John A. on Wilson

[HawkHusky]

I think she's going to Disneyworld.

That's fine...as long as UCONN continues to make trips to the White House

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Meanwhile, somewhere out there, there is another Stef Dolson that Geno missed.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

Everyday she is grilled about where she is going to college whether in school, on twitter, at basketball games and just about anywhere and everywhere she goes.

That's why it puzzles me that she decided not to commit until spring of her senior year. Pick, sign your letter of intent in the fall, and play your senior season without people saying, "Where are you going to play in college?" everywhere you go.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

I think she's going to Disneyworld.

I'd be glad to come along.

 

[cohenzone]

Meanwhile, somewhere out there, there is another Stef Dolson that Geno missed.

Nah, ain't no such thing.

 

[Paul1969]

South Carolina is no slouch THIS year. Granted SC is not UConn or ND but nobody else really is at this point.

 

[caramel]

Wherever she chooses to go to college,it is her choice,not her family,friends,or coaches or fans,and I hope she chooses out of her own heart,not swayed by anyone else.Wherever she does commit to,I wish her the very best.It would be nice to see her in a Connecticut uniform,but if it doesn't happen,I am confident that Connecticut will be just fine.

 

[mrmojack]

Meanwhile, somewhere out there, there is another Stef Dolson that Geno missed.

2015 center 6-6 Kalani Brown, from La. Geno had an in home this fall.

 

[cferraro04]

I hate to speculate on whether or not a recruit will go here or there. They are just kids and things are constantly changing in these kids lives. Think how many times you changed your mind about things when you were 17 years old. I really don't think that anybody leads at the moment. I think Wilson is just taking visits, waiting to see how the season shakes out, will talk with her family and she will decide what she and her family think is best for her. Either way I don't worry about it...I remember feeling sick to my stomach when Baylor got Griner and I thought crap they are going to win 4 championships with her...and guess what they only got one and Geno got two during the Griner years. I am more worried about Gabby Williams and her recent knee injury...and if it will impact her UConn career.

 

[triaddukefan]

If she chooses either USC or UNC, she will be making a HUGE MISTAKE as she will be going to lesser academic universities than UCONN and also not gainign the benefits of COach AQ and the UCONN staff and the tremendous players in the program / family.

How is UNC a lesser academic school than UCONN ???

UCONN is rising faster academically than you think. UNC academic scandals have taken quite a bit of shine off of their rep. By the way, its hard to get into UCON if you are out of state as well. You better be a REALLY GOOD STUDENT to get into UCONN (STORRS). Sometimes our selectivity ranking goes down b/c we have multiple branches (Hfd, Wtby, AP) that area ll under the UCONN name and some of thise students are not quite at the super high level that UCONN STORRS students are at right out of high school.

As opposed to the riff raff that gets accepted into Chapel Hill ??

You forgot:

Unless you're a student-athlete (then community college acceptance standards apply).

Were you referring to UNC or UCONN ????

 

[sTu]

"She doesn't seem like a strong enough person"

Six people who like doggydaddy's post seem to think otherwise. I doubt you have any idea how strong a person she is or is not.

 

[UConnCat]

Based on what I've read and heard, both Wilson and White have made it known where they do and don't want to play. White said she doesn't want to play center, though presumably is okay with playing the power forward. Wilson doesn't seem to even want to play power forward, saying she thinks of herself as a wing. I do wonder what difference Wilson sees between the wing and a stretch-4 (power forward), for example. Does she not want to spend any time in the lane? Does she have difficulty seeing herself playing like Breanna plays at UConn?

I guess it was only a matter of time before being labeled a center or post player became a dirty word in girls'/women's basketball. It's happened on the men's side, where big kids see themselves as the next Kevin Durant or Dirk Nowitzki rather than the next Hakeem Olajuwon or Roy Hibbert. It seems that some young players (male and female) view playing center or in the post as somehow restricting them to playing with their back to the basket and getting banged around by defenders. There's no glamour to playing in the post. Young players no matter their size seem to want to play more finesse, showing off their dribbling and long-range shooting skills.

The women's game has certainly evolved to where big players' skills and athleticism are allowing them to be able to play and score in a variety of different ways and from all areas of the court. Geno has certainly been at the forefront of college coaches in moving his big players all over the court and utilizing their various offensive skills. Still, I do think young players are too hung up on position labels and what those labels mean. I also think some big kids don't understand how important it will be for them to be able to score in the paint, even if they also have the ability to make perimeter shots. Candace Parker is most dangerous when she gets the ball in the lane. Remember what Mulkey reportedly told her team before the UConn game: "I'm okay with Breanna Stewart shooting perimeter shots." It's not good for 6-0 wings to simply float around the perimeter (ask Kaleena and Maya) and it's less good for 6-4 kids to do so.

Wherever Wilson ends up I suspect she'll come to understand that her success will be less about what position label is next to her name and more about figuring out how and where she can be most successful and help her team. That will undoubtedly include being able to play effectively in the lane.

 

[Fightin Choke]

2015 center 6-6 Kalani Brown, from La. Geno had an in home this fall.

I'm not sure I would consider her another Dolson. Stef was more under the radar than Kalani Brown. And her Dad didn't experience NBA success like Kalani's, so she arrived with far less fanfare than Kalani would if she chooses UConn. And of course Kalani would have to develop very well to achieve the success Stef has experienced while at UConn.

 

[Icebear]

Under the radar or not is pretty much irrelevant. What is important is the skills she has and the ones she doesn't. Not sure any of the things you note are pertinent in any way to a player arriving at UCONN.

 

[Jim]

When I see comments from recruits who say they only want to do this or that, it makes me wonder if they have the temperament to play at UCONN. Kids naturally like to do the things they are already good at (for which they get praise). And because they like to do it, they practice at it more and get even better (positive feedback and all). However, when you practice the things you don't like to do, you improve more. Geno knows this. He makes Stewie and KML bang on the inside instead of only floating on the perimeter. He make Bria dribble with her left hand more. He had Maya do pull-up jumpers off the glass, and so on. All this in an effort to make his players better all-around basketball players and not one-dimensional. I believe this is the reason I see more year-to-year improvement in UCONN players than I see with other teams. So if a recruit wants to make the most most of her abilities, then she should come to UCONN. If she doesn't like some aspect of the game and wants to keep doing what she has been doing, I suggest another institution would be a better fit.

 

[Fightin Choke]

Under the radar or not is pretty much irrelevant. What is important is the skills she has and the ones she doesn't. Not sure any of the things you note are pertinent in any way to a player arriving at UCONN.

Irrelevant to what? Posters were fretting about whether or not Wilson will choose UConn and RockyMTBlue lamented that "Meanwhile, somewhere out there, there is another Stef Dolson that Geno missed."

mrmojack quoted RockyMt's post and wrote: "2015 center 6-6 Kalani Brown, from La. Geno had an in home this fall."

So I was pointing out that the situation is not entirely analogous.

 

[UConnCat]

When I see comments from recruits who say they only want to do this or that, it makes me wonder if they have the temperament to play at UCONN. Kids naturally like to do the things they are already good at (for which they get praise). And because they like to do it, they practice at it more and get even better (positive feedback and all). However, when you practice the things you don't like to do, you improve more. Geno knows this. He makes Stewie and KML bang on the inside instead of only floating on the perimeter. He make Bria dribble with her left hand more. He had Maya do pull-up jumpers off the glass, and so on. All this in an effort to make his players better all-around basketball players and not one-dimensional. I believe this is the reason I see more year-to-year improvement in UCONN players than I see with other teams. So if a recruit wants to make the most most of her abilities, then she should come to UCONN. If she doesn't like some aspect of the game and wants to keep doing what she has been doing, I suggest another institution would be a better fit.

I think it's unfair to suggest this speaks to her temperament. I don't thinks it's about temperament at all. Part of it is what young players watch on TV (the NBA). It's also about what kids are hearing from their coaches. Some learn how to play the game earlier than others based on who is teaching it.

Remember what Wilson's AAU coach said after her USA Basketball experience:

" I thought the USA team hurt her game because they only had her play by the basket and when I had her during the summer, I had her playing the 2. I missed having her the whole July because she was with a USA team and they had her playing the 4 and 5, I had her playing the 1, 2 and 3. It helped because she got the experience but it hurt because the other girls shot the 3's and took players to the basket, that part of the game she didn't even display and that is the best part of her game. She knows she can do all of that, she knows she could have dominated the game but she decided to play team ball and pass the ball to her teammates because she could have scored 50 points in that game."

Contrast that with what Samuelson's HS coach Kevin Kiernan recently said: But Monarchs coach Kevin Kiernan said Samuelson has taken her game to a new level this season. “She’s really improved. Last year she was mostly a three-point shooter. She has incredible range and a great shot. This year she’s rebounding and she’s playing really well inside."

Also, this is what Samuelson recently said: “I need to work on posting up more, trying to get stronger and be able to make moves in the post."

 

[Scotter]

Based on what I've read and heard, both Wilson and White have made it known where they do and don't want to play. White said she doesn't want to play center, though presumably is okay with playing the power forward. Wilson doesn't seem to even want to play power forward, saying she thinks of herself as a wing. I do wonder what difference Wilson sees between the wing and a stretch-4 (power forward), for example. Does she not want to spend any time in the lane? Does she have difficulty seeing herself playing like Breanna plays at UConn?

The big question to me is the desire to play on the wing about offense or is about not wanting to have to defend post players and be physical. If it's about not wanting to be limited to be a post player offensively then that can be done at UConn. If it is about wanting to not have to bang then that isn't going to fly.

 

[Bestiarius]

I hate to speculate on whether or not a recruit will go here or there. They are just kids and things are constantly changing in these kids lives. Think how many times you changed your mind about things when you were 17 years old. I really don't think that anybody leads at the moment. I think Wilson is just taking visits, waiting to see how the season shakes out, will talk with her family and she will decide what she and her family think is best for her. Either way I don't worry about it...I remember feeling sick to my stomach when Baylor got Griner and I thought crap they are going to win 4 championships with her...and guess what they only got one and Geno got two during the Griner years. I am more worried about Gabby Williams and her recent knee injury...and if it will impact her UConn career.

I never changed my mind at age 17. Mainly, because I had no mind at that time, thus no ability to to change it.

Regarding the ongoing debate on how good a school UConn is vs. other schools - All schools are stronger in specific disciplines and weaker in others. These micro differences hardly affect the overall rating. A student may choose a school because that school is strong in their interest. For a female student interested in playing professional basketball, or who has career interest that would benefit from national celebrity, there is no doubt that UConn is the by far the best school in the nation. These kids get a prestige diploma in their chosen interest plus a solid overall education. No doubt a resume showing "UConn national basketball champion" on a resume will attract attention.

 

[HawkHusky]

I never changed my mind at age 17. Mainly, because I had no mind at that time, thus no ability to to change it.

Regarding the ongoing debate on how good a school UConn is vs. other schools - All schools are stronger in specific disciplines and weaker in others. These micro differences hardly affect the overall rating. A student may choose a school because that school is strong in their interest. For a female student interested in playing professional basketball, or who has career interest that would benefit from national celebrity, there is no doubt that UConn is the by far the best school in the nation. These kids get a prestige diploma in their chosen interest plus a solid overall education. No doubt a resume showing "UConn national basketball champion" on a resume will attract attention.

Especially when your desired employer is the WNBA.

 

[uconnfan68]

UNC is one of the premier public universities in the country. UConn aspires to be a UNC. But agree UNC would be a mistake for a kid looking for championships.

Plus it's really easy for athletes.

 

[uconnfan68]

You mean the only university that failed to qualify its men's basketball team for the NCAAs last year is a quality academic institution. Interesting theory.
Of course neither of these occurrences has anything to do with overall quality of these institutions.

You have no idea what the APR is, do you? Where is upstater when you need him...

 

[Icebear]

USNews rankings have UNC at 30 and UCONN at 57 not a huge difference. PSU at 37 in between. So it isn't like UNC is walking on water.

 

[pap49cba]

I just want to fall asleep and wake up in April.

 

[stwainfan]

http://instagram.com/p/iwJ03DHveZ/#