Mikayla Coombs to Transfer

[soxfan23]

And on top of this, UConn loses 2020 recruit Natalja Marshall, a 6'4" post player, to Oregon, right from under our noses- Christ the King in New York.

Ouch!

Marshall was always going to either Stanford or Notre Dame, she was never seriously linked to UConn.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Mikayla has had the benefit of 2 years of the UConn way. She's a Husky forever. I hope she gains traction in her next port of call.

 

[pvdoggy]

I don't think 2020 recruits can sign until November, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I meant getting the commitment from those recruits. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Bama fan]

How is this "not a good look", have you looked at the transfer rates in college basketball lately?

I would be willing to bet that transfer rates do not average 75%, so the OP was not unreasonable.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I know this was hashed and rehashed aplenty during the season, but Mikayla was among the more confounding players we've seen. It was difficult to behold how such a highly rated recruit -- who put up plenty of points in high school -- could appear so incapable as a scorer in college. She averaged 17 ppg in her senior year of HS; surely those weren't all from layups?

I can only surmise that some technical flaws and a lack of confidence began at some point to feed off each other in a negative cycle. I'm sure it was at least as frustrating for her as it was for all of us.

She seems like a hard worker and a great person. A reset with another program might be the best way forward for her. Wishing her all the best.

Same for Irwin. I believe she averaged over 25ppg in 4 years in HS. Now she averages 2ppg.
How did she and Coombs become offensive liabilties?
I have my opinions, but I will leave at that.

If anyone thinks a player has to be an offensive asset to get PT, look at one of the former Irish players that I always liked when I saw her play HS or club ball, Hannah Huffman. She only averaged about 2 to 3 ppg but played about 500 minutes her junior and senior years at ND, and contributed.

 

[Charliebball]

I was afraid of this. I was rooting for her and hoping Geno would play her more late in the year.

I hope she lands on her feet in some fertile soil.

I thought she was gone after her freshman season but she stuck it out.......................not getting minutes in the big tournament must have felt like a slap in the face to her...................I was hoping she'd get more consistent minutes next season and show that she does have a mid range game................I wish her all the best and will be watching her progress with interest.....................

 

[oldude]

She is highly rated, and let's recall that Stephanie Dolson was no superstar when she was in high school. Slow, not good hands, and out of shape. But a couple of years later, she became strong underneath, dynamic, a great passer, and one of the best posts in the nation.

It appears that there are 5 players among the top 25 who are 6'4" or taller. Three have already been taken- and by Oregon, Notre Dame, and Stanford. We're desperate for size, yet our most bitter rivals have stolen three of the five. And one whom we're supposedly targeting, Gusters, is from Texas, which is susceptible to schools in that region.

This is a tough off-season. Fingers crossed....

Geno recruited Steph because she ran the court hard every time. Marshall does not.

 

[BobbyJ]

One other point on Mikayla. At the end of every season Geno meets individually with each returning player to review the season just pass and to outline his expectations for next season. I would expect that Geno was very honest with Mikayla, likely indicating that she would never be more than a role player at UConn unless she could substantially improve her offensive ability.

Mikayla is a wonderful athlete with a fundamentally flawed shooting stroke that is nearly impossible to fix as a junior in college.

That’s exactly what all programs do, and how they clean out space for future recruits. IMO, the numbers problem was caused by using up three schollies on kids who basically played the same position, none of whom was a blue chip sure bet. Similar to the Ekmark, Edwards snafu. I’m surprised by the botched ability evaluations coming out of HS. Late in the regular season, Auriemma, when asked a question by the media about Coombs, said something like “ I’m only gonna talk about kids that are going to play”. So she knew she was dead in the water. I hope she goes somewhere and enjoys playing.

 

[Charliebball]

Yup, we sure are

Class of 2014-2 transfers(Edwards/Ekmark)
Class of 2015-1 transfer(Boykin)
Class of 2016-0 transfers(1 player class)
Class of 2017-3 transfers(AEH/Gordon/Coombs)

I mean, it's the same problem everywhere, but our problem is that 2, 1 player classes in 4 years, has hurt roster numbers bad.

you got that right.............................this 2017 class has proven to be problematic and it has put the team in a tough position...............Geno & Co's assessment of these three recruits proved to be off the mark..............just proof that even the great coaches don't always get them right

 

[Charliebball]

One other point on Mikayla. At the end of every season Geno meets individually with each returning player to review the season just pass and to outline his expectations for next season. I would expect that Geno was very honest with Mikayla, likely indicating that she would never be more than a role player at UConn unless she could substantially improve her offensive ability.

Mikayla is a wonderful athlete with a fundamentally flawed shooting stroke that is nearly impossible to fix as a junior in college.

she does have a decent mid range game as evidenced by her high school videos...................she just didn't have the confidence to show that part of her game or was told not to shoot unless necessary................................

 

[Bama fan]

The OP was commenting on the one class wherein three out of four left. Hence 75% and to bemoan that is not unreasonable. That is all I meant.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Geno recruited Steph because she ran the court hard every time. Marshall does not.

Fun (or not so fun) fact: Stef's class also had three recruits, or 60%, transfer. Does anyone remember who they were?

 

[Argonaut]

Fun (or not so fun) fact: Stef's class also had three recruits, or 60%, transfer. Does anyone remember who they were?

Oh! Pick me, pick me!

Michaela(?) Michala (?) Johnson, Lauren Engeln, and Samarie Walker!

 

[SLY63]

It is official, Coombs to Transfer from UConn Women’s Basketball - University of Connecticut Athletics

 

[SLY63]

Some transfers are going to get significant playing time

 

[Plebe]

Some transfers are going to get significant playing time

Assuming they materialize...

 

[CL82]

. How do you explain the high rate of transfer in the past few years of players who have actually gone through the experience?

Being the best is hard work on and off the court. Some may not fully understand the demanding nature of that or be willing to commit to it, particularly if they are in a supporting role.

You're welcome.

 

[CL82]

It is official, Coombs to Transfer from UConn Women’s Basketball - University of Connecticut Athletics

Again, wish her the best. I think she'll do well.

 

[Dillon77]

Same for Irwin. I believe she averaged over 25ppg in 4 years in HS. Now she averages 2ppg.
How did she and Coombs become offensive liabilties?
I have my opinions, but I will leave at that.

If anyone thinks a player has to be an offensive asset to get PT, look at one of the former Irish players that I always liked when I saw her play HS or club ball, Hannah Huffman. She only averaged about 2 to 3 ppg but played about 500 minutes her junior and senior years at ND, and contributed.

And she was a good scorer in high school when she came to ND. "Huff" realized that Mabrey1, Maddie Cable and Lindsay Allen were going to handle the ball so she made herself into the jack-of-all trades, particularly on defense and rebounding. But she also knew how to keep the motion offense rolling, which was a big plus.
I'm absolutely sure MM recruited Abby Prohaska with Hannah Huffman (and Brittany Mallory) in mind.

 

[BleedBlue72]

I realize Geno is Geno.. he’s the goat!! His record speaks for itself. But times are changing, players are changing...these players deserve a chance .. if u recruited them there was a reason for it. Let kids make mistakes let them play through it, give them a chance ... if u can handle the most demanding program in the nation and the hardest practices in the nation then there is no reason the effort isn’t there. Geno needs to change to the new level of the game.. old school isn’t working anymore and until he changes a little UCONN will continue to have small classss and lose out on recruits... it’s just my opinion but kids don’t want to sit the bench and that’s just it. Players want to play and not ride the bench.... UCONN is really in serious trouble and if they don’t fix it soon next season is going to be a very disappointing season . Very sad and schocking day ... I get 2020 is already looking like a great class but forget about 2020 it’s 2 years away it won’t help us next season... 8 player roster is just horrendous .... injuries long season I don’t even want to go there. All I can say is wow!!!

 

[Plebe]

It is official, Coombs to Transfer from UConn Women’s Basketball - University of Connecticut Athletics

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Good luck to Mikayla wherever she lands. Maybe she wants to be closer to home. I will follow her career as she is a Forever Husky.

One question though, didn't Coombs commit before coming to campus?

Transfers are the new thing and yes--not all players work out and all for different reasons. I dont think its a failed assessment on the coaching staff. Its the new era.