Mir in transfer portal

[oldude]

As info, earlier today the number of mid year, D1 transfers was 98. Now it’s up to 102. Stay tuned.

 

[#12in21]

Seattle U men’s basketball grad assistant Courtney Ekmark is both a student and a teacher of the game

Courtney Ekmark wants to be a coach, and that’s the reason you see her at Seattle U, listening and learning from coach Jim Hayford, who Ekmark has known for many years.

www.seattletimes.com

Nice article. Good to see she has succeeded in so many endeavors since leaving UCONN.

 

[CTisballers]

I don't understand your line of thought and others that seem so upset with Geno and staff about this. He was just watching her from the stands and has some tape. You think he magically knows how the player will perform once in college?

A few years ago on his show the spoke of the recruitment of Moriah Jefferson and how they thought they wouldn't get her. And when Geno asked what is she good at- the coaching staff told him "that she's fast." Then he said he asked what else - and they again told him "Well, She's fast." I believe Geno would have went to see her and wouldn't it be fair to assume that he recruited her with a belief that he could help her do many other things?

So why would anyone on here assume anything different with Mir? Who would have known with 100% certainty for example that he outside shot wouldn't improve? Who would've known with 100% certainty that she wouldn't have developed a terrific handle/ Who would’ve known that she would have had no shot to be a defensive terror?

Wouldn't it be logical to assume that Geno was hoping for the above things among other factors and he just didn't see enough of them in his opinion?

I don’t understand why so many posters on here want to be negative with all the success.

No one is upset at Geno and his Staff but if your not going to play players that’s top 50 in her class and McDonald’s AA why recruit them let them thrive some where else. And looking at Mojeff games and talent in high school you knew how special she was going to be. And also we not talking about Moriah we on Mir. A under size 5’11 player who was hoping be the next Gabby Williams was the wrong choice of offer. I liked Mir and will continue to follow her. She was loyal and didn’t anything back for being loyal

 

[uconnfan68]

No one is upset at Geno and his Staff but if your not going to play players that’s top 50 in her class and McDonald’s AA why recruit them let them thrive some where else. And looking at Mojeff games and talent in high school you knew how special she was going to be. And also we not talking about Moriah we on Mir. A under size 5’11 player who was hoping be the next Gabby Williams was the wrong choice of offer. I liked Mir and will continue to follow her. She was loyal and didn’t anything back for being loyal

If you’re top 50, in 4 years you’re top 200, if you don’t improve. Can’t win all of the battles.

 

[tchalla1]

Gabby was very different from Mir. In fact, Gabby was unique in our program. She was nearly an Olympian in the high jump at age 15 or so. Jay Bilas called her the best player in America. She's much stronger than Mir. She made more super-human plays than anyone except maybe Maya. Gabby is improving her jump shot and doing very well in Europe. I expect her to have a breakout season in the WNBA.

Incidentally, Jay Bilas called Gabby the most complete player in America--male or female...

 

[Topdawg]

Player rankings in High School are established relative to performances in games against high school kids. As such, unless highly ranked high school players transition to a college game and continue to develop, they wind up at the end of a bench. This does not mean they will never get better or never contribute to a top-notch team. The faster a player shows they are college ready, the more playing time they get in their freshman and sophomore seasons. Some players take longer to develop than others. I wish Mir well and hope she gets better and contributes meaningfully to another team.

 

[hoophuskee]

No one is upset at Geno and his Staff but if your not going to play players that’s top 50 in her class and McDonald’s AA why recruit them let them thrive some where else. And looking at Mojeff games and talent in high school you knew how special she was going to be. And also we not talking about Moriah we on Mir. A under size 5’11 player who was hoping be the next Gabby Williams was the wrong choice of offer. I liked Mir and will continue to follow her. She was loyal and didn’t anything back for being loyal

Too much emphasis is being placed on High School rankings vs the evaluation done by the greatest coach in WCBB History after he has had a chance to work the player(s) out. The point of Jefferson is that she had flaws and Geno worked them out. He recruited Mir to work out flaws and it hasn't worked out. So we move on just as it happens with every other team in all of sports. As far as MoJeff- no one knew for certain. In her frosh year she averaged 4.7 ppg and shot .266 from 3pt range. UCONN has had many top 5 recruits (as other teams) not have A/A success. No one can say they know for any player other than the supreme superstar. We can predict. That’s it. And this was the time before winning it all that UCONN was getting taken down a lot by ND. No way MoJeff was thought to be a lock.

As far as Mir, it was not the wrong choice to offer. It's those such as media types believing they are evaluation scouts instead of a Head Coach that has had a system work in a spectacular fashion doing his own evaluations during recruiting, practices, and games. . For example, who says Mir needed to be Gabby Williams and just not beat out Aubrey Griffin? And who says if CWill as a senior would have been the shooter Walker turned out to be as a junior that you couldn’t put Mir at the sf spot as she developed a mid-range jump shot? Who knew for a fact that Mir could never develop a medium range jump shot in 2 years?
And UCONN played 4 guards last year in which Evina was the PF- well why couldn’t Mir be a better Power Forward? Couldn’t use her in part because only Paige could hit outside shots consistently. If for example Evina and And CWill hit their 3’s at good clip then why couldn’t Mir play? Maybe Mir guards the SF then and keep Evina at PF if she can't. So she had a chance to beat out Edwards. They were near ranked.

I was at HCC Civic Center and saw Kelly Faris guard a 6'4/6'5 center (I believe vs Stanford) in the post. With Mir's supreme athleticism, why should a coach automatically dismiss her ability to guard players that Aubrey (and Kelly) can? If he spoke with her, I'm sure he noticed she was an intelligent bright person and felt a deep desire to be successful. SO why can Kelly guard so many taller players and Aubrey to the same but Mir can’t?

It's great that many of us liked Mir- but just because she had a high High School ranking shouldn't entitle her to playing time. Nearly every other player on the team has a high ranking or higher ranking. Geno's teams are the past prime of "The Duke and Kentucky" of recruiting and unlike them men's game, the top 5 recruits in wcbb stay a lot longer, and as a result have a much greater impact (eat up minutes) .

 

[caramel]

I wish the best for Mir. I am pretty sure talented girls want to contribute through playing time much more than saying I was part of any team they are part of. She had to have a particular talent that our coaches found to be good for this team. Sometimes, what seems to be right doesn't turn out that way in the long run. It's like dating, where you date a girl and after time both of you decide it isn't working and you go your separate ways to find something better. The best to all that transfer out and find what is better for them.

 

[Argonaut]

Recent coaches/recruiting coordinators to follow her on IG are from:
Virginia Tech
Tulsa
George Washington
Ohio Valley
Mississippi State

Add UAB, Houston, and Tenple (with UConn alum Wilnett Crockett).

 

[Luckystrike]

Sad but not unexpected. I know Geno was impressed by how athletic she was but she never was able to add much more to her game. Good luck to her!

 

[Rb335]

Need to add Natalie Butler to list class of 2013 as a transfer + Morgan Tuck and Azura Stevens to the (Pro) list.

Yes, you could add those players. My list was intended to be just those players who were recruited directly out of high school that didn’t stay for 4 seasons.

 

[oldude]

A personal reflection from the Dark Ages. When I went to college you played freshman ball, and everybody got to play. As a sophomore I experienced something I had never experienced before in any sport I ever played. I road the bench. I hated every minute of it. Jr & Sr seasons were fine because I started.

Mir is a smart young lady who will undoubtedly receive good counsel from her parents and others. She is an exceptional athlete. But her size and skill set are limiting factors when it comes to where she will have a realistic opportunity to actually play the game of basketball.

IMO, it may be challenging for Mir to find PT at any P5 program. There are many other schools in the country that could really use Mir’s athleticism. Hopefully, she will take some time, plan some visits over the winter break and select the very best fit for her academically, athletically and socially.

 

[hjoerring]

Not sure she’d fit well in Carla’s offense. What position does she play? No guard skills and too small for the post.

Gabby didn’t have guard skills initially but her strength, leaping ability, and passing skills made her perfect for the 4 position in Geno’s offense. She set up at the elbow and went to work, either shooting a short jumper, driving to the basket or creating for her teammates. Geno’s offense often ran through Gabby. Mir has none of those skills. She can rebound and run which should allow her to play somewhere in Div 1.

Hope she lands in a good spot.

Wasn't GW a guard in HS? And played some Pt. guard in Chicago (WNBA)?

 

[oldude]

Wasn't GW a guard in HS? And played some Pt. guard in Chicago (WNBA)?

You are correct. But as Geno described Gabby in HS, she basically got the ball and dribbled by and through the other team for a layup. Her game in HS was limited somewhat, and injuries in both her jr & sr HS seasons delayed her development until she got to UConn.

 

[UConnCat]

So why recruit her. Geno and staff knew of her abilities and what she couldn’t do well. I do know she played hard for her size. Geno has to trust his players give bench players more time to develop on the court and not the bench. But I been knew Mir would transfer because she was so excited to be part of the Huskies but disappointed she didn’t get in games as an McDonald’s All American

Some players develop and some don’t. Nothing wrong with identifying a smart, athletic kid and bringing her in to the program with the hope that she’ll develop skills and earn playing time. Skills are developed through work in the off-season and shown to the coaches in practice. That didn’t happen for Mir in 1.5 years and she wants to try someplace else.

Nothing wrong with bringing great kids on to the program. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

 

[UConnCat]

Wasn't GW a guard in HS? And played some Pt. guard in Chicago (WNBA)?

Yes. Geno told her when she arrived at UConn that her ball handling and perimeter shooting weren’t good enough to play guard at UConn. Both of those skills improved during her 4 years at UConn and are still improving as a pro.

 

[CL82]

What would you expect Geno to say when a player announces they are transferring?

“She’s too small to play the 4 or 5 and she’s not skilled enough to play the 2 or 3 at UConn.”

While that might be closer to the truth, there’s no reason for a coach to say that when a player is leaving the program.

Yup, and she is a really smart player with a lot of potential. There’s no point for Auriemma not to emphasize her positives.

 

[Skeets]

As info, earlier today the number of mid year, D1 transfers was 98. Now it’s up to 102. Stay tuned.

I would imagine some of those 102 will not get picked up by another school and will have flushed their paid college education down the toilet. I can't believe all 102 are a good fit for D1. This is not intended for Mir, just a general comment about kids in the portal.

 

[oldude]

I would imagine some of those 102 will not get picked up by another school and will have flushed their paid college education down the toilet. I can't believe all 102 are a good fit for D1. This is not intended for Mir, just a general comment about kids in the portal.

That happened with a number of players this past summer, although many had graduated and were probably looking to hang around college for another free year to avoid the inevitable responsibility of getting a real job for the first time in their lives…

 

[Tonyc]

Lets face it. She wanted to play and sitting on the bench watching is not fun. Then getting into the game for a few minutes and getting pulled is frustrating. As I pointed out in another post. To many players ahead of her who are taller and better offensively. Shes a great player and Ive heard that from other coaches. Bottom line shes not gonna see much time at UConn so the best thing for her is to go someplace where she will get more playtime.

 

[BobbyJ]

No one is upset at Geno and his Staff but if your not going to play players that’s top 50 in her class and McDonald’s AA why recruit them let them thrive some where else. And looking at Mojeff games and talent in high school you knew how special she was going to be. And also we not talking about Moriah we on Mir. A under size 5’11 player who was hoping be the next Gabby Williams was the wrong choice of offer. I liked Mir and will continue to follow her. She was loyal and didn’t anything back for being loyal

It's not like Auriemma drafted her or promised her any type of PT. It was McLean's choice and her homework to do before making it. And her work this past summer to improve enough to have a shot at playing after seeing the situation for a season.

 

[hjoerring]

My comments are always based on 2nd hand info from the Boneyard, replays (thanks to those who so willingly provide us with this service) and citations given here. I would be curious to see some stats. about general transfers among the general (Uconn) student body vs. the team-- even teams. Why are there people here who see this as an issue for the Program/recruitment or Mir? Should Mir not have applied? Accepted the offer? Leaved after the 1st year (cf. Saylor and you know who)? Or, as some say-- the Program should not have given her a scholarship-- maybe a scholarship, but let her know that she would never get into a game. Stanford U.. a favorite of many here bec of its 'great' acad. carries a lot of players and many of them never make it to the game floor. But they stay, and no one here makes noise about that happening. In fact, all top programs have a surplus of players of varied skill-levels-- most never seeing the floor. Should the NCAA enacts a rule requiring all programs to give each player on their roster a number of minutes per game and throughout a game, not at the end? In football/soccer here in Europe, the big clubs, notwithstanding near bankruptcy, buy-up players and leave them on the bench. Why. So that their rivals cannot buy/sign them.
Personally, the few minutes I have seen Mir on the floor she did not look to me as a player with a fluency about her; a player capable of knocking down a few timely shots. I think the key phrase that circulates from Geno (and others) is 'impacting the game'. You have to be able to do so.
And the next 2 recruits that are coming in next year-- can they make shots? They are ceerainly running over their lesser ballers. A team must be more than the 5 starters and their replacement. It would be nice to have players who are just willing to be with ...
If after one-and-half year Mir has nothing to show at her next stop that she had been to Uconn then that would be a disappointment for me. I think she is too smart not to have learned somethings. I'm hoping the latter will turn out to be true for some posters here.

 

[meyers7]

Recruiting is seldom “cut & dried” even at top programs. I recall Geno discussing the recruiting of Mo. His assistants all liked her because she was “really fast.” Geno started asking questions about her other skills like shooting and passing, and the response he got was, “she’s really fast.”

Geno recruited Mo because she played hard and she was really fast. As a freshman Mo came off the bench. She played tough defense and she was really fast, but her offensive skills left a lot to be desired. She could have been an earlier version of Mikayla Coombs.

Fast forward to her sophomore year, Mo became a fixture at PG. Her offensive skills improved every single year. She was a 2-time AA and the NDPOY. Some kids develop at the next level and others hit a brick wall. You can never be sure.

Eh, Jefferson was ranked #2 in her class.....behind Stewart. She wasn't just considered "fast" coming into college. She had plenty of skills. It did take a couple years to show in college.

 

[oldude]

Eh, Jefferson was ranked #2 in her class.....behind Stewart. She wasn't just considered "fast" coming into college. She had plenty of skills. It did take a couple years to show in college.

Yes, Mo was highly ranked. But Geno also initially recruited and the backed off his recruitment of Sam Brunelle who was ranked #1 in her class for a time, fell to 6th in the final ESPN rankings and is now a reserve in her jr season at ND playing about 13 mpg.

The difference between Mo & Brunelle is that Geno could project Mo’s incredible speed to be an asset at the next level so long as she developed her offense. While Brunelle is a nice player, Geno probably recognized that she’s a tweener, too small to play the post or PF and not athletic enough to play the wing.

 

[Vowelguy]

Remember that Geno does not recruit 15 superstars. He is looking for a mix of people who will work hard, be good teammates, and help with team chemistry. I'm sure he didn't expect Molly Bent or Kyra Irwin to be starters, and yet he recruited them. And both were contributors off and on the court.