Batouly Camara to UConn

[Sluconn Husky]

Can anyone please provide correct pronunciation on both first and last names?

Batouly (Ba-TWO-lee) Camara (ca-MAR-a)

 

[meyers7]

From what Im being told we have a very good defender, who is an excellent rebounder, and can score. As far as trash talk about UConn getting transfers. I really dont care what other boards say.

Ah yes, the Kibitzer's "I couldn't care less" attitude.

IMO one problem is jealousy because other teams thought they had the upper hand and now they dont. UConn now is a very powerful team with just enough depth. IMO to much depth and its hard to maintain team chemistry thats why imo Geno plays 7-8 players or less. When you lose chemistry you lose continuity and thats what makes UConn so great. Having 8-12 top players does not allow you to maintain team chemistry. It does not allow players enough playtime to be happy. Attitudes are not high thus problems in the locker room which we dont hear about and that affects team mates mentally. JMO

Wait a minute. This isn't our Tony. What gives?

 

[bags27]

They chose to transfer to UConn. UConn didn't go after them.

We really don't know that for sure, do we? In today's world, the only thing you need to do to indicate interest in a player is to "follow" her twitter account. And then we heard nothing about what were likely complex conversations until just before or at the very announcement of their commitments.

 

[RunItUp!]

Not to be the buzzkill, but I'm still not a fan of it. No one really knows how these transfers will turn out, and the coaching staff has less time than normal to work with them. Plus there's sitting out for a year which I'm not sold on being a positive thing. Also I think there is something special about being recruited to the team with other classmates and then going out with them like Stewie, Mo, and Tuck. That kind of chemistry doesn't just happen and to me is what makes this program go.

Well I hope you are in the minority! Which ever way to become dominant again is fine with me and to add a special personality to the team who is willing to work hard to dominate should be viewed in the best light. Sorry you, CoCo, and others view it as a glass half empty. Now bring on board Megatron and let the annual parades begin!!!

 

[RunItUp!]

Our opinion hasn't shifted at all.

When other coaches do it, they're vultures.

When Geno does it, he's welcoming refugees.

Whatever YOU call it, it is LEGAL and WELCOMED!!!

 

[Blakeon18]

I assume all the newbies will be arriving for the first semester of the summer sessions on Tuesday May 31.

Crystal, Kyla, Molly, Azura and Batouly. Uhhh...frankly that group might well comprise a balanced team of guards
and inside players. How about a challenge to the returning players....our injured players Napheesa and Lou can coach the 2 teams.
Anyone heard whether Lou is back on the court yet?

 

[Goodgood]

We really don't know that for sure, do we? In today's world, the only thing you need to do to indicate interest in a player is to "follow" her twitter account. And then we heard nothing about what were likely complex conversations until just before or at the very announcement of their commitments.

We will never know anything for sure. There are thousands of ways to show indirect interests, mostly thru third person, friends, family members, old coaches, etc..

One thing we know for sure is that she contacted UConn FIRST.

NCAA rule for any transfer.

 

[RunItUp!]

Well Butler Stevens and Camara all bigs have transferred to UConn. This is sending alot of messages to kids out there thinking of playing for UConn whether they are with another team or in AAU ball. This also sends a message to WCBB that UConn is attracting great players. Now I didnt say all great players I said great players. How much better does it get then this if your a UConn fan. This is sending alot of different messages to alot of people out there. Just when you thought it was safe to schedule a game with UConn this happens. WOW this is going to be some team when Geno gets finished with them.

Punish those who did not sign up with us when the Big 3 was on the team but thought they will sign up now after the 3 left. Now that they have signed to play us, stick it to them real good! And that goes for individual players like Cox, etc. who optioned to play elsewhere. Better think about getting your NC this coming year b/c after that pickings will be very, very slim!

 

[CocoHusky]

Azura came to UConn and convinced them she would be right for the program. Batouly was heavily recruited by UConn and we were one of the final two choices. They chose to transfer to UConn. UConn didn't go after them.

This is kind of like a married couple asking who noticed who first. At some point there was "mutual" interest so that first move is really not important. Azura had UCONN convinced she was right for the program on December 29th 2014 at the XL Center when she was one of the best players on the floor.

 

[RunItUp!]

We lost arguably the greatest trio in WCBB history.

but another trio could be coming soon - Walker, what r u waiting for?

 

[bags27]

Not to be the buzzkill, but I'm still not a fan of it. No one really knows how these transfers will turn out, and the coaching staff has less time than normal to work with them. Plus there's sitting out for a year which I'm not sold on being a positive thing. Also I think there is something special about being recruited to the team with other classmates and then going out with them like Stewie, Mo, and Tuck. That kind of chemistry doesn't just happen and to me is what makes this program go.

Absolutely. Nothing better than to see those kids march together at graduation. But they marched with an entire student body which was far more diverse--many of those graduates were transfers, returning students, part-time students, etc. College creates complex communities and (ideally) prepares young adults to experience and accept difference. Learning to welcome and trust transfers into a very tightly-knit group of exceptionally team-oriented players is another life skill. Certainly needed in the fluid world of the WNBA!

 

[CocoHusky]

We will never know anything for sure. There are thousands of ways to show indirect interests, mostly thru third person, friends, family members, old coaches, etc..

One thing we know for sure is that she contacted UConn FIRST.

NCAA rule for any transfer.

How do we know this?

 

[CocoHusky]

I assume all the newbies will be arriving for the first semester of the summer sessions on Tuesday May 31.

Crystal, Kyla, Molly, Azura and Batouly. Uhhh...frankly that group might well comprise a balanced team of guards
and inside players. How about a challenge to the returning players....our injured players Napheesa and Lou can coach the 2 teams.
Anyone heard whether Lou is back on the court yet?

Newbies involved in 1st Summer session arrive May 28th. At a minimum that is Crystal, Kyla, Molly.

 

[bags27]

We will never know anything for sure. There are thousands of ways to show indirect interests, mostly thru third person, friends, family members, old coaches, etc.. One thing we know for sure is that she contacted UConn FIRST. NCAA rule for any transfer.

Isn't this one of many grey areas around NCAA rules? If a school finds indirect ways of expressing interest--as you say--that's certainly an invitation to the player to reach out and begin discussions. When a school that has won 4 consecutive NCs and supplies the top 3 WNBA picks and therefore is extremely selective about recruiting indicates any sort of indirect interest to a player who now has a proven college track record, that transfer player has to see it as an invitation.

 

[iamcbs]

Great get for UCONN. I posted when news first broke about her transfer that she's a real player and whichever school she decided to go to would benefit greatly. Good strong build, light on her feet up the court, quick around the basket and already has a well developed arsenal of post moves for a freshmen.

Something I've noticed.. With the additions of transfers Stevens and now Camara, it has been interesting to visit the Boneyard and see opinions shift on schools and coaches accepting transfers.

I was thinking the exact same thing @SCGamecock , in Ohio we have a word to describe people like that.....

 

[CocoHusky]

I was thinking the exact same thing @SCGamecock , in Ohio we have a word to describe people like that.....

And just in case you and @SCGamecock missed it the first time around .......

Our opinion hasn't shifted at all.

When other coaches do it, they're vultures.

When Geno does it, he's welcoming refugees.

 

[Vowelguy]

Newbies involved in 1st Summer session arrive May 28th. At a minimum that is Crystal, Kyla, Molly.

Are you sure they are done with high school? I would be surprised if a kid from Mass like Molly were done.

 

[Vowelguy]

One thing we know for sure is that she contacted UConn FIRST.

Semantics I would guess.

I would bet if programs are interested they often reach out to an affiliate -- eg, the player's former HS or AAU coach.

 

[CocoHusky]

Are you sure they are done with high school? I would be surprised if a kid from Mass like Molly were done.

After heading out to Colorado Springs for the U.S. U-18 national team trials, Dangerfield will make her way to UConn on May 28 and take part in her first college class on May 31.When she is on campus she will get acquainted with her new teammates whether it is fellow incoming freshmen Molly Bent and Kyla Irwin or the returning players from the four-time defending national champions."

UConn commit Crystal Dangerfield wraps up high school career

 

[Vowelguy]

How could you leave Big Nat out of the "front court" lineup???

I said CORE. There's room for 1-2 players from the remaining group to break in to heavy rotation.

 

[bags27]

Are you sure they are done with high school? I would be surprised if a kid from Mass like Molly were done.

Molly can report and then drive home for graduation.

Tabor Schedule:

• Commencement
  5/30/2016 2:00 PM
  Waterfront

 

[CocoHusky]

Semantics I would guess.
I would bet if programs are interested they often reach out to an affiliate -- eg, the player's former HS or AAU coach.

I just realized we are digressing and not just semantically.

Question 1 : Did Azura contact UCONN before UCONN contacted her.
My answer: Who cares.

Question 2 : Did Azura contact UCONN before contacting any other schools.
My Answer: I don't know but would be very interested in knowing, thus my question to @Goodgood.

 

[Vowelguy]

I just realized we are digressing and not just semantically.

Question 1 : Did Azura contact UCONN before UCONN contacted her.
My answer: Who cares.

Question 2 : Did Azura contact UCONN before contacting any other schools.
My Answer: I don't know but would be very interested in knowing, thus my question to @Goodgood.

I couldnt care less.

 

[CocoHusky]

I couldnt care less.

@Kibitzer can we get a technical ruling on this I'm not sure what @vowelguy is trying to tell me.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I thought her mother had a connection to Pat Summit in some way.

I think her mother was a track athlete at Tenn.

 

[bags27]

I don't know but would be very interested in knowing, thus my question to @Goodgood.

I suspect that for someone who wants to develop into a top draft pick, there are only a couple of obvious choices. AZ was originally linked to South Carolina because of her summer connections to Dawn Staley, indicating that AZ probably knew precisely what she'd get and not get if she chose to go there. Perhaps there were a few more unknowns about UConn, but both sides surely knew each other reasonably well. Once CD signed on to AZ's twitter account, probably just a few things AZ needed to resolve with UConn and maybe vice-versa, before both sides could decide.

It's not as if she were a 16 year old high school sophomore who hadn't visited or conceptualized college and whose own value as a college player were yet to be determined precisely. She's very savvy at this point and very specific in her aspirations. No big courtship offered or required.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Our opinion hasn't shifted at all.

When other coaches do it, they're vultures.

When Geno does it, he's welcoming refugees.

I think that there is a new phenomenon in WCBB. There are some coaches who are being exposed as abusive, and their players are deserting them in droves. It happened at Georgetown, where the coach was removed. There appears to be something brewing at Duke. And players, recruits, and assistant coaches are all running to the exits at Kentucky. North Carolina is a different story, with what appears to be a growing realization that the university has been operating a corrupt system for years which has led to the women's basketball program's recruits and athletes bailing out big-time.

So the growing acceptance of high-profile transfers is something of a novelty. Connecticut just never did this before. I believe that a previous post showed inward transfers by year, which showed that UConn has accepted more transfers in the past two or three years than it has in several previous years combined.

I think this would be a very good story for the media to explore. Why are kids bailing, and why are those transferees heading to a small number of schools? What is the magic in Penn State and Ohio State? Are those coaches actively going after recruits? Did they have strong relationships with them before they decided to transfer (as did Coach Geno with Camara)? Or were those who are now transferring told at some point during the original recruiting process that if they decided that they wanted a change at some point in their college careers, that those particular coaches would welcome them with open arms?

Clearly, something has changed in WCBB. Will be interesting to find out what's really going on.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think that there is a new phenomenon in WCBB. There are some coaches who are being exposed as abusive, and their players are deserting them in droves. It happened at Georgetown, where the coach was removed. There appears to be something brewing at Duke. And players, recruits, and assistant coaches are all running to the exits at Kentucky. North Carolina is a different story, with what appears to be a growing realization that the university has been operating a corrupt system for years which has led to the women's basketball program's recruits and athletes bailing out big-time.

So the growing acceptance of high-profile transfers is something of a novelty. Connecticut just never did this before. I believe that a previous post showed inward transfers by year, which showed that UConn has accepted more transfers in the past two or three years than it has in several previous years combined.

I think this would be a very good story for the media to explore. Why are kids bailing, and why are those transferees heading to a small number of schools? What is the magic in Penn State and Ohio State? Are those coaches actively going after recruits? Did they have strong relationships with them before they decided to transfer (as did Coach Geno with Camara)? Or were those who are now transferring told at some point during the original recruiting process that if they decided that they wanted a change at some point in their college careers, that those particular coaches would welcome them with open arms?

Clearly, something has changed in WCBB. Will be interesting to find out what's really going on.

Chris Hansen at Prospects Nation took a look at the trend in this article after Lexie Brown decided to transfer.

" There is a growing movement among elite players to leave, even if they are playing big minutes."

“With the number of elite kids transferring it’s crazy not to look at them,” McGuff added."
The Elite Transfer Trend | Prospects Nation

 

[bags27]

The Elite Transfer Trend | Prospects Nation

Excellent article. Thanks. So, figure about 25% of the top 100 players will transfer...and partly because of technology:

The threat of blocking players from transferring has diminished as social media almost assures each step of the process will be played out in public. Simply look back at the spring of 2014 and the debacle that was Leticia Romero trying to leave Kansas State. When men’s basketball personalities such as Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale took to the twittersphere and airwaves denouncing the athletic department’s attempt to block her from leaving, it is a poor business decision to be the next in line for that. Not to mention it doesn’t help a program’s culture to force players to be some place they don’t want to be.

And Geno's earlier thoughts on the changes in student culture that has also helped produce this:
Transferring is newest trend in women’s college basketball

 

[HoopsFan21]

I think that there is a new phenomenon in WCBB. There are some coaches who are being exposed as abusive, and their players are deserting them in droves. It happened at Georgetown, where the coach was removed. There appears to be something brewing at Duke. And players, recruits, and assistant coaches are all running to the exits at Kentucky. North Carolina is a different story, with what appears to be a growing realization that the university has been operating a corrupt system for years which has led to the women's basketball program's recruits and athletes bailing out big-time.

So the growing acceptance of high-profile transfers is something of a novelty. Connecticut just never did this before. I believe that a previous post showed inward transfers by year, which showed that UConn has accepted more transfers in the past two or three years than it has in several previous years combined.

I think this would be a very good story for the media to explore. Why are kids bailing, and why are those transferees heading to a small number of schools? What is the magic in Penn State and Ohio State? Are those coaches actively going after recruits? Did they have strong relationships with them before they decided to transfer (as did Coach Geno with Camara)? Or were those who are now transferring told at some point during the original recruiting process that if they decided that they wanted a change at some point in their college careers, that those particular coaches would welcome them with open arms?

Clearly, something has changed in WCBB. Will be interesting to find out what's really going on.

The Courant article that Nan posted in the Camara article thread gave a full list of transfers. I believe AZ and Camara are the 6th and 7th transfers Geno has ever taken in.