Geno is not Muffet

[JS]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Laura Harper signed a letter of intent before changing her mind and signing with Maryland

I'll correct you, as requested.

Laura Harper gave a verbal commitment to UConn over a dinner with Jamelle Elliott. She never signed a letter of intent.

To that point Laura and her mother had handled the recruiting process. Then her father Haviland Harper, who didn't live with them, entered the picture in a big way and reportedly pushed for Maryland.

I remember to this day Wonkster's immortal if somewhat tangential reaction: "Haviland Harper Has a Hide Like a Hippo."

 

[PhillyCoach]

Sometime in late Feb. Muffett was interviewed on TV and made an off-handed comment that this has been a long season and was draining. IMO there were some strained relationships (players, coaches) with Reimer being the most obvious one. Some possibilities--LLoyd was honest about staying and then changed her mind--but did not want Muffettt or anyone else trying to "convince her to stay."
From Lloyd's perspective she was feeling the heavy pressure. She did not come through for the second final in a row. It was getting old and next years climb seemed overwhelming. She had enough. Also, college athletes are under the thumb of coaches and administrators. Curfews, no twitter, required study hall, etc. All this plus not counting all the training, lifting, and film study; above and beyond the practices and travel. Getting big $$ for a scholarship doesn't cover the pressure, stress, and EXTRA work a student athlete has to endure. IMHO Jewel had enough and wanted out. She wanted freedom to do other things, go when and wherever, stay out late, be with others, etc. Money is obviously part of the picture, but only part of it.
My younger son was in his 3rd year at Penn State and I mentioned that he would probably do the 5 year college thing like his older brother. You know, get that one year more of FUN. I was surprised when he shot back at me--no way, I want to get out and move on. I think Jewel had enough of ND, the pressure, and controlled environment. But what do I know.

 

[EricLA]

Thanks for the clarifications from JS and Rady. I knew I remembered basics, but not necessarily the specifics. I did find the article where Geno commented on Sherwood and Robinson after they transferred:

'`We knew Liz was lazy,'' Auriemma said. ``Everybody knew. But everyone knew she had potential, too. What you're hoping is you can get her there and change her, make her do some things she hasn't done up to that point. And it didn't work out. But you take a chance.

``We thought once we got Kiana here, we [could] get her to do the things we needed her to do. But she didn't.''

``That doesn't mean the players that don't make it here or don't want to come here are bad kids or bad players or we're making mistakes. The bottom line is, the kid's got to do what you ask her to do. If she doesn't ... this program's not for everybody.''

Anyway I did not mean to derail the thread, but wanted to point out that the OP is correct - Geno is not Muffet, but he's certainly said equally eye-brow raising things. Geno may be God, but he's not a saint...

 

[Buzzyboy]

I am still not convinced, all this time later, that EDD was a "homesick teenager". She wasn't here long enough, IMO. My understanding is that there was a pick up game, & one of the players told her that in order to be UCONN material, EDD was gonna have to work a lot harder. She packed some stuff in the middle of the night & left without a word to anyone. She didn't go home for a week after she left campus & didn't contact the coaching staff or her teammates, eventhough she & Caroline Doty planned to attend college together since they were little kids. When she came back to UCONN to get the rest of her things, again, it was done in the middle of the night & without a word.

Loyd gave her best to the ND program for 3 years. To compare her to EDD in any way shape or form is insane!

I think the thing that hurt most with EDD was the fact that she never played for UConn and yet her accepting a scholarship to come to UConn changed the way they recruited from the time of her agreement. UConn adjusted their recruiting based on that and when she changed her mind, UConn had already shut the door on other players who they might have offered if EDD hadn't accepted a scholarship. It was too late for them to get back in with these players as they had already accepted offers elsewhere and so their recruiting class was weakened by her decision. With Loyd, Notre Dame got use of her services and her exceptional ability for 3 years so it's a completely different scenario.

 

[UcMiami]

Anything is possible, Coco, but again (this is only my opinion), she was only on campus for a day & a half. If homesickness was indeed her issue, why not discuss it with her close friend, Caroline? Why steal off in the middle of the night without a word to anyone? Why not go home immediately? These are the questions I have been mulling over for almost 5 years now. I remember being 18-19 years old & convinced that I knew everything about everything. Maybe Geno's right in that regard...who knows what goes on in a young woman's brain sometimes?

EDD was in a unique situation with her sister and I think this has to be remembered - she could only communicate when physically present and was used to doing so on a daily basis. That is different from pretty much everyone else who at least can communicate by phone and now through various other electronic media including streaming video. I think one night in EDD's situation could be enough to create an absolute panic situation. I am willing to accept that as her reason, others can choose different interpretations.

 

[UcMiami]

Buzzboy - but to follow through, I am sure Muffet expected Jewel next year, and adjusted her recruiting over the past few years with that thought in mind. And the fact Jewel was on the team and assumed to be there through 2016 may have turned some recruits away from considering sitting behind her for one or two years.

And Jewel's leaving doesn't just effect Muffet, but also her teammates. How much does Jewel owe to them?
Someone touched on this above, but i just wanted to point out a discussion that was held on this board where a few people felt Courtney's decision to be home schooled her senior year was leaving her teammates in the lurch. I didn't agree then, and don't think it has much bearing now either, but I would guess some of her teammates would feel she was abandoning them - others may be looking forward to more playing time .

 

[2Husky]

It's true that players committing can alter recruiting strategies so that backing out hurts the team later, but so can injuries. At least if a player leaves they won't be taking up a scholarship like they would if they were injured and sitting on the bench, so someone else can potentially be brought in. Coaches get paid (a lot) to adapt to changing teams, so I'm not going to feel sorry for them.

 

[BigBird]

I don't think the anger or negative comments about the player or the decision should ever be vented publicly, but as to justification for feeling ill used, I think it depends on what the school did in reliance on the player's word that she was coming/staying... If Loyd said one thing one week and another a couple of weeks later, it seems much less likely that irreversible decisions were made in the interim in reliance on her earlier position.

Agreed. This is why I sometimes wonder about the recruit who is fairly sure where she wants to go, but delays communication with her chosen coach until some set date later. Not knowing what school to choose is entirely understandable. Jerking people around just because you can though, is another matter. More a MBB symptom than a WBB one?