Article on Ice’s slow start

[meyers7]

Totally possible but I find it hard to believe that there wasn't anyone out there worth taking a flier on. Especially if we're only talking about a potential role player.

And that might have been the problem.
"Hey, you wanna come to UCONN and be a role player?"

"Nah, I'm going somewhere to be a starter?"

 

[fireford]

And that might have been the problem.
"Hey, you wanna come to UCONN and be a role player?"

"Nah, I'm going somewhere to be a starter?"

True but considering the competition for playing time, a potential starting role could have sold without it being too much of a reach.

 

[Zarathustra]

Would have been nice to get a big rebounder and defender but maybe no one was available who they thought could help. I will say, I think they need to widen their search of high school players when it comes to bigs because a lot of these lower ranked players are kicking our ass in college. Also Ice is not in shape, she is struggling up and down but I’m not worried about her AT ALL. Once she gets used to everything she’s gonna do her part. I can already see it when she plays. I think our 2 guard situation is the thing that most needs to be fixed. KK or Shade or Q or Nika needs to show that it’s me. Hard to keep mixing and matching and make it far. It can be done but that’s draining. It’s crazy because each one of them have what the other is lacking. Make them into one person and you have exactly what we need. This season is tough because I don’t want Paige to go out like Crystal did without a title.

IMO. saying that ICE Brady is " not in shape" is like saying that YANNA Patterson is not in shape. Both are muscular
well conditioned athletes. Maybe " game shape " is what you mean, which takes time.

 

[CL82]

Who knows how integral El-Alfy would have been

She was playing very well before her injury. Even if she was only "competent" she would've given us the bench depth in the post that we appear to need. Based on our play over the summer, I think she would've been something more than merely competent, but who knows? I look forward to seeing her out on the court next year.

 

[Papa33]

You are correct in stating that what I'm saying is conjecture but I never implied it was anything different than that. When asked for proof that someone didn't try to do something hard enough what better proof can you come up with other than the end result doesn't support
the alleged effort?

Those who are challenging my statement also have no facts to support the contrary so at the end of the day it's all conjecture.

And what would be the downside of adding someone? Agree that a Dorka is hard to find but at least they'd have another option to try. Would rather they swing and miss than not swing at all.

Your first paragraph equates failure to achieve a result with insufficient effort. Not a fair "proof."

 

[meyers7]

True but considering the competition for playing time, a potential starting role could have sold without it being too much of a reach.

But that would be lying to them. As you said, "Especially if we're only talking about a potential role player".

 

[fireford]

But that would be lying to them. As you said, "Especially if we're only talking about a potential role player".

Not sure about that. Geno tells everyone, including blue chip recruits, that how much they play is up to them. They have to compete for playing time. Even Taurasi said he told her this when he recruited her. He would have told the potential recruit the same thing he tells everyone one else.

 

[tower1]

If you think that players' desire to play at UConn is the same as it was some years ago, then you're not paying attention to women's basketball. Obviously, I have no first,or second hand,etc knowledge of what UConn coaches' did. Nor do you. That's my insight. You're welcome.

Recruiting has changed allot and if coaches don't change with it they will be left behind. Geno is very stubborn and won't change his ways. We have fallen behind all the top programs in recruiting and it's getting worse because we need a better recruiter. We are getting good recruits but not the top recruits anymore. Unless that changes it will be a long time before we see another championship ! We can't be as picky as we once were.

 

[Blond D.]

Recruiting has changed allot and if coaches don't change with it they will be left behind. Geno is very stubborn and won't change his ways. We have fallen behind all the top programs in recruiting and it's getting worse because we need a better recruiter. We are getting good recruits but not the top recruits anymore. Unless that changes it will be a long time before we see another championship ! We can't be as picky as we once were.

And yet we still, with all our injuries to out top players, manage to stay in the top ten and make at least the sweet 16.
I think Geno still knows how to recruit and coach. We've just had a lot of bad luck with injuries.

 

[meyers7]

Not sure about that. Geno tells everyone, including blue chip recruits, that how much they play is up to them. They have to compete for playing time. Even Taurasi said he told her this when he recruited her. He would have told the potential recruit the same thing he tells everyone one else.

True, but that's not what you said. First you said you were looking for a role player, then you're gonna "sell" her on starting.

 

[towerman]

How many times have we all read or heard coaches remark "it's January now we are no longer a freshman". We shall see.

 

[Sifaka]

Recruiting has changed allot and if coaches don't change with it they will be left behind. Geno is very stubborn and won't change his ways. We have fallen behind all the top programs in recruiting and it's getting worse because we need a better recruiter. We are getting good recruits but not the top recruits anymore. Unless that changes it will be a long time before we see another championship ! We can't be as picky as we once were.

Hmmmm…. guess you don't consider Paige and Azzi “top recruits”.

 

[fireford]

True, but that's not what you said. First you said you were looking for a role player, then you're gonna "sell" her on starting.

Geno, not me, would "sell" her on POTENTIALLY starting if she earned it. The last thing I tried to sell were Cutco knives back in college and that didn't go so well.

Seems every game there is a new starting lineup so if said recruit were halfway decent they'd probably have their share of chances of starting so Geno couldn't be accused of being a snake oil salesman. Otherwise, they'd be a key rotational player when they weren't starting (if they earned their right into the rotation).

I emphasized role player because at the beginning of the season Geno would have likely gone with the same starting lineup that he did to open the season with his trusted veterans so this person would have been a role player to start even if they were the next Azura Stevens (and as we remember she didn't start). But as things stand now they very well could be starting if they had what it takes. I'm sure Geno would have been upfront about it as he tends to be.

 

[Cuango]

Recruiting has changed allot and if coaches don't change with it they will be left behind. Geno is very stubborn and won't change his ways. We have fallen behind all the top programs in recruiting and it's getting worse because we need a better recruiter. We are getting good recruits but not the top recruits anymore. Unless that changes it will be a long time before we see another championship ! We can't be as picky as we once were.

We currently have two #1s, one #4, two #5s, one #6, two #15s, one # 21, one # 23, one # 41, the top rated foreign big for 2023, a highly rated foreign PG from 2020?, and another midlevel foreign PG from 2022? One of the #1s is a generational player, the other was touted as generational, the #4 was the top wing in her class, one #5 was the second ranked post in her class, the other the third ranked guard in hers, the #6 was the second ranked PG in her class, one #15 was the fourth ( really the third) ranked post in her class, the other the sixth ranked (non PG guard in hers, the #21 was the fifth ranked wing in her class, the #23 was the third ranked wing in her class, while the #41 was the fifth in her class! The foreign players are difficult to rank but one is a two time defensive POY (conference) and one, as noted above, was a top rated post while one was a midlevel offered player at a smaller school! Meanwhile, we have commitments from the top ranked SG and the seveth ranked SG for next year!

I don’t think recruiting is the problem! If everyone on this roster were healthy, I would bet a lot of money that we are ranked #1 right now and everyone would be talking about us as, at the very least, a co-favorite with SC and LSU! Do we need a big, space eating big? Sure we do! So do about 99% of all the other teams in women’s basketball! I realize some will say rankings are subjective, and so they are. Nevertheless, our coaches don’t recruit these players solely on the basis of ratings. They spend hours watching them play, talking to their coaches and parents and only then make an offer. Have they missed the mark on some players? Yes they have! Some of the players they’ve desperately wanted have chosen to go elsewhere as well! These have occasionally been players who, had they come to UConn, would likely have been the difference in winning another championship. Even so, I am more than happy with their recruiting results as virtually every player I can remember is an exemplary human being in addition to being highly skilled!

While for some, it may seem like a failure in recruiting, I believe it is simply a result of parity, and the immense improvement across the board of women’s basketball. I don’t know if we will win another title or not before Geno and Chris ride off into the sunset but I am happy and proud that UConn still sticks to their standards in recruiting the whole person rather than simply their playing ability! This approach has served us well and I for one am happy with the results, win or lose! Finally, I must reiterate that the biggest reason we are where we are, is not a failure in recruiting but rather the nightmarish string of injuries that has haunted us these past three years!

 

[donalddoowop]

Hmmmm…. guess you don't consider Paige and Azzi “top recruits”.

And Arnold, Edwards, and Shade. All top recruits

 

[stamfordhusky]

Recruiting has changed allot and if coaches don't change with it they will be left behind. Geno is very stubborn and won't change his ways. We have fallen behind all the top programs in recruiting and it's getting worse because we need a better recruiter. We are getting good recruits but not the top recruits anymore. Unless that changes it will be a long time before we see another championship ! We can't be as picky as we once were.

This is beyond silly Collectively over the past five years, UConn is clearly in the top three in recruiting based on any of the national rankings.

 

[visitingcock]

It is to be expected that Ice is "playing like a freshman" because she essentially is. Every reasonable person somewhat expected that.

I think the part that troubles people is the fact that when El-Alfy went down there no real attempt to get some insurance in the post via the portal. Paige went down in the summer last year and UConn managed to get Bettencourt for depth purposes.

When El-Alfy went down the battle cries were 1) she (El-Alfy) wasn't going to be a key rotational player anyway and 2) we already have plenty at the post (i.e., Brady, Patterson and DeBerry).

So here we are and we're getting what most reasonable people thought what we were getting. Brady = A Freshman, DeBerry = DeBerry, and Patterson is hurt and the jury is still out on her as a key rotational player.

Who knows how integral El-Alfy would have been. I tend to think she would have been given her share of chances based on what we've seen from the other post players and could have contributed AT LEAST as much.

Knowing that Brady, Patterson and DeBerry were big question marks as to what we'd be getting there should have been an attempt to get some kind of depth in the front court via the portal after El-Alfy went down and perhaps even before that knowing you're relying on four unproven players (and Patterson was coming off major surgery).

No, you're not going to get an AA in the middle of the summer, but I'm sure a front court player capable of giving good minutes off the bench could have been found if the same effort were applied when UConn went out and got Bettencourt last year.

How many P-5+1 level Bigs were available when Alfy went down? Probably none. The portal was closed in July. All you could have gotten would probably have been a step down from DeBerry. Somebody who had left her team in the Spring and nobody had picked her up.

Sorry, I just don’t see the portal as having been an option.

Jersey Wolfenbarger might be available second semester. Not sure about that though.

 

[Bald Husky]

How many P-5+1 level Bigs were available when Alfy went down? Probably none. The portal was closed in July. All you could have gotten would probably have been a step down from DeBerry. Somebody who had left her team in the Spring and nobody had picked her up.

Sorry, I just don’t see the portal as having been an option.

Jersey Wolfenbarger might be available second semester. Not sure about that though.

I believe the reason Wolfenbarger left Arkansas was because they wanted her to play in the post but all she wanted to do is roam and shoot from the perimeter. If that is the case, we don't want or need her.

 

[meyers7]

Geno, not me, would "sell" her on POTENTIALLY starting if she earned it. The last thing I tried to sell were Cutco knives back in college and that didn't go so well.

Seems every game there is a new starting lineup so if said recruit were halfway decent they'd probably have their share of chances of starting so Geno couldn't be accused of being a snake oil salesman. Otherwise, they'd be a key rotational player when they weren't starting (if they earned their right into the rotation).

I emphasized role player because at the beginning of the season Geno would have likely gone with the same starting lineup that he did to open the season with his trusted veterans so this person would have been a role player to start even if they were the next Azura Stevens (and as we remember she didn't start). But as things stand now they very well could be starting if they had what it takes. I'm sure Geno would have been upfront about it as he tends to be.

Sure she might be starting now, but last summer, when you were trying to "sell" her, you wouldn't know about all the injuries.

And yes he'd have been upfront about it. And I imagine most players in the portal aren't looking for a backup position. I imagine most of them are looking for more playing time.

"Come to UCONN. If we have a bunch of injuries, you might get a bit of playing time". Just doesn't sound like a very powerful "sell" to me.

 

[tower1]

UConn never releases recruiting information. As for the unused scholarship, Geno has said a million times he prefers a 13 player roster like the men. He has said it was impossible to keep 15 players happy with their playing time.

You have zero proof, you only have an opinion and you’re using to throw mud and the coaches.

Geno should have 15 players with all the injuries they been having. He was pretty stubborn about recruiting another big last year.

 

[darrell]

Watching today’s game, I hated how much she was sagged off of at the top of the key. She would’ve made the opposing team pay in HS, hoping we can get that version of Ice by season’s end.

 

[HopJim]

This is beyond silly Collectively over the past five years, UConn is clearly in the top three in recruiting based on any of the national rankings.

In fairness to Geno, he has done a great job keeping UConn a top 5-10 team. Even when the Huskies looked like it only had 6-7 players several years ago, he went into Europe and got Nika and Anna Mukarat. Lou and Dorka followed. In terms of how his recruits produced, not sure how the rating would be. Being high up in preseason polls doesn't win championships.

 

[Kat]

I've seen Ice play a few times when she was in HS here in San Diego. Right now, she isn't moving as well as she did then. I think that she's still shaking off some rust. Geno knows this, which is why she's getting PT. She is going to look a lot better as the season goes on.

 

[Orc]

Shes has been unimpressive so far. I expected to see more based on the hype. It seems too many post players at Uconn don’t improve anymore

 

[and one]

How Ice's college career turns out is an open question. I suspect that, barring injury, she will be pretty good. Great? Don't know but possible. What she won't be is a solid inside scorer and rim protector. The kid is 6'3", not 6'6'. She will be of help in the paint and if she can play there at an AE level that would be outstanding. If she does develop into a decent mid-range and 3 point shooter even better. She just isn't a natural 5 and we can't expect her to play like one.

If there is a real 5 or big 4 out there that is pretty good and available to the highest bidder be assured that UConn came a knocking. Some may think the coaching staff are lacking in some respects but they aren't blooming idiots.

 

[Viet Vet]

How tall was Jamelle? How tough was Jamelle?

 

[HuskyNan]

How tall was Jamelle? How tough was Jamelle?

Napheesa Collier is 6-1
Gabby Williams is 5-11
Morgan Tuck is 6-2
Barbara Turner is 6-0
Kelly Faris is 5-11

If any one of those women were on the team today, no one would be calling for more height

 

[Charliebball]

Shes has been unimpressive so far. I expected to see more based on the hype. It seems too many post players at Uconn don’t improve anymore

exactly how many minutes has Ice Brady played in her career at UConn so far? I'll tell you.....126 minutes..........is that enough playing time to determine how good a player she will be at UConn in what is really her freshman year? I'd say resoundingly NO!! Give the kid a break.........she's coming off of major knee surgery and is just finding her legs against bigger, better competition.......I've saw enough of her in high school against some quality players to believe she will be a really solid contributor to this team this season if Geno keeps playing her decent minutes..............have a little faith..........

 

[Ron and Vida]

There are a number of freshmen playing well this season. Being a freshman is a weak excuse, imo. I believe Brady will show a big improvement before the season is over.

As others have made perfectly clear big girls take longer to develop.
My memory has gone South but the outstanding freshman ballers at SC ND TX and others who are lighting up the court from day one this year are guards and not bigs

 

[JoePgh]

Napheesa Collier is 6-1
Gabby Williams is 5-11
Morgan Tuck is 6-2
Barbara Turner is 6-0
Kelly Faris is 5-11

If any one of those women were on the team today, no one would be calling for more height

I think your last sentence is incorrect.

Napheesa and Gabby were able to get to the Final Four, but were not able to win a championship. In the opinion of many Boneyarders including myself, the 2018 team might well have won a National Championship if Azura Stevens (6-6) had been a starter on that team and had played more in the semifinal loss to Notre Dame. If Azura had stayed for her final season of eligibility in 2018-19, that might also have been an NC-winning team.

Morgan Tuck was never the sole big in the lineup; she always had Stewie or Kiah Stokes to protect the rim.

Barbara Turner always had Jessica Moore or Tina Charles, and was not relied upon to be the major domo in the paint.

Kelly Faris had to play the "4" on the 2012 team, next to Stef Dolson. That team was pretty good, but did not win an NC. When Stewie arrived in 2013, allowing UConn to have two true bigs in the starting lineup (and allowing Kelly to play as a guard/wing), the team did win the NC.

If these precedents mean anything, I doubt that UConn will be able to win an NC this year with a lineup of Aaliyah and 4 guards.