I’m skeptical that elite players are worried about playing time. They are likrly confident that they can play as well as anyone.
I wouldn't be so sure. It may not seem like it, but Dawn is stricter than Geno with the freshmen. Joyce was the best on the team last season and continued to come off the bench, and the same thing happened with Fulwiley. Dawn always giving preference to juniors and seniors. Geno started with Sarah as a freshman, as do Azzi and Paige. I think Jerzy is more likely to start at UConn than at SC. Jerzy playing SC, she might be the best on the team and will continue to come off the bench, after someone older than her, like Tessa Johnson, Agot Makeer, and even some junior or senior of the Portal.
That is very true, but if she's looking for a program thats loyal to its players, then hard to beat SC in that regard.
Azzi didn’t start right away as a freshman. But that was clearly temporary.
It don't have to start right away. That's not my point. Azzi starting 17/25 - 28 MPG is enough. Her talent was recognized. And her being a freshman didn't prevent her starting, as it would have happened if she were playing at SC. That's my point.
Aaliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, and Brea Beal might have something to say about this theory. They all started from day one through their senior season. Joyce was behind experience, and Milaysia was behind experience and better decision makers. But that's for Kim to discover soon enough.
At times, it was necessary to break the Dawn Staley standard, like this season, with Chloe Kitts' injury, Joyce is starting, but exceptions don't change the standard. If in 17 years you can only name three cases of freshman starter, that's the best proof that a standard exists.Not even A'ja started her freshman year.
Jerzy has three gold medals and two MVPs with USA Team, including world champion, MVP and top scorer with 21 PPG in the FIBA U17. I hope Geno thinks differently than you because if he underestimates her like you are doing, she may choose another place where she would be more valued.I don't have a machine to predict the future, but what I'm saying is that if Jerzy plays better, she'll be a starter, just like Sarah, Paige, and Azzi were. Dawn seems to be more strict about prioritizing juniors and seniors than Geno. That's all I'm saying.
I've watched a few of Jerzy's HS games. Not just highlights but whole games. I think you can still find them on YouTube. She is definitely not allergic to playing defense. One revealing game, Sierra Canyon vs Ontario, put her against Kaleena Smith. Now that was an assignment she was not fully equipped to handle. Jerzy's footwork is simply not quick enough to keep someone like Kaleena in front of her. But that's not all there is to playing defense. There's also getting defensive rebounds, which she is very good at, disrupting the passing lanes, and switching efficiently, something else she is good at. And her offense is really first rate, especially coming off long defensive rebounds in transition. Part of playing defense is when your opponent gets burned in transition because you force them into an unwise shot. This is key to Jerzy's game, from what I could see. She will be an excellent 'team' defender, which is exactly the sort of player Geno looks for.
And this only amplifies when paired with the other matchup problems on the team. They would be quite difficult to defend even before running Geno's offense.
I believe SC players would disagree with you, even if you are including winning National Championships.
Maybe. But it's twitter, and there's a whole mess of wannabe experts and insiders that will say anything for clout. UConn doesn't do the whole uniform, glitter, sparkles OV, etc, so I've learned not to read much into the lack of insta posts.
And if true, so be it. If a player doesn't see themselves thriving in a program, then they should pick the one that they think will fit them best.
Does this somehow mean our chances with Bjorn have increased or not?
If a prospect doesn’t want what Geno has to offer, we shouldn’t cry over it. So much of what makes UConn great is chemistry. Unhappy players take away more than they add.
