New Freshman walk-on: Autumn Chassion [merged thread]

[donalddoowop]

I think every post has been super positive. I don't see the negativity that you are seeing here in terms of "eating their young." I think everyone loves this is her dream and love she brings a supreme attitude. Which walk-ons don't? One thing about walk-ons - they have a heart and will made of iron.

And yes I expect her to be a scholarship player eventually.

Look a little closer hh.

 

[Papa33]

I liked her before, but after reading what she told the advertiser, I like her even more. Good for you Autumn!! Other people’s perception of you does not have to become your reality.

You just picked up thousands of new (and true) UConn fans that are spread all across the country. We believe in you, and will root for you and support you 100%. We're eager to watch your growth and development over the next 4 years. Welcome to the family, we have your back!!!

Now THIS is the kind of affirmative message I REALLY like to read: no attempt to position her value to the team or assess her future level of skill based on old or minimal recorded evidence. Same for Caroline Ducharme, measuring the projected abilities of a high school junior against those of college graduates and veterans. For myself, I prefer to suspend judgment until Uconn commits have a chance to *show* what they are capable of. Fun to speculate, yes, but I wonder what some of those yet-to-be Huskies make of these evaluations, especially those that declare them wanting.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Complete list of UConn walk ons and what their experiences at UConn were

UConn WBB Weekly: The Huskies’ history with walk-ons

Plus, UConn starting to make some headway in the class of 2022.

www.theuconnblog.com

Also, an addendum to the Chassion story

One more interesting nugget that didn’t make it into my feature on UConn’s new walk-on Autumn Chassion: On the AAU circuit, Chassion faced Mir McLean and possibly Paige Bueckers as well — though Chassion’s father (and AAU coach) wasn’t certain of the latter. However, he does remember going up against McLean.

“Mir’s team beat the stuffing out of us,” Tehmi Chassion said. “Not the stuffing but they ended up winning by 20 points. We were down two starters and we’re playing our hardest in New Orleans and Mir’s team is slowly pulling away. Mir’s in the air for a rebound literally for 5-6 seconds. She’s floating. The girl gets up and she’s grabbing the ball at the rim and she’s floating in the air.”

Air McLean. Mir used to be a Russian Space Station in low earth orbit. Mir McLean plays in high earth orbit.

 

[soxfan23]

Don’t you hate it when people state what is already known by most fans in a attempt to sound profound or all knowing?

What are you talking about? I was giving my opinion, isn't that kind of what you do on a forum? If you don't like it, then block me and stop being a jerk!

 

[Bama fan]

Don’t you hate it when people state what is already known by most fans in a attempt to sound profound or all knowing?

One must be quite 'profound' or even "all knowing" to state with certainty that another poster is attempting to sound profound or all knowing. Sure you can disagree, but there is no Boneyard requirement that you must publicly speculate on a another's motives. I disagree with the OP often, but I sure do not pretend to understand him/her.

 

[Bama fan]

Air McLean. Mir used to be a Russian Space Station in low earth orbit. Mir McLean plays in high earth orbit.

Mir in Russian has two meanings according to Wikipedia. It can mean either peace or world, and I hope our Mir is all world and brings no peace to opponents.

 

[Dokey]

The harsh truth is that no one in this group has any real knowledge of what kind of player Autumn will be. Let’s just say “welcome, glad to have you and do your best and we will be with you every bounce of the ball.”

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Courant article out this morning. Nothing new but a good read.

‘All she needed was the opportunity:’ Autumn Chassion’s journey to UConn started with a cold-call to Storrs to attend a practice and ended with her earning a walk-on spot

Several years ago, Tehmi Chassion of Lafayette, La., cold-called the UConn women’s basketball program after hearing that it allowed coaches to attend practices. After religiously watching Gen…

www.courant.com

 

[Carnac]

In terms of expectations I think Autumn probably brings a talent level that is clearly way better than a typical walk-on, and at the same time considerably below the low end of what Uconn typically recruits. Given where we are at, that is a very good thing.

Kyla and Molly are examples of the "low end" of what Uconn recruits. If you remember when they were recruited at least early in their careers, we had if I remember right 14 players on the roster potentially with twelve of those being highly rated prospects, and how are we going to find time for everyone was the question of the day.

In my opinion Kyla and Molly were not recruited to be a regular part of the rotation like last year, but rather to be improved versions of Pulido and Lawlor. Even though Kyla and Molly (maybe in the 100-200 range) were clearly above average compared to the roughly 1,000 Div 1 recruits each year, they were not at the level Geno "wants" to give regular playing time to.

I suspect the thought process was we can't keep everybody happy, so the tail end of the bench should be players with character who can contribute in practice, be happy just to be part of the team and can accept garbage minutes. If we can get someone rated as highly as Kyla and Molly for that role, why not?

Of course as it turns out they wound up playing more important roles, with Megan's class going from 4 to 1, followed by consecutive 2 player classes, and Azura leaving early and Butler transferring, so you never know.

On paper Autumn checks alot of boxes for that role. Presumably far better than a true walk-on, but perhaps not as high as Kyla or Molly. Great student, loves Uconn, happy to get this opportunity and be part of this program, and can probably be a good teammate and accept her role.

Right now the roster going forward looks like it did a few years ago. Once you get past 9 or 10 highly rated recruits, it is hard to be content with a mop up role, for someone rated in the top 20-30 out of 1,000
incoming Div 1 recruits. And yet having more than ten from a team standpoint helps a-lot. Practice is hard with 10 because injuries happen, people get sick, and this year for obvious reasons that is even more true, making adding a Division 1 level walk-on of Autumn's caliber a major coup.

Now if we can just find an Autumn Part 2 in the body of a big! Ha!

Great post oldhuskie. You touched on some points some of us may have forgotten or over looked.

 

[Mdoggie]

One must be quite 'profound' or even "all knowing" to state with certainty that another poster is attempting to sound profound or all knowing. Sure you can disagree, but there is no Boneyard requirement that you must publicly speculate on a another's motives. I disagree with the OP often, but I sure do not pretend to understand him/her.

Thank you. I already knew that. I know it ALL! Lol

 

[Mdoggie]

What are you talking about? I was giving my opinion, isn't that kind of what you do on a forum? If you don't like it, then block me and stop being a jerk!

You typed it like it was fact. You type what Geno has been doing for years as if you’re the only one who knows. I responded like at least 8 other may have (likes). Not being a jerk. My “opinion” is that your post are often wrong. I don’t think you’re a fan but I could be wrong. That’s an opinion.
Signed
Mdoggie the profoundly all knowing aka Jerk.

 

[hoophuskee]

You typed it like it was fact. You type what Geno has been doing for years as if you’re the only one who knows. I responded like at least 8 other may have (likes). Not being a jerk. My “opinion” is that your post are often wrong. I don’t think you’re a fan but I could be wrong. That’s an opinion.
Signed
Mdoggie the profoundly all knowing aka Jerk.

I didn't 100% agree or disagree with redsoxfan though the name calling he did was wrong. However, how else is he/are you supposed to express an opinion without having to litter posts with "IMO" in order to make it sound like you aren't being so arrogant? I think I get on others nerves too (I'm sorry if I do)-- for example with some poster who got mad/ or frustrated etc at me for expressing that in my opinion Edwards is not going to be a guard. SO as a result she is not a wing either (IMO!!!! ) I didn't say though "IMO" on that post from a while back. I just said "she is not." So, how often do I have to say it's "In my opinion?" Does that mean every post a person has to start off with "In my opinion" and continue it throughout the post?

These boards are also for discussion. As long as no insults are thrown why care how "profound" someone sounds? An opinion should sound "profound" in some manner, shouldn't it?

 

[Mdoggie]

I didn't 100% agree or disagree with redsoxfan though the name calling he did was wrong. However, how else is he/are you supposed to express an opinion without having to litter posts with "IMO" in order to make it sound like you aren't being so arrogant? I think I get on others nerves too (I'm sorry if I do)-- for example with some poster who got mad/ or frustrated etc at me for expressing that in my opinion Edwards is not going to be a guard. SO as a result she is not a wing either (IMO!!!! ) I didn't say though "IMO" on that post from a while back. I just said "she is not." So, how often do I have to say it's "In my opinion?" Does that mean every post a person has to start off with "In my opinion" and continue it throughout the post?

These boards are also for discussion. As long as no insults are thrown why care how "profound" someone sounds? An opinion should sound "profound" in some manner, shouldn't it?

Point taken. I’m good. Throughout my previous career, I was called every name but the son of God. Sticks and stones. You get on my nerves!! Not really. Enjoy your day Hoophuskee.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I dont know the answer, so please guess. If it was mentioned in a post or an article, sorry if I missed it.

 

[Carnac]

I think she might be around Molly talent. It will be interesting to see if she can have control of her nerve as opposed to Molly. Watching Molly, it always seemed like she was nervous, rushing, and calculating mathematical equations in her head while playing.

To me, Molly (except her senior year) always appeared to be afraid of making a mistake or a turnover.

 

[Carnac]

Is Geno still on the lookout for that "other" walk-on which will round out the roster at an even dozen, or is he done? I'm guessing here, but I think he still looking (or has selected the player, but hasn't announced it yet).
I don't think it will be another guard. We would all like it to be a post player, odds are it will be a 3/4.
Classroom instruction begins in 24 days (Aug 31). If he going to bring another player in, she needs to be on campus before then.

 

[tjhusky]

Autumn brings to mind another UConn player recruited onto a loaded 2000-2001 team. Remember DT, Sue , Svetlana,Swin, Tamika, Shea?

And we got a player from Derby,CT that many thought would never see the floor. Maria Conlon. Geno said “she may be small, but she is also slow”. All she knew how to do was win and out work everyone else. She left with 3 National Championships.

I see the same with Autumn. she knows how to work hard and win. She is right where she wants to be and will be an asset to the team. Rooting for her.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Complete list of UConn walk ons and what their experiences at UConn were

UConn WBB Weekly: The Huskies’ history with walk-ons

Plus, UConn starting to make some headway in the class of 2022.

www.theuconnblog.com

Also, an addendum to the Chassion story

One more interesting nugget that didn’t make it into my feature on UConn’s new walk-on Autumn Chassion: On the AAU circuit, Chassion faced Mir McLean and possibly Paige Bueckers as well — though Chassion’s father (and AAU coach) wasn’t certain of the latter. However, he does remember going up against McLean.

“Mir’s team beat the stuffing out of us,” Tehmi Chassion said. “Not the stuffing but they ended up winning by 20 points. We were down two starters and we’re playing our hardest in New Orleans and Mir’s team is slowly pulling away. Mir’s in the air for a rebound literally for 5-6 seconds. She’s floating. The girl gets up and she’s grabbing the ball at the rim and she’s floating in the air.”

And Autumn possesses what is several BYers' favorite stat: she stands exactly 1.0000000000000 Hartley units!!!!

 

[Carnac]

Autumn brings to mind another UConn player recruited onto a loaded 2000-2001 team. Remember DT, Sue , Svetlana,Swin, Tamika, Shea?

And we got a player from Derby,CT that many thought would never see the floor. Maria Conlon. Geno said “she may be small, but she is also slow”. All she knew how to do was win and out work everyone else. She left with 3 National Championships.

I see the same with Autumn. she knows how to work hard and win. She is right where she wants to be and will be an asset to the team. Rooting for her.

Me too. I was thinking about something I read in this thread yesterday. Her father was her AAU coach, and that team ran UConn's plays. She was his pg for 3+ years. That means she already knows the system. That fact alone may get her on the floor sooner rather than later. Her AAU team did play some of the better teams in their age group in various tournament around the country. A huge upgrade from the competition she saw with her high school team. One thing we all must recognize, she's not your normal or average walk-on. I'm not suggesting she's coming in dressed in blue tights and a red cape, just that she's not your average walk-on.

Anything is possible. Sometimes real nice "gifts" come in plain unassuming packages. Right now she's on the end of the bench. Let's see if she stays there, or moves up. We'll know after 10 games how Geno will tend to use her.

 

[Carnac]

I imagine she will be a nice addition to the bench and to team chemistry, but UConn fans shouldn't get excited by the above quote. I am almost certain it is misleading or inaccurate. The "offers" referred to may have for need-based aid or for some academic money - not for an athletic scholarship. The quote in the original post was from the UConn blog, but it contradicts a number of reports from her HS coach, local papers, and recruiting sites.

For example, at the end of her senior season, her HS coach said he " feels like Chassion has been overlooked by colleges due to her size, she currently has an offer on the table from LSU Eunice and has interest from other schools, including Loyola University New Orleans along with a pair of Ivy League schools." And a Louisiana recruiting site near the end of her senior year, said she had "interest from several Low Majors with offers from all other levels. " No site claimed she had any D1 offers at all, and I think that is accurate.

You're right. Athletes have been getting over looked since the dawn of man. Note how many teams "over looked" Tom Brady. Teams over looked him 5-6 times. Belichick was the only coach who saw something in him he thought he might be able to develop.

Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens). He was taken with the last pick in the 1st round. How many teams would like to have him now that passed on him?

Don't forget about HOF'er Warren Moon. Nobody wanted him coming out of college, but he had a long NFL career AFTER going to Canada first and winning 5 grey cups in 6 years. Over his 17 NFL seasons, Moon was named to nine Pro Bowls. So yeah, tell me about how people can easily get over looked by so called "experts". These are just 3, I could name more, but you get the picture.

 

[soxfan23]

Autumn brings to mind another UConn player recruited onto a loaded 2000-2001 team. Remember DT, Sue , Svetlana,Swin, Tamika, Shea?

And we got a player from Derby,CT that many thought would never see the floor. Maria Conlon. Geno said “she may be small, but she is also slow”. All she knew how to do was win and out work everyone else. She left with 3 National Championships.

I see the same with Autumn. she knows how to work hard and win. She is right where she wants to be and will be an asset to the team. Rooting for her.

Conlon was NOWHERE near a walk-on caliber player, she was recruited by UConn from her freshman year in HS, she also had offers from perennial powers of the time Rutgers and Penn St. I hope Autumn can contribute and help the team, but comparing her to Conlon is apples to oranges!

 

[tjhusky]

Conlon was NOWHERE near a walk-on caliber player, she was recruited by UConn from her freshman year in HS, she also had offers from perennial powers of the time Rutgers and Penn St. I hope Autumn can contribute and help the team, but comparing her to Conlon is apples to oranges!

My comparison was that I though Maria was a bit underrated by fans when she first go to UConn. I rooted for her from day 1.
My view of Autumn is that just because she is not on scholarship does not mean she can’t be an impact player for UConn.

 

[ShmiCO]

Autumn's availability video. Wonderful insights into her thought process and goals. After hearing Autumn and Nika talk about their "pod", it seems like it's a great thing for the freshman transition. Good leadership training for the upperclassman too.

 

[eebmg]

Autumn's availability video. Wonderful insights into her thought process and goals. After hearing Autumn and Nika talk about their "pod", it seems like it's a great thing for the freshman transition. Good leadership training for the upperclassman too.

Evina is certainly making an impression on her young fledglings.