Recruiting has been absolutely incredible the past 10 months... | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Recruiting has been absolutely incredible the past 10 months...

For the people who haven’t seen Azzi before, I know this is not game action, but watch her form and results. She must be in great shape to put up that many shots in such a short period of time. In the video, she makes 20 straight in under a minute. About 5 shots hit the rim. The others hit nothing but net. She has perfected her shot, much as Kaleena did. She’s a joy to watch.
I've watched Azzi many times and I agree with you, she has a KLM shot, a near KLM frame, but 10 times more athletic. She's like Kaleena 2.0. Lethal.
 
After the struggles with the freshman class in 2017, when 3 of 4 players ultimately left and the swings and misses with the top 3 players in the 2019 class, I think Geno, CD and the staff changed their approach significantly.
  • First and foremost, I believe Geno has changed the way he deals with players, particularly in public. His criticisms now appear as gentle nudges as opposed to harsh rebukes. As a result UConn projects a much more comfortable image to prospective recruits. I suspect CD had a strong influence on this change in Geno’s personality.
  • While I don’t necessarily believe that any of these options will be ongoing, so long as Geno can continue to bring in classes like 2020, it is clear that Geno has belatedly embraced transfers and foreign born players as needed to fill holes in the roster.
  • Geno and every other coach’s preference would be to wait until a player completes their junior year of HS basketball to offer a scholarship, so that you have a better idea of what you’re getting. But the pressure to recruit top talent has pushed offers further and further out. So Geno has bought in to the challenging process of extending offers earlier. As a result, UConn has verbal commitments from 2 HS jrs & 1 Soph who are barely into their seasons.
  • In the past, Geno has focused on bringing in a class of 3-4 top players at most. If 2-3 of those players went elsewhere, so be it. It now appears that Geno is extending more offers. So if 5 players all commit to UConn, like next year, and who knows how many in the following years, UConn will just have to deal with the inevitable PT issue that results.
  • I do agree with the post that Jas has had a significant impact on recruiting. While she doesn’t necessarily have the title of Recruiting Coordinator, in practice she does appear to fill that role at UConn.
  • Finally, with all the championship banners, AA’s and top pros that UConn has, the biggest single advantage that the Huskies have in recruiting is the players themselves, both past and present. The current players are a wonderful group of “team first” young ladies who certainly impress HS recruits with a friendly vibe that goes a long way towards convincing them that Storrs is where they want to be. In addition, to the extent that recruits run into former UConn greats like Stewie or KML on campus, it has to be a thrilling experience that can only reinforce the advantages of playing basketball at UConn.
On your second bullet above: I assume you are saying the European and Transfers MAY not continue should Geno keep getting top talent otherwise. With that, I accept your statement as fact with a caveat or 3; Recruiting appears (maybe is) cyclical some good years some not so good. Geno will want to slow down the travel as he ages, it gets to be less fun. Geno may, as related to recent European at Uconn, find they are so desirable and easily coache he'd want more. Personally, I like the European kids In my less that knowledgable opinion, Uconn has not done well with Transfers even when Geno has been against a rock and hard place they have not, in my opinion, been worth the effort.
 
bbfanLA: You are on point about Brianne Stepherson and her [probable] connection to our getting Sue Bird. Geno had verbals from Keirston Walters and 'Breezy'. In late August Breezy withdrew her verbal and announced she was going to BC..she went to Masconomet High...in eastern Ma.
Shortly thereafter Sue verballed to UConn....perhaps influenced by Breezy's change of mind...I believe Sue went for UConn over offers from Vandy and Stanford.

Sue becomes an all-timer...face on UConn's Mt. Rushmore...and a lock future HOF'er.
Keirston was besieged by injuries throughout her UConn career....never came close to her potential...a great kid. BTW: before Sue and Keirston were injured early in their frosh year and both were playing...it was close. Sue was doing well and so was Keirston. Keirston reminded me of a Jen Rizzotti-type. Feisty...a wonderful olde-fashioned set shooter from trey land.

Breezy had a solid career at BC...also beset with some tough health luck...a torn ACL at some point.
I got to see her play in high school...she had a HUGE rep back then....and from my one look...she was an elite type high school guard. Not a Sue Bird...but very worthy of a Geno offer.

Hope she is doing well nowadays....anyone know?
 
For the people who haven’t seen Azzi before, I know this is not game action, but watch her form and results. She must be in great shape to put up that many shots in such a short period of time. In the video, she makes 20 straight in under a minute. About 5 shots hit the rim. The others hit nothing but net. She has perfected her shot, much as Kaleena did. She’s a joy to watch.
Very strong. After 20 she's not using any more motion or effort to get them up.
 
bbfanLA: You are on point about Brianne Stepherson and her [probable] connection to our getting Sue Bird. Geno had verbals from Keirston Walters and 'Breezy'.
Not quite, according to the Courant from Aug 16, 1997:

The Walters commitment came two days after guard Brianne Stepherson of Masconomet High in Topsfield, Mass., informed the Huskies coaching staff she wanted to void hers, made last November before UConn's game at Boston College.

Even though Stepherson's decision to reconsider predated Walters' to commit, a source indicated Stepherson had become very aware of UConn's interest in other guards.

Besides Walters, UConn is recruiting Sue Bird of Christ The King High in New York, Tamika Williams of Chaminade-Julienne HS in Dayton, Ohio, and Svetlana Abrimosa of St. Petersburg, Russia.



 
.-.
Was the speculation about Boston going to SC because of Marisa from the boneyard or somewhere more in the know
Well, that was hurtful.
 
Besides Walters, UConn is recruiting Sue Bird of Christ The King High in New York, Tamika Williams of Chaminade-Julienne HS in Dayton, Ohio, and Svetlana Abrimosa of St. Petersburg, Russia.
That worked out OK, didn’t it?
 

Forum statistics

Threads
168,035
Messages
4,550,422
Members
10,430
Latest member
Books&Ball


Top Bottom