Would you transfer?

[UConn79]

You are a state champion in high school. Best player on your team, in your state for multiple years. You maybe have a dream of playing professional basketball. You are hurt as a freshman which slows your progress. As a sophmore, you get only a few minutes more per game than the walk ons. The players at your position are the same age or younger. The dream is slipping away.

I'm not surprised Courtney transfered. I hope she is successful at ASU and her dreams come true.

 

[BobbyJ]

I'm well past my prime but in my prime I would have gladly sat on the last place Ivy League team for 4 years. 6 years if they would allow it.

I'm sure you're serious CocoHusky and I don't know if this would change your thinking on it but........... During most of the '90s that last place WBB team in the Ivies was Columbia. My wife and I accompanied my daughter on a OV there one weekend. The team itself would've struggled to be a top 5 HS team in most states including NE and at the Saturday night game we attended, the massive crowd was 13( Thirteen)!!! Columbia got blown out by 40 and there were a couple kids who only played 3-4 minutes at the end. I couldn't imagine what they must have felt like and because of no Ivy League scholarships, they were paying in the neighborhood of 35K a year to sit there. I'm sure their parents could afford it but there's no way I could have done it.

 

[BobbyJ]

Yes. No. Sitting on a bench for four years and contributing little if anything to a Championship team!!! I would get no personal gratification out of that. I have always joined a team to play, not ride the pine. I get my fulfillment from playing the sport with my team and not as much out of winning. That may sound crazy to some, just like riding the bench for four years sounds crazy to me.

I have to agree. I'm the same way. UConn is an exception with their handling of their non-rotation bench players but I doubt that it's like that at the majority of the top 30-40 highly competitive schools. WBB coaches are every bit as cut throat as the men.

 

[CL82]

Unquestionably the right call for her. Got the rings and the memories. Now, go finish it out trying for something more personal.

I'd be interested in hearing from her down the road. A few of the men's transfers came to appreciate their time at UConn after they left.

In the end it is tough life decision, for a young kid. I wish Courtney all the best.

 

[CocoHusky]

Hmmm kind of a shot at Coale.

Shot at all coaches really. "
"All college coaches are slightly nuts.
All of them. Every single one."

If: "my heart was never fully invested in Oklahoma's program" then don't expect the program to invest in you.

 

[UcMiami]

Pretty much every player to come to Uconn on scholarship was the best player on their HS team, and most played for state championships. But some who are not part of the main rotation choose to stay and some choose to leave.
I wonder if we broke the responses here don by gender if we would see a trend, because most coaches have commented on a significant difference in attitude between men and women athletes, which gets to one of the reasons I like the women's game so much. Women are much more interested in the group success over personal glory and take pride in setting picks and making good passes as much or more than scoring the basket.

And comments about the reasons why players obviously want to transfer, in a backhand kind of way, denigrate those who choose to stay by implying they don't have the same kind of fire. You watch the fire and pride of the walk ons at Uconn, who could clearly have played at some college program, and it is inspiring.

In every walk of life where you have world class activity, you find on the periphery of that group people who take enormous pride and ownership in the results of the group and their personal contribution however minor.

 

[Charliebball]

Yes. No. Sitting on a bench for four years and contributing little if anything to a Championship team!!! I would get no personal gratification out of that. I have always joined a team to play, not ride the pine. I get my fulfillment from playing the sport with my team and not as much out of winning. That may sound crazy to some, just like riding the bench for four years sounds crazy to me.

Like an earlier poster said, if I could do it at an Ivy League school it might be worth it but loosing records never sat well with me all the way thru college............four years of it under normal circumstances would have a serious effect on my psyche but that's just me!!!

 

[Goodgood]

Pretty much every player to come to Uconn on scholarship was the best player on their HS team, and most played for state championships. But some who are not part of the main rotation choose to stay and some choose to leave.
I wonder if we broke the responses here don by gender if we would see a trend, because most coaches have commented on a significant difference in attitude between men and women athletes, which gets to one of the reasons I like the women's game so much. Women are much more interested in the group success over personal glory and take pride in setting picks and making good passes as much or more than scoring the basket.

And comments about the reasons why players obviously want to transfer, in a backhand kind of way, denigrate those who choose to stay by implying they don't have the same kind of fire. You watch the fire and pride of the walk ons at Uconn, who could clearly have played at some college program, and it is inspiring.

In every walk of life where you have world class activity, you find on the periphery of that group people who take enormous pride and ownership in the results of the group and their personal contribution however minor.

As a walk on, your expectations are much lower. You were never recruited and you made the best team in WCBB. You might even get a scholarship. You didn't come to UConn to play basketball. You better be proud to be sitting on the bench.

On the other hand, as the best player on your HS team or even in your home state, your mentality is quite different. You expect to make a difference and you are on the bench waiting for the last couple of minutes so you can get to play the game you love. No, not even close.

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm sure you're serious CocoHusky and I don't know if this would change your thinking on it but...... During most of the '90s that last place WBB team in the Ivies was Columbia. My wife and I accompanied my daughter on a OV there one weekend. The team itself would've struggled to be a top 5 HS team in most states including NE and at the Saturday night game we attended, the massive crowd was 13( Thirteen)!!! Columbia got blown out by 40 and there were a couple kids who only played 3-4 minutes at the end. I couldn't imagine what they must have felt like and because of no Ivy League scholarships, they were paying in the neighborhood of 35K a year to sit there. I'm sure their parents could afford it but there's no way I could have done it.

Columbia was not much better WCBB team in 2008 timeframe when my Daughter made an official visit. I told this story here before my daughter decide Columbia was not for her within 5 minutes for reasons other than basketball. In my flirtation with the Ivies something Courtney Banghart explain to us is that hardly anyone pays the full advertised price of Ivies and never anyone good enough to be an NCAA athlete. It might not be called a "scholarship" but for the most part your not going to cutting a check for anywhere near the advertised price unless $35-40K would hardly make a dent in your wallet. So yes I would gladly pay to let my daughter sit on an ivy league bench even if I had to strap her to the bench. Somewhere along the line I would explain to her that her being on that bench had nothing to do with basketball. I was blessed, my daughters had basketball and education in the proper perspective so this conversation would not have been necessary and they would not have been sitting on the bench at any Ivy league school.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Courtney made what surely was a difficult decision, but the right one for her. Ditto Brianna, Michala, Lauren, Sadie, Samarie, Kia et al. Who am I to judge them, especially negatively. I wished them well when they left and harbor no ill will to Courtney or any others.

I think the rationale for most of those kids was pretty simple: they realized they wouldn't get playing time at UConn. Samarie Walker was an odd one. Not sure what was really going on with her.

But most of these kids to reasonably well on decent, but not great, teams, and get the playing time they sought.

Just sad for Courtney, because I think she regressed from her junior year in high school to her time at UConn. Just didn't see the brilliance that made her into a top All American in high school.

But perhaps she'll shine again in Arizona. We all wish her the best.

 

[UcMiami]

Although this isnt about a UConn transfer it is a very good perspective by Nicole Kornet on "Just Because I Transferred, Doesnt Mean You Should Too"
It is from a blog Ms Kornet has done. She left Oklahoma and is eligible to play this year for UCLA(she sat out last year).
Good reading.

This Is A Story Of A Girl: Just Because I Transferred Doesn't Mean You Should Too

Thanks for posting that - and by the way, it is well worth going back and reading the August blog that takes you to the beginning with HS recruitment and explains some of what went wrong at OU which had nothing to do with OU or the coaching staff or the team.
It is solidly written and is a very good read for all scholarship athletes whether they are happy or not, because it may help them relate to teammates who are struggling a bit or a lot.

 

[UcMiami]

As a walk on, your expectations are much lower. You were never recruited and you made the best team in WCBB. You might even get a scholarship. You didn't come to UConn to play basketball. You better be proud to be sitting on the bench.

On the other hand, as the best player on your HS team or even in your home state, your mentality is quite different. You expect to make a difference and you are on the bench waiting for the last couple of minutes so you can get to play the game you love. No, not even close.

Actually, some of the walk-ons at Uconn were recruited at lower level schools. And Gardler for example knew coming in on scholarship that her chance of starting at Uconn was pretty minimal, and her friends were telling her she was crazy and should be going elsewhere to play.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Columbia was not much better WCBB team in 2008 timeframe when my Daughter made an official visit. I told this story here before my daughter decide Columbia was not for her within 5 minutes for reasons other than basketball. In my flirtation with the Ivies something Courtney Banghart explain to us is that hardly anyone pays the full advertised price of Ivies and never anyone good enough to be an NCAA athlete. It might not be called a "scholarship" but for the most part your not going to cutting a check for anywhere near the advertised price unless $35-40K would hardly make a dent in your wallet. So yes I would gladly pay to let my daughter sit on an ivy league bench even if I had to strap her to the bench. Somewhere along the line I would explain to her that her being on that bench had nothing to do with basketball. I was blessed, my daughters had basketball and education in the proper perspective so this conversation would not have been necessary and they would not have been sitting on the bench at any Ivy league school.

I paid full Ivy fare, and the amount paid was based solely on the financial aid form results. My son was All Ivy in baseball. Not sure where you get "never" from. In any case, I wrote the checks.

 

[CocoHusky]

I paid full Ivy fare, and the amount paid was based solely on the financial aid form results. My son was All Ivy in baseball. Not sure where you get "never" from. In any case, I wrote the checks.

I should have never said "never" " NCAA Athlete", or implied all Ivies for that matter , I got my information from Courtney Banghart and we were talking about Princeton & WCBB specifically. I did have similar conversations with the coaches at Brown, Dartmouth & Penn about WCBB.

 

[Fightin Choke]

I should have never said "never" " NCAA Athlete", or implied all Ivies for that matter , I got my information from Courtney Banghart and we were talking about Princeton & WCBB specifically. I did have similar conversations with the coaches at Brown, Dartmouth & Penn about WCBB.

My freshman year roommate was on a hockey scholarship at Notre Dame and he said that he had a full ride offer at Harvard that he had turned it down. While not allowed to offer athletic scholarships, Ivy's can provide plenty of other assistance which can fully offset the costs of attendance. I cannot speak to how widespread this practice is.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

My freshman year roommate was on a hockey scholarship at Notre Dame and he said that he had a full ride offer at Harvard that he had turned it down. While not allowed to offer athletic scholarships, Ivy's can provide plenty of other assistance which can fully offset the costs of attendance. I cannot speak to how widespread this practice is.

Not widespread enough to pay my bills. As for "other assistance" at Ivies , it is all need based. Period.

 

[Fightin Choke]

Pretty much every player to come to Uconn on scholarship was the best player on their HS team, and most played for state championships. But some who are not part of the main rotation choose to stay and some choose to leave.
I wonder if we broke the responses here don by gender if we would see a trend, because most coaches have commented on a significant difference in attitude between men and women athletes, which gets to one of the reasons I like the women's game so much. Women are much more interested in the group success over personal glory and take pride in setting picks and making good passes as much or more than scoring the basket.

And comments about the reasons why players obviously want to transfer, in a backhand kind of way, denigrate those who choose to stay by implying they don't have the same kind of fire. You watch the fire and pride of the walk ons at Uconn, who could clearly have played at some college program, and it is inspiring.

In every walk of life where you have world class activity, you find on the periphery of that group people who take enormous pride and ownership in the results of the group and their personal contribution however minor.

I don't think that's what we are discussing here. Kelly Faris didn't score many points at UConn, but I know she felt she contributed greatly to the team's success. Setting picks and making good passes are just as valuable as scoring and rebounding. But Courtney was not getting the opportunity to set picks or make passes until the game was effectively over. Playing mop-up minutes is a completely different scenario than starting and contributing in other ways than scoring.

 

[meyers7]

Shot at all coaches really. "
"All college coaches are slightly nuts.
All of them. Every single one."

If: "my heart was never fully invested in Oklahoma's program" then don't expect the program to invest in you.

I was thinking more of these lines she wrote.

That's why it's so important to pick a coach who doesn't falsely recruit you.

CAUTION: Don't fall for one-liners.

"You'll start right away."

"You will be the face of our program."
"Those other schools don't have what we have here."
Most will say whatever they can to get you to sign that National Letter of Intent. And once you're there, don't expect all those empty promises to magically come true.

Her experience was with Coale.

 

[drweo]

Although this isnt about a UConn transfer it is a very good perspective by Nicole Kornet on "Just Because I Transferred, Doesnt Mean You Should Too"
It is from a blog Ms Kornet has done. She left Oklahoma and is eligible to play this year for UCLA(she sat out last year).
Good reading.

This Is A Story Of A Girl: Just Because I Transferred Doesn't Mean You Should Too

Wow, what a well expressed and insightful set of reflections. Put it in the (non-existent to my knowledge) "Recruited athletes' handbook."

 

[Fightin Choke]

Not widespread enough to pay my bills. As for "other assistance" at Ivies , it is all need based. Period.

My best friend attended Princeton and received a fair amount of aid, but he had to take out significant loans as well. He had 2 older sisters attending Ivy League schools at the time and 4 younger siblings (Catholic family) being supported by a high school teacher and a homemaker. My freshman roommate had more resources and fewer siblings and he claimed he had a full ride. I guess my roommate could have lied, but I'm not sure why he would have done that. I know that my best friend is telling the truth.

 

[meyers7]

I paid full Ivy fare, and the amount paid was based solely on the financial aid form results. My son was All Ivy in baseball. Not sure where you get "never" from. In any case, I wrote the checks.

Looks like you got taken to the bank. Caveat Emptor.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

My best friend attended Princeton and received a fair amount of aid, but he had to take out significant loans as well. He had 2 older sisters attending Ivy League schools at the time and 4 younger siblings (Catholic family) being supported by a high school teacher and a homemaker. My freshman roommate had more resources and fewer siblings and he claimed he had a full ride. I guess my roommate could have lied, but I'm not sure why he would have done that. I know that my best friend is telling the truth.

Full rides mean they met need criteria. Simple as that. I am far from wealthy, but I did not meet need criteria. Bingo, no aid.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Looks like you got taken to the bank. Caveat Emptor.

It was and is a great investment.

 

[Huskylove3]

If I have to choose between winning and playing, I would choose playing. As a player, I hated sitting the bench. Even if we won, if i didn't play, how much did i contribute to the win? When I was 9 I was cut from a team. My mom was so worried that I was going to be upset. My one question was, "can i still play the rec league?' She said OF Course! And I was just happy to be able to play. I think she got the rings, got the experience, and now has 2 years to just go and play. Good for her.

 

[UcMiami]

I don't think that's what we are discussing here. Kelly Faris didn't score many points at UConn, but I know she felt she contributed greatly to the team's success. Setting picks and making good passes are just as valuable as scoring and rebounding. But Courtney was not getting the opportunity to set picks or make passes until the game was effectively over. Playing mop-up minutes is a completely different scenario than starting and contributing in other ways than scoring.

But being part of a team is 95% non-game related. And the contributions in practice and weight room and on road trips are all part of the package of being a teammate.
Kelly was a starter. A better comparison would be Gardler who thrived at Uconn as a deep bench player. Or Tahirah Williams.

 

[UcMiami]

I was thinking more of these lines she wrote.

That's why it's so important to pick a coach who doesn't falsely recruit you.

CAUTION: Don't fall for one-liners.

"You'll start right away."

"You will be the face of our program."
"Those other schools don't have what we have here."
Most will say whatever they can to get you to sign that National Letter of Intent. And once you're there, don't expect all those empty promises to magically come true.

Her experience was with Coale.

Read her August post - while you can read that as a negative, she has a lot of very positive feelings toward Sheri

 

[CocoHusky]

As for "other assistance" at Ivies , it is all need based. Period.

What Courtney explained to me is that she is allocated a "budget" that more than covers her team "needs" & there is a process for requesting more for situations like worthy walkons . At that time 2008 she was two years into the Princeton job???. I think that still qualifies as "need based".
The NCAA regulates the number of scholarships at a school can give out by sport. So somewhere along the line the NCAA must be translating Ivy League aide $$ into Scholarship $$. Does anyone know how that actually works?

 

[Goodgood]

What Courtney explained to me is that she is allocated a "budget" that more than covers her team "needs" & there is a process for requesting more for situations like worthy walkons . At that time 2008 she was two years into the Princeton job???. I think that still qualifies as "need based".
The NCAA regulates the number of scholarships at a school can give out by sport. So somewhere along the line the NCAA must be translating Ivy League aide $$ into Scholarship $$. Does anyone know how that actually works?

If you are accepted at an Ivy League school you will be granted aid based on your financial needs. Regardless of basketball, hockey, chemistry, biology or ping pong. That is what they like to think, but I am sure it is different in real life.

 

[meyers7]

Read her August post - while you can read that as a negative, she has a lot of very positive feelings toward Sheri

I'll have to go back.

 

[meyers7]

It was and is a great investment.

I don't know if any of the Ivy leagues are worth the money. Not that they are not very good institutes, just not worth the money they take you for.

Kind of like a Lamborghini, a really cool car, and if you can afford it, hey it's your money, but do you really need to pay that much to get from point A to point B? Kinda overkill. Just never considered overkill a great investment. On the other hand I was neither wealthy enough or smart enough to get into one anyway....so my opinion really doesn't matter too much.