Transfer portal thread, part II

[TeamFirst!]

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.

 

[socal613ws]

Yeah he needs to stop recruiting #1 recruits along with the other Top recruits he consistently brings to Storrs.

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

 

[TCC Kid]

No it's the food, it's much better than anything in Maryland. I was stationed in both states and the food in Louisiana is much better. Maryland had some tasty food it just wasn't as good.

I've lived in both states and, while I like the Looose E Anna people, I really liked the Maryland Fish products. The La Bufalito was good.

 

[Bone Dog]

I went to school in Annapolis and one thing you learn to love/hate is crabs. Old Bay and crabs. Everyone has their own pic and you pick up a bushel from a roadside seller and a case of beer and head over to a friend’s house. By the next morning you’re a little hungover and you reek of Old Bay and crab meat. In effect you’ve become a crab.

 

[Kaizen]

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

You don't expect some good words from a cheap one.

 

[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.