Another country heard from on Natalie Butler

[chrissaran]

meyers7, sure you did. Stef was slow and overweight and it wasn't until she started doing the Insanity workouts that she reached her potential. The Dodgers had a chance to sign Willie Mays, but one of their scouts said he couldn't hit a curve ball. Stef is nowhere near the talent that Willie Mays was. Obviously one of the greatest baseball players ever and there were thosed who missed it. I watched the same McDonald's game you did. I was not impressed in the least.

 

[hoophuskee]

meyers7, sure you did. Stef was slow and overweight and it wasn't until she started doing the Insanity workouts that she reached her potential. The Dodgers had a chance to sign Willie Mays, but one of their scouts said he couldn't hit a curve ball. Stef is nowhere near the talent that Willie Mays was. Obviously one of the greatest baseball players ever and there were thosed who missed it. I watched the same McDonald's game you did. I was not impressed in the least.

I agree with meyers - as I thought she'd be very good too. On the old ESPN Board someone named Glenn MacGrady (sorry if I spelled his name wrong) I believe went to watch her a lot. I think he referred his trips to see her as "going on the magic bus." I believe he saw her often and spoke very highly of her. I believe what got me high on Steph was that I saw a video of her whether it was on here, or ESPN or other I saw the following-
1-- able to low post (and I beleive shot with both hands.)
2-- with her size I thought she had a chance to take advantage of smaller teams and wouldn't be limited to just low post.
3-- When she showed as well on the video that she could shoot beyond 5-8 feet- the summation was "a skilled player."
4--- When they showed or the scouts (or profile) said she could pass well (the video might have showed her passing too)- now we got an offensive center with inside/outside capabilities and passing skills- you Give Gneo "that" type of player- that is a UCONN player.

IMO if you saw that video instead of the McD game you would have changed your mind. In those A/A games - athleticism is one hot need in order to shine and speed can help. What Dolson brings it will rarely shine in those games.

I don;t agree with any points made that Steph wasn't a UCONN caliber recruit when she first came. She was regarded as the best cener in her class. When you add up her big size with very good shooting touch, can low post (I beleive the video showed her able to with both hands) and can pass and you give that to Geno - you're going to get a real good player as long as effort is there.

I will add I didn't know she'd be great. But I did believe she'd be very good.

 

[rocky rococo]

Many of the short-range attributes of physical "quickness" can be effectively mimicked with skillful footwork. That's been a forte in UConn development of bigs going back at least to Tamika Williams.

 

[hoophuskee]

Tomcat and others - yes. We do not need a superstar center or even an AA center to be a very good team. Natalie is not a Tina Charles type prospect, but I think she compares well to the freshman version of Stef from the reports we have been getting. Will she develop as well as Stef ... probably not, but will she perform like Jessica Moore, or Shuey? That would be just fine by me. And that is not to say that she will not follow a Stef type progression, but that we do not need her to for her to be a fabulous addition to the team.

I didn't get why the rush to anoint her. Huskynan I believe mentioned sarcastically on the large merged thread regarding Natalie - that so many were putting her on a pedestal. I think it is fanatstic we have her. Fantastic. I think she'll beneift big time at UCONN. But with that said -

1--- Geno doesn't guarantee anything. There is talk that because Geno has talked her up - that she's a lock to start and get huge minutes. I don't beleive he said that at all. He called her a game changer. Kiah Stokes is a game changer too.

2--- I don't believe you need a 6'5 or 6'4 center to be super super super great. IMO the greatest team ever 2002 had their starting center at 6'3. We won championhips for 3 straight years with 6'3 Jones and then 6'3 Moore. It is great to have 6'4/6'5 and just off the top of my head I lean toward NB will always be a starter. But as we know Geno doesn't always give his starters the most minutes. But it wouldn't suprise me either way. I do think NB will be at worst "good." It wouldn't surprise me if she were great too.

3--- If we were to project - I think most if not all of us would agree - barring injuries - in NB's jr KLS's junior year we're going to be a beast. And great chance her sr year too. On those teams imo if you are the frontline and you are averaging 20 minutes a game - then you are a very very good basktball player. And if you are that good to warrant those minutes on potentially these future powerhouse teams- then you probably are some sort of game changer.

I'm with you - we don't need an aa center to be great.

 

[Icebear]

I agree with meyers - as I thought she'd be very good too. On the old ESPN Board someone named Glenn MacGrady (sorry if I spelled his name wrong) I believe went to watch her a lot. I think he referred his trips to see her as "going on the magic bus." I believe he saw her often and spoke very highly of her. I believe what got me high on Steph was that I saw a video of her whether it was on here, or ESPN or other I saw the following-
1-- able to low post (and I beleive shot with both hands.)
2-- with her size I thought she had a chance to take advantage of smaller teams and wouldn't be limited to just low post.
3-- When she showed as well on the video that she could shoot beyond 5-8 feet- the summation was "a skilled player."
4--- When they showed or the scouts (or profile) said she could pass well (the video might have showed her passing too)- now we got an offensive center with inside/outside capabilities and passing skills- you Give Gneo "that" type of player- that is a UCONN player.

IMO if you saw that video instead of the McD game you would have changed your mind. In those A/A games - athleticism is one hot need in order to shine and speed can help. What Dolson brings it will rarely shine in those games.

I don;t agree with any points made that Steph wasn't a UCONN caliber recruit when she first came. She was regarded as the best cener in her class. When you add up her big size with very good shooting touch, can low post (I beleive the video showed her able to with both hands) and can pass and you give that to Geno - you're going to get a real good player as long as effort is there.

I will add I didn't know she'd be great. But I did believe she'd be very good.

Glenn was positive about someone?

 

[Tonyc]

Wow what a long thread. I remember all the negative stuff written about Stef when she verballed. The Number one criticism was she was big and slow. There were alot of comparisons to Tina. I posted something and these arent the exact words, but she was taller then Tina, could shoot foul shots better, could use her left hand better, could pass better as a freshman coming in. Tina didnt come in with all those skills but worked hard to attain them. Tina became great as did Stef. Both Stef and Tina had the will to get better and become great BB players. Natalie has that will too.

Natalie comes to UConn with great college stats and the will to become great. Under Genos watchful eye and with hard work she will get better. The excitement of her HS BB coach and his enthusiasm over her improvement and her great attitude is enough for me to expect her to be another great post player at UConn. She wont be Tina or Stef she will be Natalie and the girls that come in after her to play the post will not be Natalie they will be who they are. I can see this. Surround Natalie with our freshman class and next years verbals plus our current roster when she is eligible and you will see a very good post player. I dont expect miracles and I dont expect a failure. I expect her to be like any other good player Geno has coached and to develop season after season. Yes she has the potential to be an AA. To attain that level will depend on how fast she develops. To me she is a late bloomer and is blooming fast. The next step is Geno and his coaching staff and it doesnt get any better then that.

 

[meyers7]

meyers7, sure you did. Stef was slow and overweight and it wasn't until she started doing the Insanity workouts that she reached her potential. ... I watched the same McDonald's game you did. I was not impressed in the least.

You missed it too then. I could tell she had incredible hands, great moves around the basket (for a HS player) and better yet an incredible will to win/succeed.

You're right it wasn't until she got in better shape that she reached her potential, but if you looked, you could see that potential.

The Dodgers had a chance to sign Willie Mays, but one of their scouts said he couldn't hit a curve ball. Stef is nowhere near the talent that Willie Mays was. Obviously one of the greatest baseball players ever and there were thosed who missed it.

See, don't feel to bad, some people miss it. Some people can see it.

 

[meyers7]

Many of the short-range attributes of physical "quickness" can be effectively mimicked with skillful footwork. That's been a forte in UConn development of bigs going back at least to Tamika Williams.

Well Williams (Raymond) had quick, quick feet. They used her quite a bit on perimeter defense. I'm sure they work on all players to increase their foot quickness, but Williams was quick to start with.

 

[NSP Hoops]

Asked a contact for some pluses and minuses in their assessment of Butler. Let's get the minuses out of the way first.

MINUSES: a. Not Dolson in terms of mobility. (No, this was not from Bruno, who made a somewhat similar statement, which Geno countered by pointing out that Dolson was not Dolson as a freshman.) b. Somewhat surprising that UCONN took her, because not the usual UCONN "superstar" type of recruit.

PLUSES: a. A very good freshman year. b. The coming year of practice/coaching at UCONN should be VERY beneficial for her development. c. Very good rebounder. d. Can score under the basket. e. Nice shot within 10'. f. The type of player you can count on to be reliable and give you their best. g. Will improve.

(Don't mean to be mysterious here. I don't have the network of connections within women's basketball that many of you do. But given my very strong interest in and enthusiasm for the addition of Butler to our roster, I solicited this input from what could be described fairly as a very well placed source. Thought the observations would be of interest here, but am not at liberty to provide any identifying data about the "country heard from" in terms of role, gender, affiliations, etc. Not that there is anything earth-shaking or particularly controversial in this report, simply that it was provided with confidentiality assured. )

I was surprised at the two negatives. My impression (based on very little) was that Butler was perhaps even more mobile that Dolson.....especially when comparing Frosh to Frosh. And, also have the impression that she might turn out to be AA material as she gains experience at UCONN. Don't know if AA and superstar are one and the same.

Here's one more plus (high school). She makes her free throws.

I actually liked Dolson in high school, I thought she was really strong down low and really tough to play against. UConn definitely helped her with conditioning, outside shooting and confidence to dominate. I think similar things can happen with Butler if she stays mentally tough and focused which I believe she will.

 

[rocky rococo]

Well Williams (Raymond) was quick, quick feet. They used her quite a bit on perimeter defense. I'm sure they work on all players to increase their foot quickness, but Williams was quick to start with.

It was interesting to watch Tamika as a pro, as she grasped the Lynx (pre-Maya/Augustus) were going nowhere. She often seemed to lose interest in the game itself, and spend her time on the court going through the mechanics of her positioning and footwork. I haven't seen her coaching, but I'm sure she's very good at it, she knows that footwork stuff cold.