Rich: Ekmark High on UConn

[UConnCat]

ASGR's Bret McCormick thinks she'll commit to UConn sooner rather than later.

Recruiting sources have said time and again that the UConn coaching staff is extremely high on Ekmark. And, according to All-Star Girls Report managing partner and publisher Bret McCormick, UConn is atop her list.

“I talk to them all the time,’’ McCormick said. “Courtney’s dream school is Connecticut. I think she’s going to go to Connecticut. I don’t know when, but I can say that because I talk to her dad (Curtis) all the time. And she’s read like three books on Connecticut. She did her homework. She recruited Connecticut.

“I told (UConn assistant coach) Shea Ralph about her, that they needed to recruit her. She’s a Geno (Auriemma) kid. Gym rat; 4.0 student; loves basketball; best kid. She’s like Kelly Faris. She and Kelly Faris will hit it off. She’s like her, except she’s a shooter. She’s like the perfect kid.’’

http://blog.ctnews.com/elliott/

 

[EricLA]

wouldn't that be funny if our next verbal came from the 2014 class...

great article and great quotes. i'm not sure how to compare her game - Kelly Faris is very athletic and a great defender. if Courtney's game is like hers, but with a scorer's mentality and skills to back it up, she'd be a terrific fit.

 

[VAMike23]

wouldn't that be funny if our next verbal came from the 2014 class...

great article and great quotes. i'm not sure how to compare her game - Kelly Faris is very athletic and a great defender. if Courtney's game is like hers, but with a scorer's mentality and skills to back it up, she'd be a terrific fit.

In reading her Hoopgurlz profile, it sounds as though she's probably not in Kelly's class as a natural athlete (FEW players are) but is a more polished offensive player coming out of HS. I see she's ranked #13 overall at this point so she's definitely got game....and her attitude/desire sound like a great fit

 

[UConnCat]

wouldn't that be funny if our next verbal came from the 2014 class...

great article and great quotes. i'm not sure how to compare her game - Kelly Faris is very athletic and a great defender. if Courtney's game is like hers, but with a scorer's mentality and skills to back it up, she'd be a terrific fit.

Definitely a better shooter than Kelly, but not as athletic nor as good a defender at this point in her career. From what I've been told, part of the reason she has excelled in HS is because she's well-coached, understands the game, and has been surrounded by really good players who play well together. Sounds like a good fit for UConn.

There's a lot to admire about a kid who knows what she wants and is prepared to make it happen. I say that without regard to where she chooses to play college ball.

 

[UcMiami]

One of the things that stood out for me with KF was her making USA basketball teams (2 I think?) While not that many colleges were high on her, the USA coaches/selection committee recognized her value when putting together a team.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Good Read, Geno type of player, team first and play hard at all times.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Reading this article, it's clear that this kid is a UConn type of player!

 

[connboy77]

I like the fact that Connecticut is her dream school and that she recruited UCONN. Its also great that she did her homework on UCONN and seems to be a perfect fit. UCONN would love to have Courtney.

 

[doggydaddy]

Watched one of her games this year on cable. She is a terrific shooter and really understands how to play. Not real quick and really didn't seem on the same level as Faris in regards to athletic ability. More like a Maria Conlon. She will contribute.

Sounds like her and Calhoun will be 2 of UConn's 2014 players. An excellent start to a class considering that UConn MIGHT have a small 2013 class. Turner is the key to 2014.

 

[UcMiami]

Hey DD - Conlon wasn't just too slow and too unathletic, she was also too short - at least Ekmark isn't too short!
(I loved Maria's game, and I have never seen Courtney play, so the above comments are just for comic effect. No slight to either woman is intended nor implied. )

 

[EricLA]

Watched one of her games this year on cable. She is a terrific shooter and really understands how to play. Not real quick and really didn't seem on the same level as Faris in regards to athletic ability. More like a Maria Conlon. She will contribute.

Sounds like her and Calhoun will be 2 of UConn's 2014 players. An excellent start to a class considering that UConn MIGHT have a small 2013 class. Turner is the key to 2014.

Maybe Mel Thomas rather than Conlon? Yes Maria was the PG on 2 NC teams, but she was woefully un-athletic and slow of foot. this is not to say she wasn't fantastic with the ball, as i think her asst-TO ratio was sensational. i know Mel would not necessarily be described as "athletic" per se, but to compare someone's athleticism to Maria (and we all loved her) is not saying much...

 

[doggydaddy]

Maybe Mel Thomas rather than Conlon? Yes Maria was the PG on 2 NC teams, but she was woefully un-athletic and slow of foot. this is not to say she wasn't fantastic with the ball, as i think her asst-TO ratio was sensational. i know Mel would not necessarily be described as "athletic" per se, but to compare someone's athleticism to Maria (and we all loved her) is not saying much...

Nope...I think Conlon is a better comparison. Just my opinion. And it's not a bad thing at all.

 

[Scotter]

I haven't see Courtney Ekmark play yet beyond a couplke of short highlights, but based on the article she appears to have two strong pulling factors to UConn in playing for a top caliber championship winning high school program and a style of play that meshes with UConn. I'm not sure how much she actually plays like Kelly Faris, but those two factors were also big forces with Kelly. By the time I watched Kelly Faris play for 5 minutes in high school I was already thinking that she was basically the perfect UConn player. The way she played just screamed UConn. And thankfully Courtney doesn't have an older sister already playing for Stanford.

 

[EricLA]

Favorite sandwich? Grilled cheese with bacon - i like her already!

Short interview link

I tried embedding the media but it did not work... and she quotes John Wooden. Doesn't Geno carry around Wooden's book with him? She does seem to move a bit like Maria Conlon. at 6'0", tho, she's taller.

 

[doggydaddy]

Favorite sandwich? Grilled cheese with bacon - i like her already!

Short interview link

I tried embedding the media but it did not work... and she quotes John Wooden. Doesn't Geno carry around Wooden's book with him? She does seem to move a bit like Maria Conlon. at 6'0", tho, she's taller.

One of my favorite sandwiches as well!!!!!

Yes, a taller Conlon. Love coaches kids too.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I was thinking Mel Thomas, too, but considering Courtney as either a 6'0" version of Maria or a 6'0" version of Mel sounds really good either way.

How soon will Geno offer her? Or accept her verbal? She's just finishing up her sophomore year.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Question for the board: If we get a 2014 verbal fairly soon, does that chase away (or encourage?) any of our remaining 2013 recruits?

 

[jdubct]

Question for the board: If we get a 2014 verbal fairly soon, does that chase away (or encourage?) any of our remaining 2013 recruits?

Since she visited Uconn and is so positive about the school she may already have an offer. As for your previous post, I don't see any positiion overlap between the three players in the 2013 class with offers and the two who might verbal from the 2014 class (Ekmark and Calhoun).

 

[alexrgct]

Question for the board: If we get a 2014 verbal fairly soon, does that chase away (or encourage?) any of our remaining 2013 recruits?

If it has an effect at all, I think it will be positive. Always good to have talented kids coming in behind you who can help you accomplish great things later in your career. If you know you'll play with and learn from great players like KML, Bria, and Breanna when you come in and have talented kids coming in behind you, that seems like the basis for a memorable college career.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Great article! Sounds like a great kid! hope she picks UCONN!

 

[Sonny44]

One of my favorite sandwiches as well!!!!!

Yes, a taller Conlon. Love coaches kids too.

Wait a minute! Who is the sandwich expert here?
Even Blondie says too much cholesterol.

Venison rare, a little oil & vinegar, L & T and that's perfection!

 

[doggydaddy]

Wait a minute! Who is the sandwich expert here?
Even Blondie says too much cholesterol.

Venison rare, a little oil & vinegar, L & T and that's perfection!

Take two of those grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches and slap a burger in the middle and you have something special!

 

[JS]

If you know you'll play with and learn from great players like KML, Bria, and Breanna when you come in and have talented kids coming in behind you, that seems like the basis for a memorable college career.

There's something to be said for continuity in the form of a succession of moderate-sized, talented classes, carefully picked to compliment each other. That's one of several reasons why, although UNC clearly stands to be a better team a year from this fall, the jury is way far out on whether the 2013 clustercommit will vault them to elite status.

Ahead of the 2013 group to provide leadership, the players who failed to make the tournament, minus three seniors. Behind them, who knows what. If experience is any guide, the pickings could be slim for a while following a large blockbuster class.

 

[Kibitzer]

Maria Conlon is one of my all-time favorite players (and a lovely person to boot). So it is with admiration and affection that I summarize her skill set in coach-speak: "She's not big, but she's slow."

 

[alexrgct]

Maria Conlon: two NC game starts, 77 minutes, one turnover.