Portal Shopping List

[TCC Kid]

But we desperately need a strong post. Will El Alfy rebound and be able to play a normal schedule after her horrible injury? That would be great. But it would still mean that we're terribly undersized in the front court: just the 6'6" el Alfy and 6'3" Ice Brady. Strong is much more a tall guard, and that at 6'2".

We need to acquire a big post from the Portal. Serious need.

Perennial problem, constant solution: Then everyone works their tail off to make the Transfer fit. Dorka was a fit, but she didn't just slide in. I hope Strong is a Strong fit. However, she is more Morrow than Dolson. I'd take Dolson every day.

 

[Dogstar]

+1.... or Kiki.... or Beers.

Lucy Olsen is not coming to UConn to be the sixth guard when she can go to any number of very good programs and start immediately with a chance at a Sweet Sixteen or better. Nor is Geno going to bring in someone who expects starter minutes when he just got done recruiting 6 guards in the last two classes. Never. Going. To. Happen.

This is why I don't understand the interest in Chen, the team's literally a"'Guards R Us" now. Imo KiKi, Beers or maybe both would have UConn looking very comfortable in the 1-5 positions. I also thk the days of a 6 or 7 player rotation are coming to and end, too much talent out there now which is good for the growth of the sport (WNBA also) in the long run.

 

[DEpup]

The way I look at these two spots and the portal is I'd like two individuals with 1-2 years of eligibility left tops like a Lou or Dorka. A very good player who is looking to get coached by the best and build skills for the next level just like Lou/Dorka were doing.

I also look at these spots as injury insurance policies.

With that said, I'd like a KK primary PG with head of the snake one on one isolation guard defense skill. I say this because right now we don't have a KK stand in if she gets hurt until Kelis arrives next year. I would rather not have to move Paige over and all of the sudden force her to be the 1 guard for weeks or months if KK gets hurt. Just too disruptive.

I think we also need a post player as insurance if Jana isn't ready yet to start or Ayanna isn't fully up to speed in November or Aubrey doesn't really return till January. Ice is also a tossup since I'm not sure whether we'll get the BE tournament Ice or the other 30+ game Ice... I'm sure Geno knows more but right now the post health and experience situation seems uncertain from my vantage point so insurance is needed.

 

[Topdawg]

The logic behind my interest in one guard and one big is as follows:

1. I start with the team we had at the end of this season. We lost a point guard and a forward to the NBA draft. We need replacements for those.
2. It is not clear when the injured players will be at full strength, so even if some of them are the replacements, their status and availability is not known to us.
3. We have had a few unusual years where the freshmen have been forced to grow up faster than usual. We have also had to take on players (e.g., Ines) to fill critical gaps.

So, we need a big who can play starter minutes and can work with Jana and Ice to defend the post. We need a guard who can handle the ball, can defend well, and can pass so Paige can focus on scoring and making plays. We have a new crop of players joining the team. Over time, they will learn to contribute. The injured players can manage their return to form judiciously.

I wish for our women's team to have a deep and capable bench just like our men's team and return to championship winning form!

 

[Bone Dog]

But we desperately need a strong post. Will El Alfy rebound and be able to play a normal schedule after her horrible injury? That would be great. But it would still mean that we're terribly undersized in the front court: just the 6'6" el Alfy and 6'3" Ice Brady. Strong is much more a tall guard, and that at 6'2".

I don’t get this sentiment. “Terribly undersized”? The list you just rattled off is a very large team not an undersized one. It’s true that we don’t have a second 6’5” player to backup Jana. But we have a lot of big strong kids. 6’5” 6’3” 6’2” 6’2” 6’2” 6’2” is a very large team — larger than almost any team we’ll meet.

I’d like to see a backup post player besides Ice for Jana. But that’s not a desperate need. Remember, we just made the final four with only Aaliyah and Ice. That’s it. It’s time for folks to reflect on who Geno is and what he’s built here. One thing we ought to have learned is that Geno can run a small team — Paige Azzi KK Ash and Sarah — and press opponents relentlessly. He now has the roster for that. Or he can run a big team, with Jana Sarah Paige Aubrey and Morgan on the floor at once and not sacrifice speed. Think of the possibilities!!!

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[AmeriConn]

Let’s get the 2 best players in the portal. I want to hear people say, “Wow, the rich get richer.”

 

[UcMiami]

I get the desire for 'More', we all know that greed is good!
BUT ....
We all also want to see the players on the team develop and we frequently complain that Geno doesn't play _____ enough. Well a balanced distribution of minutes for a 15 player roster gives everyone 13 minutes/game, and then everyone will complain that Paige needs a lot more minutes! So if she gets 27 minutes then the other 14 get only 12 minutes, and there will be others we want to see play more, too.

So ... if a player who is of AA quality is interested in coming to Uconn, it is certainly hard to turn them down, but they will not come for bench minutes which means significant cuts to minutes from someone already on the team. I do not see Geno doing that for anyone but a post player, and one for whom he can envisage taking hard coaching and being able to integrate quickly. He has two such players already on the roster in Ice and Jana, and he just signed another who was the #1 recruit in the country. They need minutes to develop.

I think a 1 year rental, which would be a player like Weimar from Boston U could slot in - she will be moving up in class and may be open to a smaller share of minutes to get the coaching and visibility. The other possibility would be Kiki if she decides to leave Stanford but she would expect major minutes that would cut into the current roster's development.

As soon as you look at a player like Beers (if she too enters the portal), who would be expecting major minutes for multiple years (2), you are saying your current roster is going to have their minutes/development curtailed for 2 years. And you are starting to cramp you 2025 and beyond recruiting. That is a significant consideration - instant gratification, but possible future pain.

The third possibility I see is freshman/juco transfers with 3 year availability like Davis out of juco. They fall into the 'developmental'/'insurance' category - they will get the minutes they earn in competition with the current roster posts and the chips will fall where they may. If they work great, if they do not develop, they move to the end of the bench and might transfer again. They may clog the recruiting picture later, but you have more time to develop them.

As far as Guards ... I think we are well set, but adding a player moving up in competition for a single year like Chen would be OK. Taking someone for 2 or more years might impact current commits and future targets and I don't think that is something Geno is likely to do.

On the injury situation - I think Geno has a good handle on how the rehab is going and when they will be available - and you really can't build a team in expectation of injuries recurring. Maybe some will not be ready for full participation on opening day, but enough will be.

 

[Bone Dog]

I get the desire for 'More', we all know that greed is good!
BUT ....
We all also want to see the players on the team develop and we frequently complain that Geno doesn't play _____ enough. Well a balanced distribution of minutes for a 15 player roster gives everyone 13 minutes/game, and then everyone will complain that Paige needs a lot more minutes! So if she gets 27 minutes then the other 14 get only 12 minutes, and there will be others we want to see play more, too.

So ... if a player who is of AA quality is interested in coming to Uconn, it is certainly hard to turn them down, but they will not come for bench minutes which means significant cuts to minutes from someone already on the team. I do not see Geno doing that for anyone but a post player, and one for whom he can envisage taking hard coaching and being able to integrate quickly. He has two such players already on the roster in Ice and Jana, and he just signed another who was the #1 recruit in the country. They need minutes to develop.

I think a 1 year rental, which would be a player like Weimar from Boston U could slot in - she will be moving up in class and may be open to a smaller share of minutes to get the coaching and visibility. The other possibility would be Kiki if she decides to leave Stanford but she would expect major minutes that would cut into the current roster's development.

As soon as you look at a player like Beers (if she too enters the portal), who would be expecting major minutes for multiple years (2), you are saying your current roster is going to have their minutes/development curtailed for 2 years. And you are starting to cramp you 2025 and beyond recruiting. That is a significant consideration - instant gratification, but possible future pain.

The third possibility I see is freshman/juco transfers with 3 year availability like Davis out of juco. They fall into the 'developmental'/'insurance' category - they will get the minutes they earn in competition with the current roster posts and the chips will fall where they may. If they work great, if they do not develop, they move to the end of the bench and might transfer again. They may clog the recruiting picture later, but you have more time to develop them.

As far as Guards ... I think we are well set, but adding a player moving up in competition for a single year like Chen would be OK. Taking someone for 2 or more years might impact current commits and future targets and I don't think that is something Geno is likely to do.

On the injury situation - I think Geno has a good handle on how the rehab is going and when they will be available - and you really can't build a team in expectation of injuries recurring. Maybe some will not be ready for full participation on opening day, but enough will be.

Very well said. Especially about the cost to recruitment and current players. Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[asuwish]

If I offered my two cents on this thread I would probably get back change...that is how little I know about who is in the portal, who Geno, et al. is interested in, who would consider spending their last year at UConn knowing that they will not be getting 30 plus minutes, and is there a strategy by coaches to grab the player that they think could hurt them the most before another coach grabs the player. There are a lot of variables that go into playing the transfer portal. And, here is the rub...with the impact players have had when coaches have used the portal I don't think elite coaches can ignore it. Additionally, taking players from the portal could produce a negative effect on the chemistry of a team. Players who stayed may have anticipated where they would fit into the rotation but now, they may have to recalibrate that preconception. We were extremely lucky when we were able to pick up Dorka Juhasz and Lou Lopez Senechal and more than likely, because of that success and because of the reasons above I don't see how Geno could not take a serious look at who is in the transfer portal.

The question becomes where in the lineup does Geno and his staff believe that UConn needs the help. He certainly knows more than we do about when the injured players will be returning to active status. So, does he go with an established big to add confidence to the front court? Does he go with a proven point guard to try and mitigate the loss of Nika Muhl and to add more strength to the back-court? Or, does he split the baby and go with one established big and one proven point guard? What is certain is that the temptation will be hard to resist. It is like a second bite at the apple and it is possible to pick up a quality player that the program was not in the running for during the recruiting cycle.

My wish list would include a quality big who is unselfish and doesn't mind playing 20-some minutes and who buys into UConn's desire to win its 12th championship. I would also like to have a quality, proven point guard because with Nika gone...and all the quality shooters we have in the back-court and at the small forward position...should KK find herself in foul trouble or God forbid on the injured list we would need someone who can be counted on in that position.

Anyone that Geno would take from the transfer portal would have to accept that the plethora of talent that UConn will be able to put on the floor will be beyond ridiculous and as a result, will be looking at playing 20-22 minutes maximum. It may be hard for a player who only has one year of eligibility left and wants to ascend to the WNBA to accept that reality.

Players that have to play next year are:

1. Paige Bueckers - the best player in America
2. Azzi Fudd - the best three-point shooter in America
3. Jana El Alfy - 6'5" Geno says, "wait until you see her play".
4. Ice Brady - A lot of time has been invested in her this past season and the "Sophomore Jump" should see much improvement.
5. Caroline Ducharme - I hope people haven't forgotten how good she is.
6. Aubrey Griffin - Why? Because! Well, I can't leave it there...how many times have you heard that Aubrey's
athleticism is unmatched?
7. Ashlynn Shade - she was there when Geno needed her, she started almost the entire season, and not only played steady, but, she showed improvement throughout the season even though she didn't have the greatest NCAA tournament.
8. KK Arnold - she is the fastest player getting downhill, her defense is tenacious, she was another player who was there for Geno when the injuries began to pile up, and she had a decent post-season.
9. Ayanna Patterson - She needs to be given a chance since she was a sub in the 2022-23 season before she was injured and had to sit out the 2023-24 season.
10. Sarah Strong - the number one recruit in the nation...she has to play
11. Allie Ziebel - The kid is just too good a shooter to not let her play.
12. Morgan Chelli - 6'2" guard...that is hard to find and she wasn't a Nike All-Star for nothing.
13. Qadence Samuels - Gave some good minutes during the 2023-24 season, a good three-point shooter...a long 6'0".

If you add two more quality players from the transfer portal, where are all the minutes going to come from? You only have 200 minutes to spread around.

Paige - 24 minutes
Azzi - 20 minutes
Sarah - 17 minutes
Jana El Alfy - 17 minutes
Ice Brady - 17 minutes
Ayana Patterson - 10 minutes
KK Arnold - 18 minutes
Ashlynn Shade - 15 minutes
Caroline - 17 minutes
Aubrey Griffin - 18 minutes
Qadence Samuels - 12 minutes
Allie Ziebel - 8 minutes
Morgan Chelli - 7 minutes.

200 minutes...managing minutes is going to be Geno's biggest challenge with this squad. If he adds two players from the transfer portal it will only make it more difficult. It wouldn't surprise me if Geno forgoes the portal this season...but who knows? I sure don't!

Geno may limit Caroline Azzi and Aubrey to keep them healthy. I don't know what that would look like if they are completely cleared to play. With all the guards I think Allie will not see a lot her freshman year but by year 2 find her spot. A player like Kiki gives us the length and speed to match up with a player like Watkins. I said it before but a proven inside player is what we lack. None of our front court players have proven they will dominate. He has one more shot with Paige so load up and go for it!

 

[Cuango]

Iriafen is the one!!!

 

[jeff30189]

This is why I don't understand the interest in Chen, the team's literally a"'Guards R Us" now. Imo KiKi, Beers or maybe both would have UConn looking very comfortable in the 1-5 positions.

What he said. Olsen, Chen or any other instant starter at a P5 program is not coming to UConn... nor should we want them. Depth up front is our achilles heel - there is plenty of size already, but it's all very much unproven size of unknown potential.

• Jana hasn't played a minute of college ball and is the recipient of the same hype heaped upon Ayanna, Ice and Amari... 'nuff said.
• Ayanna and Ice - inconsistent freshmen seasons with some highs, alot more lows and even more questions. Haven't lived up to their initial pre-UConn expectations.
• Strong is a wing and hasn't played a minute either. She has some size, she's a adequate rebounder, but she's not playing the post.
• The rest of the 6'1 and 6'2 "size" consists of Caroline, Audrey and Ice - good rebounders for their size, but not playing the post.

That leaves six guards: Paige (proven star), Azzi (proven star), Ash (proven starter), KK (proven starter) and the two incoming freshmen.

With 2 open roster spots which group looks like they need the most help? Front court or back court?

 

[darrell]

Perennial problem, constant solution: Then everyone works their tail off to make the Transfer fit. Dorka was a fit, but she didn't just slide in. I hope Strong is a Strong fit. However, she is more Morrow than Dolson. I'd take Dolson every day.

Morrow can’t facilitate an offense like Sarah can, Sarah is also a MUCH better shooter than Morrow. Morrow’s rebounding and work ethic are unmatched, but Sarah has a much deeper offensive bag.

 

[boscolino]

Ajae Petty out of Kentucky is a solid player, very much similar to Aaliyah Edwards. She runs the floor well, strong rebounder, she knows how to finish. And maybe she will not pretend to play 35 minutes. A senior out from a good school. A good insurance policy, as Chen will be. Obviously Iriafen entrance into the portal will change everything.

 

[tchalla1]

Lots of great thoughts here, but not one mentions Hailey Van Lith. Controversial for sure, but think of the experience and knowledge of the top competition. Love to hear comments about her vs Chen.

I don't think there's any consideration of Hailey Van Lith--she doesn't bring anything to the table that UConn doesn't already have; she would have to be a role player and she isn't looking for that role. Plus, she is no point guard which is the position she wants to play... Chen is a much better fit.

 

[Dogstar]

What he said. Olsen, Chen or any other instant starter at a P5 program is not coming to UConn... nor should we want them. Depth up front is our achilles heel - there is plenty of size already, but it's all very much unproven size of unknown potential.

• Jana hasn't played a minute of college ball and is the recipient of the same hype heaped upon Ayanna, Ice and Amari... 'nuff said.
• Ayanna and Ice - inconsistent freshmen seasons with some highs, alot more lows and even more questions. Haven't lived up to their initial pre-UConn expectations.
• Strong is a wing and hasn't played a minute either. She has some size, she's a adequate rebounder, but she's not playing the post.
• The rest of the 6'1 and 6'2 "size" consists of Caroline, Audrey and Ice - good rebounders for their size, but not playing the post.

That leaves six guards: Paige (proven star), Azzi (proven star), Ash (proven starter), KK (proven starter) and the two incoming freshmen.

With 2 open roster spots which group looks like they need the most help? Front court or back court?

EXACTLY!!....I'm Dogstar and I approve this post

 

[tchalla1]

Indeed. My oversight.

...And I do believe Cardoso was very instrumental in the championship at SC, transferring from Syracuse.

 

[maple]

...And I do believe Cardoso was very instrumental in the championship at SC, transferring from Syracuse.

I still can't believe she was at Syracuse. I don't know if I'm just getting old, but I can't even remember watching her play there.

 

[tchalla1]

I still can't believe she was at Syracuse. I don't know if I'm just getting old, but I can't even remember watching her play there.

It does seem like eons ago--I remember when we played them and I remarked that Cardoso was just big and had no talent. I guess I missed on her like UConn did, lol...

 

[HuskyFan1125]

I still can't believe she was at Syracuse. I don't know if I'm just getting old, but I can't even remember watching her play there.

She was the ACC FOY.

Beat out the likes of Hailey Van Lith, Olivia Cochran, Deja Kelly, Maddie Westbeld, Jewel Spear and Georgia Amoore

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

I still can't believe she was at Syracuse. I don't know if I'm just getting old, but I can't even remember watching her play there.

I remember @ucbart telling me about her when she was at Syracuse.
He lives in the area.
As an aside, check out @ucbart's restaurant if you are in the Syracuse area - The Hops Spot

 

[maple]

I remember @ucbart telling me about her when she was at Syracuse.
He lives in the area.
As an aside, check out @ucbart's restaurant if you are in the Syracuse area - The Hops Spot

Oh, no way. I've been there before! Actually, a good friend of mine used to go there quite often after work. It's in a good spot downtown. I didn't know it was owned by a fellow BYer!!

 

[sdhoops]

If Kiki from Stanford enters the portal, the UCONN coaching staff and players better be all over that! Ever college program not named Stanford would want her on the team. That's a situation that you just can't pass up and you have to say sorry ___ (whoever gets scooted on down the line on the bench), we're trying to win a title here, not validate feelings. Her demeanor, her play and everything about her screams UCONN!

 

[ConnManFan]

My portal list is... no one. No need to bring in a rent-a-player for a year when we couled be developing our own home grown talent. Every one of our players was a top ranked high school player. Lets get them to develop into top ranked college players. Stay out of the portal.

 

[JBK]

My portal list is... no one. No need to bring in a rent-a-player for a year when we couled be developing our own home grown talent. Every one of our players was a top ranked high school player. Lets get them to develop into top ranked college players. Stay out of the portal.

Would you give Cam Spensor back. It is always smart to see what is available