Andra Espinoza-Hunter considering six schools for transfer

[Jim]

Regarding the ego-maniac comment, I find it impossible to believe that CD, Marissa, and Shea weren't all in agreement that this was the best way forward for both AEH and the team. I think Geno purposefully took the heat away from everyone else.

For all those suggesting Geno this is some new pre-retirement behavior, with Geno it has always been "my way, or the highway." You might recall Geno in 1985 not inviting some players on the team he inherited to return. And in the Geno Auriemma Show segment he says it is rarely a single event which causes a player to leave but rather something which builds over time.

Lastly, at no time does Geno personally disparage AEH. He says she was a good teammate and gave no indications that there were academic issues, so I don't think he said anything that would hurt her chances to play elsewhere.

 

[Centerstream]

Are you being serious?

Are you being serious? I am entitled to my opinion. When I was 18 or 19 or 50, I was capable of thinking in this manner!

 

[CocoHusky]

And?

She is a kid.

 

[DEpup]

Can we get rid of this trail. She was here for nothing but a hot second. If she wants to do her own thing as Geno alluded to then I would say tOSU is perfect for her.

 

[chrissaran]

If she had given it time, she would have developed into an outstanding player. She was third off the bench behind Z and Megan. Don't understand why she expected more than that. She obviously was not ready for more minutes. Megan has had to wait until recently to get consistent minutes.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Why do BYers feel like we owe players that transfer gratitude? Is it just good nature or? I dont get it.

Because UConn WBB and its fans are a class act?

 

[CocoHusky]

If she had given it time, she would have developed into an outstanding player. She was third off the bench behind Z and Megan. Don't understand why she expected more than that. She obviously was not ready for more minutes. Megan has had to wait until recently to get consistent minutes.

Not sure how we can conclude that AEH "expected more" or that she was "not ready for more minutes" when Geno is telling us that playing time was NOT an issue in the transfer.

 

[Mdoggie]

Because UConn WBB and its fans are a class act?

Soft. Lol

 

[Tonyc]

All fans please note. Dont blame Geno for this. It was coming. The team comes first and some of the tweets Ive read in this thread are dead wrong. The right thing in this instance for the team .

 

[Mdoggie]

I seem to remember several boneyarders predicted that about A'ja Wilson when she declined UConn's offer. How'd that work out?

True. I was one of them

 

[BroadwayVa]

All fans please note. Dont blame Geno for this. It was coming. The team comes first and some of the tweets Ive read in this thread are dead wrong. The right thing in this instance for the team .

If you are saying a coach's action for cause would be right---I agree. I you are saying Geno is not responsible for his words--I can't.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Every UConn player is recruited to make a huge impact?

Every Uconn recruit is recruited to have the POTENTIAL to make an impact--starting or from the bench.

 

[DICKG]

Shouldn't this be done already if she planned to play in the second semester next year and enroll in school for this second semester.

 

[bschwartz]

Why do BYers feel like we owe players that transfer gratitude? Is it just good nature or? I dont get it.

Maybe it is just simple kindness.

 

[j66kicker]

I could speak of a political person who spoke to "his" own special audience--was video'd as he was speaking the word "47" and destroyed his career. Geno ain't the first or the last public figure to use words he should n't have used. He and we have to know, this new world of everyone with a cell phone, you will be caught .

Perhaps he didn't care if he "got caught." Perhaps he meant to say what he said, and has no problem with anyone hearing it. I don't agree they were "words he shouldn't have used," and don't know what the big deal is.

 

[TheObserver]

USC....wait a minute I thought he meant The University of Southern Connecticut!!! LOL

 

[BroadwayVa]

Perhaps he didn't care if he "got caught." Perhaps he meant to say what he said, and has no problem with anyone hearing it. I don't agree they were "words he shouldn't have used," and don't know what the big deal is.

OPINIONs are not facts, can be, everyone is entitled to their OPINION--
Geno is the Boss--his way or the high way--Geno is responsible for the words he uses--not anyone else.
I don't like much of what Geno does with his players--that's an OPINION You may like everything he does--that's YOUR OPINION. -

 

[Chong-Master]

My take on this is:

A) Geno and the coaching staff made a huge recruiting mistake, bringing in 4 players of similar positions (with Camara and Stevens coming in as well). Way too many guards
B) In reality, only Geno and AEH, on the surface, really knows what happened with AEH and UCONN (although I would bet that her High School Coach at Ossining, Dan Ricci, knows as well)
C) UCONN will be just fine and most likely will capture the NCAA Women's Championship this year. This team is ROCK SOLID !!! (and will be so, for many years to come)
D) AEH, in my opinion, will probably end up at either Mississippi State or Duke (can't see her at Louisville or USC) and she will end up as being one of the best shooting guards in the country once she gets to her eligible Junior Year in college.
E) Forget about Aubrey Griffin from ever ending up at UCONN (I got this feeling that her HS Coach [Ricci] is no longer a fan of Geno, and, don't be surprised that Griffin is pushed away from Geno and UCONN by Ricci, and Griffin ends up at either South Carolina or Notre Dame
F) UCONN is not necessarily for everyone HS All-American (see: EDD, Sadie Edwards, De'Janae Boykin, Courtney Ekmark), but is good for some (Katie Lou, Stewie, etc)

 

[Stinger92860]

Every Uconn recruit is recruited to have the POTENTIAL to make an impact--starting or from the bench.

Or as a practice player and that's not going to make a lot of players happy. Ratings are guesses and when players come here that's when the coaching staff determines what they have. Geno is not perfect and has made mistakes. The one thing I will say is that he is going to play those players who provide the team with the best chance of winning.

 

[TheObserver]

My take on this is:

A) Geno and the coaching staff made a huge recruiting mistake, bringing in 4 players of similar positions (with Camara and Stevens coming in as well). Way too many guards
B) In reality, on Geno and AEH, on the surface, really knows what happened with AEH and UCONN (although I would bet that her High School Coach at Ossining, Dan Ricci, know as well)
C) UCONN will be just fine and most likely will capture the NCAA Women's Championship this year. This team is ROCK SOLID !!! (and will be so, for many years to come
D) AEH, in my opinion, will probably end up at either Mississippi State or Duke (can't see her at Louisville or USC) and she will end up as being one of the best shooting guards in the country once she gets to her eligible Junior Year in college.
E) Forget about Aubrey Griffin from ever ending up at UCONN (I got this feeling that her HS Coach [Ricci] is no longer a fan of Geno, and, don't be surprised that Griffin is pushed away from Geno and UCONN by Ricci, and Griffin ends up at either South Carolina or Notre Dame
F) UCONN is not necessarily for everyone HS All-American (see: EDD, Sadie Edwards, De'Janae Boykin, Courtney Ekmark), but is good for some (Katie Lou, Stewie, etc)

I don't think Griffin's high school coach will have the influence on her with recruiting that he had with Chong and possibly AEH. Don't get me wrong, he is respected by Griffin and her family but do not forget this is not the Griffin Families first time at the Rodeo. They know first hand about big time college recruiting. Both mom and dad played in college. Dad was in the NBA, continues to coach in the NBA and mom is a very accomplished strong willed person. No college coach will pull any wool over this families eyes. Did I forget to mention that Aubrey's 2 brothers are D1 prospects as well.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Or as a practice player and that's not going to make a lot of players happy. Ratings are guesses and when players come here that's when the coaching staff determines what they have. Geno is not perfect and has made mistakes. The one thing I will say is that he is going to play those players who provide the team with the best chance of winning.

I rarely drink Geno cool aid --but it a big jump for you to go from player with Potential to Impact to practice players. ]\
Look at the current bench---for nearly 2 years , Molly and Irwin have been given more than adequate opportunities to show they should get prime time PT. Both were not outstanding highly ranked both had BB skills. Both show MOMENTs of their potential. Frosh are just frosh--they are not practice players--Geno pays guys to do that. I'd love to see the bench playing the entire 2n halves of the AAC games---they do have potential. OPINION--just me being me..

 

[hart2hart]

She’s just a kid! Kindness rocks!
Can’t we just wish her the best!
Just saying.........

 

[BroadwayVa]

Or as a practice player and that's not going to make a lot of players happy. Ratings are guesses and when players come here that's when the coaching staff determines what they have. Geno is not perfect and has made mistakes. The one thing I will say is that he is going to play those players who provide the team with the best chance of winning.

\

Yep, rating are educated guesses based on viewings. The are not precise.

 

[SVCBeercats]

... they are not practice players--Geno pays guys to do that.

Actually he does not pay the practice players. They are volunteers. See this article: COLLEGE BASKETBALL; For These Men, Lots of Guts But Little Glory

"Cofrancesco is one of hundreds of men who have become volunteer practice fodder for women's basketball teams at dozens of universities across the country, a practice condoned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. At UConn, for example, Cofrancesco is one of six male students who spend afternoons banging under the boards with the stars of Connecticut's two-time defending national champions."

"They must file all the same N.C.A.A. paperwork and meet the same academic standards as the female players, but they cannot travel to away games, cannot receive scholarships or payment, other than a limited amount of gear."

 

[DefenseBB]

I seem to remember several boneyarders predicted that about A'ja Wilson when she declined UConn's offer. How'd that work out?

They were mistaken, but are you trying to draw parallels to A’ja and AEH because that is not logical.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Perhaps he didn't care if he "got caught." Perhaps he meant to say what he said, and has no problem with anyone hearing it. I don't agree they were "words he shouldn't have used," and don't know what the big deal is.

You are probably more than correct---the words really were not damning--they meant what most thought. Nothing about his wording was nothing that wasn't in his job description
My use of "getting caught" was not a good use of wording--but you "caught" me.
The whole over blown discussion --was enabled (chosen carefully) by people stepping in --in the apparent defense of Geno--where he required no defense.
My think is if anyone thought that wording inappropriate (if he thought so) then he shouldn't have said it in a forum that could be recorded--but he said and did nothing WRONG.

 

[donalddoowop]

Perhaps he didn't care if he "got caught." Perhaps he meant to say what he said, and has no problem with anyone hearing it. I don't agree they were "words he shouldn't have used," and don't know what the big deal is.

You are not the player to whom he was referring. He was not addressing you, so you would not know what the big deal is.

 

[jaundicedeye]

Not in my household and neck of the woods at that particular time. When I grew up, eastern Long Island was still a cluster of towns and/or villages set among truck farms and expanses of oak forests, and the LIE was not even all the way out towards Riverhead. Many north shore towns had more in common with southern New England in the way they were designed and the radio stations people listened to. So I didn't hear too much of the "what exit?" stuff until I was pretty much away at college and the large Suffolk-development was underway.

Dillon77, Thank you for the chance to reminisce. That is the Long Island I hold dear in my memories.

 

[jaundicedeye]

My take on this is:

A) Geno and the coaching staff made a huge recruiting mistake, bringing in 4 players of similar positions (with Camara and Stevens coming in as well). Way too many guards
B) In reality, only Geno and AEH, on the surface, really knows what happened with AEH and UCONN (although I would bet that her High School Coach at Ossining, Dan Ricci, knows as well)
C) UCONN will be just fine and most likely will capture the NCAA Women's Championship this year. This team is ROCK SOLID !!! (and will be so, for many years to come)
D) AEH, in my opinion, will probably end up at either Mississippi State or Duke (can't see her at Louisville or USC) and she will end up as being one of the best shooting guards in the country once she gets to her eligible Junior Year in college.
E) Forget about Aubrey Griffin from ever ending up at UCONN (I got this feeling that her HS Coach [Ricci] is no longer a fan of Geno, and, don't be surprised that Griffin is pushed away from Geno and UCONN by Ricci, and Griffin ends up at either South Carolina or Notre Dame
F) UCONN is not necessarily for everyone HS All-American (see: EDD, Sadie Edwards, De'Janae Boykin, Courtney Ekmark), but is good for some (Katie Lou, Stewie, etc)

I do not remember any where near the hullaballoo when Sadie Edwards transferred out.
Do you? Are times that different now?

 

[Gus Mahler]

Actually he does not pay the practice players. They are volunteers. See this article: COLLEGE BASKETBALL; For These Men, Lots of Guts But Little Glory

"Cofrancesco is one of hundreds of men who have become volunteer practice fodder for women's basketball teams at dozens of universities across the country, a practice condoned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. At UConn, for example, Cofrancesco is one of six male students who spend afternoons banging under the boards with the stars of Connecticut's two-time defending national champions."

"They must file all the same N.C.A.A. paperwork and meet the same academic standards as the female players, but they cannot travel to away games, cannot receive scholarships or payment, other than a limited amount of gear."

Probably you know this, but they do receive something priceless: A recommendation from Geno Auriemma.