Former UConn recruit in the portal- S. Brunelle

[WBB_FAN_WA]

Wasn’t Sam Brunelle a former UConn recruit?

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Women’s Basketball: Three enter the transfer portal

Tough losses for the team especially in morale

www.onefootdown.com

 

[Sonny44]

Yes.

 

[MilfordHusky]

She was recruited. We are unsure as to whether or not she got an offer.

 

[pk1234]

She was #1 prospect in the country at one point, there was debate as to whether or not Geno ever offered her.

She was a borderline bust at Notre Dame, hasn't started a game since Freshman year, had some injury stuff too. I think she winds up at a lower Power 5 team, like VA, VA Tech, Wake etc..

 

[UcMiami]

The recruitin started out seemingly very hot, and then just sort of petered out with little indication of ongoing contact.

 

[DaBball]

Unfortunately for Brunelle, she peaked in around 9th or 10th grade when she was nicknamed “Baby Delle Donne.” She was pretty clearly the top, or at least one of the very top, players in 2019 at one point.

In her second go around with the FIBA U17 team it was evident that she was passed by players like Haley Jones, Jordan Horston, and Aliyah Boston. I still think she could be impactful on an NCAA tournament-type team, but I’m not sure she’ll ever be a go-to player on a solid team.

 

[Carnac]

She was #1 prospect in the country at one point, there was debate as to whether or not Geno ever offered her.

She was a borderline bust at Notre Dame, hasn't started a game since Freshman year, had some injury stuff too. I think she winds up at a lower Power 5 team, like VA, VA Tech, Wake etc..

That's the way I see it too. She can help somebody. She couldn't get off the bench at ND. I was surprised because she got a lot of hype coming out of HS. I guess we could call it "Fake news" She'll land on her feet somewhere. Players want to play!!!

 

[Zarathustra]

I enjoyed watching Ms. Brunelle play on the USA WBB team. I was
very much surprised when she did not blossom at N.D. Good
luck and Best wishes to SAM!

 

[JoePgh]

Vanderbilt might be an excellent destination for her (and for Shea getting her).

 

[Mdoggie]

Conditioning was a problem also.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Sam was a nice player for ND, just not the star that was expected when she joined them as a top recruit. Too slow to be a 3 and to short with no real hops to be a 4, she basically became a spark of the bench for her outside shooting abilities. She should be a major contributor in a lower power 5 team.

 

[Pinhead]

Earlier in her career the talking heads would simply not let go of touting her 3-point shooting wizardry regardless of the observable.

 

[CocoHusky]

The recruitin started out seemingly very hot, and then just sort of petered out with little indication of ongoing contact.

Sam's performance also declined drastically specifically at USA basketball where she came down an age group and was expected to anchor & lead the team but she became a dreadful shooter. In HS school basketball there were also tales of her being beasted by a HS freshman player during a VA state tournament run. In the ESPN ranking Sam fell from #1 to 11 (?) and there were some (me included) who though she should have fallen a lot further down the rankings. Classic case of player being ahead of the Pack as Freshman or Sophomore in HS but by Junior and senior year many in the pack has passed her up.

 

[Charliebball]

Sam's performance also declined drastically specifically at USA basketball where she came down an age group and was expected to anchor & lead the team but she became a dreadful shooter. In HS school basketball there were also tales of her being beasted by a HS freshman player during a VA state tournament run. In the ESPN ranking Sam fell from #1 to 11 (?) and there were some (me included) who though she should have fallen a lot further down the rankings. Classic case of player being ahead of the Pack as Freshman or Sophomore in HS but by Junior and senior year many in the pack has passed her up.

it seems she lost some of her athletic advantages her senior year in high school and various injuries at ND have forced her into a secondary role.............kind of a sad story.......

 

[Kaizen]

Sam's performance also declined drastically specifically at USA basketball where she came down an age group and was expected to anchor & lead the team but she became a dreadful shooter. In HS school basketball there were also tales of her being beasted by a HS freshman player during a VA state tournament run. In the ESPN ranking Sam fell from #1 to 11 (?) and there were some (me included) who though she should have fallen a lot further down the rankings. Classic case of player being ahead of the Pack as Freshman or Sophomore in HS but by Junior and senior year many in the pack has passed her up.

She was ranked #6 in 2019 class.

2019 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings - espnW 100 - ESPN

Get the inside scoop on the top ranked high school girls' basketball players. In-depth player briefings, film and more on ESPNHS.com.

www.espn.com

 

[HuskylnSC]

She was #1 prospect in the country at one point, there was debate as to whether or not Geno ever offered her

I read on the ND board that she had wanted UConn but the offer never came. I don't know how reliable the poster is.

 

[BobbyJ]

Sam's performance also declined drastically specifically at USA basketball where she came down an age group and was expected to anchor & lead the team but she became a dreadful shooter. In HS school basketball there were also tales of her being beasted by a HS freshman player during a VA state tournament run. In the ESPN ranking Sam fell from #1 to 11 (?) and there were some (me included) who though she should have fallen a lot further down the rankings. Classic case of player being ahead of the Pack as Freshman or Sophomore in HS but by Junior and senior year many in the pack has passed her up.

As you know, even before her college decline I didn't think she could be a rotation player at UConn. Whether she was never offered or if an offer was pulled back I don't know but it was the right move for UConn either way.

 

[WLT1717]

Sam is a fabulous Virginian and I think her best hoops days may be ahead of her - praying that the transition places her in a better position to succeed.

 

[Reypl21]

She had a good Freshman season under McGraw, and it seemed like she had a lot of potential. Her shooting percentages weren't the best, but she was asked to carry the scoring load on a bad team (the other two high scorers were also Freshman). She had a variety of interesting moves as a Frosh, a lot of one-legged fadeaways, turnaround jumpers, etc. I thought she could improve her percentages, get into better shape, and utilize her playmaking skills more as she got older. Then McGraw retired and she also had injuries that slowed her down. Nielse's offense isn't a good fit for her. I think she has more game to her, but we will see. Good luck to Sam!!

 

[CocoHusky]

As you know, even before her college decline I didn't think she could be a rotation player at UConn. Whether she was never offered or if an offer was pulled back I don't know but it was the right move for UConn either way.

I'm not sure I would go that far. Samantha would have been HS class of 2019 which means that she would have come in with or instead of Anna Makurat, Aubrey Griffin, and Evelyn Adebayo. She would also have been competing for minutes with Kyla Irwin as a Freshman. Anna was a two year starter, Irwin an occasional starter and Griffin was 6th man for those two season. I think Samantha could have performed as well as Anna or Aubrey and be a part of the rotation or start.

 

[Hayven]

She still follows UConn basketball on Instagram. Does she reach out to Geno, like Evina did?

 

[BobbyJ]

I'm not sure I would go that far. Samantha would have been HS class of 2019 which means that she would have come in with or instead of Anna Makurat, Aubrey Griffin, and Evelyn Adebayo. She would also have been competing for minutes with Kyla Irwin as a Freshman. Anna was a two year starter, Irwin an occasional starter and Griffin was 6th man for those two season. I think Samantha could have performed as well as Anna or Aubrey and be a part of the rotation or start.

You’re probably right, I had forgotten how comparatively thin those teams were in talent versus this year. Still the right move though IMO.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

The recruitin started out seemingly very hot, and then just sort of petered out with little indication of ongoing contact.

A fan on another board said that she got an offer but it was withdrawn when she delayed with it. For whatever the reason she turned pretty negative over UConn.