UConn recruiting Speculation, part 3 | Page 2 | The Boneyard

UConn recruiting Speculation, part 3

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HuskyNan said:
Breanna Stewart started on Day 1, so did Paige
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The only thing more comical than Maya coming off the bench would have been Breanna Stewart coming off the bench. Paige was needed in the starting line-up....after all, she did win the Player of the Year as a freshman... unprecedented by the way.
 
Tonyc said:
Talking to some coaches and they cant see her going to UNC. They can see her coming to UConn but she will have to play.
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I thought I heard that Strong has already Committed to the Huskies? Then I hear that LSU know who is whispering sweet nothings into her ear.
 
When you look at the roster for that season, it's hard to see anyone who would have started before Paige. I mean, it was 3 upperclassmen -- Liv, Christyn, Evina -- and a bunch of freshmen -- Paige, Nika, Aaliyah, Mir, Piath, Saylor -- and two sophomores -- Aubrey and Anna. The only question was how soon it would be before Nika and Aaliyah cracked the starting lineup.
 
cferraro04 said:
The only thing more comical than Maya coming off the bench would have been Breanna Stewart coming off the bench. Paige was needed in the starting line-up....after all, she did win the Player of the Year as a freshman... unprecedented by the way.
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At one time Breanna did come off the bench.
 
HopJim said:
You would need dynamite to get KK and Ash out of the starting lineup!
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Morgan and Allie look like dynamite to me, just think about it, three of the best off guards or wings at UCONN next year. Doesn't mean they park Ash or KK, what a rotation. Throw Paige, and whoever comes back and forget dynamite we are looking at nitro.
 
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cferraro04 said:
Geno is in charge of who plays and who doesn't. When I think of a number 1 player coming to UConn I think of what has happened historically. DT did not start in game one, and Maya did not start at the beginning of the season...just being number one was not a guarantee of a starting position. I admit bringing Maya off the bench was a joke...everyone could see that she was the best player on the floor and that it wasn't going to be long before she would be a starter. Then you get freshmen like KK and Ashlynn who are starting...why? Simple circumstances on the ground gave Geno no choice but to start them. The conventional wisdom is...it doesn't matter who starts the game...it is who is on the court when it matters.
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HuskyNan said:
Breanna Stewart started on Day 1, so did Paige
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I beeeive Ann Strother, and Christyn Williams also started day 1. Maybe Tina might have started game 1 vs Richmond nut started nearly every game.
Katie Lou didn't start right away or maybe game 1 she did but early in the season she started then through entire season.
 
MooseJaw said:
Morgan and Allie look like dynamite to me, just think about it, three of the best off guards or wings at UCONN next year. Doesn't mean they park Ash or KK, what a rotation. Throw Paige, and whoever comes back and forget dynamite we are looking at nitro.
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To me too!

Now that Geno is having fun with the 4 guard lineup, I suspect he'll keep using it next season, but with a deeper rotation so they never get tired.

Right now, it looks like KK and Paige are the tip of the spear, so to speak. But next season Morgan will fit right in, since it's exactly what she plays at Mitty HS now. And Azzi Ash Allie can rotate through the wing, and Sarah will be the second wing (i.e. the 4th guard; see how I worked her in there?). Ice and Ayanna will rotate through the 5. What about Jana, you ask? Given how good her handles are, I think she rotates at the other wing with Sarah -- we go from a big wing who can pass to a huge wing who can pass.

Yeah, we could play an ordinary front court and backcourt lineup, too. But that sounds boring, though it would probably be awesome! Then you'd have KK Ines and Morgan share the PG, Paige Azzi and Ash share the SG, Allie Q and Aubrey share the W, Sarah and Jana share the high post 4, and Ice and Ayanna share the low post 5. And everyone plays intense defense because the rotation is still deep.
 
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jonack said:
Are there any portal bigs that may be in the pipeline?
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There may not be any more scholarships for next year. There are 2 players in the Class of 2024, Sarah Strong and Emely Rodriguez, with offers, too

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jonack said:
Are there any portal bigs that may be in the pipeline?
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As Husky Nan points out the number of available roster spots at this point is limited, and I think also very unknown. Except for maybe the Ivy league that doesn't allow a fifth year of play, almost all entrants to the portal wait until after the season is over to announce, so at this point who knows.

We don't know who will be available or if we have a spot to offer. Like last year we would probably only be looking for a quite high level big. Those are rare and there might not be a difference maker for us in the portal, or maybe another Dorka, or a player like Cardoso or Betts, you never know.

I don't know when Strong or Rodriquez might decide, but we know that the possible extra year returnees have to decide shortly after the season, because the WNBA draft comes up very quick and they have to declare for it. The portal decisions come right around that time too. I hope that at the latest Strong and/or Rodriquez decide within a day or two after our four maybe returnees decide, and at that point we should know if we have a spot to pursue in the portal or not, but these decisions probably will be jammed up in a very tight time window.
 
oldhusky said:
As Husky Nan points out the number of available roster spots at this point is limited, and I think also very unknown. Except for maybe the Ivy league that doesn't allow a fifth year of play, almost all entrants to the portal wait until after the season is over to announce, so at this point who knows.

We don't know who will be available or if we have a spot to offer. Like last year we would probably only be looking for a quite high level big. Those are rare and there might not be a difference maker for us in the portal, or maybe another Dorka, or a player like Cardoso or Betts, you never know.

I don't know when Strong or Rodriquez might decide, but we know that the possible extra year returnees have to decide shortly after the season, because the WNBA draft comes up very quick and they have to declare for it. The portal decisions come right around that time too. I hope that at the latest Strong and/or Rodriquez decide within a day or two after our four maybe returnees decide, and at that point we should know if we have a spot to pursue in the portal or not, but these decisions probably will be jammed up in a very tight time window.
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Geno already knows what he needs to know. I don't need to know more than that.
 
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!!
 
MooseJaw said:
Morgan and Allie look like dynamite to me, just think about it, three of the best off guards or wings at UCONN next year. Doesn't mean they park Ash or KK, what a rotation. Throw Paige, and whoever comes back and forget dynamite we are looking at nitro.
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I agree, but we gaze into our crystal ball like this all the time. In the summer it builds to a crescendo when we have nothing better to do. Just once (it hasn't happened lately) I'd like reality to match our enthusiasm. Please, pretty please...
 
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TN-Gamecock said:
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!!
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Yet Strong has never mentioned SCar except to say we are recruiting her.
 
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.
 
Ralph said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
TN-Gamecock said:
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!!
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Duke??? New development? Ugh!

Can't wait til she makes her choice!
 
Forego said:
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.
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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.
 
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oldhusky said:
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.
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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.
 
TN-Gamecock said:
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!!
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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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
Setting yourselves up for disappointment with the Sarah Strong wish list. I don’t have any hope for her coming to the collegiate basketball capital of the world (Both teams top 10). Time to start focusing on the classes of 2025 and 2026. UConn will be just fine with what they have and what have coming in next year.
 
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.
 
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