Transfer thread

[Charliebball]

That thread was about the real life issues of college age kids and the pressures under which they sometime crack. When people on these threads talk about what terrible choices recruits make about the school they attend when they do not choose Uconn, it is just a reminder that Uconn is not the solution for every 18 year old basketball player. That there are more important things in life than basketball, and that being happy in their choice of school and being successful in life and being healthy in mind and body is much more important.
What happened with Cassie was close to a tragedy, that a player does not develop to the fullest potential during their 4 years of college will never be a tragedy. For EDD four years near home with less than the best coaching and less than the most skilled teammates and limited team success does not seem to have stunted her professional career in a noticeable way, and I suspect the four years closer to her sister made her happier than had she stayed at Uconn.

Some of us think she has developed just fine. I could be cute and say I would prefer she just stand still for the next two years and that Dawn to be of limited success in developing her and others!

I see serious improvement in her game and she talks of working more on her range this summer which will be good. That she struggled to guard Stewart was no surprise, most people did! But I think she should work on her defensive skills 'in space' to maximize her value at the next level. She has time to do so.

Apart from her skill set, I have observed she sometimes seems to loose focus on the court..........disappearing for a few minutes at a time........... part of that may be that her teammates often neglect to get her the ball in the proper space..........something that rarely happens at that "other" school...............

 

[SEbluebood]

Aja Wilson was never likely to go to UConn. Her relationship with her family and her grandmother in particular made it certain she would stay in SC. Not sure why some Husky fans still talk about it. It is not like Uconn loss her at the last minute.

 

[UcMiami]

Apart from her skill set, I have observed she sometimes seems to loose focus on the court.....disappearing for a few minutes at a time...... part of that may be that her teammates often neglect to get her the ball in the proper space.....something that rarely happens at that "other" school.....

I agree that the focus in-game and game to game that the uconn coaches are able to command is unique - 6 undefeated seasons, and the constant response of defeated teams about playing 40 minutes and not being able to relax for a second is testament to that.

 

[Mdoggie]

Are you sure you actually read the article?
Basketball & UCONN are significant parts of the story.

I'll read it again.

 

[bags27]

Really, where/how would Wilson have played the past 2 years for UConn? of course, she would have started, but her style of play would have forced Stewie to adjust hers, and it would have been pretty crowded with Stewie, Morgan, and A'ja all looking for room in the paint. Sure, they would have won 2 NC together, but UConn seemed to manage okay....

Of course, having A'ja at UConn NOW would be sublime. But we've got a bunch of terrific kids who will play exciting ball.

 

[Charliebball]

Really, where/how would Wilson have played the past 2 years for UConn? of course, she would have started, but her style of play would have forced Stewie to adjust hers, and it would have been pretty crowded with Stewie, Morgan, and A'ja all looking for room in the paint. Sure, they would have won 2 NC together, but UConn seemed to manage okay....

Of course, having A'ja at UConn NOW would be sublime. But we've got a bunch of terrific kids who will play exciting ball.

I know what you're saying but Geno must have thought they could play together............too bad it didn't happen

Top Recruit A'ja Wilson Turns Down UConn, Will Attend S.C.

• 

McDonald's High School All American guard A'ja Wilson poses… (Brian Spurlock / USA Today…)
April 16, 2014|By JOHN ALTAVILLA, jaltavilla@courant.com, The Hartford Courant
A'ja Wilson, the top-ranked player in the Class of 2014, announced Wednesday she will play college basketball at South Carolina at a press conference held at her school, Heathwood Hall, in Columbia. S.C.

Wilson, a multitalented 6-foot-4 wing, chose between UConn, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.

 

[Mdoggie]

Are you sure you actually read the article?
Basketball & UCONN are significant parts of the story.

Yep. Read it again. It's more about her struggle. She just happened to be at Uconn during a difficult time. I read is that basketball or Uconn did not play a part. It's about mental illness. I suggest you read it again.

 

[bags27]

I know what you're saying but Geno must have thought they could play together..too bad it didn't happen.

We agree that of course he'd have figured it out, and the next two years would look pretty amazing for UConn if she'd have come here. But it may have also been part of her own calculation that she'd have played 2nd or 3rd or even 4th fiddle for her first two years.

 

[CocoHusky]

Yep. Read it again. It's more about her struggle. She just happened to be at Uconn during a difficult time. I read is that basketball or Uconn did not play a part. It's about mental illness. I suggest you read it again.

Kind of funny then that we are on a UCONN WCBB basketball board talking about a former UCONN WCBB player who overcame a mental illness.
Even funnier that the title of the article is : "Demons haunted a UConn national champion"
Right nothing to do with UCONN or Basketball!

 

[UcMiami]

Yep. Read it again. It's more about her struggle. She just happened to be at Uconn during a difficult time. I read is that basketball or Uconn did not play a part. It's about mental illness. I suggest you read it again.

We are in the middle of a thread that has many posts discussing 18-22 year olds making choices about schools, and people lamenting that there are talented players that failed to recognize that Uconn is the best place for them to go to be developed to their full potential as basketball players. Which is very narrow sighted and presumptuous by fans, though understandable on a forum about Uconn basketball. I posted the other thread to try and temper peoples perspective just a little bit. There are broader issues involved in school choice than just maximizing basketball talent. You can go down the list of players that transferred out of Uconn and realize that basketball even for those who still want to stay involved in the sport after graduation is NOT the most important issue and/or Uconn basketball is not the best fit for everyone who chooses Uconn, let alone those who do not.
Do I wish a player like Stevens would consider Uconn, because she is a very good player who I think would mesh with Uconn's style and seems to be the type of person that would thrive here as well - absolutely.

Do I think she is making a terrible mistake choosing somewhere else - no. I respect the fact that there are a lot of factors involved in her initial choice of Duke, and will be a lot of factors involved in her next choice whatever it is, that are not specific to basketball. Location, friends, rapport with coaching staff, etc. are all in play, and being happy with her new choice is more important to her development as a person and a basketball player than getting the 'best' coaching.

If you don't understand the correlation between those points and a story about someone who chose Uconn and ended her four years here in crisis, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Hopefully some others do see that correlation and might temper their comments about recruits and players they do not know personally.

 

[CocoHusky]

Really, where/how would Wilson have played the past 2 years for UConn? of course, she would have started, but her style of play would have forced Stewie to adjust hers, and it would have been pretty crowded with Stewie, Morgan, and A'ja all looking for room in the paint. Sure, they would have won 2 NC together, but UConn seemed to manage okay....
Of course, having A'ja at UConn NOW would be sublime. But we've got a bunch of terrific kids who will play exciting ball.

Bags I am really surprised at you . Everyone knows A'ja is/was a guard. Just ask her AAU coach and check the SC roster from her freshmen year. In all seriousness getting Wilson, Stewie & Tuck on the floor at the same time would be a challenge any good coach would sign up for.

 

[bags27]

Bags I am really surprised at you . Everyone knows A'ja is/was a guard. Just ask her AAU coach and check the SC roster from her freshmen year. In all seriousness getting Wilson, Stewie & Tuck on the floor at the same time would be a challenge any good coach would sign up for.

Apparently, Geno was willing to accept that challenge! A'ja, alas, wasn't.

 

[Charliebball]

We agree that of course he'd have figured it out, and the next two years would look pretty amazing for UConn if she'd have come here. But it may have also been part of her own calculation that she'd have played 2nd or 3rd or even 4th fiddle for her first two years.

That could be and if that's the case then glad she didn't make it up here.........

 

[SCGamecock]

Really? I did not know that. I was sort of being funny, but IMHO, you guys lost all your starting guards. I think Gray is going to be outstanding - maybe as good as Mitchell, but if you start Cuevas, Gray, Davis, Wilson and Coates (imposing starting 5 btw), I'm not sure you have any strong guard play off the bench, and I'm not sure Cuevas is a good floor general. She still seems too out of control for me and not great at "running the team"... Just my $.02. I bet you've seen SC much more than I have. Really I don't "care" how good you guys are next year - as long as you (and Miss State and Kentucky and...) beat the snot out of Tenn.

We have no real depth next year.. as far as experience. Our backcourt will be very young and with Jatarie White transferring (next year could've been great for her at SC, but I understand her decision) we only have a TRUE freshman off the bench for our front court and she's not even a low post presence, she's a stretch-4 with a 3 ball. Safe to say our starters will play A LOT next year. Cliney and Tiffany Davis will be good guards off the bench, both can shoot. Victoria Patrick, a true freshman, is a very good pure shooter... she'll play some minutes.

I don't think we start the season as a top 5 team... Talent wise? Definitely top 5.. but we're gonna take lumps in the beginning. By mid season I think we'll be in peak form. SC will be a very new team next year, especially in the backcourt (although we lose our starting guards, the talent upgrade there is almost exponential). The exciting thing for me is that this team has a higher ceiling than perhaps any team at SC before it...

 

[CocoHusky]

We have no real depth next year.. as far as experience. Our backcourt will be very young and with Jatarie White transferring (next year could've been great for her at SC, but I understand her decision) we only have a TRUE freshman off the bench for our front court and she's not even a low post presence, she's a stretch-4 with a 3 ball. Safe to say our starters will play A LOT next year. Cliney and Tiffany Davis will be good guards off the bench, both can shoot. Victoria Patrick, a true freshman, is a very good pure shooter... she'll play some minutes.

I don't think we start the season as a top 5 team... Talent wise? Definitely top 5.. but we're gonna take lumps in the beginning. By mid season I think we'll be in peak form. SC will be a very new team next year, especially in the backcourt (although we lose our starting guards, the talent upgrade there is almost exponential). The exciting thing for me is that this team has a higher ceiling than perhaps any team at SC before it...

Besides UCONN who do you have on your out of conference schedule next year?

 

[easttexastrash]

Apparently, Geno was willing to accept that challenge! A'ja, alas, wasn't.

Why is it that when a player chooses another school it somehow is perceived that they are not willing to accept a challenge. Maybe she just liked Dawn more than Geno. Maybe she just realized that she wanted to stay near home so that her family could see her play. Maybe she just feels more at home in the south than she does in the NE.

This young lady seems to be working very hard at becoming a better player and was the best in the SEC this year. She certainly does not seem like a young lady who is scared of a challenge.

 

[easttexastrash]

We have no real depth next year.. as far as experience. Our backcourt will be very young and with Jatarie White transferring (next year could've been great for her at SC, but I understand her decision) we only have a TRUE freshman off the bench for our front court and she's not even a low post presence, she's a stretch-4 with a 3 ball. Safe to say our starters will play A LOT next year. Cliney and Tiffany Davis will be good guards off the bench, both can shoot. Victoria Patrick, a true freshman, is a very good pure shooter... she'll play some minutes.

I don't think we start the season as a top 5 team... Talent wise? Definitely top 5.. but we're gonna take lumps in the beginning. By mid season I think we'll be in peak form. SC will be a very new team next year, especially in the backcourt (although we lose our starting guards, the talent upgrade there is almost exponential). The exciting thing for me is that this team has a higher ceiling than perhaps any team at SC before it...

The key to staying in the top 5 is to have an incredibly weak OOC schedule and go into conference play undefeated.

 

[SCGamecock]

Besides UCONN who do you have on your out of conference schedule next year?

Ohio State and Texas for sure, I think UCLA comes to SC.. can't remember who else.

Would like to see SC schedule Maryland.

 

[bags27]

Why is it that when a player chooses another school it somehow is perceived that they are not willing to accept a challenge. Maybe she just liked Dawn more than Geno. Maybe she just realized that she wanted to stay near home so that her family could see her play. Maybe she just feels more at home in the south than she does in the NE. This young lady seems to be working very hard at becoming a better player and was the best in the SEC this year. She certainly does not seem like a young lady who is scared of a challenge.

I think you misunderstood what I wrote, which wasn't hard, because what I wrote was ambiguous. The challenge would have been to squeeze her into a set line up of all-americans. When I said "alas", I meant sorry for UConn. No reflection on her intended.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Why is it that when a player chooses another school it somehow is perceived that they are not willing to accept a challenge. Maybe she just liked Dawn more than Geno. Maybe she just realized that she wanted to stay near home so that her family could see her play. Maybe she just feels more at home in the south than she does in the NE.

This young lady seems to be working very hard at becoming a better player and was the best in the SEC this year. She certainly does not seem like a young lady who is scared of a challenge.

We didn't have any room for Wilson. She'd have been a bench player the past couple of years, but instead has gotten to start for South Carolina.

 

[CocoHusky]

Why is it that when a player chooses another school it somehow is perceived that they are not willing to accept a challenge. Maybe she just liked Dawn more than Geno. Maybe she just realized that she wanted to stay near home so that her family could see her play. Maybe she just feels more at home in the south than she does in the NE.

This young lady seems to be working very hard at becoming a better player and was the best in the SEC this year. She certainly does not seem like a young lady who is scared of a challenge.

A'Ja Wilson ESPN interview April 2014 : "There's no place like home,"

Lauren Cox interview at McDonalds AA game April 2016 : "Family is very important to me and that is one of the reason's I chose Baylor, so I can be close to where my family is"

 

[CocoHusky]

We didn't have any room for Wilson. She'd have been a bench player the past couple of years, but instead has gotten to start for South Carolina.

UCONN doesn't "make room" for anyone. A'Ja is talented enough to make her own room on any roster including UCONN's. Why else would Geno have recruited her?

 

[HoopsFan21]

A'Ja Wilson ESPN interview April 2014 : "There's no place like home,"

Lauren Cox interview at McDonalds AA game April 2016 : "Family is very important to me and that is one of the reason's I chose Baylor, so I can be close to where my family is"

I think going forward this is going to be a big factor. 10-20 years ago if you wanted to play high level WCBB you were stuck going to Palo Alto, Storrs, or Knoxville. There are more opportunities all over the country now. The fact that not many of the top recruits come out of the northeast is probably not a good thing for schools located there. Also as the pro leagues have proven, you don't need to go to UConn to do well for yourself after college.

 

[Mdoggie]

My kid got the Heck out of dodge. Could have gone anywhere with her academics and athletics. Bolted from warm California to Syracuse NY. Whoda thunk it. Kids nowadays

 

[Mdoggie]

Kind of funny then that we are on a UCONN WCBB basketball board talking about a former UCONN WCBB player who overcame a mental illness.
Even funnier that the title of the article is : "Demons haunted a UConn national champion"
Right nothing to do with UCONN or Basketball!

What I am saying is that Uconn or basketball was not the cause of her illness.