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In 1998-99 season UCONN welcomed one of many fab-five classes into the program. Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Keirsten Walters, and Tamika Williams. If I am not mistaken, only Asjha Jones made it through the four years without having to sit out a large amount of games. Sue was sidelined her first season with an ACL tear if I am not mistaken. Keirsten redshirted her sophomore and junior years due to chronic knee issues, and then disappeared from the team and campus. The fab five graduated four out of the program.
The next group of five students in one class came in the 2000-2001 season. This group consisted of Diana Taurasi, Maria Conlon, Morgan Valley, Ashley Battle, and Jessica Moore. From the start this group of five would start off underhanded with Jessica Moore taking a non-medical redshirt the first season. If memory serves correct she was the first player at UCONN to do so (and it made sense since we has Swin, Sue, Tamika, and Schuey). Later that same year, five games in…. Ashley Battle was sidelined with an injury (I do not recall what it was... some believe it to be shoulder related which it could have well been) and would miss the season, but was able to redshirt that season. Morgan Valley ended up developing plantar fasciitis which limited her playing time and her ability to move up and down the court. To make a long story short…. In 2004 three of the five players graduated. The other two graduated in 2005.
In the 2002-2003 season UCONN landed another amazing fab-five class. This time one of the fab five never even made it to campus. Gillian Goring a 6’6” player was declared academically ineligible due to her high school transcripts and other reasons. She went to play at a JUCO with the possibility of rejoining her class (That never happened). This group also consisted of Willnett Crockett, Ann Strother, Barbara Turner, and Nicole Wolff. Wolff over the course of two seasons played in a total of 13 games. She was impressive her freshman season when she took the court but back to back years of injuries prevented her from ever really showing us what she was capable of. She finished out her UCONN career within the four years, so she could graduate with the three other young ladies she entered UCONN with.
In the 2004-2005 season UCONN landed another five players. This group was unusual to say the very least. This group consisted of a #1 High School Player of the Year who transferred to UCONN from Duke after suffering major knee injuries and being encouraged (and some have even said forced) to play while not healthy. Brittany Hunter was joined that year by Mel Thomas, Ketia Swanier, Charde Houston, and Rashidat Sadiq. Hunter’s knees issues really sidelined what could have been a truly brilliant career in basketball. Geno stated something along the lines that --Even if she never plays a day of basketball at UCONN he was glad to have her and would extend a scholarship to her because of what she brought to the program. Sadiq lasted one season. To be honest she remains a giant question mark to me. Houston was a great ball player but never seemed happy, nor did she ever really live up to her potential. Ketia was a gift from God. SPEEDY!!!! Also an underrated player. That leaves Mel. Great player who was injured in her senior season. Absolutely a delight to watch play.
The 2006-2007 season saw the entrance of five new players to UCONN. Tina Charles, Meghan Gardler, Kaili McLaren….. a walk on by the name of Jacquie Fernandes, and someone by the name of Kristen Phillips. Phillips played a grand total of four minutes in two games in 06-07. With Phillips gone, the party of five became a party of four. It was not until either the following season or her junior season that Jacquie received a scholarship. Four graduated.
The 2008-2009 season was rather unique when it came to recruiting. UCONN landed a transfer student in Jessica McCormack who was a sophomore and had to sit out a season. Therefore when the 2008-2009 recruitment class of Tiffany Hayes, Caroline Doty, Elena DelleDonne, and Heather Buck were to enter their sophomore seasons she would have joined them. However fate is cruel and fickle. DelleDonne left UCONN two nights into her first summer session and then transferred to Delaware. Buck ended up with Mono and had to redshirt the season. Caroline Doty played 17 games before tearing her ACL while playing against Syracuse (the same team that Mel Thomas was playing when her career ended a year before). McCormack, like DelleDonne never did play a game in a UCONN jersey. Caroline had ACL injury after ACL injury. Heather Buck was slow to develop, and during her Junior year was showing promise when she injured herself playing against Griner. Hayes graduated when she was supposed, Buck and Doty stayed an extra year. Three out of the five graduated.
2010-2011 introduced five new Huskies to the UCONN Roster. Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley entered UCONN destined for greatness. Michala Johnson and Lauren Engeln entered UCONN only to last two years and transfer out just prior to UCONN winning the national title in what would have been their junior year. (I wonder if they wish they had stayed now). Also in this recruitment class was a player named Samarie Walker (which if you look at UCONN’s official 2010-11 roster is not mentioned….) left UCONN to go to Kentucky. Supposedly things between Walker and UCONN and the UCONN Players are not that good. So out of this class, we will have two players who will graduate.
The recruitment class of 2012-13 only had three players. Morgan Tuck, Moriah Jefferson, and Breanna Stewart. This is the first even year class not to have five new UCONN players enter the program.
Now we are deep into the 2014-15 recruitment class. We have commitments from Sadie Edwards, Courtney Ekmark, and Gabby Williams. The question is do we stay at three, do we push it to four? What about five? The additional of A’ja Wilson is on everyone’s mind. The emergence of Kia Nurse as a potential player for UCONN also has not gone unnoticed. But who do we land? How many do we take? If we go with five will the curse be over since the last even years recruitment only had three players? Do we go with four as so not to tempt fate? If both players said they wanted to come, would we take them both?
Also I could easily see four players in the class of 2015 coming to UCONN… or at least I see four players I would like to add. Kalani Brown, Napheesa Collier, Asia Durr, and I think it is a long shot but Samuelson. Of course Boykin does not sound that bad either
What do you all think? Classes of five cursed? Do we go with five?
The next group of five students in one class came in the 2000-2001 season. This group consisted of Diana Taurasi, Maria Conlon, Morgan Valley, Ashley Battle, and Jessica Moore. From the start this group of five would start off underhanded with Jessica Moore taking a non-medical redshirt the first season. If memory serves correct she was the first player at UCONN to do so (and it made sense since we has Swin, Sue, Tamika, and Schuey). Later that same year, five games in…. Ashley Battle was sidelined with an injury (I do not recall what it was... some believe it to be shoulder related which it could have well been) and would miss the season, but was able to redshirt that season. Morgan Valley ended up developing plantar fasciitis which limited her playing time and her ability to move up and down the court. To make a long story short…. In 2004 three of the five players graduated. The other two graduated in 2005.
In the 2002-2003 season UCONN landed another amazing fab-five class. This time one of the fab five never even made it to campus. Gillian Goring a 6’6” player was declared academically ineligible due to her high school transcripts and other reasons. She went to play at a JUCO with the possibility of rejoining her class (That never happened). This group also consisted of Willnett Crockett, Ann Strother, Barbara Turner, and Nicole Wolff. Wolff over the course of two seasons played in a total of 13 games. She was impressive her freshman season when she took the court but back to back years of injuries prevented her from ever really showing us what she was capable of. She finished out her UCONN career within the four years, so she could graduate with the three other young ladies she entered UCONN with.
In the 2004-2005 season UCONN landed another five players. This group was unusual to say the very least. This group consisted of a #1 High School Player of the Year who transferred to UCONN from Duke after suffering major knee injuries and being encouraged (and some have even said forced) to play while not healthy. Brittany Hunter was joined that year by Mel Thomas, Ketia Swanier, Charde Houston, and Rashidat Sadiq. Hunter’s knees issues really sidelined what could have been a truly brilliant career in basketball. Geno stated something along the lines that --Even if she never plays a day of basketball at UCONN he was glad to have her and would extend a scholarship to her because of what she brought to the program. Sadiq lasted one season. To be honest she remains a giant question mark to me. Houston was a great ball player but never seemed happy, nor did she ever really live up to her potential. Ketia was a gift from God. SPEEDY!!!! Also an underrated player. That leaves Mel. Great player who was injured in her senior season. Absolutely a delight to watch play.
The 2006-2007 season saw the entrance of five new players to UCONN. Tina Charles, Meghan Gardler, Kaili McLaren….. a walk on by the name of Jacquie Fernandes, and someone by the name of Kristen Phillips. Phillips played a grand total of four minutes in two games in 06-07. With Phillips gone, the party of five became a party of four. It was not until either the following season or her junior season that Jacquie received a scholarship. Four graduated.
The 2008-2009 season was rather unique when it came to recruiting. UCONN landed a transfer student in Jessica McCormack who was a sophomore and had to sit out a season. Therefore when the 2008-2009 recruitment class of Tiffany Hayes, Caroline Doty, Elena DelleDonne, and Heather Buck were to enter their sophomore seasons she would have joined them. However fate is cruel and fickle. DelleDonne left UCONN two nights into her first summer session and then transferred to Delaware. Buck ended up with Mono and had to redshirt the season. Caroline Doty played 17 games before tearing her ACL while playing against Syracuse (the same team that Mel Thomas was playing when her career ended a year before). McCormack, like DelleDonne never did play a game in a UCONN jersey. Caroline had ACL injury after ACL injury. Heather Buck was slow to develop, and during her Junior year was showing promise when she injured herself playing against Griner. Hayes graduated when she was supposed, Buck and Doty stayed an extra year. Three out of the five graduated.
2010-2011 introduced five new Huskies to the UCONN Roster. Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley entered UCONN destined for greatness. Michala Johnson and Lauren Engeln entered UCONN only to last two years and transfer out just prior to UCONN winning the national title in what would have been their junior year. (I wonder if they wish they had stayed now). Also in this recruitment class was a player named Samarie Walker (which if you look at UCONN’s official 2010-11 roster is not mentioned….) left UCONN to go to Kentucky. Supposedly things between Walker and UCONN and the UCONN Players are not that good. So out of this class, we will have two players who will graduate.
The recruitment class of 2012-13 only had three players. Morgan Tuck, Moriah Jefferson, and Breanna Stewart. This is the first even year class not to have five new UCONN players enter the program.
Now we are deep into the 2014-15 recruitment class. We have commitments from Sadie Edwards, Courtney Ekmark, and Gabby Williams. The question is do we stay at three, do we push it to four? What about five? The additional of A’ja Wilson is on everyone’s mind. The emergence of Kia Nurse as a potential player for UCONN also has not gone unnoticed. But who do we land? How many do we take? If we go with five will the curse be over since the last even years recruitment only had three players? Do we go with four as so not to tempt fate? If both players said they wanted to come, would we take them both?
Also I could easily see four players in the class of 2015 coming to UCONN… or at least I see four players I would like to add. Kalani Brown, Napheesa Collier, Asia Durr, and I think it is a long shot but Samuelson. Of course Boykin does not sound that bad either
What do you all think? Classes of five cursed? Do we go with five?
