Olivia Vukosa to UConn (merged)

[FanSince17]

I think other recruiters were telling the big's that the UConn Offense is not designed for them. They would tell them you have to play at the elbow and set screens for the guards and maybe move out to the top of the key to shoot 3's. They would have to pass down low to guards or forwards in a high low game because they will have brought the shot blockers out with them. Now I think Geno and our recruiters can tell them we will make you a more versatile player who can score down low, set screens, shoot 3's and learn how to pass to backdoor cutter's, pass down low to other players. In the WNBA a more versatile player will more in demand and more successful

That’s what I was looking for a few posts back.
Probably could be the subject of a book, the years I became avid: 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19….
We had Azura for a minute. Never really materialized.
Roster was stacked, missing the center, players playing out-of-position (?). Couldn’t get a Natty.
A center would have freed everyone up to get off. Plus we had “last second itis” in the tourney.
(Need something to do: check out the roster of Pheesa’s senior year)

 

[Staven]

I watched Olivia against Sacred Heart last year in the Springfield tournament and she is the real deal. I have been crossing my fingers the past year or so for this announcement! Go Huskies!

 

[Doctor G]

I think other recruiters were telling the big's that the UConn Offense is not designed for them. They would tell them you have to play at the elbow and set screens for the guards and maybe move out to the top of the key to shoot 3's. They would have to pass down low to guards or forwards in a high low game because they will have brought the shot blockers out with them. Now I think Geno and our recruiters can tell them we will make you a more versatile player who can score down low, set screens, shoot 3's and learn how to pass to backdoor cutter's, pass down low to other players. In the WNBA a more versatile player will more in demand and more successful

You are spot on. Many of the Huskies offensive sets and actions call for the type of center play that is rare in high school and scary to look at on tape if you are a classic big coming out of high school. Few players have what it takes to transform themselves into Stephanie Dolson, the senior 5 who made so many right pass/shoot decisions for her team.

Geno runs a lot of high post action and plays (chin action or horn series, for example) where the 5 is at the elbow or higher. Think back to last year. How many times did Jana look lost in space? But put Jana up against Regan and UCLA and SC and she looked like an all big east star. Remember the crossover and the movement in the first SC blowout? Remember how well she played against UCLA’s star. She looked that way in those games because she is a traditional center (Jana can actually shoot btw but I imagine it is hard to look at Paige, Azzi and Strong in practice everyday and believe you should be taking outside shots).

To get back to the point, for the better part of a decade, the best bigs weren’t signing up with UConn to be lost in space (hence, the long line of UConn, “project” centers). Meantime, Geno made due with what came his way. Ice, for example, is not a five but has an excellent shot from 15-17 feet when confident and is one of the best passers and pick setters on the team after Strong. By contrast, Big O plays like she is from the future. Like Jokic or Victor W she wants to play in space with pace and precision and instant read decision- making based on IQ and chemistry and the ability to knock down shots from all 3 levels because when the core of your team can play like that and it all comes together you get a team like last year’s champs - a team that played “beautiful basketball” in Dawn’s immortal words (though her context was different).

Geno and the coaches have gotten better in the last 5 years at identifying and recruiting players who already fit the huskies culture as Wells’s the team’s actions and plays and sets and transition game. The players? I think more of them are willing to compete for their roles because they know that the Huskies produce the most pro-ready players in the country and that the coaches here will do everything in their power to give them a shot at becoming the best player they can be. Like Serah will discover this year, no matter how good you think you are, it’s different to play on a team that has no ceiling.

 

[darrell]

A little sleuthing led me to find this and I thought Boneyarders would enjoy it. A young “Big O” with Stewie and an update a few years later. I’m sure ESPN will love these.

 

[darrell]

Found this also.

 

[DemonDeac22]

Bigs who can really play are as rare as unicorns. UConn has certainly gotten their share through the years, and right now they have no less than 3 on the roster (2 recruited and 1 transfer) with a 4th in development (Gandy).

If you look across the entire WBB landscape there are maybe 3 Bigs that could play in UConn’s system: Betts, Beers & Crooks. That is why a talented Big like Olivia has every major program pursuing her like their lives depend on it.

Agree with you on all of this except Gandy. I think she is a long-term development project that we all hope will become an effective, versatile big by the time she graduates.

 

[oldude]

😁 A little sleuthing led me to find this and I thought Boneyarders would enjoy it. A young “Big O” with Stewie and an update a few years later. I’m sure ESPN will love these.

View attachment 112641

View attachment 112642

Wow, Stewie has really gotten shorter through the years…….😁

 

[Bone Dog]

If you look across the entire WBB landscape there are maybe 3 Bigs that could play in UConn’s system: Betts, Beers & Crooks.

I’ve been wondering about this ever since you posted it. I think there’s a lot more than 3, and it’s not at all clear to me that either Betts or Crooks would make sense at Storrs. I’m thinking Geno mainly looks for mobility, which those two lack. And Lauren may be too temperamental for his taste. The rest of the skills package can be developed once they get here.

The reason Gandy looks in any way attractive is her mobility, and she’s someone who will have to develop the skills along the way. But she seems to have a winning personality.

With this in mind I can think of several bigs who could play for Geno at least from an athletic point of view. Just off the top of my head, Thomas and Toomey at UNC would have fit in fine. Or Strack and Key at Kentucky. And Okot at SC leaps to mind. I’m sure there are others.

Now maybe these bigs wouldn’t have fit in well for personality reasons. But that’s another story altogether.

 

[skyct]

Besides Austin, I would chose ONO over the other 2. Also, did Uconn recruit Austin?

Why? Collier was Geno's first choice and had best college carrier among them. Also No1 overall pick for WNBA draft even if it doesn't pan out well.
By the way, I was wondering if Geno's hard pursuit of Collier then Liv and later Megbagor has anything to do with Boston's going away at the time. I thought she or her parents wouldn't feel great seeing Geno going hard for all those post players.

 

[BRS24]

I was just happy to share the news of Olivia's commitment with my neighbor, a former CT resident.

 

[ucmiami2]

Geno and CD (his post guru) have had Kara, Williams/Jones, Tina, Stef who all started life as low post players. You can add in Stokes, and Kaili from 2009/10, and Crockett and Moore from the 2003/04, and might as well throw in Elliott from 1995. They all were only comfortable from 5 feet in when they arrived on campus And at other schools that was probably all they would have concentrated on in college - at Uconn, CD and Geno worked with them to develop more offensive options in their games developing their mid range and then extending it out. Some of those players remain tied to the basket, others became more rounded in their offensive arsenal. (Ex - Dolson's 3 point shots by year 1, 2, 19, 27 - never prolific, but went from 0.03/game in her freshman year to 0.66 as a senior and if they had a depth shot chart you would likely see the 'average shot' expand from maybe 5 feet to 15 feet over her 4 years.)

Skilled bigs are rare, and most of them are not born, but trained and coached. I believe Griner and Courtney Paris, and a number of other bigs over the years were poorly served by their college coaches because they were allowed to rest on what they were good at and enjoyed, not coached to expand their games. Players like Tina Charles did not have an easy time at Uconn because CD/Geno forced them to do 'uncomfortable' things on the basketball court that made them much better players. And I think a player like Azura Stevens left for the pros after her first year, because she didn't want to learn to play in the post which would have added to her arsenal and made her a more effective pro.

So other teams will say whatever they want in recruiting, but it isn't really true. And a lot of HS players go where they hear what they want to hear, while Geno is reknowned for speaking the truth to recruits.

 

[hoophuskee]

Why? Collier was Geno's first choice and had best college carrier among them. Also No1 overall pick for WNBA draft even if it doesn't pan out well.
By the way, I was wondering if Geno's hard pursuit of Collier then Liv and later Megbagor has anything to do with Boston's going away at the time. I thought she or her parents wouldn't feel great seeing Geno going hard for all those post players.

UCONN would have won multiple titles with Collier.

Collier was older (2 or 3 years) than Boston so Boston's decision came years after Collier.

 

[Bald Husky]

UCONN would have won multiple titles with Collier.

Collier was older (2 or 3 years) than Boston so Boston's decision came years after Collier.

Never, never impressed with Collier. Not in college or the pros. She didn't last long as a pro, just didn't really have it. I couldn't believe she went #1 in the draft. No way she would have made it as a Husky.

 

[Zarathustra]

Never, never impressed with Collier. Not in college or the pros. She didn't last long as a pro, just didn't really have it. I couldn't believe she went #1 in the draft. No way she would have made it as a Husky.

Collier's lack of long-term success was always a
puzzlement to my wife and myself. It is (perhaps)
one of a few examples of why "BIGS" should be
considering UCONN (as well, of course, why many
players of all positions... meaning for me (today)...
the decision of Jerzy Robinson!!)

 

[Tonyc]

one of the reasons girls come to UConn is to be developed into better players. At UConn you are taught the fundamentals and how to play the game. This is very important in becoming a pro. We’ve heard coaches in the WNBA talk about former UConn players and how prepared they are when they enter professional basketball. They aren’t all UConn starters either. For girls who think they good and don’t need to be broken down and be built back up well most of them never get any better. Many find that they fall behind because they haven’t been developed. Winning is a habit at UConn

 

[Bone Dog]

It’s hard to find game video of Olivia at CTK other than brief highlights clips. And the FIBA videos, while extensive, don’t really show what you want to see in terms of quality of competition or how she might fit into a tight team. The national teams don’t really have enough time to mesh in the way we expect to see at UConn. Olivia certainly dominated in the summer games here and abroad.

Anyway, after watching every scrap of video I had the patience to find, I think the salient feature of Olivia’s offense is availability. She moves really well and with a purpose both in transition and in the half court offense. Above all, she makes herself available for passes and screens. I suspect this is what people saw who wanted to compare her to Mama Stef. They share this quality.

In a couple of interviews I’ve seen, Olivia compares herself to Stewie — “I work from the outside in” — and you can see why. She’s not as quick as Stewie and doesn’t have the same handles in the open floor. But she thinks like Stewie did as a freshman. And she knows how to get her shot off in a crowded paint space. Her long arms and broad shoulders certainly help with this.

In the FIBA videos she can seem a bit passive on defense, though I think this may be an artifact of the Croatian national team more than a reflection of how Olivia wants to play. The AAU game clips show something similar. What little I’ve managed to see from CTK video shows a much more active defender and one who gets out in transition very quickly after blocks and long rebounds. She runs the floor well and her teammates know how to find her. A big running the break with the littles is a truly awesome thing to watch.

I hope Serah is able to do the same this season with KK Azzi and Sarah. If she can run in transition in addition to playing effectively in the halfcourt game Geno has a really good chance at winning #13. And I suspect this aspect of Olivia’s game will really flourish in Storrs over 4 years. I will be stunned if she doesn’t bring home a couple of NCs. Also, and this is way speculative since she’s only ranked #3 in this class, but I wouldn’t be surprised if after 4 years Olivia is a NPoY and finishes as the #1 pick for the W. That may be the consequence of getting to play for Geno, but also of playing with Sarah and Blanca.

 

[skyct]

UCONN would have won multiple titles with Collier.

Collier was older (2 or 3 years) than Boston so Boston's decision came years after Collier.

Actually they are 1 year apart, class of 2018 vs 2019.

 

[Gael]

There's a lot of talk about high school Vukosa vs. Dolson and Stewart. I've attended games of all three in high school and have an opinion on that.

Vukosa is not as gifted as Stewart, who was (and is) close to sui generis. Vukosa doesn't have Stewart's mobility, aerobatics, hops, or ability to be a shoot-drive threat from all points on the floor. But how many 6-4 players do!

On the other hand, Vukosa is further advanced both offensively and defensively than Dolson was as a junior in high school.

Both have right and left low post moves. Drops steps. Up-and-unders. Reverse up-and-unders.

Vukosa is superior as a ball handler, who even dribble-leads fast breaks for CTK. She is a crip passer while on the move or while drawing hordes of attention on the low block.

Vukosa is definitely a better outside shooter than Dolson. I don't recall Dolson taking 3pt shots in high school, and she attempted only three in her first two years at UConn (all missed). (Stef became a very good 3pt shooter later in the WNBA.) Vukosa regularly shoots 3pt shots in high school and probably makes them in the mid to high 30% range. At the longer distance college three-point arc, Vukosa could be a 35% three-point threat, as well as being an ambidextrous low paint threat.

Vukosa has played against much tougher high school and international competition than Dolson (and Stewart). One consequence is that she seems to be a more sophisticated defender than Dolson was in high school. They are similar in rebounding ability, neither having above average hops but both knowing how to use their bulk to box out and otherwise gain advantages.

Dolson developed into an accomplished screener and high post passer at UConn. I see no physical or basketball IQ reason why Vukosa can't become the same at those skills.

The very first time I saw Dolson was in a high school all-star type of game. She did nothing and I barely noticed her.

The first time I saw Vukosa in a high school game last season my reaction was: "She could start at UConn right now." That UConn team won the NC. I still believe she could have. And she should be a lot better when she arrives at UConn than when I first saw her at 16. But . . . not Stewie good.

A lot of things can happen to a player's development in college—positive and negative, surprising and disappointing—but I expect the Big O to be the right piece for UConn, AAt the right time.

 

[Gael]

It’s hard to find game video of Olivia at CTK other than brief highlights clips.

Bone Dog, CTK has a YouTube channel on which they post some of their sports contests. I've been in their gym while they were videoing girls basketball games from a crow's nest high in the bleachers. The quality isn't great. Just a guess, but I suspect they'll shoot and post more of the girls varsity team games this coming season. You could email coach Bob Mackey and ask him.

For example, I was at this game:

 

[KCD]

Like everyone else here, I had a good idea that Sarah was going to be great. But I hadn’t expected that she’d start from day one. And then she did and now in hindsight even us fans can see why. I have to wonder if Olivia will start from day one.

I know, bigs take longer to develop, etc. And nobody starts immediately for Geno … except maybe Paige. And Sarah. Could Olivia be another one? Given the options — Jana Ice and Gandy — she could well win the job in early practices. Of course, a lot depends on how much of her potential Jana will have recovered by her third season. That initial injury really set her back quite a bit. If she still plays with the limits she displayed this past season, I suspect Olivia might well win the starting job over next summer. On the other hand, if Jana has rebuilt her game and become a cagey veteran, she’ll be hard to beat.

Either way, the frontcourt depth that will support Sarah’s quest for multiple NCs will be formidable, maybe the best in D1:

• 25-26 Jana Ice Gandy Blanca Ayanna
• 26-27 Jana Olivia Gandy Blanca
• 27-28 Jana Olivia Gandy Blanca plus whoever Geno gets next.

Whatever happens, Geno will have given Sarah & Co all the ingredients to dominate for all four years.

Now I find myself wondering who Olivia will have by her side for her final two campaigns. Once you let your imagination run, it gets addictive.

The thought I keep returning to is that Geno did his best to build a dynasty around Paige and was thwarted by injuries. Now that he has another GOAT in Sarah, he’s doing the same for her. She got the immense benefit of playing next to the outgoing GOAT, a chance to settle herself into the role and to see what true greatness looks like up close. I can’t imagination a better way for Sarah’s career to have begun. And to extend the thought, Olivia will get a two season long tutorial from Sarah about how to carry a team all the way. I have a feeling she will drink in every bit of those lessons.

For 25-26, you are forgetting Serah W.

 

[Bone Dog]

For 25-26, you are forgetting Serah W.

Is she a freshman? That’s what the first half of my post was talking about, freshmen who started for Geno. Serah will probably start, I expect, but not as a freshman.

The second half of the post was about depth for each season not starters. My error was to include Olivia as ‘depth’ for the subsequent seasons, since I was already thinking she might be a starter in 26-27.

 

[uconnfan68]

Collier's lack of long-term success was always a
puzzlement to my wife and myself. It is (perhaps)
one of a few examples of why "BIGS" should be
considering UCONN (as well, of course, why many
players of all positions... meaning for me (today)...
the decision of Jerzy Robinson!!)

If memory serves, Collier didn't come here because of the devastating rain and flooding of her home area. She chose to stay closer to family.

 

[hoophuskee]

If memory serves, Collier didn't come here because of the devastating rain and flooding of her home area. She chose to stay closer to family.

Don't agree. She gave the verbal before the hurricane. Quickly after the hurricane she backed out stating she needs to be with her family. Her family was hit by the hurricane. Oh well not important.

Off-topic - praying for those that have to deal with Melissa. What a devastating monster.

 

[hoophuskee]

I was comparing their skill sets and overall size........Dolson's secret weapon was her desire and her smarts....

Stef was extremely underrated with her skill and abiliites coming out of H/S. She was regarded as the best center in her class. Yet part or much or whatever of her rating was that she was getting knocked (imo too hard) because she didn't do much in AAU and/or wasn't great one-on-one. In an unstructured game a player like Dolson was never going to shine. I don't know if they stil rank the same way now but back then they counted too much on how well you can go one-on-one too. That's why Kelly Farris was ranked "46" by at least one service.

Anyhow, imo The Big O's awareness is tremendous. That along with her passing skills when she gets ball in low post won't show much in an All-Star game or anything unstructured. Thus it's what you're saying imo is spot on for both with OV just being better. We got a real real good player. 😀

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Stef was extremely underrated with her skill and abiliites coming out of H/S. She was regarded as the best center in her class. Yet part or much or whatever of her rating was that she was getting knocked (imo too hard) because she didn't do much in AAU and/or wasn't great one-on-one. In an unstructured game a player like Dolson was never going to shine. I don't know if they stil rank the same way now but back then they counted a lot how well you can go one-on-one too. That's why Kelly Farris was ranked "46" by at least one service.

Anyhow, imo The Big O's awareness is tremendous. That along with her passing skills when she gets ball in low post won't show much in an All-Star game or anything unstructured. Thus it's what you're saying imo is spot on for both with OV just being better. We got a real real good player. 😀

Stef really showed her footwork in 3x3 for the Gold in the 2020 Olympics (competing in July, 2021).

Hopefully, OV will show her skills early in her first season, but the bigs tend to need more time.... I am hoping OV will adopt the Sarah Strong training plan!

Go Huskies!!!