What should we make of this???

[RockyMTblue2]

sarals24 I can understand that with Geno sitting in his office after a recruit has had a real visit. But as I understand it, this particular recruit has not even visited UConn and we have a suggestion that it is a done deal. Could be I guess. Men did walk on the moon.

 

[sarals24]

Well, that could also be the case. Who knows? Maybe she isn't ready for the attention, maybe she wants to wait until her teammates announce, who knows? We are all just speculating here, unless a poster has actual information from an inside source.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Well, that could also be the case. Who knows? Maybe she isn't ready for the attention, maybe she wants to wait until her teammates announce, who knows? We are all just speculating here, unless a poster has actual information from an inside source.

Exactly. It is all just noise until it is not. And then it is bitter disappointment or wild celebration! Prefer the latter myself. Nothing like a recruit commitment announcement on the Boneyard when I boot up in the morning to make my day.

 

[Scotter]

I find that weird and frankly hard to believe. Could explain a few painful years of post player draught however. Why weird? Because I do not know how you sell that strategy. We like you so much, we are going to withdraw interest/and offers for all of your competition. Me, as a candidate, listening to that, well, I am inclined to say: Your Xs and Os chart is broken! So I am calling Coach X as soon as I can.

You are turning over your team make up and whether it has a hole in it, to a 17 year old. I see nothing in Geno's make up to give that strategy credence.

You think differently then a lot of 17 year olds then. I'm not speculating. I'm recounting history. A number of successful UConn recruits over the years have talked positively about the impact the strategy I described had on their decision to choose UConn because it reinforced how committed UConn was to them as individuals. The UConn recruit message is built on exceptionalism. Our program is special, and you are special because you are the player we selected to invite to our program. Geno does a lot to maintain the symbolic value of a UConn scholarship through casting a very narrow recruiting net to maintain exclusivity. Geno makes use of the same universal psychology as other elite organizations.

 

[Bestiarius]

I find that weird and frankly hard to believe. Could explain a few painful years of post player draught however. Why weird? Because I do not know how you sell that strategy. We like you so much, we are going to withdraw interest/and offers for all of your competition. Me, as a candidate, listening to that, well, I am inclined to say: Your Xs and Os chart is broken! So I am calling Coach X as soon as I can.

You are turning over your team make up and whether it has a hole in it, to a 17 year old. I see nothing in Geno's make up to give that strategy credence.

My take on Geno's philosophy is this. Geno & staff give a fair look at many players, and are meticulous in analyzing how they will fit in. He is a loyalty minded coach who is so sure about who he recruits, that he is willing to pledge allegiance to a player to the exclusion of all others. This is not as drastic as it might sound, because there aren't many others he would accept anyway. Very few meet the criteria that must be met to become a Husky. He would rather do without than have just an ok fit.

Recruits see this loyalty as a big plus. Look at Caroline Doty as an example. After all those knee operations, he still championed her contributions and she was still a vital part of the team. Same with Heather Buck. There was no attempt to push her out. If she was ok with not getting many minutes because others happened to be better players, she was still a valued member of the team and felt included.

Sure, there were mistakes and a few decided they would achieve their personal goals elsewhere. But, in those cases, it never seemed to be a case of a player being pushed out for someone else. The fact that there are usually open slots on the roster, to me, shows he would rather be under staffed than take a player who isn't a perfect fit.

So telling someone it's you or no one makes perfect sense in the world of Geno. To him it's a lifetime decision and compromise isn't an option. He's a lucky guy. How many of us get to pick our family. And, from the players standpoint they end up feeling great about themselves. How can you beat that for a benefit of being a Husky.

 

[Dman]

So is uconn recruiting gabby green now, im kinda out of the loop

 

[jdubct]

So is uconn recruiting gabby green now, im kinda out of the loop

This is the first time I've seen her name associated as a potential Uconn recruit. She may have been scouted during a west coast recruiting trip. Is she actually being recruited? Don't know.

 

[asuwish]

"Other high schoolers to make it are A’ja Wilson, a 6-4 forward from Hopkins, S.C.; Brianna Turner, a 6-3 forward from Pearland, Texas; and Gabby Green, a 6-1 guard from Oakland, Calif. This was Wilson’s first tryout for USA Basketball. As if life for other teams was not difficult enough in UConn’s universe, she said last week – during the trials – that Storrs was a likely college destination. She flew to the trials on the same flight as the UConn trio.

With that, UConn has dropped its pursuit of Turner who has Baylor and Duke as her top two choices. Green, though, remains another UConn possibility. The hint: She played on Team Taurasi in California summer leagues."

From Mel Greenberg's blog..... LINK

It seems odd that Uconn would not go after Turner because of Wilson. Jones Cash and Williams did fine. In the next 2 classes we have no commits from anyone over 6'1. Turner and Wilson would be the next Stewart and Tuck, a dynamic duo with multiple skills, and we will have the guards to get them the ball. We need more size and Wilson should feel Turner would be an asset to her. Maybe Uconn gets the CA pair of Green and Drummer who is 6'2".

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

The major reason recruiting seems odd/strange/unfathomable/unpredictable is that we have no idea what is going on.

 

[reno tony]

Rule number one for me is...."Trust in Geno!" I think his theory of recruiting players that fit together and win Championships is pretty good, whatever it is. But it is certainly fun reading everybody's opinion so keep them coming.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

My take on Geno's philosophy is this. Geno & staff give a fair look at many players, and are meticulous in analyzing how they will fit in. He is a loyalty minded coach who is so sure about who he recruits, that he is willing to pledge allegiance to a player to the exclusion of all others. This is not as drastic as it might sound, because there aren't many others he would accept anyway. Very few meet the criteria that must be met to become a Husky. He would rather do without than have just an ok fit.

Recruits see this loyalty as a big plus. Look at Caroline Doty as an example. After all those knee operations, he still championed her contributions and she was still a vital part of the team. Same with Heather Buck. There was no attempt to push her out. If she was ok with not getting many minutes because others happened to be better players, she was still a valued member of the team and felt included.

Sure, there were mistakes and a few decided they would achieve their personal goals elsewhere. But, in those cases, it never seemed to be a case of a player being pushed out for someone else. The fact that there are usually open slots on the roster, to me, shows he would rather be under staffed than take a player who isn't a perfect fit.

So telling someone it's you or no one makes perfect sense in the world of Geno. To him it's a lifetime decision and compromise isn't an option. He's a lucky guy. How many of us get to pick our family. And, from the players standpoint they end up feeling great about themselves. How can you beat that for a benefit of being a Husky.

I guess I understand what Scotter and you are saying is an approach Geno has used. I can see it working and I can see it biting you in the butt on occasion. Certainly UConn's record is such now hat if a kid wants to be the best she can be and does not have "close to home" or similar considerations which are very strong, Geno out to be abe to get who he wants.