Next season

[oldhusky]

Interesting initial brain-scratcher there, HuskyNan, and good follow-up, Bills Fan.

- Did this thought come about because Dorka Juhasz is departing? While Dorka's a mobile post/forward, I think of Aaliyah Edwards as being the heavy-duty inside force for UConn; so, yes, I could see a player like Siegrest fitting into the scheme. Besides the scoring, she also averages 9.5 rpg. And most certainly, the ethos.

- But, I think Bills Fan is right about not taking accepting someone from the Big East. Besides, you don't want Harry Perretta coming out of retirement to bust you on the side of the head.

- And Siegrest is ready for the next step. Her inside-outside combination will come in handy.

However, if she decides to further her NCAA playing time for one more year, I know a team she'd fit in with just fine with off Route 80. The one with the Golden Dome? She and Maddy Westbeld got along famously this summer ....
(not gonna happen).

I have a technical question regarding a certain player in a unique situation that I will not name, but you could probably deduce. She played at an NAIA school for three years, then transferred to a traditional Division 1 powerhouse school that is currently ranked for her senior season.

She was a dominant 6-6 C having a sensational senior year and then suffered a serious season ending injury. She played too much this year to redshirt, and will not be recovered from knee surgery in time for the WNBA season. She could still be drafted although not available to play this next season in the league.

So would she be eligible for another year as a grad transfer because of the covid year, if she was not playing Division 1 basketball at that time? She might be able to return to her school, but because of her unique situation, her success making a big jump to a top Division 1 program, not being able to play in the WNBA yet, but probably being able to contribute part way thru the next college season and experience the NCAA tournament, I could see the appeal of being a great one year plug and play solution as a grad transfer for a great team that needs an experienced proven C. Know anybody who could use of those next year?

 

[Barkin Out]

Cough…Maddy Siegrist

Cough cough A Boston. First player to win a Championship with 2 different teams…

 

[HuskyNan]

I thought we were at risk of being called boosters or insiders and saying some should transfer in to us could be considered tampering. I know Geno and the coaches and players cannot do it, boosters can't, can season ticket holders or rabid (rancid?) fans be tainted? I thought we were only supposed to mention someone after they signed up for the portal. But what do I know? Not much.

If you contact the player and try to convince her to come to UConn, that’s a NCAA violation. If you have a wish list of players that you hope transfer in and want to discuss them with other fans, it’s not a problem. Just don’t address yourself to a player

 

[Carnac]

The reality is no one who posts on this board knows if Azzi and/or Caroline will be back and if they are whether they will be a determinative factor or not. That may be your belief but I bet not many others share that same sentiment.

The Shadow knows, but he does not post or comment here. You're right, none of the rest of us know. We are guessing and speculating.

 

[fomalhaut]

I think of Paige Bueckers as being in the mold of Diana Taurasi, who can both pass and score. And Taurasi was never Connecticut's primary point guard: it was Sue Bird for her first two seasons and Maria Conlon for the last two. And Nika Muhl is more talented than Conlon. Where is there a rule that your shooting guard can't also get lots of assists as well as score?

 

[gold2323]

South Carolina is Senior laden specially with the bigs….Cardoso is good and she should return but without Boston and the rest of graduating Seniors she cannot carry them to a NC next year.
Stanford will always be great but if we avoid injuries next season we should be the favorite.
Had Paige been available for the SC game I have no doubt we would have won the game. Paige is Paige and very few are.
Is a long way to March as each day changes the dynamics of teams.
And for all those who so believe SC is unbeatable….remember this.
LOUISVILLE PULLS OFF A SHOCKER! 5-seed Cardinals STUN Brittney Griner & 1 Baylor, 82-81. Defending champ Lady Bears had 32-gm win streak

 

[HuskyNan]

South Carolina is Senior laden specially with the bigs….Cardoso is good and she should return but without Boston and the rest of graduating Seniors she cannot carry them to a NC next year.
Stanford will always be great but if we avoid injuries next season we should be the favorite.
Had Paige been available for the SC game I have no doubt we would have won the game. Paige is Paige and very few are.
Is a long way to March as each day changes the dynamics of teams.
And for all those who so believe SC is unbeatable….remember this.
LOUISVILLE PULLS OFF A SHOCKER! 5-seed Cardinals STUN Brittney Griner & 1 Baylor, 82-81. Defending champ Lady Bears had 32-gm win streak

Ah, Shoni Schimmel and her Cardinal team. We had a Baylor fan on the Boneyard that complained endlessly about Louisville’s physical play in that game. I wonder how she feels about the state of women’s hoops now

 

[Junkaroo Jam]

A lot of talk about team members next year but my bigger question is will next year be Geno's last year? After comments about ref's on TV and in press recap's throwing water bottle on court plus miss coaching games due to his health will he be riding off in to the sunset. What say you.

 

[gold2323]

He will stay as long as Paige and Fudd are around…maybe longer a la Nick Saban

 

[hoopsnloops32]

A lot of talk about team members next year but my bigger question is will next year be Geno's last year? After comments about ref's on TV and in press recap's throwing water bottle on court plus miss coaching games due to his health will he be riding off in to the sunset. What say you.

Don't think so personally. My guess is he goes the Jim Boeheim route and coaches for quite a while. He always talks about how similar he is to DT and I don't think either of them will stop doing what they love until they physically or mentally can't anymore. We will see.

 

[Junkaroo Jam]

He will stay as long as Paige and Fudd are around…maybe longer a la Nick Saban

Hate to differ Paige has played a little over half the games in 3 years. I would think she should declare for the draft this year based on the college talent in the mix. If she stays and gets nicked again with next years competition her draft value could drop. As for Fudd she has a questionable set of "wheels". Geno stated she was injured as a Sophomore, Junior and didn't play a full year as a Senior in high school. Plus she was injured as a Freshman and again this year at Uconn. Next year she should play limited minutes so as not get injured. Like real limited minutes and declare for the draft being healthy. I would be disappointed to hear both of them respond to a question from their family, friends and coworkers 20 years from now with respect how was your college experience with the Brando line from On The Waterfront. "I Could Have Been Somebody".

 

[fomalhaut]

Ah, Shoni Schimmel and her Cardinal team. We had a Baylor fan on the Boneyard that complained endlessly about Louisville’s physical play in that game. I wonder how she feels about the state of women’s hoops now

A Baylor fan complaining about overly physical play? That's hilarious.

 

[Zarathustra]

I don't see UCONN doing any poaching. That's not Geno's style or pattern. Both of our outgoing seniors came to UCONN as graduates from their former schools and as best I can tell, both Dorka and Lou were not talked to until they entered the portal.
MHS, regarding your first sentence, it's pretty easy to see that we will have a clearly favorite NC team so why would anyone not want to be a part of that? If, a very big short word, we can stay away from serious injuries, it's hard to imagine losing any games with AE, ICE, Jana, Yanna, ADB, AG, CD, Q, Paige, Azzi, Nika, KK, Ashlynn and Ines. What a group of 14 and well balanced, position wise. The only minor weakness is the lack of an experienced #5 player and I wouldn't be shocked if there is a 5th year Post player out there who might want to add an NC to her resume by coming to Storrs.

This group looks like the '27 Yankees !

The '27 Yankees... otherwise known as " Murderers' Row"!

 

[Alydar]

Hate to differ Paige has played a little over half the games in 3 years. I would think she should declare for the draft this year based on the college talent in the mix. If she stays and gets nicked again with next years competition her draft value could drop. As for Fudd she has a questionable set of "wheels". Geno stated she was injured as a Sophomore, Junior and didn't play a full year as a Senior in high school. Plus she was injured as a Freshman and again this year at Uconn. Next year she should play limited minutes so as not get injured. Like real limited minutes and declare for the draft being healthy. I would be disappointed to hear both of them respond to a question from their family, friends and coworkers 20 years from now with respect how was your college experience with the Brando line from On The Waterfront. "I Could Have Been Somebody".

What I would like Junkeroo to explain is why they think there is less chance of an injury in the pros, where you play all 12 months ? Why is that a safer path for UConn players? Do they play sissy basketball in the W? Is it less physical than wcbb?
Bueckers and Fudd have legit dreams of starring in the W and in the Olympics. To do that they have to play and the chances of being injured are just as likely in the W.

 

[Conndog]

South Carolina is Senior laden specially with the bigs….Cardoso is good and she should return but without Boston and the rest of graduating Seniors she cannot carry them to a NC next year.
Stanford will always be great but if we avoid injuries next season we should be the favorite.
Had Paige been available for the SC game I have no doubt we would have won the game. Paige is Paige and very few are.
Is a long way to March as each day changes the dynamics of teams.
And for all those who so believe SC is unbeatable….remember this.
LOUISVILLE PULLS OFF A SHOCKER! 5-seed Cardinals STUN Brittney Griner & 1 Baylor, 82-81. Defending champ Lady Bears had 32-gm win streakView attachment 84090

SC will still be very strong even without Boston. Cardoso isn't a stiff by any means and, as they say, you can't teach height. Plus Dawn Staley has great reputation as a coach, she attracts skilled athletic players, and they like going to SC because Dawn tends to give playing time to a larger group of them than, say, some other top programs.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

SC will still be very strong even without Boston. Cardoso isn't a stiff by any means and, as they say, you can't teach height. Plus Dawn Staley has great reputation as a coach, she attracts skilled athletic players, and they like going to SC because Dawn tends to give playing time to a larger group of them than, say, some other top programs.

But they also lose Cooke, Saxton, Beal, Amihere and Fletcher. That's there whole starting 5 and 6th/7th man. Some of them are eligible for a covid year but not sure how much space is available with the incoming freshman class.

 

[Longtime fan]

Ya think? I think 3 words can describe next year for us............................"it's our year." Geno will have a full roster (14 or 15 players depending on if Aubrey Griffin comes back. She's eligible for the draft. Her HS class graduates college in May) complete with uber talented players from top to bottom. I fully expect Ayanna and Amari to improve their game over the summer and hit their stride next year and become part of the regular 8-9 player rotation.

I agree that this is all wishful thinking. And it can only make you feel robbed and disappointed. It is exactly what we all hoped for this season. And then the unplanned for events started happening. Paige's surgery. Ice Brady surgery. Azzi Fudd recurring leg injuries. Caroline head injuries. Division I WBB is becoming like the NFL.. Just wait and see who is able to go full speed on day one and take it from there. Don't project national championships or anything else.

 

[Longtime fan]

SC will still be very strong even without Boston. Cardoso isn't a stiff by any means and, as they say, you can't teach height. Plus Dawn Staley has great reputation as a coach, she attracts skilled athletic players, and they like going to SC because Dawn tends to give playing time to a larger group of them than, say, some other top programs.

I guarantee you that South Carolina will have the best freshman " big player" in the country. She replaced Wilson with Boston, which gave them 8 years of superiority in the paint. She will soon sign another. Not to mention the 6'7" Cardozo. They are now what UCONN was. And their draft classes ( guards and wings ) are always better than ours, at least with respect to availability. And the greatest asset for a player is availability. UCONN has two HS players of the year; Paige and Azzi. We have seen one healthy year from Paige and zero from Azzi. We keep hoping, but that doesn't matter.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

I guarantee you that South Carolina will have the best freshman " big player" in the country. She replaced Wilson with Boston, which gave them 8 years of superiority in the paint. She will soon sign another. Not to mention the 6'7" Cardozo. They are now what UCONN was. And their draft classes ( guards and wings ) are always better than ours, at least with respect to availability. And the greatest asset for a player is availability. UCONN has two HS players of the year; Paige and Azzi. We have seen one healthy year from Paige and zero from Azzi. We keep hoping, but that doesn't matter.

They don’t have a big coming in next year though. Just a guard and a wing.

 

[HopJim]

Hate to differ Paige has played a little over half the games in 3 years. I would think she should declare for the draft this year based on the college talent in the mix. If she stays and gets nicked again with next years competition her draft value could drop. As for Fudd she has a questionable set of "wheels". Geno stated she was injured as a Sophomore, Junior and didn't play a full year as a Senior in high school. Plus she was injured as a Freshman and again this year at Uconn. Next year she should play limited minutes so as not get injured. Like real limited minutes and declare for the draft being healthy. I would be disappointed to hear both of them respond to a question from their family, friends and coworkers 20 years from now with respect how was your college experience with the Brando line from On The Waterfront. "I Could Have Been Somebody".

With NIL rules, Paige and Azzi can make as much money or more in college and play less games. Most pro teams will want some indication that they are healthy. Tell me again what the advantages are to go pro versus spending another year with their friends.

 

[PJCLaw]

Ya think? I think 3 words can describe next year for us............................"it's our year." Geno will have a full roster (14 or 15 players depending on if Aubrey Griffin comes back. She's eligible for the draft. Her HS class graduates college in May) complete with uber talented players from top to bottom. I fully expect Ayanna and Amari to improve their game over the summer and hit their stride next year and become part of the regular 8-9 player rotation.

The team will either have 13 or 14, not 14 or 15 players next season (not counting any transfers in or out). We have 13 players now including Jana, we lose 2 seniors, Dorka and Lou, and bring in 3 freshmen in the fall. 13 minus 2 equals 11 plus 3 equals 14, Aubrey staying will not change that number but if she leaves it will be 13.

 

[Jewels]

I guarantee you that South Carolina will have the best freshman " big player" in the country. She replaced Wilson with Boston, which gave them 8 years of superiority in the paint. She will soon sign another. Not to mention the 6'7" Cardozo. They are now what UCONN was. And their draft classes ( guards and wings ) are always better than ours, at least with respect to availability. And the greatest asset for a player is availability. UCONN has two HS players of the year; Paige and Azzi. We have seen one healthy year from Paige and zero from Azzi. We keep hoping, but that doesn't matter.

8 years superiority in the paint? UCONN won National Championships 2013-2016 while South Carolina won in 2017 and 2022.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Hate to differ Paige has played a little over half the games in 3 years. I would think she should declare for the draft this year based on the college talent in the mix. If she stays and gets nicked again with next years competition her draft value could drop. As for Fudd she has a questionable set of "wheels". Geno stated she was injured as a Sophomore, Junior and didn't play a full year as a Senior in high school. Plus she was injured as a Freshman and again this year at Uconn. Next year she should play limited minutes so as not get injured. Like real limited minutes and declare for the draft being healthy. I would be disappointed to hear both of them respond to a question from their family, friends and coworkers 20 years from now with respect how was your college experience with the Brando line from On The Waterfront. "I Could Have Been Somebody".

This makes no sense. If she’s too injury prone to have a career she won’t make any money in the WNBA. She’d make more next year in college than she would as a rookie in the WNBA and get a college degree. Why would she drop out of school for the measly WNBA salary and a very unknown future when 2-3 more years in college, which is easier on the body, she would make more money.

 

[Junkaroo Jam]

What I would like Junkeroo to explain is why they think there is less chance of an injury in the pros, where you play all 12 months ? Why is that a safer path for UConn players? Do they play sissy basketball in the W? Is it less physical than wcbb?
Bueckers and Fudd have legit dreams of starring in the W and in the Olympics. To do that they have to play and the chances of being injured are just as likely

What I would like Junkeroo to explain is why they think there is less chance of an injury in the pros, where you play all 12 months ? Why is that a safer path for UConn players? Do they play sissy basketball in the W? Is it less physical than wcbb?
Bueckers and Fudd have legit dreams of starring in the W and in the Olympics. To do that they have to play and the chances of being injured are just as likely in the W.

Alydar you have a right to your opinion however not to your facts. The WNBA is not a 12 month season also the biggest difference with injuries in the WNBA as opposed to college comes down to me in one word "insurance". That can be purchased to cover injuries.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Alydar you have a right to your opinion however not to your facts. The WNBA is not a 12 month season also the biggest difference with injuries in the WNBA as opposed to college comes down to me in one word "insurance". That can be purchased to cover injuries.

College players can purchase insurance too. The WNBA isn't 12 months but to make as much as she is likley making in college she would have to play in WNBA and in Europe.

 

[Junkaroo Jam]

This makes no sense. If she’s too injury prone to have a career she won’t make any money in the WNBA. She’d make more next year in college than she would as a rookie in the WNBA and get a college degree. Why would she drop out of school for the measly WNBA salary and a very unknown future when 2-3 more years in college, which is easier on the body, she would make more money.

Don't understand your comment that a player will make more money in college. Are you suggesting players are being paid illegally under the table? In addition numerous players return to college to finish the degree and graduate. The player can and will buy insurance in the pros. And yes I respect your opinion.

 

[Junkaroo Jam]

With NIL rules, Paige and Azzi can make as much money or more in college and play less games. Most pro teams will want some indication that they are healthy. Tell me again what the advantages are to go pro versus spending another year with their friends.

Sir you answered your own question on "most" Pro teams needing proof of a players health. My question is why would a player chance an unnecessary injury to hang with their friends? I would think "ALL" not "MOST" pro teams want to draft a player that is 100% good to go. Sorry don't understand NIL rules but I would think NIL sponsors want all those involved to be on court playing and not sitting on the bench.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Sir you answered your own question on "most" Pro teams needing proof of a players health. My question is why would a player chance an unnecessary injury to "hang with their friends"? I would think "ALL" not "MOST" pro teams want to draft a player that is 100% good to go. Sorry don't understand NIL rules but I would think NIL sponsors want all those involved to be on court playing and not sitting on the bench.

Because they have equal chance of injury while making more money in college which is less taxing on the body. The chance for injury increases at the next level while the money goes down. This isn't the NBA where a single season is life changing money. You are risking more by leaving early.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Don't understand your comment that a player will make more money in college. Are you suggesting players are being paid illegally under the table? In addition numerous players return to college to finish the degree and graduate. The player can and will buy insurance in the pros. And yes I respect your opinion.

No, NIL allows players to make money from brands and schools that use their likeness. They are making hundreds of thousands of dollars from sponsorships and ads on IG. Women's college basketball is more popular than the WNBA, meaning there are more opportunities to make money. Paige will be on TV more in college just due to TV contracts in college vs WNBA, therefore more desirable for a brand to sponsor. She has had many a deal this year despite being injured because she was already so popular.

I'm sure Paige already has insurance.

 

[AzzisBraids]

Because they have equal chance of injury while making more money in college which is less taxing on the body. The chance for injury increases at the next level while the money goes down. This isn't the NBA where a single season is life changing money. You are risking more by leaving early.

I agree with this point. Bueckers is making more money than anyone in WCBB and potentially the WNBA sitting on the bench. She proved her pedigree a year ago but if you are at a UConn, you are most marketable in college from NIL deals, looks and brands.