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Message: [QUOTE="EricLA, post: 3743879, member: 26"] I was worried about that as well. But consider this. There is no starter who has ever left UCONN and transferred out (at least that I can recall). As several have said, the cream rises to the top. The kids who are the best, who practice the best, and who perform the best on the court, will either start OR get a ton of PT off the bench. Geno has already raved about Paige, and has had very positive things to say about Aaliyah and Nika. For the returning kids, he's also said great things about Olivia and Christyn as well as Aubrey and Anna. He has said great things about Evina, but also said she's working to get back into basketball shape after coming off so many injuries and surgeries. She may not be a starter on day 1. But boom. there are your 8 core players. My point is, Geno is always very upfront about PT and how it's earned at UCONN. I do get that "knowing in theory" and "seeing in person" are 2 different things, but if kids are starting and/or getting lots of PT off the bench, unless there is some other issue, I don't see them leaving. I don't worry as much about "keeping players happy" because at UCONN it's sort of the opposite - prove to the coaches that you are a great practice player and earn PT on the floor. Then you WILL be happy. Kids like Autumn and Piath simply won't get the PT in big games, and even in blowouts, their talent/skill levels are such that outside the last 4 minutes in blowouts, they likely won't see any PT this year. Mir is a wild card - she has a lot to learn, and could be as good as Aubrey as a freshman, but with so many talented players ahead of her, will probably see much less PT than Aubrey did last year. Look at the kids who left over the past 10 years - Walker, Johnson, Engeln, Banks, Ekmark, Edwards, Coombs, Espinosa, Gordon. Not a single one of them was ever going to be a starter at UCONN. They knew it and the coaching staff knew it. All went to programs with less talent, and they were able to carve out more PT than they ever would have gotten at UCONN. And good for them - it was where most were able to thrive in getting the PT they wanted. The cream will rise. If a kid isn't good enough, doesn't develop or improve enough, or has bad habits (or attitude), they won't earn the PT. If they leave, it creates more room for the coaches to focus on other kids and gives those other kids more opportunities for PT. WCBB isn't T-league where everyone gets a participation trophy and everyone gets to play. It's rough and tumble, with players especially, but also programs, looking out for their best interests. Any kid who wants to leave UCONN for more PT opportunities, fans will wish them well, and then continue to root for the players who are left to continue to compete, make final 4's, and win NC's. And we are poised to win a bunch. [/QUOTE]

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