Mikayla Coombs to Transfer | Page 8 | The Boneyard

Mikayla Coombs to Transfer

Argonaut said:


Really? Playing the millennial card?

She worked hard for two years without any hint of complaint or trouble. By every indication, she bought into the system, but it just didn’t work out for her. Her whole life has been centered around basketball and I don’t think it’s fair to fault her for wanting to live out that dream to its fullest.

And, let us not forget, it was our (yes, our, because I’m a millennial, too) parents’ generation who started that whole participation award thing. Contrary to popular belief, we didn’t hop out of the womb demanding trophies and medals.
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There are enough parents that feel even if their child has little or no talent, everyone deserves playing time. You assume she worked hard and I'm not in a position to verify that, one way or another but are you???? I have no doubt she was an exemplary teammate but is that enough to automatically assure she should get playing time at THIS PROGRAM??? Other programs don't compete against the same level talent as does UConn and so maybe there would be a lot higher likelihood that the same level of effort or talent would lead to a lot more playing time. Some players prefer playing a lot at a lesser program than playing little at a stellar program. Nothing wrong with that outlook but there's a suggestion by some that Geno shouldn't be so tough or so demanding and a lot more tolerant of playing people who aren't as talented or hard working and give them playing time of players WHO ARE!
 
Buzzyboy said:
I couldn't agree more ..... That's maybe acceptable in junior high school but eventually, you have to learn that you need to be exceptional in major programs in order to get playing time ..... I'm not suggesting that in a blowout, you shouldn't give out some playing time to bench players but only if they play hard and hustle and have stellar attitudes.
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It's a tough adjustment for players from HS to college. In HS, every single college bench player was a star, many times the focal point of their HS team. Then they're freshmen in college and suddenly every other player is almost as good or better than them, and a 50 mph game becomes 100 mph. It's a shock at first for all but the handful of elite players that make the transition seamlessly. Some players eventually adjust and thrive in college, some never do. A lot of those players that never do are on the bench. They're stuck there for the whole four years, or they have to transfer down to a lower level of competition if they want to play, and everybody wants to play.
 
I'm sad, but I'm happy there is a probability I'll get to see her play a LOT more often now. I love to watch her play: speed to burn, great defense, hops galore! This is one of those teary moments which is probably advantageous to both parties. More PT for other guards at UConn. More PT for Mikayla, to be sure, and immediate improvement for whatever program she blesses. Sorry to see her leave, happy to see her spread her wings. We'll be looking for you, Mikayla!
 
EricLA said:
What about her? She never even made it to the first day of school. I don't really count her as a kid who transferred - heck, she didn't even play hoops at Deleware in the beginning - she played volleyball.

Some of you people (not saying this to you @hoopsfan22) want to pigeon-hole everything into a nice tidy box. It doesn't work that way. There's not a single player who transferred from UCONN who has gone on to play professionally. Not a single one. Unless you want to count Delle Donne, which I don't.

Some of the kids were drafted, but never really made teams (Michala Johnson, Samarie Walker maybe?). Anyway go back and look at the transfers out, where they went, and how "good" they were at their new teams. Most of these kids didn't even make all conference teams.

1990s - 1 National Championship
  1. Tammy Arnold
  2. Marci Glenney
  3. Clark (forget her first name)
  4. Kennitra Johnson (Purdue)
2000's - 5 National Championships
  1. Gillian Goring (NC State)
  2. Liz Sherwood (Vandy)
  3. Kiana Robinson (Cumberland)
  4. Kia Wright (SJU)
2010's - 5 National Championships, but a string of 12 straight final 4's dating back to 2007
  1. Samarie Walker (Kentucky)
  2. Michala Johnson (Illinois)
  3. Lauren Engeln (BCU)
  4. Brianna Banks (Penn State)
  5. Courtney Ekmark (ASU)
  6. Sadie Edwards (USC)
  7. De'Janae Boykin (Penn State)
  8. Andra Hunter (Mississippi State)
  9. Lexi Gordon (Texas Tech)
  10. Mikayla Coombs
Of the top 20'ish kids who transferred (Walker, Edwards, Boykin, Coombs, Banks), one left for very personal reasons, 2 were basically dismissed from the team (more or less), Coombs is the latest, and I suspect like Banks, just wanted more PT.

The reason i listed the final 4's and NC's is that UCONN's dominant run has lasted 12 years going back to 2007. The amount of top 10 and top 5 talent UCONN has amassed on its' roster is mind boggling. When you have as many as 6 or even 7 top 10 kids on a roster, the others just won't get the PT.

Anyway, as I said in another post, I'll start worrying when our legit top 10 kids start leaving. Until then, when you have so much talent on the roster, kids who feel they want/need/deserve more PT simply won't last.
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It’s Jean Clark. Kennitra left a Purdue and finished her career at Illinois State, I believe

Gillian didn’t transfer; she never matriculated. She had academic issues because she came from, um, Trinidad and Tobago I think, and ended up as a prep school graduate student.
 
MilfordHusky said:
Going back a little farther, Jamie Carey went from Stanford to Texas, but part of that was because the Stanford docs wouldn't clear her. Also, JJ Hones left early, but involuntarily. These situations are obviously different. Will Marta Sniezek be a grad transfer?
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I think she was a graduate student that played her last year of eligibility at Texas
 
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cohenzone said:
We were returning to the US today from Greece. We met a young woman at the Athens airport who went to U of Dayton and is playing pro hoops in Europe. She mentioned her name but I don’t remember. She’s aPG about 5’10. We chatted about UConn. She said it takes special kids to play for UConn and modern players willing to stick with Geno’s approach are not that easy to find despite the fact that he’s pretty selective in recruiting.

She was on the Dayton team that led UConn at the half a few years ago she said they were exstatic. Didn’t last long.
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The player you met was probably Kelley Austria who plays professionally in Hungary. I was at the Regionals that year in Albany. That Dayton team and their band was fun to watch. In the Sweet 16 game they stunned Louisville. As usual, the TUC was largely filled with UConn fans who started rooting loudly for Dayton as the upset unfolded.

In the Elite 8 game Dayton came out on fire taking it right to the Huskies, leading by one at the half. Their bubble burst in the 2nd half as UConn eventually pulled away, but Dayton impressed everyone, including Geno who indicated that Dayton’s team reminded him of UConn’s first NCAA tournament team the way they hustled and played hard the entire game.
 
HuskyNan said:
Do not speculate on other transfers or bring rumors here of UConn transfers. Please read the rules
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Even for players who have already entered the transfer portal? It’s the same as speculating on high school recruits at that point.
 
Mikayla had her chance to play. When UConn was on offense, it was like playing 4 on 5. She either wouldn't shoot, or when she did, she would miss. Aubrey Griffin will be a much better fit for the Huskies. Now they need to recruit 2 or 3 players for depth.
 
Mooch82 said:
Even for players who have already entered the transfer portal? It’s the same as speculating on high school recruits at that point.
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I’m talking about saying,”I hear others may transfer” or “she doesn’t play much. I bet she’s going to transfer”
 
HuskyNan said:
I’m talking about saying,”I hear others may transfer” or “she doesn’t play much. I bet she’s going to transfer”
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Ok yes, understood there. That’s the way I always interpreted it, just hadnt seen any of that in this thread but could’ve missed it.
 
Buzzyboy said:
There are enough parents that feel even if their child has little or no talent, everyone deserves playing time. You assume she worked hard and I'm not in a position to verify that, one way or another but are you???? I have no doubt she was an exemplary teammate but is that enough to automatically assure she should get playing time at THIS PROGRAM??? Other programs don't compete against the same level talent as does UConn and so maybe there would be a lot higher likelihood that the same level of effort or talent would lead to a lot more playing time. Some players prefer playing a lot at a lesser program than playing little at a stellar program. Nothing wrong with that outlook but there's a suggestion by some that Geno shouldn't be so tough or so demanding and a lot more tolerant of playing people who aren't as talented or hard working and give them playing time of players WHO ARE!
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You're right, there are a lot of parents that feel that way, but have we heard a disparaging peep from Mikayla or her parents? Nope.

There is nothing wrong with her wanting more playing time, realizing she wasn't going to get it at UConn, and deciding to go somewhere that she would be a better fit in their rotation. Had she, being the #17 player in the 2017 class, felt like she wasn't going to be an impact player, she likely would have chosen to go to another program.

And I never said that she was assured playing time. Based on what we hear, no one is assured playing time. She came to the program, like everyone else, with an idea of how she was going to impact the program. When she didn't get playing time her freshman year (combined with the blood clot during the tournament), she stuck it out another year. If she didn't work hard, she'd NEVER get off the bench. I think we all know enough about Geno to know that. I think her playing time was commensurate with a player who is working hard, but isn't progressing in a way that Geno needed. It happens.

You're right, there is a suggestion by some that Geno shouldn't be so tough, but we don't see that suggestion from anyone who has been part of the program. The players who stick around a while and transfer often talk highly of the lessons they learned about what it takes to be part of a championship caliber program and how they will apply those lessons to their new situation.
 
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Mooch82 said:
Ok yes, understood there. That’s the way I always interpreted it, just hadnt seen any of that in this thread but could’ve missed it.
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It’s been deleted.
 
Buzzyboy said:
Based on that, what if, in a one player class, that player left ..... should we lament that 100% of UConn classes are transferring, making it sound like Geno and the staff are somehow driving everyone away from UConn and that there might be a need for a change at the top of the program????? Using a very small tidbit of stats to make a statement can really distort someone's views.
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Yes we should all shoot ourselves ;)
 
Buzzyboy said:
Steph ran the floor but she was really heavy and not in the best of shape but that started changing drastically after her freshman year ..... The Steph you remember hustled but with the additional weight and conditioning issues (and if I remember correctly, she had issues with her feet or legs as a freshman), she was slow of foot.
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Stef actually improved earlier than that. After the December loss at Stanford, breaking the then-record 90-game winning streak, CD told Stef, "We need more." Stef did two-a-days and worked intensively with CD. By the end of the regular season, Stef inside was our primary scoring option, even over the great Maya Moore. Stef had the necessary physical gifts and mental strength to succeed. Geno saw that, but other coaches didn't.
 
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MilfordHusky said:
Stef actually improved earlier than that. After the December loss at Stanford, breaking the then-record 90-game winning streak, CD told Stef, "We need more." Stef did two-a-days and worked intensively with CD. By the end of the regular season, Stef inside was our primary scoring option, even over the great Maya Moore. Stef had the necessary physical gifts and mental strength to succeed. Geno saw that, but other coaches didn't.
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Wasn't she ranked in the top 30 or 40? She had offers that we know of from Rutgers, and maybe Duke or somewhere else like that. I remember an interview with her where she listed some of the other offers she had, so it wasn't like she was an unknown that Geno discovered. CViv talked about recruiting her and had some nice words about Stef.
 
hoopsfan22 said:
Wasn't she ranked in the top 30 or 40? She had offers that we know of from Rutgers, and maybe Duke or somewhere else like that. I remember an interview with her where she listed some of the other offers she had, so it wasn't like she was an unknown that Geno discovered. CViv talked about recruiting her and had some nice words about Stef.
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Yeah, Stef was ranked. I'm not saying no other coaches expressed interest or offered, but many coaches saw only Stef's weaknesses. Geno saw her hands and footwork along with her potential.
 
hoopsfan22 said:
Wasn't she ranked in the top 30 or 40? She had offers that we know of from Rutgers, and maybe Duke or somewhere else like that. I remember an interview with her where she listed some of the other offers she had, so it wasn't like she was an unknown that Geno discovered. CViv talked about recruiting her and had some nice words about Stef.
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I'm pretty sure she was ranked 10th & the #1 Post just before she committed to UConn. I distinctly remember Triaddukefan (yes I'm a lurker) complaining on the Duke board about how unfair it was for UConn to swoop in at the last minute to get Bria Hartley whom they had been recruiting, although we recruited Hartley really hard for a long time as well. She was up to 3rd or 4th in the overall rankings at one point.

I remember reading an ESPN interview with Samarie Walker at the time and she stated that as soon as she reached the #1 ranking, that's when UConn took notice and recruited her harder.

Btw my post isn't to point out that UConn can't find talent until everyone else does, but rather UConn recruits to a high standard and sometimes you have to get some recognition first before UConn even takes a hard look at you.
 
visitor123 said:
I'm pretty sure she was ranked 10th & the #1 Post just before she committed to UConn. I distinctly remember Triaddukefan (yes I'm a lurker) complaining on the Duke board about how unfair it was for UConn to swoop in at the last minute to get Bria Hartley whom they had been recruiting, although we recruited Hartley really hard for a long time as well. She was up to 3rd or 4th in the overall rankings at one point.

I remember reading an ESPN interview with Samarie Walker at the time and she stated that as soon as she reached the #1 ranking, that's when UConn took notice and recruited her harder.

Btw my post isn't to point out that UConn can't find talent until everyone else does, but rather UConn recruits to a high standard and sometimes you have to get some recognition first before UConn even takes a hard look at you.
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I think this confuses causation and correlation. I suspect the same things the recruiting services noticed about Walker's development that launched her to #1 post were the same reasons Geno et al. took more serious notice.

I seriously, seriously doubt Geno waits around until recruiting services tell him who's a top 20 player. In fact, I know he doesn't. He was attending Bueckers' games before she was old enough to be ranked at all.
 
MilfordHusky said:
Yeah, Stef was ranked. I'm not saying no other coaches expressed interest or offered, but many coaches saw only Stef's weaknesses. Geno saw her hands and footwork along with her potential.
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Geno has also said that one of the things that impressed him about Stef was everytime she got knocked down/ fell, she got right back up and ran down the court. She did not quit.
 
TheFarmFan said:
I think this confuses causation and correlation. I suspect the same things the recruiting services noticed about Walker's development that launched her to #1 post were the same reasons Geno et al. took more serious notice.

I seriously, seriously doubt Geno waits around until recruiting services tell him who's a top 20 player. In fact, I know he doesn't. He was attending Bueckers' games before she was old enough to be ranked at all.
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Perhaps I wasn't clear. I wasn't implying Geno waited for recruiting services to tell him who to recruit. I was talking about recognition whether it comes from a recruiting ranking, being selected for national teams, excelling in AAU tournaments, word of mouth etc. Every school hears about recruits this way, it just takes a higher standard at UConn because the caliber of player is higher.

As far as Walker. That was a specific response from her. They asked her in the article why do you think UConn recruited you? She said, and I'm paraphrasing, "probably because I became number one recruit (laughs)".
 
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Argonaut said:
AEH put up decent points at MSST this year and will be a major contributor for them by the time she graduates. If Vic could get her to play some defense, she’d be dangerous.
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And if she stayed at UConn and didn't play defense, well, we know how our coach would handle that
So I guess we can assume her reasons for leaving and choosing MSST...:eek::confused:
 
visitor123 said:
Perhaps I wasn't clear. I wasn't implying Geno waited for recruiting services to tell him who to recruit. I was talking about recognition whether it comes from a recruiting ranking, being selected for national teams, excelling in AAU tournaments, word of mouth etc. Every school hears about recruits this way, it just takes a higher standard at UConn because the caliber of player is higher.

As far as Walker. That was a specific response from her. They asked her in the article why do you think UConn recruited you? She said, and I'm paraphrasing, "probably because I became number one recruit (laughs)".
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I never saw that quote but the truth is UConn recruited Walker before she was ranked #1. She attended Tamika Williams's high school (Chaminade) so the UConn staff knew all about her early in her high school career.
 
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HuskyNan said:
It’s Jean Clark. Kennitra left a Purdue and finished her career at Illinois State, I believe

Gillian didn’t transfer; she never matriculated. She had academic issues because she came from, um, Trinidad and Tobago I think, and ended up as a prep school graduate student.
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Kennitra Johnson did transfer to Purdue but never played for the Boilermakers. She left during her year sitting out at Purdue for Southern Indiana, an NCAA D-II program. She played there.
 
MilfordHusky said:
Stef actually improved earlier than that. After the December loss at Stanford, breaking the then-record 90-game winning streak, CD told Stef, "We need more." Stef did two-a-days and worked intensively with CD. By the end of the regular season, Stef inside was our primary scoring option, even over the great Maya Moore. Stef had the necessary physical gifts and mental strength to succeed. Geno saw that, but other coaches didn't.
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Muffet gave Geno credit for that in an interview. She said the rest of them (coaches) didn't think Steph "could walk and chew bubble gum at the same time."
 
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