Haley Jones to Stanford

[mbr33ct]

Well, Geno and Co. only landed the #1 recruit in 3 of the last 4 years. So...I dunno. We might be Vanderbilt in 2 years.

(sarcasm alert) Anyhow, isn't it about time UConn starts to share the wealth they had for the past 23 years? (sarcasm alert)

 

[BroadwayVa]

Geno needs to give Coombs and ONO the bulk of the non-starting minutes. Let them play through whatever dumb stuff that young players do on the court. I would include Batouly in that mix, but she reminds me a bit of Doty where her body is trying to tell her to hang 'em up, so I won't be surprised if she retires from basketball at the end of the season.

I agree with you. Coombs, ONO, Touly all need more PT with the big guys for chemistry and honing their game.

 

[j66kicker]

The question was not about standards those are set by MAN. The question was about the intellect of the players choosing Uconn.
Is it not possible (of this I'm certain) that players choose Uconn for a multitude of factors other than name recognition or academic difficulty at Stanford or Harvard, MIT etc.
The other certainty is that ALL those that choose to play at Stanford are not there for the academics.
Selecting a school has to do with many factors. Stanford like Harvard, Yale, is not for everyone, even those that are academically qualified.
A Uconn grad as a Stanford grad depending on the Major in those academics will succeed. Name recognition gets you in the door to stay there depends what was impressed into the brains of the academians and the application thereof. This assumption should be dismissed by the transfer of Asura or Ms Hunter both of whom transferred TO Uconn from Duke after tasting the food there.

It is more than insulting to believe those that chose Uconn are either academically or intellectually inferior than ANY other school.

I think Geno chooses smart players and eliminates those potential recruits he doesn't feel have the intellect to grasp the version of basketball he wants them to play. Our players always seem to to be very articulate, on average moreso than players from other state universities.

I do feel the Stanford/Duke/Ivy League schools really do offer a higher quality education, way beyond just "name recognition." There is a valid reason that name gets you in the door - they have higher admission standards and they do more with that superior raw material once it gets there. On the other hand I don't see what it matters if you're majoring in basketball.

 

[HuskyNan]

Hey JordyG, what is your profile picture of? What movie?

If you want to get a posters attention, other than quoting him, you can tag him with the @ and his handle.

@Crazyhorse

 

[CocoHusky]

The top five players all went to different schools. It could have been much worse.

Exactly! This is not quite the doomsday scenario that many predicted or the @TitleTown like scenario where everyone ended up at ND.

 

[Shades]

With the investigations of the last decade into the use of the SATs that's hardly a reference. But if you choose to believe Uconn kids are inferior intellectually that is your choice.

I was just asking a question. I was hoping somebody knew the answer.

 

[BroadwayVa]

That's easy: Yes.

Or have applied themselves less in the classroom? Yes. UConn's admission standards are lower, and there are many (most?) UConn athletes who did not meet the Stanford/Duke/Harvard admission standards.

To you and Shades I owe an apology for being so defensive of Uconn and Uconn Women BB players specifically. I spent my formative years at Uconn and those students were as capable as any of those I met later in life in other institutions. Many had outstanding careers. Yes, I'm defensive. Sorry only that I came on too strong in that defense.
I have children that were all academically successful and met the standards of Harard, MIT, Stanford, (none applied to Duke) and yes one State Dept officer analyst who speaks 5 languages is a Middle East analyst that graduated from UConn.

Again, my apology for being too defensively aggressive for my uconn kids

"Shades, post: 2935150, member: 6101"]Doesn’t Stanford have a higher SAT standard, or do they ignore that for athletes?[/QUOTE] See above, my apology

 

[BroadwayVa]

Exactly! This is not quite the doomsday scenario that many predicted or the @TitleTown like scenario where everyone ended up at ND.

Much too early for gloom and doom; however, it is what it is. Geno gets to live with it.

 

[intlzncster]

This may have been discussed ad nauseum (haven't read the whole thread), but Geno really needs to expand his recruiting profile. The really is, other schools are far more competitive draws than they used to be. A lot more options for kids.

If he doesn't expand, he's gonna be looking at thin classes more regularly than not. He'll still land studs, because he's Geno, but you gotta adapt and change with the times. All great coaches do, see Bill Belichick for example.

They really missed out on a few kids I would have loved the last few years. Ogunbowale comes to mind. Really toughminded, ballsy kids. Taurasi mentality. Maybe a little selfish, but could be taught to play within the team structure.

Also, we recruit a lot of really nice kids, but I'd love to see some mean streaks.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I think Geno chooses smart players and eliminates those potential recruits he doesn't feel have the intellect to grasp the version of basketball he wants them to play. Our players always seem to to be very articulate, on average moreso than players from other state universities.

I do feel the Stanford/Duke/Ivy League schools really do offer a higher quality education, way beyond just "name recognition." There is a valid reason that name gets you in the door - they have higher admission standards and they do more with that superior raw material once it gets there. On the other hand I don't see what it matters if you're majoring in basketball.

Aye, there is the rub! What does it matter if you are majoring in Basketball. Christine does the prep for the media and instructs them in what to say and not and why not. That is the main reason for the no posting during the season, no distractions, on the why nots.

 

[willtalk]

You are exactly right, and that's exactly how it should be. But, at times, its curious when these college bound stars are quoted as to the "why" of their choice. Take the top two recruits, Haley Jones, and Jordan Horston. In Haley's words: "It will be great to be a part of a program that is always up there competing for national championships," Always competing for National Chamionships? When was the last time they were in the Championship game? According to Horston, “I also want a coach that knows how to push me and help me become a better player. I’m always just trying to work on everything, but I don’t want to be the same player in college I want to get better.” And, she chose Tennessee and Warlick?------------------------------------------------------

The players that used to make these quotes generally ended up committing to UConn in the past. What happened and what is the difference between then and now? Has the Uconn program changed? Have other programs suddenly gotten that much better? Tara is who she always was. What has changed is the attitude and types of players coming out of high school. Stevens was the poster child for this.

The Uconn program was pretty much considered the top program in the USA for any player who wanted to excel at the next level. Why. Because the program demanded the best effort out of their players. It pushed them to be the best they could be. To do that they had to buy into the program. That was an important criteria for " Uconn's type of player". Geno used to get the cream of the crop from that type. Uconn demanded a serious commitment from the selected group. That group has gotten progressively smaller in time. The dynamics of the type of player coming out of highs school has changed. Few are willing to make a commitment to a Spartan like program when they see lesser options also being successful.

Stevens is the poster child for this change in dynamics. Does anyone not believe she would have become a much better player has she stayed at Uconn for her last year? Does anyone believe that her staying in the program for that year was not what Geno had planned for her? He was shocked that she decided to leave early. They types of players he usually had in his program were there to develop to their full potential and that required a higher level of commitment.

Now it was Stevens right to make the choice to leave early. She knew she would get drafted and be successful in the WNBA. She decided that any level of improvement she would have made staying was not worth the commitment required of her. Every choice has a trade off. More players in the past used to believe the trade off to committing to the programs was worth it. And even then it is not like it was ever the only option to success in the Professional ranks.

Not only has the personality type changed, but the level of development of the recruits also has. Most of these players have put int extensive year round time with private developmental coaches and AAU teams. There are fewer openings for athletic raw diamonds in the rough that make huge advances in college. Just compare the skill level grades of the recruits. I distinctly remember in 2008 a 92 might get you into the top ten. Now it won't get you into the top 150. Players skill levels have advance exponentially. What transpires in college in respect to individual development generally is more on the level of fine tuning. individual skills but basically dealing with the process of integrating the individual skills into the whole orr team. What a program like Uconn offers, while still valuable, is not the same as it once was so the trade off seems less desirable to todays players because players are less about team. WBB seems to have followed the men in that area.

Bottom line, for players to get the most of a program like Uconns, ( this is true with all programs ) it requires for players to buy in to it. Not as many players are willing to do so today.

 

[TitleTown]

Exactly! This is not quite the doomsday scenario that many predicted or the @TitleTown like scenario where everyone ended up at ND.

I didn't say everyone would end up at ND! I said Boston(which I have already admitted I was wrong) Bueckers, and Fudd would end up at ND, and Jones would go to Stanford.

 

[BroadwayVa]

This may have been discussed ad nauseum (haven't read the whole thread), but Geno really needs to expand his recruiting profile. The really is, other schools are far more competitive draws than they used to be. A lot more options for kids.

If he doesn't expand, he's gonna be looking at thin classes more regularly than not. He'll still land studs, because he's Geno, but you gotta adapt and change with the times. All great coaches do, see Bill Belichick for example.

They really missed out on a few kids I would have loved the last few years. Ogunbowale comes to mind. Really toughminded, ballsy kids. Taurasi mentality. Maybe a little selfish, but could be taught to play within the team structure.

Also, we recruit a lot of really nice kids, but I'd love to see some mean streaks.

Geno is selective i.e. kids must meet his personal and ability standards. However, Geno is VISIBLE in AAU game/tourneys, at high schools, anywhere girls are playing--he is visible. Shea, Jasmine (I think), Christine are all out there showing the Uconn flag. He is not resting on his successes. Only Geno's family and those who work with him know how much time he is traveling to recruit.
Recruiting is a 2 way street, it's a marriage, and everyone doesn't want to marry everyone and the reason has filled millions of volumes.

 

[TitleTown]

Exactly, which is why you will get no credit for your first and only correct recruiting prediction. Shooting fish in a barrel doesn't earn prizes around here.

You need to go check the scoreboard if you think Jones was my first and only accurate prediction.

 

[intlzncster]

Geno is selective i.e. kids must meet his personal and ability standards. However, Geno is VISIBLE in AAU game/tourneys, at high schools, anywhere girls are playing--he is visible. Shea, Jasmine (I think), Christine are all out there showing the Uconn flag. He is not resting on his successes. Only Geno's family and those who work with him know how much time he is traveling to recruit.
Recruiting is a 2 way street, it's a marriage, and everyone doesn't want to marry everyone and the reason has filled millions of volumes.

I get it. I get his style. But the game has changed in the last 5 years. Where their used to be 2-3 schools as his real competition, there's now 5-8 (made up numbers but you get the point). More schools vying for the same kids = less available pool of kids = need to expand recruiting profile.

 

[CompSci87]

This is the first time I’ve ever heard it suggested Bueckers would go to Stanford. Why do you think that would be the case?

Stanford is recruiting her, at least. Here's a recent list of Stanford recruiting targets from a knowledgeable fan: Women's Basketball Updated Recruiting, Oct 28

 

[CocoHusky]

I didn't say everyone would end up at ND! I said Boston(which I have already admitted I was wrong) Bueckers, and Fudd would end up at ND, and Jones would go to Stanford.

Right so notice I said :a @TitleTown like scenario. Paige and Azzi have not committed yet so it is not possible verify your specific scenario. A senario "like" yours would have Boston & Jones joining Brunelle at ND or even Jones joining Boston at SC or UCONN.

 

[HuskyNan]

I get it. I get his style. But the game has changed in the last 5 years. Where their used to be 2-3 schools as his real competition, there's now 5-8 (made up numbers but you get the point). More schools vying for the same kids = less available pool of kids = need to expand recruiting profile.

I’m sure there’s been a lot of negative recruiting that Geno won’t be coaching much longer and it doesn’t help he’s been mulling possible retirement openly.

 

[intlzncster]

I’m sure there’s been a lot of negative recruiting that Geno won’t be coaching much longer and it doesn’t help he’s been mulling possible retirement openly.

That's very true. Happened to JC as well. It's tough to combat this unless you have an openly named 'Head Coach in waiting', but I'm not sure Geno is ready to do that...or if Benedict would even acquiesce, given how the Ollie situation turned out.

 

[willtalk]

.
l just think only a few programs offer a "Masters" degree in WCBB to elevate their game. ND, UConn for sure. Even mighty Baylor is questionable now. How much has Lauren Cox really developed? Is she held back by Kalani Brown, is it coaching, is it personal drive? Dawn has coached 1 player so the jury is still out on her.
All said, I can absolutely understand and respect this choice but do not wholly agree with it. Maybe she will evolve her game and stay as top dog. Best of luck to her.

Perhaps some of both. How much of the success at UConn was because of coaching and how much was it because the players that would commit to the program were already weeded out to exclude any that did not have a large amount of drive. Players tend to set a major part to the limits to their potential by their own level of commitment. There are variable factors that contribute to the fulfillment of potential in an individual. Those would include physical potential, health, desire along with opportunity and development. The first three listed need to exist for the last two to be of any use.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I’m sure there’s been a lot of negative recruiting that Geno won’t be coaching much longer and it doesn’t help he’s been mulling possible retirement openly.

You think coaches are saying this? Especially when Tara is older than Geno and Muffet is just a couple years younger. I was wondering what it would be like to be a fly on the wall during a recruit's visit. Geno lets the recruits look at all the banners and trophies, and basically says this is what we have to offer, take it or leave it. Perhaps that approach isn't enough anymore.

 

[hjoerring]

Finally! Now we can move onward to the current team/season. And, we can save all talks regarding the 2020 and 2021 classes for season end (not even looking forward to that).

 

[CocoHusky]

You think coaches are saying this? Especially when Tara is older than Geno and Muffet is just a couple years younger. I was wondering what it would be like to be a fly on the wall during a recruit's visit. Geno lets the recruits look at all the banners and trophies, and basically says this is what we have to offer, take it or leave it. Perhaps that approach isn't enough anymore.

That was never the approach, let's move on.

 

[hoopsfan22]

That was never the approach, let's move on.

How do you know? Were you recruited by him?

 

[CocoHusky]

How do you know? Were you recruited by him?

I"m a dude so no I was not recruited to UCONN by Geno. I did play for him in high school though and have sat in on 3 of his recruiting visits by AAU or HS teammates of my daughters.