So What is the Recruiting Strategy for the 2020 Recruiting Class>

[Charliebball]

I'm not going to start with the I told you so's even though I spent months suffering the slings and arrows of the UConn cognoscenti as they derided my pleas for additional 2019 recruiting offers ...................let's just say that I hope Geno and Co will cast a somewhat wider net for this ultra important 2020 class..................next year's team will be short in stature and short on players.............they'll still be a good and competitive team but I wouldn't expect them to win the championship...........many of us know the big names in the 2020 class............Bueckers, Van Lith, Clark, Andrews, Kapinus, Marshall, Daniels, Gusters.............each and every one of these players will get multiple offers from most of the big programs.............I really am curious how Geno will handle these recruits...............in the meantime, I'm going to be looking at some of the other "lesser" ranked players that still may offer UConn some great value in the days to come

 

[JustinesGuy]

I do like Van Lith.

 

[JordyG]

Walk ons anyone?

 

[Charliebball]

Walk ons anyone?

not unless they're 6'3" or taller...................

 

[CocoHusky]

This UConn cognoscenti, who admittedly threw most of those arrows you mentioned, still does not think more offers is the right answer. The right answer will be arrived at by taking stock of what when wrong-in time. The temperature right now is way too heated, enough for us to make additional mistakes.
What is it that you think went wrong?

 

[Charliebball]

Strategy? Go after all of em. Get as many as we can.

that's a lot trickier then it sounds..............you can't alienate the ones you really want by making offers willy nilly but on the other hand UConn needs a minimum of four players.............they are in a tough spot..........

 

[hoopsfan22]

Look, if you predicted Boston and/or Jones to UConn, just admit you made a mistake and you aren't quite the UConn insider you thought you were. Too many know it alls on this board. One who has since disappeared since making bold promises. Time to move on and focus on a big haul in 2020 and 2021.

 

[Charliebball]

This UConn cognoscenti, who admittedly threw most of those arrows you mentioned, still does not think more offers is the right answer. The right answer will be arrived at by taking stock of what when wrong-in time. The temperature right now is way too heated, enough for for us to make additional mistakes.
What is it that you think went wrong?

first I do wonder if the loss of Moseley and Shea not being on the road hurt UConn's recruiting efforts a bit this summer.........

Horston - a bit of a wild card........didn't establish a relationship early enough (understandable)...........not a great fit with UConn culture

Jones - the lure of playing at home for a great basketball program and a better school was just too much to overcome......(same goes for Brink)

Boston - a complete mystery to me............everything was in place.....thus my concerns when she didn't commit earlier.............

and I see the same issues with some of the 2020 class (PB, Hailey Van Lith) so for UConn to only recruit 4-5 players will likely lead to a similar outcome.........

 

[CocoHusky]

Look, if you predicted Boston and/or Jones to UConn, just admit you made a mistake and you aren't quite the UConn insider you thought you were. Too many know it alls on this board. One who has since disappeared since making bold promises. Time to move on and focus on a big haul in 2020 and 2021.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

first I do wonder if the loss of Moseley and Shea not being on the road hurt UConn's recruiting efforts a bit this summer....

Horston - a bit of a wild card...didn't establish a relationship early enough (understandable)......not a great fit with UConn culture

Jones - the lure of playing at home for a great basketball program and a better school was just too much to overcome.(same goes for Brink)

Boston - a complete mystery to me..everything was in place.....thus my concerns when she didn't commit earlier...

and I see the same issues with some of the 2020 class (PB, Hailey Van Lith) so for UConn to only recruit 4-5 players will likely lead to a similar outcome....

I was really wondering about the loss of Marisa Moseley, too. Big fall-off in recruiting right after she takes off for Boston.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

first I do wonder if the loss of Moseley and Shea not being on the road hurt UConn's recruiting efforts a bit this summer....

Horston - a bit of a wild card...didn't establish a relationship early enough (understandable)......not a great fit with UConn culture

Jones - the lure of playing at home for a great basketball program and a better school was just too much to overcome.(same goes for Brink)

Boston - a complete mystery to me..everything was in place.....thus my concerns when she didn't commit earlier...

and I see the same issues with some of the 2020 class (PB, Hailey Van Lith) so for UConn to only recruit 4-5 players will likely lead to a similar outcome....

I was really wondering about the loss of Marisa Moseley, too. Big fall-off in recruiting right after she takes off for Boston.

 

[CocoHusky]

first I do wonder if the loss of Moseley and Shea not being on the road hurt UConn's recruiting efforts a bit this summer....
Horston - a bit of a wild card...didn't establish a relationship early enough (understandable)......not a great fit with UConn culture
Jones - the lure of playing at home for a great basketball program and a better school was just too much to overcome.(same goes for Brink)
Boston - a complete mystery to me..everything was in place.....thus my concerns when she didn't commit earlier...
and I see the same issues with some of the 2020 class (PB, Hailey Van Lith) so for UConn to only recruit 4-5 players will likely lead to a similar outcome....

Fair enough:
I think we misread and overreacted to the relationship among teanagers. Overreacted in the sense that we are treating 3 different recruiting classes as not only one class but also as if there is a single player that will convince ALL (or most) of the others to come play with them. ND kind off started it with the recruiting Palooza event out there but UCONN having Azi and Paige sit in on Haley's and Aliyah's official visit was a bad idea in hindsight. To be totally transparent I was very happy when this happened but I'm learning.
I think each recruiting visit should be individual and special because ultimately you are making an individual decision.

 

[Huskee11]

Crystal will have graduated by the time that the 2020 class arrives on campus, and Coombs will be a senior. So, that situation should be attractive to the high quality point guards UConn is recruiting. But, they will have many other choices and we will all probably be wringing our hands over them around this time next year. Can`t wait.

As always it seems, UConn also needs size.

By my count, we will have 6 players on the roster for the 2020-2021 season. Coombs, Gordon, Walker, Williams, Ododa, and Griffin. So, the program really has no choice but to dig deeper just to fill out the roster.

So, maybe follow a dumbbell approach of recruiting at the top but also some Irwin/Bent types at the lower end of the spectrum.

OK, maybe "dumbbell" is a poor choice of words.

 

[Charliebball]

Crystal will have graduated by the time that the 2020 class arrives on campus, and Coombs will be a senior. So, that situation should be attractive to the high quality point guards UConn is recruiting. But, they will have many other choices and we will all probably be wringing our hands over them around this time next year. Can`t wait.

As always it seems, UConn also needs size.

By my count, we will have 6 players on the roster for the 2020-2021 season. Coombs, Gordon, Walker, Williams, Ododa, and Griffin. So, the program really has no choice but to dig deeper just to fill out the roster.

So, maybe follow a dumbbell approach of recruiting at the top but also some Irwin/Bent types at the lower end of the spectrum.

OK, maybe "dumbbell" is a poor choice of words.

as Notre Dame, MD, Miss St and other programs have proven, you don't need every player to be a top ten recruit............there's nothing wrong with a skilled second tier player (30 -100) that has some of the skills and the mind set that UConn is looking for.....for example ND has been playing Abby Prohaska due to injuries and she was ESPN #73..............Taylor Mikesell is playing well at Maryland and she was rated #33.............and I won't even go into Dara Mabrey who wasn't even rated in the ESPN 100..........bottom line.......yes fight for the top kids but don't forget that there are talented recruits a bit farther down the line that may provide a bit of insurance when things don't work out as planned........focus on a couple of the best of them and make an offer..........

 

[Centerstream]

I think that I will leave it up to Geno and his staff. I don't think a single BYer has any input on the recruiting process but I do enjoy reading the hundreds of threads and posts telling the rest of us who is being recuited and how every single one of them is UConn bound, right up until announcement day and 99% of the posters are shocked when a player goes someplace else.
BTW, if you do happen to have noticed any of my posts in any recruit thread, I usually am saying that the recruit is not coming to UConn, I think that the odds are in my favor 99% of the time. Enjoy.

 

[Blue Huskie]

The recruiting strategy will be same as it's been for many many years. Don't expect Geno and CD to change their approach this late in their careers. They would rather have a harder path with kids they consider "UCONN" type kids than go outside the mold.

 

[Rich]

Geno is going to enjoy this. He will now have the opportunity to really coach for the first time in a long while. Won’t be able to rely on pure skills.

Needless to say kiss those undefeated seasons goodbye for 3-4 years.

Also UCONN might want to think about articulating either a Geno succession plan or getting him to affirm commitment for the next X years. I think that other coaches may be using his age as a recruiting lever and it might be working.

 

[BobbyJ]

Fair enough:
I think we misread and overreacted to the relationship among teanagers. Overreacted in the sense that we are treating 3 different recruiting classes as not only one class but also as if there is a single player that will convince ALL (or most) of the others to come play with them. ND kind off started it with the recruiting Palooza event out there but UCONN having Azi and Paige sit in on Haley's and Aliyah's official visit was a bad idea in hindsight. To be totally transparent I was very happy when this happened but I'm learning.
I think each recruiting visit should be individual and special because ultimately you are making an individual decision.

Coco, do you have any idea if the "sit in" was UConn's idea or if it was the kid's idea and UConn just went along with it? I haven't been able to figure out why they were there, especially since it appears to me that Jones may have had her mind set for Stanford for awhile.

 

[Charliebball]

The recruiting strategy will be same as it's been for many many years. Don't expect Geno and CD to change their approach this late in their careers. They would rather have a harder path with kids they consider "UCONN" type kids than go outside the mold.

do you really think that ND or Stanford recruit a bunch of unskilled, unintelligent slackers? If they include recruits not in the upper echelon on occasion I think UConn might also be able to.........

 

[oldude]

Geno is going to enjoy this. He will now have the opportunity to really coach for the first time in a long while.

I had no idea Geno had so much talent these past few seasons that he was just rolling out the balls and letting the kids play. I mistakenly believed he was coaching his ass off. Who would’ve guessed.

 

[Charliebball]

Geno is going to enjoy this. He will now have the opportunity to really coach for the first time in a long while. Won’t be able to rely on pure skills.

Needless to say kiss those undefeated seasons goodbye for 3-4 years.

Also UCONN might want to think about articulating either a Geno succession plan or getting him to affirm commitment for the next X years. I think that other coaches may be using his age as a recruiting lever and it might be working.

didn't seem to effect Tara's recruiting and she's 65................

 

[pvdoggy]

do you really think that ND or Stanford recruit a bunch of unskilled, unintelligent slackers? If they include recruits not in the upper echelon on occasion I think UConn might also be able to....

Look at what Uconn has on the bench, I thought Uconn is already doing that.

 

[Zorro]

I think it may be time for Geno to do what I have been urging him to do for about fifteen years now and look seriously into signing Ivana Stepovaya. Granted that she is a bit long in the tooth, but she would add rebounding and take up a lot of space in the middle. And think what a drawing card a 7 foot plus Russian (Ukranian?) of indeterminate age would be, win, lose or draw! Her grey hair and mustache would cause a media orgy! (She might even make the cover of the Rolling Stone, or be the Time person of the year). And she would have four full years of eligibility. Whaddya think?

 

[Orangutan]

Fair enough:
I think we misread and overreacted to the relationship among teanagers. Overreacted in the sense that we are treating 3 different recruiting classes as not only one class but also as if there is a single player that will convince ALL (or most) of the others to come play with them. ND kind off started it with the recruiting Palooza event out there

Ironically, no player from "recruitapalooza" has committed elsewhere yet and two people from that gathering have since committed to Notre Dame (Brunelle & Campbell).

With Bueckers, Clark, Marshall, Parrish, Burke, and Watson coming up in the class of 2020, it will be interesting to see exactly how much fruit that gathering bears for ND.

But yes...it turns out those jokes among the U17 starting 5 that they might all go to the same school were just that...jokes...even though for a moment I seriously thought (read: feared) that it might really happen.

 

[Hayven]

Geno is set in his ways and I don’t see that changing soon. Have to focus on getting a PG and bigs, so that means Van Lith, Andrews, Kapinus, Daniels, and Gusters.

Marshall is all in with ND, if she goes anywhere else I would be surprised (based upon what have been discusssed on this board). Although I would like to see Paige go to UConn, I think she will follow in the footsteps of Whalen and stay home, and give Minnesota a few glory years

 

[Charliebball]

Look at what Uconn has on the bench, I thought Uconn is already doing that.

neither MB or KI were Top 100 players, I believe they were picked because the 2016 class was pretty thin and Geno decided that recruits with great character trumped somewhat more skilled options...........................I'm really focusing on the second tier recruits that are still excellent players (30-100)............while some may disagree, I believe that AG received an offer with the anticipation that Horston and Jones might go elsewhere.............and it's a damn good thing they did as she's going to be a big part of the team going forward..........now if they had just made an offer to a 6'2"+ forward they wouldn't be in quite as bad a position............

 

[Charliebball]

I think it may be time for Geno to do what I have been urging him to do for about fifteen years now and look seriously into signing Ivana Stepovaya. Granted that she is a bit long in the tooth, but she would add rebounding and take up a lot of space in the middle. And think what a drawing card a 7 foot plus Russian (Ukranian?) of indeterminate age would be, win, lose or draw! Her grey hair and mustache would cause a media orgy! (She might even make the cover of the Rolling Stone, or be the Time person of the year). And she would have four full years of eligibility. Whaddya think?

what's her GPA?

 

[UConnCat]

I understand Geno will sit down with Jeff Walz and learn the wide net strategy. It worked very well for Jeff this year. An old dog can learn new tricks.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Geno is going to enjoy this. He will now have the opportunity to really coach for the first time in a long while. Won’t be able to rely on pure skills.

Needless to say kiss those undefeated seasons goodbye for 3-4 years.

Also UCONN might want to think about articulating either a Geno succession plan or getting him to affirm commitment for the next X years. I think that other coaches may be using his age as a recruiting lever and it might be working.

That is the critical factor. How much longer will Coach Geno coach? And if it's a tough couple of years, will he decide he isn't having much fun any more? That he's accomplished all he needs to accomplish? If the recruiting landscape has changed, will he say that he will stay only until X? Or is that what kids are now thinking: that he won't be there that much longer.... It's not like 2004-5 when he had lots of years left in him to recover from a four-year recruiting drought.

 

[oldude]

One thing I am sure of. Geno isn’t sweating this stuff anywhere close to the level of anxiety present here on the BY.