February 2020 UConn Recruiting Thread

[oldude]

While we would all like to see Hopkins test themselves against the best HS teams in the nation there are a number of logistics and financial issues that come into play, particularly in MN. Most HS’s have one gym which they use for multiple sports. MN HS BB playoffs end around mid-March, at which time gyms are turned over to the volleyball team and, in some cases, indoor workouts for baseball and/or softball while everyone is waiting for the snow to melt.

In addition, lots of HS kids play multiple sports. While I don’t know specifically about the Hopkins kids, we know, for instance, that Mir is a star track athlete. That puts a kid in a bind of letting down one of their two teams.

Finally, there is the financial issue. HS sports budgets are highly constrained, particularly in public schools. Most public schools don’t have the budgets for transportation, hotel accommodations and meals. The option would be for parents and supporters to contribute, which may be doable, but it does result in a substantial financial burden for families.

 

[CocoHusky]

While we would all like to see Hopkins test themselves against the best HS teams in the nation there are a number of logistics and financial issues that come into play, particularly in MN. Most HS’s have one gym which they use for multiple sports. MN HS BB playoffs end around mid-March, at which time gyms are turned over to the volleyball team and, in some cases, indoor workouts for baseball and/or softball while everyone is waiting for the snow to melt.

In addition, lots of HS kids play multiple sports. While I don’t know specifically about the Hopkins kids, we know, for instance, that Mir is a star track athlete. That puts a kid in a bind of letting down one of their two teams.

Finally, there is the financial issue. HS sports budgets are highly constrained, particularly in public schools. Most public schools don’t have the budgets for transportation, hotel accommodations and meals. The option would be for parents and supporters to contribute, which may be doable, but it does result in a substantial financial burden for families.

Specific to this ESPN tournament no financial issues exists. ESPN and Dicks covers the entire bill for the invited teams. Air fare, lodging, meals. I know from personal experience since my daughter played in this tournament.

 

[EricLA]

In high school.

Your point? She IS a high school junior so I would imagine she would be playing "in high school".

 

[UConn2SF]

Look at the mitts on Caroline (bottom right pic)! That article states her height at 6-1, which is the tallest Ive seen her listed at. I wonder what position she's most likely to play in college.

 

[oldude]

Specific to this ESPN tournament no financial issues exists. ESPN and Dicks covers the entire bill for the invited teams. Air fare, lodging, meals. I know from personal experience since my daughter played in this tournament.

That certainly makes a difference. Don’t know what options Hopkins has for practice, but they would need to find a place to practice after the end of the season in MN, for several weeks at a minimum.

 

[rvwsleep]

Look at the mitts on Caroline (bottom right pic)! That article states her height at 6-1, which is the tallest Ive seen her listed at. I wonder what position she's most likely to play in college.

ASGR has her listed as 6'2"

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Do you know what her final point total was?

43 points

 

[Sluconn Husky]

From Stoli's previously linked article on Ducharme:


Ducharme is a consensus top 40 player in the Class of 2021 despite missing 18 months of her high school career, and she is dominating for the Bullldogs (19-3), averaging close to 24 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks per game.

“She’s busted her butt for years and years, and despite facing really tough injuries,” Nobles coach Alex Gallagher said.

“Each year all she does is faces those injuries and thinks, ‘How am I doing to deal with this? How am I going to use it to get better?’ She’s done that relentlessly.”

Ducharme plays the point, but is a tremendous cutter without the ball. Her court vision is advanced, as is her defensive aptitude. She was the tallest player on the court against BB&N, but is by no means a post player.

 

[MilfordHusky]

43 points

Congrats to Azzi! I’ll see you next year for sure and possibly this season.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Azzi had 5 steals to go with her 43 points Friday (2/14). Some highlights:

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/15

Amari DeBerry scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Saturday morning.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/13

Saylor Poffenbarger: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists

Saylor also had 4 blocks in this game but more importantly survived a scare according to one observer:


Middletown had a scare last night too. Saylor Poffenbarger went down hard early in the second quarter. She laid on the floor for about five minutes before getting up and going to the locker room. At that point she already had 11 points.

She came out of the locker room with a bag of ice on her arm. I was really surprised she played in the second half, scoring 6 points in the third quarter and 2 in the fourth quarter.

She probably didn't play over half of the game and still scored 19 points, if my counting is right.

 

[Alydar]

Specific to this ESPN tournament no financial issues exists. ESPN and Dicks covers the entire bill for the invited teams. Air fare, lodging, meals. I know from personal experience since my daughter played in this tournament.

The Geico tournament is an all-expenses-paid event in Chicago. While the logistics of overlapping sports is a factor it is a tiny one as this involves one team in the state (two this year) and little chance that it would happen more than once in a long time.
I don't want to specify this factor to the Mn organization but most long-existing organizations have a natural interest in running their activity that over time can become an obsession with control. I would imagine that the vision of CT HS teams travelling to NYC to play games during the season, and the loss of control over schedules has been a factor in the CT rule.
Times have changed with regard to long-distance travel and communication. In the 50's a team travelling from Mn to NY to play a game was a much bigger and more complicated deal than today. And the folks back home wouldn't even get to see it.
And to get real cynical the MN HS sports authority would get all the blame if something went wrong, none of the credit if it went well, and the president of the organization wouldn't even get to award the trophy to the winner.

I'm very disappointed that a great team doesn't get to display their talent to a wider audience.

Maybe though it's a blessing. In 6 weeks we all may be hiding in our homes from the PROVID-19 virus.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/15

Aaliyah Edwards scored 14 points likely in few minutes Saturday. Crestwood won by 37 and 12 players scored for them.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/12

Lauren Betts: 26 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists

Season avgs: 17.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2.3 assists, 73% FG

 

[MilfordHusky]

2/12

Lauren Betts: 26 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists

Season avgs: 17.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2.3 assists, 73% FG

73%!!

 

[Jingo]

Next year think of this: You saw the game tonight? Sabrina had 4 turnovers in basically a halfcourt game. It seemed Aubrey and Anna with their length bothered her a bit. This year we lose one regular (Danger) and pick up at least 2 in Bueckers and Westbrook. There are 3 others in the 5'10 - 6'2 range. You think at least one of the 3 (Edwards, McLean, Muhr) will be good enough to be a good contributor, right?

So putting your defensive-head-coach-cap-on; you have at least 7 players in the 5'10 - 6'2 range and you saw them force 4 turnovers from someone like Sabrina tonight. What kind of a defense would you employ with that kind of height, skill, bench, and athleticism next year?

A UCLA style 2-2-1 three-quarter court zone press with Aubrey and Mir on top and Liv in the back protecting the rim. If Edwards is in the mix, it will be the best rebounding squad in the country, eh?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/15

Shay Bollin: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Hopkins' Paige Bueckers dazzling, inspiring a generation of girls


The game was over roughly 30 seconds when little girls began streaming onto the court to meet their idol, Paige Bueckers.

The rest of the top-ranked Hopkins girls’ basketball team made its way to the locker room after a 91-64 win at Wayzata on Friday. Bueckers stayed on the court, surrounded by fans. More kept coming, making the scene look like a rock star jumping into a mosh pit.


The mass of people included a 10-year-old girl named Jade, an aspiring basketball player from Bloomington. Her parents usually go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day. This year, they brought their daughter to Wayzata so she could watch Bueckers play for the first time.

“I literally begged them to bring me,” said Jade, who got Bueckers’ autograph on her headband.

And this was a road game.

Hopkins' Paige Bueckers dazzling, inspiring a generation of girls

www.startribune.com

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Kiki Iriafen live. Watch before it goes private. You can move the bar back and watch from the beginning.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Iriafen is lean, quick, athletic, and skilled. She hit a turnaround jumper off glass early on.

Looks capable of coming out to defend on the perimeter. They've got her spearheading the press at times.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Trying to figure out why Iriafen isn't ranked top-10 everywhere. She's pretty special.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Outside of being enormously skilled and efficient, passing, rebounding, defending, and covering the whole court, not sure what Iriafen does well. She's a three-point shot away from having everything.

She finished with 30 points on 13-16 shooting, 4-4 from the foul line, 6 rebounds, 3 assists.

 

[Alydar]

Nice video find. As I see with a lot of HS posts it's hard to judge her offensive potential in college when her huge size advantage makes it so easy to score when she gets the ball down low. But she moves extremely well even though whenever she gets the ball she is immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. I also like her aggressive attempts to intercept passes out on the perimeter.