Uconn need to start recruiting more BIGS | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Uconn need to start recruiting more BIGS

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and Stokes wasnt Wilson coming out of HS so ESPN wasnt interested in a press conference with her... wouldn't be a huge draw, same as Megatron... if she did a press conference you'd be zoomed in on your big screen
 
Orangutan said:
It's "diva" if they're on another team "swagger" if they're on yours...
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images
 
RSHERMVIKES said:
1. Flamboyant/diva good = A'ja is not UCONN style.
We can agree to disagree, Personally I'm glad A'ja signed with SoCar.
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Was Diana too flamboyant for UCONN? Her "collar popping, call me" style didn't seem to fit UCONN.
If Wilson had signed with UCONN this entire thread would be unnecessary-can I get an Amen on that at least?
 
I find the idea that this thread and other almost identical ones exist on every fan board out there to be a little humorous. In some fan bases there is real cause for concern because the track record of the current coaches is suspect, but in most cases the threads are brought on by a one or two year aberration in recruiting from a staff that has shown over time to be very sound recruiters.

At Uconn with 11 NCs in 21 years by a very stable coaching staff, it is just laughable. The consistent trail of very highly motivated and talented recruits, and their history of development is a model for every other program in the country to try and match. The ability to adapt to varying strengths and weaknesses within the team by the coaching staff is unmatched and the results speak for themselves. In the 17 NCAA tournaments since the start of the 1999-2000 season the coaching staff has failed to reach the FF in only three (1Sw16 and 2E8 losses) an incredible record, and it has been accomplished with teams that had the center position patrolled by 6'2" players and with 6'5" players, players that were #1 recruits and players that were so raw that they took a freshman red-shirt, or were after thoughts in the ranking of HS talent, and in seasons with devastating injuries to starters. With rosters that went deep and roasters that struggled to find 6 rotational players.

The idea that any coaching staff with that record isn't fully aware of its needs and is not beating the bushes for the right players is crazy. That they 'failed' to recruit bigs or need help from fans to identify a flaw in their approach is __________.

To go from the equally insane 'Is Uconn bad for the game' threads to the 'Uconn is in deep doodoo because they can't recruit ...' threads in the space of a few weeks is what makes this country great! :confused::eek::rolleyes::)
 
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UcMiami said:
I find the idea that this thread and other almost identical ones exist on every fan board out there to be a little humorous. In some fan bases there is real cause for concern because the track record of the current coaches is suspect, but in most cases the threads are brought on by a one or two year aberration in recruiting from a staff that has shown over time to be very sound recruiters.

At Uconn with 11 NCs in 21 years by a very stable coaching staff, it is just laughable. The consistent trail of very highly motivated and talented recruits, and their history of development is a model for every other program in the country to try and match. The ability to adapt to varying strengths and weaknesses within the team by the coaching staff is unmatched and the results speak for themselves. In the 17 NCAA tournaments since the start of the 1999-2000 season the coaching staff has failed to reach the FF in only three (1Sw16 and 2E8 losses) an incredible record, and it has been accomplished with teams that had the center position patrolled by 6'2" players and with 6'5" players, players that were #1 recruits and players that were so raw that they took a freshman red-shirt, or were after thoughts in the ranking of HS talent, and in seasons with devastating injuries to starters. With rosters that went deep and roasters that struggled to find 6 rotational players.

The idea that any coaching staff with that record isn't fully aware of its needs and is not beating the bushes for the right players is crazy. That they 'failed' to recruit bigs or need help from fans to identify a flaw in their approach is __________.

To go from the equally insane 'Is Uconn bad for the game' threads to the 'Uconn is in deep doodoo because they can't recruit ...' threads in the space of a few weeks is what makes this country great! :confused::eek::rolleyes::)
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I nominate this for post of the year....and suggest we require all new bloggers to recite it at bedtime every night.
 
UcMiami said:
I find the idea that this thread and other almost identical ones exist on every fan board out there to be a little humorous. In some fan bases there is real cause for concern because the track record of the current coaches is suspect, but in most cases the threads are brought on by a one or two year aberration in recruiting from a staff that has shown over time to be very sound recruiters.
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Yep, this is a persistent topic on the ND board. This despite the fact that the team next year will have players of 6'4, 6'3, 6'3, 6'2, and 6'2 and another 6'3 left via transfer. Now, it does seems like ND has less size mainly because the 6'4 (Diamond Thompson) and one of the 6'3 players (Kristina Nelson) have not been particularly effective, which of course speaks exactly to the point that recruiting size for size's sake is not the solution.

When people say they want to see more bigs recruited they really mean that they want more quality bigs. Well, doesn't everyone? Problem is, they are scarce. And these days it seems like 70% of them are Texans.
 
UcMiami said:
I find the idea that this thread and other almost identical ones exist on every fan board out there to be a little humorous. In some fan bases there is real cause for concern because the track record of the current coaches is suspect, but in most cases the threads are brought on by a one or two year aberration in recruiting from a staff that has shown over time to be very sound recruiters.

At Uconn with 11 NCs in 21 years by a very stable coaching staff, it is just laughable. The consistent trail of very highly motivated and talented recruits, and their history of development is a model for every other program in the country to try and match. The ability to adapt to varying strengths and weaknesses within the team by the coaching staff is unmatched and the results speak for themselves. In the 17 NCAA tournaments since the start of the 1999-2000 season the coaching staff has failed to reach the FF in only three (1Sw16 and 2E8 losses) an incredible record, and it has been accomplished with teams that had the center position patrolled by 6'2" players and with 6'5" players, players that were #1 recruits and players that were so raw that they took a freshman red-shirt, or were after thoughts in the ranking of HS talent, and in seasons with devastating injuries to starters. With rosters that went deep and roasters that struggled to find 6 rotational players.

The idea that any coaching staff with that record isn't fully aware of its needs and is not beating the bushes for the right players is crazy. That they 'failed' to recruit bigs or need help from fans to identify a flaw in their approach is __________.

To go from the equally insane 'Is Uconn bad for the game' threads to the 'Uconn is in deep doodoo because they can't recruit ...' threads in the space of a few weeks is what makes this country great! :confused::eek::rolleyes::)
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UC I certainly don't want to speak for others but I think there are a few separate thoughts that are being mistakenly lumped into one. There are those of us (maybe @Sonny44) that wish UCONN had more success in recruiting over the last couple of years-call us greedy. That is a separate issue from confidence in UCONN coaching staff. We also firmly believe: 1) That the lack of success in recruiting IS NOT from UCONN staff not trying. 2) This staff will develop the players on the roster well enough to keep us in NC contention. 3) The UCONN staff knows best-infinitely more than we do & and they do not need our help.
 
CocoHusky said:
UC I certainly don't want to speak for others but I think there are a few separate thoughts that are being mistakenly lumped into one. There are those of us (maybe @Sonny44) that wish UCONN had more success in recruiting over the last couple of years-call us greedy. That is a separate issue from confidence in UCONN coaching staff. We also firmly believe: 1) That the lack of success in recruiting IS NOT from UCONN staff not trying. 2) This staff will develop the players on the roster well enough to keep us in NC contention. 3) The UCONN staff knows best-infinitely more than we do & and they do not need our help.
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Absolutely Coco - as someone once said 'Greed is Good!' and I certainly fall within the category of fans that would have liked to see Wilson and Cox in blue and white. But the thread title represents a recurring thread and is not coached as I wish more of the recruits we went after chose Uconn:
Uconn need to start recruiting more BIGS
Definitely has a certain slant to it implying incompetence. :confused::)
 
As I've stated many times, the ONLY preseason hope I have each year is that the UCONN WBB goes through the season with no serious illnesses and/or injuries. If they can do that let the chips fall where they may.
I'm more than ready to go to battle with the roster UCONN now has with the 3 freshmen and the returning girls!
Our great coaching staff will figure out what they need to do to be successful!
 
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BTW, is there any school with more bigs in the WNBA at the moment than UCONN, Tina, Stef, Stokes, Stewart. Someone should mention this to the recruits. :D
 
Its humorous to read other boards. All want BIGS and many for years have stated, " why can't we get great point guards like UCONN." I believe the poster who noted that most of UCONN's tall 4's and 5's have come from the Northeast is spot on. Likely goes through phases and right now most of the 5 star BIGS from the South, Mo not withstanding, not a typically recruiting sweet spot for Geno and staff.
 
Its humorous to read other boards. All want BIGS and many for years have stated, " why can't we get great point guards like UCONN." I believe the poster who noted that most of UCONN's tall 4's and 5's have come from the Northeast is spot on. Likely goes through phases and right now most of the 5 star BIGS from the South, Mo not withstanding, not a typically recruiting sweet spot for Geno and staff.
 
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j66kicker said:
Yes, only 4 straight NCs - the whole program is in disarray!
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Firstly, I never said anything like "disarray".
Secondly, thanks for your support. We won 4 straight NC's with bigs like Stef, Stokes, and Stewie. Would you care to postulate how many we would have won without them? And of course we would have won our first one easily without Rebecca and Kara, right?
 
Sonny44 said:
Firstly, I never said anything like "disarray".
Secondly, thanks for your support. We won 4 straight NC's with bigs like Stef, Stokes, and Stewie. Would you care to postulate how many we would have won without them? And of course we would have won our first one easily without Rebecca and Kara, right?
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I agree we could use another big, but not ready to concede that "the succession plan has failed." Butler may yet prove quite serviceable and effective, surrounded by some super talents.
 
also, are other teams going to be any better... and not just on paper
 
j66kicker said:
I agree we could use another big, but not ready to concede that "the succession plan has failed." Butler may yet prove quite serviceable and effective, surrounded by some super talents.
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I like to use the time between the first game, and the last game before the Christmas break as a reasonable period of assessment, which is usually somewhere between 8-10 games. That's usually enough time to measure a player's potential and readiness to play. We can predict, wish and hope all we want to this summer, but those first 5 regular season games will reveal a lot to us and the staff., thereby giving all a glimpse into the near future.
 
My daughter and I have only been following UConn basketball for the past 6 years as she has grown from a grade schooler into a high school athlete. I would be the first to admit that the team's incredible record of success has spoiled both of us beyond repair.

Like many here, we find it hard to believe that any great recruit would have the "audacity" to choose any school other then UConn.

Apparently for the past few years, many recruits, especially the really good larger ones have not shared our rather biased viewpoint.

Was it because they simply wanted to stay close to home and home was thousands of miles away, was it UConn's notoriously tough training regimen, was it a perceived lack of playing time, or was it as simple as they were never in UConn's plans at all?

Most likely we will never know.

Does any reasonable fan think that the coaching staff has lost it's ability to recruit or that they just don't know where the best players are? Hardly......................but when you've been on top for so long and you're watching the rest of the field gain on you, it is a bit unnerving.

I know there's still plenty of talent on the roster and I look forward to seeing the growth of the new recruits. I expect a spirited defense of the NC..........but the worried/spoiled fan in me see's a shortage of forwards/posts in case of injury/foul trouble and I sure would feel better with a couple of additional reinforcements...............
 
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If you recall, Texas, who we played in the tournament, had, at least 2 "big" young women and maybe a third. That did not seem to help them against the play of UConn. What about South Carolina? They were know for the 2 "big" young women also were scorers and shot blockers. The height is definitely helpful, but it seems like UConn prepares a balanced defense and offense that works more often than not. Couple that with speed, and passing and that makes a tough game for an opponent.
 
veryolddog said:
If you recall, Texas, who we played in the tournament, had, at least 2 "big" young women and maybe a third. That did not seem to help them against the play of UConn. What about South Carolina? They were know for the 2 "big" young women also were scorers and shot blockers. The height is definitely helpful, but it seems like UConn prepares a balanced defense and offense that works more often than not. Couple that with speed, and passing and that makes a tough game for an opponent.
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Frankly, I'll take a mobile 6'2" - 6'3" over a plodding 6'5 - 6'7 any time..........when your front line is consists of 5'11" -6'1" you may run into trouble defensively............Stewart's ability to stuff the lane will be sorely missed......saved 10 points a game easily
 
BTW remember that we are currently looking at 2 soph bigs..kinda local: Olivia Owens near Albany...and Mary Baskerville at Enfield High....both around 6'3". Say...Our Emblem...if you happen to know what AAU team [and age level] Olivia is playing for, please let us know.
 
blakeon18 said:
BTW remember that we are currently looking at 2 soph bigs..kinda local: Olivia Owens near Albany...and Mary Baskerville at Enfield High....both around 6'3". Say...Our Emblem...if you happen to know what AAU team [and age level] Olivia is playing for, please let us know.
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6'4 Olivia Owens of Niskayuna HS / Albany City Rocks.............she has an offer from Syracuse

CfOHnt-XIAEitPd.jpg
 
Charliebball said:
Frankly, I'll take a mobile 6'2" - 6'3" over a plodding 6'5 - 6'7 any time.....when your front line is consists of 5'11" -6'1" you may run into trouble defensively..Stewart's ability to stuff the lane will be sorely missed.saved 10 points a game easily
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Charlie B, I could not agree with you more. Height is nice. We all know you can't teach it. But.......there's different types of height. Plodders can't run fast breaks, or get back on defense as quicly as mobile bigs can. How many times this year did Stewie lead a fast break?, or block an opposing player's fast break lay up from behind?. Take Ohio State's Shayla Cooper (6'2") and Notre Dame's Brianna Turner (who I predicted when she was a freshman, that she would be an All-American by the end of her junior year. I was correct, just a year off.) They're both very mobile (sprinters). Cooper alternates between the 4/5. She can do it all. Run, jump, rebound, pass and handle the ball, as well as score. They're both very good under the basket.

UConn had no problem with teams that had tall centers (Texas, South Carolina & Oregon State). In those instences, the opponents bigs were for the most part ineffective. Stewie and Tuck played a very large part in that. The quickest way to neutralize a big is to sit her with foul trouble.........early. After having several shot attempts blocked early in the game by Stewart, said bigs were reluctant to shoot after that, thereby reducing their effectiveness on offense.

Most bigs are would-be shot blockers, and are eager to contest anyone driving the lane. Tuck, Mo and Stewie had a "no fear" approach in driving the lane. I'm sure UConn will not alter its philosophy with respect to attacking the rim. Most of UConn's plays were designed to go to the BIG 3 this year, and rightly so. Next season, those plays will be run for someone else. I look for Collier, Samuelson, Williams, Nurse, Chong and Butler have their rolls significantly increased, as those plays will now be run for them. All of them can score, however, this year was not their year. They had three upper classmen that were infront of them, thus they were "role players".

For the next couple of years (except for Chong who will be a senior), it will be their turn. This year, we only saw glimpses of their latient talent. Next season, we'll get to see the full monte. They will enter into the season knowing this, and they'll be ready. I think next year's team will surprise and be better than fans and the media are predicting. Remember, Geno and staff has done far more with less. Getting next year's squad to that point where they will be at their best and most competitive will be job 1 for the coaches. Games that UConn won by 40+ points this season, they'll now win by 8-15 next year. Never under estimate the heart of a champion.
 

UConn had no problem with teams that had tall centers (Texas, South Carolina & Oregon State). In those instences, the opponents bigs were for the most part ineffective. Stewie and Tuck played a very large part in that. The quickest way to neutralize a big is to sit her with foul trouble....early. After having several shot attempts blocked early in the game by Stewart, said bigs were reluctant to shoot after that, thereby reducing their effectiveness on offense.

Some of those bigs like Turner and Wilson that UConn will face again this coming season will be far more effective with our two front court stars gone. I suspect that even with Natalie B busting her butt, those twin bigs on Baylor, and SC will have a much easier time dominating the paint against the Huskies. I have no doubt that Geno will come up with the best game plan possible but will that be enough to beat those top out of conference teams that are scheduled next season?
 
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