State of the Roster: Where Can UConn Women’s Basketball Add Depth?

[JonathanXIV]

I'm talking about at UCONN. Aside from Jessica Moore, and then before her in the old days players like Maria Conlon, I don't think we've ever had an outside the top 20 kid ever start multiple years and be a "star" at UCONN.

By the way Dolson was rated #12 by ASGR, so before you throw her name at me, I just wanted to throw that out there (yeah HG had her at 39 and 2 others at 24 and 25...)

How about Kelly Farris?

 

[EricSD]

How about Kelly Farris?

She was rated the following:

1. 34 HG
2. 9 Blue Star
3. 26 Peach State / Prospects Nation
4. 7 ASGR

I know you could add up her composite and it might be over 20, but there were 2 services who thought she was a top 10 kid...

Next!

 

[Gus Mahler]

Where Can UConn Women’s Basketball Add Depth?

Well, I would say at the 4 and the 5. Also at the 2. Probably at the 1. I think we're good at the 3.

 

[meyers7]

Geno has never used all of his scholarships, and many coaches do not. Unrealistic to have 15 scholarship players for a sport that only plays 5 players at a time

95-95 season had 15 players (I think all were on scholarship) - Better, Rizzotti, Elliott, Northway, Wolters, Berube, Rose, Williams, Marquis, Sales, Hunt, Duran, Gaine, Arnold, Hughes

89-99 season had 16 players (with 1 walk-on) - Duran, Gaine, Abrlic, Sauer, Hansmeyer, Rigby, Ralph, Abrosimova, Schumacher, Czel (w/o), Glenney, Bird, Williams, Cash, Jones, Walters

00-01 season had 16 players - Ralph, Abrosimova, Shumacher, Czel, Rigby, Bird, Williams, Cash, Jones, Walters, Johnson, Taurasi, Conlon, Valley, Battle (r/s), Moore (r/s)

08-09 season would have had 15 if EDD stuck around

But more recently he's maxed out at around 12. Which is probably a better number.

 

[meyers7]

When a team makes it to 12 straight FF’s it’s pretty easy to be confident. Quite frankly, I find it difficult to understand how some BY’ers continue to offer negative assessments in the face of continuous, overwhelming success by UConn WBB.

They are kind of the antithesis of the TN "wait til next year" fans.

TN always disappoints but fans think next year will be great.

UCONN is always great but fans think next year will suck.

 

[meyers7]

Just because a person does a thing everyday or on a regular basis means they're good at it. How many bad a** drivers did you encounter last week? They've all been driving for years, and still can't drive worth a crap.

Especially here in MA and CT. OMG, the Pilgrims and Nutmeggers are just freaking awful.

 

[BroadwayVa]

In his book, Geno was very complimentary of Conlon.

That was nice of him. I was reporting on his words when she was a player and the year following her graduation, those were not so nice and a back hand complement i.e (paraphrasing) Who'd have thought I'd miss Maria Conlon. Geno in the first, was being funny--but to me it wasn't funny. Simply I was a huge Connecticut Girl on the Connecticut team fan and remain so to this day. She too was a VALLEY girl; Naugatuck River Valley.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Especially here in MA and CT. OMG, the Pilgrims and Nutmeggers are just freaking awful.

I never adapted to the Constitution State---I'm a Nutmegger through and through.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Come to think of it--me either. What was I thinking???

Ummm... I'm not seeing what you disagree with...

 

[EricSD]

Come to think of it--me either. What was I thinking???

LOL I read your post and thought "he's saying different stuff, but i'm not sure where the disagreement comes from". Not that there's anything wrong with it - I just didn't see it LOL....

 

[BroadwayVa]

ohhhhhh....could be...I wonder if Geno even looked at anyone on that list......

Even I know that Geno has to do something--that shows you how OBVIOUS the needs appear to be.
Since we are being fed nothing along those lines, except 2 for 2020 we (maybe just me) wonder all the WHAT IF's. The other OBVIOUS is Grad Transfers or Foreign players (I throw a big net)---again, but WHO??

With the nucleus Geno has of ONO, Danger, Walker, CW, Griffin along with Touly (hope she is game ready), Coombs, Molly, Irwin (the order of players means nothing as listed). It appears that even without another big or 3 this coming (which would ensure a FF and beyond) Geno's 2019/20 team has great potential. To me ONO is the key. I believe she will defend and score and will learn to stay in the game. If Touly is 95 percent Big plus. The OBVIOUS of this comment is : CW, Walker, Griffin/Coombs will step up big time and become what their potenital showed.

 

[eebmg]

Even I know that Geno has to do something--that shows you how OBVIOUS the needs appear to be.
Since we are being fed nothing along those lines, except 2 for 2020 we (maybe just me) wonder all the WHAT IF's. The other OBVIOUS is Grad Transfers or Foreign players (I throw a big net)---again, but WHO??

With the nucleus Geno has of ONO, Danger, Walker, CW, Griffin along with Touly (hope she is game ready), Coombs, Molly, Irwin (the order of players means nothing as listed). It appears that even without another big or 3 this coming (which would ensure a FF and beyond) Geno's 2019/20 team has great potential. To me ONO is the key. I believe she will defend and score and will learn to stay in the game. If Touly is 95 percent Big plus. The OBVIOUS of this comment is : CW, Walker, Griffin/Coombs will step up big time and become what their potenital showed.

Sorry to bring it up but Coombs just announced she is transferring. All over the BY by now.

 

[Charliebball]

Even I know that Geno has to do something--that shows you how OBVIOUS the needs appear to be.
Since we are being fed nothing along those lines, except 2 for 2020 we (maybe just me) wonder all the WHAT IF's. The other OBVIOUS is Grad Transfers or Foreign players (I throw a big net)---again, but WHO??

With the nucleus Geno has of ONO, Danger, Walker, CW, Griffin along with Touly (hope she is game ready), Coombs, Molly, Irwin (the order of players means nothing as listed). It appears that even without another big or 3 this coming (which would ensure a FF and beyond) Geno's 2019/20 team has great potential. To me ONO is the key. I believe she will defend and score and will learn to stay in the game. If Touly is 95 percent Big plus. The OBVIOUS of this comment is : CW, Walker, Griffin/Coombs will step up big time and become what their potenital showed.

agreed.......................next year's team is one good big forward away from being a serious NC challenger.............I don't know if such a player is or will be available as a grad transfer or international recruit but that's where much of their recruiting efforts should be aimed

 

[BroadwayVa]

Sorry to bring it up but Coombs just announced she is transferring. All over the BY by now.

Terrible , just Terrible. I expected her to show her stuff next year. Too bad it will be elsewhere!! Someone wrote that Geno had a sit down with her and the result appears to be her going away. She was by far the best one off the bench.

 

[JoePgh]

I'm talking about at UCONN. Aside from Jessica Moore, and then before her in the old days players like Maria Conlon, I don't think we've ever had an outside the top 20 kid ever start multiple years and be a "star" at UCONN.

By the way Dolson was rated #12 by ASGR, so before you throw her name at me, I just wanted to throw that out there (yeah HG had her at 39 and 2 others at 24 and 25...)

Kelly Faris, who was around #30? Saniya Chong? Kiah Stokes?

And in the old days, there were Kara Wolters / Jennifer Rizzotti / Jamelle Eliot. Probably Rebecca and Nykesha Sales were the only players on that team who WERE Top 20, and they won an NC. You could add Kerry Bascom from the 1991 Final Four team.

The fact that it has happened less frequently in recent years is the result of the coaches' ability to recruit a lot of Top 20 players, rather than the fact that they have been unable to develop lesser players.

By the way, I think Kyla and Molly would be far more effective players if this were 1993 (or even 1995) and they were among the five best players on the team. Just getting minutes (and therefore feedback and game film) can make a player much better than she shows as a bench player.

 

[EricSD]

Kelly Faris, who was around #30? Saniya Chong? Kiah Stokes?

Good names. Faris was 9 per Blue Star and 7 per ASGR. Just because HG had her so low (as did Peach State which became Prospects Nation) doesn't mean she wasn't a top recruit.

Stokes was 14 per Blue Star, 6 per Peach State and 9 per ASGR. And I don't think she started too many games for UCONN. While her defense was at an AA level, Geno could never get her to be more aggressive offensively. Loved her on the court but she never really broke out.

Saniya didn't start till her senior season. But you are correct in that her highest ranking was 20 per ASGR.