Transfers (merged threads)

[cohenzone]

Stevens was an enigma. Incredibly talented on the offensive end, especially inside when she reluctantly agreed to go there, and a great shot blocker, but seemingly unable or unwilling to comprehend team defensive concepts. And her three point shooting for us was miserable. Nevertheless, had she stayed we would have won it all although Napheesa`s game would have suffered. So, maybe the message is you take the good with the bad.

Had she stayed, we would have been different and maybe win it all. But the development of Walker and Williams would have been different.

 

[Husky1964]

Make sure Megan takes her to the DairyBar!

 

[HopJim]

There are some on the BY board who think that Azure would have stayed her final year if Geno played her more in the FF game against ND and because she may have felt slighted (or underappreciated), that may have tipped her decision to leave early. I do not subscribe to that interpretation. I think the WNBA opportunity was the deciding factor and she kept her decision process very close to the vest.
I am pretty sure Geno did not expect it and really wanted her back since he felt he left her development half finished (not to mention how valuable she would have been for the team). That whole experience must sting and may make him less eager to enter that water again.

Hope this makes my reference clear.

Not sure about comments that the Azure experience was a bad one. The alternative was a team with no height, no height for 2 years of practices, etc. Could have been better, but glad we had her.

 

[Triad]

Not sure about comments that the Azure experience was a bad one. The alternative was a team with no height, no height for 2 years of practices, etc. Could have been better, but glad we had her.

You, of course, are right. Z won a few games for Geno. She was a superb scoring machine and put up a lot of points. \
My problem with her was, she was as ONO was as a freshman early on. One would think a 3 year players with one year of getting Uconn practices would have evolved beyond where she appeared to be in defense.
ONO at the end this year, in my opinion, was a better defender than Senior Z.

 

[eebmg]

Not sure about comments that the Azure experience was a bad one. The alternative was a team with no height, no height for 2 years of practices, etc. Could have been better, but glad we had her.

I did not mean to imply totally negative but a combination of positives and less than positives and Geno would need to consider very carefully if he wants to go that route.

 

[oldude]

One way or another, Geno needs to fill out his roster with at least one and more likely two players next year to fill out the 5th starter role and the “6th man” role. He has 3 options to fill those roles: graduate transfer, regular transfer with immediate eligibility and overseas player.

Currently, he is working all 3 options. Unless he has a confidential commitment from say Makurat once her team’s playoff run is over or Laksa once she graduates, Geno needs to work every option until he gets the players he needs.

Just like the regular recruiting process, the players that commit earlier are more likely to preclude options for other players. As the BY has discussed, the commitments from Paige & Nika likely preclude a commitment by Hailey Van Lith to UConn.

My final thought is that Geno has a plan for next year that involves at least two more players. Those two players might come from a pool of 3 or more players that UConn is currently recruiting. I expect that Geno’s plan will reveal itself as the process accelerates into May.

 

[Ron and Vida]

"Gino"?!?!?!

I thought we weren't allowed to misspell coach's names?

OMG!?!?! Can’t believe I did that

 

[DaBball]

Between Azure, Meghan, and Gino...my goodness.

 

[Zanzman]

Make sure Megan takes her to the DairyBar!

Do we know she’s on campus mayb she’s in Virginia with Megan for the holiday?

 

[DaBball]

Do we know she’s on campus mayb she’s in Virginia with Megan for the holiday?

I think she put up a photo in UConn gym?

 

[Zanzman]

I couldn’t tell where they were at

 

[Boreifs]

Gabby made one 3 and shot 6% in her career. It worked well when she was here.

Geno hardly ever used 5 and out when Gabby was on the team. His primary set was high-low. From what Old Dude and I posted, why would you think otherwise?!

 

[DaBball]

Geno hardly ever used 5 and out when Gabby was on the team. His primary set was high-low. From what Old Dude and I posted, why would you think otherwise?!

While not a three point shooter, Gabby did have a great high post jumper. Loved watching her fly by bigs trying to contest it.

 

[oldude]

I think there is a misunderstanding that 5-out means that all a team does is shoot 3-pt shots. While outside shooting is an important component of running such an offense, there are virtually an unlimited number of offensive options that can be run off it. The key is to keep the lane open and have players make hard cuts through the lane, sometimes off screens and sometimes simply flashing in the lane when a defensive switch leads to a mismatch or in the case of Pheesa, whenever she could establish herself in the low post with room to operate.

The offense forces defenders to work extremely hard, defend the entire half court and be alert with their head on a swivel lest they lose their man for a backdoor layup.

 

[PacoBlaze]

I don't recall when or with whom but I have seen Geno have a small fit when a player drilled a 2 just inside the 3 line. .

How about taking the time to watch game replays so you can provide example(s) instead of offering unproven information (you have a complete off season to research this, don't you?). I don't recall any such antics, especially if it was Lou.

 

[DeeHusky]

I'm a little skeptical of this assessment and would like some evidence cited to substantiate it. Especially because I could cite evidence to the contrary. For instance, in terms of player development:

Layshia Clarendon was a first-round draft pick in the WNBA (9th in 2013), is a starting PG in the WNBA, has made the WNBA all-star team at least once, and is regularly in the mix for Team USA. Yet she was the no. 67th ranked recruit coming out of high school per ESPN/Olson. So either Gottlieb helped her develop well beyond her seeming high school potential, or else she spotted something no one else saw.

Brittany Boyd was a first round draft pick in the WNBA (9th in 2015), has been in and out of starting lineups for the Liberty, was named to the WNBA all-rookie team, and continues to get considerable playing time in her 4th year in the WNBA. Yet she was no. 38th ranked recruit coming out of high school per ESPN/Olson. So either Gottlieb helped her develop well beyond her seeming high school potential, or else she spotted something no one else saw.

Rashanda Gray was a second round draft pick in the WNBA (16th in 2015), and although she didn't end up playing for too long in the WNBA, she was the no. 22 ranked recruit coming out of high school per ESPN/Olson. Objective metrics would seem to suggest that Gray developed at least as much as her peers in her year, given that she improved her draft position from her recruiting rank.

And I'd say Kristine Anigwe shows a similar trajectory: no. 8 recruit per ESPN/Olson, no. 9 WNBA pick.

Sure, that's just one metric. But I feel like there seems to be this view that Gottlieb is a poor coach and yet I'm not really sure what the objective metrics basis for this is. In terms of player development, she seems, on an objective basis, to develop players to meet or exceed their high school recruiting prospects.

In terms of in game coaching, I've seen her teams play Stanford for years, and I've been above average impressed with her scouting defenses and ability to surprise Tara with plan B's vis-a-vis the dozens of other teams I've watched Stanford face off against. This season, in particular, Anigwe was one of the few players Tara was unable to shut down in any of the three games Stanford played against Cal - by comparison, Stanford obliterated Baylor's double-trouble bigs of Cox and Brown. And when Cal upset Stanford, they did so through a lot of outside shooting they weren't normally known for, as well as some cuts to the basket by their shorter guards that were not regularly part of Cal's playbook this season.

So I'm open to the argument, but I'd like to know what the evidence is. From what I've seen, Gottlieb is an above-average-replacement coach, and I'd be very surprised if Cal could find someone better given their combination of funding hurdles/admissions issues/and ongoing AD problems.

I definitely agree, I knew Gotlieb was no slouch when she took Cal to the Final Four

 

[Triad]

How about taking the time to watch game replays so you can provide example(s) instead of offering unproven information (you have a complete off season to research this, don't you?). I don't recall any such antics, especially if it was Lou.

Too bad you have such a bad memory. If you have the time to waste--YOU watch old games and find those mentioned. Makes more sense than demeaning an honest comment with negativisms.

 

[BleedBlue72]

No they were on campus. Not everyone goes home for Easter... and if she was still enrolled at Tennessee why would she go to Virginia to visit with Megan then just go home to Oregon to spend Easter with her family. She’s at UCONN for a weekend visit. Trust me I have a feeling we will be hearing in the next few days that Evina has committed to UCONN. Geno knows more then we know and she was there for a reason. I’m sure he knows that she will get a ncaa waiver and play right away.. I’m sure he has met with her family... my gut feeling she will be a husky.

 

[PacoBlaze]

Too bad you have such a bad memory. If you have the time to waste--YOU watch old games and find those mentioned. Makes more sense than demeaning an honest comment with negativisms.

I'm sorry, you're the one that posted about "instances" of Geno's antics and can't back them up!!! I didn't demean an honest comment with negativity, I asked for proof!!!
But you don't need to reply, I know how the Ignore function works.

 

[Centerstream]

I'm sorry, you're the one that posted about "instances" of Geno's antics and can't back them up!!! I didn't demean an honest comment with negativity, I asked for proof!!!
But you don't need to reply, I know how the Ignore function works.

Agree with you 100%.
Why should @PacoBlaze have to prove a "fact" that @Bellemare posted?

 

[Zanzman]

No they were on campus. Not everyone goes home for Easter... and if she was still enrolled at Tennessee why would she go to Virginia to visit with Megan then just go home to Oregon to spend Easter with her family. She’s at UCONN for a weekend visit. Trust me I have a feeling we will be hearing in the next few days that Evina has committed to UCONN. Geno knows more then we know and she was there for a reason. I’m sure he knows that she will get a ncaa waiver and play right away.. I’m sure he has met with her family... my gut feeling she will be a husky.

She would need to stay enrolled at Tennessee to finish the semester courses mayb she can’t afford to go home do many other possibilities I haven’t seen proof she’s actually at Uconn

 

[BleedBlue72]

She’s at UCONN!!! Just wait a few days ... I follow meg on Instagram she was at UCONN over the weekend. Trust me!!! My gut feeling is usually right.. everything gets settled with family and NCAA she will be at UCONN by summer. She wants to play with meg and wants to be coached by the best and make up for her 2 past years at Tennessee ... mark my words she was at UCONN this weekend

 

[eebmg]

She’s at UCONN!!! Just wait a few days ... I follow meg on Instagram she was at UCONN over the weekend. Trust me!!! My gut feeling is usually right.. everything gets settled with family and NCAA she will be at UCONN by summer. She wants to play with meg and wants to be coached by the best and make up for her 2 past years at Tennessee ... mark my words she was at UCONN this weekend

 

[Boreifs]

I think there is a misunderstanding that 5-out means that all a team does is shoot 3-pt shots. While outside shooting is an important component of running such an offense, there are virtually an unlimited number of offensive options that can be run off it. The key is to keep the lane open and have players make hard cuts through the lane, sometimes off screens and sometimes simply flashing in the lane when a defensive switch leads to a mismatch or in the case of Pheesa, whenever she could establish herself in the low post with room to operate.

The offense forces defenders to work extremely hard, defend the entire half court and be alert with their head on a swivel lest they lose their man for a backdoor layup.

Absolutely. I used it in a youth league where no one could shoot the three. Since zone defense was forbidden, we would back cut all game. Almost every basket we made was a layup.

 

[Argonaut]

She would need to stay enrolled at Tennessee to finish the semester courses mayb she can’t afford to go home do many other possibilities I haven’t seen proof she’s actually at Uconn

Megan posted that they were together on Friday night and then she was in the gym at UConn (I didn’t see any proof Evina was there, too) on Saturday morning.

I think it would be a stretch (although not completely impossible) that she was in Virginia Friday night and then made it back for a workout on Saturday morning, especially since Crystal in Tennessee shows us that the workout wasn’t mandatory.