Considering we ended this Big East Tournament one injury away from having to disqualify, it seems prudent to have 15 bodies on the roster. 14 and 15 in Nov can easily be 7 and 8 by March.
The Big East requires 7 healthy scholarship players.There is no minimum roster limit in the NCAA tournament.
The general rules, which apply to the regular season as well as to the tournament, say that you must have five players at the start of a game. But you are allowed to go down to as few as two during the game. Even one under certain circumstances.
Any special rules that conferences have adopted do not apply to any game during the tournament.
Normally I would agree 100% with the sentiment that we should build through recruitment. But the injury history of so many of our players makes me anxious. Can we realistically think that Azzi, Carol, Aubrey, and Ayanna will be reliably available and at the top of their game. Azzi has struggled to maintain the shooting touch she had as a recruit and freshman. To me that’s representative of the challenges faced by athletes recovering from major injury. Even Paige took awhile to get back up to speed. These four wonderful talented young athletes are almost a third of the team. I think UCONN would be gambling if it did not take the opportunity to deepen the bench. Probably don’t need more shooting guards- but having another solid point guard that could split time with KK and prevent the zebras from blocking our defensive intensity would be a nice luxury. I also like the previously mentioned idea of adding another post so we can play fast with fresh legs.I don't beleive Geno has to go to the portal. He has 13 players right now.
Yes it is a young team in many respects, but this is how you keep the program relevant.
Develop the young talent. Live with their mistakes. Encourage them at every opportunity. Geno has the frontline depth now. No question he has the guards.
He may surprise us all and play 10+ players a game.
The Big East Tournament there is, which is what my post was about. With Aaliyah out with a broken nose we were one injury away from disqualifying.There is no minimum roster limit in the NCAA tournament.
The general rules, which apply to the regular season as well as to the tournament, say that you must have five players at the start of a game. But you are allowed to go down to as few as two during the game. Even one under certain circumstances.
Any special rules that conferences have adopted do not apply to any game during the tournament.
I was impressed by her play in the tournament.......... she can shoot and has good rebounding skills.......I suspect she will stay out West possibly to Stanford or UCLA but if she wants to appreciate all four seasons UConn would be as good a spot as any..........can we make a package deal for Beers if she enters the portal too?She’s 6’3”, mostly a stretch-4 (over half of her attempts were from three) but can also score in the post and mid-range. Shot 39.5% from three and 88.5% on free throws.
and she rebounds at 7 a game for a non starter! She’s everything we can only hope Ice can become as a shooter but ALREADY IS. Until Beers declares, she’s my #1 portal focus. If and when Beers enters make it a double order of Beavers for me!She’s 6’3”, mostly a stretch-4 (over half of her attempts were from three) but can also score in the post and mid-range. Shot 39.5% from three and 88.5% on free throws.
Get with the times Geno, I mean Martin.I’d prefer to watch our players develop.
Plus 2024, Paopao.The last NCAA championships since UConn won in 2016 and notable transfers:
2017 South Carolina: Davis and Gray
2018 Notre Dame: Shepard
2019 Baylor: Jackson
2021 Stanford: None?
2022 South Carolina: Cardoso
2023 LSU: Reese, Morris, Williams, Carson, Poole
2024 South Carolina: Cardoso
In 6 of the last 7 championships, a key transfer was instrumental in getting her team the win. I think it's a mistake not to utilize the portal.
AgreedSorry but I rather watch our incoming and current players develop then add players through the portal and potentially lose current players because they aren't playing or getting minutes.
I tend to agree, but no doubt this is a lot better for the athletes and doesn't involve rather odd waiver decisions.All things considered, I encourage Geno to slip into the portal for some frontcourt help. My strong preference would be for a grad transfer (irrespective of the position).
I see a significant a difference between a grad transfer and the other version. I don't support the play immediately part of the undergrad transfer, but that toothpaste is out of the tube. A grad transfer rewards academic achievement: You did the work and you got your degree. And if in fact another school offers a graduate program of interest and your original school does not, and you have a year of eligibility left, then I support the transfer and the immediate opportunity to play. In sum, at least on paper, the grad transfer rewards academics. Beyond all that, a scholarship for a grad transfer does not take up a scholarship that could be used on a recruit in future years, and a recruit knows that that player will not be around when it comes her time to matriculate and lace them up.
The undergrad transfer does no such thing. It helps the rich stay rich or get richer. So I prefer UConn, with their preeminent brand, not engage in it, if possible. If Geno does go for an undergrad, he needs to walk a fine line (as others have noted) and not make a current young player feel like she's being recruited over.
I'm eager to see how it all turns out. Good luck, Geno.
Hailey Van Lith is a huuuuge liability on defense! She’s small, slow, and is a volume shooter. Please, No!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.
If we can land Caitlyn Chen it will be excellent to the program.
I saw her play couple times and she is very very good. She can move the ball, pass or make a shoot.
2024 didn’t Te-Hina Paopao transfer to SCar too ?The last NCAA championships since UConn won in 2016 and notable transfers:
2017 South Carolina: Davis and Gray
2018 Notre Dame: Shepard
2019 Baylor: Jackson
2021 Stanford: None?
2022 South Carolina: Cardoso
2023 LSU: Reese, Morris, Williams, Carson, Poole
2024 South Carolina: Cardoso
In 6 of the last 7 championships, a key transfer was instrumental in getting her team the win. I think it's a mistake not to utilize the portal.
All this talk about a big .. we need a rebounding machine and some one that can make bunnies that’s not all about size ..Chen is indeed a good player but does not fill a primary need which is a big! If he gets a good big first, then I could see going after Chen but even then it might be better to get two bigs! If they were available, of course. Who was the 6’4” girl some posters were talking about last week? How about her and Van Slooten? Of course, there are likely to be more entries into the portal in the next few days. Let’s hope a really good big becomes available.
Yeah, last I looked, Chen is not a rebounding machine, most of whom, I might add, are bigs!All this talk about a big .. we need a rebounding machine and some one that can make bunnies that’s not all about size ..
2024 didn’t Te-Hina Paopao transfer to SCar too ?
Even so, another big in the 6’4”+ range, if a good one becomes available, would suit me just fine. Given what we have gone through these past three+ years, It certainly won’t hurt to have an extra big in the cupboard!I agree with other posters on here, Geno should only sign somebody if it's a homerun. However, he shouldn't do it "just because" everyone else is. Nowadays, re-recruiting your own players to stay is an accomplishment. Look at how many Kim lost at LSU. UConn has the upper-hand next season with returning players and depth. Ice is a streaky gunner and I'd like to see her more poised and she can easily be our next Morgan Tuck.
We'll have the best backcourt in the country coming in. Griffin might surprise us all! Don't forget Caroline played great in the 2022 title game...all that happened this past year and we were ONE bad call away from another championship game appearance. Seeing how close Iowa came, we are just fine people! People on this board are OBSESSED with height, but a 6'2" post from Iowa tore us up!