Megan Walker Goes Pro [merged thread] | Page 8 | The Boneyard

Megan Walker Goes Pro [merged thread]

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BobbyJ said:
That would be nice if she could bring a Jamelle Elliot type attitude but that is difficult for a freshman. Wish they had one now.
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the kid is fiery and gets the whole team involved.................I expect to see a much more aggressive UConn team in their play and their attitude next year...........
 
CocoHusky said:
Not for even one second will I EVER accept that word (betrayal) as it relates to Megan decision to go to the WNBA. Megan did not turn her back on UCONN and go suit up for another college team. This young lady simply took an opportunity to realize a dream for which she has worked very hard. Megan announcements thanked her teammates, coaches, and fans. For fans not to reciprocate Megan's thanks is not selfish, it is crass, unkind and Volnation-like.
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I guess for these 3-5 seconds of my life you can call me a horrible selfish human being. But you do realizethat I do appreciate after 3-5 seconds, right?
 
Sluconn Husky said:
There is still the little problem of South Carolina. UConn losing its second-best rebounder will not make its job of beating the Gamecocks easier.
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True, but if there was a position on the court where UConn was/still is loaded it's wing.

They still have the 4 underclassmen coming back plus Westbrook.

S Carolina had a lot of frustration vented this year. Good for them. Back to reality next.
 
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WestCoast said:
Bringing in transfers tells the returning players a clear message...that college sports is a competitive business and that all players must get better to earn playing time. Competition brings out the best in elite competitors. Don't worry about hurt feelings. Players will transfer if feel that they need to do so to play. The players are given
a chance to earn a degree. There should be no promise of playing time.
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I’m all for competition. No one should be guaranteed PT. They should earn it. I do have lots of issues with transfers. At best, transfers are problematic. Maybe you get a year or two out of them, after waiting a year while they redshirt. At UConn in particular, transfers often have to unlearn bad habits to be effective in UConn’s system. Any PT you give to a one-year transfer is PT you’re potentially taking away from a younger player who committed to the program, and might have a greater upside.

So here’s a hypothetical. Let’s assume Evina was granted her waiver this year. She likely would have been the 5th starter, and might have continued to play on her bad knee throughout the season, possibly with diminished production as the season went along. Maybe at the end of the season, Evina opts to turn pro with Megan. The downside for UConn is that neither Anna or Aubrey get the PT they otherwise received. So going into next year, rather than returning 4 experienced players, you’re returning 2.
 
Due to the high emphasis on development in AAU and the pre and high school offseasons, players have less of a development ceiling left to reach in college, so them not staying their full four years is no surprise.

Some of you fans might also consider that fact as you project each players' potential development each season in college. Some already have almost hit their ceilings when they enter the program.
 
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oldude said:
After watching Aaliyah against the US National team, it’s hardly a romantic theory. Aaliyah mixed it up with the best players in the world and held her own like she belongs. As for how many freshmen make splashes, don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten the season that just ended and the contributions from Anna & Aubrey, or the season before that and the contributions of Christyn and....,,
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Neither Makurat nor Griffin were consistent players whatsoever. By the end of the season Makurat looked like a starter, but then she was a pro in Europe, not a high school player. Geno even said prior to the season that he expected her to be more ready than the usual freshman, and it still took her months to develop.

CW had a solid yet up-and-down freshmen year. She also got to play 33+ minutes to work out the kinks. Edwards will be lucky to see half that next year.

Again, Collier, Williams, Tuck, Jefferson, KLS until her last month, Walker, ONO... I could go on.
 
I don't understand those criticizing Meg's decision. None of us have access to Walker's financial records and only Meg knows how she feels and what her goals, hopes and aspirations are. She consulted with her family and, as an adult woman, made what she believes is a decision that is in her own best interest. It's arrogant for others to suggest that they know better.
 
Charliebball said:
question for our recruiting addicts.............would Geno have recruited any differently had he known Walker was leaving after this season? Who would he have concentrated on?
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I believe he got the player he needed to replace the position Walker played this year in Edwards. And though he has Makurat and Griffin with experience to cover the 3 spot now, he may still get another 3-4 type if he's still shopping because of the now open roster spot for this coming season. With the kids that are coming on the horizon, the only thing I see possibly missing would be a quick, pure shooting wing with a little size. Iriafen is the one I'd like to fill out the '21 class though she's more of a stretch 4 imo.
 
I do not believe this team will need to add anyone with what is returning and what is coming in.The most an extra player would bring is the icing on the cake.This team has talent,BEFORE the new recruits suit up,and will be tremendous with what is coming in.Might take a few games to get everything in sync,but will not be as frustrating it was this year that at times seemed at a standstill.
Some act like what we have coming in will not be enough to replace what we have lost.Well,I say phooey to that.I believe we have MAJOR talent coming in,and we will be a real problem for every team we face.
 
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oldude said:
I’m all for competition. No one should be guaranteed PT. They should earn it. I do have lots of issues with transfers. At best, transfers are problematic. Maybe you get a year or two out of them, after waiting a year while they redshirt. At UConn in particular, transfers often have to unlearn bad habits to be effective in UConn’s system. Any PT you give to a one-year transfer is PT you’re potentially taking away from a younger player who committed to the program, and might have a greater upside.

So here’s a hypothetical. Let’s assume Evina was granted her waiver this year. She likely would have been the 5th starter, and might have continued to play on her bad knee throughout the season, possibly with diminished production as the season went along. Maybe at the end of the season, Evina opts to turn pro with Megan. The downside for UConn is that neither Anna or Aubrey get the PT they otherwise received. So going into next year, rather than returning 4 experienced players, you’re returning 2.
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Geno will play the players that he believes gives UConn the best chance to win. Each player is responsible for demonstrating to the coaches during practice and games that they deserve to be on the court. If Geno thought that Evina was the team's best option, Geno would have played her had she been healthy and eligible. Anna and/or Aubrey needed to prove their worth in practices or their time in games. Players earn their time in a competitive environment. I believe that is a component of why UConn has enjoyed sustained greatness. Great players earn the right to play big minutes in his system.
 
Alydar said:
True, but if there was a position on the court where UConn was/still is loaded it's wing.

They still have the 4 underclassmen coming back plus Westbrook.

S Carolina had a lot of frustration vented this year. Good for them. Back to reality next.
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South Carolina has a ton of athleticism, far more than UConn. Their rebounding differential this past season, despite all the youth, was greater than any of UConn's recent great teams (13-17). Their opponents' FG% was right up there with those UConn teams. They have to find a floor general, but they are loaded otherwise.
 
oldude said:
So here’s a hypothetical. Let’s assume Evina was granted her waiver this year. She likely would have been the 5th starter, and might have continued to play on her bad knee throughout the season, possibly with diminished production as the season went along. Maybe at the end of the season, Evina opts to turn pro with Megan. The downside for UConn is that neither Anna or Aubrey get the PT they otherwise received. So going into next year, rather than returning 4 experienced players, you’re returning 2.
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Both this hypothetical and your previous scenario in which " EVERY" new recruit would be competing against EVERY current UCONN non-starter for playing time is flawed. Your concern about taking experience away from the committed players is unfounded. First and foremost adding to the roster helps in the scenario where a player like Evina gets hurt during the season. Second there is this little thing called position. Evina and Aubrey play different positions, one is not taking playing time away from the the other. The competition by position is much smaller. Example: This year's team and next years as well is lacking a PF to play alongside ONO. If I'm a decent C/PF considering a transfer to UCONN my competition for starting or playing time is ...? I'll give you a second. BTW UCONN just lost it's second leading rebounder to the WNBA. Now if I'm a wing I realize that the competition will be stronger at UCONN but I competing against Freshmen or Sophomores therefore not impossible. The guard position will be the deepest it has been at UCONN for a while but don't say that too loudly because Miss Fudd might hear you and agree.
 
oldude said:
Aaliyah will absolutely be in the regular rotation next year, assuming she doesn’t earn the starting PF job. She is that good.
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I really like Edwards but what if she initially isn't that good? You can never have too many board banging bigs. And I'm not considering Gabriel as IMO she's a long term project.
 
On Megan: fine player, good to very good season, disappointed in big games...
Never seemed to me to quite live up to the #1 ranking
( not new analysis, noted multiple times previously).

She would have profited by another year's tutelage as would have the team for her splendid efforts.

What I have trouble understanding is this:

With the gross uncertainty of the current state of events...Why did she not at least wait until the last minute to make her decision...unless getting out of Dodge was paramount.

The state of the world is such that it is likely that there will be either no or a limited W season; surely there is no guarantee of next winter's season abroad....Look at today's headlines...

And remember for the 1917 scourge, the following year was very much the worse.

It is altogether possible, even likely...that as China zooms back into
full production, a second wave will develop...and the merry-go-round will begin again.

With the level of universal uncertainty about which she is surely aware, her decision must have been made some time ago and was unalterable.
 
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I still can't believe this.

This is a huge loss for our team and I just don't understand it.

2 players in 3 years walked away from a chance to lead a team to a championship. For a program built on TEAM first and winning championships (and having fun) this is very troubling.
 
hoophuskee said:
I guess for these 3-5 seconds of my life you can call me a horrible selfish human being. But you do realizethat I do appreciate after 3-5 seconds, right?
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If it only took you 3-5 seconds then you are better person than I. I'm still disappointed. I still feel let down.
I still feel less hopeful about a UCONN WBB Championship for next season. This still feels surreal no matter how many times ESPN runs it across my screen. I still believe in this program, enough to wish Megan well.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
Neither Makurat nor Griffin were consistent players whatsoever. By the end of the season Makurat looked like a starter, but then she was a pro in Europe, not a high school player. Geno even said prior to the season that he expected her to be more ready than the usual freshman, and it still took her months to develop.

CW had a solid yet up-and-down freshmen year. She also got to play 33+ minutes to work out the kinks. Edwards will be lucky to see half that next year.

Again, Collier, Williams, Tuck, Jefferson, KLS until her last month, Walker, ONO... I could go on.
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I see Aaliyah getting minutes off the bench up front right away because, as you point out, UConn only has Liv an Aubrey coming back at the 4 & 5, and they are not going to play 40 mpg. Here’s another prediction that may generate an eye roll. Sometime after mid season or so Geno will start working Piath into the rotation for 5-10 mpg subbing for Liv.

In any event, we will all see what happens next year once it happens.
 
BobbyJ said:
I really like Edwards but what if she initially isn't that good? You can never have too many board banging bigs. And I'm not considering Gabriel as IMO she's a long term project.
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We’ll find out how good Aaliyah is next year, but her experience on the Canadian National Team has accelerated her development far beyond a typical incoming HS freshman. As for Piath, she is in for a long term development, but I like the fact that she is big, strong and can run the court. I’m hoping she can learn the basics to rebound and defend at the college level to the point where she can begin to provide some backup PT for Liv, sometime during the 2nd half of the season.
 
I think she just wanted out. Playing at UConn is a lot of work. It's a burden that us fans will never truly understand. We know she considered leaving after her freshman season. My gut says she decided this a long time ago. Perhaps even before the season when she mentioned in November that she had to treat her junior season as if she was a pro. A bit of foreshadowing there. Regarding Tuck leaving, she talked about it as a possibility before that season even started, so I wasn't surprised. I thought Azura would come back for her final season, but it just never worked out for her. Geno wanted her to bang down low, and she wanted to shoot threes. Think next season is a showcase season for Evina as well.
 
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On the Down Side, well there goes that UCONN Incoming Recruiting Class "Fantastic Four" from 2017 in Megan Walker, Mikalya Coombs, Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Lexi Gordon. All four of them never made it thru "All 4 Years" at UCONN. This is not to say that Megan didn't have 2 very good years, out of the 3 that she was at UCONN. But one would certainly hope in WCBB, that you would have players being recruited into a Top 10 NCAA Women's Basketball Program stay and play all 4 years. On the Up Side, for next year, we still have 5 "Very Strong" returning players in ONO, Christyn Williams, Anna Makurat, Aubrey Griffin, and Evina Westbrook, along with a very strong incoming class of Paige Bueckers, Mir McLean, Aaliyah Edwards, Nika Muhl, and Piath Gabriel. This still can be a FINAL FOUR team for the 2020/2021 season
 
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caramel said:
I do not believe this team will need to add anyone with what is returning and what is coming in.The most an extra player would bring is the icing on the cake.This team has talent,BEFORE the new recruits suit up,and will be tremendous with what is coming in.Might take a few games to get everything in sync,but will not be as frustrating it was this year that at times seemed at a standstill.
Some act like what we have coming in will not be enough to replace what we have lost.Well,I say phooey to that.I believe we have MAJOR talent coming in,and we will be a real problem for every team we face.
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We lost three games this year decisively in the front court. At a minimum Stanford, SC, Oregon State, and Baylor will all return front courts that could be potentially problematic for UCONN next season.
 
irsh4242 said:
Good luck to her. Business decision wise I don’t think it was a smart decision. She needs to develop more. Never developed a killer instinct and reached her true potential.
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Agreed, but hope she will further blossom in the WNBA.
 
oldude said:
We’ll find out how good Aaliyah is next year, but her experience on the Canadian National Team has accelerated her development far beyond a typical incoming HS freshman. As for Piath, she is in for a long term development, but I like the fact that she is big, strong and can run the court. I’m hoping she can learn the basics to rebound and defend at the college level to the point where she can begin to provide some backup PT for Liv, sometime during the 2nd half of the season.
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If Gabriel could develop that quickly that would be great. But info from a couple trusted coaching contacts from NH make me inclined not to put any money on that. But I'd like to be wrong.
 
hoopsfan22 said:
I think she just wanted out. Playing at UConn is a lot of work. It's a burden that us fans will never truly understand. We know she considered leaving after her freshman season. My gut says she decided this a long time ago. Perhaps even before the season when she mentioned in November that she had to treat her junior season as if she was a pro. A bit of foreshadowing there. Regarding Tuck leaving, she talked about it as a possibility before that season even started, so I wasn't surprised. I thought Azura would come back for her final season, but it just never worked out for her. Geno wanted her to bang down low, and she wanted to shoot threes.
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While I agree regarding your last sentence about Stevens, I've always wondered why they wouldn't have had an understanding and agreement about that before they committed to each other.
 
I am surprised. And very sorry to hear that news. My thoughts were that UCONN would have the strongest returning team for next season in WCBB , with Megan.

You never know the thoughts or whims of these young ladies. Ionesco comes back to Oregon because she said she had unfinished business and wants to win a NC. And Megan leaves early because she wants to play in the WNBA and not play her senior year for a chance at a NC.

You never know the thoughts or whims of these young ladies.
 
UConn 3 loses this season Meg had 18pts, 8pts, and 10pts (Avg 12pts). Those was big games that they really needed her to step up, it did not happen. Crystal was the player that showed up and she will most likely get drafted before Meg.
 
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