We’ll never know how good this UConn women’s team, Megan Walker could have been,

[Carnac]

By ALEXA PHILIPPOU

We’ll never know how good this UConn women’s team, Megan Walker could have been, but the future still looks bright.

Anyone who watched UConn’s last six games knew that the team was finally playing its best basketball, that, as he has done so many times before, Geno Auriemma got his team peaking at the right time. A season of ups and downs, including losses to the top three teams in the country, took on a glimmer of hope that wasn’t present a month or two prior.

We’ll never know how good this UConn women’s team, Megan Walker could have been, but the future still looks bright

Anyone who watched UConn’s last six games knew that the team was finally playing its best basketball, that, as he has done so many times before, Geno Auriemma got his team peaking at the righ…

www.courant.com

 

[cohenzone]

Megan’s decision seems a bit strange at the moment because the future of pro hoops seasons this cycle here and abroad is so uncertain. It might be that college hoops will begin before pro hoops.

 

[Charliebball]

on the other hand we will hopefully get to see how good this team without Megan Walker can be..............

 

[chrissaran]

Next year's team will be even better than this year's team. More talent and depth everywhere. They'll have the bigs to guard other teams' bigs. No mismatches when it comes to size.

 

[jabstep]

By ALEXA PHILIPPOU

We’ll never know how good this UConn women’s team, Megan Walker could have been, but the future still looks bright.

Anyone who watched UConn’s last six games knew that the team was finally playing its best basketball, that, as he has done so many times before, Geno Auriemma got his team peaking at the right time. A season of ups and downs, including losses to the top three teams in the country, took on a glimmer of hope that wasn’t present a month or two prior.

We’ll never know how good this UConn women’s team, Megan Walker could have been, but the future still looks bright

Anyone who watched UConn’s last six games knew that the team was finally playing its best basketball, that, as he has done so many times before, Geno Auriemma got his team peaking at the righ…

www.courant.com

I think we have been great. We would be hitting 3's and play swarming defense with Liv in the middle. Anna would be swishing and dishing. CW would be scoring in the 20's. Meg would be guarded closely by the good teams and become a facilitator. Chrystal would do everything and get herself a ring. That is what I imagine.

 

[and one]

When Megan made her decision to leave she didn't know that the WNBA season might be cancelled. Even knowing that now she still doesn't know what will happen to the wcbb season come the fall. I don't know why she chose to go. I'm sure she knew that a NC was a real possibility next season. Perhaps she has financial issues or maybe life on a college campus doesn't make her happy. It doesn't matter. She did good things for UConn bb and now it is other players turn. There is no need to wonder what if she stayed; she didn't. Whenever we play next we'll have a great team and it will, as always, be fun to watch.

 

[EricLA]

Kids leave for many reasons. I celebrate how hard she worked starting her freshman season when she was often in the dog house, to her sophomore year where she did not have a tremendous sophomore leap to her junior season, where she transformed her body and diet, and I believe she should have been on some AA teams, even 1st team AA.

I wish her the very best and while I'm disappointed as a fan of the team and what I think she could have brought in helping win the NC next season, I will root for her no matter where she goes. No one begrudged Sabally saying she was leaving for $$ reasons. Does ANYONE on the BY know Megan personally and know the exact reasons?

Personally, I have no issue if people want to question "why"? I agree it seems a bit illogical, but I have a HUGE issue with any fan who criticizes her for any reason for leaving early.

Once and forever a Husky. Best of luck Megan!!

 

[CL82]

FWIW, giving the rapidly evolving societal changes, I'm not entirely convinced that she may not be back. I'm not predicting that or counting on it, but I think that it is a possibility, if the WNBA cancels the season.

 

[BostonBay]

MW wanted out...just like Brady wanted out. Sad day in NE sports.

 

[Zanzman]

Can’t think about what we don’t have let’s move forward good luck meg

 

[and one]

Kids leave for many reasons. I celebrate how hard she worked starting her freshman season when she was often in the dog house, to her sophomore year where she did not have a tremendous sophomore leap to her junior season, where she transformed her body and diet, and I believe she should have been on some AA teams, even 1st team AA.

I wish her the very best and while I'm disappointed as a fan of the team and what I think she could have brought in helping win the NC next season, I will root for her no matter where she goes. No one begrudged Sabally saying she was leaving for $$ reasons. Does ANYONE on the BY know Megan personally and know the exact reasons?

Personally, I have no issue if people want to question "why"? I agree it seems a bit illogical, but I have a HUGE issue with any fan who criticizes her for any reason for leaving early.

Once and forever a Husky. Best of luck Megan!!

People are complicated. If you knew Meg and she told you why she decided to leave the UConn program I'm not sure you would really know. It could be an easy answer or it could be complicated. Meg may not entirely know herself. What she thinks her reasons are now may change as time passes. No one as any right, in a moral or ethical sense, to criticize others for decisions they make unless that decision has a direct negative impact on that person. Being curious is natural, being judgmental is a step to far. It is really none of our business.

 

[and one]

But in a couple of years, we will know how it is works out for her in a basketball sense. Frankly, my expectation is that she will be a bench player in the WNBA. She will do that for several years and after that, she may have trouble staying in the league. If she ever becomes a starter, much less an all-star, I will be VERY surprised.

Not that she won't make good money playing both summer and winter.

Would my prediction change if she stayed in college for her senior year? I think it might, if only because a deep run in the 2021 NCAA tournament might showcase her skills more than she has been able to do this year.

As I have said, I think Azura made a career mistake by leaving with a year of eligibility remaining, and I think that is limiting her current WNBA career. We will see how she does in Chicago, but I doubt that her professional career will ever be what it could have been if she had used that year of college eligibility.

I'm less pessimistic about Meg's pro career. She may or may not become an elite pro but she has a lot of assets. She has a good shot, can rebound, and has a build to stand up to a physical pro game. She also has had 3 years to learn to play the way UConn teaches, something WNBA coaches value.

Whether or not the extra year of college ball would make a large difference to her pro career trajectory can't be proved either way. It could be argued that spending a year practicing and playing against pros is more valuable in the long run than an extra college year. Would Zion have become a better pro if he stayed extra years at Duke? Or James if he went played a year or two in college? Extra years in college are more likely to improve draft position than improve a career. There are players that would benefit from an extra year in college, to improve skills and mature physically, but the extra year isn't going to change a pro career from C- to B+.

 

[hoophuskee]

It could be argued that spending a year practicing and playing against pros is more valuable in the long run than an extra college year. Would Zion have become a better pro if he stayed extra years at Duke? Or James if he went played a year or two in college? Extra years in college are more likely to improve draft position than improve a career. There are players that would benefit from an extra year in college, to improve skills and mature physically, but the extra year isn't going to change a pro career from C- to B+.

I think in Meg's case it would. The 2 NBA players you chose are guys that the team wants to get the ball to and build their offense around. They were #1 picks and the team was okay with the losing early on/ is okay with it. What is Meg projected to go 6? They might give her the keys but if she struggles right off or if she doesn't get the right coach (see Tina Charles with Ann Donovan) - they'll have her be a "support player." The players you chose (number 1 picks)- they build support players around them right from the start. If Meg was a top pick-- they probably would build players around her. How many years might she be a support player before getting a real chance to be more?

 

[uconnfan68]

People are complicated. If you knew Meg and she told you why she decided to leave the UConn program I'm not sure you would really know. It could be an easy answer or it could be complicated. Meg may not entirely know herself. What she thinks her reasons are now may change as time passes. No one as any right, in a moral or ethical sense, to criticize others for decisions they make unless that decision has a direct negative impact on that person. Being curious is natural, being judgmental is a step to far. It is really none of our business.

Of course it’s our business... that’s why we have a message board devoted to it! ;^)

Something obviously happened that affected the staff and the players. I’m ok with where we stand now, and with who is coming in. I hope Jamelle stays too.

 

[tchalla1]

Kids leave for many reasons. I celebrate how hard she worked starting her freshman season when she was often in the dog house, to her sophomore year where she did not have a tremendous sophomore leap to her junior season, where she transformed her body and diet, and I believe she should have been on some AA teams, even 1st team AA.

I wish her the very best and while I'm disappointed as a fan of the team and what I think she could have brought in helping win the NC next season, I will root for her no matter where she goes. No one begrudged Sabally saying she was leaving for $$ reasons. Does ANYONE on the BY know Megan personally and know the exact reasons?

Personally, I have no issue if people want to question "why"? I agree it seems a bit illogical, but I have a HUGE issue with any fan who criticizes her for any reason for leaving early.

Once and forever a Husky. Best of luck Megan!!

You made some great points and certainly Megan's decision to leave is hers and hers alone to make, given her own situation and determining factors which we will probably never know. She was one of my fave UConn players and I am sure that she gave it careful consideration. I would have liked for her to--not just for UConn's sake--but for her own development to stay another year, given her progression and improvement from her soph to junior year, her growth vector from junior to senior would have even been more heightened. IMO, I am kind of worried that Megan's game as presently constituted, does not translate well to the WNBA: She is a "sniper", a set shot shooter and I seriously doubt that she will get those wide open looks in the WNBA as she did in the AAC. This is similar to the "struggle" that KLS has experienced in the WNBA. You just don't get uncontested three pointers in that league very often. Additionally, Megan is not particularly well-suited to creating her own shot and penetrating to the basket; she has gotten much better at this during her junior year, but IMO, her overall game is not yet quite developed enough to compete at the next level...

 

[hoopsfan22]

When Megan made her decision to leave she didn't know that the WNBA season might be cancelled. Even knowing that now she still doesn't know what will happen to the wcbb season come the fall. I don't know why she chose to go. I'm sure she knew that a NC was a real possibility next season. Perhaps she has financial issues or maybe life on a college campus doesn't make her happy. It doesn't matter. She did good things for UConn bb and now it is other players turn. There is no need to wonder what if she stayed; she didn't. Whenever we play next we'll have a great team and it will, as always, be fun to watch.

To be honest I think this was always the plan. Didn't she say after her freshman season that she considered transferring, but chose to stick it out? Obviously all freshman have ups and downs, but I think she came here to get her professional career development in, and as soon as she could leave she did. School was just a means to an end, so we wish her well and look out for her in pro leagues to see what she does next. Like she said in her tweet to Lexi "we know the real." If nothing else, she's certainly about to get a good dose of the real world if all of the pro leagues are closed indefinitely.

 

[Steelerone]

Kids leave for many reasons. I celebrate how hard she worked starting her freshman season when she was often in the dog house, to her sophomore year where she did not have a tremendous sophomore leap to her junior season, where she transformed her body and diet, and I believe she should have been on some AA teams, even 1st team AA.

I wish her the very best and while I'm disappointed as a fan of the team and what I think she could have brought in helping win the NC next season, I will root for her no matter where she goes. No one begrudged Sabally saying she was leaving for $$ reasons. Does ANYONE on the BY know Megan personally and know the exact reasons?

Personally, I have no issue if people want to question "why"? I agree it seems a bit illogical, but I have a HUGE issue with any fan who criticizes her for any reason for leaving early.

Once and forever a Husky. Best of luck Megan!!

I think you are completely accurate, EricLA. I do wish she would have stayed but so much for the team as herself. I truly believe that she was starting to evolve and with another year could have not only been a candidate for AA but, most importantly, to have obtained her degree. Pro sports, while offering a secure economic future, is also fraught with pitfalls. Injuries, the inability to "make" the team, or to be the person at the end of the bench, not to mention the possibility of spending your career in Serbia, China, or someplace up in the Arctic Circle. One more year of college would have lessened the odds of these negatives.

 

[Kevinmac]

Kids leave for many reasons. I celebrate how hard she worked starting her freshman season when she was often in the dog house, to her sophomore year where she did not have a tremendous sophomore leap to her junior season, where she transformed her body and diet, and I believe she should have been on some AA teams, even 1st team AA.

I wish her the very best and while I'm disappointed as a fan of the team and what I think she could have brought in helping win the NC next season, I will root for her no matter where she goes. No one begrudged Sabally saying she was leaving for $$ reasons. Does ANYONE on the BY know Megan personally and know the exact reasons?

Personally, I have no issue if people want to question "why"? I agree it seems a bit illogical, but I have a HUGE issue with any fan who criticizes her for any reason for leaving early.

Once and forever a Husky. Best of luck Megan!!

I agree with this post 100 percent!

 

[hoopsfan22]

I wish she stayed too. Would have been pretty loaded next season. Evina, CW, Anna, Megan, and ONO as starters, Aubrey first off the bench. Plus we'd have Paige and all the new recruits on the bench. No offense to our departing seniors, but next year's second team should be a bit of an upgrade over recent years.

 

[willtalk]

While draft position means little with respect to salary, it does matter with respect to a player's wiggle room in making the team. Teams are more apt to give higher picks more time to prove themselves. It is possible that Megan saw this season as her peak chance in respect to recognition for the draft This season she was the go-to player. Not because of her own abilities, but due to the added depth, that might not be the case next season.

 

[hoophuskee]

While draft position means little with respect to salary, it does matter with respect to a player's wiggle room in making the team. Teams are more apt to give higher picks more time to prove themselves. It is possible that Megan saw this season as her peak chance in respect to recognition for the draft This season she was the go-to player. Not because of her own abilities, but due to the added depth, that might not be the case next season.

That's the reason why some of us thought she would have been better to stay. So, instead of "wiggle room" to prove herself that she can play; by becoming a higher pick she'd have more wiggle room to be one of the team's top stars vs being a complimentary player. Though I understand if she gets hurt it ruins her life's dream. I understand she wants to go. I wish her all the best. She was a star for a number 5 team.

 

[MilfordHusky]

As I posted earlier, I thought Meg would be about #10 this year and #4 next year.

I think first-rounders get guaranteed money. Is that right?

 

[j66kicker]

As I posted earlier, I thought Meg would be about #10 this year and #4 next year.

I think first-rounders get guaranteed money. Is that right?

New minimum salary for inexperienced players (0-2 years in the league) = $57,000. Draft picks 1-4 get $68,000.

"Historic" WNBA labor deal to hike average salary to $130,000, provide paid maternity leave

The WNBA and its union announced a tentative eight-year labor deal that will allow top players to earn more than $500,000 while the average annual compensation will surpass six figures for the first time.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[willtalk]

That's the reason why some of us thought she would have been better to stay. So, instead of "wiggle room" to prove herself that she can play; by becoming a higher pick she'd have more wiggle room to be one of the team's top stars vs being a complementary player. Though I understand if she gets hurt it ruins her life's dream. I understand she wants to go. I wish her all the best. She was a star for a number 5 team.

A rookies first year in the WNBA is always a difficult adjustment. There are a lot of players who not only have to transition to the level of play but also transition to a new position. Walker made a big leap this season and it is not that likely that she will make another one her first year in the WNBA. As mentioned in some of my other posts on this site, player are more technically skilled coming into college so they have fewer development ceilings in that area then they previously ever had. It also appears that one of Walker's major strides this last season was in the area of conditioning.

Basically every single player coming into the league has question marks attached to how well they will do. Some more than others. Most will have to even prove they are complementary players before they even consider being labeled as stars. Her level of play in the WNBA, whether complementary or star is basically already set. Her playing one more year of college ball is not going to make that much difference. If she sticks on a team throughout her first year, it will do much more to develop her game than spending another year in college. As I stated before because players today spend so much time developing their games starting even prior to high school, by the time they get to college there isn't much of a developmental ceiling left. All things considered, she made the best decision for herself by entering the draft.

The landscape, that is WBB, has been changing drastically during the last decade. Players do not necessarily place the same value on college programs as developmental ladders as the once did.

 

[hoophuskee]

Her level of play in the WNBA, whether complementary or star is basically already set. Her playing one more year of college ball is not going to make that much difference. If she sticks on a team throughout her first year, it will do much more to develop her game than spending another year in college. As I stated before because players today spend so much time developing their games starting even prior to high school, by the time they get to college there isn't much of a developmental ceiling left. All things considered, she made the best decision for herself by entering the draft.

The landscape, that is WBB, has been changing drastically during the last decade. Players do not necessarily place the same value on college programs as developmental ladders as the once did.

Teams aren't drafting Walker for 1 year. So it's irrelevant that she doesn't show much in year 1. It's the perception of what she can become if she is drafted 1 or 2 vs 6 or 8 etc. The number 1 or 2 pick that is a wing has shown to be a great scorer in college going forward is going to get more wiggle room to show that she is a future star. All rookies are trying to fit in but for a player for example being picked number 1 or 2 -- they will undoubtedly be given more wiggle room.

And as I've stated before I think she would've benefited from staying another year. It's a huge question if she is a star or complimentary player. Staying another year and showing she is best or 2nd best player in wcbb would mean she has improved along with showing a team/coach that she has potential dominant skills. For example a coach is less likely to want Meg to work on her weaknesses during games unless they see her as a star. So, for example, I think we know Meg struggles when she tries to shoot jump shots off the dribble. If she is drafted by Minny -- she isn't going to get that opportunity as much next year. She's at best the 4th option behind Sims, Fowler, and Collier. Minny is trying to win. They aren't going to let Walker take a lot of shots unless early on she hits a lot. And if Maya comes back the following year-- she's entrenched as a 4th option for a while. Her growth as star will be stunted.

And it's relative how the WCBB is "evolving" vs the pros. Meg would have a better chance being an eventual non-complimentary player if she stayed another year. In college she would be able to freely work on her weaknesses during games while still showing she is among the best couple of players in WCBB. Now that she is going in the WNBA-- as the 4th option for the foreseeable future if Minny takes her-- she'll become a better complimentary player but she'll be stuck in that complimentary role. Not saying she won't become a a star top-tier option eventually-- just that it will be harder doing so vs if she stayed and became the player many of us think she could.

And she better have the right coach and team which will encourage her to be a star vs the coach/team philosophy that wants her to be a role player. Right now if chosen by Minny - the coach is going to probably have team options of Fowles, Sims, and Collier as top options. And the return of Maya the following year more-than-likely. Skills of being a star vs role playing are much different. She is probably closing the door for many years as to being a star player and accepting being a role player because of this decision. She'll improve as a role player but imo her progress toward being a star player.