Haley Jones to Stanford

[CocoHusky]

The team's schedule most likely has very little to do with recruiting. If that were the case, Geno wouldn't get any top players because UConn plays in such a crappy league. I'm sure you'd like to ding Stanford for having the temerity to land a player Geno wanted but the schedule thing makes no sense.

At the very end of this video clip Haley speaks about playing in the Pac 12 and being challenged night in and night out. I didn't buy that being in a lousy conference was having an impact on recruiting either until I heard it from her own lips.

 

[HuskyNan]

At the very end of this video clip Haley speaks about playing in the Pac 12 and being challenged night in and night out. I didn't buy that being in a lousy conference was having an impact on recruiting either until I heard it from her own lips.

Maybe the young woman was being tactful, too. We'll never really know for sure but either supposition would be a refutation of the idea that Stanford's leaving UConn off future schedules was important.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Well, I'm not a coaching genius, so I can't specify exactly, nor can I tell you how to go about it, but Geno is! What I'm trying to get at is:

• go after girls who might not fit his prototype exactly.
• what this would involve his coaching kids up in a way that molded them into classic UCONN players.
• I'm having difficulty coming up with an example, but randomly take Angel McCoughtry. She was dubbed as a hot head, selfish type player when she first broke onto the scene at Louisville. So maybe, take a look at some of this type of player, with the expectation and mindset that you could mold them and coach them up. There would be some failures, and it might be a bit more work, but there could be significant dividends.
• Idk the exact story, but I recall UCONN backing off of Ogunbowale I think. Rumor has it that it had something to do with selfishness and or attitude--I could be completely wrong here, or thinking of someone else though. And this was a huge mistake. She's a player with guts/balls and is a winner, to go along with her great skills. Of anyone in the country, I might want her most*.
• UCONN seems to focus a lot on 'nice' girls. I want mean and nasty ones. Give me more Taurasi's. Some of those nice girls have preternatural skills, so it's no worry (Maya). But unless they are world beaters, it makes things more difficult.

*I'm more than happy with Dangerfield, probably my favorite on the team, but if they could have gotten both....wow.

Willtalke: Angel is a perfect example of a coach using the right approach to adjust a players attitude. Geno is a tough master and she adored playing for him in USA BB.

Geno wants confident (I call it BIG EGO) women but they must be willing to have their game adjusted to fit his style. That does not always go hand in hand. CW and DT are prime examples of Geno's successes. Svetlana was another, I just enjoyed her game.
No facts: But I don't think Muffet, Vic, Dawn, make any changes to the style of play of any of the high-level recruits.
Nice girls? Shea wasn't a "nice" girl as tough as nails; I called her the enforcer. Tina, Steff, and maybe a dozen others, off the floor nice ; on the floor, they played for blood.
Yet I get your point. Some of those that chose Louisville, USC, ND I believe would have worked well with Geno.
Geno, in my less than knowledgeable opinion, recruits too many Englen's, Johnsons (not Kenetra), some currently on the team. He needs practice players sure--but they should have comparable talent. It is a waste of effort and space to have 3 or 4 that can't really help in big games. If he is only going to play 8 why have 3 or 4 who only see clean up time? Usually, those beyond 8 are NEVER going to make the starting 8. I understand the Connecticut kid that rarely gets in a game, she represents CT.

This is just my uneducated view; I would like to have someone give me a logical explanation of why he recruits players everyone soon finds out will spend their Uconn life watching games from the bench?

 

[BroadwayVa]

Well, I'm not a coaching genius, so I can't specify exactly, nor can I tell you how to go about it, but Geno is! What I'm trying to get at is:

• go after girls who might not fit his prototype exactly.
• what this would involve his coaching kids up in a way that molded them into classic UCONN players.
• I'm having difficulty coming up with an example, but randomly take Angel McCoughtry. She was dubbed as a hot head, selfish type player when she first broke onto the scene at Louisville. So maybe, take a look at some of this type of player, with the expectation and mindset that you could mold them and coach them up. There would be some failures, and it might be a bit more work, but there could be significant dividends.
• Idk the exact story, but I recall UCONN backing off of Ogunbowale I think. Rumor has it that it had something to do with selfishness and or attitude--I could be completely wrong here, or thinking of someone else though. And this was a huge mistake. She's a player with guts/balls and is a winner, to go along with her great skills. Of anyone in the country, I might want her most*.
• UCONN seems to focus a lot on 'nice' girls. I want mean and nasty ones. Give me more Taurasi's. Some of those nice girls have preternatural skills, so it's no worry (Maya). But unless they are world beaters, it makes things more difficult.

*I'm more than happy with Dangerfield, probably my favorite on the team, but if they could have gotten both....wow.[/QUOT

OOPs, INTIZ--not WillTalke, apology, to both. My reply was to this posting.

 

[ABCDFE]

Does anyone know how often Hoopgurlz gets updated for each class? I'm wondering where A. Griffen could end up before she joins Uconn

 

[HuskyNan]

Does anyone know how often Hoopgurlz gets updated for each class? I'm wondering where A. Griffen could end up before she joins Uconn

The answer to your question is "periodically".

As for Aubrey's ranking, I wouldn't worry too much about it either way. The people that rank the players are human beings making subjective judgments. If it's multiple people doing the ranking, it's possible that not all of them have seen all the players, making the rankings that much more subjective. And if it's one person, they may not have seen all the players multiple times meaning that they could be making judgements on a bad game or two. I still feel it's goofy to rank a center vs a point guard because the skills required are so different that rating one of them higher than the other is kind of nonsensical. So, take ranking with a grain of salt.

Besides, it's not the rank of the player that's most important, it's what she brings to the team and how well she fits in with it. If a kid is highly ranked but is a prima donna or has a bossy, interfering parent, Geno won't go near her with a ten foot pole. I am NOT saying any of the young women in the rankings are that way ( I don't personally know a single one of them); I'm just saying that a ranking isn't "all that" when it comes to players we want at UConn.

 

[CocoHusky]

Does anyone know how often Hoopgurlz gets updated for each class? I'm wondering where A. Griffen could end up before she joins Uconn

Wouldn't expect the Hoopgurlz 2019 ranking to change much if at all. All the players in the class are signed. Aubrey Griffin BTW.

 

[Undercovervol]

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.

Sorry, but I’m sick and tired of these types of posts.
What exactly are you implying about Stevens? That she somehow is a lesser person because she didn’t honor YOUR idea of what commitment is? Let’s just discuss that first. Stevens transferred to UCONN as a Junior. She set the bench for a whole year while practicing with the team and helping UCONN get BETTER. Then her senior season she played, and she was a great offensive player for UCONN with some defensive liability. She definitely improved at UCONN, but she still wasn’t a starter as a senior. Then she declares for the WNBA because she’s old enough and because that’s the next step in becoming a better player! This idea that Stevens can’t improve just as much as a professional is frankly ridiculous. How can a player not become better when basketball becomes THEIR CAREER? And, the idea that she somehow betrayed Geno and UCONN is so ridiculous. Geno took Stevens as a junior! He knew she could declare after graduating! How is that a character indictment against her?
Then, let’s consider the fact that every year in college is a wasted earning year for professional atheletes. Stevens should do what’s best for HER. It’s her life, her skills, her talent, her effort, and her money she earns. Especially when considering female atheletes, who don’t get the compensation they deserve, heck yeah Azura should take advantage of every possible earning year she can get. You’re the selfish one for thinking that a player should submit to program or coach. You sound entitled.
Then let’s consider that Stevens didn’t even get the playing time she would have at other programs, playing time she may have arguably deserved.

 

[HuskyNan]

Sorry, but I’m sick and tired of these types of posts.
What exactly are you implying about Stevens? That she somehow is a lesser person because she didn’t honor YOUR idea of what commitment is? Let’s just discuss that first. Stevens transferred to UCONN as a Junior. She set the bench for a whole year while practicing with the team and helping UCONN get BETTER. Then her senior season she played, and she was a great offensive player for UCONN with some defensive liability. She definitely improved at UCONN, but she still wasn’t a starter as a senior. Then she declares for the WNBA because she’s old enough and because that’s the next step in becoming a better player! This idea that Stevens can’t improve just as much as a professional is frankly ridiculous. How can a player not become better when basketball becomes THEIR CAREER? And, the idea that she somehow betrayed Geno and UCONN is so ridiculous. Geno took Stevens as a junior! He knew she could declare after graduating! How is that a character indictment against her?

I hope you remember this is a UConn fan board. We tend to be a bit biased towards our team here. Best not to get annoyed with people for doing so.

 

[ABCDFE]

The answer to your question is "periodically".

As for Aubrey's ranking, I wouldn't worry too much about it either way. The people that rank the players are human beings making subjective judgments. If it's multiple people doing the ranking, it's possible that not all of them have seen all the players, making the rankings that much more subjective. And if it's one person, they may not have seen all the players multiple times meaning that they could be making judgements on a bad game or two. I still feel it's goofy to rank a center vs a point guard because the skills required are so different that rating one of them higher than the other is kind of nonsensical. So, take ranking with a grain of salt.

Besides, it's not the rank of the player that's most important, it's what she brings to the team and how well she fits in with it. If a kid is highly ranked but is a prima donna or has a bossy, interfering parent, Geno won't go near her with a ten foot pole. I am NOT saying any of the young women in the rankings are that way ( I don't personally know a single one of them); I'm just saying that a ranking isn't "all that" when it comes to players we want at UConn.

Great points. I was just wondering because in terms of how many BY posters have been upset we haven't secured a recruit in the top 30 this year. My contention would be that because of her injury and how well she could play this year in her final season at HS she would potentially end up at a higher (more commensurate ranking to her ability) ranking before she joins UConn.

 

[HuskyNan]

Great points. I was just wondering because in terms of how many BY posters have been upset we haven't secured a recruit in the top 30 this year. My contention would be that because of her injury and how well she could play this year in her final season at HS she would potentially end up at a higher (more commensurate ranking to her ability) ranking before she joins UConn.

It wouldn't be surprising. Players that commit to top programs can see their rankings rise. As I said, it's human beings that make the lists; they may think they missed something if a lower ranked girl commits to UConn, ND, etc. Totally subjective. Jessica Moore was one of these people, Heather Buck was another. Can't think of any others off the top of my head.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Sorry, but I’m sick and tired of these types of posts.
What exactly are you implying about Stevens? That she somehow is a lesser person because she didn’t honor YOUR idea of what commitment is? Let’s just discuss that first. Stevens transferred to UCONN as a Junior. She set the bench for a whole year while practicing with the team and helping UCONN get BETTER. Then her senior season she played, and she was a great offensive player for UCONN with some defensive liability. She definitely improved at UCONN, but she still wasn’t a starter as a senior. Then she declares for the WNBA because she’s old enough and because that’s the next step in becoming a better player! This idea that Stevens can’t improve just as much as a professional is frankly ridiculous. How can a player not become better when basketball becomes THEIR CAREER? And, the idea that she somehow betrayed Geno and UCONN is so ridiculous. Geno took Stevens as a junior! He knew she could declare after graduating! How is that a character indictment against her?
Then, let’s consider the fact that every year in college is a wasted earning year for professional atheletes. Stevens should do what’s best for HER. It’s her life, her skills, her talent, her effort, and her money she earns. Especially when considering female atheletes, who don’t get the compensation they deserve, heck yeah Azura should take advantage of every possible earning year she can get. You’re the selfish one for thinking that a player should submit to program or coach.

Last year Azura was not better than any of the starters (Crystal Dangerfield, Kia, KLS, Gabby, Collier), so she was always going to be a bench player, but she had to know this year she would have started (I'm assuming that she would beat out Megan and CW) if that was a factor in her decision to leave. Also it's a bit of an easier environment to develop and hone your skills in college versus the pros. At UConn, Geno and staff will continually push you to improve on the things with which you are uncomfortable or not good at doing. In the pros they just cut you and you're on your own to figure it out hoping some other team sees value in your skills. Sure she was not being compensated with cash in college, but I'd like to think getting some of the best coaching and training available on the entire planet in preparation for your career is worth something. Of course as fans we're disappointed when a player leaves early.

 

[BobbyJ]

It was me who posted that. I never said it was a bad idea for her to enter early. I probably should have gone into more detail but my post was pretty long as it was. I had posted about Stevens earlier on a thread about that very subject in which I did go into more detail.

With Stevens as with all players it is always a matter of trade offs and choice. She had to decide if spending one more year in the program would be worth the extra effort. I believe Geno would have expanded her game to include a back to the basket game. At present she does not need one, but in the future it might have come in handy. To stay she would have started one year down in respect to salary. In the WNBA it is just not a one year of losing a salary, but while she is on the rookie scale they do not get paid very much. She still has to play some years at a minimal salary before she get any real money. Thats one trade off. The second is being in a program that would have made her focus on something she didn't really want to do in the first place- develop a back to the basket game. Players like Stevens can have a future in Professional ball without having to go through Geno's system.

The choice is totally about how long they wish to continue to develop and how much of an effort they want to expend in that quest. If you put my statement in context with the rest of my post it implies that players today have already spent a major amount of their lives developing so they are more impatient to get with it. Most of these girls have been living basketball from a very early age. Their commitment in honing their skills is overwhelming. The days when a player could totally rely on their physical abilities are long gone. It requires a huge sacrifice to even be at a level to compete. If you are very tall and have some athletic skills then teams might be patient and develop you. However short undeveloped athletes are a dime a dozen.

I agree with you on Stevens. She never wanted to play inside on offense and it was obvious. There's no way a kid with that size and coordination could spend two years with that staff and not develop any post game. She should have been a load in there but instead looked like a fish out of water hanging around the perimeter. I give Auriemma credit for his patience, it had to have driven him nuts.

 

[BobbyJ]

Well, I'm not a coaching genius, so I can't specify exactly, nor can I tell you how to go about it, but Geno is! What I'm trying to get at is:

• go after girls who might not fit his prototype exactly.
• what this would involve his coaching kids up in a way that molded them into classic UCONN players.
• I'm having difficulty coming up with an example, but randomly take Angel McCoughtry. She was dubbed as a hot head, selfish type player when she first broke onto the scene at Louisville. So maybe, take a look at some of this type of player, with the expectation and mindset that you could mold them and coach them up. There would be some failures, and it might be a bit more work, but there could be significant dividends.
• Idk the exact story, but I recall UCONN backing off of Ogunbowale I think. Rumor has it that it had something to do with selfishness and or attitude--I could be completely wrong here, or thinking of someone else though. And this was a huge mistake. She's a player with guts/balls and is a winner, to go along with her great skills. Of anyone in the country, I might want her most*.
• UCONN seems to focus a lot on 'nice' girls. I want mean and nasty ones. Give me more Taurasi's. Some of those nice girls have preternatural skills, so it's no worry (Maya). But unless they are world beaters, it makes things more difficult.

*I'm more than happy with Dangerfield, probably my favorite on the team, but if they could have gotten both....wow.

Good points however, IMO Moore is nasty. She just smiles a lot.

 

[BobbyJ]

Wouldn't expect the Hoopgurlz 2019 ranking to change much if at all. All the players in the class are signed. Aubrey Griffin BTW.

After watching Collier's relentless attitude to go with her athleticism on the court prior to her getting to UConn, I had a real good feeling about her future. I just have the same gut feel about Griffin so we'll see.

 

[intlzncster]

Good points however, IMO Moore is nasty. She just smiles a lot.

Not knocking Maya at all. How could one in good conscience? And she was certainly tough, a physical specimen to boot. But it's about mentality for me; I really wanted her to take the ball inside and get fouled a lot more, instead of settling for that sweet jumper. Good foul shooter = free points and opponents in foul trouble.

Contrast that to a Jamelle Elliot or a Tamika Williams, both of whom would be happy to knock you into the second row. Yes, I know they didn't play the same position, just talking mentality.

 

[HuskyNan]

Not knocking Maya at all. How could one in good conscience? And she was certainly tough, a physical specimen to boot. But it's about mentality for me; I really wanted her to take the ball inside and get fouled a lot more, instead of settling for that sweet jumper. Good foul shooter = free points and opponents in foul trouble.

Contrast that to a Jamelle Elliot or a Tamika Williams, both of whom would be happy to knock you into the second row. Yes, I know they didn't play the same position, just talking mentality.

Bad news for you, then. Geno called Aubrey Griffin "the nicest kid in the world" in his post game presser.

 

[Padutch5]

The team's schedule most likely has very little to do with recruiting. If that were the case, Geno wouldn't get any top players because UConn plays in such a crappy league. I'm sure you'd like to ding Stanford for having the temerity to land a player Geno wanted but the schedule thing makes no sense.

Nan I appreciate and respect what you do on this board but come on. We all know there are schools that try to build a record by avoiding the top schools. Baylor and Duke are two that currently practice that. In the early years uconn was dinged for its soft schedule . I don’t remember seeing this years strength of schedule, but I think we have been rated near the top, even in this “crappy league”

 

[intlzncster]

Bad news for you, then. Geno called Aubrey Griffin "the nicest kid in the world" in his post game presser.

Haha, hopefully she's got a mean streak in her too. Tamika W was very nice too!

 

[Undercovervol]

I hope you remember this is a UConn fan board. We tend to be a bit biased towards our team here. Best not to get annoyed with people for doing so.

That's fine; I'm a UConn fan too. I was annoyed in the post, but still, the criticism stands. I'm a fan of Steven's and her game too.

 

[j66kicker]

Then, let’s consider the fact that every year in college is a wasted earning year for professional atheletes. Stevens should do what’s best for HER. It’s her life, her skills, her talent, her effort, and her money she earns. Especially when considering female atheletes, who don’t get the compensation they deserve, heck yeah Azura should take advantage of every possible earning year she can get. You’re the selfish one for thinking that a player should submit to program or coach. You sound entitled.
Then let’s consider that Stevens didn’t even get the playing time she would have at other programs, playing time she may have arguably deserved.

Everybody gets the compensation that the market says they deserve.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Yes, I can also attest to both. Nneka was a solid top ten recruit, but transformed into the undisputed #1 draft pick, and has now gone on to win WNBA MVP. She definitely didn't look destined for that her freshman year. And Chiney was more promising from the start, in part due to her greater length, but she had tons of foul trouble her freshman season. It really wasn't until late into her sophomore year that she became who she is now... precisely what you'd expect after two seasons of HoF coaching.


Fear not - a lot of long and lanky post players take a while to get a feel for the much more physical college game. It's very, very common for posts to start their frosh seasons with a lot of foul trouble, and she also missed her senior season with a knee injury, so she's got the experience of a high school senior going up against a top 16 team. You guys need to give your players a little more credit!

Nneka was the undisputed #1 pick partly because EDD sat out a year.

 

[MilfordHusky]

At the very end of this video clip Haley speaks about playing in the Pac 12 and being challenged night in and night out. I didn't buy that being in a lousy conference was having an impact on recruiting either until I heard it from her own lips.

As you know, UConn practices are harder than most of our games. Haley probably knows she would have been pushed very hard in practice regardless of our schedule.

 

[buddy]

You all have to get with the program. The P5 Schools can pay these kids to come and play for them, indirectly. The same thing that happened with men's basketball is likely happening here. South Carolina, ND, Stanford, etc all have big ESPN money rolling in while Connecticut is giving ESPN tax breaks. UConn will not be able to compete with the dollars likely given under the table to these recruits by P5 Schools.

 

[j66kicker]

You all have to get with the program. The P5 Schools can pay these kids to come and play for them, indirectly. The same thing that happened with men's basketball is likely happening here. South Carolina, ND, Stanford, etc all have big ESPN money rolling in while Connecticut is giving ESPN tax breaks. UConn will not be able to compete with the dollars likely given under the table to these recruits by P5 Schools.

That's BS. There's no money in WBB. Only 3 or 4 WNBA players have shoe contracts that could be considered "lucrative" in any way. Ain't happening.