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Natalie Butler [merged thread]

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If Natalie is interested in a pro career in the WNBA and/or overseas this could be a great move for her. She’ll get the same consistent coaching that molded Tina Charles and Stefanie Dolson and get to prove herself against top competition. The improvement in her physical skills since high school has been remarkable and her X’s and O’s development in her sit-out year in Storrs might allow her to be a first-round caliber player by graduation since she’s sure to have top players around her at UConn and get the media attention you need to be a top draft pick.
 
Saw her play as a freshman.....A skinner version of Stef with the same skill set. Would be a very nice consolation prize if Brown doesn't commit.
 
If she comes and why wouldn't she if she was here looking what a key for UConn's future with Stokes graduating this season and Collier coming in next season and perhaps Samuelson and Boykin then Durr the following year. It is huge if she comes.
 
Yes it would be huge..... from the little info I know about her..... she seems to be very coachable..... and also a UConn kind of kid.........

This would be a great get.... and obviosuly fill a void literally and figuratively
 
She sounds UConn blue-collar. Everyone cross your fingers.
 
Tonyc said:
If she comes and why wouldn't she if she was here looking what a key for UConn's future with Stokes graduating this season and Collier coming in next season and perhaps Samuelson and Boykin then Durr the following year. It is huge if she comes.
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Tony, you've been getting your recruiting classes all mixed up lately.

Collier will be here in 2015. If Uconn is lucky enough, Samuelson, Boykin and Durr are all 2015.
 
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Also considering UVa, per Seton Hall's head coach. Strange that another BE coach would tweet this info. UVa makes sense; good school and close to home.

Tony Bozzella ‏@TonyBozzella 21m
@jaltavilla Hi yes. UVA and UCONN..poor version of dolson . Great footwork. Lots of upside. Very hard worker.

John Altavilla ‏@jaltavilla 6m
Source describes Butler as an extremely hard-working player with excellent footwork "But not quite Stefanie Dolson's level yet." #UConnwomen
 
UConnCat said:
Also considering UVa, per Seton Hall's head coach. Strange that another BE coach would tweet this info. UVa makes sense; good school and close to home.

Tony Bozzella ‏@TonyBozzella 21m
@jaltavilla Hi yes. UVA and UCONN..poor version of dolson . Great footwork. Lots of upside. Very hard worker.

John Altavilla ‏@jaltavilla 6m
Source describes Butler as an extremely hard-working player with excellent footwork "But not quite Stefanie Dolson's level yet." #UConnwomen
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Let's face it: 4 years ago, Stef Dolson was not quite at Stefanie Dolson's level either. :) Natalie may not have Stef's skills--or she may--but her rebounding stats are very, very impressive. Natalie's play this past year was not all that different from what Stef accomplished as a frosh.
 
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I think alot of people here need to temper their expectations a little bit. Butler is not the offensive player that Dolson is and probably will never be. She isn't as good a passer, doesn't have as much range, and is not as polished a finisher as Dolson and honestly that is OK. Butler is a great fundamental player that is open to coaching and does all the little things right. She is a good screener, rebounder, finisher in the paint, and shot blocker and can without a doubt help the Huskies if she decides to come to UConn. Lets just not expect the second coming of Dolson because she is not that talented a player.
 
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She looks like Rebecca's sister or something.
 
MilfordHusky said:
Let's face it: 4 years ago, Stef Dolson was not quite at Stefanie Dolson's level either. :) Natalie may not have Stef's skills--or she may--but her rebounding stats are very, very impressive. Natalie's play this past year was not all that different from what Stef accomplished as a frosh.
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The difference being that Dolson played against toughest teams in the country with all the pressure of winning at UConn on her while Butler played against significantly less talented teams with virtually no pressure.
 
sawxfan23 said:
The difference being that Dolson played against toughest teams in the country with all the pressure of winning at UConn on her while Butler played against significantly less talented teams with virtually no pressure.
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Natalie is raw, as Stef was. I'm not saying her footwork or hands are as good as Stef's, but they seem similar in some ways, including improving rapidly. Yes, the competition is less, but Natalie had a TON of rebounds last year. Her FT shooting, under 70%, is not as good as Stef's. I would expect that Natalie's offensive skills are the area that needs to improve most. Natalie did have the pressure of being the best player on her team, while Stef had an All-World teammate who got lots of attention from the opposition.
 
sawxfan23 said:
I think alot of people here need to temper their expectations a little bit. Butler is not the offensive player that Dolson is and probably will never be. She isn't as good a passer, doesn't have as much range, and is not as polished a finisher as Dolson and honestly that is OK. Butler is a great fundamental player that is open to coaching and does all the little things right. She is a good screener, rebounder, finisher in the paint, and shot blocker and can without a doubt help the Huskies if she decides to come to UConn. Lets just not expect the second coming of Dolson because she is not that talented a player.
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A lot of people here? Who exactly has offered up unreasonable expectations? The comparison to Dolson was made by SH coach Bozzella and repeated by Altavilla. Milford rightly pointed out the incredible progress made by Dolson from her freshman year.

Others have simply mentioned Butler's impressive freshman year -- 24 double doubles is impressive -- and with her size she would fill a need on the UConn team.
 
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sawxfan23 said:
The difference being that Dolson played against toughest teams in the country with all the pressure of winning at UConn on her while Butler played against significantly less talented teams with virtually no pressure.
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Seriously? Not a single one of UCONN's games was close with the exception of Baylor. Stef had MANY games this season where she didn't get into double figure scoring. After all, Stef only averaged 12.4 ppg. I understand trying to temper expectations, but I don't get trying to dampen enthusiasm. As a freshman, Stef was often lost on the court and when UCONN played Baylor, she got into foul trouble so quick that Geno ended up putting Buck on Griner.

It wasn't until Stef realized that she needed to dedicate herself to fitness and conditioning that her rise in the quality of her games improved. As Cat pointed out, and Milford as well, Stef made great progress from her freshman to sophomore year, and continued to get better every year there after. This kid would have essentially 5 years in college and 4 at UCONN, playing her final 3 after sitting out her first should she decide to transfer here.

In Natalie's 3rd game ever, against top 10 Cal, she had 16 pts/15 rebounds. Pretty ridiculous numbers for a freshman against a top 10 team. A few weeks later, against then #10 PSU, she had 12/9. In her 2 games against Depaul, she had 15/13 and 8/11. In her 2 games against SJU, she had 8/14 and 12/11. Those were the top 2 teams in the Big East. So your insinuation that she didn't perform well (or couldn't perform well) against good competition is simply wrong.

The fact that the kid has been called an incredibly hard worker and the fact that Geno likes her game enough to consider her should be enough for you. Stokes certainly hasn't blown the doors off the stats sheets in her first 3 years, but is there any doubt she's going to be a force to be reckoned with next year?
 
Just what the Doctor ordered :) a 6'5 player to play Center on the team for Stewie's senior year. While she is probably not as good as Dolson at this point, she seems a better rebounder and considering she'll have a year to practice with Kiah, Stewie, Tuck and the rest, it will help the chemistry when she will get to paly. She seems like a hard working kid who wants to get the most of her abilities and that is exactly what UConn is typically looking for (aside than talent). If she does decide to come to UConn, it will be a great get IMO.
 
sawxfan23 said:
I think alot of people here need to temper their expectations a little bit. Butler is not the offensive player that Dolson is and probably will never be. She isn't as good a passer, doesn't have as much range, and is not as polished a finisher as Dolson and honestly that is OK. Butler is a great fundamental player that is open to coaching and does all the little things right. She is a good screener, rebounder, finisher in the paint, and shot blocker and can without a doubt help the Huskies if she decides to come to UConn. Lets just not expect the second coming of Dolson because she is not that talented a player.
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2009 Dolson wasn't the 2014 Dolson, I will take my chances with Butler, and see how the coaching staff can develop her
 
And we are so uber talented at the other slots that there would not be so much pressure on her to shoulder the whole burden
 
ericsandiego said:
Seriously? Not a single one of UCONN's games was close with the exception of Baylor. Stef had MANY games this season where she didn't get into double figure scoring. After all, Stef only averaged 12.4 ppg. I understand trying to temper expectations, but I don't get trying to dampen enthusiasm. As a freshman, Stef was often lost on the court and when UCONN played Baylor, she got into foul trouble so quick that Geno ended up putting Buck on Griner.

It wasn't until Stef realized that she needed to dedicate herself to fitness and conditioning that her rise in the quality of her games improved. As Cat pointed out, and Milford as well, Stef made great progress from her freshman to sophomore year, and continued to get better every year there after. This kid would have essentially 5 years in college and 4 at UCONN, playing her final 3 after sitting out her first should she decide to transfer here.

In Natalie's 3rd game ever, against top 10 Cal, she had 16 pts/15 rebounds. Pretty ridiculous numbers for a freshman against a top 10 team. A few weeks later, against then #10 PSU, she had 12/9. In her 2 games against Depaul, she had 15/13 and 8/11. In her 2 games against SJU, she had 8/14 and 12/11. Those were the top 2 teams in the Big East. So your insinuation that she didn't perform well (or couldn't perform well) against good competition is simply wrong.

The fact that the kid has been called an incredibly hard worker and the fact that Geno likes her game enough to consider her should be enough for you. Stokes certainly hasn't blown the doors off the stats sheets in her first 3 years, but is there any doubt she's going to be a force to be reckoned with next year?
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I am not saying she is not a good player I am saying that she is not as good as Dolson thats all.
 
sawxfan23 said:
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I am not saying she is not a good player I am saying that she is not as good as Dolson thats all.
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Natalie was apparently not very good in 10th grade. She's been improving very rapidly. It's hard to say how good she can become, especially at UConn. It seems as if she could be comparable to Stef in shot blocking and rebounding after 4 years on campus. Stef's shooting and passing are exceptional. I wouldn't expect Natalie to be that good at all. If it came to pass, it woud be a huge bonus. As others have noted, she will be surrounded by considerable talent and brings much needed height. Maybe her game will be more similar to Kiah's. Even if Natalie never progresses to beyond a "poor man's version" of Stef, she would still be a solid player and contributor. Plus she sounds like a great kid. I hope we are fortunate enough to get her.
 
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ericsandiego said:
Seriously? Not a single one of UCONN's games was close with the exception of Baylor. Stef had MANY games this season where she didn't get into double figure scoring. After all, Stef only averaged 12.4 ppg. I understand trying to temper expectations, but I don't get trying to dampen enthusiasm. As a freshman, Stef was often lost on the court and when UCONN played Baylor, she got into foul trouble so quick that Geno ended up putting Buck on Griner.

It wasn't until Stef realized that she needed to dedicate herself to fitness and conditioning that her rise in the quality of her games improved. As Cat pointed out, and Milford as well, Stef made great progress from her freshman to sophomore year, and continued to get better every year there after. This kid would have essentially 5 years in college and 4 at UCONN, playing her final 3 after sitting out her first should she decide to transfer here.

In Natalie's 3rd game ever, against top 10 Cal, she had 16 pts/15 rebounds. Pretty ridiculous numbers for a freshman against a top 10 team. A few weeks later, against then #10 PSU, she had 12/9. In her 2 games against Depaul, she had 15/13 and 8/11. In her 2 games against SJU, she had 8/14 and 12/11. Those were the top 2 teams in the Big East. So your insinuation that she didn't perform well (or couldn't perform well) against good competition is simply wrong.

The fact that the kid has been called an incredibly hard worker and the fact that Geno likes her game enough to consider her should be enough for you. Stokes certainly hasn't blown the doors off the stats sheets in her first 3 years, but is there any doubt she's going to be a force to be reckoned with next year?
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ERIC: you're always good, but this is one of your best. Very well said from top to bottom, and I appreciated the additional game stats on this young woman. Would add to your second paragraph this thought: adding to those four years at UCONN, she could probably be on campus here is a very few weeks.
 
dtbtbtb said:
Just what the Doctor ordered :) a 6'5 player to play Center on the team for Stewie's senior year. While she is probably not as good as Dolson at this point, she seems a better rebounder and considering she'll have a year to practice with Kiah, Stewie, Tuck and the rest, it will help the chemistry when she will get to paly. She seems like a hard working kid who wants to get the most of her abilities and that is exactly what UConn is typically looking for (aside than talent). If she does decide to come to UConn, it will be a great get IMO.
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DTBT: goes without saying (which is likely why you didn't say it), but I'll say it: not only will practicing WITH our big kids help the chemistry, but going AGAINST them will certainly help her develop her game and get prepared to play against ANYbody out there when her time comes for games. Not many places where she'd get that sort of opportunity. Plus our academics.
 
So c'mon...let's go! Show up and start watching the workouts. Bulk up, baby!
 
First of all you can't compare Butler to Stef. A few years ago fans were comparing Stef to Tina. That wasn't fair either. Let me say this. Butler has proven what she can do. Rebounds and some scoring on a losing team. How much better can she be playing a year off against UConn then step on the floor of a National Championship team. You read the article above from her hometown newpaper in WVVfan1's post. She wants it. She has the want and Geno can fill that want. Surround her with Stewart Mojeff and Tuck and have Geno coach her and let me tell you, he will make her a AA. He did with Stef. Remember back when Stef came and fans said she was too slow and no moves etc. Well look at how much she improved in one year, two years, three years. She was an AA and where was she ranked in HS polls? Natalie has the want to and I believe she will come to UConn and I believe she will be a big time player with a couple of NC's
 
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