Lauren Gustin

[ocoandasoc]

Lauren Gustin (BYU) is in the portal and there's a rumor she might be interested in UConn. Word is that Iowa and Utah are interested.

Conflicting reports on whether she has one or two years of eligibility left. She played three years at BYU.

Not sure what her role at UConn could be. She was a rebounding machine at BYU and their leading scorer, but not sure how her skills would translate in a higher level of competition. She did have double-doubles against the three ranked teams BYU played, though.

 

[stamfordhusky]

She played one year at a junior college and three years at BYU. One of the years at BYU did not count because it was the Covid year. Thus she has played three countable years and has one year of eligibility left. Great rebounder, who likely would be a useful addition, But she is only 6–1 and I doubt seriously that Geno would pursue it.

 

[HopJim]

Geno's interest likely is influenced by his projection of Patterson's future performance. This past year, having a strong rebounder/defender who can score would have added a lot. Next year, would likely be a nice to have but not critical slot.

 

[SJF]

As a huge BYU fan and watched her play I can tell you she is a warrior. She attacks all rebounds and starts her work on release not after the miss. She is undersized but has the skill and strength to battle taller players. She will be a huge asset to any team that gets her. She is not finesse and does not rely on jump shots. IMO in recent years UCONN has became a rely on jump shot offense. She would be a Rodman type player that could score.

 

[oldhusky]

Geno's interest likely is influenced by his projection of Patterson's future performance. This past year, having a strong rebounder/defender who can score would have added a lot. Next year, would likely be a nice to have but not critical slot.

Agree that Patterson is the question here. If you look at the PER stats Gustin is the clearly superior player based on last year. She was around 25 and Patterson was only 12. You could probably add a few points to Ayanna's numbers because of the competition she faced and subtract a few from Gustin because of the easier competition she faced, but it still would not be close.

The difference of course is that Gustin is probably near her peak and has largely achieved her upside, and Ayanna is nowhere close and miles away from hers. Additionally there are limited backup minutes behind Aaliyah at the 4, and close to three more candidates to fill those other than Ayanna. Ice and Jana will be looked at mostly at the 5, but can also play the 4. Either or both could wind up ahead of Ayanna on the depth chart behind Aaliyah, and I would argue that right now Aubrey would be at the top of the backup 4 list.

Ice and Jana are promising but in their first year, Ayanna is still a question mark in her second year, but Aubrey is already a proven very good backup 4 in her first two years. She probably would be better than Gustin too, so we really have an All American candidate to start and a proven star backup before even considering Gustin, Ayanna, Ice, Jana or the possibility of small ball with Caroline. One potential problem would be if Aubrey was needed more on the wing like last year, and as a result might not be available for minutes at the 4.

If everyone is healthy the backup play behind Aaliyah should be much better this year. As long as Aubrey is available there, the floor is very high and proven. If one of the other three candidates stands out that could allow Aubrey to provide more help on the perimeter. Regardless of where she gets her minutes, Aubrey will be a supersub with substantial minutes, probably both upfront and on the wing.

I view Gustin as interesting and potential insurance if our young bigs disappoint and are not ready. The only scenario I could see Gustin in a big role would be if nobody is ready to play the 5, Aaliyah is forced to start there and Gustin starts at the 4. In that case she could be a key addition for this season, but discouraging regarding the future of our young bigs.

 

[cohenzone]

I know nothing about her or if she makes sense for UConn. Parallels are hard to make, too many different circumstances, and he is pretty much an exception, but Charles Barkley measured by size and position should not have been able to succeed in the NBA. He did have a good jumper, but he was great around the hoop. Not saying she is remotely Barkley, just I would not discount her just based on size. Of course a much taller Natalie Butler couldn’t quite translate at UConn what she did at Georgetown.

 

[DEpup]

They have a spot... it's just one year. Insurance when it comes to injuries. Mature player. Why not if she is a good teammate. I'm sure she would learn a lot.

 

[Scrutineer]

Lauren Gustin (BYU) is in the portal and there's a rumor she might be interested in UConn. Word is that Iowa and Utah are interested.

Conflicting reports on whether she has one or two years of eligibility left. She played three years at BYU.

Not sure what her role at UConn could be. She was a rebounding machine at BYU and their leading scorer, but not sure how her skills would translate in a higher level of competition. She did have double-doubles against the three ranked teams BYU played, though.

"not sure how her skills would translate in a higher level of competition".............
You mean like Lou?
It seems experience is proving, at least in the first few years of the portal, more valuable than potential. Examples would be Lou and Dorka versus some of our highly rated recruits in the past five years.
A concern the coaches may have would be how does bringing in a series of one year players affect the culture of a program built for nearly forty years on the recruitment and development of players that fit a certain profile featuring selfless play.

 

[Huskiefan23]

Looks like she's going to Utah to me.

 

[Forego]

I thought I understood the COVID year rule. Gustin played three years at BYU. The first year was 2020-2021, the COVID year. This is exactly the same as Hailey Van Lith at Louisville. So why does Gustin have one year of eligibility when Hailey Van Lith has two? Is her junior college year counted?

 

[darrell]

I haven’t seen anything that would indicate her interest in UConn or vice versa.

 

[Boreifs]

I thought I understood the COVID year rule. Gustin played three years at BYU. The first year was 2020-2021, the COVID year. This is exactly the same as Hailey Van Lith at Louisville. So why does Gustin have one year of eligibility when Hailey Van Lith has two? Is her junior college year counted?

If she played a year in a community college before BYU, it absolutely does count.

 

[stamfordhusky]

I thought I understood the COVID year rule. Gustin played three years at BYU. The first year was 2020-2021, the COVID year. This is exactly the same as Hailey Van Lith at Louisville. So why does Gustin have one year of eligibility when Hailey Van Lith has two? Is her junior college year counted?

Yes. Any years played in junior college always count in terms of your years of eligibility. As I mentioned above, she has played three years at BYU and one year at a junior college. Since one of the years at BYU was the Covid year, that leaves her with one year of eligibility remaining.

 

[HuskyNan]

This is against San Francisco.

 

[HuskyNan]

Full game vs #18 Gonzaga

 

[MSGRET]

This is against San Francisco.

She has a hook shot that many people under 6'4" don't use that much any more, she also can use either hand.

 

[HuskyNan]

I like that she can use both hands and that she’s hunting shots rather than standing motionless and waiting for the ball to come to her.

What a great family she has

 

[uconnfan68]

This is against San Francisco.

I’d make Amari watch that. The use of either hand, the little hook shots, and the awareness in space is high level.

 

[MilfordHusky]

A UConn Facebook poster says she’s coming to UConn, but I think that info is premature at best.

 

[Geew1992]

A UConn Facebook poster says she’s coming to UConn, but I think that info is premature at best.

So did someone on Volnation

 

[MSGRET]

A UConn Facebook poster says she’s coming to UConn, but I think that info is premature at best.

Maybe she wants to see Europe as her Senior season graduation present.

 

[Huskee11]

I hope someone gave her Lou`s cellphone number.

 

[huskyd]

This caught my eye: . There's no certainty that the Huskies are her first choice, but if you watch her play you'll be impressed and not overly concerned about her height. Morrow is also 6'1 and one of the nation's top scorers. Aneesa gets about 12 rebounds/game and Gustin about 17 (best in the nation). Lauren is very solidly built, aggressive, and said to be "the best player on BYU." Have a look.

 

[Zarathustra]

This is against San Francisco.

Lauren has some Megan Gustafson ( sp ) moves. Very +, this was, as noted, against San Franciso.

 

[Charliebball]

She's Geno's favorite kind of player...........great basketball IQ, all hustle with the ability to finish down low in traffic with either hand...........I think she'd be very effective in Big East play but might be a bit outmatched against teams with big athletic frontcourts like South Carolina or LSU..........

 

[Charliebball]

Lauren has some Megan Gustafson ( sp ) moves. Very +, this was, as noted, against San Franciso.

just doesn't have MG's height............at 6'4" she would be really tough....

 

[Zarathustra]

Full game vs #18 Gonzaga

Lauren misses free throws at the end of the game. BYU hit something like 2 of 22 from 3 point distance!

 

[huskyharry]

She would be a great fit. Sounds like she has a great motor. Rebounding also translates well at different levels of play.

 

[ConnecticutBB]

Are any of the coaches following her on social media?

 

[Carnac]

She's Geno's favorite kind of player...........great basketball IQ, all hustle with the ability to finish down low in traffic with either hand...........I think she'd be very effective in Big East play but might be a bit outmatched against teams with big athletic frontcourts like South Carolina or LSU..........

I've read all of the comments in this thread. I've heard of her, but don't know any details about her other than what I've read here.
Well...since the BIG (Lauren Betts) that some of the UConn faithful wanted is no longer in the portal, IF Geno is going to use that last scholarship on a portal player, while there are other players that could also come in and fill a role, It appears to me that Lauren Gustin fits the bill. I say go for it.

Call me gun-shy, but after that fiasco of being down to 7 players during several games last year, I'd be OK with a full 15-player roster. I'm for making sure we don't visit THAT dynamic ever again. That was horrible. I would not be opposed to Lauren joining our team, especially if she wants to come. She can help us win some games. THAT friends is the bottom line.




If she comes here knowing upfront exactly what her role would be and is willing to accept it, I'd gladly welcome her with open arms. She's a proven veteran that you know will be ready and show up to play every game, and produce while she's on the floor. She's got lots of tape. If in doubt, just look at a few games. Her numbers speak for themselves.

As NFL Hall of Fame retired head football coach Bill Parcells once said......"You are what your record says you are." In her case, she is what her stats say she is. We need all the help we can get. Right now, we don't know for sure if any of our incoming freshmen will be ready to SIGNIFICANTLY play and consistently produce night in and night out. THAT remains to be seen. So....in the meantime, why not hedge our bet and bring a player like Lauren on board. She won't hurt us, she can only help.