KK and Ashlynn both McD's AAs (merged thread)

[BRS24]

 

[darrell]

 

[Dillon77]

Here's Shane Laflin's write-ups on each of the players.

Kamorea Arnold, PG​

Signed with: UConn | 2023 espnW 100 ranking: 6
Germantown HS (Wisconsin)

Arnold is an intense, physical and energetic point guard who sets the tone defensively with ball pressure. She excels in the open court with her speed and ability to push the ball and change pace, which creates instant offense and leads to paint touches and opportunities at the rim. Over her high school career, she improved her perimeter shooting, which has added a new dynamic to her game. She brings the hate-to-lose mentality that is requisite for the elite at the next level. Arnold is averaging 23.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game this season.

Ashlynn Shade, G​

Signed with: UConn | 2023 espnw 100 ranking: 15
La Lumiere School (Indiana)
Shade set herself apart with her work ethic a long time ago. She has a reputation for being a gym rat, working on her skills or through strength and conditioning improvements. She brings a certain seriousness and intensity to the floor that proves she is all about competing while in between the lines. Shade has a pretty jump shot and truly elevates when she gets to her spots. She has proven over the last year to be able to provide some minutes at the lead guard or off-guard spots, and she has improved her 3-point shooting as well. Shade elevates well on her takes to the rim and relishes contact for the and-one opportunities. She and fellow UConn signee and All-American KK Arnold will bring a certain physicality on the perimeter to Storrs for Geno Auriemma. She is averaging 28.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game this season.


Here's the entire article for the rest of the team (I've cut and pasted the two ND recruits in the ND thread).

Breaking down the 2023 McDonald's All American girls' basketball recruits

A look at the 24 McDonald's All Americans and what makes each one a top women's college basketball recruit.

www.espn.com

---

 

[Next 12]

GENO scores again with these two top recruits and future UCONN outstanding players that will add to UCONN's legacy. When these two recruits come to UCONN .they already have the Huskies attitude of no failure,only success. Our future is assured with all the players coming in and back for 23/24. GO HUSKIES!!!

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Wonder where Laflin got Shade's statistics from.

 

[Carnac]

Goodie!!! Two ballers that know how to win, and want to win. Arnold brings the hate-to-lose mentality that is requisite for the elite at the next level. She is averaging 23.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game this season.

 

[Carnac]

GENO scores again with these two top recruits and future UCONN outstanding players that will add to UCONN's legacy. When these two recruits come to UCONN .they already have the Huskies attitude of no failure,only success. Our future is assured with all the players coming in and back for 23/24. GO HUSKIES!!!

That's why I think next year's team has a better chance of winning a chip than this year's team. Too many missing pieces.

 

[JellyBean]

Pretty cool honor. Congrats, KK and Ashlynn

 

[Kaizen]

Twenty-four of the top 32 prospects in the espnW 100 have been named McDonald's All Americans. Arizona, Notre Dame, LSU, South Carolina and UConn lead the way with each program having signed two of the McDonald's All Americans in the 2023 class.

UConn has two:

Kamorea Arnold, PG​

Signed with: UConn | 2023 espnW 100 ranking: 6
Germantown HS (Wisconsin)
Arnold is an intense, physical and energetic point guard who sets the tone defensively with ball pressure. She excels in the open court with her speed and ability to push the ball and change pace, which creates instant offense and leads to paint touches and opportunities at the rim. Over her high school career, she improved her perimeter shooting, which has added a new dynamic to her game. She brings the hate-to-lose mentality that is requisite for the elite at the next level. Arnold is averaging 23.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game this season.

Ashlynn Shade, G​

Signed with: UConn | 2023 espnw 100 ranking: 15
La Lumiere School (Indiana)
Shade set herself apart with her work ethic a long time ago. She has a reputation for being a gym rat, working on her skills or through strength and conditioning improvements. She brings a certain seriousness and intensity to the floor that proves she is all about competing while in between the lines. Shade has a pretty jump shot and truly elevates when she gets to her spots. She has proven over the last year to be able to provide some minutes at the lead guard or off-guard spots, and she has improved her 3-point shooting as well. Shade elevates well on her takes to the rim and relishes contact for the and-one opportunities. She and fellow UConn signee and All-American KK Arnold will bring a certain physicality on the perimeter to Storrs for Geno Auriemma.

Breaking down the 2023 McDonald's All American girls' basketball recruits

A look at the 24 McDonald's All Americans and what makes each one a top women's college basketball recruit.

www.espn.com

 

[HuskyNan]

Sounds awesome. Those two and Nika are going to terrorize guards in the Big East and beyond next year

 

[cferraro04]

Sounds awesome. Those two and Nika are going to terrorize guards in the Big East and beyond next year

Bettencourt?

 

[HuskyNan]

Bettencourt?

Her too! Ines showed a little attitude in last night’s game. Geno can press the other teams’ guards with his stable of guards

Nika
Paige
Ines
Azzi
KK
Ashlynn

Throw in Aubrey, Caroline, and Qadence (thanks @Bone Dog ) and the Huskies can bring back the 40 Minutes of Hell

 

[Bone Dog]

Her too! Ines showed a little attitude in last night’s game. Geno can press the other teams’ guards with his stable of guards

Nika
Paige
Ines
Azzi
KK
Ashlynn

Throw in Aubrey and Caroline and the Huskies can bring back the 40 Minutes of Hell, heh heh heh

And Q?

 

[Cornell Lt]

Will be interesting with them playing against each other in the MacDonalds All American game, with Ashlynn on the East team and KK on the West team

 

[cferraro04]

Her too! Ines showed a little attitude in last night’s game. Geno can press the other teams’ guards with his stable of guards

Nika
Paige
Ines
Azzi
KK
Ashlynn

Throw in Aubrey, Caroline, and Qadence (thanks @Bone Dog ) and the Huskies can bring back the 40 Minutes of Hell

View attachment 83397

If everyone is healthy Geno will have a plethora of riches next year...he will be able to pick his poison.

 

[CL82]

From ESPN

 

[jdote33]

Congrats to them both. I feel like their skillsets really complement each other well. KK is shifty, can score and get in the lane really well. Ashlynn - is super physical and can also get in the lane and post up. It's an interesting dynamic.

 

[darrell]

 

[The deacon]

If everyone is healthy Geno will have a plethora of riches next year...he will be able to pick his poison.

Well said. I'm still locked in and hopeful for this season, so haven't thought much about next.

My one comment would be that, if the Huskies were to be blessed with everyone's healthy return, the key might be something that has basically eluded Geno for years: the ability to mix and match a large roster to keep everyone happy. Tara and Dawn do that with regularity but UConn has yet to figure it out.

 

[hoophuskee]

Well said. I'm still locked in and hopeful for this season, so haven't thought much about next.

My one comment would be that, if the Huskies were to be blessed with everyone's healthy return, the key might be something that has basically eluded Geno for years: the ability to mix and match a large roster to keep everyone happy. Tara and Dawn do that with regularity but UConn has yet to figure it out.

I'd rather force the other team to mix and match to UCONN. This is why you get these super recruits like KK and Shade. As they become better year-over-year, the opposing teams can't match up. This is why they keep going to FF's and why players like KK and Shade and Ziebell keep on coming. When they are ready- they are gonna play!

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Shade Has It Made on Hardwood

(La Porte County, IN) - She makes everything on a basketball court from shooting to running a fast break almost look easy. Ash...

hometownnewsnow.com

 

[diggerfoot]

Well said. I'm still locked in and hopeful for this season, so haven't thought much about next.

My one comment would be that, if the Huskies were to be blessed with everyone's healthy return, the key might be something that has basically eluded Geno for years: the ability to mix and match a large roster to keep everyone happy. Tara and Dawn do that with regularity but UConn has yet to figure it out.

? In recent times Auriemma has not had large rosters, either due to recruiting or injury.

The last large roster was ‘14, when the upperclassmen cohort led by Dolson mixed with the underclassmen cohort led by Stewart. The rotation was 10 and 9 respectively for the ‘13 and ‘14 years, mixing quite well in the process.

The ‘09 and ‘10 championship teams had players like Gardler and McLaren coming in as the eight, ninth or tenth players in the rotation.

’01 would seem to illustrate your point, a large roster of AA level talent that fell short, and had most of their worst performing games when the roster was largest. That seems to be an indictment on Auriemma mixing and matching talented large rosters, but the previous year was just as large, with essentially a third team featuring former UCSB star and 6’6” center coming in for mop up as the eleventh or so player. It also had two former starters and high school AAs, Sauer and Hansmeyer, now accepting their roles in coming off the bench.

 

[diggerfoot]

Well said. I'm still locked in and hopeful for this season, so haven't thought much about next.

My one comment would be that, if the Huskies were to be blessed with everyone's healthy return, the key might be something that has basically eluded Geno for years: the ability to mix and match a large roster to keep everyone happy. Tara and Dawn do that with regularity but UConn has yet to figure it out.

On edit: Many BY folk thought even the ‘01 large roster would have won it all without the injuries. I’m not so sure. Subsequent comments by TASSK, Ralph and even Auriemma hinted they were not mixing and matching well that year. But Stanford and SC do not always win championships with large rosters either. Indeed, sometimes they do not even make the FF.