From Lou to Eternity: The Monumental Recruiting Topic Drift Thread

[Fiftyish]

OMG!! The first time I'm off the board for 24 hours since last summer and we loose Brianna Banks and get KLS. Are you kidding me? Wow. Lock and Load. Let the good times roll.

 

[UcMiami]

SueBird - I am with you on the hold everything now sentiment. USCar has put together a pretty great team, Muffet is always a threat, and going undefeated is a tough proposition even for a Geno coached team loaded with talent. Lou and our other two recruits are great for 2015, and the 2014 recruits are exciting prospects along with Butler. But one of the reasons we won the last two years and may win the next two years is because we have one of those rare players in Stewart and she has been surrounded with other AAs. Everything beyond that is projection of possible development. With Kaleena graduating next year, 2015 might be a team with only on AA on it. I suspect that Moriah will attain that status, I hope that Tuck gets there with healthy knees and hopefully Chong figures it out this summer, but everyone else we are all talking about has yet to play a pick-up game for as a Uconn student.
That said ... bring it on, I am ecstatic (and secretly I have a little Tony running around in my head!)

 

[Sonny44]

I am going to go with a taller Anne Strother

I'll take another Strother any day.

 

[cabbie191]

Migawd! Who might we have gotten if we were in, like, the SEC? Wonder Woman? Supergirl? Mary Marvel? Sheena, Queen of the Freakin Jungle? Mrs. Peel? The mind wobbles.

Personally, I think Mrs. Peel would have been a great get - one of my all time favorite characters.

 

[cabbie191]

Today Mrs. Kibitzer and I observed our 35th wedding anniversary. And thanks, Katie Lou, for giving us something special to celebrate.

Trying to catch up to you, Kib. Me and the Mrs. are 33 years come this Friday. Congratulations.

 

[Sonny44]

WOW Turn out the lights the party's over. Katie Lou We Love you. Thanks for becoming a UConn Husky. I had to be out early this morning but received text messages and emails telling me she had committed. I couldn't get to a computer until now. Am I excited. I'm bouncing off the walls, because now I know it's all over. So should I readdress my 195-0 and update it? LOL This team is unbeatable. If there is even a chance of UConn losing a game it might be this season but after that impossible. Those of you who think differently better think about it again. This is the most highly ranked talent that Womens College has ever seen on one team. All those kids who wanted to go elsewhere for what ever reason know now that they have absolutely no chance of winning a NC for the next 5 years. Now some of you probably think I'm over the top with that statement but with the height, experience, shooters, ball handlers etc etc etc etc etc. Get the idea. We are loaded...over loaded at every position.

As for Durr I think shes coming. I mean come on with all the talent we have she is guaranteed a NC and if she goes anywhere else nobody else can win a NC. If she is as good as they say she will start at some point in her career. If you thought UConn winning every game by double digits this season was big wait til after this season. IMO it is very apparent that Geno is attracting the top players and the top players want to play for him. His reputation, his record, and most importantly his former players success all have top players wanting to play for him, because its about what his former players have become and the kids coming through the ranks now want that success and its all because of Geno.

On paper right now this team is unbeatable and it doesn't matter who gets who. All this talk about these kids out there and if we get'em we can go to the FF well that may be true but you can't beat UConn in the NC. No way no how. Maybe even with foul trouble you cant beat UCOnn. UConn not only has the talent but they have the attitude chemistry and continuity all built into their program and everybody has bought into it. This assemblage of talent is untouchable, unbeatable and will be feared the minute the opposition sees the name UConn on their schedule. Every other team is playing to get to the FF and thats it. Turn out the lights its UConns NC for the next 5 seasons and now for the biggest question. Can any other team compete with this unbeatable team. IMO this season is the only season that a team may get close to UConn after that it aint gonna happen. Why this year because of the injuries to Tuck and Williams and KML coming back healthy again.

For all the kids who want to play for Geno and see the roster and say gee will I get any playtime. The answer is yes. Everybody's gonna play because most of the games will be over at half time. The next question is will I start? Yes if you prove yourself. It is more apparent now then ever before that this is all about the team. Yes the best players will start and that will happen on every team. At UConn you're going to have the opportunity to be a star among stars. If you want to be a shooting star or an only star then go someplace else but I guarantee you when you go pro you will be a star amongest stars. So you can learn how to be a star amongest stars now at UConn or you can wait til you turn pro and then you might not fit in because you've always been the star. You know whats amazin about kids who didnt start at UConn. They play pro ball and they get paid to play pro ball. So bottom line come to UConn and become part of something special.

Really how much better can UConn get? Durr will make it really riduculously good. Brown and Cox well it wont get any better then that.

Did you get one this morning Tony?

 

[Zorro]

I am not sure you could tell - the reality is that Kim got Griner one year and Sims the next but has never been very good at landing top ten talent. Baylor is competing with some pretty strong local schools and Baylor by it self is a harder sell to the general population - religious schools are not generally top of the list for HS students and Baylor does not have the cachet of Notre Dame.

And Waco is, after all, Waco.

 

[Zorro]

But as Tony himself pointed out (re the UT "sixpack" and my favorite Tonyism of all time, right in there with Yogi and ol' Case); "If they all start, the rest will have to come off the bench." 195 here we come! Katie Lou DOES look an awful lot like EDD, give or take an inch or two. Whooeee!!!

 

[winlots]

I'll play devil's advocate.

For starters though, I am beyond excited to watch the next 5 years, and I hope no one reads this post as raining on anyone's parade. (ett, I know you're not celebrating, I had others in mind.). That said ...

Let's assume no Durr, no Cox. In that case I think we drop a notch after Stewie and MoJeff finish up. Still the best team in WCBB and favorites for NC. But not absolutely prohibitive favorites and less than 50% chance of going undefeated.

My rationale is that as good as these two recruiting classes are, we are likely to have fewer top 5 and top 10 players than we've had in our most dominant years. Now we may have eight or even nine of the top 50 players in 2016/17, and that's just nuts. But at the same time we might not have any in top 5 and maybe only one in top 10. Top 5/top 10 players are pretty important for absolute dominance, so the likes of USC and ND may have a chance.

Of course I would love to be proven wrong!

SUE BF: very interesting. Here's how pumped I am....last night I made little squares, everyone with one of our players/recruits names on, so that I could shuffle them around and play with all the various options we have: a big team, fast team, best team, etc. Mind-boggling. That said, with all my elation, I do think there are quite a number of dangerous opponents out there. Dangerous and improving. Imagine if some of those we hoped to get but didn't get had come here.....imagine the things we'd be saying??? Well, they are elsewhere....and they are a force to be reckoned with, I agree.

On the other hand, I part company with you when you talk about a dearth of top five players: what about the fact that Boykin is said to have been a consensus #1 before transferring to a public school.......and, we got the current #1 in Samuelson. So, two number 1's in one class? Nurse, as a kid, the point guard for one of the top five teams in the Olympics. And in that same class, some of the tip top ranked guards in the country. Butler's COLLEGIATE freshman exploits well recorded here. Stewart #1 and only two years into her career at this point. Tuck thought #1 by some prior to her early injury in HS. Chong a Parade top of the list. Many of the recruits in the tip top at their positions, etc etc.

 

[Zorro]

I knew there was something damned peculiar about this thread. Over 200 posts, and nothing from TonyC, DoggyDaddy or Icebear! Now Tony has finally shown up, but where in the world are the other two usual suspects? It just ain't natural! I hope you guys are OK. Please check in.

 

[JRRRJ]

So you're saying that KLS does play like Sveta... (As a previous poster thought)

Although the quick release and no-need-to-set-your-feet shooting are very similar, the thing that brought Svet so strongly to mind while watching Katie Lou was the way a girl that tall can just slither through the lane on her way to the basket, untouched.

Seemed like magic then, looks like magic now.

 

[Godfather]

So who do you think will become the best player of this class ? (as per your last post, I assume you were talking about 2015) My personal picks are Williams in the 2014 class (providing, of course, that she fully recovers) and Collier in 2015. She is just a GREAT all around player.

Boykin has my vote as the sleeper no one is really talking about having watched her play since 8th grade

Question-have you seen any of them play?

 

[Zorro]

Capo; If you know a lot about Boykin's and mebbe Collier's games, I, for one, would be extremely appreciative if you would share the knowledge. Like, what are their particular strengths and what sort of roles do you expect to see them play in the Husky Show?

 

[DaddyChoc]

WOW Turn out the lights the party's over. Katie Lou We Love you. Thanks for becoming a UConn Husky. I had to be out early this morning but received text messages and emails telling me she had committed. I couldn't get to a computer until now. Am I excited. I'm bouncing off the walls, because now I know it's all over.

did she text message you herself?

 

[WBFan2004]

Today Mrs. Kibitzer and I observed our 35th wedding anniversary. And thanks, Katie Lou, for giving us something special to celebrate.

Happy Anniversary and many more!

 

[tonehill68]

Late to he game, but all I have to say is........wow. I can see a few more titles with these recruits. Welcome to the family KLS. Glad to have you here and I (like many others on here) cannot wait to see what you can do for this team.

 

[Buzzyboy]

When was the last time a player had STanford as a finalist and picked UConn?
There aren't many such cases.

It'd be nice to start a little trend, don't you think???? What a wonderful get for the Huskies and Geno. She wants to be the best and that is one of the reasons she wants to play under Mr. Auriemma! Not only a pretty talented young lady but also a pretty smart one!!! At least Geno will be able to coach one of the Samuelson girls and it appears he's going to be able to coach the most talented of the lot! What a monster class!

 

[Buzzyboy]

When people hang out with Kaleena, they become charmed and persuaded by her. Nice job!

You're right! I think Kaleena is close to being our best recruiter, with no slights meant for Shea and Chris and anyone else on the staff! She's really helped so much along the way! May it never end!

 

[Godfather]

Collier- 6'1" right hand dominate, solid body,crafty scorer, good rebounder,can score,high energy, more of a slasher, has a evolving midrange shot, good defender, kind of a 3/4 tweener
needs to add 3pt range, post up, ball-handling, off hand, and offense moves to shed defender, continue to get better at all aspect of the game

Boykin- 6'2" right hand dominate, uses left well, long body, versatile, good scorer, good rebounder, good defender, good ball handling skills for her size, uses either hand, can score from anywhere, high energy, good midrange, good 3pt shooter, can score with either hand in traffic, can post up on either side, unselfish can play 1 thru 5
Needs to add move offensive moves to shed defenders, continue to get better at all aspect of the game



These are notes that I have jotted down in my books
I've seen Boykin a lot more than I've seen Collier

 

[Buzzyboy]

I was thinking about that. A few thoughts come to mind. I'm not worried at all about keeping everyone happy or managing minutes for everyone. I mean no disrespect to any player who wants to come to UCONN, but first and foremost, UCONN is NOT about the individual accolades.

Geno generally recruits the kids who want to win (badly) and who want to do whatever it takes to win. That's why AA's like Bria say "I'm ok with coming off the bench if it will help us win a NC". And that's why kids don't come to UCONN expecting to lead the nation in scoring, or log 30+ minutes per game to achieve individual statistics. That means, to me, that the best players will generally start (Mo, Stewie, Bria, KML and Stef). Kids who also are talented, practice really well, and are just really good will earn minutes as subs (Stokes).

Players who practice really hard and continue to show improvement will get a chance to play (UCONN really had no one in that category). Kids who don't quite get it yet, or aren't up to being able to contribute in a meaningful way will struggle to get any real PT (Banks and Chong this year). Kids who feel they really want more PT in games and realize it won't ever happen at UCONN (Johnson, Engeln), or who have personal issues (Walker) may eventually transfer.

I'm not saying the last sentence will happen any time soon, but because UCONN is all about winning NC's, with players who are unselfish, have great chemistry, and are all about the team will thrive in Storrs. IMHO, Geno won't really have to do much to "keep everyone happy" because they understand what UCONN is all about and that's part of the reason they wanted to come to UCONN in the first place. The best players generally don't leave UCONN.

There's a reason the best college player possibly ever signed LOI on the hood of her car. Why UCONN commits don't have press conferences to announce, or make a big deal about making the choice. UCONN is not about fluff or frills. Don't get me wrong - once the practice facility is complete, UCONN will have the very best, state of the art, facilities to tempt recruits with. But UCONN is not all about "hey look at me". I believe that players who really want to play here get that. It's the most amazing thing that this kind of humility exists in so many kids who are the best of the best...

I think you are so right and the whole thing is that if you're ready to put in the time and effort, you are going to be the best you can be under the guidance of the best coaching staff in women's basketball. Anyone with a lot of talent who has aspirations to play in the WNBA increases the likelihood of that happening exponentially by coming to Storrs and they needn't log in 35 minutes a game and score 3,000 points to prove their worth. They prove it by learning to play unselfishly and in a team concept that helps make the team successful which is obviously one of the reasons there are so many UConn players that are currently playing in the WNBA and why coaches like Mike Thibault are prone to draft or trade for former Huskies!

 

[psconn]

Kibitzer said: ↑
Today Mrs. Kibitzer and I observed our 35th wedding anniversary. And thanks, Katie Lou, for giving us something special to celebrate.

Trying to catch up to you, Kib. Me and the Mrs. are 33 years come this Friday. Congratulations.

Just had my 34th last week... talk about "the land of steady habits"!!

 

[Godfather]

Capo; If you know a lot about Boykin's and mebbe Collier's games, I, for one, would be extremely appreciative if you would share the knowledge. Like, what are their particular strengths and what sort of roles do you expect to see them play in the Husky Show?

Not sure about the roles they will play but Boykin is closer to a Stewie then KLS and Collier but Geno will let them defined there roles in practice but he has a idea

 

[Vowelguy]

Collier- 6'1" right hand dominate, solid body,crafty scorer, good rebounder,can score,high energy, more of a slasher, has a evolving midrange shot, good defender, kind of a 3/4 tweener
needs to add 3pt range, post up, ball-handling, off hand, and offense moves to shed defender, continue to get better at all aspect of the game

Boykin- 6'2" right hand dominate, uses left well, long body, versatile, good scorer, good rebounder, good defender, good ball handling skills for her size, uses either hand, can score from anywhere, high energy, good midrange, good 3pt shooter, can score with either hand in traffic, can post up on either side, unselfish can play 1 thru 5
Needs to add move offensive moves to shed defenders, continue to get better at all aspect of the game

These are notes that I have jotted down in my books
I've seen Boykin a lot more than I've seen Collier

Thank you for your insights!

 

[Kibitzer]

Kibitzer said: ↑
Today Mrs. Kibitzer and I observed our 35th wedding anniversary. And thanks, Katie Lou, for giving us something special to celebrate.



Just had my 34th last week... talk about "the land of steady habits"!!

Maybe Lauren Cox will make your 35th special.

 

[rocky rococo]

The way things are going, we'll all get in touch with our inner Tonys.