Transfer portal thread, part II

[VA Huskie]

When I think of Mulkey and the word "happy" they do not seem to go together. I don't get it personally but look at the talent she is collecting down there. She's tough as nails and players sometimes respect that I think. She's going to get results or it's going to kill her. Who are you going to bet on with your career? Someone who consistently finds a way to greatness or someone without a track record. She's a top coach along with Geno, Dawn and a few others and she is appealing to a niche of players. When I see Angel Reese play I see someone who has strong individual goals and a plan for herself. I'm not seeing a team player at the level I'd like to see but I haven't watched her much and it may just be a given situation where it wasn't a good fit. When I watched Maryland the coach didn't seem to be in control last year in the same way Geno was. The players freelanced and the team suffered as a result. Reese may have a good fit in LSU as Mulkey will be in control but she also lets her players freelance a lot if they are good. She will showcase Angel Reese.

We’ll said. I often felt MD, as a team, we’re often out of control. But I wondered if that was just their strategy.

 

[Mdoggie]

how many top recruits did he get in the Alijyah Boston Haley Jones class? That came back to bite him

Had to go to the ESPN ranking site for that year. Bad bad bad recruiting year for us. Changed the trajectory of the program (NC wise). Many have said missing Boston is where the NCs got lost. I agree.

 

[hoophuskee]

Had to go to the ESPN ranking site for that year. Bad bad bad recruiting year for us. Changed the trajectory of the program (NC wise). Many have said missing Boston is where the NCs got lost. I agree.

Lot of bad luck for several successive years. It wasn't just one year but the accumulation. SO you can point at 1 year and say "so what" but it's "each successive year" there was an issue.


1-- In 2015 had the commit from De'Janae Boykin. ; left UCONN Dec 2015 her frosh year. Never played. Held a scholarship for that long in which she had some size and athleticism which later we know affects UCONN long-term.

2--- In 2016 only got 1 top recruit; Dangerfield (and Kyla Irwin and Molly Bent). And while she was good, she was never an All-American.

3--- In 2017 only Megan Walker stays (for 3 years) while the others (3 other recruits) leave without ever coming and 2 others play 1-2 years before leaving. So between 2016 and 2017 UCONN only has two top recruits, as a result during Dangerfield's last year, there were only two top recruit upperclassmen and no other decent upperclassmen.

4--- After the 2018, UCONN's Azura Stevens surprises and leaves. Another big that was a transfer expected to help; Batouly Camara is hurt all season, and then incoming number 2 overall recruit Charli Collier (a bit of a banging center) de-commits from UCONN on 9/22 after UCONN held the commit for 9-10 months. SO UCONN gets more of the finesse center in Liv. And what happens in 2018-2019 season in NCAA Tourney? Notre Dame crushes UCONN on the glass.

5--- Through the end of 2020, only one All-American was produced (CWill, Liv and Evina never were A/A as a result vs the good teams UCONN wasn't "dominant" like the past.). And that one year the team was woefully small.

How do you expect "to dominate" under these circumstances? Considering that the 2016 class didn't have much and losing 3 players from the 2017 class, the 2018 class never produced an All-American, and the 2019 class were not top recruits and have been hurt for significant time/ and or left UCONN and/or were role players.

Lats two years has bene different. Getting players. Don';t need as much from the Portal either. A very good big who can play fast pace would help but necessary.

 

[TCC Kid]

Geno's problem is he only goes after a certain type of player. He really needs to get away from that and start recruiting early. Women's college basketball has changed and there is alot more competition than before. he need to get more athletic as well.

I surely do agree: I sent him an email and told him to ditch everything he learned these last 40 years--the game changed, the players changed, the ball changed, the uniforms changed--and GENO just keeps being GENO.
I can't post his reply here---but suffice to say--my eyeballs are bleeding after reading that reply. I didn't think a good Catholic boy knew those words!!
Golly Aubrey beat Geno, one on one? She is ONLY 50 years younger than he! He should have beaten her.

 

[tower1]

I surely do agree: I sent him an email and told him to ditch everything he learned these last 40 years--the game changed, the players changed, the ball changed, the uniforms changed--and GENO just keeps being GENO.
I can't post his reply here---but suffice to say--my eyeballs are bleeding after reading that reply. I didn't think a good Catholic boy knew those words!!
Golly Aubrey beat Geno, one on one? She is ONLY 50 years younger than he! He should have beaten her.

Wow ! Glad you posted this !

 

[socal613ws]

Had to go to the ESPN ranking site for that year. Bad bad bad recruiting year for us. Changed the trajectory of the program (NC wise). Many have said missing Boston is where the NCs got lost. I agree.

yep if Boston comes here UConn loses maybe 1 game in 3 seasons with her.

 

[nomdoux]

Any thoughts on where Emily Kiser (Michigan) might be looking to spend her 5th year?

… Good question. Reposting for input.

Kiser is a seasoned, big body that’s shown improvement & was well-coached @ Michigan.

Think she is Husky-caliber as depth big, w/o any PT guarantee?

 

[oldude]

… Good question. Reposting for input.

Kiser is a seasoned, big body that’s shown improvement & was well-coached @ Michigan.

Think she is Husky-caliber as depth big, w/o any PT guarantee?

I like Kiser a lot as a player. But I question whether adding another player to the roster who gives you very much the same thing you’ll get from Aaliyah and probably Ice & Ayanna makes a lot of sense. At some point Geno has to show confidence in the players he recruited as well as his ability to develop them.

With that said, Kiser has to look at a transfer to UConn as approximately 15-20 mpg of PT off the bench at best. Not sure if that’s what she’s looking for.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Lot of bad luck for several successive years. It wasn't just one year but the accumulation. SO you can point at 1 year and say "so what" but it's "each successive year" there was an issue.


1-- In 2015 had the commit from De'Janae Boykin. ; left UCONN Dec 2015 her frosh year. Never played. Held a scholarship for that long in which she had some size and athleticism which later we know affects UCONN long-term.

2--- In 2016 only got 1 top recruit; Dangerfield (and Kyla Irwin and Molly Bent). And while she was good, she was never an All-American.

3--- In 2017 only Megan Walker stays (for 3 years) while the others (3 other recruits) leave without ever coming and 2 others play 1-2 years before leaving. So between 2016 and 2017 UCONN only has two top recruits, as a result during Dangerfield's last year, there were only two top recruit upperclassmen and no other decent upperclassmen.

4--- After the 2018, UCONN's Azura Stevens surprises and leaves. Another big that was a transfer expected to help; Batouly Camara is hurt all season, and then incoming number 2 overall recruit Charli Collier (a bit of a banging center) de-commits from UCONN on 9/22 after UCONN held the commit for 9-10 months. SO UCONN gets more of the finesse center in Liv. And what happens in 2018-2019 season in NCAA Tourney? Notre Dame crushes UCONN on the glass.

5--- Through the end of 2020, only one All-American was produced (CWill, Liv and Evina never were A/A as a result vs the good teams UCONN wasn't "dominant" like the past.). And that one year the team was woefully small.

How do you expect "to dominate" under these circumstances? Considering that the 2016 class didn't have much and losing 3 players from the 2017 class, the 2018 class never produced an All-American, and the 2019 class were not top recruits and have been hurt for significant time/ and or left UCONN and/or were role players.

Lats two years has bene different. Getting players. Don';t need as much from the Portal either. A very good big who can play fast pace would help but necessary.

Nice summary. Ezi Magbegor is in there somewhere. She would have been a great and much needed addition.

 

[Huskee11]

I would be happy to see Kiser end up at UConn. However, I have heard nothing linking her to UConn and I think the likleihood of her ending up at UConn is very small.

She averaged over eight rebounds a game and had more defensive rebounds than Hillmon.

She would be another experienced frontcourt player, added depth. Deberry played sparingly, and Patterson and Brady are Freshman. All three have great promise, but will they will be able to compete at the highest levels next year.

Kiser would only be there for one year, which I think is also a plus.

Problem is, she started all 32 games for Michigan last year and averaged over 31 minutes per game. Presumably she wants to end up somewhere where she can get similar minutes.

The downside from UConn`s perspective is whether lack of minutes to divvy up at the 4/5 creates potential portal problems down the road. If Geno thinks his current crew is up to it, he would probably take a pass in any event.

 

[HopJim]

I like Kiser a lot as a player. But I question whether adding another player to the roster who gives you very much the same thing you’ll get from Aaliyah and probably Ice & Ayanna makes a lot of sense. At some point Geno has to show confidence in the players he recruited as well as his ability to develop them.

With that said, Kiser has to look at a transfer to UConn as approximately 15-20 mpg of PT off the bench at best. Not sure if that’s what she’s looking for.

The wild card is DeBerry. If she improves and Geno has confidence in her, doubt any bigs will be added from transfer portal. In high school, our tallest player was very passive. The coach challenged him and gave him a milkshake every time he had a physical game. By year end, he had gained 15 lbs. Let's hope DeBerry has lots of "milkshakes" in her.

 

[GoChips20]

As a non-UConn fan I’ll try to offer an unbiased perspective.

I’m not sure what Kiser gives that you don’t already have. She’s not big or physical enough to battle the Kitleys and Bostons of college ball (of which there are really only a few) and your other forwards and posts aren’t lacking in the skill department.

She’s a very nice player and I wish her well but don’t see her playing over many of whom you already have on your bench.

 

[Charliebball]

I like Kiser a lot as a player. But I question whether adding another player to the roster who gives you very much the same thing you’ll get from Aaliyah and probably Ice & Ayanna makes a lot of sense. At some point Geno has to show confidence in the players he recruited as well as his ability to develop them.

With that said, Kiser has to look at a transfer to UConn as approximately 15-20 mpg of PT off the bench at best. Not sure if that’s what she’s looking for.

I don't think Kaiser is a WNBA caliber player and she knows it...........I'd be happy if she had UConn interest as she would provide another big body off the bench with some offensive ability but I assume she'd like more guaranteed playing time at a somewhat "lesser" program.....

 

[oldude]

I don't think Kaiser is a WNBA caliber player and she knows it...........I'd be happy if she had UConn interest as she would provide another big body off the bench with some offensive ability...........

I agree that Kiser is not destined for the W. But I would rather see the PT go to Aliyah and the 2 incoming freshmen, then a 1 year rental. Ice in particular strikes me as someone who could be every bit as good as Kiser, if not better, by the time the Big Dance rolls around next March.

 

[Bone Dog]

Apart from what we may want from Kiser -- primarily insurance -- what might she want from us? She got to the EE game last year. What could she want from Uconn except maybe more exposure to launch a pro career in Europe? I'm not sure she needs it. Or maybe she just wants to be on a team than has a real shot at the NC game. I mean, it might be dispiriting to be on a good team that perennially falls short, and then loses its best player to the draft.

 

[oldude]

Kiser earned All-Big 10 Academic recognition as an honors student at MI, recently graduating with a degree in Communications & Media. If that is a legitimate career path for her, a school like Syracuse would be a good fit academically and she would certainly get plenty of playing time.

 

[Charliebball]

I agree that Kiser is not destined for the W. But I would rather see the PT go to Aliyah and the 2 incoming freshmen, then a 1 year rental. Ice in particular strikes me as someone who could be every bit as good as Kiser, if not better, by the time the Big Dance rolls around next March.

I agree with you but UConn's recent injury history makes me want a couple of additional players, especially if they can help the team.....

 

[oldude]

I agree with you but UConn's recent injury history makes me want a couple of additional players, especially if they can help the team.....

An extra guard made sense, considering that UConn had only 4, and Geno sometimes goes with a 4 guard lineup. So I absolutely support bringing in Lou2 for a year.

But UConn rarely plays more than 2 forwards at a time. We have 6 on the roster for next year, and both Caroline & Lou2 could also play the 4 in a pinch. While I know there are questions about some, I really believe UConn is better off without adding a forward from the transfer portal, who could eat up 10-20 mpg of PT that would be better used to develop other players on the roster.

 

[Fossil]

Had to go to the ESPN ranking site for that year. Bad bad bad recruiting year for us. Changed the trajectory of the program (NC wise). Many have said missing Boston is where the NCs got lost. I agree.

Didn’t Charlie Collier back out the year before as well. Definitely a down couple years recruiting.

 

[cancontent]

As a non-UConn fan I’ll try to offer an unbiased perspective.

I’m not sure what Kiser gives that you don’t already have. She’s not big or physical enough to battle the Kitleys and Bostons of college ball (of which there are really only a few) and your other forwards and posts aren’t lacking in the skill department.

She’s a very nice player and I wish her well but don’t see her playing over many of whom you already have on your bench.

Agreed. I can see her making large contributions during Big East play, but games like South Carolina would be a struggle.

As some have noted, however, no one knows if there's any interest from either side. Time will tell.

 

[Bone Dog]

Didn’t Charlie Collier back out the year before as well. Definitely a down couple years recruiting.

I also think on that decision from her side. What did she get except 4 years at an also ran. It was a good platform for the draft for her. Did she get what she wanted from Texas? I suspect not.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

The wild card is DeBerry. If she improves and Geno has confidence in her, doubt any bigs will be added from transfer portal. In high school, our tallest player was very passive. The coach challenged him and gave him a milkshake every time he had a physical game. By year end, he had gained 15 lbs. Let's hope DeBerry has lots of "milkshakes" in her.

Deberry isn't a twig. I'm just not certain if she'll return to being a center like she was in hs or a 3pt shooter like we saw in her mop up minutes. I got the impression that she knew she wasn't going to be playing a lot...so when she did get in she dabbled...and they didn't mind her taking those shots. No way can I believe that they recruited her to be a 3 point center. I think she is way better than what we saw this year and why they don't seem overly pressed to grab a center out of the portal.

 

[Carnac]

yep if Boston comes here UConn loses maybe 1 game in 3 seasons with her.

One maybe two NC’s if she had come here!

 

[Carnac]

Lot of bad luck for several successive years. It wasn't just one year but the accumulation. SO you can point at 1 year and say "so what" but it's "each successive year" there was an issue.


1-- In 2015 had the commit from De'Janae Boykin. ; left UCONN Dec 2015 her frosh year. Never played. Held a scholarship for that long in which she had some size and athleticism which later we know affects UCONN long-term.

2--- In 2016 only got 1 top recruit; Dangerfield (and Kyla Irwin and Molly Bent). And while she was good, she was never an All-American.

3--- In 2017 only Megan Walker stays (for 3 years) while the others (3 other recruits) leave without ever coming and 2 others play 1-2 years before leaving. So between 2016 and 2017 UCONN only has two top recruits, as a result during Dangerfield's last year, there were only two top recruit upperclassmen and no other decent upperclassmen.

4--- After the 2018, UCONN's Azura Stevens surprises and leaves. Another big that was a transfer expected to help; Batouly Camara is hurt all season, and then incoming number 2 overall recruit Charli Collier (a bit of a banging center) de-commits from UCONN on 9/22 after UCONN held the commit for 9-10 months. SO UCONN gets more of the finesse center in Liv. And what happens in 2018-2019 season in NCAA Tourney? Notre Dame crushes UCONN on the glass.

5--- Through the end of 2020, only one All-American was produced (CWill, Liv and Evina never were A/A as a result vs the good teams UCONN wasn't "dominant" like the past.). And that one year the team was woefully small.

How do you expect "to dominate" under these circumstances? Considering that the 2016 class didn't have much and losing 3 players from the 2017 class, the 2018 class never produced an All-American, and the 2019 class were not top recruits and have been hurt for significant time/ and or left UCONN and/or were role players.

Lats two years has bene different. Getting players. Don';t need as much from the Portal either. A very good big who can play fast pace would help but necessary.

UConn assistant coach Marisa Moseley‘s departure for Boston University as its new head coach during this time didn’t help things either. She had formed on-going relationships with a lot of players in those classes.

UConn had to get back up to speed with her replacement (Jasmine Lister) who was there less than 2 years. Lister left on Jan 9, 2020 right after the Baylor game. That’s when Jamelle Elliott came back temporarily to fill the unexpected void left by Lister. We lost quite a few potential recruits during this time.

 

[CocoHusky]

I also think on that decision from her side. What did she get except 4 years at an also ran. It was a good platform for the draft for her. Did she get what she wanted from Texas? I suspect not.

Well for starters Charli got to be the number 1 pick in the WNBA draft and stayed close to home where her remaining family ( father passed away) could easier watch her games. BTW she only spent 3 years in college. I suspect she got exactly what she wanted and much more.

 

[Bone Dog]

Well for starters Charli got to be the number 1 pick in the WNBA draft and stayed close to home where her remaining family ( father passed away) could easier watch her games. BTW she only spent 3 years in college. I suspect she got exactly what she wanted and much more.

But this means you agree with me. The family connection was a factor that was never going to be overcome by anything UConn could offer. This means it was not really a missed opportunity for us despite what some have suggested. However, in terms of a pure bball stage, Texas got her to the top of the draft in a thin draft year as I said, but nothing else.

 

[CocoHusky]

But this means you agree with me. The family connection was a factor that was never going to be overcome by anything UConn could offer. This means it was not really a missed opportunity for us despite what some have suggested. However, in terms of a pure bball stage, Texas got her to the top of the draft in a thin draft year as I said, but nothing else.

No I do not agree with you. Your question was: Did she get what she wanted from Texas? You answered your own question by saying : I suspect not. I suspect that she did get everything she wanted out of Texas including the ability to be closer to home so that her family could watch her play. Did you think Charli signed with Texas expecting to win a National Championship or something like that?

 

[Bone Dog]

No I do not agree with you. Your question was: Did she get what she wanted from Texas? You answered your own question by saying : I suspect not. I suspect that she did get everything she wanted out of Texas including the ability to be closer to home so that her family could watch her play. Did you think Charli signed with Texas expecting to win a National Championship or something like that?

Sure. I did say that. But it was in the larger context of folks suggesting we’d missed out on a number of golden recruiting opportunities. Understood in the context of the thread, it’s clear that your points are simply consonant with mine.

To repeat, if her choice was guided by family considerations, then there was no basketball way to interest her in UConn, and there’s no point in grousing about it. This seems to have been your point and I agree. We can only recruit kids from across the nation by offering basketball opportunities. In choosing Texas, she gave those up. At UConn, she might have helped win a NC. What she retained was a platform for the draft, as I pointed out. But this was all.

 

[Boreifs]

Does anyone not see that had Collier honored her commitment to UConn, it is highly probable that Olivia would have gone elsewhere. I fail to see how having Collier instead of ONO would have made the chance to win an NC that much greater. Her impact in the WNBA has so far been minuscule.

 

[CocoHusky]

Sure. I did say that. But it was in the larger context of folks suggesting we’d missed out on a number of golden recruiting opportunities. Understood in the context of the thread, it’s clear that your points are simply consonant with mine.

To repeat, if her choice was guided by family considerations, then there was no basketball way to interest her in UConn, and there’s no point in grousing about it. This seems to have been your point and I agree. We can only recruit kids from across the nation by offering basketball opportunities. In choosing Texas, she gave those up. At UConn, she might have helped win a NC. What she retained was a platform for the draft, as I pointed out. But this was all.

That's not my point. Charli Collier played basketball at Texas or do you think she went to Texas because of the good chemistry program? Any basketball scholarship is about basketball opportunities regardless if it is a BB scholarship to UCONN or Memphis State. People are absolutely correct in suggesting that UCONN missed out on a number of golden opportunities and Charli Collier was among them. Do you actually know what happened with her recruitment or do you need a refresher? For example, do you realize that she was committed to Texas prior to committing to UCONN before changing her mind and returning to her original commitment of Texas? Do you know the impact the death of her father and Tropical Storm Harvey had on her decision to go to play basketball at Texas? When she committed to UCONN is was not to be a part of the rowing team and I don't know of any recruit for which "family considerations" are not a part of the college decision.