UConn (only) recruiting speculation (merged)

[hoopsdiva]

Oregon State fans could only dream about feeling how UConn fans felt after the 2012-2013 season. UConn's roster upon joining the AAC included Stewart, Jefferson, Tuck, KML, Hartley, Dolson, Stokes, Chong. No player left UConn because of the AAC. UConn went on to win 3 straight national championships as a member of the AAC.

The circumstances are not remotely similar.

There was no transfer portal back then.

 

[JoePgh]

I don't understand the mechanics of the transaction in the case of "Do Not Contact" transfers. No one on the UConn coaching staff would be permitted to contact a player at another school who had not yet entered the portal, or so I assume. But if a player enters the portal as "Do Not Contact", implying that she already knows her transfer destination, does that mean that she contacted another school BEFORE entering the portal and asked for an offer from that school?

So, in this case, if Raegan called Geno and said, "Can I come to Storrs?", and Geno (immediately or after consultation) said Yes, all before Raegan put her name in portal, no NCAA rules would be violated in that process?

 

[oldhusky]

Sarah is a 6-2 W/F, not a center.

I wouldn't use her at C either. Kind of like Aaliyah, Dorka and Liv where they had a three big rotation where Aaliyah was always a 4, Liv a 5, and Dorka played the 4 when teamed with Liv, and the 5 when teamed with Aaliyah. In this case Sarah at the 4, probably Raegan at the 5, and Jana playing the 4 when teamed with Raegan, and the 5 when she is in with Sarah.

But also recognizing that if we get really good contributions from Ayanna and Ice that Sarah and Aubrey later, could play some at the 3 as well.

 

[UConnCat]

There was no transfer portal back then.

Right, but that's not relevant to your point. You said OSU and its fans feel the same way UConn fans felt when UConn joined the AAC. How is that possible? UConn joined the AAC after winning a National Championship and then went on to win 3 more in its first 3 years in the AAC. UConn also added players like Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams, Katie Lou, Napheesa, etc. Meanwhile, Oregon State has lost almost its entire roster in a matter of week. How exactly does that compare to UConn's situation back in 2014?

 

[donalddoowop]

more than half of the roster is following Beers now. Caroline, Paige, Kk, Ayanna, Ashlynn, Allie, Morgan, and Morgan Valley. All within the last hour

I'd feel better if Jana was also following her. It would indicate she is not concerned about Beers coming to UConn.

 

[VA Huskie]

She supposedly has a "do not contact" tag in the portal. So for a good amount of UConn players to be following her recently...it seems to be good news!

Do we know if a bunch of players from other schools are following her? Like Texas, LSU, Ohio St, etc

 

[Hawk]

Do we know if a bunch of players from other schools are following her? Like Texas, LSU, Ohio St, etc

We don’t, but it’s very interesting that none of them were following her until her post that she was in the portal and had a do not contact tag. Then all of sudden 7 UConn players and two UConn assistant coaches followed her all within 45 mins

 

[DemonDeac22]

If you’ve watched Beers play on the inside she is a perfect fit for a UConn need. Look at the tape. Hopefully we can get her.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I'd feel better if Jana was also following her. It would indicate she is not concerned about Beers coming to UConn.

I don't see Jana as a center even though she can play one with some work. I definitely wouldn't tag her as a natural 5. She's Karl Malone in a Husky jersey.

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

Are any of our players following Irarfen?

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Are any of our players following Irarfen?

Paige recently followed her but it seems she might be staying at Stanford. At least that’s how it looks now.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Paige recently followed her but it seems she might be staying at Stanford. At least that’s how it looks now.

It does?

 

[Zarathustra]

Beers vs. Brady back in the day:

This game highlight video showed me that they are BOTH very
good. It would be quite the combination, together with Jana, to added to
the mix. Complementary skills (IMHO) , and no issue of losing a critical
player to foul trouble! Next player UP!!! We will have to see if
this possibility has "legs"!???

 

[Geew1992]

There was no transfer portal back then.

Yes there was. They just didn’t transfer like they are now

 

[Fossil]

After waiting for a year, maybe Jana does not want to ease into the rotation. However, if Beers does commit to UConn, that would solidify the post position for the next five years with three quality players at least 6'4". That should satisfy the BYers who say we need bigs.

I don’t think Jana can really say anything at this point. Nobody really knows how well she’ll do and coming off a serious injury. She could easily split minutes with the five or the four so she will get playing time. There is definitely a learning curve the Biggs all go through and to learn under an established one would be a good thing for her.

 

[Ladeeeeda]

Are any of our players following Irarfen?

She is most likely staying put at Stanford. She is an academic kid. She isn't going to spend 3 yrs at Stanford and then get a degree from another school because she transfered for basketball.

 

[oldhusky]

I'd feel better if Jana was also following her. It would indicate she is not concerned about Beers coming to UConn.

That is a fair concern, but I think of the three potentially most affected players, Jana, Ice and Ayanna, Jana is in the best position. If she is ahead of the other two she would still get lots of minutes at the 4 and the 5. Ice and Ayanna on the other hand could be affected even more, but it is interesting that Ayanna also followed her.

 

[maple]

I don’t want to hope, but so many UConn people suddenly following Beers after her announcement makes me hope …

 

[oldude]

I don’t want to hope, but so many UConn people suddenly following Beers after her announcement makes me hope …

I hate to pour cold water on the idea of Reagan Beers to UConn, but after watching her play a few times, she really doesn’t fit well with the Huskies style of play. She’s obviously a big, strong kid who can bang with opposing post players in the paint and set some serious screens. But her mobility is limited.

I’m not sure she’s the post player you want on the floor to run UConn’s motion offense. I could be wrong, but I would pursue Kaitlin Weimer from Boston U before Beers.

 

[reelfan]

What is timeline for UCONN brain trust to make decision ?

 

[HuskyNan]

I hate to pour cold water on the idea of Reagan Beers to UConn, but after watching her play a few times, she really doesn’t fit well with the Huskies style of play. She’s obviously a big, strong kid who can bang with opposing post players in the paint and set some serious screens. But her mobility is limited.

I’m not sure she’s the post player you want on the floor to run UConn’s motion offense. I could be wrong, but I would pursue Kaitlin Weimer from Boston U before Beers.

I interviewed Stef Dolson’s AAU coach after she committed to UConn and that’s pretty much the description he had of Stef as a young player . If Geno wants Raegan, I want her too

 

[Bone Dog]

I hate to pour cold water on the idea of Reagan Beers to UConn, but after watching her play a few times, she really doesn’t fit well with the Huskies style of play. She’s obviously a big, strong kid who can bang with opposing post players in the paint and set some serious screens. But her mobility is limited.

I’ve had this same feeling ever since this topic surfaced. It’s not just Beers. This will be the problem with most bigs Geno might get. Dorka was an unusual case in that she fit into a motion offense well, though it took quite some time for her to fit herself into it. The key was her mobility and that she could play high post as well as low post.

Beers could obviously figure out Geno’s offense and would probably end up as mobile as Stef Dolson was. She wouldn’t get out on the transition offense much, or do high hedges, but she’d improve our rebounding and be a rim protector. One obvious way Geno might use her is in a twin towers lineup next to Jana. He’s had good success with such lineups before, like Rebecca and Kara, Stef and Stewie, one of whom was more mobile than the other. Interestingly, he didn’t use Dorka and Liv this way very much, perhaps because they were both quite mobile. But he did like playing Aaliyah next to either of them.

As a freshman Beers played on a lineup with a couple other bigs and quickly showed her promise. As a sophomore, she showed the world that she was the main presence on the floor for OSU. When she sat down the team suffered. Coming to UConn, she’d have to fit herself in as more of a cog in a larger machine than the main event, which might be a difficult adjustment. I’m sure she’s capable of it, but she might not want it. Would she want only ~20 mins/g? This is a possible result of her coming to Storrs.

I agree that Jana might not mind having another big in the lineup to take some of the pressure off her as a first year player. Ayanna too. Ice might be another story. 80 frontcourt mins to be divided between 5 or 6 players means some of them will be squeezed. If Raegan and Jana split ~50 between them, that leaves only 30 for Ayanna Ice Sarah Morgan Caroline Aubrey. The last four can play at the wing as well so there might not be as much pressure on their minutes. But Ayanna and Ice don’t have nearly the flexibility of the others.

All in all Raegan would be a positive addition to the team. But there will be some challenges for Geno in reworking the team to make the best use of her next to Jana and Ice and Ayanna. And Raegan would have to get used to not being the primary scoring option, since that is likely to come more from the backcourt on UConn.

 

[mrmojack]

16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks against South Carolina, 2 more years left. I'm all in!!!

 

[oldude]

I interviewed Stef Dolson’s AAU coach after she committed to UConn and that’s pretty much the description he had of Stef as a young player . If Geno wants Raegan, I want her too

Steph’s improvement from HS through her career at UConn was extraordinary. She completely remade her body, substantially improving her fitness level. Steph was also a much smoother player than Beers.

Beers just completed her sophomore season in college. How much she’s capable of improving in the next two seasons while learning a new system remains to be seen.

Don’t get me wrong. If Beers wants to transfer to UConn, I’m more than happy to have an experienced Big on the roster. But in all honesty, I would view Beers as a placeholder until Jana is ready to take over the post position.

 

[saywho]

She is most likely staying put at Stanford. She is an academic kid. She isn't going to spend 3 yrs at Stanford and then get a degree from another school because she transfered for basketball.

Kiki is graduating this year academically. So, if she stays or transfers she will be pursuing a grad degree. Whether she gets (or has already been) accepted to a grad program at Stanford will have some role in her decision.