UConn General Team Recruiting Thread | Page 5 | The Boneyard

UConn General Team Recruiting Thread

So next year we have three opening. One for a guard, a wing and a post. This fits well with three players that UConn has offered. Bring in Jerry, Addison and Olivia. This would be incredible.
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I think you nailed the basic strategy, one of each. I feel a little different about our odds at each position. Most think our odds are pretty good for the Big O, but the scary thing there is it appears to be her or nothing. True C types are rare in this class and there are no other top tier C's that I am aware of that we are on a short list for. No plan B in essence except for portal.

As for guards the first choice might be Harpring, but that might be a long-shot at best that could be reduced further by Heckel's arrival. Jerzy of course could be a good plan B, and presumably we are still in the mix there, and have a decent chance.

At the wing, there are quite a few more options that we seem to have some interest in. Addison might be the best bet, but even if we missed on her, I am pretty confident we would get someone that was say in the top 25 or so, but probably not a super high recruit.
 
Boreifs said:
Ayanna can play in 27-28; Basketball-wise, this is her Sophomore year.
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Not without a waiver from the NCAA. Ayanna has been at UConn 3 years so she has only 2 more years available to use. She can petition for a waiver for a 6th year


12.8 Seasons of Competition: Five-Year Rule. A student-athlete shall not engage in more than four seasons of intercollegiate competition in any one sport (see Bylaws 12.02.6 and 14.3.3). An institution shall not permit a student-athlete to represent it in intercollegiate competition unless the student-athlete completes all seasons of participation in all sports within the time periods specified below: (Revised: 7/31/14)
12.8.1 Five-Year Rule. A student-athlete shall complete the student-athlete's seasons of participation within five calendar years from the beginning of the semester or quarter in which the student-athlete first registered for a minimum full-time program of studies in a collegiate institution, with time spent on an official religious mission, in the armed services or with recognized foreign aid services of the U.S. government being excepted. For international students, service in the armed forces of the student’s home country is considered equivalent to such service in the United States. (Revised: 4/2/10, 7/31/14)
 
Can’t remember when was the last time that we have gone this far into the year without having a player commit to the team. This is getting boring.
 
ConnMotors said:
Can’t remember when was the last time that we have gone this far into the year without having a player commit to the team. This is getting boring.
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Very few commitments for anybody except Kentucky.

I predict that this year will see the most top 20 players ever hold off on committing until the late recruiting period
 
visitingcock said:
Very few commitments for anybody except Kentucky.

I predict that this year will see the most top 20 players ever hold off on committing until the late recruiting period
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It makes sense for the recruits to wait and see what happens in the transfer portal.
 
Steelerone said:
To say Uconn is limited in recruiting is like saying that Alabama doesn't recruit outside of Alabama. If anything recruiting has expanded both nationally and geographically. What has changed is the number of teams involved in attempting to recruit these young ladies.
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First time in this tread but the Alabama reference does bring up a few thoughts. Relative to actual recruiting, UConn has a highly leveraged recruiting program in basketball, similar to Alabama football. Everyone who follows women's college basketball knows of the Huskies and there are UConn advocates, alumni, etc. in most geographies of the US and much of the world. That being said, Alabama is beginning to get out recruited due to the NIL football money teams like Texas are spending. Recent projections don't have Alabama in the top 10. While I still believe UConn basketball will be on top for many years, it would be interesting to project who the big NIL spenders will be in future women's college basketball seasons.
 
visitingcock said:
Very few commitments for anybody except Kentucky.

I predict that this year will see the most top 20 players ever hold off on committing until the late recruiting period
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No idea of stats from last year, however 17 of the top 100 players on ESPN have committed.
 
Well, now that #1 Saniyah Hall has committed to USC, perhaps this will loosen up the floodgates wrt Robinson, Harpring, and other guards whom UConn has interest.
 
Point guard is still a need. KK will be a junior and Heckel a sophomore. But we have many ball handlers. Only three scholarships. Will Geno wait on a PG until 2027?
 
BRS24 said:
Well, now that #1 Saniyah Hall has committed to USC, perhaps this will loosen up the floodgates wrt Robinson, Harpring, and other guards whom UConn has interest.
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Possibly but there are a couple other factors. One is that some of these kids like playing the drama right up until signing day even if they've already decided. The other is a newer one. With so much money involved now, some schools might try to use it as leverage for an earlier commitment. In other words, 'this deal is only there for you up until this date'. 'After that we have to move on so we don't lose out on our second target'.
 
Well the transfer portal opens as the season winds down so you can get your incoming at the same time you know your outgoings are. That is the first line of shoring up the team or planning for the next year.

Recruiting out of high school has changed since all teams can get "proven" players in the portal which is a bit more comforting than a developing player.

That said, Top 10 talent isn't always year to year comparable (up years, down years) but we usually get Top 10 if not Top 1. The problem is a McD AA in the Top 10 is gonna feel like they should be starting, and either OAD or TAD with payments and NIL aplenty and does not matter if we and analyst sees them as weaker than a prior year or not.

KK a junior, Kayleigh Heckel a sophomore and Kelis Fisher a frosh makes a good line of lead guards that can ball for us. IDK if we need another top PG as much as "best player available" right now.
 
All of a sudden there are a host of 2026 Players of Interest. We only have three sure scholarship openings. Others if anyone decides to beam up into the portal. Guess that Morgan has had a busy summer.
 
If Ice stays for 26-7 and if Ayanna applies to stay for 27-8 that would have to indicate that there’s something they really like about UConn even though they’ve never been featured players. This is really worth thinking about in terms of team culture and companionship, not to mention educational opportunities.
 
uconnever said:
Bjorn,Vukosa and Robinson or McDonald as a fall back and move to 27
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I would be happy with Vukosa and Bjorn. The trouble is we don't know if we can get either, much less both. They both have lots of names left on their relatively long short list. The need for exploring far more options than our desired top three or so is pretty obvious.

This year I see quite a few big guards or wing like prospects i n the 2026 class that we appear to be in the hunt for. If we miss on one we can still likely get a decent prospect by Uconn standards. At PG or C, however, it seems more like all or nothing. In terms of top C's that could be difference makers to the best programs, Vukosa is it. There is no great plan B except the portal. Same thing at the point, Harpring or nothing, and I'm not sure if she should even be considered a PG anyway, and I think we are a longshot there.

With a large current roster and high standards, Uconn doesn't have to pursue next best available if Geno doesn't think they would be rotation level. The portal gives teams a second chance to fill a need if they miss out on the recruiting class, but since you don't know if the right type of player will enter, or if you can get them, bird in hand is much better.

Waiting on the Big O is wearing on me a bit. I thought we were in great shape a couple of years ago, but a very long first list, a still long second list, and many upcoming visits is sinking my confidence level quite a bit. It's still early but I could really use a Uconn commit during the summer doldrums.
 
We really have a realistic shot at both Olivia and Addison. What hurts here is that we technically have no seniors to graduate the following year. Brady and Patterson have medical years. So they can stay if they wanted to. I believe that if UConn wins back to back then they both will say good bye. We need a PG and that will be from the Class of 27. One scholarship is available if Geno only signs two players this season.
 
I think that this year is just the beginning of players holding off on committing to a school. With NIL on the table it's now a question of how deep the schools are willing to go into their pockets and many of the recruits are going to be examining the numbers before making their choice. Example - A player is offered fifty thousand in May and seventy five thousand in June. Why not wait another month to see if the hundred thousand mark is given.
 
oldhusky said:
I would be happy with Vukosa and Bjorn. The trouble is we don't know if we can get either, much less both. They both have lots of names left on their relatively long short list. The need for exploring far more options than our desired top three or so is pretty obvious.

This year I see quite a few big guards or wing like prospects i n the 2026 class that we appear to be in the hunt for. If we miss on one we can still likely get a decent prospect by Uconn standards. At PG or C, however, it seems more like all or nothing. In terms of top C's that could be difference makers to the best programs, Vukosa is it. There is no great plan B except the portal. Same thing at the point, Harpring or nothing, and I'm not sure if she should even be considered a PG anyway, and I think we are a longshot there.

With a large current roster and high standards, Uconn doesn't have to pursue next best available if Geno doesn't think they would be rotation level. The portal gives teams a second chance to fill a need if they miss out on the recruiting class, but since you don't know if the right type of player will enter, or if you can get them, bird in hand is much better.

Waiting on the Big O is wearing on me a bit. I thought we were in great shape a couple of years ago, but a very long first list, a still long second list, and many upcoming visits is sinking my confidence level quite a bit. It's still early but I could really use a Uconn commit during the summer doldrums.
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Ummm, you seem to be arguing out of both sides of your mouth. "The need for exploring far more options than our desired top three or so is pretty obvious". "With a large current roster and high standards, Uconn doesn't have to pursue next best available if Geno doesn't think they would be rotation level". Fwiw, I think that the second side is correct. ;). Re the Big O, I have two more words. Nika Muhl.
 
Stagnant said:
My thoughts on UConn recruiting:

I think the big O is definitely the top target for 2026. We got the top target in 2024 (Strong) and missed on the top target in 2025 (Somfai). That’s my opinion. So, I think that Geno lands this one and shows a position of strength when it comes to recruiting.

What do I want? Athleticism. I want Jerzy Robinson. Hall or Abii.

I think we miss on targets more than we used to. And if that continues, we should consider scaling back on our national recruiting strategy and should focus more on New England, New York, and Canada.
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There are more good teams, and more good players. If you land the right 3 players every year that is 12 and you are ok. Geno targets the players he likes regardless of rank (yes we and everyone else like many of the top ranked kids because they are supposed to be the best players) or location. Europe and Canada have increased the pool of talent so we look there as well.
 
Crossover said:
Ummm, you seem to be arguing out of both sides of your mouth. "The need for exploring far more options than our desired top three or so is pretty obvious". "With a large current roster and high standards, Uconn doesn't have to pursue next best available if Geno doesn't think they would be rotation level". Fwiw, I think that the second side is correct. ;). Re the Big O, I have two more words. Nika Muhl.
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Re the Big O, I was very confident about our chances a couple of years ago. She obviously liked Uconn, a Croatian connection with Nika, and she was in the northeast. In fact I thought she was a likely early commit.

It is possible our odds have not diminished, but if someone is a heavy lean towards one school, it seems odd to me they would have such a large initial "short" list and then a second finalist list, and be taking so many visits. Could just be due diligence, but I used to feel she was close to a lock, and now it feels more like we are just one of several top contenders. Who knows, time will tell.
 
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