Boykin transferring

[WestCoastFan]

Then why did Gino throw her under the bus re: academics?

Wait...she got hit by a bus?? Was it the same bus she was getting on to go home? If so, they don't even give her a plane ticket home?

 

[WestCoastFan]

Very classy for Geno to air out the dirty laundry about her academics..guess he's trying to do damage control with this chronic transfer (especially two McD's in consecutive years) issue..

Which McD AA was last year's transfer?

 

[trb123]

WTF? When they transfer it's not personal.

I have nothing against the transferring player. I wish her the best.

I would like you to read the following extract from the Register:

Boykin’s departure leaves UConn a little thin in the post moving forward. The Huskies will lose two-time national player of the year Breanna Stewart to graduation.

If she (Tuck) opts to leave, the only players 6 feet 2 or taller on next year’s team will be Georgetown transfer Natalie Butler — who has yet to play in a game as she recovers from a thumb injury — freshman wing Katie Lou Samuelson and incoming freshman Kyla Irwin.

That is why it sucks. I cannot pretend that her departure leaves me in a happy mood.

 

[WestCoastFan]

I have nothing against the transferring player. I wish her the best.

I would like you to read the following extract from the Register:

Boykin’s departure leaves UConn a little thin in the post moving forward. The Huskies will lose two-time national player of the year Breanna Stewart to graduation.

If she (Tuck) opts to leave, the only players 6 feet 2 or taller on next year’s team will be Georgetown transfer Natalie Butler — who has yet to play in a game as she recovers from a thumb injury — freshman wing Katie Lou Samuelson and incoming freshman Kyla Irwin.

That is why it sucks. I cannot pretend that her departure leaves me in a happy mood.

Seem to remember the greatest team ever at UConn (2002 NCs, according to a lot of folks) didn't have a player over 6'-2".

 

[ciarlante]

Which McD AA was last year's transfer?

Edwards..

 

[huskyd]

Boykin's loss is disappointing and I wish her the best, Kyla Irwin comes next year and she is 6'2 and is talented.... on 12/8 she scored 31 and she is tough on the boards. Mom's a coach and that is beneficial. UCONN coaches are great in player selection and development. They always have a plan!!!

Hope you always remember your first "like," Irams. What I like about your post is that it's upbeat. Boykin didn't play a single minute for UConn, so we don't know exactly what we lost. I appreciate your touting Kyla, someone who, like Kelly Faris, is a bit under the radar and may be a real find. Natalie Butler is expected to be very good, Napheesa already is, Lou will be, and Crystal Dangerfield is the top hs guard in the US. Oh, and we have Geno, and they don't.

 

[Jeff H]

The big question now is will Tuck stay. If she does, I'll take that and be happy. As far as 2017 - 2018 and beyond, I can only deal with worrying about two years at a time.

 

[trb123]

Seem to remember the greatest team ever at UConn (2002 NCs, according to a lot of folks) didn't have a player over 6'-2".

1. Jessica Moore 6'-3"

2. We had 3 exceptional 6'-2" seniors. We will not have them next year.

3. The quality of Opposition has gone up considerably in 15 yrs.

4. Feeling worse now that fans need to be told about 2 and 3.

 

[UcMiami]

Just that it's a larger (and growing) list than one might suspect. These are good players and good kids, but UCONN isn't for everyone. I generally find myself rooting FOR these kids when I see them playing for other teams (though not against UCONN, obviously).

Considering that somewhere around 21% of incoming freshman each year do not return to the same institution for their sophomore year, and that 45% of freshman will not complete a four year degree within a six year window, student athletes and especially WCBB athletes are retained at an astonishing rate and graduate at an astonishing rate.
Athletes good enough to receive a D1 scholarship have already show a discipline and dedication that is above the norm and that allows them to manage the greater stresses put on them than the general student population, but ...
And Uconn and other top level programs create even greater stresses, because the level of competition within the team is so high that HS stars may be challenged in the one area that they were always exceptional and confident of that exceptionalism and discover that they no longer are. They have better support systems than the general student population, but that only goes so far.
I do not see the Uconn list of transfers to be anything other than 'average'. It is a very small sample size so it is difficult to judge - single transfers within a class size of 1-5 create spikes. I would say that over the past 5 year period there may be a slight up-tick and its correspondence to an incredibly talented core group of players may be a causal factor - that and what appears to be a up-tick across women's sports and WCBB in general.

 

[Orangutan]

Seem to remember the greatest team ever at UConn (2002 NCs, according to a lot of folks) didn't have a player over 6'-2".

Right, size is overrated. ND is getting by now with a 6'2 (listed, I swear she's closer to 6'1) center and 4 guards. It can be done.

UConn has a plausible starting lineup next year of Butler-Tuck-Samuelson-Collier-Nurse. By height: 6'5 - 6'2 - 6'3 - 6'1 - 6'0

Losing Boykin does hurt the post depth but UConn still has plenty of size. It might just mean Geno has to use some players at forward that he hadn't originally intended to.

 

[DaddyChoc]

same person... different handles, feels like someone is stirring their own pot! #weird #maybewrongbut

 

[HuskyNan]

BTW M-7, can you remember any transfers that excelled at the transfer school and/or went on to become a significant professional...besides EDD (she doesn't really count)?

Liz Sherwood.

 

[JS]

Hypothesized. Didn't say anyone's name. But thanks for reminding me of the BY rules.

OK. But to be clear (not just for you but for everyone), not saying names doesn't except a post from the rule.

We aren't in the business of deciding how obvious it is or isn't who one is talking about, or gradations of likelihood of the hypothesis coming true. So statements like "Someone is going to have to [or may well consider, or might be better off considering, etc.] transfer" also fall under the rule.

Thanks.

 

[JoePgh]

I'm not sure that the homesick thing is anything other than a polite excuse. We may recall that Brianna Banks (who comes from Georgia) said she wanted to be closer to home when she transferred, yet she ended up at Penn State.

Kyla Irwin may not have Dejenae's athletic gifts, but based on all evidence to date, there can be no doubt about Kyla's commitment or work ethic. She will have a chance now to earn a lot more minutes. Her mouth should be watering at the prospect.

And don't forget about Gabby Williams soaking up some of the front-court minutes next year, while also helping in the backcourt. She wasn't in Orangutan's starting 5, but this event certainly makes it nearly certain that she will have starter's minutes next year.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Who cares what the "excuse" is... she's gone, move on!

 

[huskyd]

Right, size is overrated. ND is getting by now with a 6'2 (listed, I swear she's closer to 6'1) center and 4 guards. It can be done.

UConn has a plausible starting lineup next year of Butler-Tuck-Samuelson-Collier-Nurse. By height: 6'5 - 6'2 - 6'3 - 6'1 - 6'0

Losing Boykin does hurt the post depth but UConn still has plenty of size. It might just mean Geno has to use some players at forward that he hadn't originally intended to.

I like your projected line-up, nit-picker. What is lacking, perhaps, is a true point guard. Maybe Crystal can step right in, but if not I prefer Lou to Saniya. Also, Kyla Irwin will give us some depth inside at 6'2. The big contingency is Tuck's coming back . . . Last year we were "thin," too. Hey, maybe thin is in.

 

[Orangutan]

And don't forget about Gabby Williams soaking up some of the front-court minutes next year, while also helping in the backcourt. She wasn't in Orangutan's starting 5, but this event certainly makes it nearly certain that she will have starter's minutes next year.

I was just coming up with the tallest plausible starting 5 I could for the sake of argument. Williams is definitely part of the puzzle. I really like her as a "4". With her attitude and leaping ability, she plays much taller than her listed height.

 

[HuskyNan]

Losing Boykin does hurt the post depth but UConn still has plenty of size. It might just mean Geno has to use some players at forward that he hadn't originally intended to.

Geno has won championships with guard oriented teams several times. The 2003 and 2004 teams had Will Crockett, Jess Moore, Barbara Turner and Ashley Battle in the frontcourt. Yes, that team had Diana Taurasi but next year the Huskies will have Katie Lou. I would say the remaining roster of this year's team is better than the 2003 and 2004 teams too. I'm going to wait to see how next year plays out before getting concerned.

 

[VAMike23]

She is leaving because she wants to be closer to home.

We don't know this any more than we "knew" it was all about academic difficulties a few days ago.

It may very well be true; her close relationship to her brother is well known. It could just as easily be a P.R. exercise for a player who was unhappy for a variety of reasons. Every transfer's situation is different. My guess is that the reasons for the discontent and emotions behind transferring players' decisions are probably quite a bit more complex than what any of us ever hear, through official or unofficial channels. And as I stated before in another thread, one wherein a number of posters seemed to feel that all mystery had been removed and clarification had been magically bestowed upon us ("it's all academic, folks, now move along"), Geno himself doesn't always get the full story while these things are playing out let alone the fan base(!).

RE: the fan base - I have absolutely ZERO problem with the athletic department and coaching staff keeping things under wraps and not divulging ANY personal details, particularly in these situations. I am not one who feels we are owed anything at all with respect to the personal goings-on of the players. In fact, for DJB's sake I would have preferred that there would have been one and only one oblique reference made to "personal issues" or some such that she was trying to work through, and that any further inquiries would have met with either a brief "no further comment" or a redirection to other topics. It is the Horde's job to ask questions and be somewhat probing--only to a certain extent--but we as fans aren't owed anything in these situations, at the end of the day. However, the loudest statement of all--the Christmas card photo--was made unilaterally, not in response to any questioning. How anyone seriously thought that Geno & CD would leave her out of it if it were simply a matter of academic difficulties, no matter how serious, is beyond me. She wasn't in the building because it was taken after practice? Really? Whatever.

I'm perfectly happy taking the latest official statement at face value. But we never know what, if anything, might come out later. In any case, I do wish the very best for DJB and I will be following her career wherever she ends up, just like I do for others like Banks, MJ Mickey and others.

 

[uconnfan68]

Good Luck to DJB. This thread soundsl like fans are panicking. We have a very talented roster going into next season. Nurse is great. Saniya has experience and makes very few mistakes. Butler is 6'5 and averaged a double double. Collier and Katie Lou are top picks. Ek is a great shooter and along with Katie Lou their shots will come around before the end of the season and then look out. Dangerfield and company come in next season and that's a class although not ranked highly will be a very good class. Irwin at 6'2 can rebound.

So what are we looking at. Butler averaged a double double. Collier is a very good rebounder and puts up great stats. We have a pretty good defense but what we really have is a balanced scoring attack. What we need to work on is chemistry. Our front line of 6'5 6'3 6'2 and if Tuck stays we are really good again. Understand that this season we are blowing teams out. The teams we don't beat by 20+ is a direct result of getting our underclassman more time and ready for next season. So by beating most teams by 20+ and losing Mojeff and Stewie who for arguments sake put up 30-35 pts per game on average every game we are not going to lose that much scoring by replacing them with Collier and Katie Lou. Where we need to pick it up is on defense as Stewie and Mojeff are two heck of a defenders. Next years team will be different then this years team which is true every year. We have the ingredients and with Boykin transferring we will attract some really good players because we now have openings.

I would not be surprised to see to see Geno pull a recruit out of his pocket before the end of the season. JMO

That would be a very small recruit.

 

[pinotbear]

Then why did Gino throw her under the bus re: academics?

Well, aside from your obvious agenda, and lack of real knowledge about the program - "Gino" - your post highlights the "damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't" position that Geno, and other coaches, find themselves in during this sort of situation.

Earlier in the Boykins threads, we had posters excoriating Auriemma because of the lack of detail, lack of information, and paucity of clarity regarding DJB. Now, we have a poster impugning Geno's character because he did provide some detail, information, and clarity (not a lot, but, some). He can't win - and, neither can any other coach who finds themselves trying to be fair to the individual player's concerns, the team's concerns, and the fans (if they're lucky enough to have them).

And, that's if all parties involved are relatively patient and relatively objective. If there's self-interest or personal agendas behind posts, blogs, articles, whatever, then, forget it - coach is toast.

 

[ciarlante]

Well, aside from your obvious agenda, and lack of real knowledge about the program - "Gino" - your post highlights the "damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't" position that Geno, and other coaches, find themselves in during this sort of situation.

Earlier in the Boykins threads, we had posters excoriating Auriemma because of the lack of detail, lack of information, and paucity of clarity regarding DJB. Now, we have a poster impugning Geno's character because he did provide some detail, information, and clarity (not a lot, but, some). He can't win - and, neither can any other coach who finds themselves trying to be fair to the individual player's concerns, the team's concerns, and the fans (if they're lucky enough to have them).

And, that's if all parties involved are relatively patient and relatively objective. If there's self-interest or personal agendas behind posts, blogs, articles, whatever, then, forget it - coach is toast.

She wanted to be closer to home could have been good enough...its kind of a standard response..satisfying posters needs/questions shouldn't necessarily be Gino's objective...

 

[Beemer]

Wherever she decides to go, best of luck!!!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...42ce64-8ad0-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html

“She might pick on him, but she won’t let anyone else,” Jeff said. “When they were kids playing outside, she wouldn’t let anyone touch Josh.”

What great kids. Best of luck to both of them.

 

[trisailin]

I am amused at the number of posters who seem to know all sorts of things are haven't been divulged by anybody.
For instance in the current case, DJB was having academic issues. And people all over make the assumption (and that is all it is) that she was struggling to keep up in class. While that might be a possible explanation, another possible is there are students who choose to take a very full courseload, and then wind up "sacrificing" team stuff for class stuff. In that case, the team would find academic issues - but from the student perspective, it's athletic issues.

Honestly I don't remember Geno making the very positive statement "She is a great kid and I am glad I was able to get to know De'Janae and her family. The entire coaching staff and team wish her nothing but the best in the future." I've remember lots of the last sentence but not so much the first. Makes me think Geno has RESPECT for the choice, not just "acceptance".

 

[meyers7]

I have nothing against the transferring player. I wish her the best.

Then don't feel personally slighted.

I would like you to read the following extract from the Register:

Boykin’s departure leaves UConn a little thin in the post moving forward. The Huskies will lose two-time national player of the year Breanna Stewart to graduation.

If she (Tuck) opts to leave, the only players 6 feet 2 or taller on next year’s team will be Georgetown transfer Natalie Butler — who has yet to play in a game as she recovers from a thumb injury — freshman wing Katie Lou Samuelson and incoming freshman Kyla Irwin.

Yea, I'm well aware of that.

Yet, I don't take it personally.