Chasing Kiki Rice -A waste of UConn's time?

[NY Fan]

Kiki is certainly the real deal, and I'd love to see her select UConn. But to expect her to do so borders on fantasy, regardless of Geno's past recruiting triumphs and the UConn program's unparalleled success. Here's why:
1) Former Secy of State Condi Rice is her Aunt and Provost or some such title at Stanford, currently the "It" school for college applicants.
2) I've read on the Boneyard her parents are Yale graduates and respected executives.
3) She is a student at Sidwell Friends in DC, an environment that exposes students broadly to aspirations beyond basketball; meaning surely she has aspirations beyond basketball.
4) If she were to attend UConn, her first two years would require taking a backstage to Paige, Azzi, and probably others. At Stanford the stage will be hers far faster, possibly in Year 1.
5) Last I looked Stanford's program is not too shabby, with a respected coach and recruiter as well.
Sum it all up and Kiki will attend Stanford. I would love to be proven wrong, and if I've missed something, or there's error in my logic, no doubt BYers will let me know.

 

[BobbyJ]

Kiki is certainly the real deal, and I'd love to see her select UConn. But to expect her to do so borders on fantasy, regardless of Geno's past recruiting triumphs and the UConn program's unparalleled success. Here's why:
1) Former Secy of State Condi Rice is her Aunt and Provost or some such title at Stanford, currently the "It" school for college applicants.
2) I've read on the Boneyard her parents are Yale graduates and respected executives.
3) She is a student at Sidwell Friends in DC, an environment that exposes students broadly to aspirations beyond basketball; meaning surely she has aspirations beyond basketball.
4) If she were to attend UConn, her first two years would require taking a backstage to Paige, Azzi, and probably others. At Stanford the stage will be hers far faster, possibly in Year 1.
5) Last I looked Stanford's program is not too shabby, with a respected coach and recruiter as well.
Sum it all up and Kiki will attend Stanford. I would love to be proven wrong, and if I've missed something, or there's error in my logic, no doubt BYers will let me know.

Have any opinion you want but get your facts straight. Condoleeza Rice is of no relation to Kiki or Susan Rice. Susan is Kiki’s aunt.

 

[Scud49]

She has stated she wants to win championships........thats says a lot.

 

[Vowelguy]

Uhhh Stanford’s cupboard is not exactly bare.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Couldn't you have just gone to the recruit thread and said you don't think she'll end up at UConn?

 

[D J B]

2) I've read on the Boneyard her parents are Yale graduates and respected executives.
3) She is a student at Sidwell Friends in DC, an environment that exposes students broadly to aspirations beyond basketball; meaning surely she has aspirations beyond basketball.

Well, I guess that's about as clear as it gets. Wouldn't want her to sully herself with the unwashed, uneducated, deadbeat and dreamless masses associated with UConn.

 

[bballnut90]

Kiki is certainly the real deal, and I'd love to see her select UConn. But to expect her to do so borders on fantasy, regardless of Geno's past recruiting triumphs and the UConn program's unparalleled success. Here's why:
1) Former Secy of State Condi Rice is her Aunt and Provost or some such title at Stanford, currently the "It" school for college applicants.
2) I've read on the Boneyard her parents are Yale graduates and respected executives.
3) She is a student at Sidwell Friends in DC, an environment that exposes students broadly to aspirations beyond basketball; meaning surely she has aspirations beyond basketball.
4) If she were to attend UConn, her first two years would require taking a backstage to Paige, Azzi, and probably others. At Stanford the stage will be hers far faster, possibly in Year 1.
5) Last I looked Stanford's program is not too shabby, with a respected coach and recruiter as well.
Sum it all up and Kiki will attend Stanford. I would love to be proven wrong, and if I've missed something, or there's error in my logic, no doubt BYers will let me know.

I think it comes down to what she wants out of her college experience.

If she wants to play for Geno, improve her skills, be prepared for the WNBA and have a great shot at winning title(s), then UCONN is the right choice. UCONN also has the most exposure, best fan support, and is the clear choice if some of her focus is based on NIL. Rice to UCONN doesn't make sense for Kiki in terms of playing time unless she's gambling on Paige leaving after the 2022-23 season. UCONN is already very deep at the 1-3 spots for the next few years with Buckers, Muhl, Fudd, Ducharme, Poffenbarger, and McLean all projected to be on the roster for Rice's first 2 years. I'm not sure Rice coming would honestly help UCONN all that much the first couple of years, particularly if Bueckers stays 4 (or even 5) years. UCONN is also not nearly as prestigious as Duke/UCLA/Stanford academically but is still a good school. If she prefers playing for a male head coach, it's worth noting UCONN is the only finalist with a male head coach. Also, I'm not sure what her relationship is with Fudd but both are from similar areas I believe which may help UCONN's chances marginally. I don't think she'll pick UCONN due to how stacked the roster already is, but with that said, I didn't expect Patterson to pick UCONN either, so time will tell.

Rice to Duke makes sense if she vibes well with Lawson, as both were standout guards from the DC area and both were great students. Durham is closest to home of the finalists and she may want to be "the" player who helps bring Duke back into the limelight of women's basketball. She'll likely start from day 1 and have the program built around her for 4 years, which isn't the case at any other finalist besides maybe Arizona. Her odds of winning a title or making a deep tournament run are much lower than the other finalists though, and she'd be taking more of a chance going with Lawson who is an unproven coach.

UCLA makes sense if she wants a mix of everything. She'd likely be a standout from the get go, have excellent academics, good coaching, a beautiful campus and some of the best weather in the country. UCLA has been consistently good but not strong enough to get to the Final Four and a player like her could push UCLA over the hump. Title chances are slim here compared to Stanford/UCONN, and Close is a good coach but lacks the reputation or accolades that Tara/Geno have. UCLA seems to check all the boxes but there isn't any major draw compared to the other schools IMO.

Stanford logically makes the most sense for the reasons you noted above. She has a great shot for big minutes from the get go, Stanford is loaded with talent the next several years, Tara is the 2nd most accomplished coach in WCBB, Stanford is the standout academically of the 5 and she'd have 4 years with Betts to create something special in Palo Alto. I don't see any real downsides with Stanford unless she likes different coaches/programs more (which is usually the #1 deciding factor for recruits, so that very well may be the case).

Arizona is somewhat of a wildcard since they're by far the least reputable academically and don't appear to be in the mix as a title contender for the next few years. Also, AZ is the most difficult location for friends/family to get to if they want to see her play since Tucson is an hour outside of Phoenix. That said, Barnes is doing a great job in Arizona and she'd have 3 years with Nnaji. Arizona has strong support for women's basketball and similar to Duke, she'd likely be the standout player here for 4 years.

 

[hoophuskee]

Not saying she will come to UCONN but to dismiss it the way I see it being done at times I don't believe. There were dismissals regarding Azzi last year too.


I just want to say the following. Kiki Rice is not her Aunt. I'd expect Kiki Rice is going to follow her own path, be her own individual, not try to be her Aunt. Further, her Aunt and her parents did not have near the same opportunities in basketball that Kiki currently has. Why not take full advantage of the God-given gift Kiki has? Third, what's the point being made of "outside of basketball?" Don't understand any logic in that. Is the OP implying that Kiki's basketball friends have zero interests other than basketball? And that she can't have any friends outside of basketball if she went to another school either?

And I think we need to point out that UCONN is "not too shabby" of a school either. Maybe others can make comments though on Stanford with theer pg’s and gaurds overall- I'm not sure--- but how many pg's has Stanford put into the WNBA in the past 10-15 years? I think we can say with obvious assurance that UCONN has put quite a few pg's and overall guards in the WNBA and that history - "that's not too shabby" either.

Another point. We’ve read this statement before about "taking a backstage." What does that even mean? What we do know about UCONN is that we saw even as recent as last year is that they went with 3 guards. (4 actually). What we do know with UCONN is that they love to run. They love to run. They love to run. Top guard recruits many love to run too. What we do know from UCONN is that in some years they have put as many as three 1st team all-Americans up in lights. And what we do know is Geno is not tied to Paige being a pg, and Azzi probably not a pg, so a competitive open spot at pg is available as well along with Kiki can also learn to play off the ball too. Why would Kiki not want to run and play with Azzi and Paige as an example, or feed players on the break like Carolyn and with one of her very close friends such as Patterson?

Backseat? More like if she were to come to UCONN, this could be similar to the ShowTime Lakers, and Kiki as a pg potentially feeding Azzi, Paige, Carolyn and Patterson would potentially put this era of a team on an offense execution style of play and efficiency possibly never seen before.

But all this gets automatically dismissed so casually? Nah. Unless one is a halfcourt fan/ the player is, or the player feels without a doubt that they want to be number 1 - day 1- then it's possible to so easily/causally dismiss the chance. But imo that's more how the men's game thinks because they are 1 and done and the money is so extreme.

For me, ofc I'm bias. I'd want to go to a school that wants to run run run if I were an elite skilled guard that is also very athletic to a school that has had big time history of getting players to the pros, as I'm showed a lot on TV in which every year I'm in the FF. UCONN's style fits what I am is a strong possibility that should never be so easily dismissed.

 

[stamfordhusky]

1) Former Secy of State Condi Rice is her Aunt and Provost or some such title at Stanford, currently the "It" school for college applicants.

Not that it matters - since Kiki is not related to Condi Rice - but to set the record straight, Condi Rice's tenure as provost at Stanford ended 22 years ago. She is a part-time professor there now, but is not in its administration.

 

[Mdoggie]

Kiki wants to be President of the United States. Amongst other first she will attend Yale and be the first female member of the secret society Skull and Bones. She also plans to complete the sólo flight of Amelia Earhart. Yes Kiki has big dreams. I know for a fact they don’t include UConn. I also know for an absolute fact that I have no idea where she will go or why. You think I should have numbered my reasons? Does that make it seem like I really know? Hmmm?

 

[JonathanXIV]

Uhhh Stanford’s cupboard is not exactly bare.

Yep. Since Stanford wins a championship every 29 years, they are due for another in 2050. Will Kiki be graduated by then.

 

[uconnever]

I think she ends up at Duke, too much pointing in that direction like location, education and a lot in common with Kara Lawson. Also I think the recruiting is going well where she can grow with the other recruits and be a really good team in the near future. The only way she ends up at UConn is dependent on how well she gets along with our players because she is good enough to earn minutes here regardless of who is here. If she doesn’t get along all that well with our women, then I think she goes to Duke. The allure of playing with really good friends and multiple titles at UConn along with all of the media attention may be too much to pass over.

 

[jchusky]

I think she ends up at Duke, too much pointing in that direction like location, education and a lot in common with Kara Lawson. Also I think the recruiting is going well where she can grow with the other recruits and be a really good team in the near future. The only way she ends up at UConn is dependent on how well she gets along with our players because she is good enough to earn minutes here regardless of who is here. If she doesn’t get along all that well with our women, then I think she goes to Duke. The allure of playing with really good friends and multiple titles at UConn along with all of the media attention may be too much to pass over.

to me it was Stanford or Duke. Education will play a role in her decision.

 

[Vowelguy]

Not that it matters - since Kiki is not related to Condi Rice - but to set the record straight, Condi Rice's tenure as provost at Stanford ended 22 years ago. She is a part-time professor there now, but is not in its administration.

She's director of the Hoover Institute at Stanford.

 

[WBBSUperFan]

I think she ends up at Duke, too much pointing in that direction like location, education and a lot in common with Kara Lawson. Also I think the recruiting is going well where she can grow with the other recruits and be a really good team in the near future. The only way she ends up at UConn is dependent on how well she gets along with our players because she is good enough to earn minutes here regardless of who is here. If she doesn’t get along all that well with our women, then I think she goes to Duke. The allure of playing with really good friends and multiple titles at UConn along with all of the media attention may be too much to pass over.

i agree. i think she goes with Duke. outside of Uconn, i think UCLA and Duke offers the most in player development. UCLA has way too many guards. While Kiki is the best of them, they still have lot so it might be harder to see how she fits. Duke and Stanford have the education piece. UCLA is a great school but it’s not Stanford or Duke. Yes duke is still trying to get back where they had previously been, but Kara Lawson has the ability to get them there.

 

[WestsideWaltz]

Has Kiki already gained admission to Stanford?

 

[HGN]

Have any opinion you want but get your facts straight. Condoleeza Rice is of no relation to Kiki or Susan Rice. Susan is Kiki’s aunt.

BobbyJ , I couldn't agree with you more. And I've said it before , We BY'ers must always be aware of possible wolves in Husky clothing.

 

[D J B]

BobbyJ , I couldn't agree with you more. And I've said it before , We BY'ers must always be aware of possible wolves in Husky clothing.

 

[da60]

DO NOT DISMISS COACH GENO...He is pure magic and has been known to pull out a rabbit. The best recruiter and coach ever! The logic has been stated above and I agree with most of it....BUT DO NOT DISMISS GENO.

 

[DefenseBB]

Yep. Since Stanford wins a championship every 29 years, they are due for another in 2050. Will Kiki be graduated by then.

Actually not true, if anything Stanford would be due again next year, 1990/1992 and 2021/2023...

 

[JordyG]

Not too long ago I posted a bit on the pros and cons between what appear to be her final choices. There are a few negatives that go along with her choosing Stanford over UConn as I see them, and I'll repeat them.

1) She hardly knows any of the players at Stanford while she knows many of the players currently playing and about to play for Geno.

2) Her parents and relatives are east coast people. Kiki is a family oriented young woman. It would be difficult for any of them to attended her games. With the extent of her family and the proximity of Storrs to her home she's almost guaranteed at least one family member in attendance at all of her home games and some of her away games.

3) The NIL prospects while attending UConn are conceivably more lucrative than if she attended Stanford. Let's face it, Stanford is great college, but UConn is a brand.

4) The national attention she'll receive by the media and by her teams appearance on national TV is greater if she attends UConn rather than Stanford.

 

[hard2please]

im sure she is taking notes from what we write and will make her decision based on our best arguments

 

[jchusky]

Not too long ago I posted a bit on the pros and cons between what appear to be her final choices. There are a few negatives that go along with her choosing Stanford over UConn as I see them, and I'll repeat them.

1) She hardly knows any of the players at Stanford while she knows many of the players currently playing and about to play for Geno.

2) Her parents and relatives are east coast people. Kiki is a family oriented young woman. It would be difficult for any of them to attended her games. With the extent of her family and the proximity of Storrs to her home she's almost guaranteed at least one family member in attendance at all of her home games and some of her away games.

3) The NIL prospects while attending UConn are conceivably more lucrative than if she attended Stanford. Let's face it, Stanford is great college, but UConn is a brand.

4) The national attention she'll receive by the media and by her teams appearance on national TV is greater if she attends UConn rather than Stanford.

can't you say the same thing about Duke? That is closer in her proximity. Also a Stanford, Duke, or Yale education overtops anything Uconn has to offer in Nil. I agree with the poster that said she is looking for more than basketball, also she plays soccer if I am correct. Stanford and the Pac 12 have a great soccer conference.

 

[JordyG]

Not too long ago I posted a bit on the pros and cons between what appear to be her final choices. There are a few negatives that go along with her choosing Stanford over UConn as I see them, and I'll repeat them.

1) She hardly knows any of the players at Stanford while she knows many of the players currently playing and about to play for Geno.

2) Her parents and relatives are east coast people. Kiki is a family oriented young woman. It would be difficult for any of them to attended her games. With the extent of her family and the proximity of Storrs to her home she's almost guaranteed at least one family member in attendance at all of her home games and some of her away games.

3) The NIL prospects while attending UConn are conceivably more lucrative than if she attended Stanford. Let's face it, Stanford is great college, but UConn is a brand.

4) The national attention she'll receive by the media and by her teams appearance on national TV is greater if she attends UConn rather than Stanford.

I forgot one thing, a positive.

5) Kiki knows that Geno plays at least 3 guards, often 4. After this year her competition as the 3rd guard is Nika. I think she feels she can compete against anyone for a starters minutes.

 

[Vowelguy]

I forgot one thing, a postive.

5) Kiki knows that Geno plays at least 3 guards, often 4. After this year her competition as the 3rd guard is Nika. I think she feels she can compete against anyone for a starters minutes.

I dont think any top 5 player is particularly concerned about who else is there or playing time. When you're that good and have had that level of success, you're pretty confident you can compete in any situation.