Geno Calls Out Paige for Poor Play

[jonack]

So what's your opinion? But yes, all those things ... except you forgot Final Fours (almost is also important). However, as I've posted elsewhere here, many schools have closed the gap in many ways. So. Carolina, LSU, UCLA, USC, Stanford, Texas and others all offer top programs and maybe more NIL offers? They are all heavily competing for the top ranked high school players and transfer portals and overseas. The present question IS, does UConn have enough player personnel for a top ranked player to come to Storrs?

The biggest draw was Geno and championships… but that was a time when UConn had limited competition…Geno is probably on his way out, soon… and, unless we hit the jackpot via portal, no championships in sight.

 

[boontonbomber]

I think Paige is in a tough spot. She certainly doesn't appear to be having much fun, just doesn't look herself. People have commented, wondering if her knee or something is bothering her. If she is,especially if it's her knee, she could be worried about that knee long-term. And,of course, she's expected to carry this team. If she is playing thru pain and other stuff, she certainly doesn't need a public calling out. I think this is a very concerning situation. That said, she continues to be a warrior, hitting the floor many times on Sunday, either for loose balls, or put there by Texas players. That's the only way she knows how to play, and I hope she makes it thru without another injury.

 

[BobbyJ]

In recent history plenty of bigs(and other players) with lower ranking have been recruited to other programs and have developed and been better than what Geno has recruited. Geno is generally starting with top players many other coaches are not and are developng their players better. If Amari is never going to cut it pull her scholarship and recruit another player. Scholarships are year to year.

If you watched her in HS and think DeBerry was a top 15 talent coming out then you had her mixed up with another kid. And the vast majority of coaches, especially Auriemma, don't just pull scholarships for anything other than academic or disciplinary problems.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

If you watched her in HS and think DeBerry was a top 15 talent coming out then you had her mixed up with another kid. And the vast majority of coaches, especially Auriemma, don't just pull scholarships for anything other than academic or disciplinary problems.

I think it may well be that the only Geno firing of a player was a guard who thought she was above the rules. She ended up rather quickly with Vic Shaffer at Mississippi State. Can't recall the name. She's dead to me.

 

[BobbyJ]

I think it may well be that the only Geno firing of a player was a guard who thought she was above the rules. She ended up rather quickly with Vic Shaffer at Mississippi State. Can't recall the name. She's dead to me.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter from Ossining, NY. She's listed on MS State's roster for 2018-19 but has been erased from the UConn site's roster for 2017-18. However, Wikipedia shows her for that year.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Tuck has her name on the wall. Kind of hard to call anyone up there overrated, don't you think?

Tuck, when healthy, was an excellent college player. It's important to remember that she had explosive skills before her first injury and was actually ranked #1 in her class--ahead of Stewie. As a 9th grader, Morgan looked to be All-World.

 

[Florida Fan]

The reporter asked a question about Paige that I couldn't quite hear. Geno said...

"Paige...<pause>... um... I dunno. Maybe she's still rusty you know - maybe she's just not in game mode because she hasn't played in so long. Ah... I thought she was lousy today. Quite honestly, I thought she was BAD <emphasized the word>. And um... uh... I told her that. You know, Paige isn't good when it takes 7 dribbles to get her shot off. Paige isn't good when she's gotta take on guys 1 against 2... 1 against 3... going in the lane, you know. Forcing things hoping to get to the free throw line. That's not her game. That's not who she is. So, yeah, I'm chalking it up to she's still rusty. But yeah... no.... no she was not good."

 

[Florida Fan]

Geno: "Uh Paige, I'm gonna try to light a fire under these guys by coming down hard on you." It's a little gamesmanship, you know? Nothin personal. Worked with Tina and Stewie. I know nobody was open to get a pass from you and you were triple teamed and the clock was running out. And they weren't comfortable shooting in a tense environment. So what was left.?" Dribble or die.

 

[willtalk]

Tuck was never the same after her injury in high school. She was a total beast in high school but due to injuries became highly over rated and over drafted. Conneticut made a big error drafting her. They had two first rounders and could have drafted their top pick and still kept Chelsea Gray instead of trading her for Jonquel Jones They could have used the pick they used on Tuck for Jones. Who never fully recovered.

To begin with, in the beginning of this thread I pointed out that a major part of UConns appeal came from the success that it players had in the WNBA. My mention of Tuck was basically in that context. Notice my statement of her being over rated was directly followed with " Over drafted". Lets not forget that those statements were even prefaced by " due to her injuries ".

She was the third pick in the draft after her teammates Jefferson and Stewart. Her best season was her first and her production tailed off every year, more than likely also to her injury issues. She was over rated and over drafted due to her injury history. The sun used their second pick on a guard and then traded Chelsea Gray for the 6th pick to get Jonquel Jones, a really smart move, except they could have kept Gray had they used the pick for Tuck for Jonquel.

I used to follow girls high school basketaball extensively. This is why I say Tuck was never the same after her injury in highschool. She was absolutely dominating in the post. Although she was still very good, she never recovered her previous form.

As to her career at UConn, it was certaintly helped by having Jefferson and Stewart on her team. I seriously doubt she could have been the focal point of a very good college team. That team was one of the best in UConns history and she basically played a supporting role. Stewart and Jefferson were drafted 1&2 ahead of her. Her career numbers for UConn were 11.3 pts and 4.7 Rbs a game. Those don't jump out at you exactly. He numbers in the WNBA speak to her actual abilities. She was a player who basically hung on to a roster spot for the time she was there. The fact that she was a Husky helped in that regard playing for the Sun. Thats probably why she was also drafted so high.

 

[UConnCat]

I’m one of the silly ones who opened up this thread thinking I’d read something new about Paige. Nope. Paragraph after paragraph about Morgan Tuck. I fear there’s a Christyn Williams post coming.