Mikayla Coombs to Transfer

[triaddukefan]

How is it that the Wake Forest coach hasn't become part of "coaching changes"?

Well wake forest has a new AD that starts next week.... So id say she needs to show improvement next year. In her defense... The injury levels at wake were almost to the level of nc state this past season.

 

[Scrutineer]

I'm not sure why we have an AEH pissing contest.

I watched four MSST games this year where AEH started. She reminds me of Courtney Ekmark. Her best attribute is shooting but she is slow-footed on D. Her fit with MSST may be much better than at UConn and, if so, the best of luck to her. Courtney had two good years at ASU but never reached the prominence she had as a high schooler.

Is that bad????

So Ekmark and Espinoza-Hunter were both recruiting mistakes?

 

[Scrutineer]

“Deserved” based on what? Please explain.

She didn’t earn more minutes. She had a fair chance and made a modest contribution despite extraordinary laurels upon entering the program.

Then she quit rather than dig in and earn her minutes. Another example of a highly-touted player who could not accept that minutes in a UConn Jersey must be earned - and are not owed or simply given.

Excellence has a cost.

Didn't we learn Mikayla had a serious health issue freshman year that held her back? She looked great in the McDonald's game, as good or better than Walker, so maybe her health was the issue and for whatever reason she wasn't able to get back to her previous form.

 

[Scrutineer]

Ask those criticizing the ability of the players who subsequently transferred out.

 

[Scrutineer]

Mikayla Coombs was not competing with Stef, Tuck and Stewart and I believe it was reported she had some sort of gastric issue (Crohn's or the like) that lead to loss of weight, strength and stamina.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Ask those criticizing the ability of the players who subsequently transferred out.

Transferred and/or have not played a significant role for the team. Significant role is having played 15 or more minutes excluding mop up minutes. If Geno has them consistently playing 15 or more minutes every game then he must believe they are contributing to the team's effort.

 

[Jaybird65]

Didn't we learn Mikayla had a serious health issue freshman year that held her back? She looked great in the McDonald's game, as good or better than Walker, so maybe her health was the issue and for whatever reason she wasn't able to get back to her previous form.

Mikayla missed the final part of her freshman season with blood clots in her legs.

UConn’s Mikayla Coombs to miss remainder of season

 

[boontonbomber]

It's never an easy thing to transfer, but, like Edwards, Ekmark, Espinoza-Hunter, and others, Mikayla just wants to play the game. She certainly never looked comfortable out there, and I found it sad to watch how tentatively she played. Like the other players who have left, I expect that she will go somewhere where she'll get plenty of minutes , help make that team better, develop her game, and enjoy herself. I'm very happy for her.

 

[DefenseBB]

A side note about views comparing Ekmark and AEH, Ekmark spent 2 years at UConn, was well liked and respected and wished well on her endeavors. AEH, left after 1 semester so...um...not so much. I want to see how the next 2 years play out before any I will make any comments on the ability comparisons.

 

[Gus Mahler]

A side note about views comparing Ekmark and AEH, Ekmark spent 2 years at UConn, was well liked and respected and wished well on her endeavors. AEH, left after 1 semester so...um...not so much. I want to see how the next 2 years play out before any I will make any comments on the ability comparisons.

What I remember about Ekmark leaving was that Geno said early on in his press release that "We miss her around here already." Doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

 

[donalddoowop]

Didn't we learn Mikayla had a serious health issue freshman year that held her back? She looked great in the McDonald's game, as good or better than Walker, so maybe her health was the issue and for whatever reason she wasn't able to get back to her previous form.

That seems to happen when a player gets injured their first season at UConn before they learn the system. They fall behind and usually have trouble catching up with the other players when they come back to practice.

 

[Hist-teacher]

I'm not surprised Mikayla is transferring and I don't blame her one bit. When KLS was injured she stepped up and played well. She's very athletic, played great defense, didn't turn the ball over much, rebounded well for her size and was a burst of energy they desperately needed. When KLS returned she saw nothing but garbage time. What did UCONN need? A defensive stopper! Lots of posts have eluded to her poor shooting as if that's the only skill that's important. Essential contributions come in many different forms. Far-be-it for me to question a Hall of Fame coach but I think he blew it with her.

 

[Yorkeez4]

IMO if you look at the players that succeeded after transferring they did so on lesser teams, albeit, almost all teams are lesser teams. I think Johnson was injured as a senior in hs and had difficulty getting playing time because of that. Banks was promising early with lots of playing time and then injured her knee and never got the playing time she wanted. Geno gave Ekmark plenty of chances because he liked her but IMO she was not athletic enough.
Of those that left I believe only Stevens would have made a huge impact if she had stayed. The jury is still out on AEH but I do not think she would have gotten much playing time this year.

I wish Coombs the best and would not mind seeing her flourish elsewhere.

 

[soxfan23]

I'm not surprised Mikayla is transferring and I don't blame her one bit. When KLS was injured she stepped up and played well. She's very athletic, played great defense, didn't turn the ball over much, rebounded well for her size and was a burst of energy they desperately needed. When KLS returned she saw nothing but garbage time. What did UCONN need? A defensive stopper! Lots of posts have eluded to her poor shooting as if that's the only skill that's important. Essential contributions come in many different forms. Far-be-it for me to question a Hall of Fame coach but I think he blew it with her.

You are correct that there are other aspects to the game than just shooting. However, Coombs struggled so much on the offensive end that teams did not even bother guarding her at times. UConn was essentially playing 4 on 5. I wish Coombs the best at her next school and I think she is making a great choice for herself. You have to remember, this is the last chance for the majority of these kids to play high level, competitive, basketball. You cannot be mad at a kid that wants to spend that time playing and not sitting on the bench.

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm not surprised Mikayla is transferring and I don't blame her one bit. When KLS was injured she stepped up and played well. She's very athletic, played great defense, didn't turn the ball over much, rebounded well for her size and was a burst of energy they desperately needed. When KLS returned she saw nothing but garbage time. What did UCONN need? A defensive stopper! Lots of posts have eluded to her poor shooting as if that's the only skill that's important. Essential contributions come in many different forms. Far-be-it for me to question a Hall of Fame coach but I think he blew it with her.

What UCONN desperately needed for the past two seasons was another guard to be part of the regular rotation. Mikayla was given ample opportunities to be that guard and she did not capitalize on those opportunities. Perhaps that will happen at her next school.

 

[oldude]

Mikayla fooled a lot of people, but not deliberately or in a bad way. Geno and his staff missed the fact that her inability to shoot the ball effectively was a real problem. Mikayla checked just about all the boxes: great athlete, smart, hard working, positive attitude, relentless defender and good passer. While the coaches must have been aware of her awkward release they probably only saw her play once or twice in person, and if she had a bad shooting day on those occasions, you just had to look at her highlight films on the internet to see Mikayla knock down a bunch of 3’s and midrange jumpers.

I remember being really impressed by Mikayla in the McD AA game, incorrectly predicting that she would earn PT ahead of Megan because in a game when everyone else chucks up shots and plays no defense, Mikayla was digging in, playing tough defense and going out of her way to share the ball with her teammates. Looking back on that game I don’t remember Mikayla ever attempting a single shot, nor did I wonder why she wasn’t shooting more.

One last thought on Mikayla. Unlike most of the top HS b-ball players who play and practice the game year round, Mikayla was a two sport star in HS playing basketball and competing in track & field. I’m sure that Geno and his staff had visions of another two sport star, Gabby Williams, when they evaluated Mikayla. But in Mikayla’s case, she probably could have better used the additional time to improve her shooting mechanics.

 

[Hist-teacher]

You are correct that there are other aspects to the game than just shooting. However, Coombs struggled so much on the offensive end that teams did not even bother guarding her at times. UConn was essentially playing 4 on 5. I wish Coombs the best at her next school and I think she is making a great choice for herself. You have to remember, this is the last chance for the majority of these kids to play high level, competitive, basketball. You cannot be mad at a kid that wants to spend that time playing and not sitting on the bench.

I'm not sure why I would be mad at Mikayla for transferring. I think I made it pretty clear that I don't blame her one bit. I too wish her the best. Remember, shooting can be improved. One must remember what a terrible shooter Gabby Williams was her first year. She worked hard and eventually became a very capable shooter. But you can't learn athleticism.

 

[Hist-teacher]

What UCONN desperately needed for the past two seasons was another guard to be part of the regular rotation. Mikayla was given ample opportunities to be that guard and she did not capitalize on those opportunities. Perhaps that will happen at her next school.

Well, I think we're gonna agree to disagree. I do not believe she was given ample opportunity. And, when she was given opportunity (as stated in my original post) she did take advantage and play well. UCONN had that second guard you're referring to..her name was KLS.

 

[CocoHusky]

Well, I think we're gonna agree to disagree. I do not believe she was given ample opportunity. And, when she was given opportunity (as stated in my original post) she did take advantage and play well. UCONN had that second guard you're referring to..her name was KLS.

KLS was a starter. The UCONN need I stated was "another guard to be part of the regular rotation". Mikayla was given two years worth of opportunity to be that other guard in the rotation and she did not take advantage. And speaking of taking advantage your statement that Mikayla played well in KLS absence is not supported by the box scores or the replays. In that 4 game stretch Mikayla had two games UCF & USF where she played 20 minutes and 15 minutes respectively and DID NOT attempt a shot. Against ECU and USF she took 1 and then 2 shots. That is 3 shots in 4 games and she made 1 which is above her average. We can agree to disagree as you say but less than 1 shot per game is not taking advantage of the opportunity that was given to you. That was not going to cut it at UCONN. The last two UCONN walk on players got up more shot attempts than Mikayla was taking.

 

[EricLA]

Just my $.02 on Mikalya...

What she WAS terrific at was defense. There she excelled. She was also a solid ball handler. However her offense was nonexistent.

Also, while she got extended playing time in Lou's absence, I often keyed in and watched her play. I mentioned her defense / ball handling, and absence of offense, but possibly more troubling was HOW she ran the offense. There was almost NEVER any dribble penetration to then dish to an open player. She never tried to force the defense out of position to create open shots for teammates. Generally her PG tactics were to bring the ball up the court, pick up her dribble before any defender got in her face, and pass the ball.

Then she would run around the perimeter, or thru the lane, sometimes getting open and getting the ball back, but rarely making quick decisions/passes to teammates for open looks. Don't get me wrong - she had some nice assists on occasion, but her offensive deficiencies, and lack of confidence in her skills there, IMHO hampered her ability to be an effective PG even without shooting the ball.

I was rooting for her big time, but I just didn't see the improvement that would be necessary to compete potentially against players like Makurat or Westbrook. Which is such a bummer because the PT was there for the taking for her. I truly wish her the best wherever she ends up.

 

[donalddoowop]

KLS was a starter. The UCONN need I stated was "another guard to be part of the regular rotation". Mikayla was given two years worth of opportunity to be that other guard in the rotation and she did not take advantage. And speaking of taking advantage your statement that Mikayla played well in KLS absence is not supported by the box scores or the replays. In that 4 game stretch Mikayla had two games UCF & USF where she played 20 minutes and 15 minutes respectively and DID NOT attempt a shot. Against ECU and USF she took 1 and then 2 shots. That is 3 shots in 4 games and she made 1 which is above her average. We can agree to disagree as you say but less than 1 shot per game is not taking advantage of the opportunity that was given to you. That was not going to cut it at UCONN. The last two UCONN walk on players got up more shot attempts than Mikayla was taking.

In fairness, Coombs first season should not be counted against her. No one knows whether or not she would have been better if she had not been sidelined by blood clot problems her freshman season. Geno stated that a player does not have to score in order to have a good game. I believe she would have shown much improvement this season. Evidently, maybe, she knows some things about next season's team, that we don't yet know, that made her think it was in her best interest to transfer. Chong had a very good offensive game against Stanford and lost her starting position. I believe Coombs will end up at a school at which she will succeed.

 

[CL82]

Just my $.02 on Mikalya...

What she WAS terrific at was defense. There she excelled. She was also a solid ball handler. However her offense was nonexistent.

Also, while she got extended playing time in Lou's absence, I often keyed in and watched her play. I mentioned her defense / ball handling, and absence of offense, but possibly more troubling was HOW she ran the offense. There was almost NEVER any dribble penetration to then dish to an open player. She never tried to force the defense out of position to create open shots for teammates. Generally her PG tactics were to bring the ball up the court, pick up her dribble before any defender got in her face, and pass the ball.

Then she would run around the perimeter, or thru the lane, sometimes getting open and getting the ball back, but rarely making quick decisions/passes to teammates for open looks. Don't get me wrong - she had some nice assists on occasion, but her offensive deficiencies, and lack of confidence in her skills there, IMHO hampered her ability to be an effective PG even without shooting the ball.

I was rooting for her big time, but I just didn't see the improvement that would be necessary to compete potentially against players like Makurat or Westbrook. Which is such a bummer because the PT was there for the taking for her. I truly wish her the best wherever she ends up.

I truly think it was coming. I think her game would have expanded this coming year. Oh well, I still hope it does for her.