I hope this is the last thread on Mo'ne in respect to basketball that we will see on the Uconn. After reading one of the earliest threads on this subject I did some research myself and concluded that if she applied her self and worked hard she still had a mid major ceiling. Of course there were plenty of red flags that implied otherwise.
Her parents and her rec coach really did her a disservice by not being realistic as to her potential verses her actual level of play. I think just like many posters on this site, they just were not aware of the level that competition in girls basketball had risen to. Girls played year round in both high level high school programs and summer AAU ball. You need to at least play one to get a realistic perspective of you actual skill level. She played on a really poor high school team and it wasn't until recently that she even got involved in AAU. And even then her AAU team is lower level.
I remember reading Olsons article. He was being extremely kind. Scouts never go to evaluate a player against the poor level of competition that she was facing when he evaluated her. Usually they only go to top level tournaments, state championships or at the least against highly rated teams. I believe he saw her when she was playing for her high school team in weak league play. I am sure she probably faced better competition in the summer workout/scrimmage. Still she did not take basketball seriously enough for far too long. Because of her late start she was behind technically to all the players in her class. She wanted to continue to play other sports in the summer. Basketball requires far more commitment than those other sports. This was evident by the last article that I read which stated she got tired and hit a wall before the end of her last AAU season. There is a big difference between basketball fit and baseball fit.
The area that I live in has been a high school hot bed for basketball in the last ten years. We had 3 of the top ten teams in a 5o mile area that along with the Cal Stars arguably the best AAU team in the country ( they lost only twice in two years )the last couple of years. I get to see a lot of good players and talk to their parents. I know what they go through for their sport. They play year round along with working out with personal trainers. They put in a lot of effort and it is an insult to them that anyone could believe that an a player can give half an effort and reach even close to their level. Ucon players are gleaned from the cream of a talented, very hard working and dedicated group. They are not just athletically gifted.
I heard posters say they hoped she would commit to Uconn. I heard them ask if she was invited to the USA training camps. They are only revealing their ignorance of the hard work that is required even to just get a scholarship. Most players want to play for a top level program, but most little girls also want to be Princesses. Realistically Mo'ne had about as much of a chance of playing for Uconn as most girls had of becoming Princesses. Her expectations have now been adjusted to a more realistic level. It seems, however, that the work ethic required for basketball is still a work in progress. She wasn't helped at all, but rather hindered, by all the unrealistic basketball hype that carried over from her Little League success.
Some posters have stated that she is a low level DI prospect. Well being a prospect does not mean you will be offered. She is going to have to work hard to even achieve that. To do that she needs to have her coaches and people around her quit blowing smoke at her and start being realistic as to what is required for her to even reach any DI level. Any 5'4" prospect with a suspect out side shot, needs to realize that they have to constantly hustle on both ends of the floor to even get an offer. Mean while, her AAU coach is telling her she could play for an upper level D I college program ( more smoke ) . Some AAU coaches are either delusional of self serving con artists. I have seen high school players potential ruined or at least severely diminished by such idiocy.
You didn't know "The Babe" ?!?!?