Angel Reese in the portal

[LwrcasefaN]

I saw nothing in that post that referred to a “citizenship test”. This is not unusual scrutiny, Geno has made no secret of his requirement that UConn recruits are held to a high standard in more than playing ability. He has talked over and over about the importance of recruiting kids with good attitudes, unselfish behavior on court, kids who want to be part of a team, and who are not self-promoters. In other words, good citizens. If you are offended by that, I’m surprised you are a UConn fan.

I did...specifically...that she will be a good teammate and citizen. Questioning whether someone will be a good teammate is fair game. It's a TEAM sport. Questioning whether they are a good citizen...THAT is not about basketball. There's a reason why there is the word 'AND' between teammate AND citizen because...they aren't the same thing as you suggest. All these folks under consideration to attend UCONN or anywhere else for that matter...show me where anyone asked are they a "good citizen"? Sorry, never seen it.

 

[CocoHusky]

I did...specifically...that she will be a good teammate and citizen. Questioning whether someone will be a good teammate is fair game. It's a TEAM sport. Questioning whether they are a good citizen...THAT is not about basketball. There's a reason why there is the word 'AND' between teammate AND citizen because...they aren't the same thing as you suggest. All these folks under consideration to attend UCONN or anywhere else for that matter...show me where anyone asked are they a "good citizen"? Sorry, never seen it.

As an alternative to citizen try substituting the words "good representatives" . UCONN players are certainly expected to be good representatives of the university, their families and the program. I think that is what @Cuango was trying to say - I agree.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Back to Reese... she is 6'3", could play 2. 3, 4. Could help in all phases of the game. To me, if she is interested in UCONN, Geno should give her a try. Makes no sense for her to go to SC with the roster they already have..IMHO.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

As an alternative to citizen try substituting the words "good representatives" . UCONN players are certainly expected to be good representatives of the university, their families and the program. I think that is what @Cuango was trying to say - I agree.

I would hope that whether we were talking about an athlete or non athlete...of any school, they wouldn't have been accepted. I was expecting to hear something she did to imply she wouldn't meet these basic standards...like a photo of her on the post office wall or a feature in an episode of America's Most Wanted. I don't recall MD having any issues with her so didn't quite follow why anything beyond fitting into the team and a function on that team warranted any extra consideration. That's what I'm trying to say.

 

[oldude]

Cardosa seems happy to me. Then again, she is always smiling so who really knows. Cardosa will get more playing time next year. I think she enjoys her role. Cardosa will get drafted regardless if she starts or come off the bench.

With Boston, Saxon, Amihere all coming back, how is Cardosa going to get more PT next year.

 

[oldude]

It's funny how it works. The rich get richer. I.e., Cardoso goes to South Carolina, like they need another post player. They already had the best 5 in the country. She was selected as a first team All-American.

Dawn and South Carolina has become a very attractive destination for player entering the portal. Especially now that they are the reigning national champions, and figure to be the odds on favorite to repeat.

Don’t be surprised if Dawn is able to land “several” elite level players from the portal this spring.

Don’t know if Dawn has any scholarships right now?

 

[ccwarrior]

That is very true. Geno could recruit a "proven" post player from the portal over Amari and Piath. I would not like to see that. If they didn't choose UConn the first time around, why now? I have always believed that you promote from within first. Then, if you still have positions that need to be filled you hire or promote from outside. Nothing kills morale faster than promoting or hiring outside when there are people that have been waiting to promote right in front of you.

But (devils advocate & realist arguments) - what if either of these players are either lacking in skills or the work ethic that is necessary for this treatment?

 

[tower1]

I saw nothing in that post that referred to a “citizenship test”. This is not unusual scrutiny, Geno has made no secret of his requirement that UConn recruits are held to a high standard in more than playing ability. He has talked over and over about the importance of recruiting kids with good attitudes, unselfish behavior on court, kids who want to be part of a team, and who are not self-promoters. In other words, good citizens. If you are offended by that, I’m surprised you are a UConn fan.

Times have changed and recruits have changed. What must change is the coaching if they want to keep getting the best recruits. No matter how great a coach was he must change his tactics. And stop playing games with top recruits they have on the bench so they won't leave and new ones that may come. It might of worked in the past but not nowdays.

 

[hoophuskee]

With Boston, Saxon, Amihere all coming back, how is Cardosa going to get more PT next year.

I find it amazing that she was ACC Freshman of the Year and an impact player to a degree and she was okay with just 13 minutes.

 

[bballnut90]

Freese doesn't come off as someone I would enjoy playing for but she somehow manages to get top recruits, has success with them, only to see them leave for greener pastures. The list above shows that some of those who stick it out have successful professional careers. I get sometimes a change of scenery needs to happen but how could so many players have such a disconnect between what they experience in recruiting verses actually playing for the team? It truly amazes me.

Reese claims she wants to play on the perimeter. So did Austin, but Shakira wound up playing down low for Ole Miss and was very successful. I will be curious where she winds up, but even more curious if Maryland continues to draw highly touted players.

I don't fully understand Reese's draw to playing on the perimeter, at least offensively. She's an absolute beast attacking the basket and draws a ton of fouls. She's also one of the best offensive rebounders in the country. She has decent handles for a tall girl but her jumpshot isn't good and her game is best suited at the 4 IMO. She should model her offensive game after A'ja Wilson's. Similar size/quickness, lefty, great at taking opposing bigs off the dribble, frequently gets to the line, has a high motor, etc.

 

[jchusky]

if I'm Uconn I'm looking elsewhere from Reese and Owosu. If they can't handle Brenda, you think they can handle Geno?

 

[CB360]

It's not about being right. It's about being fair. Your comment implied a one-sided relationship. But by all means...if free means something different, then I'm all ears.

Apparently, 25 "Likes" felt I was being "Fair"....

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I don't fully understand Reese's draw to playing on the perimeter, at least offensively. She's an absolute beast attacking the basket and draws a ton of fouls. She's also one of the best offensive rebounders in the country. She has decent handles for a tall girl but her jumpshot isn't good and her game is best suited at the 4 IMO. She should model her offensive game after A'ja Wilson's. Similar size/quickness, lefty, great at taking opposing bigs off the dribble, frequently gets to the line, has a high motor, etc.

There are several players of that mold who get convinced they should play outside more. Aja thought she was somewhat of a perimeter player early on herself before Dawn got her.

 

[oldude]

I find it amazing that she was ACC Freshman of the Year and an impact player to a degree and she was okay with just 13 minutes.

I doubt she’s OK with 13 mpg. I suspect when she transferred to SC, Cardoso may have been sold on some type of “twin towers” concept, where she & Boston would play together like Coates & Wilson. Dawn tried that out a little, and even played Amihere a few times together with Cardoso & Boston. But ultimately, SC’s best lineup had neither Cardoso or Amihere getting significant PT.

 

[Majorthreat]

Angel Reese's last top 5 before she selected Maryland was Tennessee, Syracuse, South Carolina, and USC because they have the Kinesiology major. Don't count on her going to UCONN although it would be nice.

 

[jchusky]

they saying both Owusu and Reese are going to SC. Is SC gonna be bad for basketball?

 

[Skeets]

?

Four guards is enough?

Maybe yes, maybe no. But, all 4 guards are proven. UConn has lots of bigs, 6 by my count, but only 2 are proven. The other 4? 2 practically didn't play this year and the other 2 are high school kids. Not the best position to be in.

FYI, I don't count a healthy Abrey as a big, and certainly not a guard. A small forward? I am counting CD as a guard, but one could make a strong argument that she is also a small forward also.

 

[jabstep]

I think now that the Portal is wide open Super teams are being formed. All of the players know each other from playing AAU ball against each other. One player can make the difference. Had Boston choose us over SC we would be cutting down the nets for the past two years. Our offense has struggled against the top defensive teams such as Arizona and SC. Geno know he needs scorers who can score against anybody. We have three of those players. Paige , Azzi and Caroline. We don't know the extend of Caroline's head injury but before it happened she carried the team for while this season. Azzi carried us when she finally got healthy but we have had no big carry us except in a supportive role.
Paige carried us her freshmen year and came back to help us get to the final 4.
I think Ice and Amari have the skill set that we need in our offense. They can hit the elbow jumper back to the three point line so that the other teams defense can block the middle and take away drive to the hoop and the backdoor cuts. The defense can overplay the guard and it make it more difficult for lets say CW do what she does best.
If healthy we will be back in the final 4 with a shot to bring home number 12.
Reese would not score on Boston in the Paint and I don't think she is an outside player. She could be if she worked on her outside shot extensively

 

[powerplay]

Angel Reese's last top 5 before she selected Maryland was Tennessee, Syracuse, South Carolina, and USC because they have the Kinesiology major. Don't count on her going to UCONN although it would be nice.

I could be wrong, but doesn't UConn have a very reputable Kinesiology Dept?

 

[GG]

I could be wrong, but doesn't UConn have a very reputable Kinesiology Dept?

It does. Donald Brown (UCONN football) cited the program as one of the reasons he chose UCONN.

 

[meyers7]

I think UConn's greater need is for a guard. People have been saying that UConn "only" has four guards for next year (presumably Azzi, Paige, Nika, and Caroline). I would count Caroline and Aubrey as wings rather than guards, which means UConn has only three "true" guards. I think that a fourth guard is needed more than a big. In this respect I agree with @meyers7 , which is unusual in itself.

Ah, but doesn't it feel good.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Apparently, 25 "Likes" felt I was being "Fair"....

Good for you. That's not how I judge fairness, but you run with that.

 

[Jibariqua]

Reese would not score on Boston in the Paint and I don't think she is an outside player. She could be if she worked on her outside shot extensively

Except when they played in December she scored 20 with Boston guarding her a lot of the time.

 

[visitingcock]

they saying both Owusu and Reese are going to SC. Is SC gonna be bad for basketball?

Neither is going to SCar. Catch up.

The best thing for basketball is to not have one dominant team over a five year stretch. On team winning a championship or two, maybe three during a five year stretch is okay. Let's assume arguendo that SCar wins it next year. Boston will be gone after that. The likelihood of three in a row is minimal. Another team would be favored the third year.

WBB is in a good position right now with three major contenders in SCar, Uconn and Stanford all of whom will play regular season games against each other net year. That's great for wbb. SCar plays UConn (I think) and Stanford on the road. That's good press and good TV. That stirs interest.

Having three major contenders leaves an open spot for others to get the 4th seed. That's good for the game.

To me, the game has never been in better shape. We have two major superstars right now in Paige and Boston. Stanford SID needs to get on the ball promoting Haley.

Who is the fourth leading contender? That may become clearer when the transfer madness settles out. Will it be Louisville/NC State? Looks like it won't be Maryland. A big 12 team? who will rise to the top? Big Ten?

Iowa State and Iowa are gonna be fun to watch this year.. Will they pick up key transfers that help them become more than point scorers> Blackwell would help either team.

PAC;s TV deal hurts wbb. How can the most liberal states in the country that promotes womens issues not support wbb? Because they don't get to watch it. The Larry Scott legacy lives on.