Jordan Horston

[ballhawk]

Watching the FIBA final today four of the five starters were former Huskies. If Jordan's primary goal in selecting a college is to be the best player that she can be and play in the W there is only one university that meets these goals.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

All 3 of them end up at Tennessee

That would be a shocker, but i wonder if the renewed uconn-tenn rivalry is playing any kind of part in where they might end up..

 

[Boxerpups4me]

I dont think holly is necessarily a bad coach, but i dont think she is good at all in motivating her players..most championship head coaches are master motivators

If holly somehow does pull this trifecta, then it will help Tennessee big time at least match up better with uconn next season

 

[SCGamecock]

All 3 of them end up at Tennessee

Oh dear lord please no.

 

[HopJim]

Has she publicly trimmed the list beyond 7? Otherwise I'd rank them as:

T1. UCONN-doesn't seem to be an obvious spot for her here with Williams and Walker as the likely 2/3 combo for the next few years, although UCONN may utilize Walker as a 4 and go with a single post offense in ONO. Upside for her here is top coaching, likely a title contender every year and she'll be playing with really good players. Downside is she likely isn't going to ever be a go to player or really standout from her teammates...she's a big fish in a pond with a lot of other big fish. Not necessarily a bad thing by any means, but depends on how you look at it. I'm by no means a UCONN fan, but this would be one of my top choices if I were her.

T1. South Carolina-she'd have a great opportunity to get big minutes early, be coached by one of the better ones in the country and South Carolina appears to be putting together pieces to stay a strong team for a long time to come. If she comes here and 1-2 other top recruits come, SC will be a handful for the duration of her career. This would also be a top choice if I were her.

3. Louisville-another spot where she'll likely get big minutes early and can have a team built around her. Coaching is good but team results have been inconsistent. The pro here is she'd have a good shot to be a centerpiece at Louisville and help take this program to the next level of either winning a title or being a consistent Final Four threat. She'd also be very close to home (3hr). I'd rank this option just slightly behind UCONN and South Carolina.

4. Tennessee-on the plus side, she will have some talented teammates and likely starts from day 1. Tennessee isn't too far either and the school offers great fan support and national recognition. Big downside is Holly Warlick...players do not improve under her and teams consistently underachieve. I'd put this as a big step down from Louisville.

5. Ohio State-plus side is she's staying home and will likely get Kelsey Mitchell treatment. Downside is she likely never competes for a Final Four and gets mediocre coaching.

6. UCLA-good program on the west coast. Fan support will be weak though and coaching is okay but nothing special. She'd be a star from day 1 but I don't see her playing in Final Fours here. UCLA is a fantastic school and has a great campus, but basketball wise it doesn't make sense for Horston.

7. North Carolina-no idea what the draw is here, the program has been bad for several years and doesn't appear to be on the upswing. With all the NCAA academic issues and poor team results, I'm not sure I'd want to go here for women's basketball.


Realistically, I'm guessing she picks UCONN or Ohio State. No inside info but more often than not UCONN lands the kids they recruit. I could also see Horston excited at the prospect of being the next Kelsey Mitchell right after she graduates. While team results weren't fantastic, Kelsey broke many records at OSU, kept the program a consistent top 15-20 team and I'm sure was somewhat of a celebrity in the basketball world of Columbus. Horston could be the 2nd coming of that and might believe she can take OSU to the next level.

Appreciate the thought that went into this post but disagree on 1st point. One of UConn's key strengths that has contributed to so many top pros has been Geno's ability to involve multiple players in all facets of the game. Unlike other programs you reference that have a limited number of "go to" pieces, Geno develops every member of his team multiple ways. In a sense, everyone has a key role and the net result is often 3 top draft picks a year. With so may key games throughout the year, UConn provides an unique opportunity for players to demonstrate and show off skills.

 

[bballnut90]

Appreciate the thought that went into this post but disagree on 1st point. One of UConn's key strengths that has contributed to so many top pros has been Geno's ability to involve multiple players in all facets of the game. Unlike other programs you reference that have a limited number of "go to" pieces, Geno develops every member of his team multiple ways. In a sense, everyone has a key role and the net result is often 3 top draft picks a year. With so may key games throughout the year, UConn provides an unique opportunity for players to demonstrate and show off skills.

Agree with what you're saying, the point I was trying to make though is she'll likely share the spotlight at UCONN since Geno has so much talent on his roster where at other schools she'll have a chance to be the star player for her program and elevate her team to the next level, sort of how Wilson did at SC, how Diggins did it at ND, and how Ionescu appears to be accomplishing this at Oregon. Those players are credited with bringing their program over the hump and accomplishing a lot of firsts in program history while also being the best player on her team all 4 years. That type of opportunity to make a new impact on a program isn't available at UCONN since UCONN is such a steady powerhouse in the sport. It's not a bad thing by any means, but players sometimes opt for less traditionally strong programs in hopes to be able to elevate them to the next level. If that's appeals to Jordan, UCONN might be lower on the totem pole then.

 

[Charliebball]

Agree with what you're saying, the point I was trying to make though is she'll likely share the spotlight at UCONN since Geno has so much talent on his roster where at other schools she'll have a chance to be the star player for her program and elevate her team to the next level, sort of how Wilson did at SC, how Diggins did it at ND, and how Ionescu appears to be accomplishing this at Oregon. Those players are credited with bringing their program over the hump and accomplishing a lot of firsts in program history while also being the best player on her team all 4 years. That type of opportunity to make a new impact on a program isn't available at UCONN since UCONN is such a steady powerhouse in the sport. It's not a bad thing by any means, but players sometimes opt for less traditionally strong programs in hopes to be able to elevate them to the next level. If that's appeals to Jordan, UCONN might be lower on the totem pole then.

the good news is that we don't have much longer to wait and find out so we can speculate about the last two hold outs

 

[Golden Husky]

Has she publicly trimmed the list beyond 7? Otherwise I'd rank them as:

T1. UCONN-doesn't seem to be an obvious spot for her here with Williams and Walker as the likely 2/3 combo for the next few years, although UCONN may utilize Walker as a 4 and go with a single post offense in ONO. Upside for her here is top coaching, likely a title contender every year and she'll be playing with really good players. Downside is she likely isn't going to ever be a go to player or really standout from her teammates...she's a big fish in a pond with a lot of other big fish. Not necessarily a bad thing by any means, but depends on how you look at it. I'm by no means a UCONN fan, but this would be one of my top choices if I were her.

T1. South Carolina-she'd have a great opportunity to get big minutes early, be coached by one of the better ones in the country and South Carolina appears to be putting together pieces to stay a strong team for a long time to come. If she comes here and 1-2 other top recruits come, SC will be a handful for the duration of her career. This would also be a top choice if I were her.

3. Louisville-another spot where she'll likely get big minutes early and can have a team built around her. Coaching is good but team results have been inconsistent. The pro here is she'd have a good shot to be a centerpiece at Louisville and help take this program to the next level of either winning a title or being a consistent Final Four threat. She'd also be very close to home (3hr). I'd rank this option just slightly behind UCONN and South Carolina.

4. Tennessee-on the plus side, she will have some talented teammates and likely starts from day 1. Tennessee isn't too far either and the school offers great fan support and national recognition. Big downside is Holly Warlick...players do not improve under her and teams consistently underachieve. I'd put this as a big step down from Louisville.

5. Ohio State-plus side is she's staying home and will likely get Kelsey Mitchell treatment. Downside is she likely never competes for a Final Four and gets mediocre coaching.

6. UCLA-good program on the west coast. Fan support will be weak though and coaching is okay but nothing special. She'd be a star from day 1 but I don't see her playing in Final Fours here. UCLA is a fantastic school and has a great campus, but basketball wise it doesn't make sense for Horston.

7. North Carolina-no idea what the draw is here, the program has been bad for several years and doesn't appear to be on the upswing. With all the NCAA academic issues and poor team results, I'm not sure I'd want to go here for women's basketball.


Realistically, I'm guessing she picks UCONN or Ohio State. No inside info but more often than not UCONN lands the kids they recruit. I could also see Horston excited at the prospect of being the next Kelsey Mitchell right after she graduates. While team results weren't fantastic, Kelsey broke many records at OSU, kept the program a consistent top 15-20 team and I'm sure was somewhat of a celebrity in the basketball world of Columbus. Horston could be the 2nd coming of that and might believe she can take OSU to the next level.

Do kids choose a school or do they pick a coach? I know the obvious answer is "both" but if the latter is more important, then how well the personalities of player and coach mesh--something we really don't know--may be the deciding factor. I'm not opposed to the speculation--in fact, I enjoy it--but some of these choices may be based on factors we don't truly understand.

 

[bballnut90]

Do kids choose a school or do they pick a coach? I know the obvious answer is "both" but if the latter is more important, then how well the personalities of player and coach mesh--something we really don't know--may be the deciding factor. I'm not opposed to the speculation--in fact, I enjoy it--but some of these choices may be based on factors we don't truly understand.

Very true....every player's mindset and priorities are different. Fun to speculate about even if we really have little to zero actual information besides what floats around on here.

 

[Alydar]

Agree with what you're saying, the point I was trying to make though is she'll likely share the spotlight at UCONN since Geno has so much talent on his roster where at other schools she'll have a chance to be the star player for her program and elevate her team to the next level, sort of how Wilson did at SC, how Diggins did it at ND, and how Ionescu appears to be accomplishing this at Oregon. Those players are credited with bringing their program over the hump and accomplishing a lot of firsts in program history while also being the best player on her team all 4 years. That type of opportunity to make a new impact on a program isn't available at UCONN since UCONN is such a steady powerhouse in the sport. It's not a bad thing by any means, but players sometimes opt for less traditionally strong programs in hopes to be able to elevate them to the next level. If that's appeals to Jordan, UCONN might be lower on the totem pole then.

That's true for a lot of great players. But the next level for Ionescu's and Diggens' teams was not the level of UConn, and with apologies to our S Car friends, I doubt Wilson would have a ring if not for Miss St. But if you watched the U17 games this past summer the one thing that was apparent to me was that that bunch truly seemed to have no egos on the court. Horston is a highly skilled scorer but led the team in assists despite not playing the point. And she was but one of many who played that way. I truly believe that the U17 team would have beaten the U18 team rather easily. In that regard I view the 2019/20 classes as uniquely gifted in that respect and is why I am hoping to see a bunch of them choose UConn.

 

[JordyG]

I dont think holly is necessarily a bad coach, but i dont think she is good at all in motivating her players..most championship head coaches are master motivators

If holly somehow does pull this trifecta, then it will help Tennessee big time at least match up better with uconn next season

From the Tenn games I've watched over the last two years Holly's teams have played hard on offense and defense. So where is the lack of motivation? What her teams have lacked are discipline, and an offensive scheme that's more than "dump it into the post(s) and if that doesn't work you guys figure it out". This is opposed to good coaches like Geno, Walz, Muffet, Bruno and others who not only teach defense, but also the myriad of offensive variations off of every position, how to effectively run the break, how to play with pace in the offensive end etc. In other words their variations off of a motion offense. Most championship coaches are not only master motivators, but master innovators as well. Holly is not a bad coach. In fact, she's proven that she's a great recruiter. She'll just never be a coach that's capable of developing players and make them ready for the next level. She'll just never be a great coach that leads her teams to championships.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

From the Tenn games I've watched over the last two years Holly's teams have played hard on offense and defense. So where is the lack of motivation? What her teams have lacked are discipline, and an offensive scheme that's more than "dump it into the post(s) and if that doesn't work you guys figure it out". This is opposed to good coaches like Geno, Walz, Muffet, Bruno and others who not only teach defense, but also the myriad of offensive variations off of every position, how to effectively run the break, how to play with pace in the offensive end etc. In other words their variations off of a motion offense. Most championship coaches are not only master motivators, but master innovators as well. Holly is not a bad coach. In fact, she's proven that she's a great recruiter. She'll just never be a coach that's capable of developing players and make them ready for the next level. She'll just never be a great coach that leads her teams to championships.

I agree with all you say, especially about discipline. If holly had any kind of motivational skills, i dont think they lose that debacle at Notre Dame. Tennessee needed some kind of motivational force to keep Notre Dame from storming back, holly just stood there most of the time with her arms crossed

 

[JordyG]

I agree with all you say, especially about discipline. If holly had any kind of motivational skills, i dont think they lose that debacle at Notre Dame. Tennessee needed some kind of motivational force to keep Notre Dame from storming back, holly just stood there most of the time with her arms crossed

I didn't see that as much as an inability to motivate her team, but more her inability as a coach to tell her team specifically what to do to counter what ND was doing and stop the bleeding, Just listen to her repetitive post game interviews and you can hear how she consistently has no answers.

 

[donalddoowop]

It's possible to be a great recruiter and not be a great coach. It's possible to be a great recruiter and not be even an above average coach. Holly W. may be somewhere in between.

 

[Alydar]

I agree with all you say, especially about discipline. If holly had any kind of motivational skills, i dont think they lose that debacle at Notre Dame. Tennessee needed some kind of motivational force to keep Notre Dame from storming back, holly just stood there most of the time with her arms crossed

Not much different from what MM did the year before when the Irish had a similar collapse in the 4th period at TBA.

 

[Alydar]

From the Tenn games I've watched over the last two years Holly's teams have played hard on offense and defense. So where is the lack of motivation? What her teams have lacked are discipline, and an offensive scheme that's more than "dump it into the post(s) and if that doesn't work you guys figure it out". This is opposed to good coaches like Geno, Walz, Muffet, Bruno and others who not only teach defense, but also the myriad of offensive variations off of every position, how to effectively run the break, how to play with pace in the offensive end etc. In other words their variations off of a motion offense. Most championship coaches are not only master motivators, but master innovators as well. Holly is not a bad coach. In fact, she's proven that she's a great recruiter. She'll just never be a coach that's capable of developing players and make them ready for the next level. She'll just never be a great coach that leads her teams to championships.

Holly is just trying to maintain the PS game plan. Pressure defense leading to turnovers, domination of the glass at both ends and opportunistic scoring. Trouble is Holly hasn't the "corn fed" front court players Pat had nor the scoring machine named Parker. Without Parker the LV's would have won their last NC in 1998. That's why Pat was so upset when she lost Maya.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

Not much different from what MM did the year before when the Irish had a similar collapse in the 4th period at TBA.

Well, its not just the ND debacle, holly has lost a LOT of leads, especially in sec play since she has been the coach.

Lets just say uconn lands horsten, jones AND boston, in addition to griffin and the players they currently have..what team could honestly compete with that kind of group..maybe baylor or nd?

 

[baggerbob]

Listen to Dawn's statements about coaching the World Cup team. She said they gave the players the general idea's, and they took them to a new level. So Dawn has become a better coach being around Sue, Dee, and the other members of the team.

 

[CocoHusky]

Well, its not just the ND debacle, holly has lost a LOT of leads, especially in sec play since she has been the coach.

Lets just say uconn lands horsten, jones AND boston, in addition to griffin and the players they currently have..what team could honestly compete with that kind of group..maybe baylor or nd?

I would also add Stanford to that list as long as Tara is still coaching, and also because Stanford last three recruiting classes have not been too shabby.

Curiosity question: TN has also had its fair share of good recruits, is it your position that TN will not be able to compete with UCONN regardless of how much talent Holly amasses?

 

[Alydar]

Well, its not just the ND debacle, holly has lost a LOT of leads, especially in sec play since she has been the coach.

Lets just say uconn lands horsten, jones AND boston, in addition to griffin and the players they currently have..what team could honestly compete with that kind of group..maybe baylor or nd?[/QUOTE]

.

The games that look bad are the loses to teams like Alabama. I can't understand losing to talent-poor teams like that.

Over the course of a season, no one. But in a lose and go home tournament it's been shown that there are teams that can win one game against them. Teams like those you named and add in Miss St, Stanford, and IMO Oregon. In other words, well coached and motivated teams.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

curiosity question: TN has also had its fair share of good recruits, is it your position that TN will not be able to compete with UCONN regardless of how much talent Holly amasses?

Well, tennessee had 3 top ten recruits..diamond, mercedes and nared, to go along with a host of other top 40 hs players, but yet managed to fall out of the rankings several times and lose to unranked teams, alabama included!!. How does that even happen, unless there is an issue with player development, discipline and motivational issues with the coach..so, no i dont think tennessee can compete with uconn, at least at this current moment.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

The games that look bad are the loses to teams like Alabama. I can't understand losing to talent-poor teams like that.

Over the course of a season, no one. But in a lose and go home tournament it's been shown that there are teams that can win one game against them. Teams like those you named and add in Miss St, Stanford, and IMO Oregon. In other words, well coached and motivated teams.

Well boston would give uconn the height and shooting range they have been missing since dolson for sure and what i mean by that is a center being able to step out and shoot the three like dolson could

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Well boston would give uconn the height and shooting range they have been missing since dolson for sure and what i mean by that is a center being able to step out and shoot the three like dolson could

Think Boston's shooting prowess is yet to be verified. She just started taking threes this past year. She's mostly a post-up player in the block.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

The games that look bad are the loses to teams like Alabama. I can't understand losing to talent-poor teams like that. . .

If that game at Tulane two years ago had lasted a minute or two longer, UConn
might have lost.

Something like that might happen to UConn once in a blue moon. It seems to happen
much more frequently to Holly's LVs.

 

[WestsideWaltz]

It's possible to be a great recruiter and not be a great coach. It's possible to be a great recruiter and not be even an above average coach. Holly W. may be somewhere in between.

And conversely, I think Nikki Fargas is a fine game coach but a terrible recruiter. Extremely odd. If she still wants to coach after LSU, she should consider the WNBA where I think she could be very successful.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

And conversely, I think Nikki Fargas is a fine game coach but a terrible recruiter. Extremely odd. If she still wants to coach after LSU, she should consider the WNBA where I think she could be very successful.

Completely agree about Fargas. I think she can coach. She has had some better than anticipated seasons at LSU. Recruiting i think at UCLA was easier because that school can recruit for you just by name. If she had an ace recruiter i think she could get over the SEC hump. And yes—i thought the same about the WNBA being a good spot for her.

 

[Carnac]

And conversely, I think Nikki Fargas is a fine game coach but a terrible recruiter. Extremely odd. If she still wants to coach after LSU, she should consider the WNBA where I think she could be very successful.

Nikki should take a page from Dawn Staley's play book, and do as she did. Staley knew her recruiting skills were wanting, so she hired a proven master recruiter in Jolette Law.

Jolette Law’s and Dawn Staley’s plan to take South Carolina recruiting to next level.
When SC won the national championship two years ago, that earned her and her program admittance into the back room where only the elite teams hang out. She plans on staying there for a while. She does not plan on losing out on the nation's top recruits to the likes of UConn, Baylor, Notre Dame, Maryland, Tennessee, Oregon, Mississippi State, Duke, Texas, Louisville, Ohio State, Stanford, etc.

So, enter Jolette Law, a proven master recruiter. All of these programs compete for the same elite recruits every year. Staley wants to be a major player in the recruiting game. By hiring Law, she has done just that.

The next time you see an elite recruit's final list, notice the schools listed. All of them are MAJOR programs. Not one mid-major school on the list. Other than USF, UConn does not compete with any other AAC program for their recruits.

South Carolina basketball: Dawn Staley's recruiting approach

 

[WestsideWaltz]

Fargas has gone through five or six assistant coaches in her seven years at LSU and with the exception of Mickie DeMoss, none were noteworthy. Her former assistant Stacie Terry began having serious problems at SDSU and hired recruiting ace Kevin Morrison. Fargas's best friend is Tia Jackson who also had a reputation as being one of the best recruiters in the nation before her tarnished run as head coach of UW. But those kinds of choices were not made.

It's all probably academic anyways as her contract is up this season. LSU's AD tried to sneak in a contract extension but quickly backed away when the fan base complained.

 

[jennyo70]

For those that mention Louisville in relation to Horston, that is not going to happen. Not sure when, where, or who lost interest, but that match isn’t happening. Perhaps when an official didn’t get scheduled, I don’t know. Was supposed to do an unofficial ( since the family is “close”, and she had 7 finalists) but that was never scheduled either. To my knowledge all the kids we are recruiting were on campus during the month of September. It is now a waiting game.

 

[Charliebball]

Listen to Dawn's statements about coaching the World Cup team. She said they gave the players the general idea's, and they took them to a new level. So Dawn has become a better coach being around Sue, Dee, and the other members of the team.

frankly I think almost anybody familiar with the shape of a basketball could have "coached" that team to victory................I doubt that there's much Dawn could "teach" Sue or Diana at this point in their careers...........