UConn Bigs

[Hoops66]

My one rule of thumb when judging recruits is to ignore watching all-star games........they mean absolutely nothing.......take a look at this video and tell me if she moves OK for a big player...........she will only get quicker after weeks of Geno's practices and running steps/hills with Ashlyn Shade once on campus...

olivia vukosa 2026 highlights - Search Videos

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Wow thanks for this! I haven't seen anything previously on her and this gives me an excellent picture of her many skills. Seventeen years old and she makes immediate/automatic decisions, and power moves in both directions. She's fast and quick in my opinion. Of course a highlight film will show her at her best, but I'll take that "best" anytime. I'm already ready for the season to start!

 

[UConnGabby]

My one rule of thumb when judging recruits is to ignore watching all-star games........they mean absolutely nothing.......take a look at this video and tell me if she moves OK for a big player...........she will only get quicker after weeks of Geno's practices and running steps/hills with Ashlyn Shade once on campus...

olivia vukosa 2026 highlights - Search Videos

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Thank you for the video of Olivia Vukosa highlights. She has Geno's stamp of approval. 👍

Olivia might have been feeling under the weather or slightly banged up during the McD all star game. 🤔

So is Ashyln Shade the Jerry Rice of UConn with respect to running hills? Wonder if she also carries cement blocks to strengthen her hands?

 

[Boreifs]

In recent years, I think Juhasz is the type of big he prefers. Moves up and down the floor well, can shoot, pass and defend. I think if she would’ve had a full 4 years at UConn, she would’ve been an AA type player.

She was all Big 10 as a sophomore. I would call that an AA type player.

 

[Charliebball]

Thank you for the video of Olivia Vukosa highlights. She has Geno's stamp of approval. 👍

Olivia might have been feeling under the weather or slightly banged up during the McD all star game. 🤔

So is Ashyln Shade the Jerry Rice of UConn with respect to running hills? Wonder if she also carries cement blocks to strengthen her hands?

She's a fitness maniac as evidenced by her relentless energy on the court and she likes to help get the newbies prepared for those tough UConn practices....

 

[donalddoowop]

Once Jana is let loose we’ll see her old self from FIBA days. Take the elbow jumper and the floor will open up

Yes, just once I would like to see Geno turn Jana loose and tell her to use all of her offensive skills, like she did in her FIBA days. Another thing needed, in defense of the bigs, are teammates who know how to pass the ball into the post where the post player can easily score. You are not going to find a post player who keeps the ball high all the time. Betts brings the ball down quite often and she is supposed to be the very best. The team does not seem to have problems feeding Strong who is three inches shorter than Jana.

 

[MooseJaw]

"Big O showed one speed in the game, and that was lumbering"

Kara Wolters and Stefanie Dolson were not fast. But both players shined in UConn's offensive and defensive schemes. Thanks to excellent coaches, practices, workouts, etc.

I avoid putting NCAA performance expectations on high school players. Especially top 10 players ranked by some organizations or individuals.

McDonald's high school All American games do not necessarily predict future NCAA regular season performances by the players.

NBA All Star games turned into ridiculous video games such as 211-186 in 2024. All Star games obviously do not translate to NBA regular season games.

Agree with all you list my biggest takeaway was her hanging around mid-court, rarely going the full court either O or D. This is attitude not talent. Something that would happen once with Geno. I have watched clips of O doing good things. If any that watched the Mc game and were pleased with her play, bless you.

 

[MooseJaw]

Those all American games are always dominated by the guards/wings! They rarely ever pass the ball. I watch a good portion of the game and it was mostly 1V1 basketball. I wouldn’t put much stock in it as a predictor of how V will do at UConn!

One thing for sure she won't be playing like that for Geno.

 

[hoophuskee]

Thank you for the video of Olivia Vukosa highlights. She has Geno's stamp of approval. 👍

Olivia might have been feeling under the weather or slightly banged up during the McD all star game. 🤔

So is Ashyln Shade the Jerry Rice of UConn with respect to running hills? Wonder if she also carries cement blocks to strengthen her hands?

IMO she wasn't feeling under the weather. That's an exhibtion game and anyone that watched, if they say they did, then it was very funny what they saw from the 1st 5 minutes of Hall and Harpring. They controlled the ball and gave zero indication that they were willing to give it up imo. If thye made 1 pass during that 5 minute span they shoud've been given a standing ovation. There is no way The Big O should risk injury by trying ot extend herself in this environment when 2 of her teammates were determined to jack up shots at any cost. There is no reason to risk injury or even hurt another fellow player in this type of situation.

 

[hoophuskee]

Agree with all you list my biggest takeaway was her hanging around mid-court, rarely going the full court either O or D. This is attitude not talent. Something that would happen once with Geno. I have watched clips of O doing good things. If any that watched the Mc game and were pleased with her play, bless you.

It's an exhibtion game in which two of her teammaets "told her" she wasn't going to get the bqall in a meanngless game.

 

[oldhusky]

I think the question is not so much what traits are desired, but rather who could be a rotation worthy backup 4 or more. We didn't have one last year. Ayanna and Ice have not met expectations when they were healthy, now one is gone and the other is injured. We don't even have a non rotation worthy natural 4 backup. Blanca is a 3 forced to play the 4 on occasion.

We also frequently don't use a 5 at all, with Sarah playing there for some minutes each game. A traditional lineup would play true 5's for 40 minutes and true 4's for 40 as well, neither of which we did this season. I understand it was a choice that worked pretty well (small ball) but because of our personnel Geno rarely used a traditional combination and frankly didn't have a realistic big option.

A rotation worthy 4 gives Geno more options, and we don't currently have. When I said "rotation worthy backup 4 or more" I was suggesting that if good enough to warrant significant minutes, she could alter greatly the way Geno uses Sarah. Instead of Sarah playing minutes at the 5, a quality 4 would let her play some minutes at the 3.

A very high quality 5 in addition to Olivia and Jana could accomplish the same thing if Olivia could play some 4 with her, and potentially Sarah at the 3. At a minimum I think we need a 4 as injury insurance even if that player is not rotation worthy. Next would be someone who could be in the rotation, but with limited minutes behind Sarah, but ideally it would be a player worthy of significant minutes that could play with Sarah sliding to the 3.

I think players like Brown (Iowa State), Carlton (Texas) and Somfai (Stanford) might be good enough for that third standard.

 

[Husky fanatic]

IMO she wasn't feeling under the weather. That's an exhibtion game and anyone that watched, if they say they did, then it was very funny what they saw from the 1st 5 minutes of Hall and Harpring. They controlled the ball and gave zero indication that they were willing to give it up imo. If thye made 1 pass during that 5 minute span they shoud've been given a standing ovation. There is no way The Big O should risk injury by trying ot extend herself in this environment when 2 of her teammates were determined to jack up shots at any cost. There is no reason to risk injury or even hurt another fellow player in this type of situation.

Whole heartedly agree!

 

[hoophuskee]

I think the question is not so much what traits are desired, but rather who could be a rotation worthy backup 4 or more. We didn't have one last year. Ayanna and Ice have not met expectations when they were healthy, now one is gone and the other is injured. We don't even have a non rotation worthy natural 4 backup. Blanca is a 3 forced to play the 4 on occasion.

We also frequently don't use a 5 at all, with Sarah playing there for some minutes each game. A traditional lineup would play true 5's for 40 minutes and true 4's for 40 as well, neither of which we did this season. I understand it was a choice that worked pretty well (small ball) but because of our personnel Geno rarely used a traditional combination and frankly didn't have a realistic big option.

A rotation worthy 4 gives Geno more options, and we don't currently have. When I said "rotation worthy backup 4 or more" I was suggesting that if good enough to warrant significant minutes, she could alter greatly the way Geno uses Sarah. Instead of Sarah playing minutes at the 5, a quality 4 would let her play some minutes at the 3.

A very high quality 5 in addition to Olivia and Jana could accomplish the same thing if Olivia could play some 4 with her, and potentially Sarah at the 3. At a minimum I think we need a 4 as injury insurance even if that player is not rotation worthy. Next would be someone who could be in the rotation, but with limited minutes behind Sarah, but ideally it would be a player worthy of significant minutes that could play with Sarah sliding to the 3.

I think players like Brown (Iowa State), Carlton (Texas) and Somfai (Stanford) might be good enough for that third standard.

Don't gree with the context. Blanca was a rotational 4. The big issue with that was that she was just a freshman. She was Regional player in NCAA's for a reason. Putting Sarah at SF imo does nothing but slow UCONN down. "Raven Johnson" playing physcial football could just as easily "mannhandle Sarah" at the 3 spot just as easliy as she can at the 4 or 5 if the refs so allow it.

UCONN has won a title and gotten to teh FF so it's not like what they were doing was awful. UCONN shouldn't try to be like SoCar or Texas. They should be what their coach believes in which has shown to have a ton success.

 

[UConnGabby]

Agree with all you list my biggest takeaway was her hanging around mid-court, rarely going the full court either O or D. This is attitude not talent. Something that would happen once with Geno. I have watched clips of O doing good things. If any that watched the Mc game and were pleased with her play, bless you.

Olivia might have been ill and/or slightly banged up. 🤔

Geno might provide a sarcastic remark in November about Olivia's performance in the McD AA game. 😉

 

[BB Dawg]

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The BIg "O" should be the best offensive post that UConn has had in quite some time........she has it all, from three-point shooting to her midrange game and all kinds of offensive moves close to the basket with either hand......she's also shown to be a good and willing passer so I think she will be ideal for the UConn system.........its at the defensive end where I see needed improvement.......

In viewing her HS highlights, yes she can do it all. I found her to be slow, but who no’s until she plays with good collegiate players

 

[BB Dawg]

UConn's bigs will be just fine......,..it's the big forward who can defend and rebound that UConn is missing.....

Nuna Agara is in the portal. She played with Paige at Hopkins HS… She is 6’2” athletic & quick

 

[Charliebball]

Nuna Agara is in the portal. She played with Paige at Hopkins HS… She is 6’2” athletic & quick

I think I remember her from some of Paige's high school videos....she was the post player for their team.....

 

[Bone Dog]

The BIg "O" should be the best offensive post that UConn has had in quite some time........she has it all, from three-point shooting to her midrange game and all kinds of offensive moves close to the basket with either hand......she's also shown to be a good and willing passer so I think she will be ideal for the UConn system.........its at the defensive end where I see needed improvement.......

I agree. I think it’s a quickness issue. And you can see it more clearly on defense than offense.

There’s at least two kinds of quickness. One is physical, muscle quickness, the kind I typically associate with guards. The second is mental quickness and it doesn’t depend so much on muscles. It’s about sizing up a situation and making a decision before the defense can anticipate it. The second is more important on offense. It’s what allows Allie to get to the rim against quicker defenders, even though she’s not as effective as a defender. But even defenders depend on mental quickness and can use it to gain an advantage.

What I see in the various videos of Olivia is that she’s quick in halfcourt offense and defense but doesn’t run the court all that well. I think that’s what some folks are perceiving as her being lumbering. That’s a question of muscle quickness. But the halfcourt game is much more a mental quickness issue and she seems to have a lot of that. Can she develop muscle quickness and get up and down the court better? Dawn said Boston did exactly that. She was ‘lumbering’ as a freshman and made a point of winning their full court sprints in practice by her junior season. And even as a freshman and sophomore she was still a great player.

 

[BBallF]

What does Geno actually want from a big? Judging from the past several years, he wants an offensive threat — not necessarily a high volume scorer, a threat, as well as a solid screener. Range out to the arc is important, though I doubt he wants them taking more than a few shots from there per game. He also wants a passer from the high post as well as the low post. Finally, he wants a rebounder and defender, especially one with the quickness to guard on high hedges.

How often has he gotten a big with all three attributes? Sarah, of course. Dorka and Aaliyah also come to mind. Olivia Nelson Ododa had most of them, though she wasn’t a credible shooter from beyond the elbow, and even that was iffy. But she was a very good defender and a great high post passer. Stewie and Stef were great at all these aspects. So were Phee and Gabby, though they were a bit undersized for the spot. We don’t need to go back further than that to complete the survey. This is enough to see the rough outline of the position as Geno conceives it.

Serah and Jana have only had some of these skills and it limited the offense when they were on the floor. Same with Ice. What do we think Olivia Vukosa, the new Olivia, will bring to the post position?

From the looks of her, Olivia could have the full array of skills. She’s a decent 3 pt shooter, a very good midrange shooter and a good defender in the paint. There is no reason to think she won’t settle in to the pace of D1 ball soon enough, if not right away. It would be huge if Olivia could develop a high post passing game too. That way, the offense doesn’t become 2-dimensional whenever Sarah goes out of the game. The only real question is how quickly she can adapt to the pace of D1 play and UConn play.

To be honest, I don’t see any other bigs in the portal who can provide all these things. The closest might be Aliyah Moore. The portal pickings look pretty slim otherwise. Does Trygger look like a possibility in terms of this skillset? Does anyone else see any good prospects?

Good topic but I think there is a disconnect between what Geno has had in the last 9 years for post players and what he wants now after the SC game. I think he is thinking power, muscle, shot blocking, rebounds, and defense. In 2025 he won it with only a temporary center in Jana and Ice but he had 4 great 3 point shooters and scorers on the team in KC, Azzi, Sarah, and Paige. KK was no KC on offense, and Paige was irreplaceable. I think that kind of a national championship team is now a relic. I also think Olivia is a natural UCONN player and we are all very excited to see her but if he goes for power and size in the portal you will know what he is thinking. I discount Serah because that was not the right fit although on paper it seemed perfect.

 

[donalddoowop]

I think I remember her from some of Paige's high school videos....she was the post player for their team.....

I don't think she was the post. The player who played a season in college then quit basketball was the post. At least she was the tallest player on the team.

 

[BobbyJ]

I don't think she was the post. The player who played a season in college then quit basketball was the post. At least she was the tallest player on the team.

Maya Nnaji went to Arizona then quit to go to medical school.

 

[GoCardinal]

She was all Big 10 as a sophomore. I would call that an AA type player.

Yes, but to me there is a difference between an All-Conference type player and an All-American type player. Her very last year at UConn gave a glimpse of what she would look like as a pro, I think four years under Geno would’ve given her an even greater foundation.

 

[Charliebball]

Maya Nnaji went to Arizona then quit to go to medical school.

my bad......

 

[Charliebball]

I agree. I think it’s a quickness issue. And you can see it more clearly on defense than offense.

There’s at least two kinds of quickness. One is physical, muscle quickness, the kind I typically associate with guards. The second is mental quickness and it doesn’t depend so much on muscles. It’s about sizing up a situation and making a decision before the defense can anticipate it. The second is more important on offense. It’s what allows Allie to get to the rim against quicker defenders, even though she’s not as effective as a defender. But even defenders depend on mental quickness and can use it to gain an advantage.

What I see in the various videos of Olivia is that she’s quick in halfcourt offense and defense but doesn’t run the court all that well. I think that’s what some folks are perceiving as her being lumbering. That’s a question of muscle quickness. But the halfcourt game is much more a mental quickness issue and she seems to have a lot of that. Can she develop muscle quickness and get up and down the court better? Dawn said Boston did exactly that. She was ‘lumbering’ as a freshman and made a point of winning their full court sprints in practice by her junior season. And even as a freshman and sophomore she was still a great player.

Her fitness has greatly improved over the past few years as she's thinned out but I'm sure she can get even fitter......she may not be quick down the court, but she certainly isn't lazy........she looks like Usain Bolt compared to Crooks......

 

[BobbyJ]

Her fitness has greatly improved over the past few years as she's thinned out but I'm sure she can get even fitter......she may not be quick down the court, but she certainly isn't lazy........she looks like Usain Bolt compared to Crooks......

Yes, I don’t think Auriemma is too concerned about that part of her game. He knew what to do with Dolson and Wolters and Vukosa is more mobile and faster than either of them were.