Ekmark commits to...

[Kibitzer]

From all I can gather, this is a very bright young lady who gave a lot of thought to this decision and she will bring both skill and motivation to UConn. I think she was listed at 6'0" as a sophomore so she may arrive at Storrs at an inch or so taller. And somehow I feel that she won't visit any tattoo parlors between now and then.

 

[alexrgct]

Welcome, Courtney!

A couple of related thoughts:

1. Per the Horde, Courtney is on track to be her high school valedictorian. She will raise the team GPA.

2. Given #1, is there any chance that she will actually be class of 2013? Duke got Mike Gminski in a major recruiting coup about 40 years ago as he jumped from a high school junior to a college freshman.

I don't think anyone on this board can answer your #2 point, but it's an interesting question. She's committed early enough that logistically speaking, it could be possible to take the requisite courses to graduate. Certainly, she'd be intellectually ready for college. However, she would be more needed in 2014-15 and on, so the questions from a basketball perspective would be a) how much action could she really see in 2013-14, and b) how much better would the experience of being at UConn make her vis a vis another year of high school/AAU? And of course there are other factors like her emotional maturity/readiness to leave home, etc.

I doubt she comes early unless we really just look like we're going to whiff in 2013 and Geno believes we could use her sooner rather than later...and of course, early entry is something that would interest the young woman.

 

[doggydaddy]

Watching her video and hearing from several sources that she could grow a couple of inches before coming to UConn and her western timezone location, I have a new name she might compare to.

 

[Tonyc]

Indeed Sierra Calhoun wants to come to UConn and I agree Alex what a combo already for 2014.

http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/117019/courtney-ekmark

http://espn.go.com/high-school/girl...83/courtney-ekmark-lexie-brown-impressive-eba

http://espn.go.com/high-school/girl...83/courtney-ekmark-lexie-brown-impressive-eba

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-women/hc-uconn-women-0531-20120530,0,5699257.story

http://elmcitytoeaglevillenhr.blogspot.com/2012/05/report-courtney-ekmark-commits-to-uconn.html

 

[alexrgct]

Annie: so cute she could make that (not especially flattering) incarnation of the UConn uni look good.

 

[cferraro04]

Courtney lacks the athleticism of Kelly Faris. but her BBall IQ is off the charts. doggy daddy compared her to Maria Conlon, speed-wise. taller of course. i think she's also similar to Taber Spani. in a recent write-up, it was noted that while not the fleetest of foot, she was a solid defender because she is smart and knows angles. she was able to move well laterally to cut off the player she was guarding and keep in front of her. i wonder if her "athleticism" is similar to KML's in high school. here's the only video i could find...

ESPN interview with Courtney

Courtney has two more years of hs basketball. Athleticism can improve...I don't think given her Basketball IQ and her current #9/#13 rankings that she will get worse...I am betting she will get better, faster, more athletic and I wouldn't be surprised if she put on a couple of more inches too. She knows she will be attending UConn and that she will have to get her body in better shape. I think she will make us very happy that she decided to come to UConn.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Watching her video and hearing from several sources that she could grow a couple of inches before coming to UConn and her western timezone location, I have a new name she might compare to.

I thought Deja Strother is in the class of 2015.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Let me get this right:

Highly ranked player.

Highly ranked student ("on track to be high school valedictorian").

Living in a Western state.

So, of course, she chose Stanford. Oops, my bad!

 

[connboy77]

Courtney is a perfect fit for UCONN and what I love most about her is that she recruited UCONN. She is smart and shoots lights out and is also a pretty good defender. Welcome to UCONN Courtney.

 

[alexrgct]

Let me get this right:

Highly ranked player.

Highly ranked student ("on track to be high school valedictorian").

Living in a Western state.

So, of course, she chose Stanford. Oops, my bad!

Hopefully, we have an equally poor chance of landing McCall.

 

[HGN]

Great get Geno..........Solid recruit. Great High school coach (her dad). Basketball smart. And to commit now shows she's committed and knows the type of program she wants to be apart of.

Welcome to UConn Courtney.

 

[speedoo]

I dont believe Mavunga had an offer and Geno effectively
withdrew McDaniel's offer. Just some bookkeeping.

Sent from my LG-P509 using Tapatalk

 

[UCONNfan1]

AWESOME news. welcome to UCONN Courtney! We are thrilled to have you and look forward to watching you and cheering for you when you come to play.

I know little about her game save for what i've read and seen in the very limited video, but a consensus top 15 kid with great smarts and outstanding skills is always welcome!

 

[TDiNozzo]

She had quite a list of schools...."also considered Duke, North Carolina, Princeton, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Yale, before deciding on UConn."
At least she liked 2 in Connecticut...

 

[MarieM]

great news welcome to husky nation Courtney !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Drumguy]

Nice! Great news!

 

[Icebear]

She can play Goldilocks to our three bears anytime.

 

[Fightin Choke]

Congrats to UConn. She sounds like a keeper. That St. Mary's team is amazing.

Guess it wasn't too early for Geno to lock up this sophomore.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Courtney's father is an AAU coach, so he is really familiar with the ins and outs of the recruiting process. It is quite the compliment when an AAU coach, who has worked with some of the top prospects in Arizona, has a daughter who is one of the top-ranked players in the class, commit early to a program.

 

[pap49cba]

You have to love a kid who has done her homework the way Ekmark has (no pun intended). And one must assume her dad likes what he sees in Geno.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

I could resist no longer. I had to google fighting artichokes.

Turns out it's Scottsdale Community College.

Welcome Fighting Choke.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Courtney's father is an AAU coach, so he is really familiar with the ins and outs of the recruiting process. It is quite the compliment when an AAU coach, who has worked with some of the top prospects in Arizona, has a daughter who is one of the top-ranked players in the class, commit early to a program.

Cam, have you seen Courtney and St. Mary's play?

 

[dtbtbtb]

When talking about who is she like as a player, how about Angie Bjorkland (6', great shooter, not fast but high basketball IQ)? Not the TN version but the high school version.

 

[doggydaddy]

When talking about who is she like as a player, how about Angie Bjorkland (6', great shooter, not fast but high basketball IQ)? Not the TN version but the high school version.

Not bad. Angie was a terrific player. Sometimes misused at Tennessee, but I would take that version too.

 

[Fightin Choke]

I could resist no longer. I had to google fighting artichokes.

Turns out it's Scottsdale Community College.

Welcome Fighting Choke.

Indeed. Fighting Artichoke was too long to use. (Boneyard wouldn't accept it.) St. Mary's is just around the corner (so to speak), as I live in Scottsdale. Truth be told, I wish Muffet could have convinced her to attend my alma mater, Notre Dame.