Fairfield standout potential transfer to UCONN - article

[Stymie]

Yeah, you’re right, getting 6’4” Ice Brady and 6’2” Ayana Patterson, and having Dorka, Edwards, and 6’2” Ducharme back won’t help that deficiency in the post at all.

It’s always stated here that “bigs” take more than a year to develop.
Are we being overly optimistic that next year will disprove that theory?
I see a deficiency in the paint next year unless Aayliah continues her progress of the last 1/3 of 2022 and, hopefully Dorka comes back fully healed.
So far, Amari has shown me zero , other than casting a long shadow.

 

[Rings R Us]

Soooooo....

Any new news on Lou Lopez-Senechal??

 

[FairView]

Soooooo....

Any new news on Lou Lopez-Senechal??

Who?

 

[Jletoile]

I think she'd make a nice addition to the team. I'm watching the Fairfield-Texas R1 game. She took a wicked elbow in the chops from Texas big Lauren Ebo midway through the first half that stopped the game, drew blood, forced her into the locker room for the remainder of the half, required stitches and big bandage on her face...she started the 2nd half and on the very 1st possession came around a screen and nailed a 3. My kind of player. She scored 13 of her 17 in the 2nd half.

However, she's not the athletic type of player that, IMO, UConn needs to add to its roster in order to win the NC. But, I do believe she'd be a good addition.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

It’s always stated here that “bigs” take more than a year to develop.
Are we being overly optimistic that next year will disprove that theory?
I see a deficiency in the paint next year unless Aayliah continues her progress of the last 1/3 of 2022 and, hopefully Dorka comes back fully healed.
So far, Amari has shown me zero , other than casting a long shadow.

Happy Easter!!!

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Soooooo....

Any new news on Lou Lopez-Senechal??

Who dat???

 

[MilfordHusky]

My guess is that the holiday weekend took precedence over Lou getting up to Storrs for a visit. I think we'll hear more by the end of the week.

 

[Cuango]

I know this thread began discussing a specific player, but ..... LOL
Anyway, I contend that UConn can win the National Championship with their current team - barring injuries.
This year's National Championship game would have looked very different with Dorka and Aubrey available. The Dorka benefit is obvious, but I think we tend to forget about Aubrey because we haven't seen her in so long. She's NM up high. Her aggressiveness and athleticism could change momentum. I contend we could have won with those two adding to the mix - not replacing someone, but adding to UConn's bodies and looks on the floor. That said, you can only use what you've got. The key is Amari's development. But if she can play useful minutes and everybody is healthy, this team can win it all. Doesn't matter who is better on paper for the Championship game - just who is better for that game. I can't wait until November.

Don’t forget Azzi was sick and Liv had a groin issue! The team we put on the floor against SC was not nearly our best! That is a fact! That doesn’t mean we would have won but it certainly would have made the game more competitive.

 

[HopJim]

Any big that comes in via portal or 5th yr would take minutes away from Dorka, Edwards, etc. No one I can see out there that I would want to sit any of our existing players for, including frosh. Odds are good one of 3, the frosh or DeBerry, will step up. I could see another true point guard to spell Paige/Muhl and give some defensive pressure. Don't see Aubrey defending quick guards. Seems straightforward. Get me a point guard and/or focus on existing team.

 

[jchusky]

Obviously if she continues to be dogged by injuries that could have an impact on her decision whether to go pro early. I simply view her as the ultimate team player and I don't see her leaving Azzi and friends until they get an NC or her eligibility runs out. How much money will she make as the number one or number two WNBA pick? Is that going to make a big difference in her lifestyle? The money is great but PB hardly seems the type to be basing her actions on the money. On a slightly different tangent, do you think she would have the same notoriety today if she had chosen a school other than UConn? I may be fooling myself but I would say no.........

yes because I hear of Caitlyn Clark a lot on Espn, she even gets featured in the top 10 commercial for Sportscenter. Is Iowa a powerhouse? My guesss is no

 

[Dillon77]

Easter greetings. Drove by Storrs on Saturday en route to Boston to watch my eldest son run the Boston Marathon tomorrow.

Saw this article on Lou Lopez-Senechal, who I've seen play over the years. She managed 17 against a Texas team that had figured out whom she was early on and was on her. Nice job.

Would hope another school that has contacted her is ND. The Irish need depth of any kind, but LLS would be great at the three, allowing Citron to play the 2, 3 or 4, which she'll probably be doing a lot of.

Stay tuned.

 

[Oracle9]

I'm talking about Paige being perfectly suited for UCONN's offensive scheme. It is obvious that she is.

We will agree to disagree.

 

[hoophuskee]

We will agree to disagree.

Okay.

But there is just no way how a player who does not have other A/A’s in which she has to carry the team more than normal as a freshman and when healthy she led team to FF and her efficiency was off the charts, how any analysis can say "the scheme doesn't fit her." Her stats as a frosh were 59.91% EFG% and her TS% was 63.02%. As the number 1 option with a team not as strong support-wise as many of the past FF UCONN teams, while averaging 20 ppg, how can that possibly be interpreted in any manner as a scheme fit issue?

Maybe if she had a prime Lebron James and Michael Jordan on the wings and Olajuwon and McHale in the post? But in this scenario she would never learn how to score.

And on the flip-side if you want to turn her into ":Steve Nash" in which every game she has to make a play for the offense to run in a specific Nash-like-manner, then why would any other top recruit want to come and play that style? As Geno said after last year’s FF loss to Arizona, he could’ve built na offense for pick-and-rolls for Paige while the others watch, but at least in the pros players he explained that pros are paid so they will hang outside the 3 point line but in college young kids, if they are top recruits, want to show what they can do too. For example, for the next 3 years do we think Caroline Ducharme wants to just play off of Paige and not continue to learn more than that?

 

[CocoHusky]

Any big that comes in via portal or 5th yr would take minutes away from Dorka, Edwards, etc. No one I can see out there that I would want to sit any of our existing players for, including frosh. Odds are good one of 3, the frosh or DeBerry, will step up. I could see another true point guard to spell Paige/Muhl and give some defensive pressure. Don't see Aubrey defending quick guards. Seems straightforward. Get me a point guard and/or focus on existing team.

I think you are severely overestimating the roster as it exists today in both quality and quantity. By quantity: the roster is 10 and we have 3 players that will be recovering from wrist (Dorka) back (Aubrey) and knee fracture surgery (Paige). By quality: Why should adding a player that takes minutes away from any player on this roster be considered a a bad thing? It is not like this roster is full of players that are AA or even all conference players. UCONN needs to add more than just a PG.

 

[Blueberries]

Good thing it not math because every math class I ever sat through would leads me to believe if you had 5 brazil nuts and sudden lost 2 of them your "need" would be equal to 2 if you intend to break even. Likewise if you had 4 peanuts and lost one the need to get back even would be 1. UCONN is bringing in two players that are capable of playing the post=peanuts. UCONN is not bringing in any guards (at the moment) =we don't have enough brazil nuts to get back to where we were. There is also a corollary which says two is greater than 1.

Did I lose you somewhere along the line?

Math teacher here approves of this message.

 

[Cuango]

all the injuries she's gone through you really think she's going to risk an extra year to stay and lose on millions? Idc what she makes in college, it's nothing to the pro's. Especially with exclusive shoe deals in the Wnba. Plus what if someone like the Liberty get the 1st overall pick, who would pass on going to NY?

I’m not sure where you are coming up with “millions”! I don’t think anyone is making “millions” in the WNBA. If they were I doubt many of them would be shortening their career by going overseas to play after their WNBA season! Their top salary is somewhere around $230,000 last I heard and their attendance is a disaster so I’m not sure where the value is for companies to shell out millions for endorsements either! While I am admittedly not an expert on this, it would not surprise me at all if Paige, certainly by her senior year, is making more money than 90% or more of the WNBA players. As for injuries, I would think she’s at least as likely to be injured in the WNBA (or overseas) as she is in college. Obviously, she will choose what is right for her but I doubt it will be about the money.

 

[LoboDays]

Paige is a very unique person. She will be a multi millionaire (if she isn’t already) very soon. She also seems to be a person whose spiritual drive could lead her in a different direction altogether. She could leave after 3 years financially secure for life and be done with basketball. One thing for sure, if she goes to the WNBA after 3 or 4 years, it won’t be because of the money. It will be for the love of the sport. She could spend a weekend taping an ad for Dr Pepper and make more than her WNBA contract. And, one thing that is not discussed ……the condition of her knees going forward. Many an athlete were never the same after sustaining a surgery needed injury. They played….they tried…but they were never the same.

 

[oldude]

Paige is a very unique person. She will be a multi millionaire (if she isn’t already) very soon. She also seems to be a person whose spiritual drive could lead her in a different direction altogether. She could leave after 3 years financially secure for life and be done with basketball. One thing for sure, if she goes to the WNBA after 3 or 4 years, it won’t be because of the money. It will be for the love of the sport. She could spend a weekend taping an ad for Dr Pepper and make more than her WNBA contract. And, one thing that is not discussed ……the condition of her knees going forward. Many an athlete were never the same after sustaining a surgery needed injury. They played….they tried…but they were never the same.

I agree with your assessment of Paige the human being. She is truly unique, and motivated by much more than basketball, although her love for the game is on display every time she takes the court.

As for her injury, after watching her carve up NC State for 27 pts in double-overtime, playing 45/50 minutes, I’m reasonably certain she’s all the way back physically. While another injury is always a possibility, that’s a risk every basketball player takes whenever they step on the court.

 

[DefenseBB]

Obviously if she continues to be dogged by injuries that could have an impact on her decision whether to go pro early. I simply view her as the ultimate team player and I don't see her leaving Azzi and friends until they get an NC or her eligibility runs out. How much money will she make as the number one or number two WNBA pick? Is that going to make a big difference in her lifestyle? The money is great but PB hardly seems the type to be basing her actions on the money. On a slightly different tangent, do you think she would have the same notoriety today if she had chosen a school other than UConn? I may be fooling myself but I would say no.........

Wait, what? She had 1 injury that caused her to miss games this year. Last offseason she had surgery but did not miss any games. I get that because she is of slight frame that the narrative "could be" she will miss games but she has not had any other injuries that have caused her to miss games. As the father of a daughter who plays basketball, you know ankles twist, hamstrings, bruises of all sorts, elbows and such occur all the time but as I said, Paige has not missed any games due to being "dogged" by injuries and to state such without a categorical list of injuries and missed games is simply a fabrication.

That said, Lou Lopez Senechal I believe could provide some help off the bench at the guard position to give us some additional depth. Caroline is not a guard and I would not want her bringing the ball up against any press. That leaves us with 3 ball handlers at the moment and YES, we could use a fourth. Also, as LLS has a pretty good career 3 point percentage of .378 (career 151 for 399) that should sustain against better competition and we have to consider she will not be the focus any any teams defensive effort but a 2nd/3rd option on the floor. I say if she's willing to understand playing time is earned, bring her on, heck, that gives us 4 non-American players which for a UConn roster, has to be a record, not quite USF but still...

 

[Charliebball]

Wait, what? She had 1 injury that caused her to miss games this year. Last offseason she had surgery but did not miss any games. I get that because she is of slight frame that the narrative "could be" she will miss games but she has not had any other injuries that have caused her to miss games. As the father of a daughter who plays basketball, you know ankles twist, hamstrings, bruises of all sorts, elbows and such occur all the time but as I said, Paige has not missed any games due to being "dogged" by injuries and to state such without a categorical list of injuries and missed games is simply a fabrication.

That said, Lou Lopez Senechal I believe could provide some help off the bench at the guard position to give us some additional depth. Caroline is not a guard and I would not want her bringing the ball up against any press. That leaves us with 3 ball handlers at the moment and YES, we could use a fourth. Also, as LLS has a pretty good career 3 point percentage of .378 (career 151 for 399) that should sustain against better competition and we have to consider she will not be the focus any any teams defensive effort but a 2nd/3rd option on the floor. I say if she's willing to understand playing time is earned, bring her on, heck, that gives us 4 non-American players which for a UConn roster, has to be a record, not quite USF but still...

yes........that's two surgeries in two years...........hopefully that's the end of her health issues but we simply don't know.........the point is, if she does suffer additional injuries she may decide that it's better to go pro more quickly to protect her position in the draft........not a likely scenario but it is a potential one.........BTW one of my daughters played high level high school basketball and was recruited to play college ball but after suffering two knee injuries requiring surgeries, a lower back injury and recurring headaches after a concussion decided to give up the sport, so yes I know all too well how tough the game can be.......

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I agree with your assessment of Paige the human being. She is truly unique, and motivated by much more than basketball, although her love for the game is on display every time she takes the court.

As for her injury, after watching her carve up NC State for 27 pts in double-overtime, playing 45/50 minutes, I’m reasonably certain she’s all the way back physically. While another injury is always a possibility, that’s a risk every basketball player takes whenever they step on the court.

I’d say she’s 90% back. The reason I say this is, even though she can still take a game over with most teams, I have noticed her needing more breaks to recover on the bench, and although she can still nail the three, I don’t think she is almost automatic like she was from behind the arc in games last year or in games this year before her knee injury.

 

[Alydar]

I think she'd make a nice addition to the team. I'm watching the Fairfield-Texas R1 game. She took a wicked elbow in the chops from Texas big Lauren Ebo midway through the first half that stopped the game, drew blood, forced her into the locker room for the remainder of the half, required stitches and big bandage on her face...she started the 2nd half and on the very 1st possession came around a screen and nailed a 3. My kind of player. She scored 13 of her 17 in the 2nd half.

However, she's not the athletic type of player that, IMO, UConn needs to add to its roster in order to win the NC. But, I do believe she'd be a good addition.

The Texas game is all I needed to see. I saw that hit but I was jumping around games and didn't realize it was Fairfield. UConn needs warriors. Especially when they can shoot and have size. 40% 3pt shooter?
I'm thinking they have a championship roster right now. Whether or not they win is another thing. Other teams also have gaps that are being glossed over. Griffin is considered a huge question mark while Raven Johnson is expected to step right into the SCar guard rotation.
UConn has 2 front court players coming in who are both able to score inside & outside. They will surely have struggles but I'll wager that together they will more than make up for the loss of ONO.

There are no guarantees. Short of Boston transferring to CT there is no one player anywhere that would ensure a UConn title.

 

[jchusky]

I’m not sure where you are coming up with “millions”! I don’t think anyone is making “millions” in the WNBA. If they were I doubt many of them would be shortening their career by going overseas to play after their WNBA season! Their top salary is somewhere around $230,000 last I heard and their attendance is a disaster so I’m not sure where the value is for companies to shell out millions for endorsements either! While I am admittedly not an expert on this, it would not surprise me at all if Paige, certainly by her senior year, is making more money than 90% or more of the WNBA players. As for injuries, I would think she’s at least as likely to be injured in the WNBA (or overseas) as she is in college. Obviously, she will choose what is right for her but I doubt it will be about the money.

you do realize they make their money off sponsors? Same in the Nba.

 

[CocoHusky]

you do realize they make their money off sponsors? Same in the Nba.

Even with endorsements you are not talking about "millions" for WNBA players and any comparison to the NBA is just wishful thinking. Sue Bird is among the most heavily endorsed WNBA players and her annual income with endorsements is approximately $1/2 Million.

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[jchusky]

Even with endorsements you are not talking about "millions" for WNBA players and any comparison to the NBA is just wishful thinking. Sue Bird is among the most heavily endorsed WNBA players and her annual income with endorsements is approximately $1/2 Million.

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Sue Bird doesn't have the followers that Paige has.