UConn Transfer rate

[triaddukefan]

The concern is not justified because the sheer numbers do not tell the story as the impact of the transfers must be considered. For the most part the UCONN transfers have been at the bottom of the UCONN rotation and some not even in the rotation at all. If one were to quantify impact as players that could be a starter on a top 10-15 program then: While UCONN has lost 1 such player (AEH maybe?) ND has lost 4 such players
(Reimer, Patberg, Boley & Patterson?) Baylor has lost (Wright, Chou, Morris, and Mompremier)
Maryland has lost (Natasha Cloud, Lexi Brown, Kiah Gillespie and Destiny Slocum)
Not all transfers are created equal.

You left off Kiara Leslie.. and it's Lexie

 

[PoppaBear]

I miscounted so it’s 8 of 37 for 22 percent

Technically 3 of the 8 (Morris, Hayden, and Szhepenski) we're dismissed prior to transferring so that leaves 5 of 37 transferred by choice.

 

[Fightin Choke]

The concern is not justified because the sheer numbers do not tell the story as the impact of the transfers must be considered. For the most part the UCONN transfers have been at the bottom of the UCONN rotation and some not even in the rotation at all. If one were to quantify impact as players that could be a starter on a top 10-15 program then: While UCONN has lost 1 such player (AEH maybe?) ND has lost 4 such players
(Reimer, Patberg, Boley & Patterson?) Baylor has lost (Wright, Chou, Morris, and Mompremier)
Maryland has lost (Natasha Cloud, Lexi Brown, Kiah Gillespie and Destiny Slocum)
Not all transfers are created equal.

Didn't Samarie Walker start for a decent Kentucky team? Dani has started only one game at ND and that was due to injury. Reimier started for a Michigan St. team that was decent (not top 25) but not because of Taya's contributions. Patberg was injured at ND and hadn't yet shown anything when she decided to leave, perhaps prompted by her injuries and lack of production and the arrival of grad transfer Lili Thompson. I have no idea why Boley transferred.

But regardless, I disagree with your criteria. If Geno recruited them, then he thought they were worthwhile and the rankings of these young women bear that out. The rankings of various UConn recruits were excellent, but they just didn't make it at UConn, for whatever reason. So are you arguing that they shouldn't count against UConn if they transfer out and don't star elsewhere? Mikayla was rated very highly (13th in Hoopgurlz, 8th in Blue Star, 31st in Prospects Nation), as were Ekmark (31st in HG, 13th in BS, 26th in PN), Sadie Edwards (17th in HG, 9th in BS, 8th in PN), Lexi Gordon (29th in HG, 21st in BS, 22nd in PN), Andra Espinoza-Hunter (16th in HG, 10th in BS, 32nd in PN), DeJanae Boykin (23rd in HG, 9th in BS, 21st in PN), Brianna Banks (24th in HG, 11th in BS, 15th in ASGR, no PN back then), and Samarie Walker (10th in HG, 8th in BS, 10th in ASGR). Why shouldn't it count against UConn that these young student athletes transferred out? Dani Patterson's rankings were lower than all of these women (30th in HG, 33rd in BS, 28th in PN) but you listed her as an example of a talented transfer (unlike these UConn transfers). Geno scouted Dani P. but chose not to offer her, but he chose to offer these other women. Doesn't that suggest that he felt these other women were more promising? Dani's dream school was UConn, according to our own Tony C, who had been reporting on her and AEH since they were in 8th grade.

 

[Bayloralum]

Technically 3 of the 8 (Morris, Hayden, and Szhepenski) we're dismissed prior to transferring so that leaves 5 of 37 transferred by choice.

Good point

 

[TerpWomenFan]

The concern is not justified because the sheer numbers do not tell the story as the impact of the transfers must be considered. For the most part the UCONN transfers have been at the bottom of the UCONN rotation and some not even in the rotation at all. If one were to quantify impact as players that could be a starter on a top 10-15 program then: While UCONN has lost 1 such player (AEH maybe?) ND has lost 4 such players
(Reimer, Patberg, Boley & Patterson?) Baylor has lost (Wright, Chou, Morris, and Mompremier)
Maryland has lost (Natasha Cloud, Lexi Brown, Kiah Gillespie and Destiny Slocum)
Not all transfers are created equal.

Natasha Cloud wasn't considered a major transfer at the time. She went to St Joseph and I don't remember her making any all conference teams in her three years there. She made herself into a good WNBA player. I probably wouldn't count Kiara Leslie because she was a graduate transfer. She would have left any program in that situation.

 

[meyers7]

5 of UConn transfers were freshmen who left after their 1st semester. Why isn't Natalie Butler included in the transfer list? She transfer to UConn and ending up transferring again for her 5th year.

They are just talking about Recruiting classes. And the transfers from them.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Didn't Samarie Walker start for a decent Kentucky team? Dani has started only one game at ND and that was due to injury. Reimier started for a Michigan St. team that was decent (not top 25) but not because of Taya's contributions. Patberg was injured at ND and hadn't yet shown anything when she decided to leave, perhaps prompted by her injuries and lack of production and the arrival of grad transfer Lili Thompson. I have no idea why Boley transferred.

But regardless, I disagree with your criteria. If Geno recruited them, then he thought they were worthwhile and the rankings of these young women bear that out. The rankings of various UConn recruits were excellent, but they just didn't make it at UConn, for whatever reason. So are you arguing that they shouldn't count against UConn if they transfer out and don't star elsewhere? Mikayla was rated very highly (13th in Hoopgurlz, 8th in Blue Star, 31st in Prospects Nation), as were Ekmark (31st in HG, 13th in BS, 26th in PN), Sadie Edwards (17th in HG, 9th in BS, 8th in PN), Lexi Gordon (29th in HG, 21st in BS, 22nd in PN), Andra Espinoza-Hunter (16th in HG, 10th in BS, 32nd in PN), DeJanae Boykin (23rd in HG, 9th in BS, 21st in PN), Brianna Banks (24th in HG, 11th in BS, 15th in ASGR, no PN back then), and Samarie Walker (10th in HG, 8th in BS, 10th in ASGR). Why shouldn't it count against UConn that these young student athletes transferred out? Dani Patterson's rankings were lower than all of these women (30th in HG, 33rd in BS, 28th in PN) but you listed her as an example of a talented transfer (unlike these UConn transfers). Geno scouted Dani P. but chose not to offer her, but he chose to offer these other women. Doesn't that suggest that he felt these other women were more promising? Dani's dream school was UConn, according to our own Tony C, who had been reporting on her and AEH since they were in 8th grade.

And the previous transfer who went to St John's was just a kid who wanted to go home to New York. She was homesick, and wasn't leaving because of conflicts with the team or the coach. Indeed, Coach Geno picked up the phone and called St John's for her, explained the situation, and helped her transfer. Kia Wright, I believe?

So it means that the more recent spate of high-talent transfers is even more stark compared with earlier years. And I agree that Coach Geno, who doesn't recruit many kids, who believes in only going after the "right kids," has seen an inordinate number of that small group of "right kids" decide to pack it in. Though they weren't immediate starters, a number did go on to help their teams be winners, and, were they to have stayed, could have proved important cogs in our team.

 

[CL82]

So the bottom line is that in this decade, UConn's transfer rate has been relatively high. 10 against 4 for ND, and 8 for Baylor. And UConn's transfer rate is higher this decade than the previous two decades.

I'm still concerned....

Yeah, but transfers have been increasing as well. Really, we are reacting to one class. Let's see how it goes the next few years.

 

[CocoHusky]

Didn't Samarie Walker start for a decent Kentucky team? Dani has started only one game at ND and that was due to injury. Reimier started for a Michigan St. team that was decent (not top 25) but not because of Taya's contributions. Patberg was injured at ND and hadn't yet shown anything when she decided to leave, perhaps prompted by her injuries and lack of production and the arrival of grad transfer Lili Thompson. I have no idea why Boley transferred.

But regardless, I disagree with your criteria. If Geno recruited them, then he thought they were worthwhile and the rankings of these young women bear that out. The rankings of various UConn recruits were excellent, but they just didn't make it at UConn, for whatever reason. So are you arguing that they shouldn't count against UConn if they transfer out and don't star elsewhere? Mikayla was rated very highly (13th in Hoopgurlz, 8th in Blue Star, 31st in Prospects Nation), as were Ekmark (31st in HG, 13th in BS, 26th in PN), Sadie Edwards (17th in HG, 9th in BS, 8th in PN), Lexi Gordon (29th in HG, 21st in BS, 22nd in PN), Andra Espinoza-Hunter (16th in HG, 10th in BS, 32nd in PN), DeJanae Boykin (23rd in HG, 9th in BS, 21st in PN), Brianna Banks (24th in HG, 11th in BS, 15th in ASGR, no PN back then), and Samarie Walker (10th in HG, 8th in BS, 10th in ASGR). Why shouldn't it count against UConn that these young student athletes transferred out? Dani Patterson's rankings were lower than all of these women (30th in HG, 33rd in BS, 28th in PN) but you listed her as an example of a talented transfer (unlike these UConn transfers). Geno scouted Dani P. but chose not to offer her, but he chose to offer these other women. Doesn't that suggest that he felt these other women were more promising? Dani's dream school was UConn, according to our own Tony C, who had been reporting on her and AEH since they were in 8th grade.

Don't see how the HS ranking are more relevant that what these players actually did at in college. Samarie Walker is a notable exception to this criteria. Reimer started at ND when ND was making consecutive national championship games. She didn''t have to go to Michigan state to prove she can start for a top 10 team. Likewise with Patterson who would likely be ND starter next year unless you don't think ND is going to be a top 10-15 team next year.

 

[CocoHusky]

Natasha Cloud wasn't considered a major transfer at the time. She went to St Joseph and I don't remember her making any all conference teams in her three years there. She made herself into a good WNBA player. I probably wouldn't count Kiara Leslie because she was a graduate transfer. She would have left any program in that situation.

In the two years that Maryland made the Final 4 Tasha was 2nd then 10th in the nation in assist. Lexie was the MD PG but MD sure could have used Tasha. Tasha was a good player before she got to the WNBA, in fact she was a good player in back in CYO-where I had a front row seat.

 

[Florida Fan]

Thanks for doing that. As was noted in a different thread, not ONE SINGLE player has transferred out and then gone on to have a professional WNBA career. I don't count Delle Donne or Goring since neither made it to the start of classes in September. Yes these kids who left had very nice careers for the most part at their new schools, but none were going to be standouts at UCONN.

My point is that the kids transferring out are NOT the elite players who end up being starters, or even part of UCONN's core group of players. Yes I do believe that if Hunter, Boykin, Edwards, Walker, Johnson and Banks had all stayed, while possibly none would have ever been starters, they certainly could have been solid reserves off the bench. BUT... Most of them probably wanted to be starters averaging 30+ MPG and that wasn't going to happen at UCONN - just too much talent to compete against.

Side note - Hunter and Edwards were more or less dismissed from the team. Not a good match for UCONN or them as young freshmen - they learned a lot from that experience and by all accounts were/are solid for their new teams.

I really liked Banks and I had great hopes for Coombs, her speed and style. Banks dribbling out the final seconds of her only championship before contributing grit and minutes at Penn State. We need more Kiah Stokes. Just say'n.

 

[Argonaut]

Here's Stanford's:

2009 0 / 2 (Tinkle, Ruef)
2010 0 / 3 (Ogwumike, James, Kokenis (Med Ret'd))
2011 0 / 6 (Orrange, Greenfield, Green, Bonnie Samuelson, Payne, Camp)
2012 0 / 2 (Beebe (Med Ret'd), Picknell)
2013 1 / 5 (McCall, Kailee Johnson (ret'd), Karlie Samuelson, Roberson, Thompson**)
2014 1 / 3 (Rooks*, McPhee, Kaylee Johnson)
2015 0 / 4 (Sniezek***, Coffee, Romano (ret'd), Smith)
2016 0 / 4 (Fingall, Carrington, Wilson, Brewer)
2017 0 / 4 (Williams, Dodson, Moschkau, Jerome)
2018 0 / 3 (Lexie Hull, Brown, Lacie Hull)

So out of 36 players, we've had four players retire early and three players who have in any way, shape, or form looked like a transfer, but only one traditional transfer:

*Taylor Rooks who transferred from Stanford to Harvard after her freshman season. It quickly became clear that she had been over-ranked as a recruit and was not going to get serious playing time at Stanford.

We've had two grad transfers, both of which are a bit unusual:

**Lili Thompson left the team before her senior season but did stay at Stanford, graduated, and then grad-transferred to Notre Dame. It was never entirely clear what the issue was, but there was a helicopter parent that had grandiose expectations for Lili's role and there were a few times Tara had made clear that she thought Lili took too many shots and didn't pass enough. Lili's game at Stanford was very similar to Ongunbowale but with less talent and size, and Tara wanted her to play a more traditional PG role once Amber Orrange graduated. So I would count this as a transfer insofar as she was never a red-shirt and affirmatively left the team with eligibility remaining, so her full intention was to finish her career elsewhere.

***Marta Sniezek, by contrast, I would not call a willing transfer. She had to medical redshirt her entire senior season due to hand surgery and we had no free scholarship to give her by the time she knew she would sit out the season. Tara also uses all her scholarships. However, given how much Tara played her (she was a starter in 32 of 35 games last season) and how highly Tara thinks of her, I do not think Marta would have pursued this route if she could have remained and played at Stanford next season. And it's still not clear if she will in fact grad transfer. So I wouldn't count this one.

Several other players either medically retired (Kokenis, Beebe) or else left before/during their senior seasons (Kailee Johnson, Alexa Romano), but none of those players went on to play elsewhere and all of them graduated with their degrees. And note that Johnson and Romano were relatively deep into the bench.

I know the caliber of programs are different, but I wonder if the extremely low transfer rate is similar at the Ivy League schools. I may dig into that tonight...

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Coach Geno has made repeated comments about "kids these days," and how you can't deal with them as in the past. Seems as though he's caught onto the fact that "kids these days," at least those at UConn, don't appreciate being treated the way he is treating them. The votes with their feet appear to be increasingly telling....

 

[UConnNick]

Coach Geno has made repeated comments about "kids these days," and how you can't deal with them as in the past. Seems as though he's caught onto the fact that "kids these days," at least those at UConn, don't appreciate being treated the way he is treating them. The votes with their feet appear to be increasingly telling....

If we as Husky fans want the same level of excellence that has come to be expected from Geno's teams, then we should also accept that his coaching philosophy and style isn't for everyone. There will be players who don't buy in, for whatever reasons. The program likely becomes the better for it if those players move on. It's nothing new. It has happened in the past and will likely continue to happen.

 

[j66kicker]

Coach Geno has made repeated comments about "kids these days," and how you can't deal with them as in the past. Seems as though he's caught onto the fact that "kids these days," at least those at UConn, don't appreciate being treated the way he is treating them. The votes with their feet appear to be increasingly telling....

He doesn’t lose starters

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

It amazes me that girls sign on to UCONN & Geno/CD knowing going in that his program is run like NO other program in Division I WBB! And all of a sudden during freshman or sophomore year they transfer out, shocked at how demanding the program is run!
There is no other program that is as transparent as UCONN's! The coaches demand more from their players than any other school!
How can players be surprised when the coaches are burning their butts for screwing up a play(s)! You have to leave your ego at the door your freshman year and pick it up on Graduation Day!

 

[CL82]

*Taylor Rooks transferred from Stanford to Harvard after her freshman season. It quickly became clear that she had been over-ranked as a recruit and was not going to get serious playing time at Stanford.

Taylor Rooks did a great job covering UConn. Some where out there is a video of her saying "Oh my god, I can't believe I'm at UConn" which was pretty endearing. Also don't mind this commentary:

 

[PJCLaw]

Coach Geno has made repeated comments about "kids these days," and how you can't deal with them as in the past. Seems as though he's caught onto the fact that "kids these days," at least those at UConn, don't appreciate being treated the way he is treating them. The votes with their feet appear to be increasingly telling....

In UConn's case, you need to look at WHO'S transferring, rather than how many are transferring. In almost every instance, the players who leave are bench players who realize they will never get major minutes or ever start. Other schools have had starters or key contrubuters who transfer and that is quite telling. What UConn basically loses is depth but not quality. Look at Baylor and Mompremier and Chou, Maryland with Lexi Brown and Slocum, Stanford with Thompson, ND with Reimer, Boley and Patberg, and Texas A&M's Howard, to name a few schools. We've not lost those quality of players to transfer in the last 10-15 years (although I believe AEH may be the first, but at the time she left she was not yet established as a starter or key contributor).

 

[pvdoggy]

It amazes me that girls sign on to UCONN & Geno/CD knowing going in that his program is run like NO other program in Division I WBB! And all of a sudden during freshman or sophomore year they transfer out, shocked at how demanding the program is run!
There is no other program that is as transparent as UCONN's! The coaches demand more from their players than any other school!
How can players be surprised when the coaches are burning their butts for screwing up a play(s)! You have to leave your ego at the door your freshman year and pick it up on Graduation Day!

Can you tell me how many players have actually transferred from Uconn because of the reason highlighted above?

 

[mbr33ct]

Taylor Rooks did a great job covering UConn. Some where out there is a video of her saying "Oh my god, I can't believe I'm at UConn" which was pretty endearing. Also don't mind this commentary:

Just a comment on her last few seconds to her video. IMO, she could have just ended her commentary without bringing up John Wooden again...she never once heard someone say they had a problem with John Wooden. I guess it's true, since she was born in 1992.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Can you tell me how many players have actually transferred from Uconn because of the reason highlighted above?

pvdoggy- - -The players who have transferred weren't getting enough minutes during games because they couldn't meet the practice standard needed to be met for the coaches to give them major minutes during games! They were overwhelmed!

 

[ConnMotors]

I do recall Azura Stevens having transferred directly to the WNBA.

Sadly she did but why? To earn $50,000 in WNBA Salary. Makes no sense.

 

[HuskyNan]

pvdoggy- - -The players who have transferred weren't getting enough minutes during games because they couldn't meet the practice standard needed to be met for the coaches to give them major minutes during games! They were overwhelmed!

Not necessarily. We’ve learned about illnesses and injuries after the fact on some and I’ll bet there are others we don’t know about

 

[meyers7]

Sadly she did but why? To earn $50,000 in WNBA Salary. Makes no sense.

She had graduated. If she didn't want a Masters, and was gonna play basketball, might as well get paid for it. After 16 years of school, some people are just "I'm done". Makes sense.

 

[ConnMotors]

She had graduated. If she didn't want a Masters, and was gonna play basketball, might as well get paid for it. After 16 years of school, some people are just "I'm done". Makes sense.

True and makes sense. Guess, I would have tried to get that ring one more time though.