January UConn Recruiting Thread

[oldude]

OK. I just watched the full game video of Roland Park vs McDonough other than some of the 1st qtr when I lost the feed. Here are my thoughts:

• After watching several of Paige/Hopkins games, this was a little like watching paint dry. Hopkins is an up tempo team that scores a bunch of points. Both of these teams walk the ball up the court. Hence the 49-47 score.
• Saylor missed a bunch of shots, particularly in the first half, both with Mir getting a hand in her face and several when she was wide open, including a few air balls. To her credit, Saylor kept firing away until she started making a few, including two 3’s & one 2 with Mir up in her face.
• Again, unlike Hopkins, the basketball fundamentals of both teams were not very good. I didn’t see a single player on either team that understood how to get down in a defensive stance.
• Mir did a reasonable job of face guarding Saylor, but here again her defensive technique was rough.
• Mir was clearly the best athlete on the court. One sequence stood out to me. In the 4th qtr, Mir closed on Saylor at the arc to challenge a 3 pt shot, raced back to the paint to grab the rebound, dribbled the length of the court and got fouled on an attempted layup and then sank two foul shots.
• The potential of Saylor & Mir is evident. But both players have a way to go before they are “college ready.” I’m looking forward to seeing the players they become under the Master.

 

[Alydar]

I understand your point and that's fine for those coaches who are doing it to win games and trophies. For me it goes beyond that, it's about teaching the game and when you're lucky enough to have a high D1 talent, to teach them fundamentals and prepare them them for the next level the right way. Many HS coaches have managed to do that and still keep their jobs for 25-30 years. If you can't do that and also win then do the right thing for the whole program and the occasional high talent kid. That's just what I believe and how I did it.

I respect your POV and was only trying to balance the conversation. If, as you say, coaches have other considerations than winning then do you agree that it's OK for Geno to pull his only post from a close game and risk a loss if it's for her good as a future pro? Should the next level of play for UConn players take precedence at times over the needs of the team in the current game? Should Geno play a star with 4 fouls in the third period to better prepare them for facing that situation in the pro game?
I remember Geno pulling Charles out of important games and sitting her, risking the victory to teach her something. She spent a good deal of her first 2.5 seasons in Geno's dog house and there was a lot of posters on many boards that faulted him for being too hard. I was at the Baylor game and thought that pulling ONO from the game was the right thing for her at the time. She was missing shots from the start of the game that were lucky to hit the rim in the first half when my seat was on the baseline with a perfect view. My opinion then was that she was playing scared from the opening tip. Many both sitting around me at the game and here thought that it was a bad decision to sit her because it led to the loss. IMO the team played like they were trying not to lose from the start, and that is what led to the 4th period meltdown and that ONO was just the worst of the bunch.

 

[pvdoggy]

Just watched most of the game between Mir's team and Saylor's team. Mir's is super athletic, although it seems like she is more than 3 in shorter than Saylor, really aggressive and willing to mix it up inside even though she is much shorter than the other players in there. I really love Saylor's game, fearless shooter whether they are going in or not, SUPER quick release, much much quicker than Lou, which will be hard to block, and her long outlet passes are a thing of beauty, kind of reminds me of Lou who I think is one of the most instinctive passer at Uconn in the past 4-5 years. I can't wait for them to get to Storrs. My updated wish for Saylor is never to lose her shooting aggressiveness when she gets here.

 

[CocoHusky]

Prior to watching the full game video I was concerned about Mir's level of effort in the 53 second video clip. After watching the full game video I'm now alarmed by her lack of effort in this game. I'm honestly hoping she was ill during this game and decided to tough it out and try and play. My new concern is that Mir although a great athlete does not have the required basketball skills (passing or dribbling or shooting or boxing out) nor the motor to achieve the pace of play required to be a UCONN WBB contributor this fall or next.

 

[UcMiami]

Strange discussion. I certainly take the scouting abilities of boneyard posters as being far superior to the scouting of Geno, CD and the assistants. Time and again Geno signs these lazy, barely skilled HS kids with no effort and complete disinterest in anything but their own scoring stats. It really is a wonder how Uconn wins any games.

 

[CocoHusky]

Strange discussion. I certainly take the scouting abilities of boneyard posters as being far superior to the scouting of Geno, CD and the assistants. Time and again Geno signs these lazy, barely skilled HS kids with no effort and complete disinterest in anything but their own scoring stats. It really is a wonder how Uconn wins any games.

You are clearly not following closely enough if you think that is the direction the discussion is going in.

 

[CocoHusky]

Geno, CD et al. also probably have a better capacity to assess on an expectations-adjusted basis. If your comparison point for the average highly recruited point guard is Sabrina Ionescu, or your comparison for a top big recruit is Lauren Cox, of course they will seem disappointing by comparison. Every spring that I watch the McD's A-A game and the Jordan Brand Classic I am reminded of how much Geno, Tara, Kim, etc. transform their players year after year. Even with the advent of traveling teams, there is a big, big leap between being a top HS athlete and a top NCCA D1 for all but a handful of players per year.

Probably? Try definitely!

 

[BobbyJ]

I respect your POV and was only trying to balance the conversation. If, as you say, coaches have other considerations than winning then do you agree that it's OK for Geno to pull his only post from a close game and risk a loss if it's for her good as a future pro? Should the next level of play for UConn players take precedence at times over the needs of the team in the current game? Should Geno play a star with 4 fouls in the third period to better prepare them for facing that situation in the pro game?
I remember Geno pulling Charles out of important games and sitting her, risking the victory to teach her something. She spent a good deal of her first 2.5 seasons in Geno's dog house and there was a lot of posters on many boards that faulted him for being too hard. I was at the Baylor game and thought that pulling ONO from the game was the right thing for her at the time. She was missing shots from the start of the game that were lucky to hit the rim in the first half when my seat was on the baseline with a perfect view. My opinion then was that she was playing scared from the opening tip. Many both sitting around me at the game and here thought that it was a bad decision to sit her because it led to the loss. IMO the team played like they were trying not to lose from the start, and that is what led to the 4th period meltdown and that ONO was just the worst of the bunch.

All good points, however I was speaking strictly about HS coaching. Upper level college coaching is a whole 'nother thing to me. Those people are in most cases coaching for their jobs, CYA coaching. Auriemma has the luxury of doing whatever he wants with no fear of job security. I thought the whole team played tentatively because they're not ready to handle physical, in the face defense. As far as next level coaching, I doubt that many college coaches other than Auriemma give much thought to preparing kids for the pros.

 

[oldude]

Prior to watching the full game video I was concerned about Mir's level of effort in the 53 second video clip. After watching the full game video I'm now alarmed by her lack of effort in this game. I'm honestly hoping she was ill during this game and decided to tough it out and try and play. My new concern is that Mir although a great athlete does not have the required basketball skills (passing or dribbling or shooting or boxing out) nor the motor to achieve the pace of play required to be a UCONN WBB contributor this fall or next.

View attachment 49915

There were several sequences during the game that made me wonder about Mir’s health, including the one you illustrate here where she squated down on the foul line. There were numerous breaks during the game when Mir was hunched over with her hands on her hips. She was also taken out of the game twice, once each during each half. During the 1st half, Mir clearly left the bench and headed into the locker room. After several minutes she reappeared and was subbed back into the game.

I don’t think this was a fitness issue. The pace of play by both teams was so slow, I might have been able to keep up with them. In addition, I know that Mir is a track athlete, so I would suspect she’s used to interval training.

 

[ju6381]

Prior to watching the full game video I was concerned about Mir's level of effort in the 53 second video clip. After watching the full game video I'm now alarmed by her lack of effort in this game. I'm honestly hoping she was ill during this game and decided to tough it out and try and play. My new concern is that Mir although a great athlete does not have the required basketball skills (passing or dribbling or shooting or boxing out) nor the motor to achieve the pace of play required to be a UCONN WBB contributor this fall or next.

View attachment 49915

Is that former mens player John Gwynn in the stripes?

 

[CocoHusky]

There were several sequences during the game that made me wonder about Mir’s health, including the one you illustrate here where she squated down on the foul line.

I agree with you and probably should have led with the sentence below from my prior post.

I'm honestly hoping she was ill during this game and decided to tough it out and try and play.

 

[CocoHusky]

Is that former mens player John Gwynn in the stripes?

There is at least a strong resemblance.

 

[oldude]

I agree with you and probably should have led with the sentence below from my prior post.

Well, if in fact Mir was sick and she put up 27, she should be considered for the Katie Lou Samuelson “Barf Bucket Award.”

 

[Charliebball]

Those judgements were made in part because it was in stark contrast to what we were told previously and many of us observed about Mir's work ethic and motor. One of the prior videos of Mir that was posted here showed her very effectively guarding 6'7" Cardosa. She wasn't taking off any plays in this video which featured about half a dozen high D1 prospects.

PrestoStream

understood but making a serious judgement about effort is really difficult unless you view the player on a continuous basis over time...............obviously Geno and the other coaches saw enough to like in this somewhat undersized forward to make an offer.................with the strength of next year's roster if she lacks effort she won't see the court until February if at all...............

 

[UConn2SF]

Strange discussion. I certainly take the scouting abilities of boneyard posters as being far superior to the scouting of Geno, CD and the assistants. Time and again Geno signs these lazy, barely skilled HS kids with no effort and complete disinterest in anything but their own scoring stats. It really is a wonder how Uconn wins any games.

was going to post something very similar. thanks for doing it for me

 

[Charliebball]

How soon we forget but Brady looks more bulked up than Tuck although it certainly looks like similar playing style. So adding to my wish that Saylor will be at least as good as KLS, Brady to be at least as good as Tuck. Not asking a lot, am I?

Brady appears to be a bit more athletic with a better outside shot then Tuck (those knees)...................that said, nobody had better interior footwork then Morgan Tuck..............nobody..................

 

[CocoHusky]

Brady appears to be a bit more athletic with a better outside shot then Tuck (those knees)...................that said, nobody had better interior footwork then Morgan Tuck..............nobody..................

Indeed!

 

[pvdoggy]

Indeed!

Man, that team was so good. If Liv can learn half of those Tuck moves, she may be unstoppable.

 

[Crossover]

Yes, well, it was a poorly attempted effort at sarcasm in furtherance of the prior very sarcastic post, but I obviously agree with you.

I think it was well executed. My favorite post in this thread.

 

[Charliebball]

Indeed!

she was so much quicker there..............those continuing knee issues sadly took their toll although she still made a big impact for the rest of her career.....................

 

[Sluconn Husky]

After scoring 21 points Saturday in her fourth game back, Fudd said she does not yet feel like herself on the court. She has been on a minutes restriction and is hoping it will help her gradually return to 100 percent.

“Some days I feel more explosive than others,” she said. “It’s a process.”

The Washington Post

The Washington Post

thewashingtonpost.newspaperdirect.com

 

[Sluconn Husky]

1/13

Mir Mclean scored 13 points but Roland Park lost handily to Angel Reese and St. Francis.

 

[DaBball]

1/13

Mir Mclean scored 13 points but Roland Park lost handily to Angel Reese and St. Francis.

St. Frances girls basketball rolls past Roland Park, 79-40, in IAAM A Conference title game rematch

St. Frances girls basketball coach Jerome Shelton made a request to his team before Monday night’s game against visiting Roland Park. Shelton told his Panthers that they hadn’t played w…

www.baltimoresun.com

“Mir McLean led Roland Park with 16 points despite sitting out a good chunk of the first half after picking up two early fouls.”

 

[Alydar]

St. Frances girls basketball rolls past Roland Park, 79-40, in IAAM A Conference title game rematch

St. Frances girls basketball coach Jerome Shelton made a request to his team before Monday night’s game against visiting Roland Park. Shelton told his Panthers that they hadn’t played w…

www.baltimoresun.com

“Mir McLean led Roland Park with 16 points despite sitting out a good chunk of the first half after picking up two early fouls.”

Looks as though she read the BY and decided to play tougher defense, resulting in 2 early fouls, and a bad loss.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Jaelyn Bates missed Friday's game and is out nearly two weeks with a concussion.

Eek! Get well, Jaelyn!