October Recruiting Thread

[JordyG]

I don’t believe Susan Rice played any basketball at Stanford for Van Deveer if that’s the aunt you’re speaking of. She is quoted in a article in the Undefeated saying she played PG in HS and in grad school at Oxford but that’s it.

Thanks for the correction...and one less advantage for Stanford.

 

[CompSci87]

Has there been something (Social Media) linked to Kiki that confirms she is down to 5 schools?
Everything I've seen read including here on the BY and specifically in the video posted by @Alydar was based on speculation and optimism with only confirmation of three official visits so far. The major speculation and optimism was her two remaining visits would be to Duke and UCONN on First Night. Do we really know?

Five official visits is the maximum, so I suppose people are assuming she will pick from one of the schools she takes an official to. Of course it's perfectly possible to sign with a school you didn't take an official visit to. Unofficial visits (not paid for by the school) are unlimited.

 

[CompSci87]

Thanks for the correction...and one less advantage for Stanford.

Susan Rice did attend Stanford. She's a Stanford WBB fan but not a former player.

 

[Dillon77]

Who else is ND looking at in '22 besides Bransford? I seem to recall early ND interest in Grace VanSlooten prior to her transfer to IMG.

At this point, forward Tabitha Amanze is the only other person we Benchers can attribute "mutual interest." To the best of anyone's knowledge, Ms. Amanze has not taken an OV to South Bend yet. She has taken one to Wake Forest and there's apparently strong mutual interest with Duke (there they are again). However, ND has three home football games in October, so she may come to one of those. Irish fans on The Bench hope the current Blair Academy student can hear what she needs from former school- and team-mate Olivia Miles.

The mutual interest in VanSlooten was very early but seemed to have ended (on someone's part) even before she transferred to IMG.

 

[hoophuskee]

I said it before I'll say it again Kiki not taking a backseat to Paige and Azzi. On day one freshman year she deserves to start and that along with academic will play factor which is why Stanford and Duke are the two she will end up,deciding.

Your posts are inventing arguments that aren't there. In addition, you've created this terminology such as "Taking a backseat" as some sort of justification to your opinion. You've invented this in a way I feel way off base. Why are you deliberately using negative terminology when it comes to her and UCONN? You mean if she joins UCONN she won't be able to score, pass, defend and rebound at a high level? Otherwise, hasn't UCONN had over their history had 3 1st team All-Americans in the same season in some seasons? It would be impossible for it to happen with her and Paige and Azzi? And It's not good enough in your opinion to potentially be a 1st team A/A but you must undoubtedly be the number 1 player on the team?


And what do you mean by "deserve to start?" Where is that coming from? You mean all the time when we've heard "It doesn't matter who starts but who finishes’" and when you add in if a player that gets more minutes coming off the bench than one or more of the other starters, then that is some sort of "insult?" I mean a player can "seize the moment" and come off the bench at the same time, can't they? So what's with this "deserve to start" stuff as a frosh having much meaning?

And who says she can't start, if anybody suggested that anyways? Or for example, if someone like Doty started, and then a freshman were to have replaced her early is that in some way a slap in the face to the freshman for having to come off the bench for possibly 1 season? I'm just asking. It would seem more minutes is more important than starting to some degree.

And you could be right – she goes to Stanford. An excellent choice. But the negative here you are stating with UCONN imo is completely off base. So after she makes her choice, there is a good chance we’ll never know maybe beyond one other school who her other picks were, but I don’t agree with the way you are expressing your pov why she might not end up coming to UCONN.

 

[Alydar]

Somewhere there is a sports writer that has already planned separate articles for all possibilities. With a plausible rationale for every one of them winning her.

 

[visitingcock]

I have a question regarding KK and Kiki. Do we know for sure if a formal offer has been made? The reason I ask is teams handle this very differently. Louisville for example seems to offer everyone early and Uconn by contrast may indicate an interest, but may let things play out a little before the formal offer comes, and by the time they do that player is a major priority.

At one point KK and Kiki were considered similarly rated prospects that could have been in an either or situation, where Uconn wanted one of the two, but realized they didn't really need both. In that kind of a situation, if you offer both, the first to say yes comes here, and the second probably after hearing that news moves on to other choices.

Do you think KK ultimately became option B, and might have been given the impression that Uconn was only really interested if Kiki went elsewhere? If so she might have concluded I'm not going to wait around for Kiki's decision, I will concentrate on schools that make me a top priority.

There are pros and cons and tradeoffs to the many different approaches, but I find it interesting that for the 2023 recruits we put several offers out there more formally for those players to reveal if they wanted to. It might be more coincidence, but seems like a tactical shift. Maybe it is because players now want to keep their followers up to date with a couple of short lists before they make their big decision.

you can never be sure if a school has made an offer. The school cannot comment.

we only know what the prospects report and sometimes prospects think that interest equals “offer” which is oft times not the case.

 

[oldude]

you can never be sure if a school has made an offer. The school cannot comment.

we only know what the prospects report and sometimes prospects think that interest equals “offer” which is oft times not the case.

At this point of the year, with the early signing period about a month away, we can be reasonably certain that if a player takes an “official” visit to a school, they probably have a scholarship offer from that school.

 

[visitingcock]

At this point of the year, with the early signing period about a month away, we can be reasonably certain that if a player takes an “official” visit to a school, they probably have a scholarship offer from that school.

If we know it's an "official" you are almost certainly correct. Like 99.995%

 

[Sluconn Husky]

LB Insider report on recent Wooten 150 camp. Hat tip to Stoli once again.


Chloe Kitts 2023 6’3 Guard

If Euro was a style you would think Chloe Kitts. She is a long skilled guard that knows how to use her length, her high IQ, her crafty ability to beat her defender, and sometimes her “just I am taller than you” mentality to dominate the camp. Easily one of the top 5 players I watched Chloe, who was the one-on-one champ, played at a very high level all weekend long. Only a junior she will be causing nightmares for coaches for two more years.


Reychel Douglas 2023 6’0 Combo Guard

Reychel is a tough guard with nice ball skill who was very effective on both ends of the floor. She did a great job showing a great feel for the game and taking what the defense gave her. She hit the jumper, got to the rack finishing in traffic, and scored the rock in transition. She had a very productive camp.


Hannah Hidalgo 2023 5’8 PG

It’s easy to write about the top players in the country because they do so much well but they don’t always necessarily have the highest motor every time out. Well, you don’t have that problem with Hannah, she plays on the go all game, and her exceptional ball skill, vision, and ability to make a play stand out regardless of the situation. Hidalgo was one of my favorite players to watch this summer and nothing changed after this weekend, she has the flare and the game to be a program changer wherever she ends up.


Chloe Clardy 2023 5’9 Guard

Chloe has a real smooth game, she never gets sped up and she is able to find her shot off the bounce or in the flow of the game. She always plays with control and has the crafty ability to get to the rack and score in traffic when she is not knocking down the jumper.


Jordy Griggs 2023 6’2 Wing

Jordy is a tough combo guard with great length, she plays well going downhill getting to the rack and has the full bag when it comes to getting buckets. She hit the triple and used the pull-up when necessary. Big time scorer.

LBI Event Recap: Wooten Top 150 Camp (Mansfield, TX)

Mansfield, TX: The WOOTTEN top 150 lived up to all the expectations and much more!! It was two days of great competition, a lot of on court learning and a chance to see some of the nation’s finest!! I could probably write about everyone at the camp but here are some of the ballers that caught my eye

www.lbinsider.com

 

[CocoHusky]

LB Insider report on recent Wooten 150 camp. Hat tip to Stoli once again.


Chloe Kitts 2023 6’3 Guard

If Euro was a style you would think Chloe Kitts. She is a long skilled guard that knows how to use her length, her high IQ, her crafty ability to beat her defender, and sometimes her “just I am taller than you” mentality to dominate the camp. Easily one of the top 5 players I watched Chloe, who was the one-on-one champ, played at a very high level all weekend long. Only a junior she will be causing nightmares for coaches for two more years.


Reychel Douglas 2023 6’0 Combo Guard

Reychel is a tough guard with nice ball skill who was very effective on both ends of the floor. She did a great job showing a great feel for the game and taking what the defense gave her. She hit the jumper, got to the rack finishing in traffic, and scored the rock in transition. She had a very productive camp.


Hannah Hidalgo 2023 5’8 PG

It’s easy to write about the top players in the country because they do so much well but they don’t always necessarily have the highest motor every time out. Well, you don’t have that problem with Hannah, she plays on the go all game, and her exceptional ball skill, vision, and ability to make a play stand out regardless of the situation. Hidalgo was one of my favorite players to watch this summer and nothing changed after this weekend, she has the flare and the game to be a program changer wherever she ends up.


Chloe Clardy 2023 5’9 Guard

Chloe has a real smooth game, she never gets sped up and she is able to find her shot off the bounce or in the flow of the game. She always plays with control and has the crafty ability to get to the rack and score in traffic when she is not knocking down the jumper.


Jordy Griggs 2023 6’2 Wing

Jordy is a tough combo guard with great length, she plays well going downhill getting to the rack and has the full bag when it comes to getting buckets. She hit the triple and used the pull-up when necessary. Big time scorer.

LBI Event Recap: Wooten Top 150 Camp (Mansfield, TX)

Mansfield, TX: The WOOTTEN top 150 lived up to all the expectations and much more!! It was two days of great competition, a lot of on court learning and a chance to see some of the nation’s finest!! I could probably write about everyone at the camp but here are some of the ballers that caught my eye

www.lbinsider.com

Douglas has an intriguing combination of size and skills. Is she a new/recent UCONN POI ?

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Douglas has an intriguing combination of size and skills. Is she a new/recent UCONN POI ?

I first posted about her on May 14th. So around that time.

She's a nice player. Defender too.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

​

Chloe Kitts

In our third workout already this month, the takeaway is that Kitts is in a fantastic space as a player. She has all of the physical tools to be an elite option in the class. Going forward, her ability to add new nuances to her shot foundation will take time. Kitts has the aptitude to make those nuances like a consistent base and follow through become reality.

First Spotlight In Iowa | Prospects Nation

prospectsnation.com

 

[HuskylnSC]

I got it straight from my sister-law who once dated a guy whose little sister works at a Starbucks in DC. Well, she said she heard Mrs. Rice say she was surprised that her daughter is going to Howard University. We just don't know if the Mrs. Rice was any relation to Kiki, but I thought it was worth reporting.

 

[visitingcock]

Five official visits is the maximum, so I suppose people are assuming she will pick from one of the schools she takes an official to. Of course it's perfectly possible to sign with a school you didn't take an official visit to. Unofficial visits (not paid for by the school) are unlimited.

SCar has had numerous athletes who signed with us when taking official visits to other schools but unofficial visits to us, In most, if not all cases, they were intstate athletes (like Marcus Lattimore in football) who could afford to pay for a weekend visit with us. $20 in gas money and crash with a friend from high school.

Out of state visits are much more costly.

I don't remember if A'Ja took an official with us. Seems like she did and was hosted by Marcus Lattimore. Ashlyn Watkins hasn't done so (yet). Will be interesting to see what Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards do in that regard.

 

[oldude]

SCar has had numerous athletes who signed with us when taking official visits to other schools but unofficial visits to us, In most, if not all cases, they were intstate athletes (like Marcus Lattimore in football) who could afford to pay for a weekend visit with us. $20 in gas money and crash with a friend from high school.

Out of state visits are much more costly.

I don't remember if A'Ja took an official with us. Seems like she did and was hosted by Marcus Lattimore. Ashlyn Watkins hasn't done so (yet). Will be interesting to see what Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards do in that regard.

While travel costs are typically higher for out of state recruits relative to local recruits, there are other costs that can be significant as well.

For an official visit a school can pick up the costs for travel, accommodations & meals for a recruit as well as 2 family members (usually parents) for up to 48 hrs. So if a recruit and their parents show up on Friday and leave on Sunday, the cost can be significant, even if the recruit and their parents live within driving distance.

The school can also provide tickets to an on campus sporting event. But they can do this whether the recruit’s visit is official or not.

 

[Blueberries]

A couple of items here:

We often hear that opposing coaches may mention Geno's age in terms of recruiting.
I would expect that they would have enough sense to do it in a respectful way...some might not...to their own
disadvantage I hope. Well...Geno is 67...Tara is.....68.

Somewhere I read here that the Duke women's program is 'great'. They sure have been
'excellent' over the years...but it would seem to me that to be 'great' you would need to have won a National Championship...at least one... in the 40 or so years there has been that competition. Have they?
The answer is 'no'. Duke's men program is great...the women not.

Hold up. Excellent < great? Math teacher with less knowledge of words is confused on this one….

 

[eebmg]

Hold up. Excellent < great? Math teacher with less knowledge of words is confused on this one….

I am in the corner that great > excellent. Great for me is someone or something who is above the usual measurement scale while excellent occurs more naturally as on the highest end of the usual measurement scale.

For example, I think it is not a stretch to say we only had 1 great UConn player last season but we had several excellent (grade A) players. Not a topic math could answer since it is a question of word usage.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[CocoHusky]

Best thing about Kitts is that she goes goes hard always! Interesting video about half way through I thought she said she wanted to play for a female coach in college then she caught herself and said she wants males on staff as well. A few of us have Booker and Toomey ahead of Kitts on our UCONN '23 wish list. Time to reconsider? @BobbyJ ?

 

[BobbyJ]

Best thing about Kitts is that she goes goes hard always! Interesting video about half way through I thought she said she wanted to play for a female coach in college then she caught herself and said she wants males on staff as well. A few of us have Booker and Toomey ahead of Kitts on our UCONN '23 wish list. Time to reconsider? @BobbyJ ?

As I’ve said, I’m all in on Kitts. I feel Booker has more of a power game but skill wise Kitts is every bit as good and possibly a little better shooter. Something tells me Booker is impressed with a UConn offer but will ultimately stay south so 2A and 2B to me. Either one will be very good at the college level. And coaching wise I think UConn qualifies for Kitts with 3 out of 4 being women.

 

[eebmg]

Best thing about Kitts is that she goes goes hard always! Interesting video about half way through I thought she said she wanted to play for a female coach in college then she caught herself and said she wants males on staff as well. A few of us have Booker and Toomey ahead of Kitts on our UCONN '23 wish list. Time to reconsider? @BobbyJ ?

A little after that, she talks about her looking up to Breanna (who people are comparing her to) and a pretty funny take on 6' 9" players who better be able to dunk.

 

[MooseJaw]

Best thing about Kitts is that she goes goes hard always! Interesting video about half way through I thought she said she wanted to play for a female coach in college then she caught herself and said she wants males on staff as well. A few of us have Booker and Toomey ahead of Kitts on our UCONN '23 wish list. Time to reconsider? @BobbyJ ?

No, not yet any way. From my view on the couch, they are both ahead of her at this time. We have time to reevaluate her progress during and after the upcoming season.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[Heytherego]

For anyone interested KK Bransford committed to ND