Geno on the recruiting trail

[cbraarj]

I am pretty sure I read an article after the 2014 Dual NC .That Uconn was the only school where both teams made a profit and the women were only about a million dollars behind the mens team.Also only womens team in the black in the country.I know I read it dont remember where.Anyone else see it?

 

[CocoHusky]

Coco and Slu. While I've got you two. Any news on the JC or Euro front or are these avenues pretty much dead for 2017 or 18?

Ditto to what Slu has already mentioned. Plus add in Lexi Gordon as a big Guard & Courtney will still be on the roster also. Megan Walker must be shaking her head is my real concern.

 

[meyers7]

I sometimes wonder if coaches make feints toward players they're not going to make offers to, just to get competitors to put more time into that recruitment and be soft elsewhere, or to hide true intentions, or to be able to flatter another recruit with: "I looked closely at "x", but I'd rather make an offer to you." I'm sure there's a lot of gaming that goes on, and we probably can't know much about how he builds his team until the offer is made and accepted. Even then, there are always moving parts.

Some coaches might, but I seriously doubt Geno (or any of the other major recruiters) waste time on kids they know they don't really want.

 

[CocoHusky]

I was surprised too. She reportedly has a scholarship offer from Uconn dating from late 2014.

Can you verify a UCONN offer to Coombs from 2014-that seems to be might early to me. Late 2014 UCONN was still working on the 2016 class.

 

[Blakeon18]

Watch one practicing...one in a game?

 

[Blakeon18]

I believe Norcross is Diamond's home town. I wonder if she knows Diamond...and whether she would ask her advice
as to where she should go...or perhaps as important....where not to go.

 

[Papa33]

No, they played at the same time, 125 miles apart.

Physics and normal standards of human behavior dictate that an individual cannot be in two places at one time. However, we're talking Geno here.

 

[jdubct]

Can you verify a UCONN offer to Coombs from 2014-that seems to be might early to me. Late 2014 UCONN was still working on the 2016 class.

Reported in a Georgia newspaper. Read the article a while ago, but am unable to cite the source. Also this reported offer is referred to in Husky Nan's recruiting page.

 

[Charliebball]

Any reason why UConn has had difficulty recruiting centers in the past few years? Seems like the best of the bigs have landed everywhere. Is it possible that centers aren't willing to put in the work it takes to satisfy such a demanding program? Or is Geno just not finding the kind of players that he is looking for?

 

[Mdoggie]

Any reason why UConn has had difficulty recruiting centers in the past few years? Seems like the best of the bigs have landed everywhere. Is it possible that centers aren't willing to put in the work it takes to satisfy such a demanding program? Or is Geno just not finding the kind of players that he is looking for?

Yes and yes

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I believe Norcross is Diamond's home town. I wonder if she knows Diamond...and whether she would ask her advice
as to where she should go...or perhaps as important....where not to go.

Yeah, DD would be a great source of advice on those subjects.

 

[JordyG]

Ditto to what Slu has already mentioned. Plus add in Lexi Gordon as a big Guard & Courtney will still be on the roster also. Megan Walker must be shaking her head is my real concern.

Yeah MW may be concerned. But she can play the 3, and play it well. However if the choice (please!) is MW or CW, I'll take Megan. Nevertheless, the real need now is that great young Jade from The Colony.

 

[JordyG]

Physics and normal standards of human behavior dictate that an individual cannot be in two places at one time. However, we're talking Geno here.

Geno the bifurcated human. Maybe SR or CD made a trip?

 

[UcMiami]

Any reason why UConn has had difficulty recruiting centers in the past few years? Seems like the best of the bigs have landed everywhere. Is it possible that centers aren't willing to put in the work it takes to satisfy such a demanding program? Or is Geno just not finding the kind of players that he is looking for?

There also just aren't that many really good centers - it has always been a limited quantity for both genders and at every level of the game. Doesn't help that Kim seems to be stockpiling them all at Baylor either!

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Geno the bifurcated human. Maybe SR or CD made a trip?

Does anyone know how the coaches divvy up recruits? Does an assistant coach get a region? Or a position to recruit for? Do all the coaches contact a prospect? Or just one assistant coach plus Coach Geno? Does one assistant coach take responsibility for watching and filming a recruit over time? Just curious.

 

[Orangutan]

Any reason why UConn has had difficulty recruiting centers in the past few years? Seems like the best of the bigs have landed everywhere. Is it possible that centers aren't willing to put in the work it takes to satisfy such a demanding program? Or is Geno just not finding the kind of players that he is looking for?

I agree with UcMiami. There aren't many really good centers. My guess is that UConn isn't having difficulty recruiting centers. Geno just doesn't recruit many centers because most centers can't play his brand of basketball.

There are plenty of big kids out there but not many who can actually play. You are better of with a 6'2 or 6'3 kid that is skilled than a 6'4 or 6'5 stiff. The ideal is to find the 6'4 or 6'5 kid that can play a la Dolson or Stewart. But those are exceedingly rare. 1 or 2 per class, if that.

 

[UcMiami]

Does anyone know how the coaches divvy up recruits? Does an assistant coach get a region? Or a position to recruit for? Do all the coaches contact a prospect? Or just one assistant coach plus Coach Geno? Does one assistant coach take responsibility for watching and filming a recruit over time? Just curious.

CD is in charge of the whole recruiting system at Uconn and divvies up the responsibilities to attend various viewing events. Depending on the size and the schedules two, three, or all four may attend the same event.
When one coach sees a new player of interest, they report it and someone else goes out to get a second opinion, and sometimes a third and a fourth.
Once a player goes from interesting to the first stage of recruiting, it really depends on a lot of different factors - CD and Marisa are more post oriented, Shea more guard oriented, but who has a better relationship with a HS or AAU coach, who has a personal connection to a region or a community or builds a rapport with the recruit or their parents in the initial contacts or whose schedule works well for the early local visits to the HS.
And once a player is really serious I suspect one of the four of them is identified as the primary contact.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Is Lindsey Jarosinski (2018) no longer on Connecticut's radar? By'er's also don't mention her. Seems well regarded. Am I missing something?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Does anyone know how the coaches divvy up recruits? Does an assistant coach get a region? Or a position to recruit for? Do all the coaches contact a prospect? Or just one assistant coach plus Coach Geno? Does one assistant coach take responsibility for watching and filming a recruit over time? Just curious.

Geno said this week that ideally they all see a recruit in action, (moving up the pecking order if possible-from earlier experience).

 

[Gabbyfan]

If I remember correctly from an earlier thread about the different coaches responsibilities, Shea,and and Marissa are front line scouts i.e. They do the initial scouting. Then CD confirms, with Geno doing the final looks and follow ups. This can all happen in one location if there is a tournament with multiple games being watched.

 

[Gabbyfan]

Molly Bent was discovered this way

 

[Charliebball]

Just did some quick research regarding 2016 centers rated in the top 30 by ESPN.......I know that Cox and Holmes were never leaving Texas but I have to wonder how Louisville has signed not one but two top 25 centers in Johnson (98) and Shook (98).

 

[CocoHusky]

Just did some quick research regarding 2016 centers rated in the top 30 by ESPN..I know that Cox and Holmes were never leaving Texas but I have to wonder how Louisville has signed not one but two top 25 centers in Johnson (98) and Shook (98).

How did you "know" this?

 

[Charliebball]

How did you "know" this?

I'll be happy to reword that "know" to "assumed"......I think it's fair to say that not too many Texans have left the state (with one wonderful exception and soon to be a second!!) but the essence of my thought was that there were other "highly rated" bigs that were recruited by Louisville and Maryland. I know nothing more about those players other then what I have read but all three were said to be hardworking, two way players with good skill sets. I guess we will never know whether UConn had no interest in them or visa versa.

 

[UcMiami]

I never worry about the players that uconn doesn't 'get in on' in terms of recruiting - I don't think between the coaches themselves and all their connections there are many players that could help that they are ignorant of. If they are not recruiting a player it is because there is something in the situation they do not like, or they got early and clear indications that the player had no interest in them.

A lot of people have this idea that coaches can change a recruits mind, but that is really rarely the case. if the player isn't wide open to the possibility of playing for a school, it is pretty hopeless.