Megan Walker Goes Pro [merged thread]

[Crossover]

Not sure what this kid is thinking for the following reasons:
- she disappeared in the three losses uconn had against the best competition
- given that theres players like Sabrina, Hebert, sabally, Cox just to name a few shell be lucky if shes goes in first round
- the first year salaries while they have improved with the new CBA...not worth leaving without a degree

"Lucky if she goes in the first round"? Exaggerate much?

 

[Shades]

I think it's Paige's team. Paigemania is rampant.

How can it not be her team? Geno said she’s better than Taurasi at the same point in development (I don’t recall the exact quote).

 

[ccwarrior]

Huge loss, next year I had a title pretty much penciled in. Megan in my opinion would have been a strong NPOY candidate. She was our alpha and would have been a nightmare next year along with everyone else we are going to have. Now this definitely brings us back toward the pack. Think about next year when we need a bucket, who can we confidently say is gonna get one. Megan would have been that person and she would have been better next year. Anyone saying anything bad about her game doesn’t know basketball. Sure she has things to work on like everyone else but she Will be missed. I think we will struggle early to find an identity without her because she would have bailed us out early until we got better as a team. We will be ok because we still will have maybe the best team as the season goes on but THIS IS BAD for us GOOD FOR HER!

I am not going to question her decision, but I have to disagree with your “alpha” comment. She was not and is not an “alpha.”

 

[Steelerone]

Ok, what happens when the WNBA cancels the upcoming draft and season? Can she come back? (I am assuming that she hasn't signed with an agent, if that is a factor in retaining her eligibility. )

Great point Centerstream. I'm not sure if she made the decision on her own or if someone was whispering in her ear. Either way, I think it is something she will regret, especially next November when the team starts playing games and she realized she could have been a part of it.

 

[j66kicker]

Geno is very supportive to Megan]s decision. That is important,

UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. "When you have an opportunity to reach a certain goal that you set for yourself, I think it's important that you have an opportunity to take it.

"Meg's decided this is the right time for her to take advantage of this opportunity. Obviously, she had an incredible season this year and is incredibly talented. We support her 100 percent, and we're going to support her going forward. We wish her the best of luck as she begins her pro career."

That's what you say if you want any future recruits to give you the time of day. Dabo Sweeney has it all over Nick Saban in this regard. (I think Nick "gets it" intellectually but, emotionally, he just can't help himself.) Geno has come full circle on "thinking before talking" vs. his younger days.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Believe it or not, I’m kinda liking Oregon next year too. But they definitely won’t be up to the level of this year’s team. They’ll have Prince, the younger Sabally (hopefully she lives up to the hype), Boley, Chavez, and Shelly. Winterburn coming off the bench, plus whatever freshmen they have coming in.

Oregon will have a nice lineup and a good coach. But they won't have Sabrina.

 

[MilfordHusky]

How can it not be her team? Geno said she’s better than Taurasi at the same point in development (I don’t recall the exact quote).

Between Paige's skill, experience, and personality, she's the leader.

 

[Steelerone]

How can it not be her team? Geno said she’s better than Taurasi at the same point in development (I don’t recall the exact quote).

Shades, I never have heard Geno say anything even close to that. First of all, he does not like to make compressions of his players. Secondly, There is not a universe where Megan was better than Diana at any point of her career. That is not to diminish Megan in any way. Think of it this way. There have been some really good three hundred hitters in baseball. Then there was Ted Williams.

 

[the Q]

Any potential transfer will be looking at competing for PT with Liv, Aaliyah, Aubrey, Evina, Christyn, Anna, Paige & Nika, at a minimum. I seriously doubt Geno’s phone will be ringing off the hook.

a big time transfer at the 4 would certainly have a shot at plenty of minutes

 

[Steelerone]

Was she truly going to reach her "potential" playing another year at UCONN?

I'm not sure how much further she had to go to reach her "potential", Coco. Her outside shot improved, as did her rebounding. But I am still not sure if she can continue to improve to the point where she can make any impact in the WNBA. I wish her the best of luck, but, another year would have put her in a little better posistion in the draft.

 

[Shades]

She's not graduating this year!

A lot more players than you might think graduate in three years (or close to it). Must be those summer sessions. Ionescu graduated in three years. Sabally is doing the same. I remember Anriel Howard graduated from Texas A&M In three years and ended up grad transferring to MSU. Graduating in three years gives players options. Oh, there’s Kelsey Mitchell too.

 

[Crossover]

Shades, I never have heard Geno say anything even close to that. First of all, he does not like to make compressions of his players. Secondly, There is not a universe where Megan was better than Diana at any point of her career. That is not to diminish Megan in any way. Think of it this way. There have been some really good three hundred hitters in baseball. Then there was Ted Williams.

Shades was talking about Paige. Reading is fundamental.

 

[HGN]

And how did that work out for Ionescu? Perhaps Megan is a bird in the hand kind of person.

Crossover, there are no guarantees. The point is to have the opportunity to go for a NC. I am sure Ionescu knew a NC was no guarantee but she wanted the opportunity .

 

[CTBballfan243]

Times have changed and coaches must change too or get left behind. Some coaches must stop being so stubborn or be left behind because their are too many options for players out there now.

Unfortunately, Geno has gotten really soft in his old age, and it shows in the teams play.

 

[hoophuskee]

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.

No way -- not even close if Edwards is as good as you say.

 

[Shades]

Right. Like you somehow know what's going on.

It’s just an opinion based on them being besties. There’s no need to be rude.

 

[hoophuskee]

Unfortunately, Geno has gotten really soft in his old age, and it shows in the teams play.

Your post was sarcasm, right?

 

[Yorkeez4]

It amazes me that people make the comments they do without knowing any details how/why a decision was made. With the rate of acl injuries, among others, in the women game I think it makes a lot of sense to go when you will be a high draft choice. It is also possible that the cancellations this year made her realize there are no guarantees something won’t happen next year.

Comments about leaving without a degree would make someone think you can’t complete your degree at a later time. Many athletes at UConn have come back to complete their degrees. I wish Meg the best.

 

[uconnfan68]

Unfortunately, Geno has gotten really soft in his old age, and it shows in the teams play.

We need an LOL emoji.

 

[Shades]

Shades, I never have heard Geno say anything even close to that. First of all, he does not like to make compressions of his players. Secondly, There is not a universe where Megan was better than Diana at any point of her career. That is not to diminish Megan in any way. Think of it this way. There have been some really good three hundred hitters in baseball. Then there was Ted Williams.

We were talking about Bueckers in that conversation.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Your post was sarcasm, right?

No, not sarcasm. He has gotten soft.

 

[hoophuskee]

No, not sarcasm. He has gotten soft.

Thanks for clarifying.

Time to put you and your make believe world on ignore.

 

[browns]

Good luck to her, but i don't think she is ready. She can't even make a layup.

I agree .wish her well but don't think she was ready..the pros will cover her a bit better than the players in the American did

 

[YSRFrisbee]

There isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said. I was late hearing this news and I'm sad like many of you.

But I want to THANK Megan for being such a warrior these past three years. I've enjoyed watching her grow as a player on and off the court. She had a fantastic year and I hope she kills it in the pros both here and abroad

We <3 you Megan! Come back and visit often!

"In a world where you can be anything...be KIND"

 

[Alydar]

How can it not be her team? Geno said she’s better than Taurasi at the same point in development (I don’t recall the exact quote).

You got the quote right. That was 2 years ago when she wa a sophomore and he hasn't updated it since. But he has been to 20 games in Minn since she was a freshman. He is like Michalangelo receiving a perfect block of marble, studying it for years before taking the first chip. It may well be her team by this time next year but I see her coming off the bench at first, and hopefully the rest play well enough to let her continue to do that all season. She is the perfect 6th man. A great shooter and scorer who can play the 1, 2 & even some 3. She may be thin but she isn't as skinny as she was. And she is 6'. And can elevate.

And I don't think she'd mind not starting.

 

[cbraarj]

A lot more players than you might think graduate in three years (or close to it). Must be those summer sessions. Ionescu graduated in three years. Sabally is doing the same. I remember Anriel Howard graduated from Texas A&M In three years and ended up grad transferring to MSU. Graduating in three years gives players options. Oh, there’s Kelsey Mitchell too.

If she was graduating this year don't you think they would have said it with the turning pro information.

 

[cbraarj]

Didn't expect to read that. I guess @cbraarj is ready to move on without Walker. Expectations apparently not met.

IMO the chemistry will be alot better from day 1 and that alone should help the freshmen transition. I really think Evina can be a better teammate and overall player than Megan. I wish her well with her decision but IMO she decided this awhile ago and could end up not playing any ball until winter. Be suprised if the WNBA plays this year. She made a decision for herself and being a fan I hope she does well in her life.

 

[Jmsdawg]

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.

She is project as first round pick. Business wise probably a good decision. You never can tell what may happen next year for her draft wise but she was not likely to go any higher than expected for this year.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I think we will continue to see more and more of this. We really don't know what the league will look like this summer. Walker had a very good year overall and has put herself in position to be a high pick.

Do I think she could develop more? Of course she can. Would she have benefited from another year of Geno's coaching? Yes. Do I know why these players do this? I certainly understand.

 

[hjoerring]

I'm going to treat Megan as I do all other college kids, that they their Bachelor. It is quite possible that she has enough to complete her degree by the summer (Of course C-19 has complicated matters). When I left the Univ. I was one of the lucky ones who were leaving for/to a job. Most were still waiting and weighing options. If Megan is leaving for the WNBA-- a job, good for her; she is ahead of many of her peers. Yes, I too would like her to stay another year but, upon closer look it has more to do with me then her. Also, some of the European players are unlikely to stay for 4-years if they are not in the natural sciences or engineering. Why? Most of the other disciplines are too general to qualify you for a job (at the BA level). FX, a Psy-BA from an American Univ isn't an opportunity to work as a psy-person. So, someone like Anna would not be helping herself with certain degrees if she is planning on returning to Poland.

Secondly, Geno knows a lot more than he says about players. Who is to say that Megan and the coaches hadn't have a conversation about what she needed to do this past summer (re: body/diet, etc) and during League play should she leave after the season. I would be surprise. Unless of course there are problems and she is being pushed out; hardly an imagine situation in the views here. (Geno/Uconn is a master at marketing players and he has been do that for Megan all season; as he did lasy year for Pheesa) And do we really think Geno would be surprise and disappointed if Evina W leaves after a good year! Good Luck and many Thanks Megan W.