U17 and U18 recruiting target observations

[CocoHusky]

She's an excellent passer but that in and of itself doesn't make her a point guard. A comparison that comes to mind is Chris Webber---terrific passer but still a power forward.

Chris Weber is an excellent passer but he never played the position of PG the way Gabby did in HS And AAU. It is only through the sheer genius of Geno that Gabby is playing center or in the post at all.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Chris Weber is an excellent passer but he never played the position of PG the way Gabby did in HS And AAU.

Webber is 6-10. Unless you are Magic Johnson you aren't playing PG at that size. Gabby at 5-11 is prime size to be a guard. And, again, she has great passing ability. Napheesa Collier was a PG as a freshmen at Jefferson high school, but she's clearly not a point guard either.

 

[Charliebball]

I guess losing a couple of guards calls for some aggressive recruiting.......interesting:

 

[UConnCat]

I believe Geno is speaking at an Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association clinic near Little Rock on Tuesday, Sept 12. I would imagine he'll stop by to see Williams at home or at school.

 

[TitleTown]

I find it contradictory that a player could play 3 years in the post & lead UCONN in assists one year playing center and not be considered a "natural" PG.

Williams is as good of an athlete as you will ever see, she is relentless, she has great defensive instincts, she never stops hustling, she has a solid mid range game, and she is great at creating separation and getting to the rim. However, she simply does not posses the handle or consistent 3 pt jump shot needed to be a PG at the top tier college level.

 

[Alydar]

It seems as though many Bone Yard devotees would like to see Bueckers playing her collegiate basketball at UConn. Is there any indication that the attraction is mutual? Does Bueckers have any coaching or familial ties to UConn? I guess it's too much to hope that, like Dorfman, she's a legacy?

I haven't read anything that explicitly says she leans to any school. But there are hints like this quote from her AAU coach who says "he believes Bueckers can be a McDonald's All-American, play for Team USA and be a part of the Connecticut dynasty, if she chooses". Freshman basketball recruit Paige Bueckers way ahead of schedule at Minnesota's Hopkins

Sure, it's a stretch but if a coach is talking UConn in connection with one of his players then it's likely that the Huskies have been mentioned to her or hopefully by her.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Interesting tweet about Christyn Williams. Glad she is weighing all her options. I'm still convinced she is undecided and anyone has a shot with her.

 

[JordyG]

Webber is 6-10. Unless you are Magic Johnson you aren't playing PG at that size. Gabby at 5-11 is prime size to be a guard. And, again, she has great passing ability. Napheesa Collier was a PG as a freshmen at Jefferson high school, but she's clearly not a point guard either.

Gabby has a long way to go with her shot, shot selection and ball handling skills before she could play the point, nonetheless at the 2. She'd also have to become used to playing while facing the basket. It's not a stretch to think that down the road she couldn't develop these skills because the talent and work ethic is there. But like I've said, a lot of work.

 

[CocoHusky]

Williams is as good of an athlete as you will ever see, she is relentless, she has great defensive instincts, she never stops hustling, she has a solid mid range game, and she is great at creating separation and getting to the rim. However, she simply does not posses the handle or consistent 3 pt jump shot needed to be a PG at the top tier college level.

In three years Gabby became an AA playing PF and center exclusively at UCONN. I suspect if she had dedicated the past three year to playing combo guard or SF she would still be an AA because of her athleticism and Geno's brilliant vision. It is important to remember how Gabby got put in the post at UCONN.

Part 1: Geno's vision as copied from a @UConnCat post January 2014:
"Geno spoke of Gabby not necessarily playing guard:
Edwards, Ekmark and Williams might be classified as guards. But Auriemma would not rule out that they would be able to help UConn inside like the 5-11 Faris and the 6-foot Mosqueda-Lewis.
“It’s hard to say. When we played last year I think we played with Kelly and Kaleena and I don’t know that they came out of (high school) as anything but guards,’’ Auriemma said.

Part 2: Notice that the name Nurse is missing from Geno's quote above because Kia was a late addition to the class as a combo guard and UCONN was still all in on recruiting A'Ja Wilson in '14, & still in pursuit of Brown in '15 and engaged with Cox in the '16 class. All post players who would have lessened Gabby's chances of playing in the post at UCONN.

Part 3: Gabby was still not fully cleared when she came to UCONN and was not fully cleared until "official" practices began in October. In the process of rehabbing from the second ACL surgery Gabby gained a significant amount of muscle and her body was transformed from a sleek slashing combo guard type body into a an explosive more PF like frame. A healthy less muscled Freshmen Gabby would have been a better PG than Sadie, an equal Combo Guard to Kia and a superior perimeter defender to both.

So glad Gabby came to UCONN, it a great tribute to her that she became an AA at UCONN, I'm not sure she becomes AA at any other school. I'm sure I would hate her if she played for any other school because as you correctly said "she never stops".
Gabby DPOY? Check! Love how hardly anybody mentions that. Gabby PG at the top tier college level? I could see that if she started 3 years ago!

 

[Dillon77]

In three years Gabby became an AA playing PF and center exclusively at UCONN. I suspect if she had dedicated the past three year to playing combo guard or SF she would still be an AA because of her athleticism and Geno's brilliant vision. It is important to remember how Gabby got put in the post at UCONN.

Part 1: Geno's vision as copied from a @UConnCat post January 2014:
"Geno spoke of Gabby not necessarily playing guard:
Edwards, Ekmark and Williams might be classified as guards. But Auriemma would not rule out that they would be able to help UConn inside like the 5-11 Faris and the 6-foot Mosqueda-Lewis.
“It’s hard to say. When we played last year I think we played with Kelly and Kaleena and I don’t know that they came out of (high school) as anything but guards,’’ Auriemma said.

Part 2: Notice that the name Nurse is missing from Geno's quote above because Kia was a late addition to the class as a combo guard and UCONN was still all in on recruiting A'Ja Wilson in '14, & still in pursuit of Brown in '15 and engaged with Cox in the '16 class. All post players who would have lessened Gabby's chances of playing in the post at UCONN.

Part 3: Gabby was still not fully cleared when she came to UCONN and was not fully cleared until "official" practices began in October. In the process of rehabbing from the second ACL surgery Gabby gained a significant amount of muscle and her body was transformed from a sleek slashing combo guard type body into a an explosive more PF like frame. A healthy less muscled Freshmen Gabby would have been a better PG than Sadie, an equal Combo Guard to Kia and a superior perimeter defender to both.

So glad Gabby came to UCONN, it a great tribute to her that she became an AA at UCONN, I'm not sure she becomes AA at any other school. I'm sure I would hate her if she played for any other school because as you correctly said "she never stops".
Gabby DPOY? Check! Love how hardly anybody mention's that. Gabby PG at the top tier college level? I could see that if she started 3 years ago!

"I'm sure I would hate her if she played for any other school because as you correctly said "she never stops".

Of all the current Huskies, Gabby is the one who caused the Irish the most issues and probably will continue to do so. Her athletic ability, smart and incessant motor are the kind that you hate (but admire) as an opponent and love (cube that thought) as a teammate and coach.

Leprechaun says you got a pot o' gold there

 

[Golden Husky]

In three years Gabby became an AA playing PF and center exclusively at UCONN. I suspect if she had dedicated the past three year to playing combo guard or SF she would still be an AA because of her athleticism and Geno's brilliant vision. It is important to remember how Gabby got put in the post at UCONN.

Part 1: Geno's vision as copied from a @UConnCat post January 2014:
"Geno spoke of Gabby not necessarily playing guard:
Edwards, Ekmark and Williams might be classified as guards. But Auriemma would not rule out that they would be able to help UConn inside like the 5-11 Faris and the 6-foot Mosqueda-Lewis.
“It’s hard to say. When we played last year I think we played with Kelly and Kaleena and I don’t know that they came out of (high school) as anything but guards,’’ Auriemma said.

Part 2: Notice that the name Nurse is missing from Geno's quote above because Kia was a late addition to the class as a combo guard and UCONN was still all in on recruiting A'Ja Wilson in '14, & still in pursuit of Brown in '15 and engaged with Cox in the '16 class. All post players who would have lessened Gabby's chances of playing in the post at UCONN.

Part 3: Gabby was still not fully cleared when she came to UCONN and was not fully cleared until "official" practices began in October. In the process of rehabbing from the second ACL surgery Gabby gained a significant amount of muscle and her body was transformed from a sleek slashing combo guard type body into a an explosive more PF like frame. A healthy less muscled Freshmen Gabby would have been a better PG than Sadie, an equal Combo Guard to Kia and a superior perimeter defender to both.

So glad Gabby came to UCONN, it a great tribute to her that she became an AA at UCONN, I'm not sure she becomes AA at any other school. I'm sure I would hate her if she played for any other school because as you correctly said "she never stops".
Gabby DPOY? Check! Love how hardly anybody mention's that. Gabby PG at the top tier college level? I could see that if she started 3 years ago!

Gabby's position is SAK (Swiss Army Knife).

 

[Blacktop3K]

Chris Weber is an excellent passer but he never played the position of PG the way Gabby did in HS And AAU. It is only through the sheer genius of Geno that Gabby is playing center or in the post at all.

Comparing Weber to Gabby Williams is fun but off-base. Men's & Women's BB is very different. Gabby Williams is a great player, but she is NOT a PG. A lot of players play certain positions in HS and AAU which means nothing. AAU has become watered-down, over saturated with an inordinate amount of teams, it has become of a money grab.

Chong is not a PG either, she is a scoring combo, that is her strength. An adequate PG could run UConn's team with KLS/Collier/Stevens/ Nurse/Williams etc you have high level players that can create their own shot. Being a PG is about control, tempo, decision making.

 

[CocoHusky]

Comparing Weber to Gabby Williams is fun but off-base. Men's & Women's BB is very different. Gabby Williams is a great player, but she is NOT a PG. A lot of players play certain positions in HS and AAU which means nothing. AAU has become watered-down, over saturated with an inordinate amount of teams, it has become of a money grab. Chong is not a PG either, she is a scoring combo, that is her strength. An adequate PG could run UConn's team with KLS/Collier/Stevens/ Nurse/Williams etc you have high level players that can create their own shot. Being a PG is about control, tempo, decision making.

Not that I'm snitching but it was @Sluconn Husky that brought up Weber. The comparison was not of men vs. women but of the ability to pass-and not be considered a PG. I understood Slu point but still disagree.

That AAU and HS is very watered-down-I agree. However, AAU and High School BB is the only preparation for American kids aspiring to play college basketball.

I firmly disagree that the positions a player plays in AAU and HS "means nothing". Gabby specifically and UCONN generally are exceptions regarding strict position designations. The vast majority of WCBB players are playing the same position in college as they did in HS & AAU. You can narrow the positions down to 3 (G, F, P) or the traditional 1-5 but positions matter very much. The better AAU programs identify as early as possible and try and project the position that a player will likely play at the next level (College) and get that kid into that position as early as possible.
UCONN loves to recruit players that have the ability to play more than one position. When you say Saniya is not a Point Guard, I feel obligated to point out that Saniya's A/TO ratio in her only year as a full time starter was one of the best ever at UCONN.

Uhm.."Being a PG is about control, tempo, decision making." True. Sounds an awful lot like what Gabby did last year for UCONN. The UCONN offense at it's most effective was run through Gabby at the high post and Gabby's decision making was good enough to lead the team is assist.

When you say "She is NOT a PG" I say that's Gabby present status at UCONN, no doubt about it.
When @oldude said nobody was recruiting Gabby to be a PG-I say, I'm not so sure about that. I don't even know what other schools were recruiting Gabby but my guess is that those schools weren't All thinking that's my future AA PF/C. Only Geno has that kind of vision.

 

[oldude]

But my guess is that those schools weren't All thinking that's my future AA PF/C. Only Geno has that kind of vision.

Even Geno doesn't have that kind of vision. Geno missed on his 2 candidates for PF/C when he lost Wilson to SC and Cox to Baylor.

In her first two seasons as a Husky, Gabby was used mostly as a wing, her ideal position in college. But necessity is the mother of invention, so last season Gabby became a center because Geno had no one else to turn to.

This year, with Z & Batouly around to give Pheesa some help up front, I expect Gabby to move back to the wing and Lou to the 2 guard as their primary positions.

 

[Charliebball]

Even Geno doesn't have that kind of vision. Geno missed on his 2 candidates for PF/C when he lost Wilson to SC and Cox to Baylor.

In her first two seasons as a Husky, Gabby was used mostly as a wing, her ideal position in college. But necessity is the mother of invention, so last season Gabby became a center because Geno had no one else to turn to.

This year, with Z & Batouly around to give Pheesa some help up front, I expect Gabby to move back to the wing and Lou to the 2 guard as their primary positions.

it's a real shame that Geno and company didn't get to work their magic on Wilson.............call me crazy but I think she'd be twice the player she is now............Cox got lost in the land of the giants (Baylor) and has been a bit of a disappointment so far, let's see if she can get it together with more playing time next season

 

[oldude]

it's a real shame that Geno and company didn't get to work their magic on Wilson...call me crazy but I think she'd be twice the player she is now..Cox got lost in the land of the giants (Baylor) and has been a bit of a disappointment so far, let's see if she can get it together with more playing time next season

We always speculate about the key factors that influence a recruit's decision. With Wilson & Cox, staying close to home & family was obviously important. For others like Lou, Danger & Walker the opportunity to play for the Master trumped whatever desire they may have had to be closer to home.

 

[donalddoowop]

Baylor's coaching has to get better for Cox to get better.

 

[CocoHusky]

Baylor's coaching has to get better for Cox to get better.

Maybe it's the player and not the coach. Kalani Brown seems to be doing well under Kim as did Nina Davis since both were AA.

 

[CocoHusky]

it's a real shame that Geno and company didn't get to work their magic on Wilson...call me crazy but I think she'd be twice the player she is now..Cox got lost in the land of the giants (Baylor) and has been a bit of a disappointment so far, let's see if she can get it together with more playing time next season

UCONN has had multiple AA at the forward or post position for every year since Wilson has been in college, so which UCONN AA would Wilson have displaced?

 

[oldude]

One of the challenges for Cox last season was that she was usually on the floor with Brown, Mompremier or both. She's not really athletic enough to play out on the floor away from the paint, and it was too crowded inside the paint. That problem continues to exist this coming season.

 

[oldude]

UCONN has had multiple AA at the forward or post position for every year since Wilson has been in college, so which UCONN AA would Wilson have displaced?

Not really a difficult question. Wilson likely would have come off the bench as a freshman, the same as she did at SC. As a sophomore, Wilson would have started at C with Stewie & Tuck upfront and Lou, Gabby & Pheesa coming off the bench. This past year, Wilson would have started in lieu of Saniya and the Huskies would have won their 12th championship.

 

[Charliebball]

One of the challenges for Cox last season was that she was usually on the floor with Brown, Mompremier or both. She's not really athletic enough to play out on the floor away from the paint, and it was too crowded inside the paint. That problem continues to exist this coming season.

exactly...........she may be happy to be close to home but from a purely playing perspective she really made a lousy choice in Baylor

 

[Go/huskies]

Not really a difficult question. Wilson likely would have come off the bench as a freshman, the same as she did at SC. As a sophomore, Wilson would have started at C with Stewie & Tuck upfront and Lou, Gabby & Pheesa coming off the bench. This past year, Wilson would have started in lieu of Saniya and the Huskies would have won their 12th championship.

This got me thinking had Z pick Uconn out of high school, maybe she could have earned that 5th starting spot over Kia, and played on the wing next to KML.

 

[oldude]

This got me thinking had Z pick Uconn out of high school, maybe she could have earned that 5th starting spot over Kia, and played on the wing next to KML.

Nice thought, but I'm not sure that Z was ever offered by UConn out of HS.

 

[triaddukefan]

exactly......she may be happy to be close to home but from a purely playing perspective she really made a lousy choice in Baylor

Check back in 2020 and revisit that thought.