Could this really be the end?

[hjoerring]

After a long absent I was rather surprise to hear/read what seems to me as the settling in of doubts by my felllow boneyarders. Perhaps it one or two posters, but the tone is filling. Uconn misses out on one or all the top ten recruits for a year (not withstanding that the School did well the previous year) and the bottom is about to fall-out. Now, I have not been following this 2019 class, but I have the impression that Horston was not a name I linked to Uconn-- only recently. Perhaps I'm wrong. If so, why do we act as if she disappoints us? Because we are Uconn and we offered a scholarship?
I think the days are over when any school can say I want you and you and they all come running are over. If Uconn has a growing problem it might be that it is competing for the same students as Stanford, ND, Duke, etc., and that competition has gotten harder and harder. That is to say, these private schools are swarming over students they would have passed-over some years back. I am not here commenting on any specific student(s) but, were I a B- student why would I risk going to a school (a Uconn or a ND/Duke/Berkeley/Stanford, etc, even with the promise of all the help in the world) that would be a challenge without the added burden of playing a D1 sport. Missing 2 classes can send a kid well behind a fellow classmates. So, I do not think Uconn is falling from grace (not with the meager evidences some a pointed out, but healthy competition is leveling the field for a group of schools and other lower down the chain are reaping rewards from the big birds overreaching at times (see the explosion in transfers). There are of course much more on the minds of these recruits-- I have chosen to speculate on just one-- academics, because it is seldom talk about when we talk about transfers and recruitment.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[EricSD]

Could you come up with a better title to your thread?

 

[MainefanSC]

Absolutely amazing!!!!! We're doomed because a recruit committed to UT. I cannot put my amazement into words. It's beyond explanation. For those (or maybe it's just the one) who think it's "the end", does harikari mean anything to you?

 

[JustinesGuy]

All we need to do is land the generational talent that comes along like once every 4-8 years.. If we do that were good. If we don't its going to be competitive, and honestly thats ok.

 

[Kaizen]

THe current class has three #1 HS, KLS, Waker and Williams, and two top 10, Phessa and Crystal.
And you said "Could this really be the end?".
No, it is just the beginning.

 

[JustinesGuy]

THe current class has three #1 HS, KLS, Waker and Williams, and two top 10, Phessa and Crystal.
And you said "Could this really be the end?".
No, it is just the beginning.

I would assume to poster is saying : We are not landing enough top talent this year(signing period just started for gosh sake), last years recruiting class has yet to step on the court so who knows...and then when KLS AND PHESE leave we are in big trouble. IDK?

 

[DEpup]

THe current class has three #1 HS, KLS, Waker and Williams, and two top 10, Phessa and Crystal.
And you said "Could this really be the end?".
No, it is just the beginning.

Ono top 10 too!

 

[DEpup]

Ono top 10 too!

Actually they are all top 5.

 

[hjoerring]

Could you come up with a better title to your thread?

HELP!
Perhaps you are right. I am laughing my head-off because every poster sow. Am I not saying that such talks are wreckless and uninformative about recruitment! May not have been the best English, but too many on the Board are losing the art of reading. Not surprising that they-- some of them implicated-- have jumped to the conclusion that Uconn bb is in trouble bec this and/or that recruit isn't coming. HELP.

 

[TitleTown]

Absolutely amazing!!!!! We're doomed because a recruit committed to UT. I cannot put my amazement into words. It's beyond explanation. For those (or maybe it's just the one) who think it's "the end", does harikari mean anything to you?

Nobody is saying "we're doomed because a recruit committed to UT". Most are saying that IF we miss out on Boston and Jones(which I have believed from the beginning that we will miss out on them) the future of UConn women's basketball is in jeopardy and very dependent on success on 2020 recruiting.

 

[veryolddog]

Ho Hum.

 

[paisan]

My own criticism has been a failure to recruit the positions needed ... recruiting 4 guards when you need a post makes no sense to me.

 

[CocoHusky]

My own criticism has been a failure to recruit the positions needed ... recruiting 4 guards when you need a post makes no sense to me.

That is somewhat fair. Post players have to be willing to come to UCONN though. UCONN has been involved with recruiting the top 1-3 post players in each class since 2014.
2014-Turner & Wilson
2015-Kalani Brown
2016-Lauren Cox, Tori McCoy
2017-Jade Williams, Danielle Patterson
2018-Charli Collier, Sharika Austin, ONO
2019-Boston
The year of 4 guards you are referencing maybe be 2017 which was an especially weak year for post players.
So let me flip this around, name a post player not on the list above who could have made an impact at UCONN?
Also keep in mind that UCONN did well in the transfer market with post players where UCONN successfully recruited Natalie Butler and Azura Stevens.

 

[luckyhusky7]

Did I miss something??? I didn't know Geno retired with threads like this??

 

[willtalk]

My own criticism has been a failure to recruit the positions needed ... recruiting 4 guards when you need a post makes no sense to me.

What has always put Geno's program and his recruiting above everyone was his ability to yearly selectively get specific players that fit the programs needs. Geno has always known which players would fit the needs of the program and seemed to have his pick of each class in that respect. He could always fill in the hole's left by graduation. Perhaps that has changed in the last few years.

It is not about missing out on every top recruit but missing out on the ones necessary to fill in critical vacancies. The question is does Geno still have his pick of each class? With Geno it is not just filling in positions but filling them with players that along with talent have the right attitude. The attitude part seems to be getting selectively thinner in available players.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

@hjoerring you are a jokster. In that spirit I offer the real The End:

 

[paisan]

That is somewhat fair. Post players have to be willing to come to UCONN though. UCONN has been involved with recruiting the top 1-3 post players in each class since 2014.
2014-Turner & Wilson
2015-Kalani Brown
2016-Lauren Cox, Tori McCoy
2017-Jade Williams, Danielle Patterson
2018-Charli Collier, Sharika Austin, ONO
2019-Boston
The year of 4 guards you are referencing maybe be 2017 which was an especially weak year for post players.
So let me flip this around, name a post player not on the list above who could have made an impact at UCONN?
Also keep in mind that UCONN did well in the transfer market with post players where UCONN successfully recruited Natalie Butler and Azura Stevens.

Why does the post player have to come from the top 5 rated recruits...maybe that is part of the problem

 

[CocoHusky]

Why does the post player have to come from the top 5 rated recruits...maybe that is part of the problem

Clearly a post player does not have to come from the top five, Dolson's & Stokes certainly did not.
Remarkably I think we are saying the same thing. I think what you are saying is that UCONN should have looked beyond the top tier of players and find a post player. I'm saying that they did look and there was no one there that could make an impact at UCONN.

 

[Charliebball]

Did I miss something??? I didn't know Geno retired with threads like this??

not yet but I'm sure he's seriously considering it after reading these posts..............

 

[DallasBUFan]

Geez, y'all still have arguably the greatest if not one of the greatest coaches of all times. You can have all the talent in the world, but without a good coach that talent may never translate into much. UConn will be fine and will still be UConn. You only need 7-8 good players. Geno plays that kind of rotation. 2020 I think is much deeper with talent anyways.

 

[BobbyJ]

Clearly a post player does not have to come from the top five, Dolson's & Stokes certainly did not.
Remarkably I think we are saying the same thing. I think what you are saying is that UCONN should have looked beyond the top tier of players and find a post player. I'm saying that they did look and there was no one there that could make an impact at UCONN.

You're right. There are very few big posts that can make an impact at a top 5 program. Butler was a good example. Very strong factor at a mid major but only a fairly solid backup at UConn. There's a pretty small pool of big kids that can be a consistent difference maker for the elite teams.

 

[Charliebball]

you can't teach 6'4" and Geno has a very average mid range jump shot..............

 

[CocoHusky]

not yet but I'm sure he's seriously considering it after reading these posts....

I can pretty much guarantee you that Geno is not reading these posts-Geno doesn't do crazy!

 

[Charliebball]

That is somewhat fair. Post players have to be willing to come to UCONN though. UCONN has been involved with recruiting the top 1-3 post players in each class since 2014.
2014-Turner & Wilson
2015-Kalani Brown
2016-Lauren Cox, Tori McCoy
2017-Jade Williams, Danielle Patterson
2018-Charli Collier, Sharika Austin, ONO
2019-Boston
The year of 4 guards you are referencing maybe be 2017 which was an especially weak year for post players.
So let me flip this around, name a post player not on the list above who could have made an impact at UCONN?
Also keep in mind that UCONN did well in the transfer market with post players where UCONN successfully recruited Natalie Butler and Azura Stevens.

I can think of two:

2015 - Megan Gustafson - ESPN #80
2016 - Ruthy Hebard - ESPN #40

 

[Charliebball]

I can pretty much guarantee you that Geno is not reading these posts-Geno doesn't do crazy!

come on............... he must take a peek now and again just to have a laugh...........

 

[BroadwayVa]

Absolutely amazing!!!!! We're doomed because a recruit committed to UT. I cannot put my amazement into words. It's beyond explanation. For those (or maybe it's just the one) who think it's "the end", does harikari mean anything to you?

I get it WE ARE DOOMED!! When Uconn gets to play U of T in 2020--We Are Doomed. Stacked, just stacked up with talent, and what does Uconn have to look forward to ??? Doomed, just Doomed.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I can pretty much guarantee you that Geno is not reading these posts-Geno doesn't do crazy!

As past comments from Geno tend to indicate either he is reading or someone is reading the comments to him. Some commens I admit are general but once in a while he is more specific.
Admittedly, Geno has so much better things to do and so do we, but we ain't doing em.

 

[CocoHusky]

I can think of two:
2015 - Megan Gustafson - ESPN #80
2016 - Ruthy Hebard - ESPN #40

Both are good/great players for their respective teams.
I could also add several more post players to the list but here is the thing: UCONN is extremely demanding of its post players. @BobbyJ just gave us the example of Natalie Butler and I think Hebard and Gustafson would fall in the same category-Good player for other teams-limited impact at UCONN. Another example that comes to mind is Kiah Stokes.

 

[TitleTown]

As past comments from Geno tend to indicate either he is reading or someone is reading the comments to him. Some commens I admit are general but once in a while he is more specific.
Admittedly, Geno has so much better things to do and so do we, but we ain't doing em.

He definitely reads these posts. he has mentioned them before. He made a comment saying something like(don't quote me exact percentages) 20% of the people really know basketball and have a good idea whats going with the team and the other 80% are so clueless it is laughable.