I agree, however Auriemma certainly thinks she would fit in and let her handle the ball at UConn since he offered her as a freshman.
I'm sure he'd love to have her but only if she was willing to conform to the UConn system........I just don't see her wanting to play the kind of selfless team ball that Geno demands......
Not so sure about that. I've watched a lot of her games and she seems like a pretty bright and unselfish distributor to me. Her skills and vision are off the charts and she generates an awful lot of good shots for her teammates. I think her decision will be more geographical. Too much money, fan support and family ties for her to need to leave the L.A. area. If a west coast kid or her parents weren't a UConn fan from the start, the UConn history doesn't mean a whole lot to them.
Her unfollowing UConn on Instagram shortly after her visit will always give me pause that she’s actually still considering UConn. I know some people never look too much into social media, but deliberately unfollowing after the visit just seems like a bad sign.
Everything that she said she's looking for is exactly what she'd get at UConn........sadly, I think some of the best players are being warned off UConn with the thought that Geno might retire in the next few years.......you've got to believe that other programs in the recruiting mix are bringing that up too....
Other programs bring up coach’s age? I’m shocked, just shocked.
www.cbssports.com
If it was only about BB, the program, and Auriemma and staff I think they'd get her. But I don't believe it will be. And I certainly hope I'm wrong.She visited the 2024 national champion Huskies in January and met the whole team, including Azzi Fudd and now Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers. She liked coach Geno Auriemma and was impressed by how he runs the program.
"He's for sure cool. The campus is great," Smith said. "Just the way that they practiced was great. It was a great visit for sure."
Kaleena Smith, one of the nation's top women's basketball recruits, talks UConn, JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo
The No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2027 spoke with CBS Sports this week
For many of today's best players, it's about the money and the style of play........they've got to "sacrifice" a bit on both if they want to play UConn basketball.......
I agree with you for the majority of top players but for Smith I think it could be a little different. As far as NIL, I think UConn can be competitive and in the ballpark. And style of play shouldn't be a problem either. When Auriemma respects a PG's skills, control, and unselfishness like with Bird, Jefferson and even Dangerfield, he knows how to utilize and maximize their abilities and still let them freewheel. With Smith I get the sense it could come down to her family and close friends being able to share closely in her career without traveling big distances for 4 years to do it and the large amount of endorsements her notoriety and play will be able to generate in the LA area for her and her family. With two years of HS remaining, she's already like a legend in that metro area.
I suspect “style of play” could be a significant obstacle. It’s hard for me to see a real similarity between Sue Bird and Kaleena Smith. In terms of physicality, Kaleena seems rather more like MoJeff. But even then, none of Geno’s point guards have ever been ‘ball dominant’ scorers on the scale of Special K.
She's only as ball dominant as she needs to be because that's what her teams require of her and her ball security is excellent. She averages almost double digit APG and doesn't take bad shots. Her teammates seem to enjoy playing with her and she does what her coach wants. Watkins, Hidalgo, and Chavez are what I consider to be ball dominant, constantly looking for their own shot first. Smith facilitates as often as she shoots. In UConn's offense she'd be very similar to Jefferson but obviously not at MJ's level defensively.
The long-term plan for any top HS athlete is to play professionally with success and longevity and opportunities to win championships at that level. While UConn has had our share of top W players, so have other colleges. And like other colleges, we've had our share of alumni who've had so-so success in the W, and everything in between.
I agree with almost all of your comments however, proximity to family along with attention from celebrities plus a large local fan following can produce a large, gravitational effect on a 17-18 year old kid when she's been following JuJu Watkins for the last few years. 😉 And in regards to your comment about help in recruiting, go ahead and Google "can college alums assist in recruiting in any way" and read the AI summation that comes up. That won't be happening unfortunately.
Would she start as a freshman at UConn? I suspect she'd start at many other schools, even top contenders. Who would her competition for a starting spot at UConn be in two years? KK Ash and Azzi will have moved on. Kayleigh will be a senior and Kelis will be a junior. Since we didn't get Kate Harpring, I don't see anyone else on the recruiting horizon who would have an advantage over Kaleena. So it's just a matter whether she can edge out Kayleigh or Kelis. It may be an uphill climb, but I suspect Kaleena is used to beating the odds.
If I remember right, I thought I saw somewhere that she thinks Hildago is very much like her. I agree that she distributes often, but like Hildago is a high usage player who both scores and passes a lot. Whether she could find the right balance at Uconn I don't know, she certainly might, but the Miles departure suggests that two ball dominant players in the game at the same time is sometimes a challenge.
I agree with your main points and would add that I think Smith is actually a better offensive player than Hidalgo, ballhandling, passing, and shooting. More under control with better court vision. I also believe that at least initially, Smith will have defensive challenges with her lack of size and strength. But Auriemma obviously knows what he wants in a PG and it's apparent that he believes Smith can do what he needs by offering her so early as a freshman. Your last sentence is accurate, it's all going to depend on what's important to her. I'm just not sure it will be a completely basketball decision but who knows.
Smith is a superstar no matter where she goes. IMO the only concern is if her body can hold up which is highly probable it will. If I were to do a wild guess she'll stay West going to a powerhouse program, as a result she won't want to be forced to play for a full game the way she is. Her passing/vision is off-the-charts. so she'll mold effortlessly to any team.
