Azzi and who

[TheFarmFan]

If Azzi doesn’t have a confirmed admission yet, that may be more due to lack of interest. Or Azzi being discreet.

I do think the Fudds have been very discreet, so even if she had been admitted I don't know if we'd ever know unless she committed to Stanford. And I should correct my earlier misstatement: Iriafen has not publicly stated that she has been admitted, but she was recently followed by Stanford WBB Twitter, and historically that has only happened once a prospect has been admitted (they followed Citron shortly after her club tweeted she'd been admitted). So circumstantial evidence of a possible admission.

If Azzi picks Stanford, I recommend going under cover for a while. Maybe 3-4 years.

I know, right? I haven't even dared mention the possibility that Fudd follows her namesake to Stanford for fear of inciting a riot. I am gingerly participating in this conversation only because others raised the possibility...

 

[NewCorn]

Azzi is an excellent student, so Stanford makes sense. But I’ve not heard of any involvement. Azzi and family are keeping things quiet, so it’s possible. We’ll find out in time.

I'm waiting for the photo from Paige's mom.

 

[bballnut90]

If Key commits to UConn, would that cause civil war in the Key household?

Maybe among fans, but both sisters were likely too young to know anything about the UCONN-UT rivalry so the rivalry factor is likely meaningless to them.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I think if Stanford was recruiting Azzi, Tara would have gone public with her admissions acceptance letter by now as she did with Haley Jones' letter.

Can you point to something indicating that Tara was the one to break the news? I thought the Jones family broke the news and Tara later confirmed it? It sounds wildly out of character for Tara to share private information about recruits - she's barely willing to give the most bare bones injury status updates about her players. And if the Fudds don't want to share Azzi's admissions news with the world, you can be darned sure Tara wouldn't... how exactly would that help in her efforts to land her at the Farm?

 

[bballnut90]

If and when Azzi commits to UConn does that mean UConn is done with this recruiting class or is there potential for another recruit such as a big or small forward like Rayah Marshall, Kiki Iriafen or Teonni Key?

UCONN's depth chart for 2021-22 is:
C: Nelson Ododa (Sr), DeBerry (Fr), Gabriel (So)
PF: Edwards (So), McLean (So)
SF: Westbrook (if she returns, RSr), Makurat (Jr), Griffin (Jr)
SG: Williams (Sr), Poffenbarger (Fr), Ducharme (Fr)
PG: Bueckers (So), Muhl (So)

That's a 12/13 player roster without Fudd, 13/14 with her. Geno hasn't had a roster with more than 11 scholarship players in almost 20 years I believe. The past decade almost all of his teams have had pretty thin rosters, so it'll be a big change of pace.

The following year two or three senior starters depart (ONO/Williams and maybe Westbrook) creating a roster that still has 10 returnees, plus whoever the Huskies land in 2022 in addition to Brady who likely gets playing time from day 1, so they still have 11 on board. Potentially 12 if Fudd comes. All of this is barring transfers/injuries, and we know how that goes.


My thought is, if UCONN lands Fudd they obviously take her despite it creating potential overload with Poffenbarger, Ducharme, Fudd, Griffin and Makurat all together for 2 years competing for basically 2 spots. If they don't land her, I'd probably consider taking another wing, or hold off and save the scholly for 2022 or 2023. Post game is well set if everyone stays and is as good as they're hyped up to be. Lots of different bodies inside, plus you have Griffin who can guard a 4 if needed too.

 

[TheFarmFan]

UCONN's depth chart for 2021-22 is:
C: Nelson Ododa (Sr), DeBerry (Fr), Gabriel (So)
PF: Edwards (So), McLean (So)
SF: Westbrook (if she returns, RSr), Makurat (Jr), Griffin (Jr)
SG: Williams (Sr), Poffenbarger (Fr), Ducharme (Fr)
PG: Bueckers (So), Muhl (So)

That's a 12/13 player roster without Fudd, 13/14 with her. Geno hasn't had a roster with more than 11 scholarship players in almost 20 years I believe. The past decade almost all of his teams have had pretty thin rosters, so it'll be a big change of pace.

The following year two or three senior starters depart (ONO/Williams and maybe Westbrook) creating a roster that still has 10 returnees, plus whoever the Huskies land in 2022 in addition to Brady who likely gets playing time from day 1, so they still have 11 on board. Potentially 12 if Fudd comes. All of this is barring transfers/injuries, and we know how that goes.


My thought is, if UCONN lands Fudd they obviously take her despite it creating potential overload with Poffenbarger, Ducharme, Fudd, Griffin and Makurat all together for 2 years competing for basically 2 spots. If they don't land her, I'd probably consider taking another wing, or hold off and save the scholly for 2022 or 2023. Post game is well set if everyone stays and is as good as they're hyped up to be. Lots of different bodies inside, plus you have Griffin who can guard a 4 if needed too.

What I conclude is that there will be at least 2-3 transfers out of Storrs in the next two years. That's too many top players to keep everyone's minutes expectations happy. It's an absolutely fantastic problem to have, but I just don't see that many top players sticking out Geno's practices to warm the bench for 36 minutes per game, and there's no universe Geno adopts CTT's ASU hockey-line substitutions. Are either Williams or ONO age-eligible to enter the draft after next season? That's the only way I see this team all staying together over the long-term.

 

[EdSaid]

What I conclude is that there will be at least 2-3 transfers out of Storrs in the next two years. That's too many top players to keep everyone's minutes expectations happy. It's an absolutely fantastic problem to have, but I just don't see that many top players sticking out Geno's practices to warm the bench for 36 minutes per game, and there's no universe Geno adopts CTT's ASU hockey-line substitutions. Are either Williams or ONO age-eligible to enter the draft after next season? That's the only way I see this team all staying together over the long-term.

Go watch the 2000 NC game. Geno made hockey line subs, or at least 3-4 at a time. He had the horses. If you get them in the right "team" frame of mind and they are winning, they will stick around. The same argument could be made for SC. Can Staley keep all her players happy and not transfer.

 

[bballnut90]

What I conclude is that there will be at least 2-3 transfers out of Storrs in the next two years. That's too many top players to keep everyone's minutes expectations happy. It's an absolutely fantastic problem to have, but I just don't see that many top players sticking out Geno's practices to warm the bench for 36 minutes per game, and there's no universe Geno adopts CTT's ASU hockey-line substitutions. Are either Williams or ONO age-eligible to enter the draft after next season? That's the only way I see this team all staying together over the long-term.

Both ONO/Williams aren't age eligible and I believe would need to graduate early to be able to go pro.

I largely agree. My guess is that Geno is building larger rosters as an insurance policy since transfers and early entrants seem inevitable in today's day and age. Helps prevent situations like 2019 where they unexpectedly lost Stevens and had a void in the post. Makes sense to go the larger roster route that thins itself out than bank on incoming transfers and grad transfers since he hasn't had much success going that route so far.

 

[JoePgh]

... there's no universe Geno adopts CTT's ASU hockey-line substitutions.

I respectfully suggest that you are misinformed about that. For reference, look at how he managed the Olympic rosters in both of the years when he was Olympic head coach, and also how he managed the rosters in 2000 and 2001 (prior to the injuries to Shea and Sveta), which were similarly deep. In all of those cases, he gave significant playing time to as many as 9 or 10 players. It was not so much with hockey-style substitutions as with one-on-one substitutions which spread playing time liberally. As an example, in the 2000 National Final game where Kelly Schumacher had a record 9 blocked shots (and one more that she wasn't credited with), she played only about 22 minutes.

That doesn't mean that you are wrong about some players departing because they don't get enough playing time to satisfy themselves. But I think it is more likely that injuries or slumps will make the decision easier and more manageable than it might initially appear to be.

 

[Deuce]

What I conclude is that there will be at least 2-3 transfers out of Storrs in the next two years. That's too many top players to keep everyone's minutes expectations happy. It's an absolutely fantastic problem to have, but I just don't see that many top players sticking out Geno's practices to warm the bench for 36 minutes per game, and there's no universe Geno adopts CTT's ASU hockey-line substitutions. Are either Williams or ONO age-eligible to enter the draft after next season? That's the only way I see this team all staying together over the long-term.

If Geno has 10 minutes-worthy players then 10 players will get minutes. The last few years of playing only 7 (sometimes even 6....5) players is not a preferred technique of any coach on the planet, he just didn’t think players 8,9,10 could contribute. No disrespect as by all accounts they were great teammates but don’t you think playing time allocation will look different when players 7,8 and 9 are (potentially) DeBerry, Saylor, Aubrey rather than Irwin, Bent, etc?

 

[bballnut90]

Go watch the 2000 NC game. Geno made hockey line subs, or at least 3-4 at a time. He had the horses. If you get them in the right "team" frame of mind and they are winning, they will stick around. The same argument could be made for SC. Can Staley keep all her players happy and not transfer.

That was 20 years ago. Player mentality and transfer rates are wildly different now than they were then. I doubt Geno changes up his substitution style that he's implemented the last 20 years. He doesn't have the easiest system to learn and it typically takes players a season before they learn his offense. SC is likely prone to transfers too. It's inevitable with larger classes and an influx of talent.

 

[Deuce]

Both ONO/Williams aren't age eligible and I believe would need to graduate early to be able to go pro.

I largely agree. My guess is that Geno is building larger rosters as an insurance policy since transfers and early entrants seem inevitable in today's day and age. Helps prevent situations like 2019 where they unexpectedly lost Stevens and had a void in the post. Makes sense to go the larger roster route that thins itself out than bank on incoming transfers and grad transfers since he hasn't had much success going that route so far.

Again he is not now building a ‘large’ roster...he appears to be trending away from building smaller rosters. It could be strategic to insure against being stuck thin (injuries and rising transfer rates) or it could simply be that we had more recruiting misses than usual the last few years. My guess is he would have gone 10 deep last year had Boston and Jones chosen UCONN

 

[BobbyJ]

UCONN's depth chart for 2021-22 is:
C: Nelson Ododa (Sr), DeBerry (Fr), Gabriel (So)
PF: Edwards (So), McLean (So)
SF: Westbrook (if she returns, RSr), Makurat (Jr), Griffin (Jr)
SG: Williams (Sr), Poffenbarger (Fr), Ducharme (Fr)
PG: Bueckers (So), Muhl (So)

That's a 12/13 player roster without Fudd, 13/14 with her. Geno hasn't had a roster with more than 11 scholarship players in almost 20 years I believe. The past decade almost all of his teams have had pretty thin rosters, so it'll be a big change of pace.

The following year two or three senior starters depart (ONO/Williams and maybe Westbrook) creating a roster that still has 10 returnees, plus whoever the Huskies land in 2022 in addition to Brady who likely gets playing time from day 1, so they still have 11 on board. Potentially 12 if Fudd comes. All of this is barring transfers/injuries, and we know how that goes.


My thought is, if UCONN lands Fudd they obviously take her despite it creating potential overload with Poffenbarger, Ducharme, Fudd, Griffin and Makurat all together for 2 years competing for basically 2 spots. If they don't land her, I'd probably consider taking another wing, or hold off and save the scholly for 2022 or 2023. Post game is well set if everyone stays and is as good as they're hyped up to be. Lots of different bodies inside, plus you have Griffin who can guard a 4 if needed too.

Nice analysis overall. However, after ONO, I have reservations about the post game. I'd be going hard after Betts just to be safe.

 

[WFFL]

There has been mention of Stanford recruiting her in some articles, but definitely haven't heard anything that would suggest they are a front runner for her. I think Kiki Rice is more likely to be Stanford-bound than Azzi, as Kiki has been out to visit some and her aunt is a Stanford grad.

No one has heard anything about whom the front runner is lol BYers are making assumptions because of her best friend and that’s a fine line to tip. Nowhere has Azzi stated Stanford or UCONN for that matter are her finalists or front runners.

 

[bluedevil]

That was 20 years ago. Player mentality and transfer rates are wildly different now than they were then. I doubt Geno changes up his substitution style that he's implemented the last 20 years. He doesn't have the easiest system to learn and it typically takes players a season before they learn his offense. SC is likely prone to transfers too. It's inevitable with larger classes and an influx of talent.

Is it time to simplify the system. I have not heard that the sytems of the coaches who won titles in 17, 18, and 19 were difficult to learn and yes I know they have won 11 with his system but times change....

 

[chrissaran]

1) Hysterical handle.
2) Staley is killing it on the recruiting trail. You have to feel good about it.

Don't care what your team is doing on the recruiting trail. Only care what my team is doing. Like they say, we'll settle it on the court.

 

[DEpup]

Go watch the 2000 NC game. Geno made hockey line subs, or at least 3-4 at a time. He had the horses. If you get them in the right "team" frame of mind and they are winning, they will stick around. The same argument could be made for SC. Can Staley keep all her players happy and not transfer.

Preach! We need to get back to having teams like the 2000 team.

 

[bballnut90]

Again he is not now building a ‘large’ roster...he appears to be trending away from building smaller rosters. It could be strategic to insure against being stuck thin (injuries and rising transfer rates) or it could simply be that we had more recruiting misses than usual the last few years. My guess is he would have gone 10 deep last year had Boston and Jones chosen UCONN

Having 13 scholarship players projected for 2021-22 and hoping to be at 14 or 15 is a large roster that he's building. The last time he had a roster with scholarship players that big was 19 years ago.

His 2022-23 roster already has 11 projected scholarship players with likely a push to land at least a couple more from the 2022 class and possibly 1-2 more from 2021, likely putting his roster at 13+ players.

The largest roster he's had in the last decade was 11 kids. He's building large rosters now that he wasn't previously. I'm not criticizing Geno, just pointing out his roster management style appears to be changing headed into 2021-22 and 2022-23.



And UCONN is recruiting as well as it has ever recruited. You guys have landed:
-3 of the last 4 top recruits
-brought in a #2 recruit in Westbrook via transfer
-Have a former #5 recruit in ONO
-have top 5 kids on board from 2021 and 2022

Then you have McLean, Edwards, Poffenbarger and Ducharme who are all ranked as top 25 kids by various outlets.

That ain't many misses if you ask me.

 

[bballnut90]

Nice analysis overall. However, after ONO, I have reservations about the post game. I'd be going hard after Betts just to be safe.

Thanks, appreciate it! Not sure about why you have reservations though about post game...Deberry is projected to be the top F/C in the class of 2021 and she stands 6-5. Plus there is Brady who is 6-3 and the #2 ranked kid in 2022. Not to mention 6-5 Gabriel and three athletic forwards in Griffin, McLean and Edwards.

 

[bballnut90]

Is it time to simplify the system. I have not heard that the sytems of the coaches who won titles in 17, 18, and 19 were difficult to learn and yes I know they have won 11 with his system but times change....

I think taking bigger classes helps solve this issue since even if you lose some kids to transfer, typically a couple of kids will stick it out all 4 years and you'll have experienced upperclassmen on an annual basis. If you look at this year for example, a lot of players were thrown into situations they just weren't fully ready for and there was zero quality backup for them. ONO didn't have any post backup, Griffin was forced to play big minutes in some games that she wasn't ready for, and Williams shouldn't have been playing 35.6 mpg.

A lot of schools have gone the transfer and grad transfer route to shore up any holes, but that hasn't worked well for Geno so far.

If he takes on average 4 person classes and endures transfers, the roster may whittle down to 10-11 on an annual basis with a team makeup of something like 2 seniors, 2 juniors, 3 sophomores and 4 freshmen. In that scenario, you have veteran players who know his demands and his system, plus an influx of youth playing in smaller role unless they're studs and learn his system quickly. The freshmen and sophomores who aren't as good but want to play leave for their own greener pastures, and the best players stick around and become the experienced upperclassmen. Might not be exactly that breakdown, but wouldn't be surprised if that's his ideology going forward to help prevent situations like the 2019 and 2020 seasons where he really had zero quality depth.

 

[CocoHusky]

Is it time to simplify the system. I have not heard that the sytems of the coaches who won titles in 17, 18, and 19 were difficult to learn and yes I know they have won 11 with his system but times change....

The system must be adjusted every year to account for the varying talent level. That is the root cause of the problem. Let’s not put the cart in front of the horse. Let’s concentrate on recruiting the right horses to run a perfectly proven system. Other teams are overtaking us because we are lacking horse power not because they have better systems.

 

[CocoHusky]

Can you point to something indicating that Tara was the one to break the news? I thought the Jones family broke the news and Tara later confirmed it? It sounds wildly out of character for Tara to share private information about recruits - she's barely willing to give the most bare bones injury status updates about her players. And if the Fudds don't want to share Azzi's admissions news with the world, you can be darned sure Tara wouldn't... how exactly would that help in her efforts to land her at the Farm?

Actually no I cannot. You are asking an awful lot of me. You are asking me to be rational and clearly remember that it was the Jones family that broke that news when I’m still salty at Tara. At the end of the day Tara didn’t have to offer her a scholarship.

 

[Alydar]

What I conclude is that there will be at least 2-3 transfers out of Storrs in the next two years. That's too many top players to keep everyone's minutes expectations happy. It's an absolutely fantastic problem to have, but I just don't see that many top players sticking out Geno's practices to warm the bench for 36 minutes per game, and there's no universe Geno adopts CTT's ASU hockey-line substitutions. Are either Williams or ONO age-eligible to enter the draft after next season? That's the only way I see this team all staying together over the long-term.

I'd be careful. Posters who talk about UConn players transferring out get tossed.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I think taking bigger classes helps solve this issue since even if you lose some kids to transfer, typically a couple of kids will stick it out all 4 years and you'll have experienced upperclassmen on an annual basis. If you look at this year for example, a lot of players were thrown into situations they just weren't fully ready for and there was zero quality backup for them. ONO didn't have any post backup, Griffin was forced to play big minutes in some games that she wasn't ready for, and Williams shouldn't have been playing 35.6 mpg.

A lot of schools have gone the transfer and grad transfer route to shore up any holes, but that hasn't worked well for Geno so far.

If he takes on average 4 person classes and endures transfers, the roster may whittle down to 10-11 on an annual basis with a team makeup of something like 2 seniors, 2 juniors, 3 sophomores and 4 freshmen. In that scenario, you have veteran players who know his demands and his system, plus an influx of youth playing in smaller role unless they're studs and learn his system quickly. The freshmen and sophomores who aren't as good but want to play leave for their own greener pastures, and the best players stick around and become the experienced upperclassmen. Might not be exactly that breakdown, but wouldn't be surprised if that's his ideology going forward to help prevent situations like the 2019 and 2020 seasons where he really had zero quality depth.

Good analysis, but there's one critical thing to remember too: injuries. UConn has been pretty fortunate in the past few years to endure relatively few injuries to starting players aside from a few games missed by KLS. By contrast, just in the last two seasons, Stanford has lost four starting players to injuries for some or all of a season: Nadia Fingall and Lexie Hull last season, and Dijonai Carrington and Haley Jones this season. Or think of the pile of injuries Notre Dame has endured over the past few seasons. Hopefully UConn stays blessed but another reason to slightly overload on players, in addition to transfers, is the possibility of injuries.

 

[BobbyJ]

Thanks, appreciate it! Not sure about why you have reservations though about post game...Deberry is projected to be the top F/C in the class of 2021 and she stands 6-5. Plus there is Brady who is 6-3 and the #2 ranked kid in 2022. Not to mention 6-5 Gabriel and three athletic forwards in Griffin, McLean and Edwards.

My concerns are mainly with the big posts. When it comes to projections I don't pay much attention to the gurus. I trust MY eyes. First off I really like Brady. By the time she gets to college she'll be a classic power 4 and a pick and pop nightmare. With DeBerry, her HS competition is weak enough that she doesn't have to play 6-5 to control the game. OTOH, the AAU and USA level is a different story. IMO it showed she needs to get much stronger, laterally quicker, and play with more motor. If Auriemma gets that out of her that would be great. But that's why I'd want Betts for insurance and I don't feel that would be overstocking. Lastly, a couple trusted coaching friends have seen Gabriel several times and tell me she's athletic and works hard but will need a lot of fundamental and skill work to play at UConn level. I hope she can develop well and be a contributor.

 

[JoePgh]

Lastly, a couple trusted coaching friends have seen Gabriel several times and tell me she's athletic and works hard but will need a lot of fundamental and skill work to play at UConn level. I hope she can develop well and be a contributor.

Having athletic talent, size, and a strong work ethic are all that one should expect, given that she will have four years in college to develop basketball-specific skills and instincts. Given those raw materials to work with, I have faith in the UConn coaches to make her a very productive player.

She may not earn major minutes before her junior year. But if she can provide 8 to 10 minutes off the bench as a freshman, and not hurt the team during that time, that is all that should be immediately needed or expected.

 

[Deuce]

Having 13 scholarship players projected for 2021-22 and hoping to be at 14 or 15 is a large roster that he's building. The last time he had a roster with scholarship players that big was 19 years ago.

His 2022-23 roster already has 11 projected scholarship players with likely a push to land at least a couple more from the 2022 class and possibly 1-2 more from 2021, likely putting his roster at 13+ players.

The largest roster he's had in the last decade was 11 kids. He's building large rosters now that he wasn't previously. I'm not criticizing Geno, just pointing out his roster management style appears to be changing headed into 2021-22 and 2022-23.



And UCONN is recruiting as well as it has ever recruited. You guys have landed:
-3 of the last 4 top recruits
-brought in a #2 recruit in Westbrook via transfer
-Have a former #5 recruit in ONO
-have top 5 kids on board from 2021 and 2022

Then you have McLean, Edwards, Poffenbarger and Ducharme who are all ranked as top 25 kids by various outlets.

That ain't many misses if you ask me.

It’s not a large roster...it’s just a large roster for Geno cause he traditionally carries smaller ones. 15 is a full roster and anything less is a small roster.....factually. He’s going from small #s to normal ones not normal #s to large ones

 

[bballnut90]

It’s not a large roster...it’s just a large roster for Geno cause he traditionally carries smaller ones. 15 is a full roster and anything less is a small roster.....factually. He’s going from small #s to normal ones not normal #s to large ones

Lol this is quite nitpicky and aside from the point, but 15 is the maximum number of players that can be on a roster. Most coaches keep 10-13 active scholarship players on its roster. Very few fill up all 15 spots with active players. So factually speaking, 15 is a large roster, not a normal roster.

 

[DEpup]

Lol this is quite nitpicky and aside from the point, but 15 is the maximum number of players that can be on a roster. Most coaches keep 10-13 active scholarship players on its roster. Very few fill up all 15 spots with active players. So factually speaking, 15 is a large roster, not a normal roster.

I think you might want to do a study on that because I would say its more like 12-14. UConn over the past 10 years has been way too small in roster and height. I want us to go back to 2000 and 2001 size rosters with height too.

 

[oldhusky]

Lol this is quite nitpicky and aside from the point, but 15 is the maximum number of players that can be on a roster. Most coaches keep 10-13 active scholarship players on its roster. Very few fill up all 15 spots with active players. So factually speaking, 15 is a large roster, not a normal roster.

I think 11-13 is ideal, with 11 you can still practice with 10 even, with one injury. Everybody over 10 is probably blow out minutes only. With Megan's big recruiting class, if I remember right I believed Kyla and Molly were going to be 13 and 14 in my mind, but of course all but Megan departed and coming up short on a few recruits after that, and all of a sudden they were 7 and 8 on a thin bench instead.

When Kyla and Molly were signed they were not at the usual high ranking level. I saw that as getting a couple of smart, high effort, role players that didn't expect a significant role, but would be happy with the experience. Perhaps viewed as an upgrade from the Pulido/Lawlor type of walk on player, but not a threat to the top recruits for minutes.

If we are at the low end of the normal range in a given year, say 10, I would not mind recruiting one or two Kyla/Molly level players, where they don't expect to be major players, but if because of transfers or injuries they got some important minutes were ok and way better than a walk on. Grad transfers of modest ability could fill that role too.