Charli Collier to UCONN!!!!!

[HoopsFan21]

It's easy to be calm about this year when you know you have Walker and Collier in your back pocket! I think Crystal Dangerfield and KLS are going to do their best to ensure this season isn't just a throwaway, so who knows.

 

[JavaMan]

I assume you are thinking of Moriah Jefferson, not Megan Walker, when listing Texas 'migrants' to UConn. Walker will be migrating a much shorter distance, from Virginia. The timeline would thus be 'first Moriah, then Lexi (Gordon), now Charlie (Collier)...'

No, I wasn't thinking of Moriah, because I intended to address the recent time frame since Coach A. made that comment. The reason I listed Megan, is the same reason I failed to mention Lexi ...I screwed up.

After I corrected my Lexi error, I then realized that Megan was not a Texan, but from the beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia.

It must be the weight of this damn hat on my brain. I'll hopefully get back to right thinking after the holidays.

All is well.

 

[JavaMan]

You folks may remember the interview a few weeks ago when Geno said that this is the season for teams to beat us, because we won't lose for 2 years starting in 2017. At the time of that statement, Geno apparently knew that he would be getting Charli, but may not have been sure about Meg. Will 2017-18 resemble 2015-16?

Yea, but what I'd like to know is who else does he already know about but isn't telling us?

​

 

[Glenn]

Looking forward it seems like we will have a surplus of wings with size. But somebody has to play against other team's bigs. This is how I have them sorted out. Of course this year, Gabby and Napheesa are doing a lot of the defensive work guarding the other team's bigs--but I have them as wings.

 

[JS]

It must be the weight of this damn hat on my brain.

Yes, it's well known that a hat will be heavier in reverse proportion to brain size.

The brain of Java Man (left) being only 69% of the size of a modern human brain, one can understand the origin of the phrase "Uneasy lies the Java head that wears a hat."

On the brighter side, if a hatted JM wants to grit his teeth and bear the relatively large cerebral burden, he has an enormous set of choppers to grit with.

 

[JavaMan]

...On the brighter side, if a hatted JM wants to grit his teeth and bear the relatively large cerebral burden, he has an enormous set of choppers to grit with.

I'm gritting, I'm gritting.

​

 

[JS]

I'm gritting, I'm gritting.

Grit away. It's all you can do.

It's a classic Catch-22: Java Men always wonder why they can't comfortably wear hats, but their brains are too small to figure it out.

 

[hoophuskee]

Looking forward it seems like we will have a surplus of wings with size. But somebody has to play against other team's bigs. This is how I have them sorted out. Of course this year, Gabby and Napheesa are doing a lot of the defensive work guarding the other team's bigs--but I have them as wings.
View attachment 17195

From what I've read imo Azura Stevens should be considered "a big."

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I'm betting that some announcer will call her "Herbert Hoover"over the course of her career.

It's a mouthful.

BTW, congrats; great pick up.

 

[UcMiami]

Looking forward it seems like we will have a surplus of wings with size. But somebody has to play against other team's bigs. This is how I have them sorted out. Of course this year, Gabby and Napheesa are doing a lot of the defensive work guarding the other team's bigs--but I have them as wings.
View attachment 17195

Azura may be a wing on offense, but defensively she more than holds her own in the post area

 

[hoophuskee]

Azura may be a wing on offense, but defensively she more than holds her own in the post area

And on offense Geno will ensure she also low posts etc - not wanting her to be one dimensional etc.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Looking forward it seems like we will have a surplus of wings with size. But somebody has to play against other team's bigs. This is how I have them sorted out. Of course this year, Gabby and Napheesa are doing a lot of the defensive work guarding the other team's bigs--but I have them as wings.
View attachment 17195

Interesting post. Thanks.

Using the classification system PG, SG, SF, PF, C, I'd put Lexi in the SF slot. So in your scheme, I think I'd call her a wing. JMHO.

Geez, next year we're going to have more wings than KFC.

 

[Bretski]

Looking forward it seems like we will have a surplus of wings with size. But somebody has to play against other team's bigs. This is how I have them sorted out. Of course this year, Gabby and Napheesa are doing a lot of the defensive work guarding the other team's bigs--but I have them as wings.
View attachment 17195

doesn't Batouly have one more season?

 

[MilfordHusky]

doesn't Batouly have one more season?

I believe so, 2017-20.

 

[HuskiesU]

At this point i dont care what we recruits we get ad long as they listen and pay attention to Geno, these girls will perform and be the same brand of Uconn teams we ane custom seeing. Like 2016-2017 team is shocking everyone thinking Uconn was going to below its standards and i think thats when the coaching part comes in. Great job so far Geno and staff. They dont get enough credit but we have to praise how hard and confident they have this team playing and the job to still beable to get top notch recruits here.

 

[willingtonfan]

At this point i dont care what we recruits we get ad long as they listen and pay attention to Geno, these girls will perform and be the same brand of Uconn teams we ane custom seeing. Like 2016-2017 team is shocking everyone thinking Uconn was going to below its standards and i think thats when the coaching part comes in. Great job so far Geno and staff. They dont get enough credit but we have to praise how hard and confident they have this team playing and the job to still beable to get top notch recruits here.

Very well said. And I think that this may serve to explain why there have been certain really good high school players that Geno has passed on, leaving the so-called experts scratching their heads wondering why the staff preferred the person they offered a scholarship to instead. The "secret sauce," if you ask me, is truly the fact that Geno et al. recruit kids who do buy into the UConn system. It doesn't take very many "dissenters" to ruin the whole enterprise. As you say, as long as the kids we are recruiting are willing to pay attention to the braintrust and work hard, they will end up amazed after four years at what they will have become. There have been plenty of recruits that Geno brought in that weren't so heavily recruited and yet turned out to be really good because they bought in to the system.

 

[Glenn]

I believe so, 2017-20.

Yes you are correct, Batouly has one more year than had put down in my previous post. Here is the corrected version.

 

[oldude]

Not to suggest that recruits at other schools don't possess such qualities, but it has always struck me that in addition to basketball ability, motivation & work ethic one of the most important traits that Geno wants in a recruit is intelligence.

The ability to understand the big picture, accept some tough love from a coach, understand that hard work equals success and know that there is no I in TEAM, all require a certain level of intellectual understanding that not every player possesses.

 

[OldAlum]

One more nit, Glenn: Get the "h" outta Crystal!

 

[Glenn]

One more nit, Glenn: Get the "h" outta Crystal!

Cut and pasting a typo is really embarrassing. Thanks for the catch. Here is my revise and resubmit, along with switching Lexi to wing.

 

[EricLA]

Cut and pasting a typo is really embarrassing. Thanks for the catch. Here is my revise and resubmit, along with switching Lexi to wing.

View attachment 17205

I like it a lot. But we are in desperate need of players in 2020-2021. Geno needs to get back on track...

Seriously an embarrassment of riches. People keep talking (sporadically) about Geno retiring, but how can you when you continue to land #1 kids? Let's say he lands Brunelle and Boston out of 2019 - that means those kids will be there until 2022. That's 6 more years. How does Geno walk away from that? I think as long as he continues to land top kids who have terrific character and work ethics, that he will continue to coach.

 

[caramel]

Makes you wonder now if they should just call Connecticut U.S.A. basketball from now on and just send the team to the tournaments U.S.A. participates in.

 

[oldude]

I like it a lot. But we are in desperate need of players in 2020-2021. Geno needs to get back on track...

Seriously an embarrassment of riches. People keep talking (sporadically) about Geno retiring, but how can you when you continue to land #1 kids? Let's say he lands Brunelle and Boston out of 2019 - that means those kids will be there until 2022. That's 6 more years. How does Geno walk away from that? I think as long as he continues to land top kids who have terrific character and work ethics, that he will continue to coach.

I believe Geno will coach as long as he's healthy and he's having fun. Right now, coaching an undersized, undermanned, inexperienced team, I think Geno is enjoying himself thoroughly.

Strangely enough, last season, I believe Geno felt a great deal of pressure. With one of the greatest teams in the history of WCBB and the opportunity to make history, I think Geno was worried about messing it up somehow. At the end of the season Geno appeared tired, ended up getting sick and then had to jump right into his other job coaching the Olympic team.

Geno loves being the underdog, although if this team keeps playing like it has so far, he will not have that luxury much longer.

But heck, Geno is having fun right now and seems to be smiling a lot more. If this keeps up, who knows, maybe he might reconsider his decision to step down as the US Olympic team coach, particularly if DT, Maya, Stewie et al smile and say pleassssssse.....

 

[j66kicker]

But heck, Geno is having fun right now and seems to be smiling a lot more. If this keeps up, who knows, maybe he might reconsider his decision to step down as the US Olympic team coach, particularly if DT, Maya, Stewie et al smile and say pleassssssse.....

I believe Geno will eventually re-up as USA BB senior team HC. I think the proper 'etiquette' was to decline, say, "No way - I'm done. Let somebody else have a turn." Especially with gender issues/jealousy. Then, when Martin Dempsey and Carol Callan "insist" the he come back and won't take no for an answer, and after he's rested up and ready for another challenge, ....???

 

[NewCorn]

It's easy to be calm about this year when you know you have Walker and Collier in your back pocket! I think Crystal Dangerfield and KLS are going to do their best to ensure this season isn't just a throwaway, so who knows.

Yes, but not just Lou and Danger. The entire crew: Phesesa, Gabby, Nurse, et. al. will give everything they've got. These young women are greatly underestimated. They are quality players every one of them. No one will beat them easily. That's for certain. I'm not willing to bet that they will not win the NC. In fact, I expect them to do just that.