Williams and Heckel are on Campus today (merged)

[pvdoggy]

And only one Sarah, and only one Azzi. My point isn’t to diminish Paige, who I consider to be a GOAT. But the fact is Geno will know how to build a team around Azzi and Sarah, too. Anyone who thinks he can’t is seriously underestimating him and CD.

i don’t think anybody is underestimating Geno, CD, Azzi or Sarah, but the fact is UConn had Paige on top of all the other factors and won the NC. Anything else about about next season is pure speculation.

 

[oldude]

i don’t think anybody is underestimating Geno, CD, Azzi or Sarah, but the fact is UConn had Paige on top of all the other factors and won the NC. Anything else about about next season is pure speculation.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that UConn will be very good next year, probably a contender for another national championship, with Sarah & Azzi leading the way. Somehow, UConn won national championships without Rebecca, DT, Maya & Stewie. Geno will figure out how to win another championship without Paige.

 

[Charliebball]

UConn showed this past season you can win without a Big.

I think a certain Paige Bueckers had something to do with that........she gone......

 

[pvdoggy]

I think it’s pretty safe to say that UConn will be very good next year, probably a contender for another national championship, with Sarah & Azzi leading the way. Somehow, UConn won national championships without Rebecca, DT, Maya & Stewie. Geno will figure out how to win another championship without Paige.

i am not saying that they won’t. I am just stating the fact that we had Paige last year in response to Tonyc post that UConn won without a Big, which is wrong in itself.

 

[Bone Dog]

i don’t think anybody is underestimating Geno, CD, Azzi or Sarah, but the fact is UConn had Paige on top of all the other factors and won the NC. Anything else about about next season is pure speculation.

What else could any of this be but speculation? That’s all we do here, even all we can ever do.

 

[From Canada]

Here are some biographical notes for "K9": Honor student at
Port Chester H.S. where she also played softball and volleyball. She
was a 2023 Max Prep POY, a 2027 McDonald's AA, Jordan
Brand AA, and she played for "Exodus NYC" in the EYBL circuit and MVP in that
tournament. Played on the USA National U18 Basketball team, PG at
L.I. Lutheran H.S. In H.S. scored 2,400 points and had (combined?)
over 500 assists, rebounds, steals. On a 6/24/2024 scouting report
by Brandon Clay, Kayleigh was described as "an adept passer" and with
"a crisp 3-point shot". Jersey number is "9", Height is 5'9".
Sources: Biographical data for Kayleigh from USC ROSTER page and 24/7 SPORTS (CBS Sports Digital). If she was a little taller, I would call her a "SLAM DUNK"!

Interest in Heckel isn't new; for those of you who follow recruiting assiduously, you'll probably remember that Geno mentioned an athlete who also played softball - it was her. According to an article from January 8, 2022, at the Blue Star high school invitationelle mentions UConn among the offers she received. See attached, if you scroll down the page, you'll get it in third. She was the starting PG on last summer's USA U18 team, finishing first in assists and third in points scored. In another attachment from the X account, from June 2022, we see Geno present, though you have to pay close attention, between the first and second seconds of the short video. The first quality Shane Laflin mentioned about her was her speed.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

2023 Blue Star High School Invitational Recruiting Notebook (Jan. 8)

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215) The CoBL staff spent all day at the Blue Star High School Invitational Showcase on Sunday at Jefferson University, watching many of the event’s 15 games featuring teams from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Here’s a recruiting notebook

www.cityofbasketballlove.com

USA Team Profile - FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup 2024 | FIBA Basketball

USA - All leaders, participating players & roster, game results and stats from FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup 2024

www.fiba.basketball

https://x.com/Kayleigh_Heckel/status/1531851655599247360

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Interest in Heckel isn't new; for those of you who follow recruiting assiduously, you'll probably remember that Geno mentioned an athlete who also played softball - it was her. According to an article from January 8, 2022, at the Blue Star high school invitationelle mentions UConn among the offers she received. See attached, if you scroll down the page, you'll get it in third.

The article linked says UConn had interest in Heckel but no offer at the time. I'm not sure she ever got an offer.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Interest in Heckel isn't new; for those of you who follow recruiting assiduously, you'll probably remember that Geno mentioned an athlete who also played softball - it was her.

Also, I don't think the softball player was Heckel. Geno claimed that unnamed player was the best in the country and Heckel was never regarded as that.

 

[Bone Dog]

Also, I don't think the softball player was Heckel. Geno claimed that unnamed player was the best in the country and Heckel was never regarded as that.

I assumed he was referring to Joyce Edwards at the time.

 

[BobbyJ]

Interest in Heckel isn't new; for those of you who follow recruiting assiduously, you'll probably remember that Geno mentioned an athlete who also played softball - it was her. According to an article from January 8, 2022, at the Blue Star high school invitationelle mentions UConn among the offers she received. See attached, if you scroll down the page, you'll get it in third. She was the starting PG on last summer's USA U18 team, finishing first in assists and third in points scored. In another attachment from the X account, from June 2022, we see Geno present, though you have to pay close attention, between the first and second seconds of the short video. The first quality Shane Laflin mentioned about her was her speed.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

2023 Blue Star High School Invitational Recruiting Notebook (Jan. 8)

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215) The CoBL staff spent all day at the Blue Star High School Invitational Showcase on Sunday at Jefferson University, watching many of the event’s 15 games featuring teams from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Here’s a recruiting notebook

www.cityofbasketballlove.com

USA Team Profile - FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup 2024 | FIBA Basketball

USA - All leaders, participating players & roster, game results and stats from FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup 2024

www.fiba.basketball

https://x.com/Kayleigh_Heckel/status/1531851655599247360

Read it again, there was interest but no offer from UConn then or at any time after in her recruitment. Ziebell and Cheli were the two guards offered and signed in the 2024 class.

 

[BobbyJ]

I assumed he was referring to Joyce Edwards at the time.

Edwards played soccer and volleyball in addition to BB but no softball.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Also, I don't think the softball player was Heckel. Geno claimed that unnamed player was the best in the country and Heckel was never regarded as that.

Sluconn Husky- - - - If I'm not mistaken I think Geno was referring to the HS teammate of Morgan Cheli that was a great Softball player! Her name slips from this 77 year old mind!

 

[Jaml]

Sluconn Husky- - - - If I'm not mistaken I think Geno was referring to the HS teammate of Morgan Cheli that was a great Softball player! Her name slips from this 77 year old mind!

McKenna Woliczko was Morgan's high teammate and also plays softball.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

McKenna Woliczko was Morgan's high teammate and also plays softball.

Jaml- - -Thanks my 77 year old mind drew a blank there!

 

[Cuango]

Also, I don't think the softball player was Heckel. Geno claimed that unnamed player was the best in the country and Heckel was never regarded as that.

Perhaps Wolizcko?

 

[Skeets]

I think it’s pretty safe to say that UConn will be very good next year, probably a contender for another national championship, with Sarah & Azzi leading the way. Somehow, UConn won national championships without Rebecca, DT, Maya & Stewie. Geno will figure out how to win another championship without Paige.

OD, exactly my point in a couple of prior posts in response to the "woe is me" crowd about losing Paige, Chen, and Griffin. UConn will score as many points and win as many games as they usually do. It's been that way forever regardless of who graduates. So my attitude is "what, me worry?"

 

[oldude]

OD, exactly my point in a couple of prior posts in response to the "woe is me" crowd about losing Paige, Chen, and Griffin. UConn will score as many points and win as many games as they usually do. It's been that way forever regardless of who graduates. So my attitude is "what, me worry?"

The Chicken Littles on the BY might disagree with your opinion. But I would have to point out that they always seem to ignore the one constant of UConn WBB. Whoever UConn loses and whatever great players other teams have on their roster, we have Geno and they don’t.

Geno and his staff coach rings around everyone else, as OK, USC, UCLA & SC were all reminded recently. He’s brought teams to the FF that had absolutely no business being there. The floor for the Huskies almost every season is the FF. The ceiling is a national championship. That means they have to win 2 games. When UConn has a deep and talented roster, as they will have next year, the ceiling is far more likely than the floor.

 

[HuskyNan]

Somehow, UConn won national championships without Rebecca, DT, Maya & Stewie. Geno will figure out how to win another championship without Paige.

Only one, and that was the 2000 team with one of the best all-time women’s college basketball rosters. Tamika, Swin, Sue, Shea, Svet, Shuie, Kennitra, et al

 

[oldude]

Only one, and that was the 2000 team with one of the best all-time women’s college basketball rosters. Tamika, Swin, Sue, Shea, Svet, Shuie, Kennitra, et al

I wasn’t necessarily talking about the following season. But OK, let’s talk about the following season after Paige has left. I expect a healthy UConn team to be back in the FF this coming season. If the Huskies also secure Williams and Heckel in the transfer portal, you can probably just give Geno the national championship trophy now, and not waste anyone’s time by holding the tournament…

 

[Vancat]

 

[ConnMotors]

The Chicken Littles on the BY might disagree with your opinion. But I would have to point out that they always seem to ignore the one constant of UConn WBB. Whoever UConn loses and whatever great players other teams have on their roster, we have Geno and they don’t.

Geno and his staff coach rings around everyone else, as OK, USC, UCLA & SC were all reminded recently. He’s brought teams to the FF that had absolutely no business being there. The floor for the Huskies almost every season is the FF. The ceiling is a national championship. That means they have to win 2 games. When UConn has a deep and talented roster, as they will have next year, the ceiling is far more likely than the floor.

I’m sorry I love Geno and staff. I was born in a small farm house in Italy as well. But Geno does make mistakes. He even specified when we lost to Notre Dame years back. Muffet played zone and Diana couldn’t buy a bucket.

Even in other close Final Four games some plays could have been different. But I agree if I was on the team I would not want any other coach being my leader other than him.

Sorry South Carolina; Texas; UCLA; USC; Tennessee and Duke. You may have talented teams this fall but I will stick with our team.

 

[Bone Dog]

I wasn’t necessarily talking about the following season. But OK, let’s talk about the following season after Paige has left. I expect a healthy UConn team to be back in the FF this coming season. If the Huskies also secure Williams and Heckel in the transfer portal, you can probably just give Geno the national championship trophy now, and not waste anyone’s time by holding the tournament…

I can see why folks are concerned. Last November, Geno said he wanted to find the player who could keep the team on track when Paige sat. Part of me wants to say Azzi and Sarah are those players. But there were still a few games even at the end of the season when the team needed some Paige magic to hold off an opponent. The OU game was like this.

Paige is a bucket-getter. Those are rare, semi-divine beings, not easily replaced. When the team needed someone to stop an opposing team’s run, Paige would step in and sink a couple of seemingly effortless midrange jumpers or drop a dagger three. Those are morale boosters, and busters for opponents. It’s not just that she’d score. The effortlessness of it was the killer. An opposing team would work really hard to score and deny UConn, and it would be effective for a few minutes… and then Paige would score so easily as to undermine the confidence they’d worked so hard to build.

I don’t doubt for a second that Azzi and Sarah can play this role next season. They are also bucket-getters. Serah and Kayleigh are not — at least they haven’t shown themselves to be that yet. And Geno doesn’t need them to be that for the team. They can be solid role players, and a well-coached team always needs several of those. KK and Ash, Jana and Ice, these are the proven role players and any one of them can change the direction of a game merely by bringing a new energy when they enter. Maybe Morgan and Blanca will do that too. I’m hopeful that Caroline and Ayanna will be able to do it too. In fact, Caroline showed glimpses of being a bucket-getter in her freshman season. And Allie could develop into a solid role player too. This is an incredibly well-stocked roster. We don’t know yet what Kelis and Gandy will add in their first season, but it could be impressive.

The list of great ones after whose departure Geno still won NCs is intriguing. As @HuskyNan pointed out, only one NC was won without any of them. Personally, I’d add Sue to the list of great ones, which would mean no NCs were won without a great one. I took the list to mean something different. There was a great one at the heart of every NC team, and then they moved on… and, Lo and behold, another great one emerged to lead the team to yet another NC. A great one has just left the building, perhaps the greatest of them all, and yet we all suspect the next two have already announced their presence. Azzi has one more chance to accomplish what she was sent here (by Paige) to do. And Sarah will have one more season playing next to a great one to perfect her immense talents before she has to lead the team to an NC on her own. A wrinkled old fate could not have positioned the two of them better for what could be destiny.

And just to bring this rambling post back to a topic, Serah and Kayleigh will not lead this team to an NC. But they could be instrumental in helping Azzi and Sarah take the team where it needs to go, alongside KK and Ash and the others.

 

[jeff30189]

Williams would immediately be the Day 1 starter at center. Jana is the heir apparent, but she's not ready to take over games and needs another year of coaching and practice. Gandy .... is Jana 2.0 and in two years she also might be ready, but as a freshman if she sees meaningful minutes either the game is a blowout or three front court players have injuries.

Heckel is a great addition - on paper. Be prepared for roster and recruiting fallout though. She's not coming in to ride the bench or play Q minutes. Allie, Morgan, Kellis, Ayanna, Caroline, Ice and the recruiting class of 2026 just got less playing time if it happens, because Geno will use the best players in his 10 player rotation regardless of position.

One of the benefits - and pitfalls - of the portal. Player movement causes more player movement, and with the portal being closed now, there are going to be some unhappy people who are forced to sit and watch this season.

 

[EricLA]

Not sure why Allie should be worried about Heckel? Allie was the higher ranked player and even though Heckel got more playing time last year, it was in a completely different system. Heckel is clearly not the shooter that Allie is and as for defensive skills, Heckel will have to learn a whole new system while Allie can hit the ground running. I would think Geno will make every effort to incorporate what is almost assuredly our second best three point shooter into the offense. Having said that, I do hope she will work on defensive skills as defense will surely be a big focus next season. (As it is every season)

You know that rankings mean very little once players get to college. Heckel had a much larger role on a NC contending team while Ziebell mostly got garbage minutes at the end of blowouts. I can't tell you who is better at this time, but my point was... if Heckel chooses UConn, the player potentially most impacted (IMHO) will be Allie.

As for the 3 point shooting, Allie was near the bottom at 34.4% so not sure where you think she's the 2nd best 3 point shooter on the team.

• 38.8% - Sarah
• 43.6% Azzi
• 41.1% Ash
• 37% Morgan

Of the guards, only KK was lower at 21.3%, but after a dismal start, she shot much better the 2nd half of the season so i'm not sure who the better 3 point shooter was after January...

Anyway I love the potential addition. But as @jeff30189 pointed out above, players like Allie, Blanca, Kelis, Carol, etc. could/would be affected by minutes.

 

[Bills Fan]

I wasn’t necessarily talking about the following season. But OK, let’s talk about the following season after Paige has left. I expect a healthy UConn team to be back in the FF this coming season. If the Huskies also secure Williams and Heckel in the transfer portal, you can probably just give Geno the national championship trophy now, and not waste anyone’s time by holding the tournament…

....but I just saw that Cream has made S Car. the #1 seed next year so obviously we cannot win! I guess he didn't notice that we were 25+ points better than them this year and Dawn lost Fulwiley, Pao, Hall and Feagan.
As she stood on the sideline throwing out F Bombs rather than coaching, she showed how far behind Geno she is as a HC.