UConn's 1999 recruiting class: was there one?

[alexrgct]

Can someone with a far better memory than me recall whether UConn successfully recruited anyone from the 1999 high school class? Certainly, there was no one who "stuck"; the 2001-02 roster had no juniors, and the 2002-03 roster had no seniors.

Ultimately, that lost class did not matter at all because a) four of the five members of the 1998 TASSK Force panned out in a big way, b) the 2000 class included at worst the second-best WBB player ever to suit up for UConn, and c) UConn got enough out of its 2001 and 2002 classes to help D win it all in 2002-03.

Still curious though: does anyone remember what happened with that recruiting cycle?

 

[JS]

Can someone with a far better memory than me recall whether UConn successfully recruited anyone from the 1999 high school class? Certainly, there was no one who "stuck"; the 2001-02 roster had no juniors, and the 2002-03 roster had no seniors.

UConn recruited a class of one that season -- Kennitra Johnson.

KJ transferred before the start of her junior year.

 

[alexrgct]

That's right- I do remember her from the 2000-01 season. Pretty solid player, IIRC.

 

[JS]

Pretty solid player, IIRC.

She was good. A very fast guard, excellent at pushing the ball. Loved her game.

I think hers was the case that made Geno leery of classes of one. She was kind of isolated, had issues, in particular family health concerns, that no one knew about. So it was a surprise when she went home to Indiana and enrolled at Purdue, then bounced around a bit I think.

Of course, Kelly was the next class of one, again following what seemed at the time to be a blockbuster class. We all know that one turned out pretty well.

 

[Vowelguy]

I thought there were academic issues - that Geno didnt feel like she was living up to her responsibilities. And that it finally reached a boiling point where he said she could keep her scholarship but she was done with the team.

I recall in her frosh year him saying "She's a very good player." Very high praise from him. I think he said that she had been well coached in HS, which allowed her to pick up things well in college.

 

[JS]

I thought there were academic issues - that Geno didnt feel like she was living up to her responsibilities. And that it finally reached a boiling point where he said she could keep her scholarship but she was done with the team.

Not exactly. She had academic woes as a freshman and was benched on account of them for a couple of games at the start of her sophomore season. However, she improved enough to stay with the team, work her way into the rotation and start some games during her soph year after injuries to others.

Her explanation for her departure was family issues involving her mother. Geno was caught by surprise and was exasperated when she didn't show up for summer school before her junior year.

After learning indirectly of her intent to transfer, he said they'd bent over backwards for her, that he still hadn't talked with her and that he didn't appreciate the lack of communication. At that point he said she wouldn't be coming back, but he hadn't previously kicked her off the team.

 

[FairView]

I also liked her game and was sad when she left. I remembered this story about her return and was able to find it still up:
http://blog.ctnews.com/elliott/2009/12/24/kj-svet-back-in-the-house/

 

[meyers7]

I also liked her game and was sad when she left. I remembered this story about her return and was able to find it still up:
http://blog.ctnews.com/elliott/2009/12/24/kj-svet-back-in-the-house/[/quote]
Thanks, I missed that article. Great to hear about KJ. Always really like her game. Very sad when she left.

 

[Icebear]

Thanks, JS, for breaking down some of the myth surrounding the situation with details. Sorry that I couldn't join you for the walk the other day.