ROSTER 2025

[From France]

If we finally get Sarah Strong and none of the eligibles declare for the WNBA draft, will there be a problem of number of players and what could be a solution ?

 

[HuskyNan]

Needs to be updated to show Caroline, Paige and Aubrey have an extra year but that affects 2024 more than 2025

 

[BRS24]

Man, I was hoping I wouldn't have to update the grid, however with this past week's news on Carol, here you go, along with the usual caveats of no assumptions (please?) on whether players use covid or redshirt years, who's staying, roster size, etc, etc, as this is just a projection of "what if".

 

[oldhusky]

If we finally get Sarah Strong and none of the eligibles declare for the WNBA draft, will there be a problem of number of players and what could be a solution ?

We certainly do have a problem if all of the players who could return do. In that case we would be one over the limit, without adding Sarah, two over the limit if we do. Another way to look at it is we need two players to leave just to have one spot to offer Sarah, three to leave to be able to add Sarah and someone in the portal.

Now we mostly play with the math with the seniors who have an option, like Paige, Nika, Aaliyah, and Aubrey. If you assume Paige is coming back, as her recent comments suggests, then only one of the remaining three could do the same and still have room to add Sarah or a portal addition, but not both. If all three moved on then we would have room for Sarah (or Rodriquez) and a portal big. Aubrey's injury makes her the most likely of those three to return IMO.

Of course there is another factor, that is someone could depart via the portal, and that would free up another spot, but I understand we don't want that to lead to speculation on individual players.

As far as 25/26 is concerned, it is potentially pretty crowded right now. Because of their injuries and a red-shirt possibility, Azzi and Caroline could play that year along with Paige. Add Sarah and you are already at 15 for 25/26. They may not come back for that year, but they could.

Until some things shake out we have a potential numbers problem for at least the next two seasons. It couldn't reasonably have been anticipated either, nobody expects so many players to have extra eligibility crowding future rosters. Of course the Covid year affected all teams, but Uconn had extra extended eligibility for Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Ice, Jana and Ayanna.

I really think the NCAA should have extended an exception to the roster limit at least until the last year of extra Covid eligibility, which would be next year. They did after all create the problem by adding an extra year, so I think they should have given programs an exception to deal with it.

 

[HopJim]

While this is a very interesting topic, we have great players coming in. While in no way diminishing the talent that could potentially stay, Paige and Edwards are the two that would be irreplaceable, and Edwards may be best served going pro. Unlikely to be an issue.

 

[Huskee11]

I`m not a big fan of the NCAA but I actually think they got it right with respect to the so-called "Covid year".

The 2020-2021 season was a ****show and the NCAA was smart to foresee and plan in advance for that. Cancelled games, no fans, sitting apart on the bench, masks, etc. Likely that many players would have simply sat the season out. (The Ivy League did.) Telling players that playing wouldn`t count against them solved that problem in the short term.

Giving the limited one year "reprieve" on scholarship numbers for 2021-2022 - that is, not counting a returning senior against the cap of 15 - was also a reasonable accommodation but even that had exceptions. For example, it only applied to seniors getting an extra year and did not apply in the case of a player who transferred into the program. Someone could transfer into the program for a fifth year but she would have counted against the scholarship limit. Also, schools were not required to expand their number of scholarships or allow players to take the fifth year.

Everyone knew it was going to be messy after 2021-2022, and it is, but at least coaches have had some time to prepare for that. Stopping the special scholarship rule sooner rather than later had the benefit of putting that unfortunate era further in the rear view mirror, hopefully never to be seen again.

And high level men`s programs have to deal with similar uncertainty over whether players will go pro or stay and those programs only have 13 scholarships available.

In UConn`s case the key variables are Nika and Aaliyah and I suspect Geno has a pretty good idea of what their plans are. Aubrey will be welcomed back with open arms but her situation admittedly complicates matters.

 

[From France]

Nika Has already the single game and SIngle season assists recors, she could add the career record to what seems unbreakable , and she is not predicted as a first round pick, what does she heva to loose ?

 

[oldhusky]

Nika Has already the single game and SIngle season assists recors, she could add the career record to what seems unbreakable , and she is not predicted as a first round pick, what does she heva to loose ?

That's one way to look at it, but a couple of things are different for her. Unlike US players she could have played professionally in Europe all the years she was at Uconn. She also doesn't have the same NIL opportunities while here, like the other foreign players, and while she is a maybe for a WNBA career, the foreign option is pretty much a lock because she doesn't face the same limitations on how many Americans can be on a foreign roster.

 

[HuskyNan]

The site owner has said we can’t speculate on who is leaving. It’s already led to transfer talk which hasn’t never been allowed here.