First Night Recruits? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

First Night Recruits?

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oldhusky said:
I think the reason some of us (certainly me) complain about the quality of production, is because of the potential impact on recruits. I understand it is mostly for the students, and that it is run by student organizations not the athletic department. It could still be mostly for the students but put on by the athletic department IMO, resulting in a competent presentation.

As this thread implies, many are hoping potential future recruits will attend and be impressed, and that will help them decide that Uconn is the place for them. From the standpoint of fan support and the players themselves I think that largely happens, but every year these potential recruits also see many production mistakes, and what looks like a bad dress rehearsal for the real thing by the not ready for prime time players.

My main point is as long as First Night is used at least somewhat as a recruiting tool, then it should meet the high standards the program has in everything else the recruit is exposed to, and clearly that has not been the case for several years running. This year I hope it will be better, but the track record suggests that I should expect more cringe worthy moments.

What would make me most happy would be to say I was very pleasantly surprised, and that's more like it, after it is over.
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This sounds like a superficial concern. If this is a reason a recruit decides UConn isn't for them, would Geno want them here in the first place? Boneyard fans talk about the allure of championships and the best training ground to be a WNBA pro. A couple hiccups by a well meaning group of students, shouldn't be a deterrent from my perspective.

The fan support and engagement should override production errors. Watching games on TV, the fans seem to be who the players care about versus production. Sure everyone wants a great show, but even the most high level production companies screw up.
 
oldhusky said:
I think the reason some of us (certainly me) complain about the quality of production, is because of the potential impact on recruits. I understand it is mostly for the students, and that it is run by student organizations not the athletic department. It could still be mostly for the students but put on by the athletic department IMO, resulting in a competent presentation.

As this thread implies, many are hoping potential future recruits will attend and be impressed, and that will help them decide that Uconn is the place for them. From the standpoint of fan support and the players themselves I think that largely happens, but every year these potential recruits also see many production mistakes, and what looks like a bad dress rehearsal for the real thing by the not ready for prime time players.

My main point is as long as First Night is used at least somewhat as a recruiting tool, then it should meet the high standards the program has in everything else the recruit is exposed to, and clearly that has not been the case for several years running. This year I hope it will be better, but the track record suggests that I should expect more cringe worthy moments.

What would make me most happy would be to say I was very pleasantly surprised, and that's more like it, after it is over.
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The recruits couldn’t care less about the production of First Night. The only thing recruits care about are: 1.) How much NIL $$ will I get
2.) Will I be guaranteed a spot in the starting 5, and how much playing time will I get.
3.) what will playing for UConn do for my social media profile
4.) Do I have a chance to win a National Championship.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
Speaking of First Night: Does anyone else long for the days when it wasn't so blaringly pyrotechnic and so dark it's like the entry to the bat cave? May work if you are in the stands, but from your sofa its a "who's that" kind of adventure. And when the lights do go up this mix and match thing on the court is just a mess to me. Actually, I have no idea what the fun and games are this year. Just no yoga balls please.
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And no co-ed scrimmage, please.
 
Along with the production problems, last year we missed a lot of the action because Joe Zone of Channel 3 had to give us recaps of the team that most of us have already seen on YouTube. What I wanted to see is the kids playing, and we just didn't see enough of that. I liked the way they did it long ago, with the women's team by themselves with 3-point contest, skills, and a short scrimmage so we could especially look at the new players. Now that was fun to watch.
 
cancontent said:
This sounds like a superficial concern. If this is a reason a recruit decides UConn isn't for them, would Geno want them here in the first place? Boneyard fans talk about the allure of championships and the best training ground to be a WNBA pro. A couple hiccups by a well meaning group of students, shouldn't be a deterrent from my perspective.

The fan support and engagement should override production errors. Watching games on TV, the fans seem to be who the players care about versus production. Sure everyone wants a great show, but even the most high level production companies screw up.
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Yes it is. It's ridiculous to think that 17-18 yo girls are sitting there analyzing the production quality of a livestream of an oversized pep rally and are deciding their academic and BB futures based on it. They are there to interact with the players and staff, have a good time, and do some Tik Tok videos. Other than possibly Aliyah Boston, who I'm not sure even attended, can anyone name a recruit who did not choose UConn after coming to one of these things? UConn gets virtually every kid who attends because their decisions have already been made at this point in time.
 
BobbyJ said:
Yes it is. It's ridiculous to think that 17-18 yo girls are sitting there analyzing the production quality of a livestream of an oversized pep rally and are deciding their academic and BB futures based on it. They are there to interact with the players and staff, have a good time, and do some Tik Tok videos. Other than possibly Aliyah Boston, who I'm not sure even attended, can anyone name a recruit who did not choose UConn after coming to one of these things? UConn gets virtually every kid who attends because their decisions have already been made at this point in time.
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When you are "Best in Class" as UConn is, there is no reason not to fix easy wins such as production quality. I suspect that there are many, many highly talented students that would welcome the task of making this a professional looking show. May or may not help with recruiting but when you are a leader, you don't ignore easy to fix issues.
 
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HopJim said:
When you are "Best in Class" as UConn is, there is no reason not to fix easy wins such as production quality. I suspect that there are many, many highly talented students that would welcome the task of making this a professional looking show. May or may not help with recruiting but when you are a leader, you don't ignore easy to fix issues.
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Sure, improving on the glitches should be something the production team would want to accomplish. But to think it would have significant impact on recruiting seems like a stretch.
 
HopJim said:
When you are "Best in Class" as UConn is, there is no reason not to fix easy wins such as production quality. I suspect that there are many, many highly talented students that would welcome the task of making this a professional looking show. May or may not help with recruiting but when you are a leader, you don't ignore easy to fix issues.
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The point is that nobody involved with it, especially the students and recruits, cares if it’s a professional looking show or not. It’s just a big pep rally. The only people complaining are old guys watching their laptop at home.
 
Cuango said:
Curious as to why you think Azzi will not be here? Of course, Caroline is a question mark but if (miraculously) she were to be a contributing player this season and go through the season with no more health issues, I certainly would expect her to return! Now, that is obviously a big if but it is possible. As for Azzi, I see no reason she would not come back as well if she remains healthy. I would think she would do this for two reasons; first, to further demonstrate both her skills and her ability to play for an extended period with no health issues, and second, to establish a legacy here that has heretofore been compromised by repeated injuries. I think she will stay essentially because she has not really been able to have a college career!
However, even if I am dead wrong and both Azzi and Caroline leave at the end of this season, I believe we will still be a top five, contending team based on the tremendous roster that Geno has put together over the past three seasons! Yes, they would make us better, perhaps #1 as opposed to #3 or #4 but, make no mistake, barring some unforeseen event, this team has all the talent it needs to contend for the title over the next three years!
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Azzi is a full grown woman. I suspect that she is ready to move on from the college cocoon.
 
Crossover said:
Azzi is a full grown woman. I suspect that she is ready to move on from the college cocoon.
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I agree as well. And, I believe that Caroline is done with college as well. That leaves the team without any true senior for the following year. Does Geno save a spot for a Portal Player or leave the opening for the Class of 2026 which is loaded.
 
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