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Message: [QUOTE="Carnac, post: 3713391, member: 5798"] This is what I’m talking about. There's something special about Aaliyah. Kia played with her, and knows her well. Thomaidis coached her and knows her very well, and would know if she had any warts. They both say the same thing. She’s an anomaly. She's not your average freshman. I have not read or heard anyone say or suggest her game is deficient. One transcendent player can impact a program. It appears we have two. I think we know what we have in Edwards. We’ll know for sure after 5 games. If she is as dynamic a force as she is touted to be, I’ll make several predictions right now. Two of them are that her jersey will find its way onto the wall in Gampel, and her name will be added to the greats we talk about when discussing or mentioning the iconic greats in program history. It’s expected that Paige will live up to all of the expectations being made of her. All signs point in that direction. That by itself would be exciting for us to see, but to have a second player that is also transcendent would be phenomenal. I don't want to rush their matriculation through college, but looking ahead, I can't imagine what they'll be like as juniors and seniors. They will be very good as freshmen, but this should be their least productive year of the four. It's assumed that they will grow and develop and become more comfortable at this level, and make a significant sophomore leap next year. Could it be that we are at the forefront of a four year odyssey that will be as historic as the Lobo, Bird, Taurasi and Stewart eras? We don’t know anything at this time because no games have been played yet. But based on the information we have before us, it sure looks that way. I have no doubt that Paige and Aaliyah will be the targets of a lot of media attention this season. I’ll also predict that this program will win a lot of games during their run. This will also do wonders for recruitment as UConn‘s games are available on TV nationally throughout the year. A high winning percentage + national exposure = the best recruitment tools a program can have. Recruits want to play and grow in college programs that are consistently top ranked, and will prepare them to play at the professional level. UConn is the place. Coaches and GM’s in the WNBA have coveted UConn players for decades. Because of the shortened season, our OOC schedule will consist of mostly top ranked teams. I think we’ll find out early on what kind of team we have, and how they measure up to the quality of competition they'll see in March. UConn's first time around the block in the new BIG East should be interesting as they introduce themselves to the other teams. [/QUOTE]

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