Saylor Poffenbarger in Transfer Portal [merged thread] | Page 9 | The Boneyard

Saylor Poffenbarger in Transfer Portal [merged thread]

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Two cents: sometimes it’s as simple as chemistry with teammates.
Covid year was tough on team bonding in general. If a player just isn’t feeling it and is kind of a fifth wheel in a group or (dare I say it) clique, it can affect her feeling of belonging. IMO this is what happened with Angela Dugalic at Oregon. Just saying …
 
Why is her mother complaining about social life when her kid enrolled in college in the middle of a global pandemic? Many students were taking classes remotely. Maybe that is why classes did not seem as engaging but this was normal procedure nation wide. No there were not going to be big parties in December or January when she arrived, its winter break! No matter what school she went to she would have had strict protocol so that teams wouldn't catch the virus. Whatever college she transfers to, if she had gone there last year in the middle of a pandemic I bet she would not be happy there either. So take shots at UConn on the way out I guess.
 
Lots of people are saying “fine talent” “sharpshooter” etc etc etc. I wish her luck however, we did NOT see her play at a high college level. Sometimes great HS players do not become great college players. We’ve seen that a few times. I know she was injured but some are laying the praise on a little thick.
 
Mdoggie said:
Lots of people are saying “fine talent” “sharpshooter” etc etc etc. I wish her luck however, we did NOT see her play at a high college level. Sometimes great HS players do not become great college players. We’ve seen that a few times. I know she was injured but some are laying the praise on a little thick.
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I think she and the coaches attributed her shot being off to a back injury and significant pain, an injury with which she is still dealing. I don't think her shooting ability pre-injury was doubted by the coaching staff.
 
Tonyc said:
If she had been playing or thought she had a chance to play a significant amount of minutes she would've stayed. Lets face it. With our roster full of top players, and with more top players coming in next season who are coming here to play not sit. Saylor is a very very good player and came here early last season to get a jump on those coming in this season IMO....She got hurt and didn't play and ... saw the writing on the wall. She's good enough to play at another top school and I believe that's why she's leaving.
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MSSportsGuy said:
It's not surprising that someone on the team decided she would have better luck with playing time elsewhere. The Huskies are loaded and it's not going to change in the near future. She will hopefully find herself in a better position to play and excel at her next stop. From the sound of it she has the potential to do well.
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I'm pretty much in agreement/alignment with these two comments. UConn will obviously be fine and, in the right place, so will Saylor. Good luck to her.

My only addition to these is that the loaded roster and competition for playing time are hard enough: Geno's preference for a short bench accentuates it. There's only 200 minutes in a game and he usually rides with his starters and a few subs for most of those minutes. That's just the way it is. If you can't see PT this season or not much next, maybe time for another court?

(BTW, MM was the same way with the short rotation. Thus far, Niele has been playing 9 of her 10 scholarship players regularly, but I'm sure that tightens up by the all-ACC part of the schedule.)
 
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HuskyMJ said:
Why is her mother complaining about social life when her kid enrolled in college in the middle of a global pandemic? Many students were taking classes remotely. Maybe that is why classes did not seem as engaging but this was normal procedure nation wide. No there were not going to be big parties in December or January when she arrived, its winter break! No matter what school she went to she would have had strict protocol so that teams wouldn't catch the virus. Whatever college she transfers to, if she had gone there last year in the middle of a pandemic I bet she would not be happy there either. So take shots at UConn on the way out I guess.
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Ironically I know someone from the same area as Saylor who is a freshman this semester at UConn. He says it's very hard to meet people and to find places to get quality food. Mostly just buys something from the cafeteria at the school, but Storrs is a small location. I'm sure Saylor first came to Uconn for basketball reasons, but when you're not getting playing time everything else seems gigantic. The location (I hear it gets cold and snows all Winter) the things to do around the city. If she wants to go to another place that is more vibrant like some suggest Nashville, or even La then she has the right too.
 
CTisballers said:
Not to bash Saylor or anything but I knew she would eventually transfer just didn’t know it’ll be this soon. You have a skilled 6’3 and a super athletic 6’1 player coming in. Toomey seems to be leading UConn way. Azzi and Caroline seem to be getting a lot of minutes. I think she just didn’t want to be buried on the beach. But to talk about UConn as if all these great former and current players didn’t go through college life at UConn and made out to be awesome woman is just mind blowing. I’m not buying that at all but also wish Saylor the best.
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What 6'1" player is coming to UConn next season?
 
Urshurak said:
Yeah, I just read this article. Didn't sit well with me this part of the statement from her Mom.
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I think people are taking mom's quote too personally. I don't think she meant to bash the school. Maybe Saylor wanted more of a life outside of the basketball program. Maybe Saylor plans on going pro in something other than basketball. The intersection of schools in the Venn diagram of good academics and top shelf women's basketball programs is quite small. We're talking maybe a handful or two of schools at most, so throw in a third factor like the social scene and your list quickly gets pared down to just a few schools in the entire country. Prospective recruits have to prioritize and weigh different factors. It is hard for me to believe that a recruit and family visited Storrs, and came away thinking it would have the things that a bigger school and college town would offer. I remember Stef in what was basically her farewell address with Bria after the 2014 championship said something like this with respect to coming to Storrs. As for how this impacts the program, it's not like we missed out on another top recruit because Saylor took that spot, and there haven't been too many (or any? besides EDD) transferees that went on to have a consequential basketball career, and some even end up transferring again (e.g. DJB, Lexi, etc.). So we wish the Poffenbargers well, and life in the Huskies WCBB program goes on with a slightly more manageable roster size.
 
hoopsfan22 said:
I read the quote as basically she was bored. Storrs isn't Austin or Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor or Gainesville or Madison, so if the night life and/or social scene is a priority, UConn is definitely not the place to be.
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Growing up in Middletown and Frederick is not the epitome of night life unless she was around in the late 80s when members of Kix came to town and hung out at a bar that I frequented.
 
Rings R Us said:
Mom feels the need to bash Uconn on the way out? Good riddance.
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And Covid wasn't part of that? Come on... time to ignore this thread if this is the sort of reasoning being put out by her camp....
 
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Beemer said:
Or maybe she's simply saying what her daughter told her.

UConn isn't for everybody and everybody isn't for UConn.

Good luck Saylor.
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Her mom should realize UConn is not a party school.
 
I think the reality of her basketball situation (health and a realization of how many good players there are in college vying for very few pro opportunities) made her realize that she was not going to be a WNBA caliber player and that it was time to find another life path. A path that may include basketball, but basketball is not going to be her major. Given that, it will be interesting to see where she ends up.
 
hoopsfan22 said:
I think people are taking mom's quote too personally. I don't think she meant to bash the school. Maybe Saylor wanted more of a life outside of the basketball program. Maybe Saylor plans on going pro in something other than basketball. The intersection of schools in the Venn diagram of good academics and top shelf women's basketball programs is quite small. We're talking maybe a handful or two of schools at most, so throw in a third factor like the social scene and your list quickly gets pared down to just a few schools in the entire country. Prospective recruits have to prioritize and weigh different factors. It is hard for me to believe that a recruit and family visited Storrs, and came away thinking it would have the things that a bigger school and college town would offer. I remember Stef in what was basically her farewell address with Bria after the 2014 championship said something like this with respect to coming to Storrs. As for how this impacts the program, it's not like we missed out on another top recruit because Saylor took that spot, and there haven't been too many (or any? besides EDD) transferees that went on to have a consequential basketball career, and some even end up transferring again (e.g. DJB, Lexi, etc.). So we wish the Poffenbargers well, and life in the Huskies WCBB program goes on with a slightly more manageable roster size.
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I agree, but I don't think it was necessary for her to say that. She could have just said that she weighed her options and felt it was best for her to move on. Done. Her reasoning may be true for her, but not for everyone. UConn is a great place and everyone who has attended school there loves it that I know of (and I have known plenty of graduates, including my boss.)
 
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HopJim said:
Amy Poffenbarger's comments were confusing. Acedemics not engaging? Didn't have the opportunity to meet others? Huskies traveled throughout the US, had a diverse group of players, and got visiters from around the US and world. Not worth alot of commentary but seems like she was trying to justify her daughter's change and didn't have the proper words.
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I agree with you, and I believe Amy Poffenbarger is disappointed that her daughter’s playing time would be significantly decreased. Any parent would. But my mom wouldn’t whine about my reduced role in the team. She would’ve told me to dig deeper and work harder, so that the coach has to play me. I was raised with the idea that it didn’t matter how big your role was. It was how you performed in that role that won you accolades. Even if that role was sweeping the floor.
 
CTisballers said:
Ayanna Patterson. You don’t know the girl that can Dunk with 2 hands and windmill like Vince Carter lol
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I have seen her two handed dunks. Very Impressive.

Do you have links to any windmill dunks or in-game dunks? I briefly surfed for some but didn't see any.
 
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Urshurak said:
I agree, but I don't think it was necessary for her to say that. She could have just said that she weighed her options and felt it was best for her to move on. Done. Her reasoning may be true for her, but not for everyone. UConn is a great place and everyone who has attended school there loves it that I know of (and I have known plenty of graduates, including my boss.)
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What?
Did you boss play basketball?
You do realize that because of the requirements of playing basketball Saylor was not as able to enjoy the many good things about UCONN and was part of her decision to leave leave right?
Does your definition of everyone include Megan Walker and Sadie Edwards?
 
The last two players that were doing the 3 point high fives have transferred...kiss of death??? :):rolleyes:
 
Centerstream said:
The last two players that were doing the 3 point high fives have transferred...kiss of death??? :):rolleyes:
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Maybe they should stop doing the 3 point high fives. I have no idea if it is actually the case, but to me the appearance is that the low person on the "totem pole" gets that assignment. If a player interprets it that way, it could easily lower their confidence.
 
f1f1ferrari said:
Maybe they should stop doing the 3 point high fives. I have no idea if it is actually the case, but to me the appearance is that the low person on the "totem pole" gets that assignment. If a player interprets it that way, it could easily lower their confidence.
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Not the case because Maya Moore and Stewie have come out of games and led this celebration. It's a great tradition and a way for the player not in the game to stay engaged with what is going on on the floor.
 
f1f1ferrari said:
Maybe they should stop doing the 3 point high fives. I have no idea if it is actually the case, but to me the appearance is that the low person on the "totem pole" gets that assignment. If a player interprets it that way, it could easily lower their confidence.
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In Saylor's case I thought she was doing it because she was an injured freshman. But I am only guessing.
 
Mdoggie said:
Lots of people are saying “fine talent” “sharpshooter” etc etc etc. I wish her luck however, we did NOT see her play at a high college level. Sometimes great HS players do not become great college players. We’ve seen that a few times. I know she was injured but some are laying the praise on a little thick.
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That’s why I think it’s a waste of time for fans to constantly refer to a kid’s HS ranking as some kind guarantee the kid will be great or that a school has the best recruiting class as in “we’ve got 4 #1s so we’re loaded and will dominate for the next few years.” That ranking means nothing once those kids get to a college campus. There are maybe 3-5 kids a year that a good evaluator can tell will be serious impact players early or right away. After that it’s just a guessing game, some will develop and others won’t. And at a top 5-10 program some won’t be able to handle the competition.
 
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