Kyla Irwin highlights

[xHunt3r]

HuskyNan- - -I get your point but Geno does MORE with his recruitment of players than most of the other coaches combined!
His staff's "checklist" has repeatedly brought in girls that exceed where they were in HS by the time they graduate.
Doris Burke has said, "Geno makes good players great and great players exceptional!"
Brenda Frese makes me sick when she constantly whines how Geno gets the best players and that's why he wins, when in reality she signs as many HS AA as Geno does and she has 1 championship (that Jeff Walz gave her) and Geno has 11 championships!

Why they are comparable in total highschool AA... Maryland has not gotten #1 recruits like UConn with Taursi, Strother, Charles, Moore, Delle Donne(imagine if she stayed), Mosqueda-Lewis, Stewart, and Samuelson. I'm sure that is far more #1 then any other school in that time frame. Not trying to condone the whining, saying UConn does get more from the (very) top then other schools...

 

[HuskyNan]

HuskyNan- - -I get your point but Geno does MORE with his recruitment of players than most of the other coaches combined!
His staff's "checklist" has repeatedly brought in girls that exceed where they were in HS by the time they graduate.
Doris Burke has said, "Geno makes good players great and great players exceptional!"
Brenda Frese makes me sick when she constantly whines how Geno gets the best players and that's why he wins, when in reality she signs as many HS AA as Geno does and she has 1 championship (that Jeff Walz gave her) and Geno has 11 championships!

There are many, many nice girls out there who go to other schools. We don't need to run down other girls/schools to admire the UConn players. THAT is my point.

 

[Icebear]

Scott Rueck is another coach who recruits very particular type of team oriented players.

 

[JoePgh]

If I were ambitious I would start a thread on how well Moriah has evidently handled the Breanna situation. Takes a mighty big person. . . .

In four years, that's the first I've heard that Moriah is a mighty big person.

 

[bags27]

Having said that, he did recruit Diamond Deshields. We all should thank her for having turned down his offer!

Not just you, Joe, but a pretty pervasive demonizing of Diamond Deshields (to be alliterative) is based on? that she 1. turned down UConn (so do lots of others); 2. transferred (so do lots of others, and NC was a bad program)?; 3. seemed out of sorts early this year? But the coaching there isn't great either, and by the end of this year, although still playing a little out of control, she was more in the team flow and helped UTenn play much better than any of us would have predicted a dozen games prior. We'll never know what she would have done at UConn, but I'd like to think that Geno knew what he was doing in recruiting her.

 

[UcMiami]

Most coaches try to find players who fit their style of play and are good teammates. Depending on where they are in their careers, and where their team is competitively within their conference and the national picture, they may be stuck into a sliding range of talent, and they may succumb to a temptation to upgrade talent when presented with an opportunity, at the expense of some of their principles. Or they may feel pressure or desperation to fill a gaping hole in their recruiting by lowering their standards.

Geno has in the past made a few 'desperation' signings which 1) didn't work out; 2) taught him to not act in desperation. I think he is now more willing to take a chance with lowering his talent requirement than lowering his 'intangibles' requirement if he feels a little desperate. He would rather have a Lawlor on scholarship than a head case with incredible talent.

 

[UcMiami]

Not just you, Joe, but a pretty pervasive demonizing of Diamond Deshields (to be alliterative) is based on? that she 1. turned down UConn (so do lots of others); 2. transferred (so do lots of others, and NC was a bad program)?; 3. seemed out of sorts early this year? But the coaching there isn't great either, and by the end of this year, although still playing a little out of control, she was more in the team flow and helped UTenn play much better than any of us would have predicted a dozen games prior. We'll never know what she would have done at UConn, but I'd like to think that Geno knew what he was doing in recruiting her.

Thanks!

 

[xHunt3r]

I think it is less that she turned down UConn and more that it doesn't look like she be a fit for this team. I kind of agree that the current Deshields wouldn't fit... but if she had spent the last 3 years in Storrs instead of NC/TN, I think she would be a much different player... and most around here would be happy she was at UConn.

 

[meyers7]

She will be motivated. She will be pushed...Release The Crackens

I think there was only one, Kraken.

 

[meyers7]

In defense of other coaches - they try to bring in the same types of players. The myth that Geno is the only one to recruit "nice" girls should be put to rest.

Agree, not all UCONN girls have been "nice" (Shea, DT, Jamelle, Jen for example). In fact Geno often complains when he gets a recruit who is "too nice".

 

[Charliebball]

In defense of other coaches - they try to bring in the same types of players. The myth that Geno is the only one to recruit "nice" girls should be put to rest.

I'm sure you are right about that.............the difference is perhaps most coaches will "settle" for a recruit with a bit of a questionable attitude if their skill set is helpful to their winning games............

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

There are many, many nice girls out there who go to other schools. We don't need to run down other girls/schools to admire the UConn players. THAT is my point.

Nan- - - I am not denigrating any other coaches or their programs! Nor am I denigrating any players!
All I am saying is if they all get great players and nice girls and they are all great coaches, Geno does SOMETHING that the others DON'T do that gives him & UCONN 11 Championships and 4 in a row!
Where those other coaches run a drill for 20 minutes and then go on to another drill at the end of 20 minutes, Geno will KEEP doing the same drill over & over & over & over until his player(s) get IT RIGHT! Bringing his player(s) to tears possibly but driving them to aim for PERFECTION! Other coaches, McGraw, Mulkey, Staley, McCallie, Warlick, Frese, etal, don't coach their players the same way, so they are not able to do what Geno/UCONN has accomplished.
Geno gets everything from his players, every ounce of Blood, Sweat, & Tears, from Stewart to Polido, then anyone else does, year in and year out.
And I would bet the ranch that UCONN, next year, reaches the Final Four, or at least the Elite 8, without the BIG 3!

 

[bags27]

We also have to remember that Geno has been pretty consistently outspoken of late that the psychological nature of the best talent has changed. True in the classroom as well: we speak of the interference by "helicopter parents" and of kids themselves seeming less emotionally resilient.

So, Geno is either changing his approach to coaching elite talent, continuing to look for kids who fit the earlier psychological mold but who might not necessarily be the absolute elite talent, or preparing the narrative for his eventual retirement. Or all three.

 

[NewCorn]

In four years, that's the first I've heard that Moriah is a mighty big person.

At 5'7" she is the biggest guard wcbb has ever seen.

 

[Charliebball]

We also have to remember that Geno has been pretty consistently outspoken of late that the psychological nature of the best talent has changed. True in the classroom as well: we speak of the interference by "helicopter parents" and of kids themselves seeming less emotionally resilient.

So, Geno is either changing his approach to coaching elite talent, continuing to look for kids who fit the earlier psychological mold but who might not necessarily be the absolute elite talent, or preparing the narrative for his eventual retirement. Or all three.

It appears that this upcoming class contains three recruits that are ready to run through a brick wall to win.............I suppose that's as good a place to start as any.............

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I think it would be a disservice to Geno to create the impression among the faithful that he is looking for "nice" players. He is looking for players who do not suffer from narcissistic personality disorder and accordingly will: play team basketball, not insist on X # of touches/shots, be a good team mate, and have a boatload of talent and a big motor.

While I'm on disservice, I have to say it took surprisingly few minutes after the 4th national championship was in the books for people to decide to start second guessing the winningest coach in the history of NCAA basketball on his recruiting choices: "slow motion mix tapes" etc. I expect that stuff to disappear like all the negativity heaped on Lou last fall. I've spent a fair amount of time studying Kyla and she moves with alacrity (look it up) everywhere and constantly on the floor, is the most ambidextrous big I have ever seen us recruit, has a great, quick release on her 3, does crazy angled stuff around the rim, has very, very good footwork and never takes a play off.

 

[Charliebball]

I think it would be a disservice to Geno to create the impression among the faithful that he is looking for "nice" players. He is looking for players who do not suffer from narcissistic personality disorder and accordingly will: play team basketball, not insist on X # of touches/shots, be a good team mate, and have a boatload of talent and a big motor.

While I'm on disservice, I have to say it took surprisingly few minutes after the 4th national championship was in the books for people to decide to start second guessing the winningest coach in the history of NCAA basketball on his recruiting choices: "slow motion mix tapes" etc. I expect that stuff to disappear like all the negativity heaped on Lou last fall. I've spent a fair amount of time studying Kyla and she moves with alacrity (look it up) everywhere and constantly on the floor, is the most ambidextrous big I have ever seen us recruit, has a great, quick release on her 3, does crazy angled stuff around the rim, has very, very good footwork and never takes a play off.

Like you said, Lou had her doubters and she was the number one rated player in the country so you can only imagine what some folks think about a relatively unknown, unranked player. Her tapes show that she has really good skills and works hard but that appears to be against pretty so so competition.............it may take her a while but I think she will be a useful contributor by half way through the season............I'm sure she will work her tail off to improve but only time will tell if she becomes a big time presence up front...........

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Like you said, Lou had her doubters and she was the number one rated player in the country so you can only imagine what some folks think about a relatively unknown, unranked player. Her tapes show that she has really good skills and works hard but that appears to be against pretty so so competition...it may take her a while but I think she will be a useful contributor by half way through the season..I'm sure she will work her tail off to improve but only time will tell if she becomes a big time presence up front......

They all play against so -so competition at best. That is what makes the rankings such a tangled web of nothing. Kids scoring 52 of their teams 74 points in a 74-38 win like it is the second coming. This 3 star "big" that just committed to Tenn with an average 8 blocks a game. She has no ups and most of her blocks are flat footed with the other kid flat footed holding the ball interminably before shooting. Why do coaches spend their lives visiting prospect games... half to see the kid, half to see what they are dealing with on the other end and their own team!

 

[HuskyLax]

Great fundamentals displayed in her film. I expect there will be an adjustment period before she is ready to play against top tier competition, but it seems like she is the type of kid that will keep working hard until she eventually can figure it out and make contributions.

 

[Biff]

It appears that this upcoming class contains three recruits that are ready to run through a brick wall to win...

I like that summary and I think you are correct!

 

[HuskyNan]

I like that summary and I think you are correct!

Would Jen [Rizzotti] run through a brick wall to win? "Absolutely,'' said [husband Bill] Sullivan, a pretty fair athlete who engaged in a number of sports through the years. ``And I'd feel bad for the brick wall, too."

It'll Work, They Vow

 

[NHFan]

I think it would be a disservice to Geno to create the impression among the faithful that he is looking for "nice" players. He is looking for players who do not suffer from narcissistic personality disorder and accordingly will: play team basketball, not insist on X # of touches/shots, be a good team mate, and have a boatload of talent and a big motor.

While I'm on disservice, I have to say it took surprisingly few minutes after the 4th national championship was in the books for people to decide to start second guessing the winningest coach in the history of NCAA basketball on his recruiting choices: "slow motion mix tapes" etc. I expect that stuff to disappear like all the negativity heaped on Lou last fall. I've spent a fair amount of time studying Kyla and she moves with alacrity (look it up) everywhere and constantly on the floor, is the most ambidextrous big I have ever seen us recruit, has a great, quick release on her 3, does crazy angled stuff around the rim, has very, very good footwork and never takes a play off.

I wasn't second guessing anyone!!!! I was asking for an opinion on expected player growth as it has been many years since I was playing (slowly) on a HS court. Don't try to second guess my questions as you know me not!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I wasn't second guessing anyone!!!! I was asking for an opinion on expected player growth as it has been many years since I was playing (slowly) on a HS court. Don't try to second guess my questions as you know me not!

You are in the wrong place if you don't want to get second guessed. I don't know you, but your question about slow motion mix tape was disrespectful to the athlete and the program and if you don't like that opinion, well it's mine not yours.

 

[BigBird]

I like this young lady. She has post moves and forward's drive to the hoop as well. She isn't slow running the floor.

 

[Charliebball]

Would Jen [Rizzotti] run through a brick wall to win? "Absolutely,'' said [husband Bill] Sullivan, a pretty fair athlete who engaged in a number of sports through the years. ``And I'd feel bad for the brick wall, too."

It'll Work, They Vow

Reminds me of the famous Howard Cossell quote about the very tough but very small Miami Dolphin linebacker, Nick Buoniconti...........it was something to the effect that "he was so tough that he would put a hole in a brick wall if he ran into it..............but it would be a small hole'