Serah Williams to LSU?

[Bone Dog]

I think you put a good perspective on this debate.

I’m not sure it even is a debate, since all sides seem to agree that getting Serah is a good idea. Sure, there’s reason to think recruiting transfers over an existing lineup of high school recruits could hurt morale. But Serah will probably have minimal impact there, just as Kaitlyn didn’t either. I say sign her up if she’s willing, but don’t be surprised if she turns out to be merely a valuable role player in Geno’s schemes.

On the other hand, we’ve all been treated to the spectacle of overstocked teams like UCLA and USC losing most of their rising sophomores to the portal. Talk of reloading being a necessity merely because other teams appear to be doing it can hardly fail to appear blind to the reality Geno and Paige just showed us.

Beers was last year’s necessity and looking back on it now I’m glad Geno didn’t sign her even if he could have. All of us were surprised when the only portal addition he made was an Ivy League guard — how did that solve the gaping holes in the lineup? — and yet no one would question the wisdom of that choice now.

This is the only reason I resist saying that Geno needs to add someone. He saw a path to an NC more clearly than any of us did. And that path didn’t require the necessity so many of us were certain of.

 

[CGK]

Geno had Paige. Nobody else did

 

[oldude]

I’m not sure it even is a debate, since all sides seem to agree that getting Serah is a good idea. Sure, there’s reason to think recruiting transfers over an existing lineup of high school recruits could hurt morale. But Serah will probably have minimal impact there, just as Kaitlyn didn’t either. I say sign her up if she’s willing, but don’t be surprised if she turns out to be merely a valuable role player in Geno’s schemes.

On the other hand, we’ve all been treated to the spectacle of overstocked teams like UCLA and USC losing most of their rising sophomores to the portal. Talk of reloading being a necessity merely because other teams appear to be doing it can hardly fail to appear blind to the reality Geno and Paige just showed us.

Beers was last year’s necessity and looking back on it now I’m glad Geno didn’t sign her even if he could have. All of us were surprised when the only portal addition he made was an Ivy League guard — how did that solve the gaping holes in the lineup? — and yet no one would question the wisdom of that choice now.

This is the only reason I resist saying that Geno needs to add someone. He saw a path to an NC more clearly than any of us did. And that path didn’t require the necessity so many of us were certain of.

Geno approaches the transfer portal much differently than most any other HC. It starts by keeping the majority of the key rotational players on his existing roster.

Subsequently, Geno is very picky about bringing in any transfers. He is looking for intelligent, talented, team-oriented individuals who will complement UConn’s existing roster.

Over the past 5 seasons, UConn has brought in 4 transfers: Evina, Dorka, Lou & Kaitlyn. 3 of the 4 had already completed their undergraduate degree. All were stars on their respective teams, and all accepted supporting roles at UConn.

As a result, UConn has a far easier time integrating a single transfer into an already solid rotation than teams that are making wholesale changes to their roster year after year.

 

[Charliebball]

I’m not sure it even is a debate, since all sides seem to agree that getting Serah is a good idea. Sure, there’s reason to think recruiting transfers over an existing lineup of high school recruits could hurt morale. But Serah will probably have minimal impact there, just as Kaitlyn didn’t either. I say sign her up if she’s willing, but don’t be surprised if she turns out to be merely a valuable role player in Geno’s schemes.

On the other hand, we’ve all been treated to the spectacle of overstocked teams like UCLA and USC losing most of their rising sophomores to the portal. Talk of reloading being a necessity merely because other teams appear to be doing it can hardly fail to appear blind to the reality Geno and Paige just showed us.

Beers was last year’s necessity and looking back on it now I’m glad Geno didn’t sign her even if he could have. All of us were surprised when the only portal addition he made was an Ivy League guard — how did that solve the gaping holes in the lineup? — and yet no one would question the wisdom of that choice now.

This is the only reason I resist saying that Geno needs to add someone. He saw a path to an NC more clearly than any of us did. And that path didn’t require the necessity so many of us were certain of.

I was very much in favor of Chen's transfer to UConn as a stabilizing and experienced force despite the depth of the roster at the time.......I see the very same thing with Serah Williams and next year's team.........

 

[bellairehusky]

Everyone here talking about how adding a player like Williams can increase our odds of #13. And I agree, she absolutely will. I also look at it from another additional perspective...it decreases the odds for LSU to take that #13 from us. Whatever you think of Mulkey, she has shown that with the talent, she can win it all, and they are putting together a lot of talent so far.

 

[FairView]

And Jackie Stiles, who reportedly changed her mind at the last moment.

 

[ERWUC65]

We cannot underestimate the loss of Paige (20 points and leadership) and Kaitlyn (experience, poise and BB IQ). Given that Azzi will either equal or better her production and that Sarah will do the same, how does Geno make up the difference? Will the candidates for the post step up? Should we expect more out of KK and Ash? Or is there help coming from the portal like in each of the past few years?

 

[oldude]

We cannot underestimate the loss of Paige (20 points and leadership) and Kaitlyn (experience, poise and BB IQ). Given that Azzi will either equal or better her production and that Sarah will do the same, how does Geno make up the difference? Will the candidates for the post step up? Should we expect more out of KK and Ash? Or is there help coming from the portal like in each of the past few years?

Maybe all of the above….

 

[Urshurak]

I’m not sure it even is a debate, since all sides seem to agree that getting Serah is a good idea. Sure, there’s reason to think recruiting transfers over an existing lineup of high school recruits could hurt morale. But Serah will probably have minimal impact there, just as Kaitlyn didn’t either. I say sign her up if she’s willing, but don’t be surprised if she turns out to be merely a valuable role player in Geno’s schemes.

On the other hand, we’ve all been treated to the spectacle of overstocked teams like UCLA and USC losing most of their rising sophomores to the portal. Talk of reloading being a necessity merely because other teams appear to be doing it can hardly fail to appear blind to the reality Geno and Paige just showed us.

Beers was last year’s necessity and looking back on it now I’m glad Geno didn’t sign her even if he could have. All of us were surprised when the only portal addition he made was an Ivy League guard — how did that solve the gaping holes in the lineup? — and yet no one would question the wisdom of that choice now.

This is the only reason I resist saying that Geno needs to add someone. He saw a path to an NC more clearly than any of us did. And that path didn’t require the necessity so many of us were certain of.

And Geno saw that path in dominating fashion also. I don’t think any of us saw UConn beating UCLA by 34 and being up on SC by 30 with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Pure domination. Brilliant!

 

[Urshurak]

We cannot underestimate the loss of Paige (20 points and leadership) and Kaitlyn (experience, poise and BB IQ). Given that Azzi will either equal or better her production and that Sarah will do the same, how does Geno make up the difference? Will the candidates for the post step up? Should we expect more out of KK and Ash? Or is there help coming from the portal like in each of the past few years?

I think we will get more out of KK. She made a big sophomore leap in my opinion. She was a menace to the other team during the tournament and put up some really good offense. Ash, though very good defensively, still struggles with consistency in her offense. I suspect she will be better this season.

As for Serah, she would be a great addition. As would Heckel from USC. Heckel and KK would be a great in and out of rotation similar to KK and KC.

 

[ConnMotors]

Azzi will be replacing the 20 ppg that Paige was averaging. Sarah will be the second 20 ppg scorer. That right now is our main offense. Ashlynn and KK have to score close to double figures per game. Then 20 points from the rest of the players. That’s 80 a game.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Azzi, Shade, Kk, Ziebell, Ducharme,
Strong, El AlFy, Brady, Cheli, Patterson
Add Fisher, Malloy-Manuel, and Quinonez. I would suspect that Jana, Ice, Cheli and Ziebell will be looking for significantly more playing time next year. Hopefully Patterson will be finally healthy and ready to be a significant contributor. I am sure Quinonez and Fisher did come here to ride the bench either. UConn doesn’t really have room to add anyone. IMO, UConn should just dance with the girls they brought to the dance and not go looking for anyone new.

 

[KCD]

There has been a lot of talk about NIL and LSU with regard to Serah, but she's Canadian. Have the rules changed?

 

[oldude]

There has been a lot of talk about NIL and LSU with regard to Serah, but she's Canadian. Have the rules changed?

Serah was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Canada as a teenager. She’s about as Canadian as the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Especially when you get to the NCAA tournament, you need 3 scoring options as your opponents will take out your option A and mostly your option B. UConn won the championship because no one could stop the 3 superstars of UConn playing at peak performance. At this point, UConn got only 2 proven 20 points scorers. While we can expect Shade to show an increase in scoring and hopefully Jana, Bianca and KK can average close to or more than 10 pt. each, UConn needs that 3rd threat and that is what (Hopefully) Serah can provide. Will UConn be a top 4 team without Serah? Sure (as long as there are no major injuries to any of the core players)! with Serah, UConn is a top 2 team (with SC).

 

[JellyBean]

If we land Serah, which would be awesome, it is going to be a process of that player, the coaching staff, and the team, adjusting and finding their groove within the team concept and having that mindset to embrace that role. Somebody posted Serah's stat line Impressive as they are, we know she may or may not put up those numbers at UConn. I will use Dorka for an example. At Ohio State, she put up some decent numbers. Her first year with us, it was a struggle. Her Ohio State numbers did not meet what Coach Auriemma, or a lot of fans, had in mind. It took a minute for her to find her groove. Much like Chen this season and Lou a few seasons before and with Lou, who knows what would have happened if we had a healthy and complete roster. The bottom line, adding Serah, her numbers/minutes may or may not help. A lot will depend on the rest of the team and that player's ability to embrace their role on the team.

 

[psconn]

Azzi will be replacing the 20 ppg that Paige was averaging. Sarah will be the second 20 ppg scorer. That right now is our main offense. Ashlynn and KK have to score close to double figures per game. Then 20 points from the rest of the players. That’s 80 a game.

Replacing Paige's scoring is the easiest part of replacing someone like Paige. She is one of those very rare players that elevates everyone around her by her words and actions. At this time I don't see anyone on the team that is ready to fill those shoes.

 

[hoopsdiva]

Replacing Paige's scoring is the easiest part of replacing someone like Paige. She is one of those very rare players that elevates everyone around her by her words and actions. At this time I don't see anyone on the team that is ready to fill those shoes.

I agree. I think KK has leadership qualities, but her leadership style is closer to Nika than to Paige. I can easily see Sarah quickly growing into a leadership role, but again the style will be completely different.

 

[cancontent]

Serah was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Canada as a teenager. She’s about as Canadian as the Brooklyn Bridge.

It's amazing how this continues to come up regarding Williams. She represented the USA last summer as part of the 3x3 U23 program. Trust me, if Canada Basketball could have found a way to add her to their development pool, they would have done so a long time ago.

 

[iri10]

I'm sure multiple other people have made the joke, but all I can say is that I'd like her on the team for the puns.

"How'd we manage to beat a ranked team by 30?"
"Oh, you know. Our post duo. Que Sarah Serah."

 

[ERWUC65]

Azzi, Shade, Kk, Ziebell, Ducharme,
Strong, El AlFy, Brady, Cheli, Patterson
Add Fisher, Malloy-Manuel, and Quinonez. I would suspect that Jana, Ice, Cheli and Ziebell will be looking for significantly more playing time next year. Hopefully Patterson will be finally healthy and ready to be a significant contributor. I am sure Quinonez and Fisher did come here to ride the bench either. UConn doesn’t really have room to add anyone. IMO, UConn should just dance with the girls they brought to the dance and not go looking for anyone new.

3 players coming off major injuries, 3 incoming freshman, inconsistent play from the post, questions at PG, loss of 25-30 ppg from the 3 departing seniors and we should just go with what we got?

 

[Bone Dog]

3 players coming off major injuries, 3 incoming freshman, inconsistent play from the post, questions at PG, loss of 25-30 ppg from the 3 departing seniors and we should just go with what we got?

Yup.

 

[joea]

Replacing Paige's scoring is the easiest part of replacing someone like Paige. She is one of those very rare players that elevates everyone around her by her words and actions. At this time I don't see anyone on the team that is ready to fill those shoes.

This and the fact that the opposing teams had to, or chose to, follow her around the court on defense, which opened things up for others. Now Azzi or Sarah will get that attention, with unknown effect, or the defenses will be more "team" oriented.

 

[dtbtbtb]

This and the fact that the opposing teams had to, or chose to, follow her around the court on defense, which opened things up for others. Now Azzi or Sarah will get that attention, with unknown effect, or the defenses will be more "team" oriented.

Last season the most effective offense came for a pick and roll between Paige and Sarah at the top of the key. It worked perfectly because both have an amazingly high basketball iq, both have great handles, both have great hands, and both are great shooters on all 3 levels. I wonder if we'll see that in the coming season and if so by who

 

[mainerhuski]

And Della Donne staying.

This! I feel like she had such a huge negative impact, not just because she didn’t come, but because of the low post players who didn’t consider UConn because they expected he to be there for 4 years.