oldude
bamboo lover
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No, this thread is not about UConn WBB winning a 12th national championship. Although I absolutely expect the Huskies to be in the hunt this coming season for banner #12. This thread will discuss UConn WBB’s unique status heading into the 2023-24 season, at a time when NCAA sports in general, and WBB in particular, is struggling with the “new normal” created by the onset of immediate eligibility for transfers, 5-year eligibility for any player in college during the 2020-21 season and a growing trend of star players chasing NIL opportunities at another school.
What makes the UConn Huskies unique this coming season? Every single undergraduate player on last year’s roster, along with 4 talented freshmen (1 redshirt), 14 players in all, will be returning to suit up for the Huskies this coming season. What is more remarkable is that all 14 players were recruited out of HS to UConn. Not a transfer in the bunch. In addition, with only one additional scholarship available, UConn has decided against adding a single transfer this coming season.
As an old poker player, one of the most disconcerting things that can happen at the poker table is when the player sitting across from you smiles and says, “I’ll play the hand I was dealt” in a game of 5-card stud. Well, while just about every other team in WBB is scrambling to cover the unexpected loss of key players to the transfer portal or strengthen a roster depleted by graduation, Geno is standing pat.
It's not that UConn is adverse to bringing in a key transfer or two. We have all asked rhetorically this past season, “Where would UConn be without Lou & Dorka?” our two wonderful graduate transfers. I strongly suspect that UConn kicked the tires on a couple of transfers after the season wrapped up. But for whatever reason, UConn brought in “zero” players from the portal.
While bringing in transfers to a program is a conscious decision, the other side of the equation, involving the departure of existing players to the portal, is often beyond a coach’s control. For years, Stanford was the Gold Standard, filling 15 endowed scholarships every year with HS AA’s who seldom if ever considered leaving Palo Alto, due in large measure to the prestige earned not only by playing at a perennial top 10 program, but also the opportunity to walk away with a Stanford sheepskin after 4 years. But this year, even the Cardinal have had to deal with no less than 3 outgoing transfers, including the departure of former #1 Lauren Betts down the road to Pac12 rival UCLA.
In past years players have transferred for more playing time, because of a “bad fit” or simply to be closer to home. But more recently, a new trend has emerged. NIL is pushing top players to consider transferring for the opportunity to earn more $$$. Consider that both Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow, the face of their respective teams at Louisville and DePaul, have undoubtedly shocked their former HC’s by seeking greener pastures at LSU.
Don’t let anyone kid you. Coaches hate the transfer portal and NIL. It forces them to work through an additional recruiting season, immediately after the end of a grueling basketball season, in an environment where they don’t really have control, something that all coaches work their entire career to acquire. In addition, the constant roster turnover every season challenges a coaching staff to continuously integrate new players with little continuity. If anyone wonders how an Iowa team with one superstar and a bunch of role players made it to the national championship game, all you need to know is that the same starting 5 played together for 3 straight seasons for the Hawkeyes.
As for Geno, he’s probably out on the golf course right now, sharpening up his game. His staff is putting the finishing touches on the summer trip to Europe. The players have all received their summer homework assignments to get stronger, fitter and improve various basketball skills. The only true mystery for UConn WBB will be how last season’s various injured players will perform once they are back on the court and ready to go. If history is any guide, the team that UConn WBB fields this coming November will be incredibly talented, deeper than ever and an absolute nightmare for opposing teams to matchup with….
What makes the UConn Huskies unique this coming season? Every single undergraduate player on last year’s roster, along with 4 talented freshmen (1 redshirt), 14 players in all, will be returning to suit up for the Huskies this coming season. What is more remarkable is that all 14 players were recruited out of HS to UConn. Not a transfer in the bunch. In addition, with only one additional scholarship available, UConn has decided against adding a single transfer this coming season.
As an old poker player, one of the most disconcerting things that can happen at the poker table is when the player sitting across from you smiles and says, “I’ll play the hand I was dealt” in a game of 5-card stud. Well, while just about every other team in WBB is scrambling to cover the unexpected loss of key players to the transfer portal or strengthen a roster depleted by graduation, Geno is standing pat.
It's not that UConn is adverse to bringing in a key transfer or two. We have all asked rhetorically this past season, “Where would UConn be without Lou & Dorka?” our two wonderful graduate transfers. I strongly suspect that UConn kicked the tires on a couple of transfers after the season wrapped up. But for whatever reason, UConn brought in “zero” players from the portal.
While bringing in transfers to a program is a conscious decision, the other side of the equation, involving the departure of existing players to the portal, is often beyond a coach’s control. For years, Stanford was the Gold Standard, filling 15 endowed scholarships every year with HS AA’s who seldom if ever considered leaving Palo Alto, due in large measure to the prestige earned not only by playing at a perennial top 10 program, but also the opportunity to walk away with a Stanford sheepskin after 4 years. But this year, even the Cardinal have had to deal with no less than 3 outgoing transfers, including the departure of former #1 Lauren Betts down the road to Pac12 rival UCLA.
In past years players have transferred for more playing time, because of a “bad fit” or simply to be closer to home. But more recently, a new trend has emerged. NIL is pushing top players to consider transferring for the opportunity to earn more $$$. Consider that both Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow, the face of their respective teams at Louisville and DePaul, have undoubtedly shocked their former HC’s by seeking greener pastures at LSU.
Don’t let anyone kid you. Coaches hate the transfer portal and NIL. It forces them to work through an additional recruiting season, immediately after the end of a grueling basketball season, in an environment where they don’t really have control, something that all coaches work their entire career to acquire. In addition, the constant roster turnover every season challenges a coaching staff to continuously integrate new players with little continuity. If anyone wonders how an Iowa team with one superstar and a bunch of role players made it to the national championship game, all you need to know is that the same starting 5 played together for 3 straight seasons for the Hawkeyes.
As for Geno, he’s probably out on the golf course right now, sharpening up his game. His staff is putting the finishing touches on the summer trip to Europe. The players have all received their summer homework assignments to get stronger, fitter and improve various basketball skills. The only true mystery for UConn WBB will be how last season’s various injured players will perform once they are back on the court and ready to go. If history is any guide, the team that UConn WBB fields this coming November will be incredibly talented, deeper than ever and an absolute nightmare for opposing teams to matchup with….
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It's posts like this that keep me coming back to the yard every day. You can't get the type of posts and comments we get here anywhere else.
