Waiting on Kayleigh Heckel | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Waiting on Kayleigh Heckel

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oldude said:
KK will be the starting pg next season. If Kayleigh comes to Storrs she will get a lot of PT.
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Goodgood said:
My hunch is that all roads lead to Q. Geno probably told Q she can come back to UConn if she can't find a suitable landing place in the portal, so actually, there isn't a scholarship available for Kayleigh. This creates a bottleneck for all other schools who desperately wanted Kayleigh signed and they themselves are saving one for her (except Notre Dame, they have enough for 2 squads, lol!). .

Until Q finds a place there will be no news from Kayleigh. Just my guess, but I think it is a pretty good one :p:p
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Interesting conjecture, but I seriously doubt that Geno does "a wait and see" with players who decide to transfer. I also doubt that he lets the fate of a possible transfer hinge on whether a previous player finds a home.--if this is the case, if I were Kayleigh, I wouldn't be too high on coming to UConn...
 
huskyd said:
Obviously, I'm just speculating. Watching Kayleigh play, she appears to have all of the tools to provide a steady hand at the point, plus she has 3 years yet to go. Distribution is her signature, not gaudy numbers. She is not yet aboard.
When people argue for KK, they forget the impact she has coming off the bench. Playing the point requires a different style and mind-set, more like Chen. The combo of KK and Ashlyn usually arriving at the same time gives UConn a big energy boost. Stick with that, I suggest.
A big variable is how the newbies pan out. Will any among them make a statement for playing time? I'm especially interested in the hybrid concept, in which a player can be both a guard and a small forward (like Morgan).
Right now we have an abundance of riches. Coach will sort things out as he usually does.
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I have no argument with what you are saying. I am wondering about what the thoughts of the coaches were before Kayleigh visited Storrs. I really agree that KK is fantastic coming off the bench but what was the plan if Kayleigh wasn't in the picture? I'm guessing that the coaching staff already had the scenario covered for 2025-2026 and our PG situation is in good hands.
 
I hope Kayleigh Heckel decides to come to UConn. I do see her as a backup for KK but playing about 20-25 min. per game at the 1 or 2. As she is a food defensive player, her and KK on the court together will create all kind of problems for the opposing team.
We need Kayleigh Heckel as we lost 2 ball handlers and got only a freshmen ball handler coming it. Just think of what happened in the sweat 16 against Ohio St....and what happens if there is an injury to KK and/or Kelis...
 
Blond D. said:
How is Kayleigh better than Kaitlyn??? Chen was and is WAY ahead of where Heckel is.
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Similar defensively, Somewhat better handle (more creative anyway), pushes the ball up court more aggressively), takes it to the rim similarly, when circumstances permit, similar mid-range shot and somewhat better 3 point shot, similar reluctance to shoot but takes what the defense gives. Th only reason I say "potential" is that Chen had a reliability tsted by the fires, while Heckel not so proof tested yet
 
tchalla1 said:
Interesting conjecture, but I seriously doubt that Geno does "a wait and see" with players who decide to transfer. I also doubt that he lets the fate of a possible transfer hinge on whether a previous player finds a home.--if this is the case, if I were Kayleigh, I wouldn't be too high on coming to UConn...
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Nonsense, I think
 
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Blond D. said:
How is Kayleigh better than Kaitlyn??? Chen was and is WAY ahead of where Heckel is.
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If you do your comparative between Heckel and Chen with Chen as the finished product and Heckel as a freshman, yes, but Heckel perhaps has more upside than Chen--remember Heckel was highly rated coming out of HS--an All-American and was highly sought after. Heckel is superior in that regard.
 
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Just.A.Fan said:
Wow! You both got somethings wrong here. First, Kayleigh played for USC, not UCLA. Second, USC was not a final 4 team.
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USC was potentially on-track to final 4 when JU-JU went down and beat Uconn when JU-JU was up (earlier in the year). That is the context, of my being dismissive of the tiresome overreach that Uconn is at 'a whole higher level' than everybody else, seriously
 
tchalla1 said:
If you do your comparative between Heckel and Chen with Chen as the finished product and Heckel as a freshman, yes, but Heckel perhaps has more upside than Chen--remember Heckel was highly rated coming out of HS--an All-American and was highly sought after. Heckel is superior in that regard.
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And Chen was honorable mention all-American at Princeton the year before she came to UConn. You are comparing apples and oranges; Chen was recruited as the starting PG and Heckel is being recruited as a backup PG. To compare them is a useless venture; if she comes, let's see her on the court first after she has acclimated to the system.
 
ConnecticutBB said:
Can anyone tell me what others schools she visited ?Is it possible that she could return to USC?
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Her other visits were reportedly to Vanderbilt, Michigan St and ND. She could always return to USC so long as Lindsay Gottlieb accepts her back.
 
Of all the discussion boards ever created, this one has to rank right up there with having the most hyperbolic posts ever! :p

Even IF Heckel (not Heckle) does come to UConn, there is zero chance that she starts unless KK is hurt, and even then I'm not sure she starts. Unless she's the backcourt equivalent of Sarah Strong, she's had one year of D1 experience with a program that is (although excellent) very different from UConn. At best she is what KK was last year (first subs off the bench), but even then she has to compete with Morgan, Allie and maybe even Kelis.

There's no doubt that she could be a valued member of the team, and maybe even a starter after Azzi and/or KK depart, but my biggest concern is the message that it sends to the current group of sophomores-to-be and the incoming freshman. I suspect the program will lose one or more talented players not due to their inability to measure up but because there's only so many minutes and only 1 ball.

Who do you value more? Heckel or the the HSers you recruited?
 
jeff30189 said:
Of all the discussion boards ever created, this one has to rank right up there with having the most hyperbolic, hype-train posts ever!

Even IF Heckel (not Heckle) does come to UConn, there is zero chance that she starts unless KK is hurt, and even then I'm not sure she starts. Unless she's the backcourt equivalent of Sarah Strong, she's had one year of D1 experience with a program that is (although excellent) very different from UConn. At best she is what KK was last year (first subs off the bench), but even then she has to compete with Morgan, Allie and maybe even Kelis.

There's no doubt that she could be a valued member of the team, and maybe even a starter after Azzi and/or KK depart, but my biggest concern is the message that it sends to the current group of sophomores-to-be and the incoming freshman. I suspect the program will lose one or more talented players not due to their inability to measure up but because there's only so many minutes and only 1 ball.

Who do you value more? Heckel or the the HSers you recruited?
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Doesn't matter who I or you value more, it's who Geno values more.
 
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Boreifs said:
And Chen was honorable mention all-American at Princeton the year before she came to UConn. You are comparing apples and oranges; Chen was recruited as the starting PG and Heckel is being recruited as a backup PG. To compare them is a useless venture; if she comes, let's see her on the court first after she has acclimated to the system.
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How do w know Chen was recruited as the "starting" PG (bet KK wasn't told). Who says Heckel was told she is being recruited as a back-up PG (be KK wasn't assured of that). Otherwise I agree with you - we will figure it out if/when Heckel arrives and plays a bit (quite likely she won't arrive if told being recruited as a back-up only - that is not the way Geno normally puts things). Makes little difference to the fans, they (Heckel and KK would b pretty much a lock for the rotation, sharing minutes as did Chen and KK last year
 
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Just.A.Fan said:
I disagree. Kayleigh won't be coming to Storrs to have a seat on the bench! If she comes, she may not start the first few games, but I believe she will be the starting PG. She left USC because she didn't start last season (and she averaged 17-18 minutes per game). Additionally, the chemistry of having KK come off the bench is way too strong to mess it up.
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Kayleigh should come to UConn with the hope and expectation that she will start. But the fact is that Geno will not promise Kayleigh a starting spot and KK is a better player who was outstanding as a starter two years ago. As far as why Kayleigh is leaving USC, there is a lot of buzz on the internet that Kayleigh, Howell and others were upset with a two-tiered system that favored JuJu & KiKi over the rest of the players on the team. In any event, if Kayleigh comes to UConn we’ll see how she does.
 
jeff30189 said:
Of all the discussion boards ever created, this one has to rank right up there with having the most hyperbolic posts ever! :p

Even IF Heckel (not Heckle) does come to UConn, there is zero chance that she starts unless KK is hurt, and even then I'm not sure she starts. Unless she's the backcourt equivalent of Sarah Strong, she's had one year of D1 experience with a program that is (although excellent) very different from UConn. At best she is what KK was last year (first subs off the bench), but even then she has to compete with Morgan, Allie and maybe even Kelis.
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Two of those you mentioned are not point guards. And the other one of them was lower ranked in high school in what I think is a worse class.

And let me ask something you guys might not be considering. Does UConn even consider Kelis a point guard? Or are they looking at her as a shooting guard? When I saw img academy play (and I didn’t see them a lot)… but when I saw them play… she was very much a score first point guard.
 
oldude said:
Kayleigh should come to UConn with the hope and expectation that she will start. But the fact is that Geno will not promise Kayleigh a starting spot and KK is a better player who was outstanding as a starter two years ago. As far as why Kayleigh is leaving USC, there is a lot of buzz on the internet that Kayleigh, Howell and others were upset with a two-tiered system that favored JuJu & KiKi over the rest of the players on the team. In any event, if Kayleigh comes to UConn we’ll see how she does.
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If those rumors are even remotely true, that’s a huge failure on the coach’s part. Geno benched Stewie for a whole game once. Message sent and received. Sounds like Lindsay needs to try this technique out.
 
Bone Dog said:
If those rumors are even remotely true, that’s a huge failure on the coach’s part. Geno benched Stewie for a whole game once. Message sent and received. Sounds like Lindsay needs to try this technique out.
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In the Elite 8 game, the best player on the court for USC was Marshall. Her excellent game against UConn got her drafted in the 2nd round. Before JuJu was hurt, USC never ran a play for Marshall. Her job appeared to be play defense, rebound and stay out of JuJu & KiKi’s way on offense.
 
Blond D. said:
Do we really need Kayleigh? It wasn't like she burned up the court in any category.
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In H.S. Kayleigh scored 2,400 points at L I Lutheran against good
competition. She had 16 triple doubles and one Quadruple double.
She was the primary PG on the USA U18 Americup Gold Medal
winning team with a team high assists per game and the second
leading minutes per game. She "burned up" the classroom in
H.S. as an honors student. With JuJu on the Southern Cal team,
along with KiKi Iriafen.... what freshman do you think had any
chance for minutes to get her numbers up?? As noted elsewhere
she had a field goal shooting percentage last year of 46 percent. Check out
her BIO on the USC TROJAN Roster for this past year for exact
numbers. YES... we could really use Kayleigh (IMHO).
 
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Blond D. said:
How is Kayleigh better than Kaitlyn??? Chen was and is WAY ahead of where Heckel is.
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Kaitlyn Chen was an IVY LEAGUE MVP and a grad student at UCONN.
Heckel was a freshman. I, for one, am not saying Kayleigh Heckel is "better" than
KC. But Ms. Heckel is a VERY good PG (see the other posts for facts
and figures). I believe we need a second true PG to complement
KK (in whatever sharing or combination of playing times any
one on the BONEYARD can conceive of). We have one security
blanket with Serah Williams at the POST position. If Kayleigh
come to Storrs with all the "no promises" that Geno can
explain to her.... then I'm for it. Ms. Heckel was highly
recruited out of H.S. But we should not be comparing
Graduate student experience with a freshman having to
play "behind" JuJu Watkins and Kiki I. (Yes, I know there
are height differences and Kiki plays a different position).
We will all know shortly.
 
oldude said:
Her other visits were reportedly to Vanderbilt, Michigan St and ND. She could always return to USC so long as Lindsay Gottlieb accepts her back.
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seems pretty simple to me..........if Kayleigh Heckel wants the best training/coaching in college WBB plus the chance to win an NC she picks UConn......if she wants starter's minutes, she chooses one of the other three schools.........
 
hookshot said:
USC was potentially on-track to final 4 when JU-JU went down and beat Uconn when JU-JU was up (earlier in the year). That is the context, of my being dismissive of the tiresome overreach that Uconn is at 'a whole higher level' than everybody else, seriously
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You didn't say "potentially on-track". You said, "A little bit of a stretch to say Uconn is next level when compared to another final 4 team that we lost to earlier in the year."
 
If Kayleigh was looking for PT, why leave USC where she’d have been PG1?

I also have a theory that if she were committing to anywhere but UConn, it’d have happened already. I hope I’m not wrong and we see a commitment this upcoming week.
 
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jeff30189 said:
Of all the discussion boards ever created, this one has to rank right up there with having the most hyperbolic posts ever! :p

Even IF Heckel (not Heckle) does come to UConn, there is zero chance that she starts unless KK is hurt, and even then I'm not sure she starts. Unless she's the backcourt equivalent of Sarah Strong, she's had one year of D1 experience with a program that is (although excellent) very different from UConn. At best she is what KK was last year (first subs off the bench), but even then she has to compete with Morgan, Allie and maybe even Kelis.

There's no doubt that she could be a valued member of the team, and maybe even a starter after Azzi and/or KK depart, but my biggest concern is the message that it sends to the current group of sophomores-to-be and the incoming freshman. I suspect the program will lose one or more talented players not due to their inability to measure up but because there's only so many minutes and only 1 ball.

Who do you value more? Heckel or the the HSers you recruited?
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You are obviously not a coach nor you have any idea of what you said about this young lady. She is a very good player and a tough one too. She is a different player than KK but just as good.
 
tower1 said:
It's just that some people here are worried about their favorite players loosing a little playing time to a better player!
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That’s not the worry. There’s enough minutes to go around even with Heckel. It’s that we might lose out on recruits.
 
oldude said:
In the Elite 8 game, the best player on the court for USC was Marshall. Her excellent game against UConn got her drafted in the 2nd round. Before JuJu was hurt, USC never ran a play for Marshall. Her job appeared to be play defense, rebound and stay out of JuJu & KiKi’s way on offense.
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In fairness, Marshall had tons of opportunities to earn leading scorer role for U$C her freshman and sophomore years and having watched a lot of her back then, she just wasn't a threat on offense. Even many times this season she wasn't a great scorer. So I view her performance againsf UConn in part as a fluke, and in part exactly what you'd expect from a graduating senior leaving it all out on the floor during her final college game.

To me, the comp for her is a weaker Brianna Turner - great rim protector but not much cooking on offense.
 
Sentimental loyalty to KK sould not preclude Kaitlyn 2.0. If KK can run the team better, so be it; if rotational 6, so be it.
We cannot be crippled by injury to KK, or reliant on a first year Kelis, good as Kelis miay be. Deep is bad?
 
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