Does anybody know C's & PF's left in the transfer portal?

[HuskyNan]

Can you wait until 2029? This 6-7 young lady is starting high school this fall in - wait for it - Connecticut. She lives in Levittown NY and attends the Rectory School in Pomfret. Her name is Serwah Banahene

 

[Nicvan07]

Can you wait until 2029? This 6-7 young lady is starting high school this fall in - wait for it - Connecticut. She lives in Levittown NY and attends the Rectory School in Pomfret. Her name is Serwah Banahene

Rectory goes up to 9th grade, I wonder if she makes the short walk down the street to Pomfret Prep to finish out her high school days. We also have Putnam Science Academy who puts out some decent recruits.

 

[Centerstream]

I still wonder if any discussions between UConn and Dauda have taken place.

Seeing that the Summer Session start is less than a week away, I would think that the 2024-2025 roster is pretty much set in stone. Also having the uniform numbers made public would also seem to confirm that.
Or am I missing something?

 

[Zarathustra]

Can you wait until 2029? This 6-7 young lady is starting high school this fall in - wait for it - Connecticut. She lives in Levittown NY and attends the Rectory School in Pomfret. Her name is Serwah Banahene

 

[Zarathustra]

I just googled "Serwah Banahene basketball" and found some
more information and a video from her home
country, Ghana. Her full name was listed
as: Catherine Maame Serwaa Banahene. At age 11 she was
6'5" / 196 cm. It was a "nice" short story, an imbedded video
of her dribbling and more related links if you scroll down the
page: items #3, #4, and #6 (there are number of persons with
the "Banahene" name.) "SMITH" IN GHANA?"

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Seeing that the Summer Session start is less than a week away, I would think that the 2024-2025 roster is pretty much set in stone. Also having the uniform numbers made public would also seem to confirm that.
Or am I missing something?

Centerstream- - -Remember Ines Bettencourt signed maybe 1 or 2 days before classes started so UConn could sign a big up to classes starting in September!

 

[Cuango]

My thinking is the 14 players we have now is more than enough. We don't need to add another player to take minutes away from the talent that is currently on this roster. We got height. We got speed. We got quickness. We have shooters. Again, I am looking at everyone being 100% healthy and cleared to play. We got Ayanna at 6'3ish. We got Ice standing at 6'4ish. We got Jana and something tells me that she is going to be that "DAWG" we have been waiting for. She just seems like a player that loves to be in the post absorbing the physical contact and just eating shots like a bag of Sour Patches. Ayanna, I believe has something to prove, same with Ice. With those three players, plus Morgan Cheli (6'0ish but still growing) we got all the "height" we need. We good.

I’m pretty sure Mrgan is 6’2” which means she’ probably a solid 6’1”!

 

[oldhusky]

Centerstream- - -Remember Ines Bettencourt signed maybe 1 or 2 days before classes started so UConn could sign a big up to classes starting in September!

In theory that is correct from a logistics standpoint, particularly with a foreign player, but for a couple of reasons I don't think the situation is the same as it was with Ines. In her case Uconn was desperate to get another guard, hopefully a PG because they were not deep there even before Paige's injury.

They had talent, but Ines was not recruited to be in the rotation, but rather as insurance in case of further injuries to guards. At that point late in the summer the HS recruits had made their decisions, the players that entered the portal had too, and even the foreign players that had decided to come to the states, had decided where by then. Geno could have tried to convince a foreign player who wasn't planning on playing in the US to change their mind, but even then you had the visa issue. If they didn't already have one they probably couldn't get one in time to enroll.

So he found someone who had agreed to come to a Jr College and already had her visa to change her mind in Ines. To say our options were limited would be an extreme understatement, and Geno did well to get a player that was at least a substantial upgrade to the last option, which frankly was a walk-on at that point.

This year the goal in the portal was quite different, we weren't looking for backup insurance in case say Ice or Ayanna got another injury, but rather a player that would be an upgrade over them, possibly reducing their minutes substantially and maybe starting. There were several players in the portal that were potential difference makers for us, but we didn't get them. Another complication is that potential player ideally would only have one year of eligibility left, or else it could limit our 2025 recruiting.

At this point while there are plenty of players still in the portal, the well is dry in terms of players who might be upgrades over Ice and Ayanna that have only one year remaining. Yes we have time for a foreign recruit, and much more time than we had with Ines, but the potential impact on 2025 recruits is still there. To me that means it has to be a real difference maker (not insurance) and good enough that if it meant it cost you a 2025 recruit, it was still a good move. I would have my eyes open to a possibility there, but think it is far more likely we are done and will start next year with 14.

 

[HuskyNan]

I’m pretty sure Mrgan is 6’2” which means she’ probably a solid 6’1”!

USA Basketball says she’s 6-2

 

[Artifact]

I' m looking at the height for 23' & 24' that was had ! Now we are dealing with much more height in 24' & 25'. Look at what Geno achieved, previously. Let's be thankful for what we have !

 

[Bone Dog]

USA Basketball says she’s 6-2

View attachment 100944

There are few things more illuminating than speculating on the units used to measure the height of a recruit. That said, Morgan is a big kid with excellent guard skills. Even if she’s only 6’1” she will be awesome at pg or guiding the transition game. I think it would be a shame to use her only as a lowpost player, though she also has those skills. I’m sure if Geno needs her too, she’ll do well at pf and is one more reason he might not think another portal player is necessary or useful.

 

[yhun89]

There are few things more illuminating than speculating on the units used to measure the height of a recruit. That said, Morgan is a big kid with excellent guard skills. Even if she’s only 6’1” she will be awesome at pg or guiding the transition game. I think it would be a shame to use her only as a lowpost player, though she also has those skills. I’m sure if Geno needs her too, she’ll do well at pf and is one more reason he might not think another portal player is necessary or useful.

Morgan is a great ball handler. During the Jordan Classic, against the press she got by incredibly easily, even though she wasn’t very fast, she made up for it in dribbling out of traffic.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Morgan is a great ball handler. During the Jordan Classic, against the press she got by incredibly easily, even though she wasn’t very fast, she made up for it in dribbling out of traffic.

Should be more passing against a press versus dribbling anyway. I have yet to see a player outrun a well-placed pass.

 

[Bone Dog]

Morgan is a great ball handler. During the Jordan Classic, against the press she got by incredibly easily, even though she wasn’t very fast, she made up for it in dribbling out of traffic.

I think Morgan is very fast. She's not Rori Harmon or Hannah Hidalgo quick. She doesn't have that twitchy first step quickness. But for a big PG who will tower over players like those two, she is very fast. She's faster (to my eye) than Soni Citron, who is about as close a comparison as I can come up with and is not really viable as a PG. Another comparison I could make is to Caroline, who is roughly the same size but nowhere near as fast... and yet Caroline was regularly able to beat smaller players off the dribble from the perimeter. She just knows how to get them on her hip and then it's all over.

Maybe this is the best comparison: she's roughly as fast as Nika, but a lot bigger and with the same aggressive mindset. If there's a turnover or a long rebound, she can get the ball down the floor as fast as Nika could. she looks to run. She will be a terror against opponents.

Her coach at Mitty HS seems to specialize in coaching up big PGs. Haley Jones was another one of her products, and Morgan is a lot faster than Haley ever was. It remains to be seen if she will have the same court savvy and fearlessness Haley had against D1 opponents. Since Mitty HS plays in a very competitive league, I have high hopes that the transition to D1 won't be too hard on Morgan.

But how have I let you trick me into this swerve onto PGs, @Fanofball ?

 

[Bone Dog]

Should be more passing against a press versus dribbling anyway. I have yet to see a player outrun a well-placed pass.

I remember MoJeff seeming to do it a few times. One amazing game against SC and Bianca Cuevas (who was supposed to be faster) Moriah practically scorched the floor on a couple of one-woman fast breaks. In any event, if anyone could do it, it would be her.

 

[Centerstream]

Centerstream- - -Remember Ines Bettencourt signed maybe 1 or 2 days before classes started so UConn could sign a big up to classes starting in September!

True but I was replying to a post asking about a player in the portal and UConn's possible discussions with her, so I was referring to the possibility of any incoming transfers.
IMO UConn would make it clear to any transfers they are interested in, to be committed by the start of the summer session.
Just my opinion, not a fact.

 

[HuskylnSC]

View attachment 100924

"... but I'm sure there is one out there."

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I honestly believe that UCONN is set for talent against any team out there. Add someone, but I don't think they need anyone else. There's so much talent that rarely is there a thread where someone doesn't get left out of the conversation. Forget who starts...just look at this roster. That's a lot of offense and a lot of vicious combinations of skills to unleash. They're underestimated because...it's been awhile since the last championship. That's the standard they set and have to abide by it.

 

[Dugway]

Yes, very talented team, particularly when they are all game ready and playing up to full potential. Something however has me wondering if just leaving well enough alone is the correct choice? If, not filing a roster spot, purposefully entering the season one player short, is the best course of action?

Maybe it is the freshness of the snake bite that has me on edge. The team has been very talented for years and years; we have not had questionable talent for over three decades! Having a huge plethora of 'talented' players all sitting on the bench in street clothes however, that has been a problem. Particularly as of recent! It wasn't all that long ago that UConn had to delay a game because we did not have even seven healthy players to suit up. We were all thinking, 'I wonder if they would allow C.D. to substitute into the game?'

The first one third of the season, our non-conference schedule, is going to be stacked up with tough games. Not the middle third, after we've had nine or ten cream puffs to train our inexperienced players on our system of play, to build up some confidence, to gain that shooting touch. Unlike LSU, we are not going to have that milksop schedule to start off the season. It'll be immediate, right out of the gate, probably on the road, we'll have several national championship caliber teams to contend with. If we run through a stretch, with some of the freshmen and sophomores (the inexperienced) not playing up to their potential as of yet, then couple that with two or three little nagging injuries to veterans that might occur, and coupled it with one or two old injuries from the previous season that still have players out ... after purposefully entering the season one player short?

 

[Centerstream]

Yes, very talented team, particularly when they are all game ready and playing up to full potential. Something however has me wondering if just leaving well enough alone is the correct choice? If, not filing a roster spot, purposefully entering the season one player short, is the best course of action?

... after purposefully entering the season one player short?

I am wondering, how many years have the Huskies started a season with a full roster?

Define purposefully please.

 

[Bone Dog]

The first one third of the season, our non-conference schedule, is going to be stacked up with tough games.

Yup. We could lose a couple games in that stretch. I’m unconcerned. Geno aims at NCs, not going undefeated. A loss can be a learning experience for the team.

I am wondering, how many years have the Huskies started a season with a full roster?

Many

 

[Centerstream]

Yup. We could lose a couple games in that stretch. I’m unconcerned. Geno aims at NCs, not going undefeated. A loss can be a learning experience for the team.

Many

In the last 5 seasons, for example, how many teams had 15 athletic scholarship players on it? Last 10 years?
Or maybe I am misinformed...when did the NCAA set the 15 scholarship maximum? What was the previous maximum? I can't recall many times when we had over 12 players on the roster and am assuming 15 was the max.

 

[Maleficent9]

Dauda visited SC and Baylor and is choosing between the two, she said on IG live

 

[DEpup]

Then I think we must be done for the portal. No Dauda and I just can't see Barker coming to UConn after what she has said about UConn. I guess there is a slim chance of a last minute foreign player but probably not. I sure hope Jana is physically ready to go on day 1......

 

[HuskyNan]