Brunelle To ND | Page 12 | The Boneyard

Brunelle To ND

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NewCorn said:
I ready for "Air Amihere." She could have the greatest up-side of all the young players.
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Amihere and Brunelle are totally different players........if SB has signed with UConn it would have had no negative impact on Amihere signing too...............unless she didn't like ice cream.........
 
Sluconn Husky said:
UConn's missed on plenty of top-rated players (Wilson, Turner, Cox, Durr and Charli Collier in recent years) and never worried about "saving face." They're usually very honest about things.
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For what’s it worth, I never said who was trying to save face. It’s just interesting the story that’s being put out there now when all along it was widely assumed that Brunelle had a UConn offer. If we dig deep enough I’m sure we could find articles from that same source stating that she did have an offer. But now she didn’t.

Has UConn ever NOT been involved with a #1 recruit?.. and if Brunelle is the first then wow.. maybe the Huskies are seeing something the rest of us aren’t.
 
Charliebball said:
Amihere and Brunelle are totally different players...if SB has signed with UConn it would have had no negative impact on Amihere signing too.....unless she didn't like ice cream....
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She's a there but maybe Amihere?
 
All bs and banter aside (and I've propagated quite a bit of both on this subject):

We went through this exact same thing with Kathryn Westbeld. UConn was thought to be interested but pulled back in the closing stretch. Link for reference: Kathryn Westbeld

UConn won 2 national titles and made 4 final fours during Kathryn's time in college. Meanwhile, Kathryn led ND to a National Championship as a senior. It worked out for all parties.

I think there are other players that UConn has passed on that have done well at ND. I believe, for example, Michaela Mabrey wanted but did not receive a UConn offer.

It was reported by multiple sources that Brunelle had a UConn offer. It appears that early this year they backed off of recruiting Sam. Meanwhile, ND kept up their pursuit and won Sam's commitment. ND got a commitment from a player they coveted. It doesn't hurt my feelings as an ND fan if UConn decided she wasn't a fit for the Huskies.

(I do think it's gross how quick the Courant was to emphasize that she didn't have a UConn offer, but that's another subject).
 
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MDoggie said:
Any other announcements scheduled from 2019 recruits?
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no but Fudd and Bueckers just received their Notre Dame for life bicycle license plates...............you can expect a joint unveiling via videolink once the snow is cleared from Buecker's driveway..........
 
HoopsFan21 said:
Maybe Brunelle made it clear that she was going to ND so UConn decided to not waste any more time and energy recruiting her?
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Doesn’t really fit the timeline or the scenario offered up by the mysterious “Dolphin” who showed up on the BY a few weeks back.
 
HoopsFan21 said:
Maybe Brunelle made it clear that she was going to ND so UConn decided to not waste any more time and energy recruiting her?
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oldude said:
Doesn’t really fit the timeline or the scenario offered up by the mysterious “Dolphin” who showed up on the BY a few weeks back.
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To be specific the Brunelle ( whole family) were in Storrs, CT 1 January 2018.
Also does not fit the time frame that Samantha established for making a selection. Per her original timeframe she was to down select to a few schools over the summer and make a decision in the fall.
 
Orangutan said:
All bs and banter aside (and I've propagated quite a bit of both on this subject):

We went through this exact same thing with Kathryn Westbeld. UConn was thought to be interested but pulled back in the closing stretch. Link for reference: Kathryn Westbeld

UConn won 2 national titles and made 4 final fours during Kathryn's time in college. Meanwhile, Kathryn led ND to a National Championship as a senior. It worked out for all parties.

I think there are other players that UConn has passed on that have done well at ND. I believe, for example, Michaela Mabrey wanted but did not receive a UConn offer.

It was reported by multiple sources that Brunelle had a UConn offer. It appears that early this year they backed off of recruiting Sam. Meanwhile, ND kept up their pursuit and won Sam's commitment. ND got a commitment from a player they coveted. It doesn't hurt my feelings as an ND fan if UConn decided she wasn't a fit for the Huskies.

(I do think it's gross how quick the Courant was to emphasize that she didn't have a UConn offer, but that's another subject).
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I completely agree with that last sentence (re: Courant). From an outsider's point of view/casual fan (well maybe i'm more than just "casual" but whatever...lol ) it comes across as "sour grapes" and is unnecessary.

I remember someone posting a thread on the "new reality". And this is the caveat of attaining unparalleled success: some of us will never be satisfied (Insert The Greatest Showman's "Never Enough" :p) If we win a game by 18, it should have been 30. 4 straight NCs aren't enough, we need 6. We didn't get this year's no. 1 rated recruit, so forget her--we'll just get someone better. Head bang

Let's just sit down, relax, and not miss the forest for the trees! What's happening at Uconn is amazing and will likely never happen again. Let's enjoy it. If we only focus on what we lost/missed, then we'll never be able to appreciate what we have right now. I'm excited for the development of the underclassmen and for Lou and Pheesa to embark on their senior campaigns. I'm happy for Sam and all the other recruits who are following their dreams at other universities, which will only strengthen WBB as a whole. And i'm excited to see what student athletes will make the pledge to join our team.

"In a world where you can be anything....be KIND"
 
I think Brunelle did have an offer from UConn, maybe the Courant is just going off Dolphan’s discussion of the whole Brunelle-UConn situation mentioned here on The BY recently.
 
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Charliebball said:
Amihere and Brunelle are totally different players...if SB has signed with UConn it would have had no negative impact on Amihere signing too.....unless she didn't like ice cream....
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Right. Aimihere will be Amihere. I'm not sure there is anyone else like her in Wbb, unless Gabby grows 5 inches.
 
Hayven said:
I think Brunelle did have an offer from UConn, maybe the Courant is just going off Dolphan’s discussion of the whole Brunelle-UConn situation mentioned here on The BY recently.
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So you're suggesting that a major newspaper like the Hartford Courant is trolling the BY for stories?
 
Charliebball said:
dumping Brunelle if in fact that's what happened is an awfully big risk to take unless Jones is signed sealed and delivered to UConn..... if Jones ends up staying on the west coast Geno's decision making is going to look awfully bad
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I think it’s not just that Haley Jones is a better fit at UConn, but Sam wasn’t as good a fit as many of us thought.
 
After the big recruiting weekend at ND last fall, I got the impression that Brunelle, Fudd, and Bueckers had a big kumbaya moment decked out in ND gear. Kind of like the Deshields moment at NC but spread out over 3 recruiting classes. Expect Bueckers and Fudd to follow.
 
on a related note - did Mikayla Vaughn get a red-shirt this year ? She appears to be a true post, while Brunelle looks more like a stretch 4.
 
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Checkmate said:
on a related note - did Mikayla Vaughn get a red-shirt this year ? She appears to be a true post, while Brunelle looks more like a stretch 4.
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Vaughn's injury occurred in late November, so the medical hardship waiver ("redshirt") is there for the taking if she wants it.
 
JS said:
My impression was she did have an early offer, or thought she did, then couldn't get it confirmed at her visit around New Year's, nor at some point thereafter when someone in her camp sought clarification.

Offer if it existed not explicitly pulled, but the recruiting process had stopped, and 2018 communications from UConn were slim to none. I suppose this can be construed (kind of) as no offer, at least not when it counted.

I don't see this as an important point. One can argue how best to handle such a situation. Hope she has a happy college career and doesn't become a super-recruiter of others, a la, say, Keirsten Walters or, for that matter, Diamond.
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One of the best “super-recruiters” was KML. She called Stewie “Baby Husky” well before her verbal.
 
Brunelle said the that she knew after the in-home visit by Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw the second week of March. Before that, she said the Irish and the University of Virginia were probably tied at the top of her list.

Top junior Sam Brunelle chooses Notre Dame


Olson said he hadn't heard that UConn wasn't pursuing Brunelle.

"There are a lot of schools out there that don't take a heavy interest in offering kids at an earlier age. The success that Connecticut's garnered in the last 10 years, they don't have to," Olson said. "They can come in late and still get away with it. They still can now. Even though they've sputtered at the end here and lost, they're still right there and highly respected. I don't know if that's true or not, that they had failed to offer her."

Samantha Brunelle, No. 1 in 2019 class, commits to Notre Dame


Brunelle’s top nine choices, in no particular order, were Notre Dame, South Carolina, UConn, Virginia, Duke, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Kentucky and Maryland. She didn’t give a top three, but said Notre Dame and UVa were high on her list.

Brunelle chooses defending national champion Notre Dame
 
There's obviously something strange about Sam's recruitment and decision-making. It sounds as if there was far more drama than in a normal recruitment. That's not something Geno likes. I think Sam made a good decision for herself. Based on what she said today, I wonder if Virginia could have gotten Sam if they had hired a good coach quickly.
 
MilfordHusky said:
I think it’s not just that Haley Jones is a better fit at UConn, but Sam wasn’t as good a fit as many of us thought.
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Apparently a 6'2" recruit that can shoot threes, handle the ball like a guard, shoot facing the basket, post up, rebound and pass the ball well was simply not worth pursuing
 
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JustinesGuy said:
I have a different take. I think this is great. We were so dominant with Stewie, as well as the past two years it’s going to be fun if the ND vs UCONN rivalry heats up. Let’s respect SAMMY but let’s love to beat her!! Let them land some great players, let’s see if we can land some as well! I’m all for a more hated rivality again!!
Healthy and fun!!

Can’t wait
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After all, this is what everyone has been waiting for...great for WCBB! :rolleyes:

EDIT: Also like to add, we can finally put to rest the notion "UConn get's all the best players".
 
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MilfordHusky said:
I think it’s not just that Haley Jones is a better fit at UConn, but Sam wasn’t as good a fit as many of us thought.
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Milford:
When I saw the pics of Sam Brunelle at the Notre Dame mass recruiting event last fall, I started going back to her clips and looking at how she'd fit into what Muffet does with her offense. And I liked her, primarily at the Kat Westbeld spot located just north of the foul line in the offense. (Jessica Shepard will man that this spot in 18-19). BTW, Westbeld and Brunelle are the same height (6'2").

In looking at the Prospect's Nation article, writer/evaluator Kelli Moore apparently has come to a similar (although probably much more learned) opinion:
"Offensively, Brunelle will be a natural fit for Coach McGraw and her staff. At 6-foot-2, Brunelle has the ability to cause matchup problems because of her versatility. She is a quality perimeter shooter who can play on the perimeter and stretch the floor or at the high-post in isolation situations. Because of her size and strength, Brunelle can post up smaller defenders and has developed into an efficient back to the basket playmaker. When looking at her combination of size and skill, Brunelle has the potential to be an instant fit inside of Notre Dame’s Princeton style of offense."

Here's the whole article: Notre Dame Lands Brunelle | Prospects Nation
 
Dillon, you are one of the most knowledgeable posters that I read. Notre Dame now has two commits for 2019. Do you know how big a class they will bring in? UCONN is currently recruiting Jones(plays same position as Sam), Boston, the girl from Canada, and one or two guards. Since Jones plays the same position as Brunelle; do you think ND is still strongly recruiting her?
 
PonchoFan said:
After the big recruiting weekend at ND last fall, I got the impression that Brunelle, Fudd, and Bueckers had a big kumbaya moment decked out in ND gear. Kind of like the Deshields moment at NC but spread out over 3 recruiting classes. Expect Bueckers and Fudd to follow.
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Perhaps. But these are teenagers. I would not bet more than an ice-cream cone on their decisions.
 
Charliebball said:
Apparently a 6'2" recruit that can shoot threes, handle the ball like a guard, shoot facing the basket, post up, rebound and pass the ball well was simply not worth pursuing
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Sounds about right.
Charliebball said:
I suspect we'll never know the real story with SB....same as AEH's transferring......all I know is that Baylor and Notre Dame are stronger teams 1-10 if one includes their incoming classes......UConn better have it's recruiting act together if they want to be able to compete never mind dominate in the next few years
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Oh ye of little faith! Was there ever a time when UCONN didn't have its recruiting act together?
 
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oldude said:
In no way am I suggesting that SB is anything but a great kid, but many years ago I spent a number of years recruiting HS football players at a D1 school. While almost all the kids were great, sometimes parents, with the best intentions in the world, got far too involved in the process, resulting in the school getting cold feet.

In this instance, I absolutely believe that UConn made an offer to Brunelle in 2016, pulled that offer early this year, and it had nothing to do with Brunelle’s basketball ability.
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I suspect we'll never know the real story with SB.........same as AEH's transferring...........all I know is that Baylor and Notre Dame are stronger teams 1-10 if one includes their incoming classes...........UConn better have it's recruiting act together if they want to be able to compete never mind dominate in the next few years
 
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