UConn recruiting Speculation, part 3

[Ladeeeeda]

If someone announces they can no longer play contact sports, can the school keep them on scholarship without it counting as an "athletic scholarship?" It would seem to make sense rather than forcing a school to say you were injured we are taking away your scholarship. Or is there a rule that you cannot take a scholarship away from an injured player? My guess would be if Geno has 15 players on scholarship he will say I have enough good players, if I can't win with 15 there is something wrong with me as a coach. I don't need 16.

If they retire for medical reasons, I think schools usually give them a scholarship that doesn't count against the team's athletic scholarships. Duke did that with N. Green a couple years ago.

 

[Forego]

This is a speculation thread and I am speculating that Sara Strong will not be making her decision based upon starting every game or playing time. When she visited UConn I am sure Geno gave her (and all prospects) the “no guarantees” speech. If starting and playing time are primary decision makers she would have already eliminated UConn from her list of schools.
Parents however, are an entirely different story. I think most of us could name several players whose Parents were the ultimate factor in their decisions to attend other schools. It is a good thing thing that Rebecca, Shea and Diana were (and are) independently minded and selected UConn.

 

[Rings R Us]

Strong was at the Duke basketball game today. Interesting since most observers seen to think it's down to UCONN, South Carolina & North Carolina. I'm hoping her mom has a lot of influence as both mom and dad are from South Carolina. It's been said mom wants her to play for Dawn. Who knows? Will be interesting to see how this pans out. I do know that The State Newspaper out of Columbia, SC had an article where Joyce Edwards stated she is working on Strong for Carolina.

I believe in my heart of hearts it will come down to Carolina and UCONN with UCONN being the "winner" for Strong!!

Duke??? New development? Ugh!

Can't wait til she makes her choice!

 

[oldhusky]

This is a speculation thread and I am speculating that Sara Strong will not be making her decision based upon starting every game or playing time. When she visited UConn I am sure Geno gave her (and all prospects) the “no guarantees” speech. If starting and playing time are primary decision makers she would have already eliminated UConn from her list of schools.
Parents however, are an entirely different story. I think most of us could name several players whose Parents were the ultimate factor in their decisions to attend other schools. It is a good thing thing that Rebecca, Shea and Diana were (and are) independently minded and selected UConn.

You might be right, and if she decides before our possible returnees do, particularly AE, then it would be quite logical to conclude that first year playing time or starting was not a factor. If she decides after those decisions then it looks like it might have been a significant factor. Time will tell.

 

[hoopsdiva]

You might be right, and if she decides before our possible returnees do, particularly AE, then it would be quite logical to conclude that first year playing time or starting was not a factor. If she decides after those decisions then it looks like it might have been a significant factor. Time will tell.

Some of our most successful and impactful recent players have come to UConn despite (or even because of) the presence of a star playing the same position. Our current crop of guards fits that description. Remember Nika said she came to UConn to play with the best (Paige) - that has worked out pretty well for her. So choosing a school for perceived immediate playing time seems rather shortsighted to me. I'm not saying that's what Strong is doing though because I have absolutely zero insight into that.

 

[GenoWept]

Strong was at the Duke basketball game today. Interesting since most observers seen to think it's down to UCONN, South Carolina & North Carolina. I'm hoping her mom has a lot of influence as both mom and dad are from South Carolina. It's been said mom wants her to play for Dawn. Who knows? Will be interesting to see how this pans out. I do know that The State Newspaper out of Columbia, SC had an article where Joyce Edwards stated she is working on Strong for Carolina.

I believe in my heart of hearts it will come down to Carolina and UCONN with UCONN being the "winner" for Strong!!

I had wondered if maybe Sarah’s friendship with Arianna Roberson would influence her to have some interest in Duke. I had not heard that Sarah’s mom wants her to play for Dawn, seems like she’d be rooting for UConn because she’d be much closer to her up north. But if Joyce Edwards is also working on her, that could be dangerous. I hate that because South Carolina hasn’t been on my radar too much!

 

[Bone Dog]

I can't help thinking SC would be a mistake for Sarah. I think Dawn's talent lies in developing bigs, not littles -- which is ironic, but there you have it. Sarah has said she doesn't want to be a post player, and her passing skills and perimeter shooting skills support her sense of herself. She would be an odd fit at SC and (I suspect) wouldn't grow as much there as she would at Duke... and of course, at UConn. Geno is not likely to force her to play the low post, and is famous for developing high post passers like her.

 

[DefenseBB]

The last "chatter" that I had heard was Sarah was down to LSU or UConn. The fact Michaylah Williams is starring immediately for them works in their favor, however the noted disfunction of that program, works in our favor. Add in the starting of KK/Ash and their major contribution also helps us. But then again this is teenagers we are talking about so who really knows. We do have a potential scholarship limit on our hands though as the spreadsheet shows. That is why they pay Geno the big bucks to figure it out.

 

[Bald Husky]

This is crazy, we don't have a definite, or even a good clue what our roster will look like this November. I can't remember the last time we had potentially so many questions about our roster. I really don't understand why Sarah is taking so long to announce her decision. She has to know by now, and besides, if she chooses us in April that means she will be only 2 months away from arriving on campus. At this point, it's not just about her, as we all know that Geno extended a scholarship to Emily Rodriquez. It's possible that we will have too many players, and if Sarah decides on us, there may not be any room. Azzi is coming back, it looks like Paige will be back, I didn't think Aubrey would be back, but now her injury may mean she will be back. That leaves Aaliyah and Nika. I think Aaliyah will go, but now maybe Nika will stay because of her relationship with Paige. The Rodriquez invite baffles me because we have so many guards, and if Sarah had made her decision, I don't think Geno would have given it. Another point, I thought he would be looking to the portal for a Big, but again, there may not be room now. This whole process is driving me crazy, so I hope Geno does have advance knowledge about Sarah which would explain some of his actions. Her announcement will answer a lot of questions and give us a better picture of what is to come next year.

 

[Conndog]

Plenty of playing time for Sarah, especially if Aaliyah goes on to WNBA. Can you imagine a line-up of Sarah, Paige, Azzi, Jana, Ice, Ashlynn, KK, Qadence plus Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli, and maybe Caroline and Ayanna too? That would almost be unfair!

 

[TN-Gamecock]

Plenty of playing time for Sarah, especially if Aaliyah goes on to WNBA. Can you imagine a line-up of Sarah, Paige, Azzi, Jana, Ice, Ashlynn, KK, Qadence plus Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli, and maybe Caroline and Ayanna too? That would almost be unfair!

That would put you up there with Carolina!!! Can you imagine a home game with Carolina (with those mentioned) coming to Storrs? It would be one of the most watched women's basketball games of all-time...

 

[Blond D.]

I wouldn't get too excited about Sarah like shes the answer to all our problems. She looks good but so do most top recruits. Some pan out and some don't. But still, she's going to be a freshman and needs to learn Geno's system. She'll need time to adjust.

 

[Alydar]

Just more speculation. Why would she wait until April? I tried to find out her birthdate but the USAB website is a mess of buttons and no longer lists rosters that include DOB. It may be that she is not 18 now but will be in April. Perhaps there is disagreement between her and her parents as to where she should go but when she turns 18 it will be her sole decision.

 

[Bald Husky]

Just more speculation. Why would she wait until April? I tried to find out her birthdate but the USAB website is a mess of buttons and no longer lists rosters that include DOB. It may be that she is not 18 now but will be in April. Perhaps there is disagreement between her and her parents as to where she should go but when she turns 18 it will be her sole decision.

Interesting thought, but I mentioned April because I think that is when the next signing period begins.

 

[oldude]

Interesting thought, but I mentioned April because I think that is when the next signing period begins.

Correct. April 17 - May 15.

 

[BRS24]

Correct. April 17 - May 15.

And to add the crazyness (dates hidden for space) -

1. Portal overlaps NCAAT completely (how many players will portal while team is still in tourney?)
2. Portal (45 days) overlaps NLI signing period (29 days) for 15 days

 

[darrell]

Wonder if this has any implications regarding Jerzy’s recruitment (i.e., Attending a Nike school).

 

[Zonepress]

I wouldn't get too excited about Sarah like shes the answer to all our problems. She looks good but so do most top recruits. Some pan out and some don't. But still, she's going to be a freshman and needs to learn Geno's system. She'll need time to adjust.

Not sure what all UConn’s problems are
Seem to be doing quite well
I don’t know of any unaimous number one rated recruits, who have not become very good players
The last 5 number one ranked recruits Haley Jones Paige Beckers Azzi Lauren Betts Ju Ju Watkins
With the exception of Azzi have been or will be all americans
Obviously Azzi injuries have limited her career
Imho in the 5 games last season. Before he first injury imho she was avg over 25 pts per game and headed for an all American year
So so the statement and I quote you some pan out and some don’t it’s not at all factual

I don’t think m moore or page Beckers needed any time to adjust to the Uconnsystem

But hey don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story

In December on a drive to Florida I was fortunate enough to stop and see you Sarah strong play against Camden, South Carolina with Joyce edwards
Sarah, strong imho has a very good chance to be a generational player
While her list is 6 foot two is rather generous
She has a combination of great physical size and strength
Excellent athleticism great feel for the game
And elite skill

Range is well beyond three
Has a powerful and quick first step to the basket
Great foot work on her post game
Passing is exceptional
Had a great attitude
And seeks out rebounds

Her defense while not as strong as her offence
Is very good

To say she would fit a need and fit perfectly with uconn
Would be an understatement

As a UConn Wbb fan I will be ecstatic
If we are fortunate enough

 

[reelfan]

I prefer the recruit that feels UCONN is their dream school and makes a early verbal commit and signs a NLI as soon as possible. Just saying.

 

[Zarathustra]

Not sure what all UConn’s problems are
Seem to be doing quite well
I don’t know of any unaimous number one rated recruits, who have not become very good players
The last 5 number one ranked recruits Haley Jones Paige Beckers Azzi Lauren Betts Ju Ju Watkins
With the exception of Azzi have been or will be all americans
Obviously Azzi injuries have limited her career
Imho in the 5 games last season. Before he first injury imho she was avg over 25 pts per game and headed for an all American year
So so the statement and I quote you some pan out and some don’t it’s not at all factual

I don’t think m moore or page Beckers needed any time to adjust to the Uconnsystem

But hey don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story

In December on a drive to Florida I was fortunate enough to stop and see you Sarah strong play against Camden, South Carolina with Joyce edwards
Sarah, strong imho has a very good chance to be a generational player
While her list is 6 foot two is rather generous
She has a combination of great physical size and strength
Excellent athleticism great feel for the game
And elite skill

Range is well beyond three
Has a powerful and quick first step to the basket
Great foot work on her post game
Passing is exceptional
Had a great attitude
And seeks out rebounds

Her defense while not as strong as her offence
Is very good

To say she would fit a need and fit perfectly with uconn
Would be an understatement

As a UConn Wbb fan I will be ecstatic
If we are fortunate enough

Just a stat reference concerning the statement that Sarah Strong being 6 ' 2 " is "rather generous ".
While I tend to believe that all height measurements are open to doubt, the FIBA.org webpage has
Sarah's height as 190 cm. So ... 190 cm = 6 foot and 0.23355958 inches. I tend to
trust the FIBA stats.

 

[Bone Dog]

Just a stat reference concerning the statement that Sarah Strong being 6 ' 2 " is "rather generous ".
While I tend to believe that all height measurements are open to doubt, the FIBA.org webpage has
Sarah's height as 190 cm. So ... 190 cm = 6 foot and 0.23355958 inches. I tend to
trust the FIBA stats.

The conversion I get is 190 cm = 74.8", or very nearly 6'3"

 

[Zonepress]

Just a stat reference concerning the statement that Sarah Strong being 6 ' 2 " is "rather generous ".
While I tend to believe that all height measurements are open to doubt, the FIBA.org webpage has
Sarah's height as 190 cm. So ... 190 cm = 6 foot and 0.23355958 inches. I tend to
trust the FIBA stats.

Sure gotta go with fiba

 

[Zonepress]

The conversion I get is 190 cm = 74.8", or very nearly 6'3"

Gotta trust fiba

 

[Cuango]

Not sure what all UConn’s problems are
Seem to be doing quite well
I don’t know of any unaimous number one rated recruits, who have not become very good players
The last 5 number one ranked recruits Haley Jones Paige Beckers Azzi Lauren Betts Ju Ju Watkins
With the exception of Azzi have been or will be all americans
Obviously Azzi injuries have limited her career
Imho in the 5 games last season. Before he first injury imho she was avg over 25 pts per game and headed for an all American year
So so the statement and I quote you some pan out and some don’t it’s not at all factual

I don’t think m moore or page Beckers needed any time to adjust to the Uconnsystem

But hey don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story

In December on a drive to Florida I was fortunate enough to stop and see you Sarah strong play against Camden, South Carolina with Joyce edwards
Sarah, strong imho has a very good chance to be a generational player
While her list is 6 foot two is rather generous
She has a combination of great physical size and strength
Excellent athleticism great feel for the game
And elite skill

Range is well beyond three
Has a powerful and quick first step to the basket
Great foot work on her post game
Passing is exceptional
Had a great attitude
And seeks out rebounds

Her defense while not as strong as her offence
Is very good

To say she would fit a need and fit perfectly with uconn
Would be an understatement

As a UConn Wbb fan I will be ecstatic
If we are fortunate enough

I don’t have any idea as to whether we will get her or not. Funnily enough, as time goes by I find myself more optimistic as I believe more and more that she may simply be waiting for the roster situation to clear up. I had given up completely but now I’m hoping again. I think she is the missing piece that will turn this team into a juggernaut for the next four years! If she comes, she will likely have at least one year with Paige, perhaps two, she will have a solid post in Jana, outstanding guards around her and major high quality depth throughout the roster. The passing, shooting, and defense will be off the charts good! I believe we will once again see entire breaks ending in baskets where the ball never touches the floor! Of course, we’re gonna be great anyway (assuming good health) but she could be the supercharger that makes this team go from great to legendary!