Recruiting: 2013 and such!

[HuskyFan1125]

Not that I have any new information I just want to read something else besides the current GA situation.

We are down to 3 recruits for 2013 (that we know of) and I was wondering what are chances are with any of them.

I am from/currently in Chicago and I hear absolutely nothing about Linnae Harper and where she wants to go. The paper here had her saying she was still "wide open in recruiting" and I am not sure how to take that exactly. She is a gem if we can land her.

Anybody have any information?

Go UCONN!!

 

[MikeBraddock]

Not that I have any new information I just want to read something else besides the current GA situation.

We are down to 3 recruits for 2013 (that we know of) and I was wondering what are chances are with any of them.

I am from/currently in Chicago and I hear absolutely nothing about Linnae Harper and where she wants to go. The paper here had her saying she was still "wide open in recruiting" and I am not sure how to take that exactly. She is a gem if we can land her.

Anybody have any information?

Go UCONN!!

I've always taken "wide open in recruiting" from a recruit to mean 'I don't even have a list yet' DA!

 

[EricLA]

i'd be shocked if any kid verbals to UCONN before knowing more about the current lawsuit situation, where it heads, and what the end result might be. it's not like the kids are running out of time to verbal. i 'd not be surprised, however, to end up with no one from the 2013 class. This lawsuit has nationwide attention and you can't minimize the impact it may end up having.

Even if Geno is completely exonerated, the damage to his name and the UCONN image has been permanently damaged. It remains to be seen how much it's been damaged and what can be done to recover and move forward... It may end up being very minimal, or it may end up being much worse...

 

[John Glass]

the lawsuit is frivolous

 

[HuskyMJ]

its not the lawsuit, its our 2012 class is amazing and the girls in the 2013 know it and aren't going to want to come right behind this class. it will take a special type of player to come in and sacrifice individual stuff like minutes per game or points in order to help the team win. we will have #1 recruit KML and #1 recruit Stewart back to back years. Mo Jeff best pg in the game. tuck showed at the all star games how good she was.

that is why DD, Reimer and whoever else went elsewhere they did not want to be role players and here thats what they would have to do until they were juniors or seniors.

 

[rjp172]

its not the lawsuit, its our 2012 class is amazing and the girls in the 2013 know it and aren't going to want to come right behind this class. it will take a special type of player to come in and sacrifice individual stuff like minutes per game or points in order to help the team win. we will have #1 recruit KML and #1 recruit Stewart back to back years. Mo Jeff best pg in the game. tuck showed at the all star games how good she was.

that is why DD, Reimer and whoever else went elsewhere they did not want to be role players and here thats what they would have to do until they were juniors or seniors.

DD and Reimer are legit and would get plenty of minutes wherever they went...including UConn. Without knowing you personally I think it's safe to assume that you don't know either one of them personally and have no personal knowledge as to why they made their decision. Both have spent plenty of time being role players with the national team. This assumption that every player that may not choose UConn is somehow a poor teammate or is selfish and unable to accept not being a star is silly practice.

 

[doggydaddy]

DD and Reimer are legit and would get plenty of minutes wherever they went...including UConn. Without knowing you personally I think it's safe to assume that you don't know either one of them personally and have no personal knowledge as to why they made their decision. Both have spent plenty of time being role players with the national team. This assumption that every player that may not choose UConn is somehow a poor teammate or is selfish and unable to accept not being a star is silly practice.

I don't know about Reimer, but it's not far fetched to think that one of the reasons DeShields decided to drop UConn and go to UNC was so she could be the #1 player on the team. At UConn, they would have established players in seniors Hartley and Dolson, Juniors Lewis, Stokes and Banks, and Sophs Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck.

While she would still get minutes, DeShields would not be the #1 player and in fact, WOULD be a role player her freshman year. Based on everthing we've read, it is possible that is a situation she didn't want to be in.

Nothing wrong with that thought process on any posters part, nothing wrong with DeShields feeling this way if she did and doesn't need to be made fun of.

 

[doggydaddy]

i'd be shocked if any kid verbals to UCONN before knowing more about the current lawsuit situation, where it heads, and what the end result might be. it's not like the kids are running out of time to verbal. i 'd not be surprised, however, to end up with no one from the 2013 class. This lawsuit has nationwide attention and you can't minimize the impact it may end up having.

Even if Geno is completely exonerated, the damage to his name and the UCONN image has been permanently damaged. It remains to be seen how much it's been damaged and what can be done to recover and move forward... It may end up being very minimal, or it may end up being much worse...

What more can a kid learn about the lawsuit by November, or even next spring if they are inclined to wait until then to commit? We have already learned that if it's going to trial it won't be for more than a year.

Players that are inclined to go to UConn will just pick up the phone and hear it from Geno himself. I would guess that if a recruit is worried about the situation, a conversation where Geno tells the player and her parents that none of this is true would be enough to make them comfortable with the situation. Geno has enough good will in his career to withstand a "he said/she said" situation as this appears to be.

 

[Sonny44]

I know what you are saying Doggy, but I can't help but think that the combination of the two factors would tip the scales against us for many girls over the next year at least.
I'm sure glad we got this class when we did.

 

[connboy77]

What more can a kid learn about the lawsuit by November, or even next spring if they are inclined to wait until then to commit? We have already learned that if it's going to trial it won't be for more than a year.

Players that are inclined to go to UConn will just pick up the phone and hear it from Geno himself. I would guess that if a recruit is worried about the situation, a conversation where Geno tells the player and her parents that none of this is true would be enough to make them comfortable with the situation. Geno has enough good will in his career to withstand a "he said/she said" situation as this appears to be.

That may not be a bad idea for Geno or one of his staff to pick up the phone and call the 2o13 and 2014 recruits on UCONN'S list to explain that Geno is completely innocent of these bogus allegations. My guess is that this has already been done.

 

[doggydaddy]

I know what you are saying Doggy, but I can't help but think that the combination of the two factors would tip the scales against us for many girls over the next year at least.
I'm sure glad we got this class when we did.

What two factors?

 

[HuskyMJ]

DD and Reimer are legit and would get plenty of minutes wherever they went...including UConn. Without knowing you personally I think it's safe to assume that you don't know either one of them personally and have no personal knowledge as to why they made their decision. Both have spent plenty of time being role players with the national team. This assumption that every player that may not choose UConn is somehow a poor teammate or is selfish and unable to accept not being a star is silly practice.

The national team is different everyone is trying out for one team no one has any idea of what type of minutes they will get until later. When you pick a college the choice is in the kids hand they can study the depth chart who is returning who is graduating. Yes they are great players but I don't think you can say Reimer would for sure beat out Tuck to start at PF. and if she doesn't when would she start, after Tuck graduates and Reimer is a junior? Or she can go to Notre Dame and play major minutes early. DeShields same thing yes she is great but is a freshman DeShields going to be the focal point of an offense at UCONN when we have a junior KML or soph Stewart or will she at UNC where they didn't even make the NIT and are lacking in talent compared to us? Yes there could be other reasons they committed elsewhere. Reimer is from IN and is playing near home. She may like the small private school environment. Hypothetically if we didn't sign a single recruit in 2012 I bet we would have loaded up in 2013. heck some people here say Reimer wanted to commit to uconn when she was a sophomore.

 

[Sonny44]

That may not be a bad idea for Geno or one of his staff to pick up the phone and call the 2o13 and 2014 recruits on UCONN'S list to explain that Geno is completely innocent of these bogus allegations. My guess is that this has already been done.

Geno and the playing time issue I think will discourage some.

 

[HuskyNan]

That may not be a bad idea for Geno or one of his staff to pick up the phone and call the 2o13 and 2014 recruits on UCONN'S list to explain that Geno is completely innocent of these bogus allegations. My guess is that this has already been done.

Geno can't call the 2014 kids yet as they're only high school sophomores. However, if the girls or their families have questions, they're free to call Geno at any time.

 

[doggydaddy]

Geno can't call the 2014 kids yet as they're only high school sophomores. However, if the girls or their families have questions, they're free to call Geno at any time.

Thanks Nan. That was in my post. They can just call him and see what he has to say about the situation.

 

[alexrgct]

I am sure Geno and the three other coaches on the staff have crafted a message to recruits regarding the lawsuit, and it's very likely along the lines of, "Geno will be exonerated in court, all of the things that make UConn a special program remain intact, you can ask any player who played for UConn whether Geno ever made them feel uncomfortable as young women, etc." Whatever the case may be with the lawsuit, there certainly isn't a shred of evidence, not one iota, to suggest that Geno has been remotely inappropriate with one of his players or coaches. I would be comfortable sending my daughter to UConn to play basketball of she were offered and otherwise interested.

 

[RadyLady]

the lawsuit is crap (from my mouth to God's ears). Yes you are going to have your detractors, but the bottom line is the players who want to be at UConn will be at UConn.

 

[Wink96]

Yes but will UCONN stil be UCONN?

 

[doggydaddy]

Yes but will UCONN stil be UCONN?

Of course. Sheeesh.

 

[Jonathan Husky]

i'd be shocked if any kid verbals to UCONN before knowing more about the current lawsuit situation, where it heads, and what the end result might be. it's not like the kids are running out of time to verbal. i 'd not be surprised, however, to end up with no one from the 2013 class. This lawsuit has nationwide attention and you can't minimize the impact it may end up having.

Even if Geno is completely exonerated, the damage to his name and the UCONN image has been permanently damaged. It remains to be seen how much it's been damaged and what can be done to recover and move forward... It may end up being very minimal, or it may end up being much worse...

I am not sure I understand why a recruit and her family would decide not to go to UConn based upon the unsubstantiated allegations of a security person that Geno tried to kiss her ???? Paticularly since this "terrible" acusation was made 3 years after the event and is being used as leverage to restore her position for the Olympics.

I would think that his over 25 years of successful coaching and family relationship with hundreds of young women would be more of a deciding factor for recruits.

I think playing time will be the more important factor for the 2013 potential recruits.

 

[RadyLady]

Of course. Sheeesh.

thank you. Happy Father's Day DD

 

[poalo4343]

the lawsuit is frivolous

No lawsuit is frivolous to those involved!

 

[diggerfoot]

What more can a kid learn about the lawsuit by November, or even next spring if they are inclined to wait until then to commit? We have already learned that if it's going to trial it won't be for more than a year.

Players that are inclined to go to UConn will just pick up the phone and hear it from Geno himself. I would guess that if a recruit is worried about the situation, a conversation where Geno tells the player and her parents that none of this is true would be enough to make them comfortable with the situation. Geno has enough good will in his career to withstand a "he said/she said" situation as this appears to be.

I lie somewhere between doggy and esd on this, though much closer to doggy. Just as esd and doggy differ on the impact on recruits, just so will recruits differ in how they are impacted. I think there is a correlation between the type of recruit UConn wants with them not being impacted, as doggy suggests. However, I would guess the correlation is something more like 0.75 then 1.00. In other words, there may be a recruit or two we are interested in that now have questions.

However, some seem to think we need the absolute best recruiting in order to succeed. In '95 some thought Tennessee the most talented class with a good chance to go undefeated, until we defeated them twice. Sure, Wolters and Rizzotti went on to win player of the year honors, but what were they rated in high school? And how did Conlon work out as starting point guard in 2003 and 2004? We don't have to be as dominant in recruiting as we sometimes are on the court.

Recruiting occasionally falls short for a variety of reasons over the years. In some cases people actually become resentful of the recruits who have left us, as if we've been unfairly harmed and should be entitled to the best recruits and the best team always. Instead, we go through cycles of dominance on the court rather than total continued dominance, which is a "hardship" every other program in the country would gladly live with. I'm fine with the cycles. In fact, I think it's more entertaining that way.

 

[Vowelguy]

i'd be shocked if any kid verbals to UCONN before knowing more about the current lawsuit situation, where it heads, and what the end result might be. it's not like the kids are running out of time to verbal. i 'd not be surprised, however, to end up with no one from the 2013 class. This lawsuit has nationwide attention and you can't minimize the impact it may end up having.

Even if Geno is completely exonerated, the damage to his name and the UCONN image has been permanently damaged. It remains to be seen how much it's been damaged and what can be done to recover and move forward... It may end up being very minimal, or it may end up being much worse...

The main concern of recruits, I'd think, is if this were serious enough to really blow up and force Geno out. Beyond that I don't see it.

Kids today are cynical enough about media and celebrity -- dont think they'd put much stock in the lawsuit.
Kids are also fairly self-centered -- they'd care about how Geno treats them, and to some extent other players, not an adult woman.

Parents may have a bit more pause, but I suspect that parents who already like Geno will accept his denial, while those who don't won't. I don't see it radically changing impressions.

 

[speedoo]

The main concern of recruits, I'd think, is if this were serious enough to really blow up and force Geno out. Beyond that I don't see it.

Kids today are cynical enough about media and celebrity -- dont think they'd put much stock in the lawsuit.
Kids are also fairly self-centered -- they'd care about how Geno treats them, and to some extent other players, not an adult woman.

Parents may have a bit more pause, but I suspect that parents who already like Geno will accept his denial, while those who don't won't. I don't see it radically changing impressions.

Very interesting take on this. Not sure you are right about kids being cynical re. Media and celebrity (seems to contradict the popularity of reality shows etc.) but your other comments make a lot of sense.