I appreciate the clarification. But, I find it hard to believe that any transfer doesn’t involve some “feeling out” between the interested parties, perhaps through “intermediaries,” whether it’s before or after the transfer officially puts their name in the portal.
Let’s talk about Evina, who transferred as an undergraduate when she was unhappy at TN. From all indications, the discussion about Evina transferring to UConn started between Evina and Megan Walker, a player that Evina had befriended during HS all star games and USA basketball.
As I recall, it was quite soon after Evina made clear her intention to transfer from TN that she made a trip to Storrs and quickly announced her intention to transfer to UConn. I’m not suggesting anything illegal. But it’s quite possible that Megan talked to Geno about Evina’s potential interest and Geno simply told Megan, “Yes we’re interested.”
The UConn coaching staff is currently following AZ undergraduate Lauren Ware, a USA teammate of Azzi’s. I can’t imagine that Ware and Azzi haven’t talked or texted each other.
Even with Dorka & Lou, Geno spoke with basketball people, essentially to get references on what kind of kid they were, along with a frank assessment of their basketball ability. In Lou’s case, Geno had the unique opportunity to speak with Joe Frager, the retiring HC of Fairfield who had been Lou’s coach for 4 years. Lou made a quick visit to Storrs, her only visit anywhere, and she announced she was going to be a Husky.