Olivia Vukosa to UConn (merged) | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Olivia Vukosa to UConn (merged)

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I have some of the most mixed emotions and assessments (all good) of any top 3 recruit I have seen in over 30 years of following Geno and UConn Women's Basketball. Emotionally, I wanted the Big O as much as Paige and Azzi. Perfect fit-smart player, makes teammates better, special basketball skills. While we were all relatively certain that Paige and Azzi could come in and immediately be one of the best players in the country, Olivia will likely be a top 20 player but still has room to grow. Likely one of the reasons she picked UConn. Many forget that while Dolson was productive as a frosh, her skills greatly expanded once she got in "UConn shape," understood how to play better defense against quicker players, and collaborated with her guards (i.e. most high school guards don't come close to UConn's skills or use UConn's system). Great fit with a win-win for all. Thrilled for all UConn fans.
 
Watching a number of the many videos of the Big O, along with reading an article on Greenville Online, I have a couple of thoughts.

- Of her 5 finalists at least 3 (TX, LSU & tOSU) had a photo shoot with Olivia in a game uniform, something we will never, ever see so long as Geno is the HC at UConn. Wondering if she gets to keep the uni’s…. 😁

- As I watch Olivia’s array of offensive moves I have to keep reminding myself that she’s 6’4”. Her “spin cycle” driving layups with either hand are amazing. I can not wait until the first time she leaves a defender grasping for air in a UConn game as she spins by for a layup. 🤩

- SC was the 5th school listed among Olivia’s finalists. Evidently, she never made it down to Columbia for a visit and an opportunity to try on a Gamecock uniform. I guess when you know, you know… 😎

- There have been a number of comparisons of Olivia to both Steph & Stewie. While both comparisons are reasonably apt, as I watch her game, Olivia reminds me of a bigger version of Tuck, particularly with all her finishing moves around the basket along with her ability to step out and knock down 3’s.
 
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I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned here but Olivia self-reported her height as 6 ft 5 in this questionnaire she shared on her Instagram story last week

jrallstar.com

Fast Facts With Olivia Vukosa - Jr. All-Star Basketball

Get to know Olivia Vukosa a little better in this edition of Fast Facts! Check out her answers to a few quick questions about her game, goals, and […] More
jrallstar.com jrallstar.com
 
I get the impulse to compare Olivia to Mama Stef. I’d say Olivia is already further along the skills trajectory than I recall Stef being as a freshman. She has better handles, quicker feet and is at least as intuitive a rim protector. Above all, Olivia seems to be in much better shape than freshman Stef. What surprises me about Olivia though, and Stef developed this quickly too, is a decent perimeter game. Olivia seems to like shooting from the elbow extended beyond the arc. I haven’t seen a stat for this, but it wouldn’t surprise me to find out she shoots somewhere around 30% from three.
 
Can’t wait to watch her set picks for Sarah. Imagine trying to fight through that.
Also can’t wait to watch the pick and roll relationship with Sarah. They are both capable of picking and rolling. If the chemistry develops we could be in for something special.
 
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No surprise, but she seems humble, just a really nice kid who happens to be unusually good at basketball.

IMG_3129.jpeg
 
oldude said:
Watching a number of the many videos of the Big O, along with reading an article on Greenville Online, I have a couple of thoughts.

- Of her 5 finalists at least 3 (TX, LSU & tOSU) had a photo shoot with Olivia in a game uniform, something we will never, ever see so long as Geno is the HC at UConn. Wondering if she gets to keep the uni’s…. 😁

- As I watch Olivia’s array of offensive moves I have to keep reminding myself that she’s 6’4”. Her “spin cycle” driving layups with either hand are amazing. I can not wait until the first time she leaves a defender grasping for air in a UConn game as she spins by for a layup. 🤩

- SC was the 5th school listed among Olivia’s finalists. Evidently, she never made it down to Columbia for a visit and an opportunity to try on a Gamecock uniform. I guess when you know, you know… 😎

- There have been a number of comparisons of Olivia to both Steph & Stewie. While both comparisons are reasonably apt, as I watch her game, Olivia reminds me of a bigger version of Tuck, particularly with all her finishing moves around the basket along with her ability to step out and knock down 3’s.
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1) Nah, those are just props for the photoshoots.
2) Agreed. Notice that she does a few things that a lot of current college posts don't understand yet. When she catches within 10 feet she immediately recognizes options and there's no hesitation and no trying to avoid contact. It's not always smooth but she goes hard at the rack and there's no fallaway crap. And defensively there's no swatting, she goes right for where the release is coming.
3) She enjoyed the recruiting process all the way through as she should have. But she "knew" all along for the last couple years. 😉
4) Good comparison on Tuck. And if she learns and understands the defensive communication from the paint like Tuck, she'll be outstanding.
 
BobbyJ said:
It's not always smooth but she goes hard at the rack and there's no fallaway crap. And defensively there's no swatting, she goes right for where the release is coming.
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I agree on both counts. 6’2” players need to have a fall away shot. But at 6’4” a fall away can be more of a liability than an asset. It forfeits the chance of creating fouls through the inevitable contact, and with Olivia’s quick feet and release on those spin moves she is likely to generate a lot of fouls on opposing posts. And with her long arms (and they look really long to me) getting her shot off doesn’t look to be a problem.

And the swatting thing drives me crazy. It’s what whistle happy refs look for. Merely nudging the ball upwards is often enough to force a miss and avoid a foul, and makes it possible to simply grab the ball a moment later. Sarah hardly ever swats and seems to understand this same thing intuitively. I’m not sure if Serah has this same wisdom yet.
 
oldude said:
Watching a number of the many videos of the Big O, along with reading an article on Greenville Online, I have a couple of thoughts.

- Of her 5 finalists at least 3 (TX, LSU & tOSU) had a photo shoot with Olivia in a game uniform, something we will never, ever see so long as Geno is the HC at UConn. Wondering if she gets to keep the uni’s…. 😁

- As I watch Olivia’s array of offensive moves I have to keep reminding myself that she’s 6’4”. Her “spin cycle” driving layups with either hand are amazing. I can not wait until the first time she leaves a defender grasping for air in a UConn game as she spins by for a layup. 🤩

- SC was the 5th school listed among Olivia’s finalists. Evidently, she never made it down to Columbia for a visit and an opportunity to try on a Gamecock uniform. I guess when you know, you know… 😎

- There have been a number of comparisons of Olivia to both Steph & Stewie. While both comparisons are reasonably apt, as I watch her game, Olivia reminds me of a bigger version of Tuck, particularly with all her finishing moves around the basket along with her ability to step out and knock down 3’s.
Expand ...
How about Rebecca Lobo as a comparison?
 
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BobbyJ said:
1) Nah, those are just props for the photoshoots.
2) Agreed. Notice that she does a few things that a lot of current college posts don't understand yet. When she catches within 10 feet she immediately recognizes options and there's no hesitation and no trying to avoid contact. It's not always smooth but she goes hard at the rack and there's no fallaway crap. And defensively there's no swatting, she goes right for where the release is coming.
3) She enjoyed the recruiting process all the way through as she should have. But she "knew" all along for the last couple years. 😉
4) Good comparison on Tuck. And if she learns and understands the defensive communication from the paint like Tuck, she'll be outstanding.
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Tuck was all about getting great inside position and fantastic footwork.......if "O" develops those skills, she will be virtually unstoppable...
 
Charliebball said:
Tuck was all about getting great inside position and fantastic footwork.......if "O" develops those skills, she will be virtually unstoppable...
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Yes, that will help because the smart D1 coaches will prepare their players for that spin move. Also, to improve on the skills she already has, will make her an AA candidate for sure.
 
donalddoowop said:
Yes, that will help because the smart D1 coaches will prepare their players for that spin move. Also, to improve on the skills she already has, will make her an AA candidate for sure.
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If that’s all she has, it will be scouted soon enough. But given the full arsenal, I don’t think there is a way to prepare for that move.
 
Stronga12 said:
I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned here but Olivia self-reported her height as 6 ft 5 in this questionnaire she shared on her Instagram story last week

jrallstar.com

Fast Facts With Olivia Vukosa - Jr. All-Star Basketball

Get to know Olivia Vukosa a little better in this edition of Fast Facts! Check out her answers to a few quick questions about her game, goals, and […] More
jrallstar.com jrallstar.com
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Which could be closer to accurate when seeing her in pictures with Tina and ONO.
 
FanSince17 said:
How about Rebecca Lobo as a comparison?
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Yes, another appropriate comparison to be sure. But Olivia appears to have a more extensive tool box than Rebecca, Steph and possibly even Stewie when it comes to offensive moves in the paint. Her ability to develop and utilize those tools at the D1 level will be something to behold.
 
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Stronga12 said:
I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned here but Olivia self-reported her height as 6 ft 5 in this questionnaire she shared on her Instagram story last week

jrallstar.com

Fast Facts With Olivia Vukosa - Jr. All-Star Basketball

Get to know Olivia Vukosa a little better in this edition of Fast Facts! Check out her answers to a few quick questions about her game, goals, and […] More
jrallstar.com jrallstar.com
Expand ...
I am also not surprised that she lists Stewie as her favorite WNBA player. It’s clear that she aspires to be as active a player. She is absolutely not a lumbering post player. It also gets me wondering about her wingspan. Her arms are long, though perhaps not as long as Stewie’s. And she’d rather make a game winning block than a game winning shot. That suits a Stewie fan.
 
Vukosa, the No. 3 prospect in the Class of 2026, committed to the Huskies later that weekend during an evening at coach Geno Auriemma’s house. The 6-foot-4 forward had no intention of making a decision when she arrived in Storrs — she was still scheduled to take her last official visit to South Carolina later this month — but Vukosa felt certain that she’d already found her new home.

...

“(Auriemma) is always on top of everybody, and he’ll call anyone out on anything. He has no shame in doing it,” Vukosa said. “Mackey and (assistant coach Joe DeLuca) here are always on me about doing my best and pushing and keeping going, and there’s always that next step. Geno was doing the same thing with Sarah Strong in practice that day, and I just knew that I wanted to be a part of that.”

...


In Vukosa, Mackey said he sees the same relentless work ethic that made Charles and Bird great during their high school days.

“She’ll finish a drill, get back up in the front of the line and go again because she didn’t feel it was right,” Mackey said. “You’ve got to, once in a while, say, ‘Get off the line. Stop, just breathe for a minute.’ .. She’s got a great engine, loves the game. She’s definitely an aficionado. She loves to watch and study the game, and I think the ceiling is endless.”



 
Sluconn Husky said:
Vukosa, the No. 3 prospect in the Class of 2026, committed to the Huskies later that weekend during an evening at coach Geno Auriemma’s house. The 6-foot-4 forward had no intention of making a decision when she arrived in Storrs — she was still scheduled to take her last official visit to South Carolina later this month — but Vukosa felt certain that she’d already found her new home.

...

“(Auriemma) is always on top of everybody, and he’ll call anyone out on anything. He has no shame in doing it,” Vukosa said. “Mackey and (assistant coach Joe DeLuca) here are always on me about doing my best and pushing and keeping going, and there’s always that next step. Geno was doing the same thing with Sarah Strong in practice that day, and I just knew that I wanted to be a part of that.”

...


In Vukosa, Mackey said he sees the same relentless work ethic that made Charles and Bird great during their high school days.

“She’ll finish a drill, get back up in the front of the line and go again because she didn’t feel it was right,” Mackey said. “You’ve got to, once in a while, say, ‘Get off the line. Stop, just breathe for a minute.’ .. She’s got a great engine, loves the game. She’s definitely an aficionado. She loves to watch and study the game, and I think the ceiling is endless.”



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Dinner at the Auriemma house is the ultimate closer for recruits. 😉
 
RoadMaster said:
Swipe..
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Let's reflect on what we saw on these video clips:
She can bury 3's
She can pass
She can shoot with either hand in the post
She can run the floor (kinda like SS)
She can defend She is extremely coordinated.

I think we might have a good one (sarcasm)

After watching our blow out of UCLA, Olivia looks like a MORE skilled version of Lauren Betts!

While others could fill in the following 2026-27 starting 5, can you imagine OV, SS, BQ, KK and Ash or as a pretty darn good alternative; JEA (or Gandy), AP (or ICE), MC, AZ, and K9 (or Big Fish).

I would guess that Geno might be satisfied with one more recruit (a high-level scoring SG) to go along with Olivia for a squad of 14. A team like that would cover, WITH DEPTH, all 5 positions and lose (sorry Tonyc, not loose) only KK, Ash and ICE to graduation for the following year; 2027-28
 
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DEpup said:
Which could be closer to accurate when seeing her in pictures with Tina and ONO.
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I looked on the Croatian roster and they list her as 194 cm which is 6' 4" plus 0.38 inches so just under 6' 4 1/2 inches...
 
oldude said:
Yes, another appropriate comparison to be sure. But Olivia appears to have a more extensive tool box than Rebecca, Steph and possibly even Stewie when it comes to offensive moves in the paint. Her ability to develop and utilize those tools at the D1 level will be something to behold.
Expand ...
Kevin McHale? That was some toolbox...
 
Charliebball said:
Hopefully she's going to be a more mobile and skilled version of a certain Steph Dolson.....
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Stephanie was one of my all-time favorite Huskies. From Port Jervis, she was big and slow her freshman year, but Geno saw a lot of desire there, and the coaches worked really hard to transform her into AA. I believe Geno once remarked that if he had five Dolsons out on the court, no team could touch them.
 
OldSchooler said:
Thank you for that. Very impressive. But we're told she also has an outside shot. Unfortunately, this highlight reel shows no outside shooting.
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If you search YouTube for Vukosa you can find video of her shooting 3s. She has a nice shooting form. I haven’t seen any stats on her %.
 
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