February 2020 UConn Recruiting Thread

[MilfordHusky]

Had the opportunity to see Saylor Poffenbarger with MilfordHusky last evening. He captured many of the observations I had but here are a few more.

• She has a very high Basketball IQ.
• She sees the entire floor very well and is able to deliver passes to her teammates in rhythm at the right moment before the defense can react or recover.
• She accelerates strong to the rim and can finish in traffic.
• She is very polished for her age and strong fundamentally.
• The offense runs through her and she facilitates it well.
• [For those of you that find this important]. She rivals Kyla Irwin as a cheerleader when on the bench.

From a UCONN standpoint, I think that she will be excellent in a read and react offense. She is an adept passer and moves exceptionally well without the basket. She does not waste energy dibbling excessively. She has good strength now and from what I understand works with a personal trainer and will continue to do so. Last night, her outside shot was off. To paraphrase Geno, she was 0 for Maryland beyond the arc. Kevinmac, from an athletic standpoint there is little to compare with Molly. She is already more skilled, confident and polished.

I am interested in seeing her play with better players. Unlike Paige, who has other D1 prospects on her team, Saylor, like Azzi and Mir, do not.

I agree with Road Warrior on pretty much everything. I might disagree in that Azzi may have some mid-level D1 teammates. Hopkins, in contrast, seems to have 6 or more high-level D1 prospects. Middletown may have only some D3 prospects, other than Saylor.

I see almost no similarity between Molly and Saylor. Saylor is taller, stronger, faster, quicker, and better. Yes, the competition is not great in conference, but Saylor played for the USA U-16 last summer and fared very well. She was not a starter, but everything other than shooting (32%) was very good. She was 4th in minutes, tied for 6th in scoring, tied for 3rd in FT percentage, 6th in rebounding, tied for 2nd in assists, and 2nd in steals. Who else was on the team? UConn recruiting targets named Verhulst, Citron, Betts, Miles, Rice, Moore, and Bransford, plus commit Amari DeBerry. Saylor was among the elite and fit right in.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[Sluconn Husky]

If you're not watching Kiki Iriafen you are missing an elite talent.

She has 19 points at halftime and hasn't missed a FG attempt. Had a free throw nullified on a line violation though.

 

[BobbyJ]

If you're not watching Kiki Iriafen you are missing an elite talent.

She has 19 points at halftime and hasn't missed a FG attempt. Had a free throw nullified on a line violation though.

How about the phantom foul for trying to brush the kid’s arm away and missing?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

How about the phantom foul for trying to brush the kid’s arm away and missing?

So bad it was funny. Needed that ref at the UCF game today.

 

[JordyG]

I agree with Road Warrior on pretty much everything. I might disagree in that Azzi may have some mid-level D1 teammates. Hopkins, in contrast, seems to have 6 or more high-level D1 prospects. Middletown may have only some D3 prospects, other than Saylor.

I see almost no similarity between Molly and Saylor. Saylor is taller, stronger, faster, quicker, and better. Yes, the competition is not great in conference, but Saylor played for the USA U-16 last summer and fared very well. She was not a starter, but everything other than shooting (32%) was very good. She was 4th in minutes, tied for 6th in scoring, tied for 3rd in FT percentage, 6th in rebounding, tied for 2nd in assists, and 2nd in steals. Who else was on the team? UConn recruiting targets named Verhulst, Citron, Betts, Miles, Rice, Moore, and Bransford, plus commit Amari DeBerry. Saylor was among the elite and fit right in.

Can't wait to see her at the FIBA U18 America's Cup in June.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Iriafen doesn't care about your double teams:

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/22

Kiki Iriafen: 31 points (13-14 FG), 9 rebounds

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Paige's senior night performance got her on ESPN again:

UConn Huskies Scores, Stats and Highlights - ESPN

Visit ESPN for UConn Huskies live scores, video highlights, and latest news. Find standings and the full 2024-25 season schedule.

www.espn.com

 

[MilfordHusky]

I saw part of the second half. Kiki is a dominant player.

 

[pvdoggy]

She looks like she is at least a foot taller than anyone else. Not sure how they are supposed to be able to stop her.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/22

Talia Von Oelhoffen: 31 points

 

[BobbyJ]

Kiki Iriafen's sectional semi will be streamed tonight at 10 PM eastern:

Thanks for posting. First time I've gotten to see her in a full game. She confirmed everything I'd seen in her videos. Great body control, hands, instincts, and quickness off the floor. Probably the best shooting HS big I've seen in years. Inside and out. I'd say she's a prototypical stretch 4 and she's going to be a real load by the time she gets to college. And from what little I've seen, Brady seems to have similar skills, although Iriafen looks quicker at this point.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/22

Isuneh Brady: 41 points, 27 rebounds in a sectional quarterfinal win.

More notes in the thread made for the game.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

The local report on Iriafen's game has her with 16 rebounds. Unless they gave her credit for all team rebounds, I don't get how they came to that number. Anyway....


Kiki Iriafen had already flexed her offensive prowess with a dazzling first half.

Then the Harvard-Westlake girls basketball star ascended to a different level in the second half, lining up defensively against prolific West Torrance scorer Anaya James to stem any potential comeback.

....

“It’s about loving defense more than offense,” said Iriafen, who dazzled en route to 31 points. “I’ve bought into it more. Getting steals fires up the team. Disrupting the other team gets everyone excited.”

Iriafen does it all as Harvard-Westlake girls basketball overpowers West Torrance in Division 1 semifinals

Iriafen scores 31 points and helps the Wolverines clamp down on West’s offense in the second half.

www.dailynews.com

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Harvard-Westlake's section final is next Saturday which rules out UConn attendance.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

2/22

2023 Judea Watkins' 23 points helped Windward into their section final.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Saylor Poffenbarger highlights from Friday (2/21). Bonus points for spotting Milford Husky and Road Warrior.

https://vg.hudl.com/p-highlights/Team/78255/5e51c291f5616f0064521713/23bf855e_720.mp4?v=8E1CE3D0F7B7D708

 

[HopJim]

I like Oelhoffen but I’d disagree that UCONN “needs” her.
Are you trying to tell us that Jasmine was connecting with her but Shea cannot or has not?
Cannot would be kind of problematic because Shea is going to be her position coach if she chose to come to UCONN. The entire coaching staff has families which has never got in the way of coaching/ recruiting duties. Not fair to single out Shea in this way.

I would expect Shea to stay home with a newborn. View this as a positive, not negative, for her personally. That said, never have felt the head coach in any college sport does all the recruiting. UConn's dip in recruiting aligns with their turnover in assistant coaches. Diversity comes in many packages and having a young coach can be a good thing.

 

[BobbyJ]

2/22

2023 Judea Watkins' 23 points helped Windward into their section final.

After the foul called on Iriafen last night, it looks like in Cali they call fouls just for something to do. This one is laughable.

 

[Slovak-blue]

There’s a lot of stats on Kiki Iriafen. Is there any mutual interest with UConn

 

[DEpup]

Great Question. That is what is holding me back from getting on the bandwagon. I need Geno and recruit interaction when it comes to the left coast kids. Hayley Jones was a waste of energy because she was never going to leave CA.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Brady's full line from 2/22: