Serah Williams On Why UConn | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Serah Williams On Why UConn

oldhusky said:
In terms of what has already been said, Serah probably wasn't the top transfer, but she was among the top, the best at the position we needed most, and our #1 target and best fit.

Serah and Latson will score less points per game than they did last year because they are on much better teams. Yes they have better passers around them, but better scorers and shooters too. Their shot attempts per minute will decrease, but their percentages and efficiency will increase as mediocre percentage shots will be weened from their game.

As for the uniform pictures, I sometimes wonder why so many players allow it if they are not sure yet where they are going. I understand they are pressured to do so, but I still think it is a bad look to wear the uniform and then go elsewhere later. It also might be a status symbol in this social media world.

Just like when recruits have a post showing say 15 or more schools with their logos saying they received an offer from that school. I'm sure they are not seriously considering more than a half dozen or so, but showing all those schools seems to show to others how valued they were. Instead of just saying I am going wherever, when they decide, it is also I could have gone to South Carolina, Notre Dame, LSU, USC, UCLA, Stanford and sometimes Uconn, but I turned them down in favor of my chosen school.

I may be going out on a limb on that view, but I have never understood very long considering lists and then multiple countdowns to shorter lists. One finalist list of 5-6 names max if you must, and then a final decision IMO.
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Suspect that NIL is changing the way recruiting takes place. Is taking pictures of a recruit in the potential university uniform tacky? While some would say so, if you were attempting to motivate a higher NIL commitment, some would say this is one tactic to try. Not saying Serah did this but suggesting that with the increased money that is now involved, we will see different behaviors in the future.
 
Bone Dog said:
I think Serah was the #1 post player, ...

I could wax lyrical on Serah’s skills, ... But in the end, talent is only half the equation, even though Geno has assembled an incredibly talented roster. The other, and perhaps more important half is motivation. How hungry is Serah? That’s what we’ll find out starting in November.
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this sparked a train of thought:

in this true and unique situation (Geno has assembled an incredibly talented roster), motivative is a key link to ultimate success, but that (motivation) can easily be derailed by failed chemistry among the extremely talented teammates. so indeed, the chemistry that emerges is the key to success.

with this kind of talent (and coaching) another NC could be achieved even with poor chemistry. teams without great chemistry have done it. but i wouldn't be
thrilled if this is the case for the '25-'26 huskies. i think it is better for all if the players can have fun and enjoy themselves and win without dealing with conflicting egos and petty resentments.

as fans, we like to believe this always is true at uconn. i think that's fantasyland. fact is, we have a very dim idea of what's going on in the locker room and dorms, and the staff tries to -- and is very good at -- keeping us in the dark.

i see the chemistry that develops in this exceptionally talented group as the most interesting question mark this season. there are 5 new pieces added to the stew.
 
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PacoSwede said:
this sparked a train of thought:

in this true and unique situation (Geno has assembled an incredibly talented roster), motivative is a key link to ultimate success, but that (motivation) can easily be derailed by failed chemistry among the extremely talented teammates. so indeed, the chemistry that emerges is the key to success.

with this kind of talent (and coaching) another NC could be achieved even with poor chemistry. teams without great chemistry have done it. but i wouldn't be
thrilled if this is the case for the '25-'26 huskies. i think it is better for all if the players can have fun and enjoy themselves and win without dealing with conflicting egos and petty resentments.

as fans, we like to believe this always is true at uconn. i think that's fantasyland. fact is, we have a very dim idea of what's going on in the locker room and dorms, and the staff tries to -- and is very good at -- keeping us in the dark.

i see the chemistry that develops in this exceptionally talented group as the most interesting question mark this season. there are 5 new pieces added to the stew.
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This is all I'm focused on as well. The talent is there. Question to me is how quickly do they gel on the court.
 
oldude said:
Some folks have suggested that everyone puts on a school’s uniform and takes photos on recruiting visits. I don’t believe that’s correct, specifically in regards to UConn. I don’t believe you get to wear a UConn uniform until picture day, which occurs sometime after classes and formal practices start.

UConn does give recruits school sweatshirts or jackets when they visit, stuff that anyone can purchase in the school bookstore. Hence the photo of Serah Williams with a Husky jacket on once she officially transferred to UConn. But there was no photo of Serah in an official uniform in front of the Husky logo as with LSU.
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Pretty sure there were photos of Heckel in a UConn uniform.

I would not judge "normal" by how the UConn women's basketball team operates. They have a unique position within the sport and they also brought in 44-y.o. Morgan Valley in to inject "youth" into the operation.
 
ec33 said:
Pretty sure there were photos of Heckel in a UConn uniform.
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Nope. Kayleigh’s transfer announcement was accompanied by a photo of her in a UConn “bookstore” sweatshirt. At UConn there are no premature photos of players in official UConn uniforms at least until they earn it through some hard team practices.
 
PacoSwede said:
this sparked a train of thought:

in this true and unique situation (Geno has assembled an incredibly talented roster), motivative is a key link to ultimate success, but that (motivation) can easily be derailed by failed chemistry among the extremely talented teammates. so indeed, the chemistry that emerges is the key to success.
Expand ...
I look at the key personalities and they were all the go-to players on their high school teams. Azzi, Carol, Sarah, KK, Ash, Ayanna, and even Morgan, Ice, Jana and Allie That's a type Geno looks for. They may or may not have the best skills, but they know how to build chemistry and to rally around one another.

Ash in particular seems like a prototype for this. Watch her high school games on YouTube and you see this trait in shining colors.

This isn't the same thing as chemistry, but it is an important precursor to it, and Geno has found a bunch of kids like this.
 
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Bone Dog said:
I look at the key personalities and they were all the go-to players on their high school teams. Azzi, Carol, Sarah, KK, Ash, Ayanna, and even Morgan, Ice, Jana and Allie That's a type Geno looks for. They may or may not have the best skills, but they know how to build chemistry and to rally around one another.

Ash in particular seems like a prototype for this. Watch her high school games on YouTube and you see this trait in shining colors.

This isn't the same thing as chemistry, but it is an important precursor to it, and Geno has found a bunch of kids like this.
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If you’re not a TEAM first player, Geno doesn’t want you on his team, plain and simple.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
I believe it is done to have when they commit not before. That is the way it should be anyhow.
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I am more familiar with it in men's basketball where it typically is done at the time of their visit. Photos often are released as part of the post visit hype. I view the LSU thing as a non-event.
 
CL82 said:
I am more familiar with it in men's basketball where it typically is done at the time of their visit. Photos often are released as part of the post visit hype. I view the LSU thing as a non-event.
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I have no problem with it if they pay the athlete. They are just hyping their program with the quick impression that super stud is in fact signed. Yeah, it saves a potential trip back to campus if he does commit. What it is is supremely tacky. But then most sports promotion is tacky. Is it a big deal, no not at all.
 
Bone Dog said:
As for Geno, last season he was getting almost 60 pts/g from his big three by the tournament and he surely understands how rare that is. Serah has already shown she can score 19/game on a mediocre team in a P2 conference.
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Serah scored 19 vs USC-west and 22 vs UCLA.

uwbadgers.com

Serah Williams | Women's Basketball | Wisconsin Badgers

Serah Williams (25) F - Honors: Four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, 2023 All Freshman Team, 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 2024 All-B1G Defen...
uwbadgers.com uwbadgers.com
 
It will be interesting to see, with the speed and great passers we have, whether her scoring average actually goes up, at least on cold shooting 3s nights. We forget, but those do exist.
 
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oldude said:
Nope. Kayleigh’s transfer announcement was accompanied by a photo of her in a UConn “bookstore” sweatshirt. At UConn there are no premature photos of players in official UConn uniforms at least until they earn it through some hard team practices.
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So the photo ops are okay as long as they aren't in a uniform? That is the objection to the practices of all other programs in many different sports?

Personally, I never noticed the distinction because I honestly do not care. I personally find it funny to watch kids mug it up during these photo sessions whey they have zero intention of ever committing to that school. But the recruits love it -- and that is the point.

Given that this is all against the backdrop of how much they are going to be paid or how guaranteed PT they will get, I will enjoy the silliness of the photo ops.
 
ec33 said:
So the photo ops are okay as long as they aren't in a uniform? That is the objection to the practices of all other programs in many different sports?

Personally, I never noticed the distinction because I honestly do not care. I personally find it funny to watch kids mug it up during these photo sessions whey they have zero intention of ever committing to that school. But the recruits love it -- and that is the point.

Given that this is all against the backdrop of how much they are going to be paid or how guaranteed PT they will get, I will enjoy the silliness of the photo ops.
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Kids can do whatever they want when it comes to photos. They are kids. My original criticism was of the LSU WBB program for posting a photo of Serah immediately after her visit to Baton Rouge in an official uniform in front of the LSU logo, indicating to the basketball world that she was headed to LSU.

After Serah committed to UConn I called LSU’s decision silly and amateurish. But I will go one better. If LSU believed that by posting that photo on social media they could pressure Serah into committing, Kim and company should be criticized for what amounted to a terrible lapse in judgment.
 
HuskyNan said:
Serah scored 19 vs USC-west and 22 vs UCLA.

uwbadgers.com

Serah Williams | Women's Basketball | Wisconsin Badgers

Serah Williams (25) F - Honors: Four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, 2023 All Freshman Team, 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 2024 All-B1G Defen...
uwbadgers.com uwbadgers.com
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I’m not sure I’ve seen this pointed out, but since folks are kind of discussing Serah’s qualifications: She is not the first 2-time all-B1G post UConn has signed. IMO Dorka worked out pretty well.
 
Bone Dog said:
I look at the key personalities and they were all the go-to players on their high school teams. Azzi, Carol, Sarah, KK, Ash, Ayanna, and even Morgan, Ice, Jana and Allie That's a type Geno looks for. They may or may not have the best skills, but they know how to build chemistry and to rally around one another.

Ash in particular seems like a prototype for this. Watch her high school games on YouTube and you see this trait in shining colors.

This isn't the same thing as chemistry, but it is an important precursor to it, and Geno has found a bunch of kids like this.
Expand ...
First of all, you start from the proposition that potential recruits are AAs, Gatorade POYs in their state, or at least All State. They would naturally be the go to player on their team being the best player on their team and probably in that state.

Geno is looking for more. He is looking for the kid who will figuratively try to run through a brick wall to help the team. That means to that player, the final score on the big scoreboard is more important than the box score. We saw the extreme version of that in that rookie player on the Wings now. He is also looking for a player who will "fit in" not only with his offense and defense but also with his coaching philosophy.

He develops every team, works them assiduously, cajoles, cuts them to the quick when necessary, and then, around February re-forms them into something new. That is his genius as a coach. It's actually all about chemistry, meaning playing together as a team, sharing, giving up a good shot for a great one by a teammate, doing what the team needs, filling your role. On his very best teams, and last year was one of them to be sure, the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts, it is almost an illusion.
 
HuskyNan said:
Serah scored 19 vs USC-west and 22 vs UCLA.

uwbadgers.com

Serah Williams | Women's Basketball | Wisconsin Badgers

Serah Williams (25) F - Honors: Four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, 2023 All Freshman Team, 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 2024 All-B1G Defen...
uwbadgers.com uwbadgers.com
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Against a Kiki team and a Betts team. She was a big time player on a weak team. She is going to have a lot of strong passers looking for her on the block this year.
 
I just now remembered one thing she said that really tickled me. It was in response to a question about settling in. I'd quote it but lost access to the article. She said she would of course take time to learn the different system. Then she said she would also have to learn UConn's pace and said in summer pick up games people went harder than she's experienced in games. The incredulity sort of came through the printed page. We all know this, but it still tickled me to hear it. She said her goal included kicking it up a notch in her senior year. I figure she's been reassured she came to the right place.
 
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With all the discussion about taking photos of potential recruits, why can't teams just take whatever photos they want
(in full uniform, if the player is willing) when the player is on a visit, but just stick the photos in a folder until the player
commits?
 
A lot has been said about chemistry. I think off court chemistry has a great influence on the on-court chemistry. Stop and think about it. What are the chances that a bunch of kids will come together and be friends? If a few of them won't hang out with teammates or generally be agreeable or actually be despised, then there is no way they are going to fit in on the court. Luckily UConn's returning players seem to be good friends. Hopefully the new additions will be good friends as well. Guess what? There is nothing a coaching staff can do about personal relationships except go after nice, agreeable additions.

Edit: I might add that this may be a bigger risk with transfers, i.e. what went wrong at their old school? This could be why Geno does not load up on transfers and schools that do don't seem to be overly successful.
 
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oldude said:
Nope. Kayleigh’s transfer announcement was accompanied by a photo of her in a UConn “bookstore” sweatshirt. At UConn there are no premature photos of players in official UConn uniforms at least until they earn it through some hard team practices.
Expand ...
Dam right, picture day is the first time the new kids can put on the official UConn uniform, and I have read by some kids that is actually a surreal experience for the first time.
 
Bone Dog said:
I look at the key personalities and they were all the go-to players on their high school teams. Azzi, Carol, Sarah, KK, Ash, Ayanna, and even Morgan, Ice, Jana and Allie That's a type Geno looks for. They may or may not have the best skills, but they know how to build chemistry and to rally around one another.

Ash in particular seems like a prototype for this. Watch her high school games on YouTube and you see this trait in shining colors.

This isn't the same thing as chemistry, but it is an important precursor to it, and Geno has found a bunch of kids like this.
Expand ...
Good observation. I would characterize Geno's recruits as having "No Fear." For the most part, his transfers, such as Chen, also were unafraid to take the big shot when it mattered most.
 
HopJim said:
Good observation. I would characterize Geno's recruits as having "No Fear." For the most part, his transfers, such as Chen, also were unafraid to take the big shot when it mattered most.
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Geno’s biggest challenge for his top players (Paige, Sarah, etc.) is to get them to be “selfish” when the game requires them to take over. Fortunately, he convinced both Paige and Sarah to do just that during UConn’s amazing run to championship #12.
 
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oldude said:
Geno’s biggest challenge for his top players (Paige, Sarah, etc.) is to get them to be “selfish” when the game requires them to take over. Fortunately, he convinced both Paige and Sarah to do just that during UConn’s amazing run to championship #12.
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Is fear the jersey back? Did it ever take a vacation?
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
I have no problem with it if they pay the athlete. They are just hyping their program with the quick impression that super stud is in fact signed. Yeah, it saves a potential trip back to campus if he does commit. What it is is supremely tacky. But then most sports promotion is tacky. Is it a big deal, no not at all.
Expand ...
Disagree, it's a common practice.
 
fomalhaut said:
With all the discussion about taking photos of potential recruits, why can't teams just take whatever photos they want
(in full uniform, if the player is willing) when the player is on a visit, but just stick the photos in a folder until the player
commits?
Expand ...
who said they couldn't?
 
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