Butler Picks UConn

[WBFan2004]

As we all know, the situation at UConn as regards the possibility of a given individual making All American is peculiar. It is almost inevitable that some players deserving of that honor will be passed over (as MoJet arguably was this year) simply because the voters are understandably reluctant to load the AA team up with players from the same team, because individual players' accomplishments do not stand out as sharply when they are surrounded by other outstanding players and because of the limited playing time, during the regular season, resulting from Geno's reluctance to stomp on the throats of hopelessly overmatched opposition. So Ms. Butler may not actually gain AA recognition. HOWEVER, based on everything I have read about her skills, physicality, coachability and willingness to do whatever it takes to excel, she seems to me to be an excellent bet.

As for Ms. Durr, I have no doubt that she is a truly exceptional player and I hope that she decides to become a Husky. I was simply taking exception to the statement her doing so was "essential" (or something along those lines; I can't seem to find Doc's original quote, and it may have come through stronger than he intended, or I may have just taken it as such._ My point is that I think we are quite likely to go undefeated for the next four or five years in any case. Nurse or Saniya or Sadie (who seems to be the forgotten recruit for BY posters) will, imho, be perfectly capable of handling any pg chores that need to be handled, both as backup to MoJet and as her successor. If Durr comes, so much the better. Frosting, as it were.

Not so sure they will go undefeated for 4-5 years straight but the team will certainly be VERY dominate.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Not so sure they will go undefeated for 4-5 years straight but the team will certainly be VERY dominate.

True that.

 

[Sonny44]

This shows how off the rails things are getting.
Only 1 player a year, tops, could get away going pro without 4 yrs of college. Stewie could. (CP did; Maya, DT couldve) Everyone else -- Loyd, MoJet, DD, ... -- would do their longterm career damage without getting more college coaching. And even Stewie will benefit greatly from the next 2 years.

I highly doubt Butler will be so spectacular that she will be able to leave without using all her eligibility.

Did i miscommunicate? She would have four years of college; one at Georgetown, one sit out Basketball season and two seasons with our team. That's four years of college and enough credits to graduate. I'm just saying she could leave with a year of eligibility. Not saying she would but who knows, financial factors, etc.

 

[UCONNfan1]

Not so sure they will go undefeated for 4-5 years straight but the team will certainly be VERY dominate.

Was that Malaprop on purpose? If so, well done. I've seen that word misused many times, and often here on the boneyard...

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

IMO with Natalie Butler coming to UConn, at this point in WCBB, all the recruits who have chose to not to come to UConn have given up their right to win a NC. With that said, Durr and Samuelson still have a chance. With UConns roster for the next 2 seasons it is terrifying how good they will be and with the addition of Durr and Samuelson they will virtually guarantee themselves numerous NCs. IMO if your going to play college basketball why not guarantee yourself a NC and that can only now be done at UConn.

Tonyc- - - Great minds truely think alike! I had posted this on the "other" Butler Thread, and replay it here:
Writing this after Natalie Butler picked UCONN to spend the next 4 years of her college career it is once again apparent that if you are an elite WBB player no matter what reasons are given to chose a college the choice is this, if you want to be the best player you can possibly be, if you have dreams of playing pro BB either WNBA and/or overseas, or want to play for the USA international teams, you will chose UCONN to go to school and play for Geno Auriemma and the best coaching staff in Division I! UCONN has the proven track record of having their players go to the highest levels of competition! Any other choice is the safe, easy way out, to avoid the fish-bowl that is UCONN WBB! Notre Dame, Baylor, TN, TX, Stanford, Duke, L'ville, MD, NoCar, TXa&m, PSU, SoCar, etc. are all NICE choices but have not shown they can consistently produce the top players that stand the test of time as the best in WBB!

 

[TroyHouse66]

There is always something to learn... especially under Geno's system.
Natalie is quite accomplished, BUT at other programs was she ever introduced to guarding the opponent who is attempting to go out under the basket to in-bound a ball?
Now THAT's defensive intensity!!
The focused energy required by this intensity might explain how UConn players seem to lose 1" to 3" in roster-height by the time they are printed.
Could someone put a tape on Natalie when she arrives to begin practices: by the time she is about 6'-3", she should be ready.

 

[Icebear]

Yes, at UCONN MoJett has even learned how to cover the player trying to get out of bounds to inbound the ball. Very few schools teach you that.

 

[HuskyNan]

Poor Natalie. She'd better be the second coming of Tina Charles and Lisa Leslie combined on Day 1 or there could be some brutal threads after she has the nerve to need a learning curve like 99.9% of the players out there.

There's no pressure of unrealistic expectations at UConn. That Geno must be nuts to think so.

 

[connboy77]

Poor Natalie. She'd better be the second coming of Tina Charles and Lisa Leslie combined on Day 1 or there could be some brutal threads after she has the nerve to need a learning curve like 99.9% of the players out there.

There's no pressure of unrealistic expectations at UConn. That Geno must be nuts to think so.

Nan, you can't blame UCONN Fans for being very optimistic about Natalie coming to UCONN. Everything that I have read about her leads me to believe that she will be a future star for UCONN. She is just what UCONN needs for the 2015-2016 year with the graduation of Kiah Stokes.

 

[Kibitzer]

Poor Natalie. She'd better be the second coming of Tina Charles and Lisa Leslie combined on Day 1 or there could be some brutal threads after she has the nerve to need a learning curve like 99.9% of the players out there.

There's no pressure of unrealistic expectations at UConn. That Geno must be nuts to think so.

It doesn't take much for Boneyarders to react like cats on catnip laced with steroids. One they got a whiff of that interview with a coach (linked to Rich's blog) that served up one "great," a followup "AA great," and a series of "unbelievables" (speed, footwork, and work ethic), the dam burst and Natalie was on the fast track to the HoF before she even laced up a pair of sneakers in Storrs.

I'll take a few hits for being repetitive, I'm sure, but here we go (again), Mark Twain:

"Optimist: Day-dreamer, just spelled more elegantly."​

 

[semper]

Look, we desperately needed a big. No other way about it. And we got one. So it's a huge event for some of us! Doesn't mean she'll be instantly Tina or anything even close, but we needed a bang in the paint post. We did. We got. We rejoice, even if over the top.

 

[cohenzone]

Poor Natalie. She'd better be the second coming of Tina Charles and Lisa Leslie combined on Day 1 or there could be some brutal threads after she has the nerve to need a learning curve like 99.9% of the players out there.

There's no pressure of unrealistic expectations at UConn. That Geno must be nuts to think so.

I'm not one to judge a player before I see them and that holds true for Natalie, but there is some justification for expectations in her case because she has a year - a very good year - already under her D1 college belt. I know it wasn't at UConn and was in a watered down Big East, but she was the FOY in the league. Playing for GA is certainly unlike playing elsewhere, but she is not untested.

 

[meyers7]

If Durr and Samuelson come, Tony will probably spontaneously combust and we'll need a replacement.

If Durr AND Samuelson come to UCONN, I (yes I, SmaryPants, of the glass not half empty, but rather lying shattered on the floor) might even be tempted to predict a Tonyesque 195-0.

 

[Icebear]

I'm not one to judge a player before I see them and that holds true for Natalie, but there is some justification for expectations in her case because she has a year - a very good year - already under her D1 college belt. I know it wasn't at UConn and was in a watered down Big East, but she was the FOY in the league. Playing for GA is certainly unlike playing elsewhere, but she is not untested.

I would say an exceptional year for a freshman Div. 1 big. Bigs as Nan is frequently given to reminding us often take longer to mature as college players.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Look, we desperately needed a big. No other way about it. And we got one. So it's a huge event for some of us! Doesn't mean she'll be instantly Tina or anything even close, but we needed a bang in the paint post. We did. We got. We rejoice, even if over the top.

Agree 1,000% semper.

However ... talk of Natalie being a future AA is vastly premature and probably what prompted Nan's comment.

 

[Zorro]

If she is the second coming of Kiah, that will be plenty enough for me, and that looks pretty achievable. Anything more is gravy.

 

[ocoandasoc]

Normally I like to tamp down the anticipation for recruits for any team. And I honestly think this talk about UConn going 145 – 0 is nonsense. But I think an objective consideration of Natalie Butler’s future importance to the team can’t be overstated. The key point here is that she is a PROVEN commodity at a position that the recruiting scouts are mostly guessing at when they evaluate.

Consider this list of Centers/Posts on the 2014 Full Court Freshman AA Teams (in order of vote totals)

Alaina Coates - SC

Amanda Zahui - MN (Red shirt freshman from Sweden)

Natalie Butler- GTWN

Sydney Stipanovich - Penn


There were nine Centers/Posts listed in HoopGurlz’s Top 100 for the Class of 2013…

1 Mercedes Russell

12 Kendall Cooper

22 Kai James

28 Alaina Coates

39 Kristina Nelson

46 Alex Harris

55 Brionna Jones

56 Jada Terry

88 Kaliyah Mitchell


…only one (Coates) had a better freshman year than Butler.

And this is not unusual for players in this historically late-developing position. In 2013 there were 11 Centers/Posts in the top 100 recruits list…

8 Malvina Howard

9 Rachael Hollivay

11 Imani Stafford

13 Alison Beebee

22 Katie Collier

35 Candice Agee

57 Kristina Higgins

67 Je Zhe Newton

76 Taylor Manuel

77 Ariel Butts

94 Dominique Brooks


…and only one, Imani Stafford, made ANY of the Freshman AA teams.

In other words, unless UConn had signed Coates or Stafford, they just landed the best possible Center. Add on that she will have a HEALTHY red shirt season to practice and develop and then have three years of eligibility and I can understand – and even uncharacteristically share – in the enthusiasm for her future.

When I first heard of her possible transfer I had two thoughts… one, this would be like a free-agent signing in baseball (or, for those of you old enough to remember, like the Yankees grabbing the top player off the Kansas City Athletics!) Second, I thought other coaches and fans would yell “tampering” – although the Lady Vol s are not exactly in a position to do that right now as they hold their breath to see what DeShields is going to do. (And, for the record, I don’t believe there is any basis for a tampering charge in either case.)

 

[MilfordHusky]

Normally I like to tamp down the anticipation for recruits for any team. And I honestly think this talk about UConn going 145 – 0 is nonsense. But I think an objective consideration of Natalie Butler’s future importance to the team can’t be overstated. The key point here is that she is a PROVEN commodity at a position that the recruiting scouts are mostly guessing at when they evaluate.

Consider this list of Centers/Posts on the 2014 Full Court Freshman AA Teams (in order of vote totals)

Alaina Coates - SC

Amanda Zahui - MN (Red shirt freshman from Sweden)

Natalie Butler- GTWN

Sydney Stipanovich - Penn


There were nine Centers/Posts listed in HoopGurlz’s Top 100 for the Class of 2013…

1 Mercedes Russell

12 Kendall Cooper

22 Kai James

28 Alaina Coates

39 Kristina Nelson

46 Alex Harris

55 Brionna Jones

56 Jada Terry

88 Kaliyah Mitchell


…only one (Coates) had a better freshman year than Butler.

And this is not unusual for players in this historically late-developing position. In 2013 there were 11 Centers/Posts in the top 100 recruits list…

8 Malvina Howard

9 Rachael Hollivay

11 Imani Stafford

13 Alison Beebee

22 Katie Collier

35 Candice Agee

57 Kristina Higgins

67 Je Zhe Newton

76 Taylor Manuel

77 Ariel Butts

94 Dominique Brooks


…and only one, Imani Stafford, made ANY of the Freshman AA teams.

In other words, unless UConn had signed Coates or Stafford, they just landed the best possible Center. Add on that she will have a HEALTHY red shirt season to practice and develop and then have three years of eligibility and I can understand – and even uncharacteristically share – in the enthusiasm for her future.

When I first heard of her possible transfer I had two thoughts… one, this would be like a free-agent signing in baseball (or, for those of you old enough to remember, like the Yankees grabbing the top player off the Kansas City Athletics!) Second, I thought other coaches and fans would yell “tampering” – although the Lady Vol s are not exactly in a position to do that right now as they hold their breath to see what DeShields is going to do. (And, for the record, I don’t believe there is any basis for a tampering charge in either case.)

Nice work! Thanks!

I figure that Doug and Harry said something to Geno. Either they thanked him for making their job easier, or more likely, they busted his chops for stealing talent from their league.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

Poor Natalie. She'd better be the second coming of Tina Charles and Lisa Leslie combined on Day 1 or there could be some brutal threads after she has the nerve to need a learning curve like 99.9% of the players out there.

There's no pressure of unrealistic expectations at UConn. That Geno must be nuts to think so.

Nan, of course you are right. Natalie's contributions to the team could end up being anywhere
between Big Rig and Big Mama Stef.

Still, her freshman performance at Georgetown gives one hope that she will end up closer to
Stefanie than Christine.

 

[NSP Hoops]

Averaged triple double: 26 ppg, 18rpg, 10bpg

By the numbers senior season hs:
603 points
409 rebounds
71 free throw percentage
40 points in single game twice consecutively
31 rebounds in one game
26 ppg average after 23 games (highest scorer in the AAA Northern Region)
23 games (every game this season) at least a double double
21 games where she is the game high scorer (for both teams)
19 games with over 20 points
18 rpg average after 23 games (highest rebounder in northern region this season)
16 blocks in one game
12 games achieved triple double (video provided to show blocks upon request)
10+bpg average after 23 games this season (not documented but arguably the highest blocks in northern region ever)
8 games over 30 points
2 games where she reached triple double prior to half time of game
1 extremely appreciative student athlete All this while being double or triple doubled by other team
Natalie Butler Lake Braddock
Georgetown Signee (Blue Star 9th ranking in nation for recruiting class 2013)
ESPN Hoopgurlz ranked #46 in nation by position for class of 2013
AAA Northern Region Player of the Year
2013 Patriot League Player of the Year
2013 Patriot League All Tournament Team
2013 Northern Region AAA Girls Leading Scorer, Rebounder and Blocker
2013 McDonalds All American Games Nominee
ESBC ALL-AMERICAN
Next Sports Phenom Defensive Player of the Year
Washington Post 1st Team All-Met

Congratulations on the pick up

 

[MilfordHusky]

Averaged triple double: 26 ppg, 18rpg, 10bpg

By the numbers senior season hs:
603 points
409 rebounds
71 free throw percentage
40 points in single game twice consecutively
31 rebounds in one game
26 ppg average after 23 games (highest scorer in the AAA Northern Region)
23 games (every game this season) at least a double double
21 games where she is the game high scorer (for both teams)
19 games with over 20 points
18 rpg average after 23 games (highest rebounder in northern region this season)
16 blocks in one game
12 games achieved triple double (video provided to show blocks upon request)
10+bpg average after 23 games this season (not documented but arguably the highest blocks in northern region ever)
8 games over 30 points
2 games where she reached triple double prior to half time of game
1 extremely appreciative student athlete All this while being double or triple doubled by other team
Natalie Butler Lake Braddock
Georgetown Signee (Blue Star 9th ranking in nation for recruiting class 2013)
ESPN Hoopgurlz ranked #46 in nation by position for class of 2013
AAA Northern Region Player of the Year
2013 Patriot League Player of the Year
2013 Patriot League All Tournament Team
2013 Northern Region AAA Girls Leading Scorer, Rebounder and Blocker
2013 McDonalds All American Games Nominee
ESBC ALL-AMERICAN
Next Sports Phenom Defensive Player of the Year
Washington Post 1st Team All-Met

Congratulations on the pick up

Welcome!

Thanks for the detail. I think she was also 1st team All-State.

 

[Tonyc]

Averaged triple double: 26 ppg, 18rpg, 10bpg

By the numbers senior season hs:
603 points
409 rebounds
71 free throw percentage
40 points in single game twice consecutively
31 rebounds in one game
26 ppg average after 23 games (highest scorer in the AAA Northern Region)
23 games (every game this season) at least a double double
21 games where she is the game high scorer (for both teams)
19 games with over 20 points
18 rpg average after 23 games (highest rebounder in northern region this season)
16 blocks in one game
12 games achieved triple double (video provided to show blocks upon request)
10+bpg average after 23 games this season (not documented but arguably the highest blocks in northern region ever)
8 games over 30 points
2 games where she reached triple double prior to half time of game
1 extremely appreciative student athlete All this while being double or triple doubled by other team
Natalie Butler Lake Braddock
Georgetown Signee (Blue Star 9th ranking in nation for recruiting class 2013)
ESPN Hoopgurlz ranked #46 in nation by position for class of 2013
AAA Northern Region Player of the Year
2013 Patriot League Player of the Year
2013 Patriot League All Tournament Team
2013 Northern Region AAA Girls Leading Scorer, Rebounder and Blocker
2013 McDonalds All American Games Nominee
ESBC ALL-AMERICAN
Next Sports Phenom Defensive Player of the Year
Washington Post 1st Team All-Met

Congratulations on the pick up

Great numbers and those numbers speak for themselves and have UConn fans very excited. With her work ethic and willingness to learn along with Genos coaching it is very encouraging to imagine where she could be in a year or two. She has imo gone from a "could've been" to a potential star because of who Geno will surround her with giving her the opportiunity to showcase her skills one on one. I am confident that her numbers have nothing to prove, they are proven numbers at a high level in WCBB and should only get better at UConn. The ole saying Repetition is the mother of skill and at UConn it is very apparent with many of our past players and post players. She will get better, and it may take time but what a get at 6'5 with those skills, her work ethic, and want to.

 

[connboy77]

You can't teach height, but coaches can mode you into the type of player they want you to be. Natalie Butler has the skill level and the right attitude to succeed at UCONN. If Natalie continues to work hard to improve she will be a force in the middle before her days at UCONN are finished. It would not surprise me if she makes all-american some day.

 

[HuskyNan]

I'm not saying Natalie can't or won't be a great player at UConn. Believe me, I'd be thrilled if she were able to step in and be an impact player. What I am saying is that annointing her a potential All American, dominating center, etc etc before her first practice at UConn is setting unrealistic expectations. I'll bet Natalie has set similar expectations for herself, I hope she has, but I seriously doubt she'll create a dozen threads on the Boneyard saying how she didn't live up to the hype if her first year at UConn isn't what people had expected. It's especially ironic that it's the Boneyard creating the hype and it would be the Boneyard that would rip into her if she failed to live up to it. I have seen this happen too many times to count on the Boneyard through the years.

 

[Sonny44]

Averaged triple double: 26 ppg, 18rpg, 10bpg

By the numbers senior season hs:
603 points
409 rebounds
71 free throw percentage
40 points in single game twice consecutively
31 rebounds in one game
26 ppg average after 23 games (highest scorer in the AAA Northern Region)
23 games (every game this season) at least a double double
21 games where she is the game high scorer (for both teams)
19 games with over 20 points
18 rpg average after 23 games (highest rebounder in northern region this season)
16 blocks in one game
12 games achieved triple double (video provided to show blocks upon request)
10+bpg average after 23 games this season (not documented but arguably the highest blocks in northern region ever)
8 games over 30 points
2 games where she reached triple double prior to half time of game
1 extremely appreciative student athlete All this while being double or triple doubled by other team
Natalie Butler Lake Braddock
Georgetown Signee (Blue Star 9th ranking in nation for recruiting class 2013)
ESPN Hoopgurlz ranked #46 in nation by position for class of 2013
AAA Northern Region Player of the Year
2013 Patriot League Player of the Year
2013 Patriot League All Tournament Team
2013 Northern Region AAA Girls Leading Scorer, Rebounder and Blocker
2013 McDonalds All American Games Nominee
ESBC ALL-AMERICAN
Next Sports Phenom Defensive Player of the Year
Washington Post 1st Team All-Met

Congratulations on the pick up

So how could she be rated 140 or whatever it was? Sometimes I think the rating systems are a joke.

 

[Wonkster]

I wonder if a recruit like Samuelson (smart girl, family sis's go to Stamford) thinks (even a little)…?
Sure I'll play, no problem with minutes for a talent like me but don't they bloody have enough already?
Should I instead go to Notre Dame?
At least there'll be some spirited competition.

Just thinking.

Or not thinking.

While you're at it, why don't you come up with a few more reasons why different High School All-Americans shouldn't come to UConn, put them on a sign and place the sign at the entrance to their respective high schools?

With Husky fans like you, who needs Voles fans?

 

[sawxfan23]

Or not thinking.

While you're at it, why don't you come up with a few more reasons why different High School All-Americans shouldn't come to UConn, put them on a sign and place the sign at the entrance to their respective high schools?

With Husky fans like you, who needs Voles fans?

Yeah, God forbid anyone has a differing opinion or a new way of looking at things on this forum.

 

[MilfordHusky]

So how could she be rated 140 or whatever it was? Sometimes I think the rating systems are a joke.

Good question. In addition to the imperfection of ratings, I think there were 2 factors: (1) She was a late bloomer who improved rapidly. Thus, the rating was based on when she was lower on the learning curve. (2) She committed to G'town fairly early. I wonder if, because of that and her low rating, no one looked at her to reevaluate her. I think the more recent data points--top 15 frosh and unanimous BE FOY are more representative of where Natalie's game is now.

Without being over the top, I do think that Natalie fills a pressing need and seems like a great kid and wonderful addition to the UConn family. I think she can be very, very good. As we saw with Stef and even Tina, there were early struggles. Natalie is not immune to those, but I think she'll be at least a solid player. I'm very happy we have her.

 

[sawxfan23]

So how could she be rated 140 or whatever it was? Sometimes I think the rating systems are a joke.

While I agree that the rating systems are flawed you have to understand that players are not rated on production but rather potential. Any player that is 6'5 can put up huge numbers in the majority of high school leagues around the country but not necessarily have what it takes to be a great DI player. Also the competition level in high school varies greatly from state to state, class to class, and league to league so statistics are not always an accurate tool to rate players. With this being said I definitely think Butler was way underrated.

 

[huskyharry]

I'm not saying Natalie can't or won't be a great player at UConn. Believe me, I'd be thrilled if she were able to step in and be an impact player. What I am saying is that annointing her a potential All American, dominating center, etc etc before her first practice at UConn is setting unrealistic expectations. I'll bet Natalie has set similar expectations for herself, I hope she has, but I seriously doubt she'll create a dozen threads on the Boneyard saying how she didn't live up to the hype if her first year at UConn isn't what people had expected. It's especially ironic that it's the Boneyard creating the hype and it would be the Boneyard that would rip into her if she failed to live up to it. I have seen this happen too many times to count on the Boneyard through the years.

I agree that saying she will be just as good as Stef is premature and could be setting an unfair standard for Natalie.
However, NBA analysts usually say that statistically, rebounding is the one category that projects most accurately to the next level (e.g. players like Popeye Jones, who came from a small school with limited TV exposure rebounded very well in college and in the NBA). This will translate even more so in the case of a lateral transfer within the NCAA (and with the loss of Louisville & Rutgers, it would be hard to argue that UConn's conference competition will be better than the new Big East). I think she will likely never be as good a passer and mid-range shooter (or dancer for that matter) as Stef, but she will likely be a better rebounder.