Very Positive, Very Worrying Developments ONO & Squeaks

[RockyMTblue2]

Talk about year round basketball!

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Christyn Williams and several UConn alums set to train with USA Basketball in Miami

"Ahead of the start of the 2019-2020 UConn women’s basketball season, sophomores Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Christyn Williams are back at it with USA Basketball.

The pair were two of six collegiate players selected to participate in the USA Basketball women’s national team training camp, which will take place Sept. 17-19 in Miami ahead of next week’s FIBA AmeriCup."

 

[Carnac]

Talk about year round basketball!

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Christyn Williams and several UConn alums set to train with USA Basketball in Miami

"Ahead of the start of the 2019-2020 UConn women’s basketball season, sophomores Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Christyn Williams are back at it with USA Basketball.

The pair were two of six collegiate players selected to participate in the USA Basketball women’s national team training camp, which will take place Sept. 17-19 in Miami ahead of next week’s FIBA AmeriCup."

Those days are mid-week. That means they’ll miss valuable and important class time. THAT I don’t like. They’re college students that need to be in class..............period. They’ll miss enough class time once the season starts.

 

[bluedevil]

They are majoring in basketball so they can become pros...what is the problem?

 

[Sonny44]

Tutors.

 

[CocoHusky]

Those days are mid-week. That means they’ll miss valuable and important class time. THAT I don’t like. They’re college students that need to be in class....period. They’ll miss enough class time once the season starts.

Guarantee that they will not miss a thing. They will coordinate with the professors to do the work in advance, on the road, or upon their return to campus. Nothing new about this for UCONN WBB players.
o

 

[Zanzman]

They are majoring in basketball so they can become pros...what is the problem?

Spoken like a fan of the men’s way of doing things

 

[RockyMTblue2]

They are majoring in basketball so they can become pros...what is the problem?

Not funny. Not remotely funny. You are a blue devil. Say the magic word and divide $100.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Guarantee that they will not miss a thing. They will coordinate with the professors to do the work in advance, on the road, or upon their return to campus. Nothing new about this for UCONN WBB players.
o

Yeah, you're right. They haven't had a summer break so why quit now. It's not like there is an risk in playing year road or empirical or anecdotal evidence of the consequences of such a practice. It's true that they study a lot on airplanes and in hotel rooms in the gloriously far flung AAC that none of us want to really leave. It's not like KLS, Phee and others have admitted the grueling nature of being student athletes in the AAC. Besides, when practice begins they'll get real rest as they integrate new team members. That's super easy and fun!

I think Geno has flipped his lid on this one frankly.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Tutors.

You're asking them to swallow a very tall sandwich. Might choke on it. Cereally, do tudors fly with the students? I've never focused on that.

 

[j66kicker]

Not funny. Not remotely funny. You are a blue devil. Say the magic word and divide $100.

Not funny, but true. UConn is a basketball factory. I don’t have a problem with it but, mainly, I’m not in denial about it.

I don’t mean totally in the "SEC football factory" sense. Geno recruits smart, high character players, presumably for basketball reasons. Many of those players also have the interest and aptitude to apply those smarts to academics. This is encouraged. But, unlike Duke, Stanford, etc., it is not required. Geno does require that they graduate, but If you’re good enough you can - in addition to having basketball as your ‘real’ major - have an academic major such as “General Studies” or “Sport in Society.”

 

[meyers7]

Yeah, you're right. They haven't had a summer break so why quit now. It's not like there is an risk in playing year road or empirical or anecdotal evidence of the consequences of such a practice. It's true that they study a lot on airplanes and in hotel rooms in the gloriously far flung AAC that none of us want to really leave. It's not like KLS, Phee and others have admitted the grueling nature of being student athletes in the AAC. Besides, when practice begins they'll get real rest as they integrate new team members. That's super easy and fun!

I think Geno has flipped his lid on this one frankly.

Really? Why would you even remotely think that?????

 

[CocoHusky]

Yeah, you're right. They haven't had a summer break so why quit now. It's not like there is an risk in playing year road or empirical or anecdotal evidence of the consequences of such a practice. It's true that they study a lot on airplanes and in hotel rooms in the gloriously far flung AAC that none of us want to really leave. It's not like KLS, Phee and others have admitted the grueling nature of being student athletes in the AAC. Besides, when practice begins they'll get real rest as they integrate new team members. That's super easy and fun! I think Geno has flipped his lid on this one frankly.

There is great danger that someone might read your post and take it seriously and miss the sarcasm I think you intended. The UCONN "year round" commitment is about 30ish years old now and no such empirical or anecdotal evidence exists. Complete down time, defined as no basketball activity, is built into the yearly schedule at the completion of FF usually the last 2-3 weeks in April. The summer is especially hectic because it include a summer session and classes at UCONN and conditioning workouts that must be completed and reported to the staff on a weekly basis. Since UCONN has some of the better players, summers often includes time at USA basketball. If they were not at USA basketball the would still be in the gym playing basketball or conditioning. While they are on campus there are also breaks built into the schedule where the staff insist that the players get away from basketball completely + the NCAA limits the amount of consecutive days and total hour per week that a player can practice.
ONO and CW are going to getting runs in against some national team members; I don't see the down side.

 

[Triad]

Those days are mid-week. That means they’ll miss valuable and important class time. THAT I don’t like. They’re college students that need to be in class....period. They’ll miss enough class time once the season starts.

Until you see the classes scheduled for those days you cannot make this decision--of VALUABLE class time. True they will miss class time but that's what tutoring is for and Uconn Women have the best. I understand your concern but only in rare cases is this a problem.
CW and ONO are getting an early pat on the back, medal of honor, a lift to the spirits, an ego boost by making this trip. If it were otherwise and if it impacted their class studies GENO and or CD would not allow them to go.
Not to worry. CD and company are on the job.
I respect your views and concerns. No disrespect intended here.

 

[Triad]

You're asking them to swallow a very tall sandwich. Might choke on it. Cereally, do tudors fly with the students? I've never focused on that.

Only the one's with wings. Otherwise they walk behind the plane. In the past some did.
One concern is the too long time playing BB. A Uconn Ortho spoke to this last Winter ---the more playing time the more danger of injuries--it becomes WHEN not AN if.. These 2 a a big chunk of the Franchise!!

 

[Triad]

Guarantee that they will not miss a thing. They will coordinate with the professors to do the work in advance, on the road, or upon their return to campus. Nothing new about this for UCONN WBB players.
o

You said it better. But we agree. Geno/CD would not allow extra outside stuff if it detracted from their class work. And very true this, with Geno/CD is a 35 year function--they got this handled.

 

[Teacherdeb]

Not funny, but true. UConn is a basketball factory. I don’t have a problem with it but, mainly, I’m not in denial about it.

I don’t mean totally in the "SEC football factory" sense. Geno recruits smart, high character players, presumably for basketball reasons. Many of those players also have the interest and aptitude to apply those smarts to academics. This is encouraged. But, unlike Duke, Stanford, etc., it is not required. Geno does require that they graduate, but If you’re good enough you can - in addition to having basketball as your ‘real’ major - have an academic major such as “General Studies” or “Sports and Society.”

You get out of college what you put into college. I resent the implication that going to a school like Duke or Stanford gives you a better education. The reputation is there and you pay for it, but if you are motivated to excel, you will, be it at a community college or an Ivy. Sure, graduating from an Ivy is prestigious and gets you looked at initially by employers as special, but ultimately it’s your work ethic that dictates your success. Lots of failures come out of Ivy’s- heavily in debt.

 

[CTBballfan243]

There is great danger that someone might read your post and take it seriously and miss the sarcasm I think you intended. The UCONN "year round" commitment is about 30ish years old now and no such empirical or anecdotal evidence exists. Complete down time, defined as no basketball activity, is built into the yearly schedule at the completion of FF usually the last 2-3 weeks in April. The summer is especially hectic because it include a summer session and classes at UCONN and conditioning workouts that must be completed and reported to the staff on a weekly basis. Since UCONN has some of the better players, summers often includes time at USA basketball. If they were at USA basketball the would still be in the gym playing basketball or conditioning. While they are on campus there are also breaks built into the schedule where the staff insist that the players get away from basketball completely + the NCAA limits the amount of consecutive days and total hour per week that a player can practice.
ONO and CW are going to getting runs in against some national team members; I don't see the down side.

The majority of the players that have WNBA future major in communications, sociology, or exploratory studies. Their not majoring in engineering, pre-med, mathematics or any other STEM type majors. They’ll have no problem getting their course work completed.

 

[CL82]

Spoken like a fan of the men’s way of doing things

Yeah, funny, I guess, but kind an insulting assumption about our men's players.

 

[EricSD]

The only thing worrisome about ONO and Christyn is what they will be doing to other teams this season! i.e. worrisome for their opponents!!

I love how hard both have worked this summer, but moreover, how many different types of basketball situations they have put themselves in. I think it will pay big dividends this year...

 

[chrissaran]

Every player who has played for Geno, and stayed four years, has graduated.

 

[Carnac]

Until you see the classes scheduled for those days you cannot make this decision--of VALUABLE class time. True they will miss class time but that's what tutoring is for and Uconn Women have the best. I understand your concern but only in rare cases is this a problem.
CW and ONO are getting an early pat on the back, medal of honor, a lift to the spirits, an ego boost by making this trip. If it were otherwise and if it impacted their class studies GENO and or CD would not allow them to go.
Not to worry. CD and company are on the job.
I respect your views and concerns. No disrespect intended here.

Pardon me Bellemere, but ALL class time is Valuable, important and should not be missed. I don't need to see their schedule. Sept 17-19, Tuesday Wednesday & Thursday. If class time is not that important, why is it MANDATORY at most colleges and universities that scholarship athletes NOT miss any classes?

I know from personal experience. During the season when we would go on the road and were gone for most of the week, we were still expected to do the required reading. I played in the dark ages, before computers, WiFi and the internet. We couldn't see classes on-line, or turn work in on-line, or take exams on line. There was no "on-line" then. If we weren't there, we could very easily fall behind.

If you miss a lecture one day or the next, you missed it. There was no way to recover. Your best hope was to xerox the notes taken from one of your fellow students (preferably an A student). I guess with things set up now they way they are, you can "be there" without really being there. Perhaps some professors record all of their classes so that it may be reviewed if missed/needed.

I'm sorry, but no one can convince me that it's OK for students to miss class if it can be avoided, even in the 21st century. If they were on campus, they would be expected to go to class. This dynamic is not a big deal or a deal breaker. They will probably be OK missing 3 days of class. They did it several times last season. But that was while playing basketball for UCONN, not another entity.

I'm sorry, but I'm old school. I just don't believe in missing class time unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

[DefenseBB]

Those days are mid-week. That means they’ll miss valuable and important class time. THAT I don’t like. They’re college students that need to be in class....period. They’ll miss enough class time once the season starts.

As they represent the University and Basketball and given they have academic advisors who coordinate with all the professors AND all lectures are recorded for the class, I think missing these couple of days will be fine.
It’s been this way for all students and athletes as related activities occur- student conferences and academic competitions that conflict with class time Are actually encouraged by the school.
Not sure your angst is warranted here but your concern is noted.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Only the one's with wings. Otherwise they walk behind the plane. In the past some did.
One concern is the too long time playing BB. A Uconn Ortho spoke to this last Winter ---the more playing time the more danger of injuries--it becomes WHEN not AN if.. These 2 a a big chunk of the Franchise!!

Bingo. I was too subtle huh?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

As they represent the University and Basketball and given they have academic advisors who coordinate with all the professors AND all lectures are recorded for the class, I think missing these couple of days will be fine.
It’s been this way for all students and athletes as related activities occur- student conferences and academic competitions that conflict with class time Are actually encouraged by the school.
Not sure your angst is warranted here but your concern is noted.

It is September and catch up time on academics is probably a known factor with these 2, but Geno's desire to make ONO as game tough as he can will not matter if she has an achilles tear or total rupture in January. What he is doing with Squeaks I haven't a clue. Was she pulled from Montreal to allow for this USA date/s. I believe the risk/reward is a foolish bet.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Not funny, but true. UConn is a basketball factory. I don’t have a problem with it but, mainly, I’m not in denial about it.

I don’t mean totally in the "SEC football factory" sense. Geno recruits smart, high character players, presumably for basketball reasons. Many of those players also have the interest and aptitude to apply those smarts to academics. This is encouraged. But, unlike Duke, Stanford, etc., it is not required. Geno does require that they graduate, but If you’re good enough you can - in addition to having basketball as your ‘real’ major - have an academic major such as “General Studies” or “Sports and Society.”

So maybe not Mourtuary Science(name the recruit) or Linquistics(name the recruit) to become a CIA language expert then??? When UConn becomes a factory for sports with cake walk academics alone, then the culture created at UConn dies.

We'll just agree to disagree with this one buddy of mine.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Really? Why would you even remotely think that?????

Why to stimulate discussion of course! There are other reasons of course, just on being a growing suspicion that Geno is dealing with limited time in his career and his own goals before he leaves. We have seen this shift in legendary coaches in other professions. I hope he is not shading his judgment, even subliminely, with that factor.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Geno does require that they graduate, but If you’re good enough you can - in addition to having basketball as your ‘real’ major - have an academic major such as “General Studies” or “Sports and Society.”

There is no major in "Sports and Society", and "General Studies" is reserved for returning adults who already amassed a large number of credits earlier in their life.

 

[j66kicker]

So maybe not Mourtuary Science(name the recruit) or Linquistics(name the recruit) to become a CIA language expert then??? When UConn becomes a factory for sports with cake walk academics alone, then the culture created at UConn dies.

We'll just agree to disagree with this one buddy of mine.

Just sayin’ - the reality of UConn is Paige B will be majoring in basketball with an academic minor. She decided where to study based on basketball. And who would be teaching her basketball.

 

[j66kicker]

There is no major in "Sports and Society", and "General Studies" is reserved for returning adults who already amassed a large number of credits earlier in their life.

Sorry, I got it slightly wrong. Breanna Stewart’s academic major was “sport in society.”

Breanna Stewart | Women’s Basketball 2015-16 | Senior CLASS Award

www.seniorclassaward.com

 

[BobbyJ]

The only thing worrisome about ONO and Christyn is what they will be doing to other teams this season! i.e. worrisome for their opponents!!

I love how hard both have worked this summer, but moreover, how many different types of basketball situations they have put themselves in. I think it will pay big dividends this year...

Same here. I don't understand this concern about basketball overload. The only way to improve your game in the offseason is individual skill workouts supplemented by playing against serious competition. If you don't improve, especially at the D1 level you'll get bypassed. By that I mean your coaches will recruit right over you.