Kyla Irwin Commits to UConn

[xHunt3r]

I believe that both Pulido and Lawlor were given scholarships last year, which is totally appropriate given their great contributions to team practices. In any case, it won't affect future offers; they are looking at three for 2016 and most likely will keep that as a consistent goal for the foreseeable future.

Pulido was at UConn on a Track&Field Scholarship, which from what I understand transferred to the basketball program. Haven't seen anything as far as Lawlor being offered a basketball scholarship.

 

[Tonyc]

Its like when UConn needs recruits or new players to fill positions of players going to graduate the gates open with some great recruits who verbal. The question continues to be when will someone beat UConn. I don't see it for the next 2 years with Breanna still here. It could happen but imo highly unlikely. Now with Stokes in the middle followed by Butler for 3 years I think it will be very difficult for any team to beat UConn. So the win streak continues.

 

[BooRadley]

I like this kid and her mom. She appears to have the personal qualities that have glued me to UConn women's basketball for so long. It's going to be fun watching her game grow.

Boo

 

[Icebear]

Kyla's got some pretty good genes.... LINK

Yes, she has. Her mom was a great high school player and one of the reasons I started to follow the Lady Lions during my first call to serve outside Lock Have, PA. One Branford raised kid following another.
.

 

[intlzncster]

Pulido was at UConn on a Track&Field Scholarship, which from what I understand transferred to the basketball program. Haven't seen anything as far as Lawlor being offered a basketball scholarship.

Any idea why she transferred? Didn't like the track team? Or was simply drawn to the dominance of basketball team?

 

[EricLA]

Its like when UConn needs recruits or new players to fill positions of players going to graduate the gates open with some great recruits who verbal. The question continues to be when will someone beat UConn. I don't see it for the next 2 years with Breanna still here. It could happen but imo highly unlikely. Now with Stokes in the middle followed by Butler for 3 years I think it will be very difficult for any team to beat UConn. So the win streak continues.

I dread your comments should UCONN land McCoy, and will go into hiding if they land that 6'9" Nigerian kid...

 

[intlzncster]

I dread your comments should UCONN land McCoy, and will go into hiding if they land that 6'9" Nigerian kid...

What about Walker?

 

[Tonyc]

I

I dread your comments should UCONN land McCoy, and will go into hiding if they land that 6'9" Nigerian kid...

Im not really concerned about the Nigerian kid or Webster or McCoy. Playtime isn't an issue as Geno usually has playtime for those who play the same position if they work hard in practice. So if we get two bigs they will both will play if they work. From what Ive heard about the 6'9 kid shes working hard to become a top recruit. On McCoy she loves UConn and is a top post player. Can she play the power forward and post. Most likely. As for Webster from what I read I see her as a wing. So I guess I see a place for each of them on UConns roster. That would be something special. Having a front line of that size.

Think about this. If UConn had gotten Jane Appel, Kia Vaughn and Tina Charles. Do you think there would be playtime for all three? I do.

 

[UcMiami]

Any idea why she transferred? Didn't like the track team? Or was simply drawn to the dominance of basketball team?

Uconn WBB put out a call on campus for walk-ons because the roster was so short and Lawlor and Pulido who were both HS basketball players without scholarship opportunities came in for try-outs. Pulled had come to Uconn as a track recruit and as soon as made the team, because of the NCAA ranking of sports her scholarship was transferred to basketball. It had not been decided initially if she would completely give up the T&F but I believe she has. Because she is from out of state her financial need for a scholarship is greater than Lawlor's. Whether Geno has guaranteed a scholarship for the remaining two years I think is moot as he is not using all available scholarships this year or next.

 

[UConnCat]

Irwin's AAU coach is Tina Thomas, mom of former Maryland AA Alyssa Thomas. Here's her take courtesy of Rich Elliott:
http://blog.ctnews.com/elliott/2014/10/22/thomas-believes-uconn-a-good-fit-for-irwin/

So going into her sophomore year I played at the highest level so she was playing upcoming seniors and she was only going to be a sophomore. And she held her own. It was pretty impressive. Her mom taught her well. Her mom played at Penn State. Her mom knows the game extremely well, and she’s a coach’s kid. So I knew she’d play big. Her dream was to play at Connecticut so hat’s off to her.

“She’s just one of those kids that’s a coach’s daughter. She knows the game so well. She knows so much about it. The little things that most kids just don’t know she does know. She plays hard, 110 percent, whether we’re killing a team or it’s a very competitive game. And she’s loved by all of her teammates because she’s just one of those kids that she’s cheering whether she’s in the game or sitting on the bench. I’ve never seen a kid like her in that she gets the whole bench rallied up. It’s really a neat thing to see.’’

“She’s Geno’s kind of kid in the sense that whatever he asks her to do she’s going to do it and run through a brick wall through and through,’’ Thomas said. “She’s that kind of kid. She doesn’t get down on herself. If she can’t do something she’s going to work at it until she can do it. She’s that kind of kid.’’

 

[UcMiami]

Just an aside on the PennLive site - that is a pretty impressive response by a news site both in speed and depth of reporting for a HS women's basketball recruit not directly affiliated with the recruiting school.

 

[Biff]

She appears to have the personal qualities that have glued me to UConn women's basketball for so long.
Boo

What Boo said.

 

[UcMiami]

I like the reported 80% FT shooting. Suggests she may have a decent mid-range game. I wonder if she might end up similar to Kaili McLaren, which would not be bad.

 

[intlzncster]

Uconn WBB put out a call on campus for walk-ons because the roster was so short and Lawlor and Pulido who were both HS basketball players without scholarship opportunities came in for try-outs. Pulled had come to Uconn as a track recruit and as soon as made the team, because of the NCAA ranking of sports her scholarship was transferred to basketball. It had not been decided initially if she would completely give up the T&F but I believe she has. Because she is from out of state her financial need for a scholarship is greater than Lawlor's. Whether Geno has guaranteed a scholarship for the remaining two years I think is moot as he is not using all available scholarships this year or next.

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[intlzncster]

I like the reported 80% FT shooting. Suggests she may have a decent mid-range game. I wonder if she might end up similar to Kaili McLaren, which would not be bad.

While KM was a high school AA, I think this kid could be better. She's basket ball smart (coaches kid), reportedly skilled, and loves to bang down low. Most important, from what I've read, is that she is a relentless worker. That is something Kaili had to learn at UCONN. Work more than makes up for raw talent/athleticism many time.

Other people seem to have slotted her into practice body already. I see this kid more in a Dolson mold, without obviously first team AA expectations. She's only what, 16? Stefanie became great through hard work, not because she came in better than everyone else.

 

[EricLA]

I

Im not really concerned about the Nigerian kid or Webster or McCoy. Playtime isn't an issue as Geno usually has playtime for those who play the same position if they work hard in practice. So if we get two bigs they will both will play if they work. From what Ive heard about the 6'9 kid shes working hard to become a top recruit. On McCoy she loves UConn and is a top post player. Can she play the power forward and post. Most likely. As for Webster from what I read I see her as a wing. So I guess I see a place for each of them on UConns roster. That would be something special. Having a front line of that size.

Think about this. If UConn had gotten Jane Appel, Kia Vaughn and Tina Charles. Do you think there would be playtime for all three? I do.

What I meant about "dreading" your comments was regarding winning streak predictions! Maybe I should have used a different word than "dread" because that sounds negative, and it wasn't meant that way!!

 

[Kibitzer]

While KM was a high school AA, I think this kid could be better. She's basket ball smart (coaches kid), reportedly skilled, and loves to bang down low. Most important, from what I've read, is that she is a relentless worker. That is something Kaili had to learn at UCONN. Work more than makes up for raw talent/athleticism many time.

Other people seem to have slotted her into practice body already. I see this kid more in a Dolson mold, without obviously first team AA expectations. She's only what, 16? Stefanie became great through hard work, not because she came in better than everyone else.

Were you referring to me? Because it was I who mentioned the very likelihood that she (or any incoming recruited player) will either play (as a member of the rotation) or practice (as a full-fledged member of the team but not part of the more limited group of about seven or eight players who comprise the rotation). You apparently have keener insights than I do, and I hope your projection of Irwin becoming another Dolson is accurate.

 

[intlzncster]

Were you referring to me? Because it was I who mentioned the very likelihood that she (or any incoming recruited player) will either play (as a member of the rotation) or practice (as a full-fledged member of the team but not part of the more limited group of about seven or eight players who comprise the rotation). You apparently have keener insights than I do, and I hope your projection of Irwin becoming another Dolson is accurate.

Wasn't referring to anyone in particular, just the general tone of one train of thought.

And don't mistake my confidence in the girl as a keener insight. What I read about her smelled like Dolson. I think she probably even has a more developed work ethic than Dolson coming in; Dolson was a very very quick learner though.

But I'm usually upbeat about incoming players. Win some, lose some.

 

[j66kicker]

Any idea why she transferred? Didn't like the track team? Or was simply drawn to the dominance of basketball team?

I think there's a rule which prevents an athlete from using a scholarship in a non-revenue sport (like track) to play in a revenue sport (like hoops). So, in order to play on the hoops team, she had to transfer the track scholly to BB.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Chemistry is a mighty thing that the coaches pay a lot of attention to in recruiting. When Ms. Dolson was recruited some people said...huh? Here is a strong, tall, basketball savy kid who has dominated as a sophomore and some in this thread are being patronizing. Shame on you. You have no clue of what a great career is ahead for Kyla. It's just a few, but a few too many IMO. But, hey, it's a free country.

 

[sawxfan23]

I think that Irwin is going to be very similar to Meghan Gardler.

 

[UcMiami]

I think there's a rule which prevents an athlete from using a scholarship in a non-revenue sport (like track) to play in a revenue sport (like hoops). So, in order to play on the hoops team, she had to transfer the track scholly to BB.

Yes - the NCAA has a hierarchy for all sports on the men's and women's side - a scholarship is always assigned to the highest sport for a multi-sport athlete. Men - Football followed by Basketball followed by whatever. Women - Basketball followed by whatever.

 

[intlzncster]

I think that Irwin is going to be very similar to Meghan Gardler.

Or she could be Stefanie Dolson. No one really knows. It's two freakin years away until she starts playing at UCONN.

 

[johnnyc]

Other people seem to have slotted her into practice body already. I see this kid more in a Dolson mold, without obviously first team AA expectations. She's only what, 16? Stefanie became great through hard work, not because she came in better than everyone else.

I think your right especially after reading her AAU coach's assessment.

 

[itsasport]

She seems to have the body, temperament, basketball skills and IQ to play significant minutes at UCONN. She will have two years to prepare herself.

The comparison to Dolson is apt. It is easy to forget that the expectations for her, at best, was that she would be a utility center. I dare anyone to claim that they saw a future AA in her.

And, for someone whose professional goal is to coach, what a unique opportunity!