October Recruiting Thread

[Sluconn Husky]

She may be a nice kid with a good attitude. But boy, she's a launches from her chest and winds up on every shot. I've often wondered why no one bothers to take these kids aside at a young age and teach them the good fundamentals of shooting. Her motion screams inaccuracy as she advances in level, as well as the increased chance her shot will be blocked. One look at Clarke, Paige, and Azzi and you can see the difference. Even Rhyne Howard, who brings the ball below her waist before the shot has a nice release point that had to have been taught.

 

[CocoHusky]

?

That’s one more per game than we had last year, no? The entire focus of my argument was to point out that regardless of whether we had a lockdown, blazing fast defender, we usually win anyway. We have added more elite talent to last year’s Final Four team, than anyone in the country except possibly South Carolina. We are healthy, we are more experienced, we have the burn and disappointment of last year’s defeat to motivate us, we have three/four seniors who desperately want to win a National Championship and every other member of the team wanting to send them off with a championship. Finally, we have Geno and Chris! Color me optimistic that this team is better equipped to deal with a fast, talented guard on the opposing team. Whether that means actually stopping that guard or simply overwhelming the other four players on the court and nullifying that guard’s performance by outscoring the rest of the team is really irrelevant. We still win!

Except when we don’t right? If you look at the last 10 UCONN losses perimeter opponents have put up some pretty gaudy numbers against UCONN.
MSU Vivians 19
ND 2018 Jackie Young 32 + Arike 27
Baylor-no one of note
Louisville- Durr 24
ND Arike 23
Baylor-Cooper 27*
Oregon-Sabrina 1 rebound and 1 assist short of a triple double .
South Carolina-Ty Harris 19
Arkansas- Dungee 37 + Ramirez 22
Arizona- McDonald 26.
* This one should really get your attention because it was Cooper's 2nd highest point total at three different schools. I don’t understand why you are struggling so hard to down play the need for a quality perimeter defender when Geno himself has acknowledged this need.

 

[MooseJaw]

She may be a nice kid with a good attitude. But boy, she's a launches from her chest and winds up on every shot. I've often wondered why no one bothers to take these kids aside at a young age and teach them the good fundamentals of shooting. Her motion screams inaccuracy as she advances in level, as well as the increased chance her shot will be blocked. One look at Clarke, Paige, and Azzi and you can see the difference. Even Rhyne Howard, who brings the ball below her waist before the shot has a nice release point that had to have been taught.

Many of the young players share in the shooting method Chavez showed in the video clip. It was explained to me that many don't have the strength to shoot with the elevation and proper form. When the youngsters start it would be better if they were taught to shoot at a lower basket using better mechanics, when strength and coordination increase the basket would be moved higher until it reaches the 10' standard. Once they reach the age of Chavez and others muscle memory and form have solidified. Many of the better players are able to have their shot corrected, unfortunately for them it would easier to be taught correctly than to learn the proper technique at a later time.

 

[uconnever]

What a slow weird looking shot.

 

[uconnever]

She may be a nice kid with a good attitude. But boy, she's a launches from her chest and winds up on every shot. I've often wondered why no one bothers to take these kids aside at a young age and teach them the good fundamentals of shooting. Her motion screams inaccuracy as she advances in level, as well as the increased chance her shot will be blocked. One look at Clarke, Paige, and Azzi and you can see the difference. Even Rhyne Howard, who brings the ball below her waist before the shot has a nice release point that had to have been taught.

Skipped over your post and just watched her video and I commented that her shot was slow and weird. Also didn’t say but was thinking the same as you, that won’t work as she gets older unless she does it at a much much faster speed.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Chavez' shot is far less methodical in game action, and it's on target.

 

[DEpup]

For some young kids, it’s simply the case that, at an early age, they are just not strong enough to get the ball up to the rim without launching it from their chest. Yes, at some point, someone should try to change it before it’s too late. But the longer you go with bad mechanics, the harder it is to change. Mikayla Coombs is a good example of a great athlete with bad shooting mechanics.

I still have never understood the Coombs recruitment. Did she say she was going to fix her shooting mechanics and then didnt? The coaches are way too talented that they didn't recognize it and see that unless she fixed it they couldn't play their normal 5 shooters on the floor offense.

 

[JordyG]

Skipped over your post and just watched her video and I commented that her shot was slow and weird. Also didn’t say but was thinking the same as you, that won’t work as she gets older unless she does it at a much much faster speed.

Time always tells.

 

[Alydar]

I read the comments before I watched the video. I'm not sure she is yet strong enough to get her elbow up to her eyes. What is she 13 or 14? Looks like she has another growth spurt coming? But changing her shooting form shouldn't be that big a job. Nice wrist action. And if they all go in with that motion they'll likely go in afterwards.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Somehow missed the Blue Star write-up of their own camp last month:


Last year, Priyanka Ponnam (2025/New Jersey) was in Tampa around this time for the Blue Star All-American Camp, and the 6’2 forward had a solid showing. Fast forward to 2021, and she was back for a different experience at Blue Star 30. The skill and versatility at her size is well documented, and she is so smart on the court. While she has the ability to handle the ball and shoot the trey, as long as she continues her willingness to go to work in the paint and defend in the post, the Philly Rise product will continue her ascent heading into high school.


Lauren Hassell (2027/Tennessee) is another returnee, back for her 2nd year as a Blue Star 30. Needless to say, she of course did not disappoint. With all the big time athleticism and size, she’s been on the radar very early. But if you see how she has grown her game, now sporting a fluid jumper that she can hit from beyond the arc, you know she is only going to keep working and keep improving. Still one of the youngest players in camp, you can tell she is starting to hatch out of her egg and really come out and take over. All in due time!


Speaking of players who are ultra-competitive and all about winning, enter 2025 CyFair point guard Aaliyah Chavez. This year’s camp three point champion and a 3X champion, Chavez clearly has a knack for stacking the hardware, thanks to her pure ability to stack buckets and dimes alike. She truly does it all, and this hooper continues to separate herself on the biggest stages.



Aniya Foy (2025/Texas) shot the heck out of the basketball every day of camp, and at 5’11 with a big time frame, the sky is the limit for her. All of the athleticism you want to see, she has, and then she clearly is getting shots up on a consistent basis. While she’s more than capable of getting to the basket, and she has a scorer’s mentality, we would expect her to continue to wow us with the jump shot for years to come.


Sania Richardson (2025/Oklahoma) is a sharpshooting point guard who was clearly on a mission coming back to Tampa this year. Richardson is so locked in and hangs on every word her coaches say. She wants to learn and wants to keep getting better. Her shot making ability, handles, and maturity on the court set her apart.

Round Two in Tampa: Blue Star 30's are Back! - Bluestar Media

TAMPA, FL – The 6th annual Blue Star 30 Camp made a return to the Sunshine State last week, as an elite group of young ladies from the 2025, 2026, and 2026 classes was assembled at the beautiful Wiregrass Sports Complex to carry on the tradition of the 30 Sisterhood. The legend of that tradition […]

www.bluestarmedia.org

 

[oldude]

I still have never understood the Coombs recruitment. Did she say she was going to fix her shooting mechanics and then didnt? The coaches are way too talented that they didn't recognize it and see that unless she fixed it they couldn't play their normal 5 shooters on the floor offense.

If you watch the highlight tapes on Coombs in HS, she is a great defender, passer and consistently broke down defenders off the dribble for layups. She even knocks down several 3’s in highlight films, although her shooting motion was clearly unusual.

So maybe the UConn coaches saw her play once or twice in person, and maybe she didn’t take any 3’s. She appeared to be a great athlete who checked all the boxes.

Fast forward to the McD AA game when Coombs played great defense, was the most unselfish player on the court and didn’t take a single outside shot.

My honest opinion is that nobody really figured out that Coombs was not a very good shooter with an awkward shooting motion that wouldn’t hold up under the pressure of big time college basketball.

 

[Kaizen]

If you watch the highlight tapes on Coombs in HS, she is a great defender, passer and consistently broke down defenders off the dribble for layups. She even knocks down several 3’s in highlight films, although her shooting motion was clearly unusual.

So maybe the UConn coaches saw her play once or twice in person, and maybe she didn’t take any 3’s. She appeared to be a great athlete who checked all the boxes.

Fast forward to the McD AA game when Coombs played great defense, was the most unselfish player on the court and didn’t take a single outside shot.

My honest opinion is that nobody really figured out that Coombs was not a very good shooter with an awkward shooting motion that wouldn’t hold up under the pressure of big time college basketball.

Coombs is a redshirt senior in Georgia. She graduated with a degree in sport management this summer and is pursuing a master's in the same program. So happy for her.

 

[Cuango]

Except when we don’t right? If you look at the last 10 UCONN losses perimeter opponents have put up some pretty gaudy numbers against UCONN.
MSU Vivians 19
ND 2018 Jackie Young 32 + Arike 27
Baylor-no one of note
Louisville- Durr 24
ND Arike 23
Baylor-Cooper 27*
Oregon-Sabrina 1 rebound and 1 assist short of a triple double .
South Carolina-Ty Harris 19
Arkansas- Dungee 37 + Ramirez 22
Arizona- McDonald 26.
* This one should really get your attention because it was Cooper's 2nd highest point total at three different schools. I don’t understand why you are struggling so hard to down play the need for a quality perimeter defender when Geno himself has acknowledged this need.

Last time! I am all for having a fast, lockdown guard on our team! I just don’t agree that it is going to make that big of a difference in terms of our overall record. Also, not to quibble, but personally, I would not call anything under 20 gaudy. Anyway, I think we’ve worn this out, so until next time, here’s to a great year!

 

[CocoHusky]

Last time! I am all for having a fast, lockdown guard on our team! I just don’t agree that it is going to make that big of a difference in terms of our overall record. Also, not to quibble, but personally, I would not call anything under 20 gaudy. Anyway, I think we’ve worn this out, so until next time, here’s to a great year!

The 19 points that Tyasha Harris scored against UCONN was more than TWICE her career average=pretty gaudy. Once again I'm not looking for lockdown defender I'm looking for a UCONN perimeter defender that can keep the other teams best perimeter player at or below their scoring averages.

 

[mhshuskies]

Class of 23, video claims #1 player in Iowa, female Shaquille O’Neil, what say yarders?

 

[hoophuskee]

The 19 points that Tyasha Harris scored against UCONN was more than TWICE her career average=pretty gaudy. Once again I'm not looking for lockdown defender I'm looking for a UCONN perimeter defender that can keep the other teams best perimeter player at or below their scoring averages.

In the Finals Fours could have used some offense too. In Dangerfield's soph and jr years she was a combined 5-22 from the floor averaging just 6 points per game.

 

[kat0189]

Class of 23, video claims #1 player in Iowa, female Shaquille O’Neil, what say yarders?

I believe Maryland has offered among several other Power 5's including both Iowa & Iowa State.

Addendum: Audi Crooks - WBB Blog

 

[oldude]

The 19 points that Tyasha Harris scored against UCONN was more than TWICE her career average=pretty gaudy. Once again I'm not looking for lockdown defender I'm looking for a UCONN perimeter defender that can keep the other teams best perimeter player at or below their scoring averages.

As I recall, SC continuously went to a 2 man game with Harris & Boston that gave Liv & Crystal fits trying to defend it. Harris had 11 assists and many of her baskets were short jumpers or layups off of Boston screens at the foul line.

It was one of 2 games where Crystal’s lack of size was exploited by forcing her to defend a post or taller guard in the lane. Ionescu & Hebard did the same thing in the loss to OR.

At a generous 5’6” Crystal could be exploited by a big guard in the paint. Otherwise she was a pretty solid defender, and had both strength and quickness to match up with opposing guards.

 

[HopJim]

Last time! I am all for having a fast, lockdown guard on our team! I just don’t agree that it is going to make that big of a difference in terms of our overall record. Also, not to quibble, but personally, I would not call anything under 20 gaudy. Anyway, I think we’ve worn this out, so until next time, here’s to a great year!

Agree that having a lockdown guard will not have a major affect on our overall record but it could help win 1-2 critical games. Not a hard point to debate - virtually every game we have lost the past two years has a hot, super quick guard scoring at will. Got UConn out of sync. Why would you not want this skill set on the team?

 

[CocoHusky]

As I recall, SC continuously went to a 2 man game with Harris & Boston that gave Liv & Crystal fits trying to defend it. Harris had 11 assists and many of her baskets were short jumpers or layups off of Boston screens at the foul line. It was one of 2 games where Crystal’s lack of size was exploited by forcing her to defend a post or taller guard in the lane. Ionescu & Hebard did the same thing in the loss to OR. At a generous 5’6” Crystal could be exploited by a big guard in the paint. Otherwise she was a pretty solid defender, and had both strength and quickness to match up with opposing guards.

Crystal's size was definitely exploited during that game but she was also the only UCONN player playing with any juice. Harris 11 assists were I believe her career high and the other remarkable thing about the game was that South Carolina really really guarded well without fouling and had fewer fouls (4) for the entire game than Liv (5). This was also the game where Zia Cooke was flexing on UCONN and stomping the floor like she was playing for duke or something.

 

[Stymie]

I remember seeing film of her earlier on.
Great work ethic, super personality.
Forgot her name.
I’ll remember now.

 

[Cuango]

Agree that having a lockdown guard will not have a major affect on our overall record but it could help win 1-2 critical games. Not a hard point to debate - virtually every game we have lost the past two years has a hot, super quick guard scoring at will. Got UConn out of sync. Why would you not want this skill set on the team?

?

 

[JordyG]

As I recall, SC continuously went to a 2 man game with Harris & Boston that gave Liv & Crystal fits trying to defend it. Harris had 11 assists and many of her baskets were short jumpers or layups off of Boston screens at the foul line.

It was one of 2 games where Crystal’s lack of size was exploited by forcing her to defend a post or taller guard in the lane. Ionescu & Hebard did the same thing in the loss to OR.

At a generous 5’6” Crystal could be exploited by a big guard in the paint. Otherwise she was a pretty solid defender, and had both strength and quickness to match up with opposing guards.

Aside from her size though Crystal's biggest weakness as I see it, was her inability to consistently overplay the passing lanes on the perimeter to get steals and utilize her speed. We all forget that Crystal initially was not a very good defender on the perimeter, constantly getting beat to her right of the dribble. Once she overcame that she became a good on ball defender.

 

[BobbyJ]

Somehow missed the Blue Star write-up of their own camp last month:


Last year, Priyanka Ponnam (2025/New Jersey) was in Tampa around this time for the Blue Star All-American Camp, and the 6’2 forward had a solid showing. Fast forward to 2021, and she was back for a different experience at Blue Star 30. The skill and versatility at her size is well documented, and she is so smart on the court. While she has the ability to handle the ball and shoot the trey, as long as she continues her willingness to go to work in the paint and defend in the post, the Philly Rise product will continue her ascent heading into high school.


Lauren Hassell (2027/Tennessee) is another returnee, back for her 2nd year as a Blue Star 30. Needless to say, she of course did not disappoint. With all the big time athleticism and size, she’s been on the radar very early. But if you see how she has grown her game, now sporting a fluid jumper that she can hit from beyond the arc, you know she is only going to keep working and keep improving. Still one of the youngest players in camp, you can tell she is starting to hatch out of her egg and really come out and take over. All in due time!


Speaking of players who are ultra-competitive and all about winning, enter 2025 CyFair point guard Aaliyah Chavez. This year’s camp three point champion and a 3X champion, Chavez clearly has a knack for stacking the hardware, thanks to her pure ability to stack buckets and dimes alike. She truly does it all, and this hooper continues to separate herself on the biggest stages.



Aniya Foy (2025/Texas) shot the heck out of the basketball every day of camp, and at 5’11 with a big time frame, the sky is the limit for her. All of the athleticism you want to see, she has, and then she clearly is getting shots up on a consistent basis. While she’s more than capable of getting to the basket, and she has a scorer’s mentality, we would expect her to continue to wow us with the jump shot for years to come.


Sania Richardson (2025/Oklahoma) is a sharpshooting point guard who was clearly on a mission coming back to Tampa this year. Richardson is so locked in and hangs on every word her coaches say. She wants to learn and wants to keep getting better. Her shot making ability, handles, and maturity on the court set her apart.

Round Two in Tampa: Blue Star 30's are Back! - Bluestar Media

TAMPA, FL – The 6th annual Blue Star 30 Camp made a return to the Sunshine State last week, as an elite group of young ladies from the 2025, 2026, and 2026 classes was assembled at the beautiful Wiregrass Sports Complex to carry on the tradition of the 30 Sisterhood. The legend of that tradition […]

www.bluestarmedia.org

Can’t post the link but I saw that Chavez already got an offer from Texas and posted a picture of herself in a UTexas uniform. Once she quickens her release and gets stronger to raise it she’ll have no problem getting that shot off. Dangerfield shot it from low and managed. And Chavez is at least 3 inches bigger. She’s already learning how to control and set up the defender. Going to be a good one.

 

[oldude]

This was also the game where Zia Cooke was flexing on UCONN and stomping the floor like she was playing for duke or something.

Ultimately, it comes down to matchups and coaching. Two years later Dawn attempted to limit Paige by putting Cooke, SC’s quickest defender, on her in an effort to deny her the ball. Paige ran Cooke ragged into screens and with exceptional off-ball movement including 3 straight backdoor cuts in the 2nd half that resulted in layups.

At that point, Dawn went to Plan B, putting Bre Beal, a taller, stronger defender on Paige. Paige continued to run Beal into screens, but also beat her several times off the dribble for mid-range jump shots, and ultimately hit the bounce over Beal by moving without the ball to give Liv an outlet.

Whenever Geno has the personnel, he usually wins the matchup battle and the game. UConn didn’t have the personnel 2 years ago. Last year they did, just barely. As talented as SC will be this season, Geno has all the personnel necessary to matchup with the Gamecocks size and athleticism.

 

[JordyG]

Ultimately, it comes down to matchups and coaching. Two years later Dawn attempted to limit Paige by putting Cooke, SC’s quickest defender, on her in an effort to deny her the ball. Paige ran Cooke ragged into screens and with exceptional off-ball movement including 3 straight backdoor cuts in the 2nd half that resulted in layups.

At that point, Dawn went to Plan B, putting Bre Beal, a taller, stronger defender on Paige. Paige continued to run Beal into screens, but also beat her several times off the dribble for mid-range jump shots, and ultimately hit the bounce over Beal by moving without the ball to give Liv an outlet.

Whenever Geno has the personnel, he usually wins the matchup battle and the game. UConn didn’t have the personnel 2 years ago. Last year they did, just barely. As talented as SC will be this season, Geno has all the personnel necessary to matchup with the Gamecocks size and athleticism.

This was also the game where Zia Cooke was flexing on UCONN and stomping the floor like she was playing for duke or something.

LOL. Kinda missed that flex the last time out.

 

[Charliebball]

Class of 23, video claims #1 player in Iowa, female Shaquille O’Neil, what say yarders?

sneaky athletic and may become valuable as a low post space eater but I don't see her lasting through UConn practices without a major fitness upgrade......

 

[Kaizen]

Ultimately, it comes down to matchups and coaching. Two years later Dawn attempted to limit Paige by putting Cooke, SC’s quickest defender, on her in an effort to deny her the ball. Paige ran Cooke ragged into screens and with exceptional off-ball movement including 3 straight backdoor cuts in the 2nd half that resulted in layups.

At that point, Dawn went to Plan B, putting Bre Beal, a taller, stronger defender on Paige. Paige continued to run Beal into screens, but also beat her several times off the dribble for mid-range jump shots, and ultimately hit the bounce over Beal by moving without the ball to give Liv an outlet.

Whenever Geno has the personnel, he usually wins the matchup battle and the game. UConn didn’t have the personnel 2 years ago. Last year they did, just barely. As talented as SC will be this season, Geno has all the personnel necessary to matchup with the Gamecocks size and athleticism.

This game Paige scored 31 pts I think her career high. Hope this year Paige + Azzi can score even better.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Juste Jocyte recently had her best game in the Euroleague.

 

[southie]

Can’t post the link but I saw that Chavez already got an offer from Texas and posted a picture of herself in a UTexas uniform. Once she quickens her release and gets stronger to raise it she’ll have no problem getting that shot off. Dangerfield shot it from low and managed. And Chavez is at least 3 inches bigger. She’s already learning how to control and set up the defender. Going to be a good one.

She did visit Texas unofficially this past weekend and attended the Orange/White scrimmage on Sunday.

I did see her social media posts, but did not see that Texas offered. She has been offered already by Arkansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, TCU, and Ohio State; there are probably more.