UCONN Recruits and "The Gotta Want It" factor

[winlots]

Think it's fair to say that there is a sense around our program that "we want to recruit kids who really want to be here." If memory serves, there have been explicit statements to that effect from staff.
And, obviously, we have brought in a ton of skilled AND delightful kids over the years. Most of us would probably say we've done that more effectively than ANY other program.

Lately, I've been thinking, pro and con, about something relating to this; thought I'd weigh in today and see if others have had similar musings. I know there have been other threads relating to the 2013 class. But, do you think it's about time to say to any of the 2013 bunch, "You know, if it is this difficult for you to decide to commit to UCONN, we're kind of thinking you'll be better off someplace else." Am thinking particularly about DeShields here, as it seems we have had her on our radar for a very long time.

Clearly, the process of deciding where to attend college can be a very complicated and stressful one. And, the old saw about how every kid needs to make this decision in thier own time frame, is a given.
But what do you think about "The Gotta Want It" factor at this point?? (I think of examples on both sides of the aisle in terms of its importance. One the one hand, Walker wanted to come here forever, yet she decided not to stay. Hartley, the story goes, was waffling during a home visit to the point where Geno et al said something like, "Hey, why don't you call in your dad and we'll tell him we're not recruiting you any more." And, here she is a Huskie, and from all she says, a very contented one.

 

[connboy77]

I think all of the UCONN target recruits want to take their official visits before verballing to any team. This is fine since UCONN wants the recruits to be absolutely sure before making their decision.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Think it's fair to say that there is a sense around our program that "we want to recruit kids who really want to be here." If memory serves, there have been explicit statements to that effect from staff.
And, obviously, we have brought in a ton of skilled AND delightful kids over the years. Most of us would probably say we've done that more effectively than ANY other program.

Lately, I've been thinking, pro and con, about something relating to this; thought I'd weigh in today and see if others have had similar musings. I know there have been other threads relating to the 2013 class. But, do you think it's about time to say to any of the 2013 bunch, "You know, if it is this difficult for you to decide to commit to UCONN, we're kind of thinking you'll be better off someplace else." Am thinking particularly about DeShields here, as it seems we have had her on our radar for a very long time.

Clearly, the process of deciding where to attend college can be a very complicated and stressful one. And, the old saw about how every kid needs to make this decision in thier own time frame, is a given.
But what do you think about "The Gotta Want It" factor at this point?? (I think of examples on both sides of the aisle in terms of its importance. One the one hand, Walker wanted to come here forever, yet she decided not to stay. Hartley, the story goes, was waffling during a home visit to the point where Geno et al said something like, "Hey, why don't you call in your dad and we'll tell him we're not recruiting you any more." And, here she is a Huskie, and from all she says, a very contented one.

Last time I looked, DD was still a junior in HS. How lack of a decision is questionable is not clear to me.

As to the Hartley story, how do you know what was said? Is Bria or Geno your source, since they were the only ones in the room?

 

[itsasport]

The Uconn program is the the Navy SEALS of women's college basketball. Not everyone joins and many leave; but, those who stay know (as do the coaches and fans) , that at graduation that they have reached the upmost level of their ability to that point, and have given 100%. They will never say in later years what if- I had tried harder and been pushed harder, what if I had better coaching.

When I see a team like Tenn. with so much potential, play like a school yard pick-up team, I feel really sorry for the players (yes, even Tenn) because it is much more the coaches' fault then theirs. If you look at how well the seniors placed in the WNBA draft, you would assume that they had won NCAA championships.

Uconn came close to winning the championship the last two years, an amazing accomplishment when you compare the H.S. rating the players had in comparison to other teams' rosters.

 

[sarals24]

I hadn't head that about Bria either. Interesting.

I think that the class of 2013 is all kind of waiting for one of them to make a move. With the big coaching changes at UT and the "other" UT, I get it. Plus, I would rather them be absolutely sure that they go where they want to be. Obviously not a 100% chance that everyone will get it right, but there is probably a better chance as the kids get older, mature, decide exactly what they want from a program and a school.

That said, I would love if DD would just pick, already! I am thinking the rest of the class will fall in line after that. There might be a sense of wanting to see where the most talented in the class go and then weigh possible playing time, success, etc against that.

 

[winlots]

Of course I was right there in the Hartley living room.....I go on ALL the home visits. I do read everything I can get my hands on about the program, and that reported exchange between Geno and Bria certainly stayed with me, as I could readily put myself in his shoes at that point. (Not saying it's an exact "quote" obviously.) SARA - got a kick out of your "just pick, already" quip.

 

[HuskyJohn]

I should think an important part of the recruiting process is a matter of striking the proper balance between the various factors that go into it. The long-term success of the program speaks to the consistently high overall quality that Geno and his staff have been able to achieve over the years. Geno attempts to recruit talented players who want to come to UCONN after they have a clear understanding of expectations about the program. There never appears to be any deception about this. That would be in neither UCONN’s nor the recruits best interests. No doubt the staff would rather have recruits who are enthusiastic about coming as opposed to those who exhibit significant doubt.

 

[Husky WBB Fan]

Think it's fair to say that there is a sense around our program that "we want to recruit kids who really want to be here." If memory serves, there have been explicit statements to that effect from staff.
And, obviously, we have brought in a ton of skilled AND delightful kids over the years. Most of us would probably say we've done that more effectively than ANY other program.

Lately, I've been thinking, pro and con, about something relating to this; thought I'd weigh in today and see if others have had similar musings. I know there have been other threads relating to the 2013 class. But, do you think it's about time to say to any of the 2013 bunch, "You know, if it is this difficult for you to decide to commit to UCONN, we're kind of thinking you'll be better off someplace else." Am thinking particularly about DeShields here, as it seems we have had her on our radar for a very long time.

Clearly, the process of deciding where to attend college can be a very complicated and stressful one. And, the old saw about how every kid needs to make this decision in thier own time frame, is a given.
But what do you think about "The Gotta Want It" factor at this point?? (I think of examples on both sides of the aisle in terms of its importance. One the one hand, Walker wanted to come here forever, yet she decided not to stay. Hartley, the story goes, was waffling during a home visit to the point where Geno et al said something like, "Hey, why don't you call in your dad and we'll tell him we're not recruiting you any more." And, here she is a Huskie, and from all she says, a very contented one.

Respect your question, but I do think it is an unreasonable "ask" of someone who is likely a 16 year-0ld and making the first really major decision of young adulthood. I know the anxiety and desire is there for us fans to know who will be on our teams of the future, but I think the selection process just has to unfold as it does and that we fans should keep our focus on the team that we definitely have lined up for this coming season and next - - there is PLENTY of excitement there to keep us satisfied. Look when we gave the x-girl her opportunity to narrow her focus for selection. And look at the risk of saying we want to know now to a HS junior who has incomplete information - - not worth the risk to the potential player or to our teams of the future. Think about our 3 commits and the returning players - - it's all good!

 

[sarals24]

Didn't Tiffany sign without ever visiting campus? For a Florida girl, that's pretty ballsy!

 

[Bestiarius]

A recruit like DD is in no danger of being shut out of any program, so why rush? What advantage it there to DD? Why sign early and risk getting caught in the Pat Summitt syndrome. Who knows what could come up between now and the signing deadline.

If you're a middle-of-the-pack player, then yes sign. Get while the getting is available. I wouldn't doubt if DD has already (informally) told her preferred coach what her decision will be. Would that be against the rules?

Simple as that in my opinion.

 

[UcMiami]

Yes on Tiff, and she is one of the few (or the only) players that got an offer without a campus visit.
No way you give a kid an ultimatum now. Maybe in September when you say ... I have one scholly left - if you want it its yours, but if you cannot decide now, I am going to offer it to someone else and if they say yes, we will not have room for you.
Everyone is on these kids for not deciding yet - they cannot sign paper until next fall, and they can't take official visits yet either. Why should they pick at this point?

 

[Wonkster]

... Hartley, the story goes, was waffling during a home visit to the point where Geno et al said something like, "Hey, why don't you call in your dad and we'll tell him we're not recruiting you any more." ...

Tina waffled, too. Her Mom practically had to browbeat her into telling Geno she wanted to come to UConn.
.

 

[Husky1964]

Wasn't in the room either, but the Courant reported that BH wanted to visit another school , (Yarders speculated it was Rutty) and Geno said fine, you don't want us at which time she dropped her visit request and later signed on .

 

[UConnCat]

Wasn't in the room either, but the Courant reported that BH wanted to visit another school , (Yarders speculated it was Rutty) and Geno said fine, you don't want us at which time she dropped her visit request and later signed on .

It was Tennessee which showed late interest in Bria.

 

[msf22b]

Funny, how Bria seems such a quintessential UCONN type, hard to imagine her anywhere else.

 

[easttexastrash]

A recruit like DD is in no danger of being shut out of any program, so why rush? What advantage it there to DD? Why sign early and risk getting caught in the Pat Summitt syndrome. Who knows what could come up between now and the signing deadline.

If you're a middle-of-the-pack player, then yes sign. Get while the getting is available. I wouldn't doubt if DD has already (informally) told her preferred coach what her decision will be. Would that be against the rules?

Simple as that in my opinion.

What would make you think that DD may have already told the preferred coach what her decision will be? That would be like telling someone you want to marry them but asking them to keep it secret in case you decide you may want to marry someone else. If I were that coach I would say "call me when you REALLY make your decision."

 

[JoePgh]

Remember that Kiah waited until the last week to commit but seems to be at least reasonably firm in her commitment, considering the grief she got from the coaches this year.

CD has definitely said that UConn is interested in kids that are interested in UConn. If they are even somewhat indifferent about UConn, they fall lower on the radar screen.

I'm not sure that is the issue with Diamond. If I may be permitted some very uninformed but not harmful speculation, I would say that the main thing holding her back is a concern about minutes. She must ask herself whether she would be better off (for a post-collegiate basketball career) playing many more minutes at a slightly less prestigious program such as UNC or Maryland. Even at Tennessee she would be expected to get far more minutes than at UConn.

So her decision is whether playing fewer minutes for the best program is better for her than playing more minutes for a quite-good but not top-ranked program, i.e., one with a less loaded roster. It's a fair question -- after all, people like Dewanna Bonner have done very well in the WNBA without playing at a major program, but by being a superstar at a lesser program.

 

[easttexastrash]

Look how many top rated centers Baylor was able to recruit to play along with Griner: ZERO. Look how many top point guards Baylor got to play behind Sims: ZERO. A kid wants playing time and may not be willing to play second fiddle for two years until they get their chance.

One of the bad things about a class like UCONN is bringing in is that the next class knows that they may very likely be riding the pine a lot. Playing time at the UCONN for the 2013 class could very well be 10 to 15 minutes for the first couple of years. It would take a very mentally disciplined kid to handle that situation if they feel like they are one of the best players in the nation. And Geno has a reputation for being loyal to his upperclassmen, which is admirable.

 

[Husky WBB Fan]

Look how many top rated centers Baylor was able to recruit to play along with Griner: ZERO. Look how many top point guards Baylor got to play behind Sims: ZERO. A kid wants playing time and may not be willing to play second fiddle for two years until they get their chance.

One of the bad things about a class like UCONN is bringing in is that the next class knows that they may very likely be riding the pine a lot. Playing time at the UCONN for the 2013 class could very well be 10 to 15 minutes for the first couple of years. It would take a very mentally disciplined kid to handle that situation if they feel like they are one of the best players in the nation. And Geno has a reputation for being loyal to his upperclassmen, which is admirable.

Yes, but another consideration for a player like DD who will no doubt be a great pro is: Do I get, for example, 40% better in college at UConn because I'm challenged by KML and BS and Stef, (and coach A, etc.) EVERY DAY in practice compared to only getting, again as an example, 20% better at University X playing against (you fill in the name) every day in practice run by Coach whoever. Also, how much does my adrenaline flow getting fed the ball by Bria and MJ compared to point guard Y.... And how much to I play against top 10 team competition at Uconn vs University X. And then there are the other perks like travel style and locations. Games are no doubt important and fun, as well as visibility opportunities, but they are not everything a kid considers.

 

[UcMiami]

The thing with Uconn is that Geno doesn't want to play his starters more than about 25 minutes a game - he will play them 40 minutes if he has to, but if he has good players on the bench he has at least 75 minutes a game to give to those players. That works out to 3 more starters minutes or 4 players getting close to 20 minutes a game. Throw in foul trouble, etc. and he could get 10 good players good minutes, if he has them. Look what he did with the national team.
If a good player wants to play 40 minutes a game then they probably are not coming to Uconn. If they want to play good minutes in a winning program with great coaching, then I think Uconn is pretty appealing regardless of the players already on the team.

 

[alexrgct]

Think it's fair to say that there is a sense around our program that "we want to recruit kids who really want to be here." If memory serves, there have been explicit statements to that effect from staff.
And, obviously, we have brought in a ton of skilled AND delightful kids over the years. Most of us would probably say we've done that more effectively than ANY other program.

Lately, I've been thinking, pro and con, about something relating to this; thought I'd weigh in today and see if others have had similar musings. I know there have been other threads relating to the 2013 class. But, do you think it's about time to say to any of the 2013 bunch, "You know, if it is this difficult for you to decide to commit to UCONN, we're kind of thinking you'll be better off someplace else." Am thinking particularly about DeShields here, as it seems we have had her on our radar for a very long time.

Clearly, the process of deciding where to attend college can be a very complicated and stressful one. And, the old saw about how every kid needs to make this decision in thier own time frame, is a given.
But what do you think about "The Gotta Want It" factor at this point?? (I think of examples on both sides of the aisle in terms of its importance. One the one hand, Walker wanted to come here forever, yet she decided not to stay. Hartley, the story goes, was waffling during a home visit to the point where Geno et al said something like, "Hey, why don't you call in your dad and we'll tell him we're not recruiting you any more." And, here she is a Huskie, and from all she says, a very contented one.

There are nuances of each individual situation that we're not privvy to. I don't think Geno and CD hold hard and fast to a policy of "unless you commit quickly, we don't want you." Rather, they probably gauge why a given kid is exploring different options and are happy to give such a kid her space if seems like she's weighing legitimate factors (as opposed to playing the recruiting game or just being flaky).

For instance, if a kid says, "I love the tradition and consistent excellence of UConn, but I have to take an offer from Duke seriously because of the academic prestige, and Maryland is in a great metro area with a large Black population," that sounds like very different, compelling factors. Let the kid work her way through it, especially if she's uncommonly talented. If she has UConn on a list of 13 other schools, Geno/CD are probably going to tell her that her list is down to 13 by default because they're not interested.

DD is no flake. She is very serious about her future and her basketball career. She comes from a very successful and highly athletic family who I'm sure are helping guide her through her decision-making process. Finally, she's uber-talented. Yes, UConn has other uber-talented kids on the roster, but she has "best player on the 2017 national champions" talent. That's someone who has a spot until she signs her LOI elsewhere.

 

[cohenzone]

While UConn is, of course, la creme de la creme, somehow,some less cremey teams than us have won the last two NCs, each beating two other less cremey teams. The point being, when you are talking elite players, they all have a lot of basically "no lose" choices from their perspective. Obviously, if you have a chance to pick UConn, you don't pick another program lightly. But I know that if I had a kid in that situation and the kid could get up to five free trips to see those programs, I'd encourage them to take every last one of them and if feasible, squeeze in unofficials to other schools. If a kid is good enough, the schools of interest aren't going to vanish into thin air. While there might be some wisdom in committing before someone else does if you want the school badly enough, I'd guess that not very many elite players truly get messed up that way. Let the kids finish their junior years. They can't sign anything until November anyway, and even then, we've had enough examples of kids who change their minds to know not to get overly concerned one way or the other about when a kid makes a decision.

 

[Sonny44]

Remember that Kiah waited until the last week to commit but seems to be at least reasonably firm in her commitment, considering the grief she got from the coaches this year.

CD has definitely said that UConn is interested in kids that are interested in UConn. If they are even somewhat indifferent about UConn, they fall lower on the radar screen.

I'm not sure that is the issue with Diamond. If I may be permitted some very uninformed but not harmful speculation, I would say that the main thing holding her back is a concern about minutes. She must ask herself whether she would be better off (for a post-collegiate basketball career) playing many more minutes at a slightly less prestigious program such as UNC or Maryland. Even at Tennessee she would be expected to get far more minutes than at UConn.

So her decision is whether playing fewer minutes for the best program is better for her than playing more minutes for a quite-good but not top-ranked program, i.e., one with a less loaded roster. It's a fair question -- after all, people like Dewanna Bonner have done very well in the WNBA without playing at a major program, but by being a superstar at a lesser program.

I could comment on this, but I'm afraid it might start another riot.

 

[doggydaddy]

Remember that Kiah waited until the last week to commit but seems to be at least reasonably firm in her commitment, considering the grief she got from the coaches this year.

CD has definitely said that UConn is interested in kids that are interested in UConn. If they are even somewhat indifferent about UConn, they fall lower on the radar screen.

I'm not sure that is the issue with Diamond. If I may be permitted some very uninformed but not harmful speculation, I would say that the main thing holding her back is a concern about minutes. She must ask herself whether she would be better off (for a post-collegiate basketball career) playing many more minutes at a slightly less prestigious program such as UNC or Maryland. Even at Tennessee she would be expected to get far more minutes than at UConn.

So her decision is whether playing fewer minutes for the best program is better for her than playing more minutes for a quite-good but not top-ranked program, i.e., one with a less loaded roster. It's a fair question -- after all, people like Dewanna Bonner have done very well in the WNBA without playing at a major program, but by being a superstar at a lesser program.

So, how many minutes would you see her getting at UConn? And considering that most teams max kids out at around 30 mintues, how much less would she get at UConn in your opinion.

 

[easttexastrash]

Yes, but another consideration for a player like DD who will no doubt be a great pro is: Do I get, for example, 40% better in college at UConn because I'm challenged by KML and BS and Stef, (and coach A, etc.) EVERY DAY in practice compared to only getting, again as an example, 20% better at University X playing against (you fill in the name) every day in practice run by Coach whoever. Also, how much does my adrenaline flow getting fed the ball by Bria and MJ compared to point guard Y.... And how much to I play against top 10 team competition at Uconn vs University X. And then there are the other perks like travel style and locations. Games are no doubt important and fun, as well as visibility opportunities, but they are not everything a kid considers.

I'm sure that if a player such as DD puts in the work that she can get 40% better at any of the top universities. It's not as if UCONN is the only program in the country to have developed players to a high level and I doubt very seriously if any player thinks that her potential will be wasted or limited unless she plays at UCONN, or any other school as far as that goes. Nneka developed into the player she is because she got to play a LOT of minutes and the Stanford staff did a great job with her. Practice is great but it's all about playing in games.

Choosing a university is not just about basketball. There are so many factors involved and not all of them are basketball related but that is what we all focus on because that is why we are here. If academics are a big focus then Stanford and Duke are very logical choices. You can reach both your basketball AND academic potential.