Tori McCoy Interview

[BigBird]

Trying to get the link inserted... Please stand or sit by.

 

[BigBird]

http://www.illinoishomepage.net/sto...r-shot-to-repeat/31648/HSaxrRKhJkO6CbD_p2xa1w

It took some circumnavigation, but this link should do it. The interview with Tori is in the second half of the vid. She seems to be a very verbal and bright young lady. I hope she chooses her next school wisely.

 

[HuskiesU]

Tori McCoy seems like a good player and a UConn fit she's long can run the floor shoot reminds me a lil of Jessica Moore but better Offense. Does anyone knows what schools she interest in??Are we still in the mix with her.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Last we heard back in May she still had a complete list of 30 schools she hadn't pared down yet. She's a great post scorer and does a lot of other things well though not as well as Lauren Cox. I wouldn't cry if she came to UConn though.

 

[EricLA]

I think she's fantastic. From the videos I've seen of her, she's very good with the ball for a big post player, can finish equally well with both hands, and can finish thru contact. She also has an adequate mid range game. All that and she's only entering her junior year of HS. She's well spoken, driven and has a great attitude. Love, love, love this kid!

And for those of you who wonder about my enthusiasm for certain players, I was one of the first to simply rave about Nurse, and I kept at it in spite of some on here saying she had a chance to be "good but not great". Now that we've heard Geno say she could be the next AA from UCONN, I say "thbbbt" to those who doubted!

 

[HuskiesU]

Last we heard back in May she still had a complete list of 30 schools she hadn't pared down yet. She's a great post scorer and does a lot of other things well though not as well as Lauren Cox. I wouldn't cry if she came to UConn though.

Not really a big fan of Cox. I think she's overrated but is a good player and she showed that in FIBA games besides I feel she's along way to commit to UConn. Lol maybe im hating cuz I knows she's not coming to Storrs

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Not really a big fan of Cox. I think she's overrated but is a good player and she showed that in FIBA games besides I feel she's along way to commit to UConn. Lol maybe im hating cuz I knows she's not coming to Storrs

I think she's one of the better talents in recent memory. She would be a phenomenal fit with UConn, IMO.

 

[meyers7]

Last we heard back in May she still had a complete list of 30 schools she hadn't pared down yet. She's a great post scorer and does a lot of other things well though not as well as Lauren Cox. I wouldn't cry if she came to UConn though.

Dangerfield, Irwin and McCoy and I'd be over the moon. Add in Ionescu and I'd ride the cow.

 

[BigBird]

This is just my creative wig-bubble, and nothing more.

School / why yes / why not:

Illinois State: 40 minutes from home, unlimited playing minutes, great school, known quantity. But - won't be a NCAA contender (ever), coaches and players seem to come and go with alarming frequency.

Illinois: 5 minutes from home, local peer pressure, Bollant is agressively recruiting her, known quantity, academic reputation. But - women's sports at Illinois mean little to nothing compared to men's. Low expectations, or none at all. Chronic underachievers in sports across the board.

Notre Dame: Needs a post or two. Muffet is a good recruiter. Tori plays at a Catholic school already, and she will get a strong push. About 1:45 from home, easy drive. But - it isn't UConn.

Iowa: Easy 3:45 drive. Great coach (Lisa Bluder), on a recruiting roll currently, great fan base, academics are strong, strong support for WBB. But - brewing problems with AD (Barta) vs. women's team coaches of teams other than WBB. It is going to get messy.

UConn: You probably have better information than I can even guess! But start with Geno and 9 big trophies.

Five to watch out for: Purdue, DePaul, Indiana, Northwestern, Butler. Reasons: team needs and proximity. But- all lack sustained winning tradition in WBB.

Discuss ad librium...

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Dangerfield, Irwin and McCoy and I'd be over the moon. Add in Ionescu and I'd ride the cow.

McGraw recently said it's going to be difficult to work 9 players into her rotation this season. UConn right now has 12 for both '15 and '16. If they add McCoy and Ionescu you're looking at 14 players on the 2016 squad. Nobody wants to broach it here but the subject of PT is going to be a major issue in coming years.

 

[meyers7]

McGraw recently said it's going to be difficult to work 9 players into her rotation this season. UConn right now has 12 for both '15 and '16. If they add McCoy and Ionescu you're looking at 14 players on the 2016 squad. Nobody wants to broach it here but the subject of PT is going to be a major issue in coming years.

Not my problem. But I don't care if Geno has it. It'll work itself out anyway. There's always injuries and transfers. Just part of the game.

 

[connboy77]

McGraw recently said it's going to be difficult to work 9 players into her rotation this season. UConn right now has 12 for both '15 and '16. If they add McCoy and Ionescu you're looking at 14 players on the 2016 squad. Nobody wants to broach it here but the subject of PT is going to be a major issue in coming years.

Its a nice problem to have!

 

[EricLA]

McGraw recently said it's going to be difficult to work 9 players into her rotation this season. UConn right now has 12 for both '15 and '16. If they add McCoy and Ionescu you're looking at 14 players on the 2016 squad. Nobody wants to broach it here but the subject of PT is going to be a major issue in coming years.

To answer what you said, I'd pose a question - who would it be an issue for? I would say only for guards and wings. IF we were to only land McCoy here's what we'd have her freshman year

Sr: Chong, Tuck
Jr: Ekmark, Williams, Edwards, Nurse, Butler
So: Collier, Boykin, Samuelson
Fr: Dangerfield, Irwin, McCoy

In BOLD I listed the 5's and I UNDERLINED the 4's. Technically, Tuck is a 4/3, but aside from Butler, UCONN has no one who can really play the 5, and only 2 kids who would realistically be asked to play the 4 (3 if you count Irwin). As a freshman, playing behind 3 others for 2 positions is not an issue at all.

This is also one reason that as much as I'd love Ionescu, I don't see any other guards/wings coming to UCONN from 2016, since I agree, we are so deep there. 2017 will be a different story as I could see us taking a class of 3 - 1 guard, 1 wing and 1 post.

In my above list, it's a class of 13, but possibly (and likely) role players will be Ekmark, Edwards, and Irwin. That leaves a rotation of 10, 2 who can easily be brought along slowly, as in a huge game, I'm not sure freshmen Dangerfield or McCoy would expect to play unless we had a big lead.

We all know post players take longer to develop. McCoy would only be "behind" Tuck for 1 year and Butler for 2 years. If Butler is good, McCoy would likely start her junior season. How is that an issue for her, or any player? If she's looking to be a starter from day 1, then I agree UCONN is not the place for her.

I say this with no speculation at all, kids like Banks who want more PT, but just aren't good enough (for whatever reason) will likely transfer. We saw this with Johnson and Engeln too. It's always sad to see a kid leave the program, but if one does not improve as much as hoped/expected, there will surely be at least a kid or 2 behind her who will take PT away and possibly even start over her.

The kids who are the best will play the most. I see nothing wrong with that since WCBB does not give out participation trophies. Some kids need to accept that they will be role players and enjoy the ride, or seek a different school...

Lastly, and I hate to even mention it, but injuries derail at least 1 UCONN player almost every year. Sad but true fact...

 

[UconnWBB]

McGraw recently said it's going to be difficult to work 9 players into her rotation this season. UConn right now has 12 for both '15 and '16. If they add McCoy and Ionescu you're looking at 14 players on the 2016 squad. Nobody wants to broach it here but the subject of PT is going to be a major issue in coming years.

As much as we all avoid this...I hafta agree that it will be an issue. Some kids are NOT going to want to hafta sit and earn PT (and I know that's not who we want anyway) but the top HS stars are used to having everything go their way (including PT) and some are going to shy away from the logjam because of it. But, yes, it's a good problem to have!!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Dangerfield, Irwin and McCoy and I'd be over the moon. Add in Ionescu and I'd ride the cow.

The cow says that will happen when pigs fly Meyers!

 

[Sluconn Husky]

To answer what you said, I'd pose a question - who would it be an issue for? I would say only for guards and wings.

I think it'll be an issue in general, not necessarily for certain positions.

In my above list, it's a class of 13, but possibly (and likely) role players will be Ekmark, Edwards, and Irwin. That leaves a rotation of 10, 2 who can easily be brought along slowly, as in a huge game, I'm not sure freshmen Dangerfield or McCoy would expect to play unless we had a big lead.

Let's go real low and give KLS, Collier, Butler, Tuck, Chong, Williams, and Nurse all 20 minutes apiece per game. That's an embarrassingly conservative 140.

That leaves 60 minutes for Boykin, your three roles players (Ekmark, Edwards, Irwin), and Dangerfield and McCoy.

Even assuming top-5 talents like Dangerfield and McCoy wouldn't earn more PT, that's 10 minutes for each of the remaining six.

That's probably the type of scenario you're thinking about. However, to make it reality you probably have to cut 35-45 minutes from what the first group would normally play and seriously restrict PT for two star freshmen and Boykin at a minimum.

The kids who are the best will play the most.

What if they have so many deserving players that that theory doesn't work for 200 minutes, a distinct possibility with that roster?

 

[Sonny44]

To answer what you said, I'd pose a question - who would it be an issue for? I would say only for guards and wings. IF we were to only land McCoy here's what we'd have her freshman year

Sr: Chong, Tuck
Jr: Ekmark, Williams, Edwards, Nurse, Butler
So: Collier, Boykin, Samuelson
Fr: Dangerfield, Irwin, McCoy

In BOLD I listed the 5's and I UNDERLINED the 4's. Technically, Tuck is a 4/3, but aside from Butler, UCONN has no one who can really play the 5, and only 2 kids who would realistically be asked to play the 4 (3 if you count Irwin). As a freshman, playing behind 3 others for 2 positions is not an issue at all.

This is also one reason that as much as I'd love Ionescu, I don't see any other guards/wings coming to UCONN from 2016, since I agree, we are so deep there. 2017 will be a different story as I could see us taking a class of 3 - 1 guard, 1 wing and 1 post.

In my above list, it's a class of 13, but possibly (and likely) role players will be Ekmark, Edwards, and Irwin. That leaves a rotation of 10, 2 who can easily be brought along slowly, as in a huge game, I'm not sure freshmen Dangerfield or McCoy would expect to play unless we had a big lead.

We all know post players take longer to develop. McCoy would only be "behind" Tuck for 1 year and Butler for 2 years. If Butler is good, McCoy would likely start her junior season. How is that an issue for her, or any player? If she's looking to be a starter from day 1, then I agree UCONN is not the place for her.

I say this with no speculation at all, kids like Banks who want more PT, but just aren't good enough (for whatever reason) will likely transfer. We saw this with Johnson and Engeln too. It's always sad to see a kid leave the program, but if one does not improve as much as hoped/expected, there will surely be at least a kid or 2 behind her who will take PT away and possibly even start over her.

The kids who are the best will play the most. I see nothing wrong with that since WCBB does not give out participation trophies. Some kids need to accept that they will be role players and enjoy the ride, or seek a different school...

Lastly, and I hate to even mention it, but injuries derail at least 1 UCONN player almost every year. Sad but true fact...

In two years we are going to be vertically challenged.

 

[EricLA]

What if they have so many deserving players that that theory doesn't work for 200 minutes, a distinct possibility with that roster?

Bottom line is unhappy kids will transfer. I don't say that glibly, but with the understanding that it's a fact of WCBB. Geno mentioned that Mo, KML and Breanna are having to get used to playing less because we have so many more talented kids this year.

I don't know that it's so much people don't want to talk about it as it is that we just aren't concerned about it. If playing for the best coach/staff, winning NC's, traveling, having great teammates, and an amazing college WCBB experience is not enough, then those kids are better off at other programs. If being a starter is an ultimate goal and you aren't good enough, then another school is better for you.

UCONN is the pinnacle of WCBB bar none. It's the hardest program to play for, earn PT for, and succeed at. It's not right for everyone. In my mind, PT is not a problem. It's a goal that all kids work towards and the best will earn it. Those who don't can work harder, wait their turn, accept their roles, or transfer.

Aside from EDD and Walker , who did not leave fort PT reasons, no kid in recent memory who has transferred has been a huge loss to the program. Johnson, Engeln, and Banks were all role players and never going to be starters. I'd be willing to bet any kid who leaves in the future will leave for the same reasons, and even tho it sounds brutal, if they never were going to be starters, it's not a loss from a talent perspective.

One last thing - UCONN has always been about the TEAM first. Every single player who lasts 4 years realizes they need to subjugate their personal goals for the betterment of the team. A kid who gets that will be ok with the PT they earn, and those who don't will leave.

 

[EricLA]

In two years we are going to be vertically challenged.

UCONN is almost always vertically challenged. We won 2 NC's in Maya's sophomore and junior years. Our post players were Kerns, McLaren, Charles and Buck. And realistically Buck and Kerns never played. That means we had 6'3", 6'2" and 6'1" for 2 post positions.

If we have 6'5" Butler and 6'4" McCoy not to mention 6'2" Boykin, 6'2" Irwin, 6'3" Samuelson and 6'0" Williams, we will be bigger and stronger in the post than in a very long time. In fact, you'd have to go back to the days of Williams, Cash, Jones, Hansmeyer, Schumacher and Sauer in 2002 to find a bigger team...

 

[HuskiesU]

We need another big for 2016 which I know Geno knows what he needs and want. I'm tired of people comparing heights and playing time to past years. The future of WBB is getting a lot more bigger taller stronger and talentive but watching the woman's game for 20 years I know being the tallest helps but don't mean much. Brittany G. Only won 1 NC and she was the most dominant. Candace P won 2 but is a very Special player but hardly played the post.

 

[meyers7]

In two years we are going to be vertically challenged.

Say what?
This year we have 3 players over 6-0 (Stokes, Stewart and Tuck), with our tallest at 6-4. In 2 years we will have 6 players over 6-0 (Tuck, Butler, Samuelson, Collier, Boykin, Irwin), with our tallest player at 6-5. Height wise we are going to be much better off than we are now. And we could still pick up one of McCoy 6-4, Cox 6-4, Brown 6-1, or Ayieotan 6-9. At least we are still in the running.

 

[winlots]

Dangerfield, Irwin and McCoy and I'd be over the moon. Add in Ionescu and I'd ride the cow.

MEYER: From all indications, you've been over the moon for a really, really, really long time, not to mention the hill.

 

[Sonny44]

UCONN is almost always vertically challenged. We won 2 NC's in Maya's sophomore and junior years. Our post players were Kerns, McLaren, Charles and Buck. And realistically Buck and Kerns never played. That means we had 6'3", 6'2" and 6'1" for 2 post positions.

If we have 6'5" Butler and 6'4" McCoy not to mention 6'2" Boykin, 6'2" Irwin, 6'3" Samuelson and 6'0" Williams, we will be bigger and stronger in the post than in a very long time. In fact, you'd have to go back to the days of Williams, Cash, Jones, Hansmeyer, Schumacher and Sauer in 2002 to find a bigger team...

You hit the key McCoy [or Cox], then no problem. If not, then we do have a likely problem. Comparisons to past Husky teams is not the same as comparisons to teams today. They are bigger and stronger and getting bigger. We're doomed.

 

[rvwsleep]

I found this interview with McCoy interesting with the mention of her playing against Brown.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Dec 9th update: McCoy tears ACL

Tori McCoy is out for the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in her left knee last weekend.

http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/...ketball/2014-12-08/stms-mccoy-out-season.html

One can only guess as to how this may or may not impact her recruitment.