Asjha; Jefferson, Moriah; Tuck, Morgan, ....

The only players with a shot to have scheduled games in the next few years are

• Aaliyah (though she's from nowhere near Toronto or any US school, so finding something suitable will be difficult)
• Paige in Minnesota (even though I've heard her family doesn't live there anymore)
• DeBerry near Buffalo

The other players live a few hours from UConn, Georgetown/Villanova, or are from Europe.

Further down the road, a possible SoCal game for Isuneh.

It can and has been done a couple times recently:

1) UConn played Dusquene in Toronto for Kia Nurse's senior game.
2) Iowa State played Eastern Michigan in Chatham for Bridget Carleton's senior game.

The games were well attended (for the capacity allowed). They tied in different events like coaching clinics along with "meet and greets" for local girl basketball teams.

I can't see UConn not trying to make something work on behalf of Aaliyah based on precedent.

 

[Zarathustra]

How about UCONN vs The Lady Scarlet Knights of RUTGERS? = a BIG 10 team!
Why? this year's "home" games are: ONO- Georgia Tech, ACC, in the 2021 SWEET 16 losing to University of South Carolina Gamecocks; "E"- Oregon, PAC 12, in the 2021 Sweet 16 losing to Louisville, and Christyn- Arkansas, SEC, in the 2021 NCAA losing to Wright State in first round. So .. GENO has been using the " home" games for his seniors to " prep" for the NCAA quality of teams. Rutgers lost in the first round of the NCAA's in 2021 to BYU.
and ==Ossining, NY is 70.5 miles (1 hour and 34 minutes ) from Piscataway ( i.e.
the home court for Rutgers, New Brunswick) and Rutgers is also is the ALMA MATER of Associate Head Coach Chris Daley, and consider that Rutgers' Head Coach is C. Vivian Stringer is a long time friend of Geno. Coach Stringer has taken teams ( Cheney State, IOWA, and Rutgers )to multiple NCAA tournaments and in
multiple Final Fours, She was BIG EAST coach of the year ( back in the OBE ) and she has a record of 1041 - 421 ( first women coach to get to 1,000 wins ), and next year, will have 6'4" Sakima Walker , Awa Sidibe from MALI, and 6' 3" Chyna Cornwell, among others.
If you need an easier opponent, the "other" Knight team: Lady Black Knights
of WEST POINT, about 32 miles from Ossining, N. Y. I think that they may have
a young women's coach ?? It would also be a boost for the Ladies in the Army/ armed forces?
Any opinions?

 

[Vowelguy]

It can and has been done a couple times recently:

1) UConn played Dusquene in Toronto for Kia Nurse's senior game.
2) Iowa State played Eastern Michigan in Chatham for Bridget Carleton's senior game.

The games were well attended (for the capacity allowed). They tied in different events like coaching clinics along with "meet and greets" for local girl basketball teams.

I can't see UConn not trying to make something work on behalf of Aaliyah based on precedent.

Yes I know there was a game in Toronto. But as I said Aaliyah is not from anywhere near Toronto.

The Toronto game worked because both teams had locals and thus an interest in playing. I am unsure if there is anyone else from near Aaliyahs hometown — my guess is no because it’s small and far from both Toronto and Montreal (nearly 3 hours from both).

So the likely end result is finding a school with no local Canada connection to travel 3+ hours (at minimum) to play a game in Kingston against UConn.
(Eastern Michigan had to travel just 90 minutes for the Iowa St game — big difference.)


I didnt say it couldn’t happen; I just said it would not be easy. Certainly not as easy as arranging a Toronto game.

I stand by my assessment.

 

[southofnorth]

1) Not all players get "home" games
2) Players within a few hours of UConn have never gotten designated home games and/or have been 'covered' by a game against a conference opponent. See Bird, Sue; Charles, Tina; Chong, Saniya; Cash, Swin; Jones, Asjha; Jefferson, Moriah; Tuck, Morgan, ....

The only players with a shot to have scheduled games in the next few years are

• Aaliyah (though she's from nowhere near Toronto or any US school, so finding something suitable will be difficult)
• Paige in Minnesota (even though I've heard her family doesn't live there anymore)
• DeBerry near Buffalo

The other players live a few hours from UConn, Georgetown/Villanova, or are from Europe.

Further down the road, a possible SoCal game for Isuneh.

UConn Euro tour?!

 

[Zarathustra]

Hello, again! Back to the RUTGERS idea. If the UCLA games, men's
and women's are a success, let us try a men's and women's game against
Rutgers in a repeat double header in NEWARK!! Many, many, many happy alumni from both schools who would enjoy the great Division One competition.
An idea about Aaliyah "home" game ( though this is an Aubrey thread).
How about double header in Potsdam or Watertown New York ?. The
UCONN men's hockey team could try to beat Clarkson University, a Division I for hockey and an ECAC team or St. Lawrence University, also a Division I for hockey and ECAC team. The Women's Basketball teams at Clarkson and St. Lawrence are
in the Liberty League ( Division III ) but would this not be like Crystal Dangerfield's
"home" game with her former H.S. coach's college team ( a few years ago)? I forget, I think they came to CONN. No? Syracuse is , of course, the logical choice
due to the Lady Orange being ACC and Division ONE. Buffalo is TOO Far.
But...once again... Watertown (Clarkson) is a mere 64 miles from Kingston, 1 hour and 15 min.? and Potsdam ( St. Lawrence ) is about 2 hours+ from Kingston.
In college I went to MANY Saturday night double headers of basketball at
6 PM and Hockey immediately afterwards. The whole crowd simply "got up"
and walked over to the other domed court!! There would be a good turnout
for the two games if set up in a double header fashion. Great evenings in the far north!
The simple "local" solution for Aubrey's game however is the previously mentioned Marist ( MAAC conference) in Poughkeepsie, N Y, or Army.
In those games Geno could let Aubrey play 30+ minutes and allow her tohave a number of " personal bests". A lovely idea in my opinion, what's your opinion???

 

[Vowelguy]

1) UConn is not going to play an Ossining home game 2 hours away in Piscataway.
2) UConn is not going to play an Ossining home game period. Her friends and family have ample easy opportunities to see her play by traveling 2 hours to a UConn home game or less to St John’s.

It is never ever never ever going to happen.

 

[tomcat]

Getting back to the Aaliyah game possibility, in looking it up, it says she is from Kingston, yes? I don't know what "nowhere near" is to you folks, but Kingston is 2 1/2 hours away from Toronto. Yes, it's not a hop, skip and a jump, but Kingston is not exactly next to anything big. It's an hour out of Ottawa, for example. But if, in other posts, people are talking about family and friends of Aubrey traveling two hours to see her play, I don't think Aaliyah's family and friends would mind the schlep to Toronto, especially since that's what they had to do when she played prep ball, anyway. The attraction would be even better if UConn schedules a neutral-court game with a good team in Toronto. There is also Ottawa, a city of about a million people, which just might have a decent basketball venue if two teams were to come a'callin'.

 

[Alydar]

Syracuse? With the change in head coach they may be more receptive.

Like the idea of playing the Orange but Storrs is closer to Ossining than Syracuse.

 

[CL82]

Like the idea of playing the Orange but Storrs is closer to Ossining than Syracuse.

My bad for choosing a Canadian team.

 

[Zarathustra]

Like the idea of playing the Orange but Storrs is closer to Ossining than Syracuse.

Syracuse was in reference to the side discussion of a future "home" game for Aaliyah Edwards (Kingston, Ontario home town).