Enough about bad recruiting

[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

 

[Fossil]

Geno said it himself in one of the FF off-day pressers: he used to be able to make his recruits into the player he wanted them to be but has now had to adjust to the modern reality that today’s kids are different & some compromise must occur— willingly or otherwise.

Something Dawn said in her off-day presser rings true & I imagine accounts for much of her success/appeal: she engages people where they stand & tries to meet them halfway.

Just like the days of Bobby Knight in the men’s game are long past, I think a similar change is needed to sustain the highest levels of success in the women’s game. Perhaps Geno can/will continue to reach FF’s without any tweaks in approach, but winning more championships may be another story.

I agree with you that coaches need to change with the times and Gino has said that he is doing that he treats kids differently now than he did 10 years ago. From what I see it’s more of a recruiting philosophy in that I don’t see many dogs on the team with the exception of Nika with Paige being the unicorn. Caroline may emerge as that type of player she seems willing to mix it up in the paint. But from observing the game against South Carolina they appeared to have numerous young ladies willing to mix it up. I believe that’s why Connecticut struggled with UCF where they were willing to mix it up for the win. UCF is not nearly as individually talented as Connecticut is but the willingness to bang at every position pays dividends. I would not say that Connecticut is soft but I might say there’s not a lot of dog in them. I think South Carolina’s Biggs Exposed that.

 

[darrell]

I remember after we only got Aubrey in 2019, everybody called Coach a “bad recruiter” and that “no wants to play for UConn anymore”. The following year, he gets Paige. After that, Azzi and Caroline. Coming next year is Ayanna and Ice. 2023 already has Ashlynn and KK. Call him whatever, but Geno (and co. of course) are wonderful recruiters.

 

[ccwarrior]

I remember after we only got Aubrey in 2019, everybody called Coach a “bad recruiter” and that “no wants to play for UConn anymore”. The following year, he gets Paige. After that, Azzi and Caroline. Coming next year is Ayanna and Ice. 2023 already has Ashlynn and KK Arnold. Call him whatever, but Geno (and co. of course) are wonderful recruiters.

Can we wait to see how many titles these new recruits win before we make these definitive statements? i think most folks on this board are too nice to speak the truth - that we should care less about the national rankings of recruits and more about their actual skill levels and relentless will to outwork other players. Don’t forget about leadership as well - how could our seniors not show up in the national title game? Is that what we expect from Uconn women’s basketball?

 

[Longtime fan]

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.

Hard to know. I will predict this: Boston ( when she turns pro ) will be the number one selection in the draft. She will be rookie MVP in the WNBA and, soon enough, league MVP. Breanna did much the same. Boston may not quite be Stewie, but close enough. As you know, SC could have won the title last year, but Boston's "put back " shot at the last second rolled out of the rim instead of into the net. SC was that close to two in a row. And three is their target. ( I know, Stewy had 4 ).

 

[Longtime fan]

Can we wait to see how many titles these new recruits win before we make these definitive statements? i think most folks on this board are too nice to speak the truth - that we should care less about the national rankings of recruits and more about their actual skill levels and relentless will to outwork other players. Don’t forget about leadership as well - how could our seniors not show up in the national title game? Is that what we expect from Uconn women’s basketball?

Good Point. It is delivery to potential that matters. Look at what Nika Mühl delivers. Look at Edwards. Certainly Paige is
100% ( " promise" to "delivery" ) and AZZI and Caroline seem on target for that as well. By contrast, DeBerry has lagged. But the key is the character of the kids who get recruited. DeBerry may have seen the light and is now ready to work and bring her skill sets ( which are terrific ) to the court. And Piath has been working hard from day one. You have to find the desire. Geno and his team have been pretty terrific doing that. I think that's why we tend to quickly assume that any recruit who commits to UCONN is going to be great. Even though that will not always be the case.

 

[Littlemin]

I agree with you that coaches need to change with the times and Gino has said that he is doing that he treats kids differently now than he did 10 years ago. From what I see it’s more of a recruiting philosophy in that I don’t see many dogs on the team with the exception of Nika with Paige being the unicorn. Caroline may emerge as that type of player she seems willing to mix it up in the paint. But from observing the game against South Carolina they appeared to have numerous young ladies willing to mix it up. I believe that’s why Connecticut struggled with UCF where they were willing to mix it up for the win. UCF is not nearly as individually talented as Connecticut is but the willingness to bang at every position pays dividends. I would not say that Connecticut is soft but I might say there’s not a lot of dog in them. I think South Carolina’s Biggs Exposed that.

Alert to all tired of my posting on this subject, ignore this……..

So to be repetitive, there is a big difference between not being tough and being soft. I don’t think Uconn players are “soft” but rather are “not tough”. What I really mean by that is that is, to me, “soft” implies not being willing to mix it up but not playing “tough” is more a reflection on personality and general style of play. There is no doubt that the Uconn players could and would play tough when given an example to follow (playing follow the leader so to speak) but it is not in the nature of most of their players to initiate playing that way. I have made no bones about my feelings in this area and Auriemma chose to essentially bench the player who brought that “tough” mind set to the court. IMO, it eventually cost them, others may disagree.

 

[TCC Kid]

I've read so much about how Geno has to recruit better..4 out of the last 5 years Geno has recruited the #1 HS player in the nation..I mean that's ridiculous..there are other teams in the WCBB..yes Walker never lived up Uto expectations and CW too although she was pretty good for 4 years..Paige is generational and the jury is still out on Azzi..where it hurt was not getting Boston..who like Paige is generational..well sorry you can't get every # 1 recruit or that would "be bad for basketball"..If Boston had come to Uconn I think it's safe to say they would have won the NATY the last 2 years..but it didn't happen..next year Stanford gets the #1 in 6'7 Betts..Uconn fans should consider themselves lucky b/c DT said the other night her first choice was Stanford and how about KLS coming to Uconn instead of following her 2 sisters to Stanford..no Geno's recruiting has been terrific..people say he should recruit taller and longer players. there isn't a lot of them out there..this year he has Deberry we will have to see how that pans out..He missed out an A'ja cuz she wanted to play close to home..Collier had commited to Uconn then changed her mind when her mother got sick so went to Texas..things happen..I'm sure every coach in the nation would have liked to get the #1 player 4 out of the last 5 years

Baddd Recruiting. I hope Dawn, Tara, Walz, UCF, Tenn all have Bad recruiting seasons. Actually, I don't. It is what it is. As for DeBerry, She will be good. Great?? If we remember J. Moore from Alaska --she hardly knew what a basket ball was for. CD (Christine Dailey) turned her into a pretty good post. Not great, but greatness isn't a common attribute for humans. We are lucky to be average. I'd like to see more PT next season for DeBerry, by Geno's comments that is going to happen. Dolson, was the last "bulky" post and as inexperienced as she was she was tasked to guard Griner in her --second or 3rd game as a husky. She turned out well. Ameris can do the same.
Recruiting,especially now, I've never seen so many transfers, is a crap shoot. Geno is at a disadvantage because he plays it straight--no perks, no promises, no guarantee on PT. Those whose mothers told them they are STARS, belong in other programs, not UC, with Geno you must prove it.

 

[TCC Kid]

I agree he's going to have to start doing that with so many kids going into the portal...Wolters is a good example but so is Steph Dolson of what your talking about

I too would like to see the Maximum number allowed recruited. Like an overfilled pot it will by nature level it out. It will give Geno and the staff the opportunity to become gardeners; do a lot of weeding. As we saw this season, Flu/Virus/colds/ injuries/ sicknesses quickly reduce your team and its ability to play. Two or even three individual Uconn teams a real pain for Geno but with tranfers, injuries, it may be necessary.