Andrea Aquino of Oregon State will redshirt

[Plebe]

@DaBball dropped this in the non-UConn news thread, but I thought it merited its own space:

OSU women's basketball: Freshman post Andrea Aquino will redshirt this season

“I’ve decided to redshirt her,” he [Rueck] said in a phone interview. “I just want to use this year for her development.”​

It's difficult to imagine how Rueck can shore up his post play after they got owned by Turner and Shepard, but having seen what he accomplished with Hamblin and Gülich, I won't underestimate him.

Not having Aquino means the Beavers are thinner in the post and the trio of senior Joanna Grymek (6-8), junior Janessa Thropay (6-2) and freshman Patricia Morris (6-7) will try to fill the void of Marie Gulich.​

​

“You never know how it’s going to play out for anyone,” Rueck said. “So we knew it was going to be a position by committee this year and that it was going to play out into our season, and as things kind of shook out and who was the most prepared for each moment or what does the game demand right now. Do we want to go big, do we want to go small and want do we want to do with that spot. That’s what we’re doing.​

​

“Until you get into game you don’t know who people are necessarily. So it’s really not any different than I expected. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do with Andrea going into the year and so now I know.”​

 

[LoTrader]

I'm glad there is now certainty around Andrea Acquino. My personal hope is Rueck starts giving the "5" minutes to freshman Patricia Morris. I have been to every home game, and, by my "expert" eye, her upside is such that if Rueck gives her the primary minutes at the 5 with the top 7 players @ OSU, Trish Morris will be reasonably developed in 90 days--meaning she can play reasonable post defense, and rebound beyond what OSU could expect from Jo Grymek in 90 days.

 

[WiseOne]

Maybe she should just come to UCONN

 

[CL82]

I didn't think there was a red shirt option for basketball, absent injury. Always thought red shirting freshman was a football thing.

 

[hoopsdiva]

I didn't think there was a red shirt option for basketball, absent injury. Always though red shirting freshman was a football thing.

Jess Moore took a non medical redshirt her freshman year.

 

[CL82]

Jess Moore took a non medical redshirt her freshman year.

Either forgot or never knew that. I guess the limited # of scholarships in basketball typically makes it impractical.

 

[DaBball]

Myah Taylor at Mississippi State and Loretta Kakala at Louisville both redshirted.

 

[newfrontier]

@DaBball dropped this in the non-UConn news thread, but I thought it merited its own space:

OSU women's basketball: Freshman post Andrea Aquino will redshirt this season

“I’ve decided to redshirt her,” he [Rueck] said in a phone interview. “I just want to use this year for her development.”​

It's difficult to imagine how Rueck can shore up his post play after they got owned by Turner and Shepard, but having seen what he accomplished with Hamblin and Gülich, I won't underestimate him.

Not having Aquino means the Beavers are thinner in the post and the trio of senior Joanna Grymek (6-8), junior Janessa Thropay (6-2) and freshman Patricia Morris (6-7) will try to fill the void of Marie Gulich.​

​

“You never know how it’s going to play out for anyone,” Rueck said. “So we knew it was going to be a position by committee this year and that it was going to play out into our season, and as things kind of shook out and who was the most prepared for each moment or what does the game demand right now. Do we want to go big, do we want to go small and want do we want to do with that spot. That’s what we’re doing.​

​

“Until you get into game you don’t know who people are necessarily. So it’s really not any different than I expected. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do with Andrea going into the year and so now I know.”​

Reuck WILL shore up OSU's post play...I don't find it difficult to imagine, but it will take a season + to do it. Don't forget he has 2 terrific post player recruits coming in next year, just a year or two late....needed a really good post player last year to overlap with Gulich....Grymek was/is just not the answer.

 

[bballnut90]

@DaBball dropped this in the non-UConn news thread, but I thought it merited its own space:

OSU women's basketball: Freshman post Andrea Aquino will redshirt this season

“I’ve decided to redshirt her,” he [Rueck] said in a phone interview. “I just want to use this year for her development.”​

It's difficult to imagine how Rueck can shore up his post play after they got owned by Turner and Shepard, but having seen what he accomplished with Hamblin and Gülich, I won't underestimate him.

Not having Aquino means the Beavers are thinner in the post and the trio of senior Joanna Grymek (6-8), junior Janessa Thropay (6-2) and freshman Patricia Morris (6-7) will try to fill the void of Marie Gulich.​

​

“You never know how it’s going to play out for anyone,” Rueck said. “So we knew it was going to be a position by committee this year and that it was going to play out into our season, and as things kind of shook out and who was the most prepared for each moment or what does the game demand right now. Do we want to go big, do we want to go small and want do we want to do with that spot. That’s what we’re doing.​

​

“Until you get into game you don’t know who people are necessarily. So it’s really not any different than I expected. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do with Andrea going into the year and so now I know.”​

Guess she's a little behind the learning curve despite having good potential at 6-9. Grymek definitely doesn't look like the answer going up against quality bigs. Oregon State will be strong but they need posts to develop a bit if they want to be a true title contender. Gulich was one of the best offensive posts in the nation last year, they definitely are missing her.

 

[LoTrader]

I'll be at the OSU game this weekend vs LaSalle. I'm hoping (BIG TIME) that 6'7" freshman Trish Morris gets a lot of minutes. Now that Andrea Acquino is a definite redshirt, Rueck's strategy this season for the "5" should play out over the next few games.

 

[Go/huskies]

With the other post coming in the 2019 class, and both could be McDonald’s All Americans, maybe Andrea will look to take her talents elsewhere, if so I wouldn’t mind see what Geno and CD could do with a 6’9 player.

 

[PAC-12HoopFan]

With the other post coming in the 2019 class, and both could be McDonald’s All Americans, maybe Andrea will look to take her talents elsewhere, if so I wouldn’t mind see what Geno and CD could do with a 6’9 player.

Andrea Aquino is not leaving Corvallis any time soon. The decision to redshirt her this season was a mutual one that Aquino is on board with for a number of reasons. Aquino lived with the the family of fellow OSU frosh teammate Patricia Morris last year in southern California during her senior year of high school. It was a blessing for Aquino that the Morris family reached out and made that happen to take her away from the troubled living situation she had in New Jersey. Aquino and Morris are very close friends who both verbally committed to OSU during their joint official visit together in May 2017. They are sister-like in how they root for each other's success both on and off the court.

Aquino is in a very good place with quality coaching and the support of teammates in Corvallis. Current OSU players and other observers who have witnessed her skill set in open practices recognize that she could help the Beavers this season, but understand the importance to her of another year of development before taking the court competitively to play for the Beavs.

 

[DaBball]

She wears a boot now.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Lots of tall kids. Few bigs. That's cold Rocky. Brrrrh.

 

[Vowelguy]

Meanwhile Cierra Porter has unretired and is back with Mizzou.

 

[Plebe]

Meanwhile Cierra Porter has unretired and is back with Mizzou.

The ol' "now she medically retires, now she doesn't" trick.

 

[stamfordhusky]

I didn't think there was a red shirt option for basketball, absent injury. Always thought red shirting freshman was a football thing.

In all sports, an athlete is given five years to use her four years of eligibility. Can always sit one year - be it the freshman year or another one - and still play a total of four years. Doing this is a true redshirt, as opposed to a medical hardship waiver which is often mistakenly called a redshirt.