Asia Durr Narrows list; topic morph circa p. 4 to Tennessee's status/outlook

[asuwish]

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-comme...st-baylor-duke-louisville-maryland-notre-dame



Uconn is not on Durr's final list, but not to panic people, we still have a KILLER squad.

Anywhere but ND. Durr and Turner would form a very very dangerous inside outside pair.

 

[Bestiarius]

Somehow, it seems that UConn almost always finds a way to encourage opponent mega stars to have a bad game against UConn when it counts most. I guess Geno's teams are incredibly lucky.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Looking at some of the posts.....

On Butler.... she doesn't take a back seat to anyone Her merits will be earned by herself, and she will need help from nobody..... remember Dolson was not a world beater when she arrived, and thanks to coaching, and her own hard work and discipline, she blossomed..... Natalie has had one solid year already.... so she is ahead of the game.....

On Duke, and why someone would be eager to go there.... sure Coach P may not be the top of the top echelon.... but (and here is a good separate thread debate) where else ya gonna go if you are in the south and you want to stay realtively close to home? We will see how Staley does at SC, but I do not see a top flight coach down there (apologies to Baylor, but Kim - though good - does not make my "A" list) Duke is still an academic force, and its WCBB program still has good exposure...... not a bad choice..... won't win a chmpnshp there, but a good program and a solid education.

Oh yes, there has been a sugar high here, admittedly, since the 15 class has gotten their additions..... but I still think ND is a constant threat..... Loyd is a "playah", Turner, we will see, she could be a transcendant player..... and if Durr heads there.... I am such a big believer in Muffet's coaching talent, and her staff (whose abilities I know less about) .... they absolutely can pose a threat to us.....

But with geno, staff, and the raw talentwe have now and coming in as well, I feel we are a kevlar program..... it should be pretty sturdy

 

[Kibitzer]

Throughout this thread, focus is on offense (e.g., "Who plays the 2, 3, or 4?," etc.

UConn is certainly strong offensively, but it is their suffocating team defense that racks up the banners and rings.

For emphasis: team defense!

 

[sivad40]

Andy Landers strikes out once again when it comes to landing an elite instate players. Has any major college coach consistently lost out on landing elite instate top players as much as Andy has? Roy and K got alot of criticism for John Wall leaving the state of North Carolina. Gary Williams during his last few years at Maryland lost on a ton of talent but that was more about Gary not wanting to deal with the handlers of some of elite players.

 

[intlzncster]

Andy Landers strikes out once again when it comes to landing an elite instate players. Has any major college coach consistently lost out on landing elite instate top players as much as Andy has? Roy and K got alot of criticism for John Wall leaving the state of North Carolina. Gary Williams during his last few years at Maryland lost on a ton of talent but that was more about Gary not wanting to deal with the handlers of some of elite players.

Gary Williams puts that idea out there, but he does the same things all other coaches do; I think Gary uses that as an excuse for failure. His real problem is that he's just not that good. He caught lightning in a bottle with the crew he had in the early 2000s, but outside that, he's been less than impressive.

Roy and K are heads and tails and light years better coaches than Landers. Not even in the same league (figuratively and literally).

In sum, Landers is a good, but not great, coach. Jim Foster category.

 

[hjoerring]

After reading through these posts I am not convinced that Durr had Uconn at the top of her list. Of course 8 of 10 top players will list Uconn and all the other premier programs. As far as I know she hasn't visited though she has played with Uconn bound players. This is not a requirement but an opportunity to share an experience with potential teammates. In the past a top player could wait around before signing on to the school of her choice because her status/position was secured. However, the top schools and classes have many good players jumping aboard for you to wait to the last minute. Had she wanted to come to Uconn and had jumped aboard early in the game the whole picture would have changed-- perhaps more tranfers. My guess (and it is exactly that) is that she had ND, Duke and MD as destinations. It is also possible that Uconn cooled off a little after signing Nurse and deciding that there are some very good (p)guards in the next class. Seriously, if Nurse is a PG or a combo- isn't she annointed, given her experience- not to count out others. I believe in the old saying that- greed kills and/or too much of a good thing is not good for you.

 

[meyers7]

I believe in the old saying that- greed kills and/or too much of a good thing is not good for you.

It's an "old" saying for a reason.

 

[sivad40]

Gary Williams puts that idea out there, but he does the same things all other coaches do; I think Gary uses that as an excuse for failure. His real problem is that he's just not that good. He caught lightning in a bottle with the crew he had in the early 2000s, but outside that, he's been less than impressive.

Roy and K are heads and tails and light years better coaches than Landers. Not even in the same league (figuratively and literally).

In sum, Landers is a good, but not great, coach. Jim Foster category.

Gary was never a great recruiter in the first place and he used that excuse for losing out to top DMV recruits in his latter years at MD.


Landers is a good coach and an okay recruiter.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Allen would be a Jr.

She is a junior this year. She is in Stewie's class

 

[Fightin Choke]

She is a junior this year. She is in Stewie's class

No, Stewart was in the recruiting class with Jewell Loyd (2012): LINK
Lindsay Allen (25th) was in the recruiting class with Saniya Chong (2013): LINK

 

[Paul1969]

No, Stewart was in the recruiting class with Jewell Loyd (2012): LINK
Lindsay Allen (25th) was in the recruiting class with Saniya Chong (2013): LINK

allen will be a Jr when DUrr is a freshman and Lloyd will be a Senior. (Just another way of looking at it)

 

[Aluminny69]

Butler did more at the D1 level in her freshman year than Buck did in 5 years at UCONN.

But what if Buck had gone to Georgetown? She might have played more. Liz Sherwood did much better at Vanderbilt than she did at UConn. If Sherwood had played at Vanderbilt first, then transferred to UConn, we might have expected big things from her too.

 

[intlzncster]

But what if Buck had gone to Georgetown? She might have played more. Liz Sherwood did much better at Vanderbilt than she did at UConn. If Sherwood had played at Vanderbilt first, then transferred to UConn, we might have expected big things from her too.

It's not as if Heather played more she would have been one of the best freshman in the country and set a few records like Natalie. I'm not sure how the Liz Sherwood example pertains. I guess it means Natalie could be much better after transferring?

Heather Buck could have been a nice player elsewhere, sure, but not remotely close to what this kid was doing. Heather struggled to hit layups through her Jr year...and she was practicing against and working with the best. Butler absolutely crushed it. Her UCONN bio is superlative:

scoring double-figures in all but four of those contests...The 6-foot-5 center finished fifth in the nation in rebounding (13.3 per game) and first among all freshmen in Division I women's college basketball... After averaging 13.9 ppg and 13.4 rpg, Butler earned a trio of postseason accolades from the Big East Conference. The Virginia native received Big East Freshman of the Year, All-Big East Second Team and All-Big East Freshman Team honors... A record-setting rookie campaign witnessed her set conference standards for freshman rebounding with a total of 425 boards... On two occasions the freshman pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds in a single game, tying the league rookie record for single-game rebounding... Her breakout season also established the season record in blocked shots with 59... Butler also made significant contributions on the offensive side of the ball, notching 24 double-doubles including 15 in conference play... Her 24 double-doubles tied for ninth-best in the country and first among freshman... Her 445 points were second on the team...

 

[Tonyc]

We are still the team to beat. DD to Tenn and Durr to anywhere doesnt matter. They will need to have some talent to surround them. They will as freshman but as of now dont in the future. UConn does. When DD and Durr are Juniors then lets talk about who can challenge UConn.

What team this season can give UConn a game when KML and Stewart are healthy? I dont see one. Could UConn lose a game. Sure they can and it would be a fluke. The questions this season are....will Morgan Tuck be healthy enough to make an impact....will the freshman class make an impact and who will step up and be counted on....will Saniya Chong be the player she was in high school and make an impact... I think yes yes yes.

Bottom line next season we wont have KML and it is important that Tuck is a force this season for that reason. We need a couple of the freshman to step up. Saniya although she wasnt the prolific scorer we saw in hs didnt make alot of mistakes. Im looking for her improvement this season.

UConn has the pieces to the puzzle for the next 5 seasons and the question is how they will develop. No other team has as many pieces for the next 5 seasons that UConn does.

As far as Butler if she were at ND and Durr was going there how many of you would be worried about ND? Natalie will be a big time star at UConn and at 6'5 there is nobody at her height and her numbers at GTown are huge especially for a freshman. Butler is key to our winning NCs beginning next season and beyond.

 

[LadyVols9]

We are still the team to beat. DD to Tenn and Durr to anywhere doesnt matter. They will need to have some talent to surround them. They will as freshman but as of now dont in the future. UConn does. When DD and Durr are Juniors then lets talk about who can challenge UConn.

What team this season can give UConn a game when KML and Stewart are healthy? I dont see one. Could UConn lose a game. Sure they can and it would be a fluke. The questions this season are....will Morgan Tuck be healthy enough to make an impact....will the freshman class make an impact and who will step up and be counted on....will Saniya Chong be the player she was in high school and make an impact... I think yes yes yes.

Bottom line next season we wont have KML and it is important that Tuck is a force this season for that reason. We need a couple of the freshman to step up. Saniya although she wasnt the prolific scorer we saw in hs didnt make alot of mistakes. Im looking for her improvement this season.

UConn has the pieces to the puzzle for the next 5 seasons and the question is how they will develop. No other team has as many pieces for the next 5 seasons that UConn does.

i totally agree that UCONN will still be the team to beat but TN will have just as much talent on the roster. can they play defense? that will always be the key.

 

[Sonny44]

Equal talent; we win. It's the coaching and the system

 

[rvwsleep]

i totally agree that UCONN will still be the team to beat but TN will have just as much talent on the roster. can they play defense? that will always be the key.

??? Really, just as much talent ? This year ? If Tennessee has just as much talent as UConn this year, does that mean that Tennessee had MORE talent than UConn last year ! (UConn gaining more talent this year with a higher rated freshman class than Tennessee). So, Tennessee with more talent last year, lost in the round of 16 ! while the "less talented" team won the National Championship.
What could the explanation possibly be ?

 

[Kibitzer]

Butler did more at the D1 level in her freshman year than Buck did in 5 years at UCONN.

. . . but Heather collected more jewelry and went on more White House tours.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

i totally agree that UCONN will still be the team to beat but TN will have just as much talent on the roster. can they play defense? that will always be the key.

Your returning AAs are? Did defense lose the Maryland game last year or was it merely a contributor?

 

[rvwsleep]

Your returning AAs are? Did defense lose the Maryland game last year or was it merely a contributor?

I thought the Maryland game was a total breakdown. Players afraid to shoot, Poor defensive scheme by the coaching staff. No discernible offensive system.
Did I leave anything out ? One more question. If Tennessee did have the more talented players last year, than why don't they have returning AAs to compete with UConn ?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I thought the Maryland game was a total breakdown. Players afraid to shoot, Poor defensive scheme by the coaching staff. No discernible offensive system.
Did I leave anything out ? One more question. If Tennessee did have the more talented players last year, than why don't they have returning AAs to compete with UConn ?

I do not understand the whole players afraid to shoot thing about Tennessee, but that is a consistent refrain on Tennessee Boards. The inconsistency on offense and defense has been the only constant at Tennessee for 5 years and that is puzzling. We are all better off with a more competitive Tenn and they may turn the corner this year. Would love to beat them in the NCAAs...picture smiley face with fangs!

 

[UCONNfan1]

i totally agree that UCONN will still be the team to beat but TN will have just as much talent on the roster. can they play defense? that will always be the key.

Really? Not really close. Next year the gap is closer when DD is available, but still it's UCONN by a lot. Whether you go class by class or position by position. Tennessee fans always talk about how much talent they have, but it's really all on paper. Last year you guys lost to Maryland in the elite 8. Simmons had 31 and no one else but Jones had double figures (she had 11). Doesn't really make one feel warm and fuzzy launching into 2014...

I get that all your returning players will be better, but so will every other teams' players who weren't seniors.

KML, Stokes vs. Burdick, Massengale, Harrison - I'd call this one close. KML is better than any of those 3, but Tenn has a really solid senior class.

Stewie, Jefferson vs. Graves, Jones, Moore - HUGE advantage to UCONN. Like, gargantuan.

Chong, Tuck vs. Carter, Reynolds, Russell - Big advantage Tennessee. Let's be honest - the jury is out big time on Russell, Reynolds is a role player, and Carter a potential starter. But we all know Tuck is coming off a big injury and Chong was inconsistent at beast last year. I believe Russell will be more Kelsey Bone than Tina Charles, but we will see.

Ekmark, Edwards, Williams, Nurse vs. Dunbar, Middleton, Nared, Tucker - Big advantage UCONN. 2 of UCONN's freshmen are legit top 10 kids, one is a Canadian - but the starting guard on their national team (at 17), and one is consensus top 25. Tucker was a consensus top 10, Nared consensus top 20, Middleton consensus top 30, and Dunbar outside the top 50. Next year you can add Butler for UCONN and Deshields for Tennessee to that class. But as good as DD is, UCONN still has the advantage.

Even worse for Tennessee is your 2015 class

Collier, Samuleson, and Boykin vs. Jackson, Cooper. I think UCONN is done. Recently, by the way, both Blue Star and Hoopgurlz moved Samuelson up to #1, in spite of some Tennessee fans who think they are delusional. Probably the same fans who thought Bjorkland was as good as Moore, or Robinson was as good as Taruasi.

Tennessee has a shot at Kalani Brown, but at the moment she doesn't list Tennessee per HG. Do you think you have a legit shot at her? At any rate, I know some Tennessee fans think Cooper is the #1 kid in the class, but no one else seems to think so. She's a great defender, really good at getting to the basket (like Ogunbowale), but doesn't have much of a long range shot. HG has her at 12. BS has her at 19. PN has her at #3. She recently played an EYBL Nike event and the word was she was not impressive. Now I haven't read much confirmation on that but... Regardless, even if she's a top 10 kid, still a huge advantage in that class for UCONN...

I totally understand Tennessee fans' enthusiasm. But the talent gap between Tennessee and UCONN is still somewhat cavernous...

 

[Vowelguy]

Heather Buck could have been a nice player elsewhere, sure, but not remotely close to what this kid was doing.

During her redshirt year, Geno said Buck had potential to be a Husky great.

 

[intlzncster]

During her redshirt year, Geno said Buck had potential to be a Husky great.

And yet, she could barely get on the floor as a fifth year senior.

Geno says a lot of stuff.