January UConn Recruiting Thread

[DaBball]

Is she a lean anywhere in particular?

I think there is a decent chance she stays in Arkansas.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Paige Bueckers had 22 points and 8 assists Tuesday (1/7) in a 55-point win:

 

[Sluconn Husky]

PBR's Jason Key and Shane Laflin review the first couple month of high school basketball based on live viewings.

Among their stars from three classes are UConn POI:

Olivia Miles, Rori Harmon, Kiki Iriafen, Carleigh Wenzel, Ashlon Jackson, Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Janiah Barker, Timea Gardiner, and Judea Watkins.

Plus recruit Isuneh Brady.

They also say Rice has improved her jumper.

Holiday Hoops Tour Review | January 2020

Premier Basketball is a basketball tournament, scouting, and recruiting service that helps connect youth boys and girls basketball players with college scouts from around the country. Our primary goal is to market players to colleges to help them achieve their dream of playing basketball at the...

premierbasketballreport.com

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Ashlon Jackson scored 15 points Tuesday (1/7).


About 2 minutes of Jackson talk with some highlights in the video below:

 

[AmeriConn]

Confirmed 2021 recruits considering UConn as listed on ESPN:

Saniya Rivers
Payton Verhulst
Talia Von Oelhoffen
Teonni Key

I'm sure there are several others (ie. Fudd) who haven't listed their considerations as of today.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

1/7

Talia Von Oelhoffen: 24 points

 

[CocoHusky]

Confirmed 2021 recruits considering UConn as listed on ESPN:
Saniya Rivers
Payton Verhulst
Talia Von Oelhoffen
Teonni Key
I'm sure there are several others (ie. Fudd) who haven't listed their considerations as of today.

Can we talk for a minute about this:
Amari and Saylor are committed. Some including @Alydar are of the opinion that UCONN should avoid a big class (4-5) on top of a big class -5 in 2020. Fudd is hopefully UCONN bound which would be a class of 3. At most you are looking at 1 or 2 more players. What position(s)?
Here are some others that may still be in consideration for UCONN based on social media following and what not.
1) Aaliyah Moore F/PF
2) Okikiola Iriafen F
3) Rayah Marshall SF/SG/F-Reportedly has a UCONN offer and my personal favorite.
4) Sonia Citron SG
5) Jersey Wolfenbarger SG/PG
6) Jillian Hollingshead F/PF
7) Caroline Ducharme SG-Visited UCONN with Fudd & DeBerry

Here what I've been thinking:
-I love Rayah but Saylor is the same type player and Saylor signed up first.
-I love Payton but with Azzi, Paige, & Nika , Payton might become an very expensive luxury at UCONN
-I love Rivers for UCONN because of her defensive versatility with Saniya, Mir, and Aubrey on the perimeter UCONN's would have to borrow a slogan from Public Enemy- "Welcome to the Terror Dome"
-Any one of Citron, Von Oelhoffen, Wolfenbarger, or Ducharme would be a great piece on the roster as a dedicated markswoman. But.... I'm not sure how many of those shots are going to be available. Paige can stroke it, Nika can stroke it, Saylor can stroke it, when Fudd hits the rim on one of her deep balls that makes national news.
-Any one of Moore, Iriafen, Key, or Hollingshead would have work as a complementary piece to Edwards at SF/PF position but all might have become non-essential with the commitment of Brady.

What's going to happen? In the spirit of @Carnac :
UCONN will close out the 2021 recruiting class as soon as Fudd commits.
UCONN 2021 class might include Von Oelhoffen.
If (God forbid) Azzi goes elsewhere Payton & Saniya will be needed to fill the void.
.

 

[victor64]

Coco,

There are too many variables that must be considered before three becomes the optimal number for 2021.

Wonder if:

--Megan turns pro.
--the coaches sense that Makurat doesn't stay four years.
--Evina decides she would rather get paid than risk hurting her knee again.
--Nika's shooting has not progressed.

I know I am being "cup half empty" guy but I do think Megan's class and losing Jones and Boston has altered recruiting strategy.

I would take one more in addition to Fudd. The only person from that list that I am not a fan of is Ducharme.
I would prefer Moore and Verhulst. I think get the kids here and let playing time sort itself out.

 

[BobbyJ]

Can we talk for a minute about this:
Amari and Saylor are committed. Some including @Alydar are of the opinion that UCONN should avoid a big class (4-5) on top of a big class -5 in 2020. Fudd is hopefully UCONN bound which would be a class of 3. At most you are looking at 1 or 2 more players. What position(s)?
Here are some others that may still be in consideration for UCONN based on social media following and what not.
1) Aaliyah Moore F/PF
2) Okikiola Iriafen F
3) Rayah Marshall SF/SG/F-Reportedly has a UCONN offer and my personal favorite.
4) Sonia Citron SG
5) Jersey Wolfenbarger SG/PG
6) Jillian Hollingshead F/PF
7) Caroline Ducharme SG-Visited UCONN with Fudd & DeBerry

Here what I've been thinking:
-I love Rayah but Saylor is the same type player and Saylor signed up first.
-I love Payton but with Azzi, Paige, & Nika , Payton might become an very expensive luxury at UCONN
-I love Rivers for UCONN because of her defensive versatility with Saniya, Mir, and Aubrey on the perimeter UCONN's would have to borrow a slogan from Public Enemy- "Welcome to the Terror Dome"
-Any one of Citron, Von Oelhoffen, Wolfenbarger, or Ducharme would be a great piece on the roster as a dedicated markswoman. But.... I'm not sure how many of those shots are going to be available. Paige can stroke it, Nika can stroke it, Saylor can stroke it, when Fudd hits the rim on one of her deep balls that makes national news.
-Any one of Moore, Iriafen, Key, or Hollingshead would have work as a complementary piece to Edwards at SF/PF position but all might have become non-essential with the commitment of Brady.

What's going to happen? In the spirit of @Carnac :
UCONN will close out the 2021 recruiting class as soon as Fudd commits.
UCONN 2021 class might include Von Oelhoffen.
If (God forbid) Azzi goes elsewhere Payton & Saniya will be need to fill the void.
.

All good points. Just seems to be easier to find high end wings and guards than to get skilled board bangers who don’t care about trying to be perimeter players. So of that group I’d take Iriafen if they can get her out of Cali. All around skilled and a high compete level, sort of insurance on DeBerry. Then if you hit on both along with Brady, you’re set inside for a long time.

 

[BobbyJ]

Coco,

There are too many variables that must be considered before three becomes the optimal number for 2021.

Wonder if:

--Megan turns pro.
--the coaches sense that Makurat doesn't stay four years.
--Evina decides she would rather get paid than risk hurting her knee again.
--Nika's shooting has not progressed.

I know I am being "cup half empty" guy but I do think Megan's class and losing Jones and Boston has altered recruiting strategy.

I would take one more in addition to Fudd. The only person from that list that I am not a fan of is Ducharme.
I would prefer Moore and Verhulst. I think get the kids here and let playing time sort itself out.

Good points to consider. I’m not concerned about Walker turning pro. From what I’m seeing of Makurat, she’ll be a decent all around contributor like Irwin but won’t be a major impact in any one area or on recruiting. I agree Westbrook may be gone after next year but her replacements are already on the way. As for Muhl, I agree she won’t be an elite shooter but they’ll have enough scoring so her other skills will play well. In total, I think their recruiting is covering all areas pretty well.

 

[Charliebball]

Good points to consider. I’m not concerned about Walker turning pro. From what I’m seeing of Makurat, she’ll be a decent all around contributor like Irwin but won’t be a major impact in any one area or on recruiting. I agree Westbrook may be gone after next year but her replacements are already on the way. As for Muhl, I agree she won’t be an elite shooter but they’ll have enough scoring so her other skills will play well. In total, I think their recruiting is covering all areas pretty well.

I think you are selling Anna M short.....................remember she is still only a freshman leaving home to live in a foreign country..................while she certainly hasn't been a consistent shooter so far this season she clearly possesses the kind of basketball smarts that are hard to find these days...............if she gets the playing time I fully expect her to be a 12-14 point, 5-6 rebound, 4-5 assist player for her next three years and that's not chopped liver!!

 

[eebmg]

I think you are selling Anna M short.....................remember she is still only a freshman leaving home to live in a foreign country..................while she certainly hasn't been a consistent shooter so far this season she clearly possesses the kind of basketball smarts that are hard to find these days...............if she gets the playing time I fully expect her to be a 12-14 point, 5-6 rebound, 4-5 assist player for her next three years and that's not chopped liver!!

after her 0-10 shooting to start the season clearly due to nerves, she has been one of our best shooters. 11-21 from 3 pt over the last 7 games.

 

[BobbyJ]

I think you are selling Anna M short.....................remember she is still only a freshman leaving home to live in a foreign country..................while she certainly hasn't been a consistent shooter so far this season she clearly possesses the kind of basketball smarts that are hard to find these days...............if she gets the playing time I fully expect her to be a 12-14 point, 5-6 rebound, 4-5 assist player for her next three years and that's not chopped liver!!

Not questioning her smarts, that's why the Irwin comparison. I'll just say that I feel she's limited athletically in a couple areas that I think are necessary to play at a high level in a program like UConn. For that reason I don't see her getting the PT beginning next season to put up those kind of numbers. Maybe she'll surprise me but I'll go with my eyes and see a possible 2nd off the bench type scenario considering the talent coming in next year.

 

[CocoHusky]

Coco,

There are too many variables that must be considered before three becomes the optimal number for 2021.
Wonder if:

--Megan turns pro.
--the coaches sense that Makurat doesn't stay four years.
--Evina decides she would rather get paid than risk hurting her knee again.
--Nika's shooting has not progressed.
I know I am being "cup half empty" guy but I do think Megan's class and losing Jones and Boston has altered recruiting strategy.
I would take one more in addition to Fudd. The only person from that list that I am not a fan of is Ducharme.
I would prefer Moore and Verhulst. I think get the kids here and let playing time sort itself out.

Excellent points all of which supports UCONN extending the 2021 class to 4 or 5 players. Here are my thoughts:
Megan and Evina turning pro-IMO this would be bad but not the worst thing in the world because I'm extremely high on the 2020 class and Aubrey Griffin. If this happens Paige gets to start on day 1-she might anyway. Aaliyah, Mir, Aubrey, Anna & Paith will be the forward rotation. Amari & Saylor arrives a year later and Brady a year after that to reinforce that rotation. To simplify things Is UCONN going to get a player in the 2021 class that going to crack that rotation? I don't think so, and would rather wait until 2022 because I know that Betts and Barker can both crack that forward rotation.
I not as concerned about Nika's shooting as some (most?). Megan Walker had similar shooting woes at USA basketball and look at her now.
Lastly I would rather have the kids, and coaches & parents "realistically" factor the roster into their recruiting decisions. I'm not in favor of "playing time sorting itself out" because there is always a downside to that sorting process. The downside includes transfer, injuries or recruiting mishits.
Take Payton Verhulst as an example, who I think is a terrific player. If she were to pick UCONN she will be the same class as Azzi Fudd and a year behind Paige. Azzi has already won a Naismith trophy as the best HS player and Paige might win one this year. How many minutes could Payton realistically play behind those two considering that Nika and Saylor are likely Paige & Azzi backups and BTW Christyn is still on the roster.

 

[Charliebball]

Not questioning her smarts, that's why the Irwin comparison. I'll just say that I feel she's limited athletically in a couple areas that I think are necessary to play at a high level in a program like UConn. For that reason I don't see her getting the PT beginning next season to put up those kind of numbers. Maybe she'll surprise me but I'll go with my eyes and see a possible 2nd off the bench type scenario considering the talent coming in next year.

as far as I can tell there's only one sure starter among the freshman next year...............who knows how Geno handles the remaining incoming recruits..................the rebounding and assists are already there, if AM consistently makes 35% or more on her threes she'll play plenty.............

 

[DEpup]

as far as I can tell there's only one sure starter among the freshman next year...............who knows how Geno handles the remaining incoming recruits..................the rebounding and assists are already there, if AM consistently makes 35% or more on her threes she'll play plenty.............

I want to go on record as saying I don't think any of the incoming freshman will start the first game or at least the first third. I predict Evina and Anna will get the available starting spots on game 1 of 20-21 season. (I am sure PB will get 20+ minutes though)

 

[BroadwayVa]

Coco,

There are too many variables that must be considered before three becomes the optimal number for 2021.

Wonder if:

--Megan turns pro.
--the coaches sense that Makurat doesn't stay four years.
--Evina decides she would rather get paid than risk hurting her knee again.
--Nika's shooting has not progressed.

I know I am being "cup half empty" guy but I do think Megan's class and losing Jones and Boston has altered recruiting strategy.

I would take one more in addition to Fudd. The only person from that list that I am not a fan of is Ducharme.
I would prefer Moore and Verhulst. I think get the kids here and let playing time sort itself out.

Megan is loyal and (guessing here) I don't think she or her family need the money so the only question left is where will she be in the draft next year or the year beyond. I have strong doubts about Megan. My doubts are not as strong with Evina. Ania will be a 4 year kid unless her career becomes a sitting one. MuhL--pretty early for that speculation.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I want to go on record as saying I don't think any of the incoming freshman will start the first game or at least the first third. I predict Evina and Anna will get the available starting spots on game 1 of 20-21 season. (I am sure PB will get 20+ minutes though)

Is Paige on that list of Frosh NOT Starting?? That's not the vibes coming from Geno. If Evina stays you I believe are right Ania too but may not be a starter in January next year.

 

[j66kicker]

Day 1 Starters:
Paige
Chrystin
Evina
Megan
Liv

#1 Off the Bench:
Aubrey

Additional Embarrassment of Riches (This 5 could win the AAC):
Aaliyah
Anna
Nika
Mir
Piath

 

[Charliebball]

I want to go on record as saying I don't think any of the incoming freshman will start the first game or at least the first third. I predict Evina and Anna will get the available starting spots on game 1 of 20-21 season. (I am sure PB will get 20+ minutes though)

the way Geno does things you never can say for sure but for a team starting the season without a true point guard to not start a freshman who is already one of the best point guards in WBB seems to be a bit of an injustice.................

 

[CocoHusky]

the way Geno does things you never can say for sure but for a team starting the season without a true point guard to not start a freshman who is already one of the best point guards in WBB seems to be a bit of an injustice.................

Actually no it would not be an injustice more like history repeating itself. DT, Sue Bird, Moriah Jefferson, Jen Rizzotti and Renee Montgomery are consider to be the best UCONN PGs. Of these only Renee was a day one starter. Evina Westbrook is a a "true" PG, don't know why some are trying to change her position.

 

[UConnCat]

Evina Westbrook is a a "true" PG, don't know why some are trying to change her position.

Not sure Geno agrees. I recall him saying he hadn't decided what her best position is. That's not what you would expect to hear about a "true" point guard.

 

[Charliebball]

Actually no it would not be an injustice more like history repeating itself. DT, Sue Bird, Moriah Jefferson, Jen Rizzotti and Renee Montgomery are consider to be the best UCONN PGs. Of these only Renee was a day one starter. Evina Westbrook is a a "true" PG, don't know why some are trying to change her position.

You would certainly know more then I do about those you mentioned in comparison to PB at this point in their career.................for me, Bueckers is the most complete point guard that I have seen in my time watching high school basketball...................... I think there's always been some question about Westbrook's best spot on the floor.................she was not categorized by Hoopgurlz as a point guard,, really noted more for her scoring then as a facilitator................that continued at Tennessee where she often led the team in scoring and assists yet was often criticized for her turnovers................I look forward to see her play next season as she brings great athleticism and scoring punch but as of now she's an unproven commodity as a UConn point guard...............Ill take PB right out of the gate.............

 

[Mdoggie]

I would love for UConn to be able to throw a squad A and B at the competition with little to no drop off in talent. I want them to be very bad for WCBB!

 

[donalddoowop]

Based on Vol Nation comments last season, Westbrook is not a good point guard. She is better as a shooting guard and did not like playing point guard last season.