Yes. She attended a practice. There was no offer then or later.
The fact that a good, even very good, player does not receive a UConn offer can be the result of a great many factors. No necessary reference to KG, but the decision is obviously based on the needs of the team in view of:
- what positions project to be unfilled or well-covered;
- the player's particular mix of talents and physical capabilities in relation to who else will be there;
- what other offers are outstanding, accepted, rejected, contemplated;
- intangible factors as perceived by the coaching staff and the existing players -- motivation toward UConn, attitude toward learning (focus on improving; "coachability" or "upside"); personality/leadership impressions (potential "good teammate"); and
- reviews by trusted high school/AAU sources.
In some cases, family members can be part of the impression.
The OP is conclusory, based on honors and enthusiasm down Maryland way, and reflects none of these operative considerations. It is also rather provocative, typically of the source though not as trollish as certain of his past efforts.
JS, you mentioned some salient and timely points, all of which must be taken into consideration before offering a scholarship to a recruit. When she announced that she committed to Maryland, someone asked her why she didn't commit to UConn.
"They never offered me a scholarship" she said.
You know the coaches huddle in Geno's office regularly, and thoroughly discuss all of the potential recruits, and how they each feel about said recruit's potential value to the program, and their probability of fitting into, and being a productive member of the team.
Just because a player is tall, has handles, and can shoot the lights out in high school, does not mean those attributes will carry over into college. Usually they do, but not always. The 6'4" and taller girls rarely play against someone as tall as them in high school, so they usually have their way on the block. If they're shooting jumpers on the perimeter, no one has been blocking their shots.
In Geno I trust. He knows what he is doing!! He knows what type of player he wants to bring into his program and work with. During his 30+ years in coaching, he's made enough errors in judgement (recruits) in the past, to have it down pat by now.
Geno knows the difference between pyrite (fool's gold), and a real "pure gold" nugget when he sees it, as does his staff. There were reasons UConn didn't offer her a scholarship. Reasons we probably will never know. UConn is not for everyone. As fans, we want ALL of the best players to come to Storrs, and the Huskies carry on and perpetuate their championship legacy.
You can't have 14 girls on the team that were #1 or #2 in their class. Not enough basketballs on the court during the game. Some girls are going to be starters, and play the majority of the minutes, and some have to be role players and come off the bench.
Sadie Edwards did not envision being a role player when she committed to UConn.
The combination of too many players that play the same position, who the coach is, where the school is, are their friends going there?, and other mitigating factors and circumstances, contribute heavily in determining where the recruit ultimately decides to go.
None of this is breaking news. Everyone here on the yard already knows this. So with that said, I leave you with the same thought that Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers imparted to the Packers fans recently........R-E-L-A-X.
Gabby's athleticism is nothing compared to our world-class conclusion jumpers.
