February 2021 UConn Recruiting Thread

[DEpup]

Brady, Edwards and DeBerry up front in a couple of years is going to make things mighty tough on WBB...........so nice to see she has a bit of nasty to her game.......

I actually think deBerry will rarely be up front. I see her in the high post passing/ face up most of her career and only rolling to the basket. I just don't see her banging down low. That's ok since we'll have multiple down low options.

 

[jabstep]

Dear Dawn, your dreams next year:

Oh the humanity!

Must have been the ball!!!!!!!!!

 

[HuskyFan1125]

I see a lot of Patterson highlights on here. Are we in the hunt for her? I had always assumed she would end up at ND.

 

[oldhusky]

I never understand why when discussing future bigs, Plath Gabriel is not part of the discussion. If she stays four years, she will be part of the rotation. She is too athletic not to be.

I don't see it. Reality is there are many people ahead of her, and it gets worse before it gets better. Usually the natural pattern is players get better and earn more time as their college career evolves. Piath will probably show improvement too, but it certainly doesn't mean she will get more playing time.

She is currently the 5th big. She might be the second true center, but in critical time if Liv fouled out, Geno would rather use Aaliyah, Aubrey or Mir before Piath. Next year all of those players return and we add Amari, so on paper Piath becomes the 6th big.

It is a numbers game. Just improving a great deal doesn't get you there unless you pass probably two of the aforementioned players. It could happen but does not seem likely no matter which player you compare her to. After next year Liv leaves but Ice comes on board, and Patterson could be a factor up front if we get her. I hate to say it but her best opportunity for playing time might be this year.

 

[victor64]

I don't see it. Reality is there are many people ahead of her, and it gets worse before it gets better. Usually the natural pattern is players get better and earn more time as their college career evolves. Piath will probably show improvement too, but it certainly doesn't mean she will get more playing time.

She is currently the 5th big. She might be the second true center, but in critical time if Liv fouled out, Geno would rather use Aaliyah, Aubrey or Mir before Piath. Next year all of those players return and we add Amari, so on paper Piath becomes the 6th big.

It is a numbers game. Just improving a great deal doesn't get you there unless you pass probably two of the aforementioned players. It could happen but does not seem likely no matter which player you compare her to. After next year Liv leaves but Ice comes on board, and Patterson could be a factor up front if we get her. I hate to say it but her best opportunity for playing time might be this year.

I don’t think Geno offered Piath a scholarship as a short term solution as a backup that has resulted in about 2 minutes during garbage time. Aubrey, Mir and DeBerry aren’t 5s. ONO leaves
after next year. The only thing keeping her from getting meaningful minutes eventually as a Husky is impatience or injury.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I see a lot of Patterson highlights on here. Are we in the hunt for her? I had always assumed she would end up at ND.

As far as is known, yes, she's a major UConn target.

 

[BobbyJ]

As far as is known, yes, she's a major UConn target.

I'm hoping the pro prep pitch can outweigh the home state appeal.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Athena Tomlinson from this weekend:

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[Cuango]

I'm sure she will soon. Probably by the time of the Big East tourney.

Just imagine having Edwards, Brady, and del Rosario at the same time! Teams might just start conceding!

 

[HuskyMJ]

I see a lot of Patterson highlights on here. Are we in the hunt for her? I had always assumed she would end up at ND.

I haven't seen any information on her recruitment, offers, finalists, or visits. Due to COVID I assume she hasn't met new ND staff in person but maybe she has gotten to other campuses pre COVID? And that could maybe help those teams. ND's play this year may have opened the door for some schools too.

If there was a player I assumed would end up at ND it was KK Bransford, I mean her high schools is even named Mount Notre Dame. Who knows, maybe the Miles and Citron signing don't make that a lock either?

 

[oldhusky]

I don’t think Geno offered Piath a scholarship as a short term solution as a backup that has resulted in about 2 minutes during garbage time. Aubrey, Mir and DeBerry aren’t 5s. ONO leaves
after next year. The only thing keeping her from getting meaningful minutes eventually as a Husky is impatience or injury.

I hope Piath makes a leap that throws her into the competition with top recruits. Aubrey and Mir are not C's, but they are still ahead of Piath on the depth chart. Liv plays about 25 minutes a game, so there are about 15 backup minutes available there. When she is out of the game Geno "chooses" to use PF's like Aaliyah, Griffin and even Mir as the C alternative rather than Piath. So even though they are not true C's, everyone of those players are reducing Piath's minutes.

Next year whether she is a 4 or a 5, Amari based on her top 5 rating is presumably ahead of Piath as well. Yes Ono leaves after next year, but Brady comes onboard and her rating and bulk indicates she could be a viable alternative to Piath at C too.

Playing time doesn't open up for Piath just because she is a true C. Geno goes small ball a lot, he is playing two natural point guards now, and one in Evina who was a PG at Tennessee at PF, so it doesn't get Piath playing time by concluding only Ono is a true center. To get significant minutes she has to beat out someone ahead of her. Aaliyah and Mir are ahead of her and with no transfers will be there for all of Piath's career. Aubrey will be here for the next two years. Amari will be competition for the next three years. Brady for two of Piath's years, we still are recruiting Patterson and 2023 bigs.

Is it possible Piath might be good enough to start at 90% of the division 1 programs but not good enough to get more than garbage time here? I think so. Clearly next year if everyone returns there will be at least three very highly recruited players (say top 30) that will be on the third team (11-15).

If you assume the current top 8 plus Azzi and Amari are in the top ten and the rotation, then look at who could be on the third team potentially getting garbage minutes. That team could include Mir, Saylor, Carolyn, Piath and Autumn. Now you can look at most of those players and say surely they will get more time than that. But it has to come from someone. If Evina leaves that opens up one more spot in the top 10, but after that who gets bumped down so they can play? Anna, Nika, Aubrey, Christyn? There are no easy choices here and some very good players are going to ride the bench.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Amari has a somewhat similar body type, though she does have a little more meat on her bones. I'll retell an incident that occurred when Amari played for the USA in international competition.
I don't remember who they were playing but Amari hot smacked fairly hard and she thought it was intentional. When she got to the other side of the court, she posted the girl that smacked her down in the low post. Amari then clocked the girl with her arm when she called for the pass. The refs called it a flagrant foul but Amari made her point.

OOooh. Is it bad for me to like that so much. Shades of Steff. I also heard her interview where she said one of the things she wants to do before she gets to UConn is 'get stronger'.

 

[donalddoowop]

I hope Piath makes a leap that throws her into the competition with top recruits. Aubrey and Mir are not C's, but they are still ahead of Piath on the depth chart. Liv plays about 25 minutes a game, so there are about 15 backup minutes available there. When she is out of the game Geno "chooses" to use PF's like Aaliyah, Griffin and even Mir as the C alternative rather than Piath. So even though they are not true C's, everyone of those players are reducing Piath's minutes.

Next year whether she is a 4 or a 5, Amari based on her top 5 rating is presumably ahead of Piath as well. Yes Ono leaves after next year, but Brady comes onboard and her rating and bulk indicates she could be a viable alternative to Piath at C too.

Playing time doesn't open up for Piath just because she is a true C. Geno goes small ball a lot, he is playing two natural point guards now, and one in Evina who was a PG at Tennessee at PF, so it doesn't get Piath playing time by concluding only Ono is a true center. To get significant minutes she has to beat out someone ahead of her. Aaliyah and Mir are ahead of her and with no transfers will be there for all of Piath's career. Aubrey will be here for the next two years. Amari will be competition for the next three years. Brady for two of Piath's years, we still are recruiting Patterson and 2023 bigs.

Is it possible Piath might be good enough to start at 90% of the division 1 programs but not good enough to get more than garbage time here? I think so. Clearly next year if everyone returns there will be at least three very highly recruited players (say top 30) that will be on the third team (11-15).

If you assume the current top 8 plus Azzi and Amari are in the top ten and the rotation, then look at who could be on the third team potentially getting garbage minutes. That team could include Mir, Saylor, Carolyn, Piath and Autumn. Now you can look at most of those players and say surely they will get more time than that. But it has to come from someone. If Evina leaves that opens up one more spot in the top 10, but after that who gets bumped down so they can play? Anna, Nika, Aubrey, Christyn? There are no easy choices here and some very good players are going to ride the bench.

It seems you are assuming that Piath will not improve. It is said that it takes post players more time than other position players to reach their potential. I see some good things in Piath even in the limited minutes she has played. She came to UConn as a project. Well, I project her to be, at the very least, a very important back up post player and maybe even more by her senior year. Maybe she will play five years.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I don't see it. Reality is there are many people ahead of her, and it gets worse before it gets better. Usually the natural pattern is players get better and earn more time as their college career evolves. Piath will probably show improvement too, but it certainly doesn't mean she will get more playing time.

She is currently the 5th big. She might be the second true center, but in critical time if Liv fouled out, Geno would rather use Aaliyah, Aubrey or Mir before Piath. Next year all of those players return and we add Amari, so on paper Piath becomes the 6th big.

It is a numbers game. Just improving a great deal doesn't get you there unless you pass probably two of the aforementioned players. It could happen but does not seem likely no matter which player you compare her to. After next year Liv leaves but Ice comes on board, and Patterson could be a factor up front if we get her. I hate to say it but her best opportunity for playing time might be this year.

UConn was not the only school that recruited her. Most of the major suspects gave her offers, so quality coaches agree on the potential. Her skill set right now is raw and her confidence level is low, but if she had some of the confidence and fire of Nika, she has enough athleticism to be very useful today. Piath demonstrates a grace in her movements and soft hands that are rare in a lady of her size. Not this year and maybe a peek next year, but Junior year Piath will do two things as well as anyone on the team; rebound and defend the rim.

 

[WiseOne]

If Piath develops/gets better, maybe Aubrey and Mir can go to a position that’s more natural for them. If this happens the NCAAW better look out. Either way UCONN is the top team or two for the next few years.

 

[donalddoowop]

UConn was not the only school that recruited her. Most of the major suspects gave her offers, so quality coaches agree on the potential. Her skill set right now is raw and her confidence level is low, but if she had some of the confidence and fire of Nika, she has enough athleticism to be very useful today. Piath demonstrates a grace in her movements and soft hands that are rare in a lady of her size. Not this year and maybe a peek next year, but Junior year Piath will do two things as well as anyone on the team; rebound and defend the rim.

You used words I was trying to think of in referring to Piath, grace in her movements. She already knows how to post up and there is athleticism there that will help her be very useful. I think Geno has a diamond in the rough.

 

[oldhusky]

It seems you are assuming that Piath will not improve. It is said that it takes post players more time than other position players to reach their potential. I see some good things in Piath even in the limited minutes she has played. She came to UConn as a project. Well, I project her to be, at the very least, a very important back up post player and maybe even more by her senior year. Maybe she will play five years.

I assume she will improve and maybe at a rate that is more than the other players, but she has to not only improve but be better than people ahead of her now, and that are rated much higher coming in. To get playing time she has to beat out Liv, Aaliyah, Aubrey or Mir on the current roster, and/or Amari or Brady coming in. So I'm not saying she won't improve, I'm saying I don't think she has a good chance of beating out any of those players, and I think that is what she has to accomplish to earn minutes.

There are several players who could improve and still have their minutes squeezed because of how loaded the roster will be.

 

[HuskylnSC]

If Piath develops/gets better, maybe Aubrey and Mir can go to a position that’s more natural for them. If this happens the NCAAW better look out. Either way UCONN is the top team or two for the next few years.

Exactly! We sometimes forget that Aubrey and Mir are working on their game with the next level in sight. If they get to the W, they will have to develop an outside shot. Now if that happens they move further from the post to a 3/4 role. In that scenario they will not be competing for post time with Aaliyah, Amari, Piath, Ice.

 

[oldhusky]

If Piath develops/gets better, maybe Aubrey and Mir can go to a position that’s more natural for them. If this happens the NCAAW better look out. Either way UCONN is the top team or two for the next few years.

I think the possibility of using Aubrey or Mir on the wing does exist, but to a large extent it substitutes one numbers crunch for another, and raises the three point shooting issue.

Suppose Piath forces her way into the rotation, partly by outplaying Aubrey and Mir, and you say we have to find playing time for those two, so lets use them on the wing. Already on the wing next year is Christyn, Evina, Anna, Azzi, Carolyn and Saylor. So like the numbers crunch on bigs, if you are going to give Aubrey and Mir minutes on the wing, who are you benching to get them minutes there.

One of the first four mentioned probably does not start, and becomes the principle 2/3 backup, leaving minimal time for Carolyn and Saylor, before even considering using Aubrey or Mir there. Now Evina might well leave but it is still crowded. No matter how you juggle the pieces several players that many think have to get significant minutes won't.

The other issue with Aubrey and Mir on the wing is three point shooting. If Nika was in the game with either Aubrey or Mir, that might be a weakness, but we have several good three point shooters coming in, so one that is not a threat is probably ok.

As far as situational substitutions are concerned I could see Aubrey and Mir as part of a defensive unit on the wings, or if we are getting killed on the boards, putting one of them at the the 3 could help. But basically there are too many players for too few roles. Several are going to be very disappointed, but I do hope Geno considers more pressing as a way to increase the use of the bench.

 

[Charliebball]

I actually think deBerry will rarely be up front. I see her in the high post passing/ face up most of her career and only rolling to the basket. I just don't see her banging down low. That's ok since we'll have multiple down low options.

I meant up front as in forward/center.............I'm not sure how effective all three would be playing together at the same time, that's for Geno to figure out but I certainly don't think they'd be overwhelmed by many other big line ups with even two of them on the court.......

 

[Charliebball]

Athena Tomlinson from this weekend:

reminds me a bit of Crystal..........

 

[MooseJaw]

I don’t think Geno offered Piath a scholarship as a short term solution as a backup that has resulted in about 2 minutes during garbage time. Aubrey, Mir and DeBerry aren’t 5s. ONO leaves
after next year. The only thing keeping her from getting meaningful minutes eventually as a Husky is impatience or injury.

Not all players are recruited to be stars or starters. If a lower ranked player such as Piath blossoms and can't be kept out of the lineup great, however role players, practice players and projects are needed and part of the process. Just because a player isn't a star or a starter doesn't mean they are not of value, each player has a large part in the teams success. The majority of players are not starters.

 

[BobbyJ]

Not all players are recruited to be stars or starters. If a lower ranked player such as Piath blossoms and can't be kept out of the lineup great, however role players, practice players and projects are needed and part of the process. Just because a player isn't a star or a starter doesn't mean they are not of value, each player has a large part in the teams success. The majority of players are not starters.

Exactly. It's called roster building. UConn has done it pretty well over 30+ seasons but not always. It's not easy because you need a steady influx of high end talent to build around and even if you have some you might not be able to get the right kids to surround it. An example would be the 2017 class. This year and next could be the nucleus of a good stretch though with a group of smart, hard workers with a good talent level coming in.

 

[Sluconn Husky]