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Message: [QUOTE="NycUcWbbFan, post: 5038207, member: 13453"] What I mean by Geno becoming comfortable with deep rosters is exemplified by the [URL='https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/2024-25']2024-25[/URL] roster and [LIST] [*]his willingness to add Kaitlyn from the portal when he already has multiple point guards; [*]his willingness to explore going to 15 slots with the possible addition of Raegan Beers / Kiki Iriafen; and [*]his willingness to pursue [URL='https://the-boneyard.com/threads/uconn-roster-2024-and-beyond.199731/post-4989237']multiple consecutive 3-4 quality player classes[/URL] augmented by transfers. [/LIST] All these recent willingness goes against his [URL='https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/connecticut/women/']historical[/URL] tendencies: [LIST] [*]he rarely goes over 12 scholarships (the last 14-player roster was [URL='https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/connecticut/women/2001.html']2000-01[/URL]); [*]some of his scholarships are clearly for role glue players who would be content with less minutes while being on scholarship and being on a top program learning the science and art of basketball while playing with people who would become life-long friends; and [*]he frequently alternates with large classes. [/LIST] Having been burned by injuries, transfers (Megan, Paige and Azzi classes), going all-in on certain players (Boston, Collier), lack of development of certain players and missed recruitment of certain players (Evina), Geno probably realized he had to change his approach. The portal probably made this change easier to implement and also necessary as he now has to have a roster that can deal with more and different super teams each year. As you have pointed out, Geno has said he likes to play core people to prepare them for March. So there is seeming inherent tension in his seeming new approach: [LIST] [*]But he also feels accountable to his players who have done everything he has asked (e.g. Qadence in a comment saying he should have found her more minutes last year); [*]Jana whose father remarked that her game has significantly improved just by participating in UConn practices without getting into games, is current proof that Geno’s players will develop the best version of themselves by the time they graduate; [*]Because of bonding-by-fire experiences of the past few years, all players, even the incoming freshmen such as Sarah who said Geno can use her wherever, will understand Geno’s minutes distribution decisions and [B]Geno may feel he does not need to self-censor himself with the number of scholarships he offers[/B]. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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