Mir in transfer portal

[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.

 

[Performance]

Geno develops his bench by playing the players that earn their playing time. I think this (transferring) may say more about a player's dedication than Geno. Every player that comes here knows what Geno is like and what is expected. If they don't really have what it takes, they leave. As has been stated, she had multiple opportunities, along with others, and yet here we are.

Finally some logic, some times it just does not work. When they are recruited they are told up front what is expected and what his standards for playing are if they think that will change that is on them. The transfer portal has it's good and bad points. That being said I wish Mir nothing but the best and hope she finds what she is looking for.

 

[choclate45]

I don't know why both can't be true Geno should develop his bench more (it wasn't all that long ago that he rarely took transfers) and for some players UCONN isn't going to be a great fit for various reasons.

 

[Dillon77]

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

Interesting.
Kenny Brooks does a pretty good job of finding the right kinds of transfers (for his style of play) for Va. Tech. ND plays them every year and they always make solid contributions.

 

[Cuango]

This.

Unless those on here are watching practice every day, it is just not on to offer generalizations on a player's talents - shooting, ball handling, etc... Those who have played at the high school and college levels know how difficult it is to play in those exceptionally rare occasions when called upon. Every whistle means a turn to look at the scorer's table. Every shot carries, "If I miss this, I'm out." Same for a missed rebound, or turnover. There is no settling into the game. Hence, those of us who watch games only, cannot accurately judge the true capabilities of this player. I was impressed with her for whatever brief opportunity coach afforded her - she certainly gave max effort. But off that sample size?

I suppose the inexorable need to validate everything coach does drives a lot of this, but, for me, it's just wrong. Horses for courses.

Her reasons for this are her own - full stop. I join those on here wishing her the best. Hopefully time will afford her the opportunity to make whatever her dreams for her college experience was to be come true.

It always kills me when I hear variations of “He never gave her a chance”, “She only played garbage minutes! How could he judge her on that?” Let’s not forget, he sees them everyday in practice! Now you may argue that practice is different from games. That’s certainly true but that doesn’t invalidate what he sees in practice. He has consistently said that players earn their minutes in practice! Now it becomes an argument between a position that game play is the only fair way to evaluate a player vs Geno’s belief that practice is where players earn their minutes. I’m with Geno on this one.

with the two physically dominant front court players coming in next season, she would likely have a hard time getting on the court..........as somebody already posted, she would fit in fine at another of the Big East programs...........

Even with Geno, Tara, Dawn, etc, recruiting is an inexact science. It seems to me that in both Aubrey’s and Muir’s cases, he was trying to score another Gabby. However, neither of these young ladies were able (the jury is still out on Aubrey) to acquire enough skills beyond their athleticism to reach (or even approach) Gabby’s level. I guess this reinforces just how rare and special, Gabby really was for us. Wishing Mir all the best, I think she can be a star if she finds the right program. Still pulling for Aubrey, who has it all except for the offense, and looking forward to Ayanna, who has perhaps the best chance Imo to become a bigger, stronger Gabby if she continues to develop her game for next year.

 

[meyers7]

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.

WTF does Brunelle have to do with Jefferson and Coombs????

 

[Vowelguy]

For those saying it should’ve been obvious in recruiting …
Prospects nation had Mir as the #1 wing and #11 overall
ESPNW had her #25

 

[Dillon77]

Two comments on the thread, one most certainly UConn-centric and one on a former UConn recruit.

- Gabby. As an ND fan, I hated playing against Gabby more than any Husky not named Stewie. She was instinctual at knowing how to exploit the center of ND's 2-3 zone and had the physical tools to do it. Time and Time again. Plus she hustled all the time in regards to 50-50's and rebounds. I'm hoping she continues to grow other technical aspects of her game (shooting).

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.

That's pretty much what many Benchers have seen: Sam is a tweener. That said, she had a decent frosh year statistically, but was asked to do too many things that a tweener really can't excel in, particularly defensively.

The main issue now is that Niele plays Maya Dodson at post for her defense and rebounding and Maddy Westbeld is embedded at the 4. And Westbeld, at 6'3", is as steady a power forward as Coach Ivey can hope for. Even if the Irish had once thought of trying Sam at the the wing, that idea got tossed out once Sonia Citron arrived.

Still, I can see some games when Sam -- if she gets some time -- can come in and do damage to a team that packs it in the lane defensively (Florida State?).

 

[Charliebball]

It always kills me when I hear variations of “He never gave her a chance”, “She only played garbage minutes! How could he judge her on that?” Let’s not forget, he sees them everyday in practice! Now you may argue that practice is different from games. That’s certainly true but that doesn’t invalidate what he sees in practice. He has consistently said that players earn their minutes in practice! Now it becomes an argument between a position that game play is the only fair way to evaluate a player vs Geno’s belief that practice is where players earn their minutes. I’m with Geno on this one.

Even with Geno, Tara, Dawn, etc, recruiting is an inexact science. It seems to me that in both Aubrey’s and Muir’s cases, he was trying to score another Gabby. However, neither of these young ladies were able (the jury is still out on Aubrey) to acquire enough skills beyond their athleticism to reach (or even approach) Gabby’s level. I guess this reinforces just how rare and special, Gabby really was for us. Wishing Mir all the best, I think she can be a star if she finds the right program. Still pulling for Aubrey, who has it all except for the offense, and looking forward to Ayanna, who has perhaps the best chance Imo to become a bigger, stronger Gabby if she continues to develop her game for next year.

Agreed........I think Aubrey has done a rare thing in making an impact on the game without scoring a lot of points.........her defense, rebounding and ability in the open court has made her a much-missed presence on the team........she was a decent outside shooter in high school, hopefully she will be able to showcase that a bit more this season as scoring continues to be an issue...

 

[Argonaut]

Two comments on the thread, one most certainly UConn-centric and one on a former UConn recruit.

- Gabby. As an ND fan, I hated playing against Gabby more than any Husky not named Stewie. She was instinctual at knowing how to exploit the center of ND's 2-3 zone and had the physical tools to do it. Time and Time again. Plus she hustled all the time in regards to 50-50's and rebounds. I'm hoping she continues to grow other technical aspects of her game (shooting).



That's pretty much what many Benchers have seen: Sam is a tweener. That said, she had a decent frosh year statistically, but was asked to do too many things that a tweener really can't excel in, particularly defensively.

The main issue now is that Niele plays Maya Dodson at post for her defense and rebounding and Maddy Westbeld is embedded at the 4. And Westbeld, at 6'3", is as steady a power forward as Coach Ivey can hope for. Even if the Irish had once thought of trying Sam at the the wing, that idea got tossed out once Sonia Citron arrived.

Still, I can see some games when Sam -- if she gets some time -- can come in and do damage to a team that packs it in the lane defensively (Florida State?).

I really have appreciated how Sam has stuck with the program through the coaching change and the limited playing time instead of immediately trying to find greener pastures. She'll have a successful career in Europe, if she so chooses, and will still have a fantastic education to show for it.

 

[huskiemaniac]

Like many of us, count me as not at all surprised.

I'm glad for Mir and hope her plans work out well.

 

[CocoHusky]

For those saying it should’ve been obvious in recruiting …
Prospects nation had Mir as the #1 wing and #11 overall
ESPNW had her #25

It was obvious from watching her play not from any rating/ranking service. In HS and AAU Mir was always the most athletic player on the floor and rarely did she have to move away from the basket or display any perimeter skills. Many of her HS videos were posted in the recruiting thread one of which she did a nice job guarding Cardoza and Cochran ( Louisville) in the in AAU. ESPN and Prospects were flat out wrong in accessing Mir as a Wing IMO.

 

[Cuango]

“Extremely smart and athletic and she has a lot of potential?”
What else is there?
Sounds like a coaches dream.
Couldn’t tap that potential?

Once more time, Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno, that rat %##&# Geno screwed up again!

 

[JoePgh]

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.

The bolded part of your statement above is a non sequitur. Entering the transfer pool does not automatically mean that you cut your ties with your current college, although the coach there may feel that it does. But there is no NCAA prohibition against entering the transfer portal and then (after inspecting the offers, if any) returning to one's former school.

In UConn's case, Geno may well take the view that he doesn't want to take back anyone who enters the transfer pool, and some other coaches may feel similarly. But I think there will be some who are willing to take back a player who finally realizes that the grass is not greener elsewhere.

I fully expect that Mir will be picked up by another college that is excited to have her. But if for some reason that doesn't happen, and if she wants to return to (or stay at) UConn, I would hope that Geno would at least consider welcoming her back (perhaps after a talk about her realistic chances for greater playing time).

 

[oldude]

does Brunelle have to do with Jefferson and Coombs????

I only raise Brunelle as an example that HS rankings, while important, don’t always indicate how well a player projects at the next level.

 

[CocoHusky]

This thread is killing me excusing the coach of giving some team members virtually ZERO playing time.
Attending practices, being a good and supportive teammate, exerting effort DESERVES several minutes, especially in roll overs.
If they don’t display those attributes they shouldn’t be on the team.
But they are, were so a guess that they do.
And while I’m at it- no way Paige should have been on the floor at that time, in that game. With the score being what it was.
I don’t give a darn if the real injury occurred at the beginning of the quarter, in the first half, on the previous game or a week ago.
Claiming that she complains when she’s not in or “ he doesn’t like the look” of the team when she’s not in is a crappy excuse.
How does he like the look of his team now?
I’m hoping he/they can put it together.
but let’s all admit that recruiting and coaching errors have occurred.
NOBODY is perfect.
Can we agree on that?

What killing me is the continued Miseducation of @Stymie. Geno is not running a recreation league program where playing time is "given" by virtue of being on the team. Players have to earn it!