June 2020 UCONN recruiting thread

[DEpup]

I understand Nnaji is a good player, I have been singing her praises for years at this point. You just have to look at it from her perspective though. Why would she go to a school like UConn and have to beat out the #1 ranked big in 2021 class, the #2 overall player in the 2022 class, and the #1 overall ranked Canadien in the 2020 class to get minutes, when she can go somewhere else and start from Day 1?

If she wants to play with her former teammate, win a bunch of championships, and be wnba ready like say Napheesa Collier and other Lynx/UConn players who are in her backyard then maybe just 20ish minutes a game is a small sacrifice.

 

[Stoli]

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Nnagi's brother was a freshman at Arizona last season and announced he was entering the NBA draft this spring. Not exactly a decision for education.

Teaching Chemistry & Physics at the Dual Credit level for many years has taught me that not all siblings are motivated to the same level in the classroom. I have found the young women tend to be towards the perfectionist side compared to the young men's "good enough" even when the young women may arguably be as good or better athletes. It is always best to treat each person as an individual and give ample positive encouragement!

 

[mmeade258]

I saw this on instagram.
My heart will literally be shattered if Fudd goes anywhere else but UConn.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I understand Nnaji is a good player, I have been singing her praises for years at this point. You just have to look at it from her perspective though. Why would she go to a school like UConn and have to beat out the #1 ranked big in 2021 class, the #2 overall player in the 2022 class, and the #1 overall ranked Canadien in the 2020 class to get minutes, when she can go somewhere else and start from Day 1?

I fully understand your point. I, for one, am greedy at this point for outstanding "BIGS" who can run the court and play excellent defense, particularly when they can both block shots and get steals!!!

 

[hoophuskee]

She has alot of growing and maturing to do as all freshman do (except Boston?? ). I really wish everyone would let her grow into her (Generational Player) role at whatever pace will make her the best when she graduates UConn

I don't agree with your tone. I hope the vast majority don't agree with it as well.

 

[eebmg]

I don't agree with your tone. I hope the vast majority don't agree with it as well.

After rereading, I guess I can see your issue.

I meant her body and her overall game (defense / running a new team etc). Not her personality or makeup.

 

[j66kicker]

Teaching Chemistry & Physics at the Dual Credit level for many years has taught me that not all siblings are motivated to the same level in the classroom. I have found the young women tend to be towards the perfectionist side compared to the young men's "good enough" even when the young women may arguably be as good or better athletes. It is always best to treat each person as an individual and give ample positive encouragement!

And a contributing factor to the different level of academic focus in this case COULD be that NBA salaries are over 150X higher than WNBA salaries (NBA supermax level is 177X the WNBA max of $215,000). Just sayin’...

 

[Alydar]

And a contributing factor to the different level of academic focus in this case COULD be that NBA salaries are over 150X higher than WNBA salaries (NBA supermax level is 177X the WNBA max of $215,000). Just sayin’...

As an educator you would naturally place education high on your list but even Tiger Woods passed on a Stanford degree to go pro.
How about Euro salaries? Sure, the NBA is another universe but to a 21 year old a half million a year in income has to be very tempting.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Iriafen made some headlines this week when she recently unveiled her top 5 schools. Included in that group were Baylor, Notre Dame, Stanford, UConn, and UCLA. Each of those schools are basketball powerhouses when it comes to the women’s game and each would benefit greatly from Iriafen’s talent.

Iriafen is one of the premier talents in the country with a very versatile skill-set. She can play like a traditional big, she has great footwork in the paint and she can punish smaller defenders on the block. She can shoot from the outside as well and she can even handle the ball a bit and make plays off the dribble. Defensively, she is a solid one-on-one defender and can anchor the paint. Very good rebounder. Poised for a big senior year.

SoCal Recruiting Roundup | Prep Girls Hoops

Despite pretty much every summer basketball circuit being cancelled, and organized basketball games in general on temporary hold, colleges are still able to give offers to high school players. A few players in the Southern California area have received some new offers over the past few months...

www.prepgirlshoops.com

 

[bluedevil]

I saw this on instagram.
My heart will literally be shattered if Fudd goes anywhere else but UConn.

You might need counseling or maybe a good cardiologist...

 

[TheFarmFan]

As an educator you would naturally place education high on your list but even Tiger Woods passed on a Stanford degree to go pro.
How about Euro salaries? Sure, the NBA is another universe but to a 21 year old a half million a year in income has to be very tempting.

Define "passed." Once a student has completed a year at Stanford they are welcome to return to complete their degree at any time. In Tiger's case, his success on the links rendered that guarantee unnecessary. But imagine he had a career-ending injury at 23 - can't imagine he wouldn't have wanted to come back and get it. And funny you should pick that example: Woods said in an interview a few years ago that not staying at Stanford one more year and completing his degree was his "only regret." Given the other actions he taken that one might reasonably think he should regret, that's quite a powerful statement, IMHO.

Incidentally, Astros All-Star Jason Castro is one example of a top Stanford athlete who went pro prior to graduation and returned in the off-seasons to complete his degree. Not to mention, there are a number of other notable and highly successful athletes who have returned to their undergraduate universities to finish their degrees, both while still active and after retirement. Like many student-athletes, how much they emphasize the student, and the athletes, will vary from person to person, even for some who will be making $$$ after going pro.

 

[BobbyJ]

Define "passed." Once a student has completed a year at Stanford they are welcome to return to complete their degree at any time. In Tiger's case, his success on the links rendered that guarantee unnecessary. But imagine he had a career-ending injury at 23 - can't imagine he wouldn't have wanted to come back and get it. And funny you should pick that example: Woods said in an interview a few years ago that not staying at Stanford one more year and completing his degree was his "only regret." Given the other actions he taken that one might reasonably think he should regret, that's quite a powerful statement, IMHO.

Incidentally, Astros All-Star Jason Castro is one example of a top Stanford athlete who went pro prior to graduation and returned in the off-seasons to complete his degree. Not to mention, there are a number of other notable and highly successful athletes who have returned to their undergraduate universities to finish their degrees, both while still active and after retirement. Like many student-athletes, how much they emphasize the student, and the athletes, will vary from person to person, even for some who will be making $$$ after going pro.

One more year at Stanford for Woods would have made 3. Could he have gotten a degree in 3 years? I didn't see any mention of getting his degree.

 

[EricLA]

Regardless of where Nnaji goes, and I hope UCONN recruits her HARD, I also hope we are all over Lauren Betts, as well as Breya Cunningham out of 2023.

Breya plays in the same league as Ice Brady, is a year younger, and was every bit as tough as Ice when they played several times this past year. I think Ice is a tad better, but Breya is a year younger (and a legit 6'4", not the 6'2" listed in HG).

I've also heard great things about Aalyah Del Rosario, out of Trenton, NJ - same class is Breya - 2023.

 

[hoophuskee]

After rereading, I guess I can see your issue.

I meant her body and her overall game (defense / running a new team etc). Not her personality or makeup.

I thought I understood your initial post but now I think maybe I didn't. I don't know why you referenced Boston then. I just want to add Paige might have been better than Boston when she was a junior and Boston a senior. Paige followed that up with an amazing senior year - a type of season superior to Boston when she was senior. Yet we're supposed to put Boston on this elite pedestal while in the same breath be scared that Paige won't be a helluva player in her frosh year? If Paige is going to be a helluva player her frosh year then why be scared to say it? Because she is a "guard" in which some posters only favor size? Guards can be helluva good players as freshmen too. Even guards that play for UCONN and Auriemma.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I don't care what Tara has to say, if you don't think that athletes get admittance exemptions then you are kidding yourself. I didn't write the article, take it up with the author if you have issue. By the way it was an Op-ed written by a Stanford grad.

The price of athletics at Stanford

It's time for us to consider whether Stanford's policies of heavy investment in athletic programs and recruitment are really in line with the university's mission. Regardless of what we decide to do, we as a university should have a frank discussion about how much we are willing to sacrifice...

www.stanforddaily.com

Tara may also be including her personal requirements for the team. Personality, position needs along with academic requirements limit her pool to about 10. Which is probably ab little smaller than the pool Geno has

 

[eebmg]

I thought I understood your initial post but now I think maybe I didn't. I don't know why you referenced Boston then. I just want to add Paige might have been better than Boston when she was a junior and Boston a senior. Paige followed that up with an amazing senior year - a type of season superior to Boston when she was senior. Yet we're supposed to put Boston on this elite pedestal while in the same breath be scared that Paige won't be a helluva player in her frosh year? If Paige is going to be a helluva player her frosh year then why be scared to say it? Because she is a "guard" in which some posters only favor size? Guards can be helluva good players as freshmen too. Even guards that play for UCONN and Auriemma.

My original post was addressing the statement that the Hopkins coach said that Paige could enter the WNBA as a #1 draft pick now and I took exception on general grounds that all players need to develop and mature (bodywise / knowledge wise etc). Then I added Boston as the one possible exception (with a ? mark) mainly because her body is so mature and pro ready now and her skills for a center are very developed so that she could make the jump imo.

So for me, it is an issue of the positions they play and how much more a PG needs to develop to make the jump to the next level while a center could be pro ready if she has a physically dominant body, has good moves and good defensive skills since she is not being asked to run the whole team.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Define "passed." Once a student has completed a year at Stanford they are welcome to return to complete their degree at any time. In Tiger's case, his success on the links rendered that guarantee unnecessary. But imagine he had a career-ending injury at 23 - can't imagine he wouldn't have wanted to come back and get it. And funny you should pick that example: Woods said in an interview a few years ago that not staying at Stanford one more year and completing his degree was his "only regret." Given the other actions he taken that one might reasonably think he should regret, that's quite a powerful statement, IMHO.

Incidentally, Astros All-Star Jason Castro is one example of a top Stanford athlete who went pro prior to graduation and returned in the off-seasons to complete his degree. Not to mention, there are a number of other notable and highly successful athletes who have returned to their undergraduate universities to finish their degrees, both while still active and after retirement. Like many student-athletes, how much they emphasize the student, and the athletes, will vary from person to person, even for some who will be making $$$ after going pro.

If Nike offered me a $7,000,000 check to drop out of school, I am wondering what would encourage me to stay in school.

 

[Alydar]

Define "passed." Once a student has completed a year at Stanford they are welcome to return to complete their degree at any time. In Tiger's case, his success on the links rendered that guarantee unnecessary. But imagine he had a career-ending injury at 23 - can't imagine he wouldn't have wanted to come back and get it. And funny you should pick that example: Woods said in an interview a few years ago that not staying at Stanford one more year and completing his degree was his "only regret." Given the other actions he taken that one might reasonably think he should regret, that's quite a powerful statement, IMHO.

Incidentally, Astros All-Star Jason Castro is one example of a top Stanford athlete who went pro prior to graduation and returned in the off-seasons to complete his degree. Not to mention, there are a number of other notable and highly successful athletes who have returned to their undergraduate universities to finish their degrees, both while still active and after retirement. Like many student-athletes, how much they emphasize the student, and the athletes, will vary from person to person, even for some who will be making $$$ after going pro.

By the time Tiger was 23 he already had more money than I could spend in 10 lifetimes. I am not trying to diminish the value of education but the fact of the matter is that most go to college to have a better life (read make more money) when the fact, at least when I was studying, was that a degree doesn't make you more money. The usual stat used is BS. The income/status of the families of Stanford students are the biggest factor in why they earn more after college. The wealth of your parents is far more predictive of your future earning than both the college you graduated from or even whether or not you went to college.

 

[eebmg]

By the time Tiger was 23 he already had more money than I could spend in 10 lifetimes. I am not trying to diminish the value of education but the fact of the matter is that most go to college to have a better life (read make more money) when the fact, at least when I was studying, was that a degree doesn't make you more money. The usual stat used is BS. The income/status of the families of Stanford students are the biggest factor in why they earn more after college. The wealth of your parents is far more predictive of your future earning than both the college you graduated from or even whether or not you went to college.

and you can always go back to finish your degree after earning your fortune.

 

[oldude]

The wealth of your parents is far more predictive of your future earning than both the college you graduated from or even whether or not you went to college.

The first part of your statement is accurate. But the second part is not. The biggest single determinant for upwardly mobile individuals is a college degree. Some studies have estimated that college grads on average earn $1 million more in their lifetime than those without a college degree. The total is even greater for those with advanced degrees (Masters or PHD’s).

 

[MilfordHusky]

Paige is holding her own with Azzi--who once again is wearing UMD shorts.

 

[oldude]

Paige is holding her own with Azzi--who once again is wearing UMD shorts.

Azzi is just trolling Paige with the shorts...

 

[TheFarmFan]

I don't care what Tara has to say, if you don't think that athletes get admittance exemptions then you are kidding yourself. I didn't write the article, take it up with the author if you have issue. By the way it was an Op-ed written by a Stanford grad.

The price of athletics at Stanford

It's time for us to consider whether Stanford's policies of heavy investment in athletic programs and recruitment are really in line with the university's mission. Regardless of what we decide to do, we as a university should have a frank discussion about how much we are willing to sacrifice...

www.stanforddaily.com

From the article:

Looking at a group of 10 elite colleges and using SAT scores (on the 1600 point scale) as a proxy for academic ability, Princeton researchers found that being a recruited athlete gave an admissions boost equivalent to scoring 200 points higher on the SAT. We can also look at high school scouting reports for football players. Looking at the Stanford recruitment class of 2009 (this year was quite typical in terms of test scores), the median football player who reported scores got an 1800 out of 2400 on the SAT and 26 on the ACT. Based on university statistics, this puts the football median comfortably in the bottom quartile and likely somewhere in the bottom 10 percent in terms of test scores.

Ok, so football players are comfortably in the bottom quartile. Well, that's about 20 kids per year out of 1700.

Do we know anything about the rest? 200 point SAT boost, per the article. So if the average at Stanford is around 1505, then the average Stanford student-athlete is scoring around 1300. And that includes all those football players, who are already established to have been in the bottom quartile, which means the average non-football athlete will be at least a bit above 1300.

SAT score of 1300 is around the 86th percentile nationally.
SAT score of 1060 is average - around 50th percentile. Anyone think that average Top 100 WBB recruit is much higher (if at all) than the average college applicant generally?

And you want to tell me Tara can magically drag any recruit in the country past admissions when the average Stanford student-athlete is scoring around 86th percentile nationally, ~240 points higher than the national average.

Ok, sure.

 

[Alydar]

The first part of your statement is accurate. But the second part is not. The biggest single determinant for upwardly mobile individuals is a college degree. Some studies have estimated that college grads on average earn $1 million more in their lifetime than those without a college degree. The total is even greater for those with advanced degrees (Masters or PHD’s).

That's the BS I referred to. The study would have been valid if they compared college grads with equal wealth/income in the families. At a school like Duke or Stanford, smallish private schools, the mean earnings of grads are scewed by the huge incomes of a relative handful of grads. If you were to compare the median earnings of grads with similar family income profiles you'd see little difference. It's not that schools like say U of Mich don't produce high earners, it's that there graduating classes are huge compared to Harvard, Yale, Stanford or Duke.

Take a thousand children of Doctors/lawyers and another thousand children of food service workers and sent them to 2 different colleges of equal reputations, the children of the professional parents would earn more in their lifetimes. That doesn't make the degree they earned any more valuable.