Eric:
Congrats on Ms. Bueckers choosing UConn. As I've said, it's a beyond -good get for any school, particularly one that plays at the level of excellence that UConn does.
Glad you came over to the Bench. We don't bite (well at least most of us don't
...every board has its you know whats)....stay awhile once the season is over and blood pressures are down.
If you look there, you'll see a longstanding post at the top on recruiting and you'll see a familiar name assigned to it. And some of the most frequent contributors belong to two other Boneyard posters. As such, allow me to say I don't think the Bench was totally under the impression that Paige was ND-bound. Not in any way, shape or form. Some of her proponents have been very vocal in their support of Paige coming, but I don't recall more than a few "in the bag" comments.
In fact, there was a lot of "Paige vs. Caitlin" talk going on.
BTW, not everyone on every board (only a few of us crazed ones
) looks at every tea leaf. Sure in retrospect, it becomes a bit more obvious, but if all hints are prophecies, why is Aliyah Boston headed to S. Carolina?
Most Benchers are remarkably aware that the Irish just don't get the top recruits: we come close with Bri Turner or very close with Sam Brunelle and Jackie Young (depending on which service your looking at), but never quite the pinnacle coming out of high school. That's one reason why so many were excited about pursuing Paige Bueckers. But if you more than perused the Bench, you'd see that Caitlin Clark has also been in the "mutual interest" (Muffet's term) zone.
A sign that competition was tough was when Deja Kelly visited ND and ND, in turn, visited her in Texas.
So, I'm sure MM and company will bunker down, get some lessons learned and move on. We have not done too shabbily with either Sam B. and Anaya Peoples, who has an interesting blend of physical attributes, composure and leadership that will hopefully lend itself to winning. And in 2020, the still-growing (nearly 6'1") and still-improving Alli Campbell is coming aboard. Not as highly rated, but an improving, talented and hungry player, nonetheless.
Once again, tip of the hat. We're fine at the Bench (well if we had lost to Stanford, that might've been another story
). Our Irish will see you on Friday at Tampa and our coaches will see yours at other gyms in America.
