A'ja to Announce College Decision on April 16th (merged)

[doggydaddy]

Do you know that her grandfather was from S. Carolina? Maybe he grew up in another state...

And you know he doesn't come from South Carolina?

 

[huskyrob1]

Do you know that her grandfather was from S. Carolina? Maybe he grew up in another state...

I don't know where he grew up, but I heard he called a real estate agent in Litchfield.

 

[Icebear]

Ugh! I can't believe folks are so wired about this and so sure about things with no evidence at all.

 

[jdubct]

Ugh! I can't believe folks are so wired about this and so sure about things with no evidence at all.

Unfortunately we have 19 more days until she announces. So people will probably continue to speculate until she provides the actual reasons for her selection of a school.

 

[winlots]

Here ARE those actual reasons: the best education of the four under consideration.....very warm and enjoyable relationships in place with players on the team....reverence for the head coach.....respect for and comfort with the coaching staff.....a good head on her shoulders.....wise parents who want her to be the best she can be as a person, student, and player.....the best cadre of guards on the country.....THE program in women's basketball.....plenty of room to make your OWN mark, unselfishly, as so many have done, within the context of that program.

And here is the school: UCONN

 

[jdubct]

Here ARE those actual reasons: the best education of the four under consideration.....very warm and enjoyable relationships in place with players on the team....reverence for the head coach.....respect for and comfort with the coaching staff.....a good head on her shoulders.....wise parents who want her to be the best she can be as a person, student, and player.....the best cadre of guards on the country.....THE program in women's basketball.....plenty of room to make your OWN mark, unselfishly, as so many have done, within the context of that program.

And here is the school: UCONN

I hope you're right. We'll know for sure on April 16th.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Do you know that her grandfather was from S. Carolina? Maybe he grew up in another state...

Idk but it's a nice story

 

[EricLA]

It's been speculated on another board that UCONN and UNC are out and it's down to SC and Tennessee. SC still leads but Tenn is hovering.

This is me now - perhaps she's waiting to see how each does in the tourney, but both making the sweet 16 bodes well for their futures.

 

[doggydaddy]

It's been speculated on another board that UCONN and UNC are out and it's down to SC and Tennessee. SC still leads but Tenn is hovering.

This is me now - perhaps she's waiting to see how each does in the tourney, but both making the sweet 16 bodes well for their futures.

Which board? and how in gods name would they know?

 

[reno tony]

Well April 16th is my birthday guess what I want for my Birthday????

A new Husky pup?

19 TO GO​

 

[jdubct]

Which board? and how in gods name would they know?

You're right. How would they know? Her father didn't know a week or so ago. Not UNC or Duke boards.

 

[hjoerring]

Well if she stays home then we know that neither basketball nor academics are her top priorities. If one is trying to maximize their game and potential, UConn is the place to go to play with the best, learn from the best, and become the best, plus the added bonus that you will likely get to cut down the nets at least once during your collegiate career. If academics were her top priority she would be using her basketball skills to get her education at top schools that also have very competitive WCBB programs like Duke, ND, or Stanford. Staying at home means that hanging out with her high school friends a little longer is a more important factor in the decision.

I won't call this elitist because it is more petty bourgeois in it's thinking. You can play your ranking game but in my experience a good student is going to be good or better regardless of the school. The percentage of students who actully gain from being at a 'top' univ/college is a lot smaller then we think. That is, only a small percentage of the students at any university reeks the full rewards for being at that Univ. It was of little interest to me that the majority of the prof. in a given department were a who-is-who ..., becuse they were not teaching undergraduates and had little interest in them, unless of course that student had done something to impressed the faulty. And, the raw truth is that a student on athletic scholarship will never have the time to reap the resources of a Duke or even a Uconn. These students are so controlled and have very little time to do the student thing. They are really in a shool in a school. This does not mean that they do not do well (Dean list, etc) or even better then their fellow students- only that they are managed differently. A BA in Sociology for A'ja from SC will be no different then the same degree from Duke or Uconn. Of ourse most of us are ompletely un-reconstructed and we buy all the crop out there.

 

[jdubct]

I won't call this elitist because it is more petty bourgeois in it's thinking. You can play your ranking game but in my experience a good student is going to be good or better regardless of the school. The percentage of students who actully gain from being at a 'top' univ/college is a lot smaller then we think. That is, only a small percentage of the students at any university reeks the full rewards for being at that Univ. It was of little interest to me that the majority of the prof. in a given department were a who-is-who ..., becuse they were not teaching undergraduates and had little interest in them, unless of course that student had done something to impressed the faulty. And, the raw truth is that a student on athletic scholarship will never have the time to reap the resources of a Duke or even a Uconn. These students are so controlled and have very little time to do the student thing. They are really in a shool in a school. This does not mean that they do not do well (Dean list, etc) or even better then their fellow students- only that they are managed differently. A BA in Sociology for A'ja from SC will be no different then the same degree from Duke or Uconn. Of ourse most of us are ompletely un-reconstructed and we buy all the crop out there.

I think you are right for many majors including sociology. So selection of schools for academic reasons may not make any difference for a good number of players. But I just read an article about Michaela Ruef, who plays for the Stanford team who is majoring in engineering (don't remember which field). Stanford clearly excels in engineering. So there can be a big difference in going to one school or another.

 

[DavidinNaples]

My prediction: a 100+ post, virtually interminable, thread.

alex....good call, only 38 left to go...."interminable" for sure...

 

[HoopsFan21]

I won't call this elitist because it is more petty bourgeois in it's thinking. You can play your ranking game but in my experience a good student is going to be good or better regardless of the school. The percentage of students who actully gain from being at a 'top' univ/college is a lot smaller then we think. That is, only a small percentage of the students at any university reeks the full rewards for being at that Univ. It was of little interest to me that the majority of the prof. in a given department were a who-is-who ..., becuse they were not teaching undergraduates and had little interest in them, unless of course that student had done something to impressed the faulty. And, the raw truth is that a student on athletic scholarship will never have the time to reap the resources of a Duke or even a Uconn. These students are so controlled and have very little time to do the student thing. They are really in a shool in a school. This does not mean that they do not do well (Dean list, etc) or even better then their fellow students- only that they are managed differently. A BA in Sociology for A'ja from SC will be no different then the same degree from Duke or Uconn. Of ourse most of us are ompletely un-reconstructed and we buy all the crop out there.

I'm not trying to come across as elitist. I'm just throwing out the cold hard reality of today's world for those of us relatively early into or just getting our careers started. It's very competitive in almost all fields. More so than as recently as ten years ago. Every kid applying for a job has a degree from somewhere these days. While it's true there are plenty of Duke and Stanford kids waiting tables, to quote Geno, it's also true that IN GENERAL a degree from a top school will give you a leg up on the competition, and open more doors for you. Depending on the number of applicants, those with Harvard, Penn, Princeton, MIT, Duke, Yale, Stanford, etc. at the top of their resumes go to the top of the pile. Those are considered the applicants so smart that they're worth talking to first even if they studied something outside the field for which you are hiring. Yes, good candidates from "lesser" schools get lost in that type of shuffle, but if you're going after top jobs where the competition is stiff, you will definitely be at a disadvantage compared to the kids with Ivy degrees. I've seen it everywhere I've worked in my relatively young career where the red carpet is more or less rolled out for those types of candidates even as interns. I'm not putting down other schools, however if I had the chance to basically just walk in and ask one of the top schools on the planet if I could attend for free in exchange for winning some basketball games, the way a top athlete can, I wouldn't even need a minute to think about it. I understand for a 17 year old the decision making process is a lot different than for someone post-graduation in their 20s staring down the harsh real world, but hopefully the parents could try to make that 17 year old kid realize what it's going to be like when they come out the other side of college.

 

[doggydaddy]

I'm not trying to come across as elitist. I'm just throwing out the cold hard reality of today's world for those of us relatively early into or just getting our careers started. It's very competitive in almost all fields. More so than as recently as ten years ago. Every kid applying for a job has a degree from somewhere these days. While it's true there are plenty of Duke and Stanford kids waiting tables, to quote Geno, it's also true that IN GENERAL a degree from a top school will give you a leg up on the competition, and open more doors for you. Depending on the number of applicants, those with Harvard, Penn, Princeton, MIT, Duke, Yale, Stanford, etc. at the top of their resumes go to the top of the pile. Those are considered the applicants so smart that they're worth talking to first even if they studied something outside the field for which you are hiring. Yes, good candidates from "lesser" schools get lost in that type of shuffle, but if you're going after top jobs where the competition is stiff, you will definitely be at a disadvantage compared to the kids with Ivy degrees. I've seen it everywhere I've worked in my relatively young career where the red carpet is more or less rolled out for those types of candidates even as interns. I'm not putting down other schools, however if I had the chance to basically just walk in and ask one of the top schools on the planet if I could attend for free in exchange for winning some basketball games, the way a top athlete can, I wouldn't even need a minute to think about it. I understand for a 17 year old the decision making process is a lot different than for someone post-graduation in their 20s staring down the harsh real world, but hopefully the parents could try to make that 17 year old kid realize what it's going to be like when they come out the other side of college.

What does any of this have to do with an elite player who has professional aspirations?

 

[Bestiarius]

A big advantage an elite player has in attending UConn is being in the New York City and Boston markets. As unfair as it may be, schools in most other places don't have access to press coverage, population densities or famous/notable personalities like New York. Networking is an important aspect of a college education. For a person interested in business, Harvard would be the place to head. The biggest benefit would be the people you get to meet and befriend. Networking.

For a basketball person, New York metro is the place to be. Just ask pro sports players where their commercial opportunities lie.

A'ja does not appear to be the shy retiring type. The exposure she would receive at UConn would be a magnitude greater than any of her other candidate schools. This would be an important consideration for her future. Plus, sleigh riding is fun!

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I won't call this elitist because it is more petty bourgeois in it's thinking. You can play your ranking game but in my experience a good student is going to be good or better regardless of the school. The percentage of students who actully gain from being at a 'top' univ/college is a lot smaller then we think. That is, only a small percentage of the students at any university reeks the full rewards for being at that Univ. It was of little interest to me that the majority of the prof. in a given department were a who-is-who ..., becuse they were not teaching undergraduates and had little interest in them, unless of course that student had done something to impressed the faulty. And, the raw truth is that a student on athletic scholarship will never have the time to reap the resources of a Duke or even a Uconn. These students are so controlled and have very little time to do the student thing. They are really in a shool in a school. This does not mean that they do not do well (Dean list, etc) or even better then their fellow students- only that they are managed differently. A BA in Sociology for A'ja from SC will be no different then the same degree from Duke or Uconn. Of ourse most of us are ompletely un-reconstructed and we buy all the crop out there.

Buying all the crop out there is a good weigh to corner the market...

 

[HoopsFan21]

What does any of this have to do with an elite player who has professional aspirations?

I assume you mean professional basketball aspirations. Becoming a pro-athlete is a risky proposition. She could blow out her knee her junior year and never be the same. Or, have some other career ending injury in year one of her pro career. She could be a great college player that washes out of the pros after a short career. Who knows, maybe she doesn't live up to the hype at all? The whole point of having that degree as a student-athlete is that you have something to fall back on if you have to get out there like the rest of us and get a job where one's ability for jumping, running, throwing or shooting a ball is not going to help you get hired.

 

[HoopsFan21]

A big advantage an elite player has in attending UConn is being in the New York City and Boston markets. As unfair as it may be, schools in most other places don't have access to press coverage, population densities or famous/notable personalities like New York. Networking is an important aspect of a college education. For a person interested in business, Harvard would be the place to head. The biggest benefit would be the people you get to meet and befriend. Networking.

For a basketball person, New York metro is the place to be. Just ask pro sports players where their commercial opportunities lie.

A'ja does not appear to be the shy retiring type. The exposure she would receive at UConn would be a magnitude greater than any of her other candidate schools. This would be an important consideration for her future. Plus, sleigh riding is fun!

Agreed. I've often said this is one of UConn's secret, or rather not so secret weapons, or understated advantages over other programs. Often you hear that a player wants to stay close to home so friends and family can come watch, well, UConn has half of its games nationally broadcast on THE entertainment and sports programming network. Ask Stewie how awesome it was having her block show up on the Sports Center Top 10.

 

[doggydaddy]

I assume you mean professional basketball aspirations. Becoming a pro-athlete is a risky proposition. She could blow out her knee her junior year and never be the same. Or, have some other career ending injury in year one of her pro career. She could be a great college player that washes out of the pros after a short career. Who knows, maybe she doesn't live up to the hype at all? The whole point of having that degree as a student-athlete is that you have something to fall back on if you have to get out there like the rest of us and get a job where one's ability for jumping, running, throwing or shooting a ball is not going to help you get hired.

And you can get hit by a car.

We are talking about ONE player. She was never looking at Duke, Stanford, Harvard, MIT or any other school with that high an educational profile. So the conversation about her not caring about her education is something that was never relevant and seemed to me a way to belittle her and her final four choices. No matter her choice, she will leave with a degree.

Based on her HS career, her rankings, her USA play, why would she ever think there was a chance she wouldn't play pro ball both here and overseas.

She is a very talented basketball player that can live her dreams wherever she chooses.

Do I think Uconn is her best choice of the 4 teams she is considering? Of course.

But I see no need to disparage her process or her eventual choice.

 

[Wonkster]

Well, April 16th is my birthday. Guess what I want for my Birthday????

Ummmm ... 150 additional late tax returns from your clients for you to fill out at a premium rate?

 

[Replicant]

Well April 16th is my birthday guess what I want for my Birthday????

Geno didn't need this magnitude of added pressure!

 

[Replicant]

A'ja helped bring home gold for Team USA and got a taste of how good it feels to be King. I hope the hunger to continue building on her championship pedigree burns red hot within her. If so, I like our chances.

 

[triaddukefan]

I usually dont care about this kinda stuff if the prospect if Duke isnt in the final mix....... but I definitely will have to put bookmarks on my phone for April 16..... one of my favorite things about these sports messageboards are seeing meltdowns .... (unless they are Duke meltdowns)