July recruiting thread

[BobbyJ]

I bet she is.

Somfai is coached/trained by Jelena Todorovic, a former Serbian player who is one of the up and coming coaches/trainers in Europe and Australia. She helped coach Giannis and the Greek National Team (men's) during a FIBA tournament. She said this about Somfai:

I have coached many young men but nothing comes close to this amazing young woman… she is only 16 years old but is one of the biggest professionals I have ever seen. I’ve seen her compete against boys and grown men in many of my trainings, I’ve seen her put in countless hours in the gym and everything always with a smile . . . She is the best young player in the WHOLE of Australia.

Not hard to believe, that’s what I see. I hope she’s looking for a college degree, I know just the place for her.

 

[BobbyJ]

Lauren Jackson has her in her clutches . . . literally.

Do you know if Jackson is working with her? This kid has potential out the wazoo.

 

[UConnCat]

Do you know if Jackson is working with her? This kid has potential out the wazoo.

Not sure about Jackson's role. I hope she doesn't persuade Lara to turn pro like she did to Ezi who was probably headed to UConn.

UCLA will be all over Somfai like they are with all the good Aussie players. Closer to home and a history of players going there.

 

[BobbyJ]

Not sure about Jackson's role. I hope she doesn't persuade Lara to turn pro like she did to Ezi who was probably headed to UConn.

UCLA will be all over Somfai like they are with all the good Aussie players. Closer to home and a history of players going there.

OK, thanks for helping me get my enthusiasm under control.

 

[UConnCat]

OK, thanks for helping me get my enthusiasm under control.

Well, it's not like she's going to be a stealth recruit.

I bet a lot of college coaches will be watching Australia play in next year's U17 World Cup.

 

[Ozzie1986]

Somfai just played in the Asia U16 championships. She was sick and missed the early round games but recovered to play in the semis and finals which Australia won. She scored 24 pts in she semis and 8 points in the finals today.

Hall on the same U16 Australian team is the No1 ranked prospect for 2007 born girls.
#2 Somfai - comparison is a 6’3-6’4 Alanna Smith type with better shooting and ball skills but without the rim running and defense/shot blocking.
For future interest
6’3 PF(possibly will grow to 6’4) Fagan is the #1 ranked 2008 born player. Raw Comparison is a quicker more mobile Ezi Magbegor with better ball handling early on. she does not have the superior shot blocking Ezi had at jnr level nor is she a good perimeter shooter, something ezi could not do consistantly either until recently.
She did not play Aus junior championships because she was the only 08 player selected for asia champs.

 

[UConnCat]

Hall on the same U16 Australian team is the No1 ranked prospect for 2007 born girls.
#2 Somfai - comparison is a 6’3-6’4 Alanna Smith type with better shooting and ball skills but without the rim running and defense/shot blocking.
For future interest
6’3 PF(possibly will grow to 6’4) Fagan is the #1 ranked 2008 born player. Raw Comparison is a quicker more mobile Ezi Magbegor with better ball handling early on. she does not have the superior shot blocking Ezi had at jnr level nor is she a good perimeter shooter, something ezi could not do consistantly either until recently.
She did not play Aus junior championships because she was the only 08 player selected for asia champs.

Thanks. Interesting that Hall did not make the all-tournament team while Perkins and Lehmann did. Hall was Australia's leading scorer but the other 2 players also averaged double figures and had more assists/game. UConn assistant Valley has also started following Perkins on IG.

 

[Ozzie1986]

Thanks. Interesting that Hall did not make the all-tournament team while Perkins and Lehmann did. Hall was Australia's leading scorer but the other 2 players also averaged double figures and had more assists/game. UConn assistant Valley has also started following Perkins on IG.

She injured her ankle early in the final group game and missed the semi final the following game.

One thing people might not realise, bigs dominate outside of the USA at jnr level.
When they get to the ncaa, most struggle.
In Aus, post players will dominate against much smaller opponents, Australia does not produce post players in abundance, it’s rare to see more than 4-5 6’3-6’4s over 2 age groups in the whole country. oceania teams are small, so too Asian teams. Most opponents have centres that are barely 5’11. The only country with comparable size is China.
A good example is Juffermans, the current u19 centre who has dominated at every level until now where she is facing the likes of spains Awa Fam and Canadas Toby Fournier Etc.
Looking into europe with silva and others, got to be wary as skill they show in regional champs are less likely to transfer over to the ncaa.

 

[MooseJaw]

Help, info wanted. Our most up to date recruiting poster SluConn has been MIA. Perhaps I have missed something, other than his insightful posts. But I relied heavily on his almost daily recruiting posts. Not to diminish all others who are suppling valuable updates, I hope all is well with SluConn.

 

[mmeade258]

New commit 2025?

 

[Jim R]

New commit 2025?

Hmmm…6’5” with great athleticism….

 

[darrell]

 

[Bone Dog]

New commit 2025?

This is unexpected.

 

[LuvBball]

As my good friend likes to say, you can't teach height. Lol Can't wait to do a deep dive and see more of her play

 

[Jim R]

Hmmm…6’5” with great athleticism….

The announcement is on twitter - Let’s hope for the best!

 

[Ozzie1986]

An elite rim protector from Ireland.

 

[Geew1992]

Was she even on the radar?

 

[Purchase1]

Wow this is out of nowhere had no clue we were even recruiting her

 

[darrell]

Was she even on the radar?

Not to my knowledge. She isn’t followed by any of the Coaching staff and the team page hasn’t shared her commitment (like Morgan Cheli’s) or followed her yet.

 

[Husky fanatic]

Did @charlieball mention her? That’s his territory.

 

[Husky fanatic]

From Ireland to St Bernard’s. Staying with basketball playing family.

 

[broooce]

FWIW, here's an article about her and her host family the Quinns.

GANDY MALOU-MANEL IS TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT ALL – Nothing But Skills

 

[UConnCat]

FWIW, here's an article about her and her host family the Quinns.

GANDY MALOU-MANEL IS TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT ALL – Nothing But Skills

Thank you for posting this. An amazing story.

 

[rubymae4]

Ouch, I've been through that and the pain at the time of injury is excruciating. Long rehab ahead and I hope she can be fully ready for her winter HS season.

I’ve been through that too. I’ve had multiple knee surgeries and thought the ankle would be similiar in rehab, but it’s a very different joint. I hope McGaughy heals well and has good rehab people.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Wow this is out of nowhere had no clue we were even recruiting her

It shows how little the BY knows in some regards.