Enough about bad recruiting

[oldude]

He didn’t get Boston but not for lack of a strong recruiting effort. DeBerry is highly rated. Dorka was all Big whatever number they are. Gabriel was not a prime target for anyone, but she is big and strong and with both those last two, time will tell. There aren’t that many Bostons to go around. Edwards is fine against most front lines. I think we beat Stanford this year with their length, am I right? Boston actually didn’t destroy us, but obviously her presence allows others to take advantage of the attention she draws.

Piath was recruited heavily by KY, where her brother played, and at Louisville.

 

[SARG 2011]

She also recruited A'jai Wilson, no

Indeed she did, A'ja got a natty and a statue pretty good if you ask me

 

[maple]

Well said. I feel compelled to point out that SC isn't just Boston. They have outstanding players deep on the bench. Like last year's number three ranked recruit, for example. Their starting guard yesterday ( Destinee ) was the best guard on the floor. They are the UConn of the Breanna Stewart era, and we are now one of " everyone else." Geno and his staff can build miracles. I think they did so in guiding this team to upset both NC State and Stanford. We got really lucky against Stanford in that they had their worst shooting game of the year ( or close ). Sure, our defense was a factor but Stanford had a really bad day. It happens. So to reach the finals was amazing. Our limitations showed against the machine. We have plenty of talent but, like yesterday, they have to all play at their best. I haven't seen the numbers, but early in the final period we had at least 15 turnovers. And w were 1-4 from the foul line. Compare that to the previous two games. Soon, UCLA will have a 6'7" freshman who is the number one recruit in the nation. Just saying.

I agree with everything except the comparison of this SC team being the Stewie era of UConn. SC is very good but they will never be that era of greatness.

 

[huskeynut]

The fact that Geno hasn't brought in a post that can actually play (offensively or defensively) in the post is certainly fair game for scrutiny; intense, vigorous scrutiny.

I think we need to define what purpose the team is recruiting for. If winning the Big East and getting deep into the tournament is where the bar is set, UConn is doing a fantastic job recruiting. If the goal is to get to number 12, then Geno needs to do a better job.

Let's define what you and some others want as a post player. You want a Boston type post. A big, physical player who can muscle her way in the paint.

Not all agree with you. Your "fact" is just that - your fact. And there are not that many Boston types around.

We know what the goal is.

 

[eyeroll]

Where did I say "the game has passed Geno by? Don't put words in my mouth. I feel sorry for so many in the fan base that expectations for the program are so low. While many of focus on those behind UConn in the pecking order, I feel the focus should be what to do to catch the team/teams ahead of UConn. Status quo has lead to the longest title drought since the team won their first national championship.

You said "outdated", which implies that there are new and better ways of doing things. Stop acting like you weren't saying that about recruiting because you didn't use those specific words. I love people that post but can't take the heat, so they get all whiny about it. I'm also pretty sure no one needs you feel sorry for them...probably more the other way around b/c you sound pretty sad with your attitude.

 

[AgStatesman]

And there are not that many Boston types around.

No need to be a master of the obvious.

 

[AgStatesman]

You said "outdated", which implies that there are new and better ways of doing things. Stop acting like you weren't saying that about recruiting because you didn't use those specific words. I love people that post but can't take the heat, so they get all whiny about it. I'm also pretty sure no one needs you feel sorry for them...probably more the other way around b/c you sound pretty sad with your attitude.

Take the heat? On a message board? LOL!!!!! Your self importance is laughable. Thank God Geno is tougher than the people who feel he needs defending all the time on this board. Watch his interviews after the game last night. He acknowledges the same issues as I have. He's not sticking his head in the sand and pretending this team doesn't have deep flaws.

 

[hoophuskee]

Take the heat? On a message board? LOL!!!!! Your self importance is laughable. Thank God Geno is tougher than the people who feel he needs defending all the time on this board. Watch his interviews after the game last night. He acknowledges the same issues as I have. He's not sticking his head in the sand and pretending this team doesn't have deep flaws.

I don't recall him saying his philosophy is outdated. Did he?

 

[my2cents]

Enough about bad recruiting...​

I guess this raises some core questions for me. What is Boneyard for? What is the "role" of Boneyard participants? What influence should? could? we expect? hope? think? we have? Who are we Boneyarders?
My answers when joining were 1) to hear other fans who might have useful... interesting... better-informed... wise things to say. I'm still here because those happen.
2) to have a chance to throw in my 2 cents (inflated to 4 cents) about observations I make, and to hear back whether my ideas are boneyarded or boneheaded.
Recruiting, though, as a topic where we might have any useful influence seems like a huge longshot. What other WBB program has fans that wouldn't want (aside from geography and other intangible considerations) to be us with our "problems"?

Hey, I am staying out of this....don't throw me anywhere.

 

[SVCBeercats]

I have two words for you: “Kiah Stokes.” I also believe that Piath has the potential to become the type of player you describe.

Actually I think Piath can score quite well given a chance. Kiah played less than 20 min. per game as a junior and senior -17-20 min. per game? Scoring was not the high pole in her tent but Lawdy she could play "D" and rebound. When Kiah, Stewie, and Big Momma were on the floor at the same time, the paint was not where the opponent was going to score. Actually nowhere near the paint!

 

[SVCBeercats]

No need to be a master of the obvious.

As you said to yourself.

 

[ccwarrior]

Geno said he recruits scoring first and then he can teach them to play defense and if not they won't play..also with this years team he said some of them aren't willing to put out the effort it takes to play defense..could this be the case with Amari ?

Besides Paige (and CW when she is motivated), who of our players can create their own shots off the dribble? Where was the otherworldly shooting that we thought some of the recent recruits would bring every night? We need both defensive intensity, and offensive efficiency.

 

[cohenzone]

Some of these comments are so out there it’s funny. So we have to catch the teams in front of us? Is that Stanford which we just beat? SC is excellent but they without Boston are about where we would’ve been without Stevie. They are both huge difference makers. Heck, SC didn’t win last year. So we didn’t get Boston but we probably could not have done anything different. We get great recruits and 99.99% of the other programs wish they were us.

 

[cancontent]

I think there are very few "BIG" players that are outstanding (Wilson, Boston, etc ). Let's face it; how many young women grow to 6'5 or more and are supremely athletic and interested? We had a fine player in Liv and have been lucky to acquire Dorka ( not so lucky for her to get injured ). DeBerry is a real talent ( apparently ) but a kid who did not want to work very hard, at least at first. I am surmising this because she contributed almost nothing compared to her classmates ( Ducharme and AZZI ), and she was a very highly regarded prospect. Geno has said that she was the "sort of kid who wanted to sit through her freshman year, learn what to do, and become a player next season." I think she has changed, because she never would have entered the NCAA final game if she hadn't been working. And she has committed to remain in Storrs all summer to " work on her game." But she will never be a Boston. Hopefully, she'll defend, rebound and make shots ( also distribute the ball). I think Geno's awareness of the need for a true BIG is reflected in Gabriel. She was not highly rated by anyone ( for understandable reasons) , but Geno saw potential there. She is big and strong enough to battle anyone. The question is, can she play the game? Can she remain in the game without fouling on every play? If Geno saw potential we have reason to believe it is there. But she has been here two years and can barely hit uncontested lay-ups. The time is drawing nigh to learn if Geno was right. What can she do this summer to prove him right?

This sentence brought a question to mind. Isn't NCAA volleyball another area where teams are challenged when it comes to recruiting? There are a lot of tall and highly talented women out there who aren't interested in basketball as their primary sport as much as before (or at least that's how it seems). While watching the tournament this year, I was struck by the number and the athleticism. I'm seeing it as another area teams have their challenges especially if the player is good at several sports and isn't sure which one they want to focus on.

 

[CTBballfan243]

UConn does really well recruiting. 14 final fours in a row sort of confirms that.

 

[browns]

I don't know why you would think this ridiculous when Geno himself has questioned recruiting results.
“We’re used to getting really good players,” Auriemma said Wednesday. “The trick is you’ve got to get more than one good player. You have to get a couple of them a year. For a while there that’s what we were doing. We were doing that every year. But how long can you keep doing that?”
UConn women's recruiting whiffs raise question of whether other programs have caught up

You also can't lecture UCONN fans about recruiting by talking out of both sides of your mouth: If Boston is a generational talent and she ends up South Carolina is that not a recruiting miss for UCONN? Likewise if a players like Walker, ONO and CW fails to live up to expectations aren't those also recruiting "misses"?

" Uconn fans should consider themselves lucky b/c DT said the other night her first choice was Stanford? Seriously?

Before DT was NCAA eligible Stanford had won 2 National Championships same amount as UCONN. Stanford also went 11 seasons 1997-2008 without appearing in a final 4 and that includes the time that DT was was playing college ball. As great a Taurasi was it would be hard to imagine her dragging Stanford to championships during this time span.

Although Geno has secured the #1 Player in 4 of the last 5 seasons the one #1 player that he did not get (Haley Jones) has already won a championship. But I'm sure you aren't counting her as a Geno miss either.

Some of these comments are so out there it’s funny. So we have to catch the teams in front of us? Is that Stanford which we just beat? SC is excellent but they without Boston are about where we would’ve been without Stevie. They are both huge difference makers. Heck, SC didn’t win last year. So we didn’t get Boston but we probably could not have done anything different. We get great recruits and 99.99% of the other programs wish they were us.

Even without Stewie they had the best power forward in the nation and the best point guard in the nation so no Uconn would have been a lot better than SC would be without Boston..that's why they went 1,2, and 3 in the draft

 

[cohenzone]

Even without Stewie they had the best power forward in the nation and the best point guard in the nation so no Uconn would have been a lot better than SC would be without Boston..that's why they went 1,2, and 3 in the draft

Yes, but Stewie made us much harder to beat just by being on the floor. She’s like arguably the best player ever. Boston is that kind of player and it opens up a lot for the rest of their team.

 

[browns]

I think there are very few "BIG" players that are outstanding (Wilson, Boston, etc ). Let's face it; how many young women grow to 6'5 or more and are supremely athletic and interested? We had a fine player in Liv and have been lucky to acquire Dorka ( not so lucky for her to get injured ). DeBerry is a real talent ( apparently ) but a kid who did not want to work very hard, at least at first. I am surmising this because she contributed almost nothing compared to her classmates ( Ducharme and AZZI ), and she was a very highly regarded prospect. Geno has said that she was the "sort of kid who wanted to sit through her freshman year, learn what to do, and become a player next season." I think she has changed, because she never would have entered the NCAA final game if she hadn't been working. And she has committed to remain in Storrs all summer to " work on her game." But she will never be a Boston. Hopefully, she'll defend, rebound and make shots ( also distribute the ball). I think Geno's awareness of the need for a true BIG is reflected in Gabriel. She was not highly rated by anyone ( for understandable reasons) , but Geno saw potential there. She is big and strong enough to battle anyone. The question is, can she play the game? Can she remain in the game without fouling on every play? If Geno saw potential we have reason to believe it is there. But she has been here two years and can barely hit uncontested lay-ups. The time is drawing nigh to learn if Geno was right. What can she do this summer to prove him right?

Someone asked Geno why he recruited Piath and his answer was "because she's 6' 5"

 

[Horatio]

My concern would also be the NUMBER of players actually signed. A few years UConn has brought on only two players. Did you see how many bench players SC had? They must have played 14 or 15. Considering that a few from every class will transfer/leave, I think we've got to bring on 4-5 players every year. Geno almost never uses up all his scholarships. He seems to want to bring on only the very very best and if that's only two players, so be it. But many times that is going to bite us in the ass. The perfect is the enemy of the good.

I wish he would recruit potential instead of solely stars. I keep thinking about Kara Wolters. Nobody recruited her and Geno transformed her into NPOY. There were a few outstanding stars in the BE tournament who weren't even top 100.

Exactly

 

[CTisballers]

It’s not the recruiting. Lately Geno has been getting out coached other schools, players and coaches want to win too. I feel the staff didn’t improve Liv post moves if they want a post player who sits outside the paint well she better be able to knock a J down consistently. I questioned Liv IQ and toughness at times. I’m fine with how they recruit it’s just how bad the recruits wants it. With Patterson and Ice should improve rebounding and toughness. They are beef up so I’m looking forward to seeing them on the court with Dorka and Amari along with Aubrey which is another reason we struggled some games cus of her hustle and defense. UConn will be just fine

 

[HuskyNan]

Enough about bad recruiting...​

I guess this raises some core questions for me. What is Boneyard for? What is the "role" of Boneyard participants? What influence should? could? we expect? hope? think? we have? Who are we Boneyarders?
My answers when joining were 1) to hear other fans who might have useful... interesting... better-informed... wise things to say. I'm still here because those happen.
2) to have a chance to throw in my 2 cents (inflated to 4 cents) about observations I make, and to hear back whether my ideas are boneyarded or boneheaded.
Recruiting, though, as a topic where we might have any useful influence seems like a huge longshot. What other WBB program has fans that wouldn't want (aside from geography and other intangible considerations) to be us with our "problems"?

Since the thread is still here, obviously the OP was just expressing their opinion, as you’ve expressed yours. That’s what the board is for

 

[Notyetready]

I heard that Geno has his eye on this 7' 2" center from Great Britain. Her/his name is Bonecrusher Jones. No one can compare to the skills that this 18 year old can bring to the table.

I just googled Bonecrusher Jones and it seems he has decided not to go with the sex change. Se la vie.

 

[Notyetready]

I think there are very few "BIG" players that are outstanding (Wilson, Boston, etc ). Let's face it; how many young women grow to 6'5 or more and are supremely athletic and interested? We had a fine player in Liv and have been lucky to acquire Dorka ( not so lucky for her to get injured ). DeBerry is a real talent ( apparently ) but a kid who did not want to work very hard, at least at first. I am surmising this because she contributed almost nothing compared to her classmates ( Ducharme and AZZI ), and she was a very highly regarded prospect. Geno has said that she was the "sort of kid who wanted to sit through her freshman year, learn what to do, and become a player next season." I think she has changed, because she never would have entered the NCAA final game if she hadn't been working. And she has committed to remain in Storrs all summer to " work on her game." But she will never be a Boston. Hopefully, she'll defend, rebound and make shots ( also distribute the ball). I think Geno's awareness of the need for a true BIG is reflected in Gabriel. She was not highly rated by anyone ( for understandable reasons) , but Geno saw potential there. She is big and strong enough to battle anyone. The question is, can she play the game? Can she remain in the game without fouling on every play? If Geno saw potential we have reason to believe it is there. But she has been here two years and can barely hit uncontested lay-ups. The time is drawing nigh to learn if Geno was right. What can she do this summer to prove him right?

I only want to quibble with one of your points, that being that Piath can barely hit the uncontested lay-up. From what I've seen of her short appearances she has a terrific post-up shot in which she never brings the ball down. It's catch and shoot in the same motion. And most recently she had a two step move circling her defender and laying it up, a very graceful two step. Her weakness is defense and keeping the ball from whoever she is defending. I hope to see much more of her next year.

 

[BobbyJ]

I am not for one second lamenting about missing out on top rated posts. I feel there are posts out there that maybe cannot score at all but can defend and rebound and block some shots. He has never given a player like that a second look. He recruits scoring first and thinks the rest will take care of itself. Well that strategy is clearly outdated.

You're really out of touch aren't you? What do you think ONO and Kiah Stokes were coming out of HS? Kevin Durant?

 

[Hoopcrazee]

Nice to know some one feels the same as I do!!

Make it 3