Makurat to transfer

[hart2hart]

veryolddog-300% agree with you.
Waquoit-300% disagree with you.
You need to be more positive Waquoit. Hope
Anna Mak kills it at her new school!!

 

[Bald Husky]

I am very disappointed with this news. Anna is a very talented player who unfortuneatley suffered an injury in mid season. She is one of the first players to come from Europe and have a significant role on the UConn team. I hope that this does send a poor message to future European recruits for Connecticut. I wish Anna well as she moves on into the future. She will provide a significant boost to any team in the USA and give them positive strengths.

Don't forget my all time favorite player, Svetlana Abrosimova from Russia

 

[Skeets]

It is a rule!

"Don't trash the kids that play the games, no matter what team."

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I might be taking my definition of "trash" one step further than what Nan bans in the rules thread. Obviously no name calling, or "head case", or things like the T word that very well get a person banned. I'd like to see a whole lot less of stuff like this person cannot shoot, too slow, should not be starting, get fewer minutes, or just get garbage time. These are kids good enough to be on the UCONN women's basketball team. We can debate if this is "trash" or just harsh.

Is old snarky Skeets being too sensitive here?

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Hmmm... I don't understand how a player who got 25 critical minutes in an Elite Eight game win winds up at the end of the garbage time (9 min to be split between 3) while 3 of the newbies (not counting Azzi) will get 15, 8, 8 min in your universe.

OK. Then give the math a try yourself. Give Aubrey more minutes. But take those additional minutes away from someone else. Will Saylor and Ducharme be satisfied with, say, 4 mpg each? Will Coach Geno feel that is appropriate to developing talented freshmen?

It's a zero sum exercise. If one player gets more minutes, another player, or players, have to get fewer on the court.

 

[MSGRET]

first time caller, long time listener jk. I'm somewhat new to checking up on all the postgame quotes/interviews, and I know Geno is pretty tongue and cheek but I thought he was pretty hard on Anna a couple times this season. He mentioned that she didn't hit 3s when the game mattered. Even the pat on the back Paige did against Iowa, was sort of a backing of Anna as Geno was skeptical she would make big shots. I think Anna is a solid all around player who really could of helped if she was healthy and clicking on all cylinders. I do think this was the right move for her from a basketball perspective.

Welcome aboard and hope you enjoy the ride here at the Boneyard.

 

[Old Jim]

Very sorry to see Anna leave but I hope she has success wherever she lands. I think it should be noted that this year she had to play a position that really did not optimize her talents. She is not a 4; she is not a rebounder banger type. She is a really good passer who makes the right pass most of the time without trying to make the "spectacular" pass. She is an above average shooter more comfortable and suited as a 3 or wing. But with all the returning players and the freshmen that are coming in her situation was not going to change. I wish her nothing but the best and hope she finds the right situation for her.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Juilliard . . . Interesting.

Voice? Instrumental? Acting?

 

[Boreifs]

Voice? Instrumental? Acting?

Trombone

 

[HuskyNan]

\\\\\

I might be taking my definition of "trash" one step further than what Nan bans in the rules thread. Obviously no name calling, or "head case", or things like the T word that very well get a person banned. I'd like to see a whole lot less of stuff like this person cannot shoot, too slow, should not be starting, get fewer minutes, or just get garbage time. These are kids good enough to be on the UCONN women's basketball team. We can debate if this is "trash" or just harsh.

Is old snarky Skeets being too sensitive here?

Defining “trashing a player” is kind of like defining “pornography”. I can’t describe it, exactly, but I know it when I see it. Sorry I can’t be more definite - I know people would prefer a list but context and tone are important components in “trashing”

 

[HuskyNan]

OK. Then give the math a try yourself. Give Aubrey more minutes. But take those additional minutes away from someone else. Will Saylor and Ducharme be satisfied with, say, 4 mpg each? Will Coach Geno feel that is appropriate to developing talented freshmen?

It's a zero sum exercise. If one player gets more minutes, another player, or players, have to get fewer on the court.

 

[HuskyNan]

Why isn't this disgusting and grossly inappropriate remark hinting at sexual orientation a bannable offense???

I believe most of us read it as a reference to both players being European

 

[BostonBay]

Exactly, Someone on BY put up a fascinating post showing all of the top-talent transfers who were powering their teams deep into the NCAA tourney. It appeared that almost no team got to the Sweet Sixteen without a high-powered transfer. Now that any player can go to any team and not have to wait out a year, it seems as though we are going to see many more teams transformed from one year to the next by big-name transfers.

Transferring is no longer a dilemma for players, and no longer a major sacrifice. We should expect transferring to be much more common in the next couple of years.

Geno needs to find a reliable post/center through the portal. That would balance the team for next year. Maybe Ana leaving opens up a spot for a good transfer.

 

[Dokey]

Yes, all of those teams are a notch or two below. If UConn did not get some of the incoming guards, Anna might well have thrived here. But no way that team is sniffing the Final Four because UConn itself would be a notch below. She's a good heady player but she does not have the athleticism a top program requires.

The comment about her not having the athleticism needed by a top program is ridiculous. Her skills are obvious. Indeed, if she had been put into the lineup midway through first quarter of Arizona game, UConn would be NC. When Geno failed to realize that it was a lack of scoring (22 points in first half) and ball movement that was killing us and didn’t insert Anna, possibly relegating ONO to the bench, I knew it was all over. Let’s face it, Geno froze and blew it. Even great coaches stumble.

 

[Calbysdad]

As the poster of the statement, I was indeed referring to them both being European, as @HuskyNan posted.
I am sorry that I didn't explain my meaning instead of leaving it to others to read my mind. I must work on this.

@HuskyNan if you feel that my post is misleading or inappropriate then by all means Delete it.

I only took it the way you meant it. In fact, I never read it any other way.

 

[Longtime fan]

Sorry folks. I didn't know it was a rule ( to never speculate on the transfer idea ). Now know. Won't happen again.

 

[Longtime fan]

Anna, I wish you the best. I really like your game.

Life comes at you in a hurry.

I was at the AAC Final in 2020 against Cincinnati and I thought Anna was on her way. 35 minutes, 8 points, 8 assists. By the end of the 2020 season, and especially with Walker leaving, she looked like she was ready to take off.

She never got it going in 2020-2021, though, injury a major reason.

She will help somebody. When she is feeling confident, she can light it up. Great court vision and a very good teammate.

This is probably good for both Anna and for UConn. There was no realistic path forward for her at UConn. The window that was wide open a year ago had pretty much closed.

I wonder how Geno plays this, portal wise. The only thing we could arguably need is another banger inside. Is there anyone who fits the bill? I suspect he will pass and add two from the class of 2022, KK Bransford (hopefully) and one more.

There was a three year stretch where we recruited :

1. Walker, Coombs, Gordon, Espinoza-Hunter

2. Nelson-Ododa, Williams

3. Griffin, Makurat

Not great, but it opened up things for the next three years, which have been incredible!

You probably all saw this in the NCAA tournament, but Coombs played a huge role for Georgia. She was a fine point guard.

 

[MooseJaw]

I might be taking my definition of "trash" one step further than what Nan bans in the rules thread. Obviously no name calling, or "head case", or things like the T word that very well get a person banned. I'd like to see a whole lot less of stuff like this person cannot shoot, too slow, should not be starting, get fewer minutes, or just get garbage time. These are kids good enough to be on the UCONN women's basketball team. We can debate if this is "trash" or just harsh.

Is old snarky Skeets being too sensitive here?

We are here to speculate, debate, compare and share ideas. We can do all these things without trashing, most on the BY are respectful of the team, coaches and players. If posts get out of hand we have very good moderators who know what to do. We can also discuss playing times, starters and woeful shooting and more following the rules.

 

[schmendrick]

What a gutsy move, leaving a blue-chip program for places unknown. What's more, knowing most likely by the Baylor game that her time at UConn was short, and no doubt disappointed by her lack of minutes, still giving her teammates the pep talk that everyone acknowledged relit the fire? What a young woman. While I will miss her gorgeous zinging three-point shot, I wish her a lengthy and fruitful career, both in basketball and whatever she pursues after that.

 

[hoopsfan22]

What a gutsy move, leaving a blue-chip program for places unknown. What's more, knowing most likely by the Baylor game that her time at UConn was short, and no doubt disappointed by her lack of minutes, still giving her teammates the pep talk that everyone acknowledged relit the fire? What a young woman. While I will miss her gorgeous zinging three-point shot, I wish her a lengthy and fruitful career, both in basketball and whatever she pursues after that.

I think as one person said earlier, Evina's decision to come back may have played a role in her decision, so during that Baylor game she may have not known. Before the season even began we all knew who was coming next year, so it was probably more of falling behind basketball and conditioning wise due to injury, plus the fact that all of the upperclassmen were coming back which sealed the deal.

 

[Discograd]

Westbrook staying and Anna going: I am wondering if Paige, CW and Azzi playing together will create a flow that is too fast for EW, and would not have worked well with Anna in the lineup. AE is fast for a 6'3 player with muscle and Olivia moves up and down the court quickly for 6'5.

Too bad she is a liability around the basket. She had best improve or lookout.

 

[huskeynut]

Trombone

Trumpet player here.

Just remember - The horn section will kick your brass!!! From our son who at one time was a trombone major.

 

[Rixxx]

Trombone

Slide or valve?

 

[JoePgh]

The comment about her not having the athleticism needed by a top program is ridiculous. Her skills are obvious. Indeed, if she had been put into the lineup midway through first quarter of Arizona game, UConn would be NC. When Geno failed to realize that it was a lack of scoring (22 points in first half) and ball movement that was killing us and didn’t insert Anna, possibly relegating ONO to the bench, I knew it was all over. Let’s face it, Geno froze and blew it. Even great coaches stumble.

For the last two years, your solution to every problem facing UConn's WCBB team has been to give Anna more minutes. I do look forward to the end of that family of posts.

In this case, I think Geno thought that Anna was simply too rusty from a couple months of inactivity to be effective in a national semifinal game. She did hit two threes near the end of the Iowa game, but only after the game had been decided. She has no track record this year of making shots under pressure when the team really needs them.

Also, Arizona is a small, quick team, which is not the kind of opponent against which Anna can maximize her skills. On defense, who would she have guarded?

 

[Boreifs]

Slide or valve?

I went to Juilliard; what’s your guess?

 

[Nyskier]

Love Anna. I wish her the best!! ?❤️