Your Opinion on 2017 & 2018 Recruiting Classes

[BroadwayVa]

Paul,
I am sort of obsessive & greedy about this kind of thing and Geno is not crazy enough to put me in charge but my depth chart looks like this.
2017
C Julia Reisigerova
PF Jade Williams
SF Danielle Patterson
SG Megan Walker
G Espinoza-Hunter

2018
C Lindsey Jarosinski
PF Charli Collier
SF Aquira DeCosta
SG Christianna Carr
G Christyn Williams

If you have any trouble with Geno just tell him I put you in charge of recruiting---you are my kind of guy--when you reload--your RE_LOAD!!! Why not take all--isn't Uconn the Winner???

 

[BroadwayVa]

It is that question of whether a coach accepts a 'package deal' - the recruit that says 'I want to play college ball with _____ .' where the blank is filled in with 'MY sister' or 'MY teammate' or 'MY best friend'. It says the decision isn't about the coach or the other players already at the school or the style of play or the school itself and I would think is a big red flag about what type of teammate that recruit is going to be. It isn't quite the same as what happened with UNCs big class which seemed to be sort of orchestrated or the TASSK force at Uconn - those players knew each other but were a diverse group from various states who had played with and against each other at USA trials or in AAU.
Every team develops cliques and people choose roommates or best friends, but a coaching staff and team members have a better chance to manage those dynamics if they are integral to the team process at the school - it is much harder to manage if they comes pre-packaged. I think a situation like the Samuelson sisters or the O sisters is easier because there were a few years between the arrivals so the eldest already had a few years of integration and experience before the next sister arrived, with twins it is harder.
I don't think it has to be a deal breaker, but I do think a wise coach is more wary of the situation.

And yeah - I wonder specifically about the DD/Cooper dynamic, I hadn't thought about the NW issue - did they all play for the same AAU? Not the same HS?

Much of what you say cannot be denied. Let me take another approach that you alluded to: When kids play the game at a high level from an early age chemistry and each knows the abilities of the others. When a package deal arrives it then becomes the Staff's job to envelop them into the program smoothly. Really top level basketball does not develop in 4 years--Look at the Golden 3--they played USA basketball for a few years and got to know how each other ticked. If you ever played with a group of guys (assuming you are a guy) you know the longer you play with them the better your team gets (usually). So I am in favor of PACKAGE deals up to 5 --remember the FAB FIVE (the team I loved to hate)--they were good because the played together..
That is one reason I would like to see Geno introduce Freshmen early into the team--yes, I know he did that this past year but that has not been the rule.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I am under the (unverified) impression that Gordon is coming and Williams is leanng our way. But what do I know?

I dropped the ball on Santa a couple weeks ago and lost the Tooth Fairy years ago.

OOOOh you are going to get nothing but dirty black coal in your stockings and the 8 dollars you got is all you can expect for 32 from the fairy--my Fairy never believed in inflation.

 

[Sonny44]

I'm not greedy. I'll be content with 4 out of 5 of each group.

That seems fair.

 

[UConnCat]

I'd love to hear positive news, but I'm not too concerned about lack of info. If I were hearing that she's wearing ND gear to school, I'd be more worried.

If it were up to her mother she'd be wearing ND gear every day and twice on Sunday. We'll see what Jade thinks.

 

[UcMiami]

Much of what you say cannot be denied. Let me take another approach that you alluded to: When kids play the game at a high level from an early age chemistry and each knows the abilities of the others. When a package deal arrives it then becomes the Staff's job to envelop them into the program smoothly. Really top level basketball does not develop in 4 years--Look at the Golden 3--they played USA basketball for a few years and got to know how each other ticked. If you ever played with a group of guys (assuming you are a guy) you know the longer you play with them the better your team gets (usually). So I am in favor of PACKAGE deals up to 5 --remember the FAB FIVE (the team I loved to hate)--they were good because the played together..
That is one reason I would like to see Geno introduce Freshmen early into the team--yes, I know he did that this past year but that has not been the rule.

But ... when choosing you university is about choosing to play ball with your best friend or creating a story, that is a red flag - it is about me, and us, and not the team or the coaches or the school - that I would thing most coaches would be wary of. Moriah, Morgan, and Breanna made very independent choices. UNC is an example of a 'story' that was manufactured by a group of kids and it blew up spectacularly, initially with one of the 'story makers' deciding she wanted to play with her best friend in a later class elsewhere (which has yet to bear much fruit there either.) I gather there was some story of coordination with the TASSK at Uconn led by the K who unfortunately was never able to really play, but that was in a very different era without social media and with a much less consuming AAU circuit and many fewer USA teams and none of the players had played much together.

As for freshman being integrated into the team - 90% of that we never see as it is in practice. As far as games it is all about the team needs and the player development. There are plenty of freshman at Uconn that started all or most games when there were no older players as capable of performing well, and 'superstars' (DT, Maya) who didn't start at all until injuries necessitated it. Geno and Muffet and Dawn generally have more leeway with those decisions because they are recruiting to already pretty well stocked teams, other coaches are less fortunate and/or less rigorous in their standards of play and practice.

 

[BroadwayVa]

But ... when choosing you university is about choosing to play ball with your best friend or creating a story, that is a red flag - it is about me, and us, and not the team or the coaches or the school - that I would thing most coaches would be wary of. Moriah, Morgan, and Breanna made very independent choices. UNC is an example of a 'story' that was manufactured by a group of kids and it blew up spectacularly, initially with one of the 'story makers' deciding she wanted to play with her best friend in a later class elsewhere (which has yet to bear much fruit there either.) I gather there was some story of coordination with the TASSK at Uconn led by the K who unfortunately was never able to really play, but that was in a very different era without social media and with a much less consuming AAU circuit and many fewer USA teams and none of the players had played much together.

As for freshman being integrated into the team - 90% of that we never see as it is in practice. As far as games it is all about the team needs and the player development. There are plenty of freshman at Uconn that started all or most games when there were no older players as capable of performing well, and 'superstars' (DT, Maya) who didn't start at all until injuries necessitated it. Geno and Muffet and Dawn generally have more leeway with those decisions because they are recruiting to already pretty well stocked teams, other coaches are less fortunate and/or less rigorous in their standards of play and practice.

a red flag - it is about me, and us, and not the team or the coaches or the school - that I would think most coaches would be wary of. Moriah, Morgan, and Breanna in making independent choices ; I guess one would have to have access to their tweets and email to know for certain.
But the highlighted above says it all--All of what you say has merit, but opinions are opinions.
My point is---Players that play together a long time, develop chemistry, know when a teammate is making a break to the basket, makes eye contact of a certain nature, then you have (if talented) the basis of a really good team.
Geno loves to tell us all that if she practices well she will get playing time--then many assume Freshmen not getting playing time is because of practice--however, if a player is NOT integrated into the team in a game situation other teammates tend to (at times) ignore them during games.
Maya came off the bench for her first few games and she came very highly touted--DT is the exception to any rule associated with Geno and Basketball. But I prefaced my comment about Freshmen playing with something along the lines of "if I were doing it or coaching them"--I would integrate them early or send them home; a warm body is a waste of coaching staff, bench space, work on transferring them.

 

[UcMiami]

a red flag - it is about me, and us, and not the team or the coaches or the school - that I would think most coaches would be wary of. Moriah, Morgan, and Breanna in making independent choices ; I guess one would have to have access to their tweets and email to know for certain.
But the highlighted above says it all--All of what you say has merit, but opinions are opinions.
My point is---Players that play together a long time, develop chemistry, know when a teammate is making a break to the basket, makes eye contact of a certain nature, then you have (if talented) the basis of a really good team.
Geno loves to tell us all that if she practices well she will get playing time--then many assume Freshmen not getting playing time is because of practice--however, if a player is NOT integrated into the team in a game situation other teammates tend to (at times) ignore them during games.
Maya came off the bench for her first few games and she came very highly touted--DT is the exception to any rule associated with Geno and Basketball. But I prefaced my comment about Freshmen playing with something along the lines of "if I were doing it or coaching them"--I would integrate them early or send them home; a warm body is a waste of coaching staff, bench space, work on transferring them.

Not meaning to go around with this, but whatever team players were on prior to arriving at their university, the system and the teammates are going to be so different that being 'familiar' with each others games is not going to help them much - they will be playing different roles, be in different positions, etc. And the quality of the competition is so different, the speed of the game.

Absolutely players grow with their teammates and become better as a team because of their familiarity, I just don't think that aspect is very important or really carried over from HS to the college level.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Not meaning to go around with this, but whatever team players were on prior to arriving at their university, the system and the teammates are going to be so different that being 'familiar' with each others games is not going to help them much - they will be playing different roles, be in different positions, etc. And the quality of the competition is so different, the speed of the game.

Absolutely players grow with their teammates and become better as a team because of their familiarity, I just don't think that aspect is very important or really carried over from HS to the college level.

I could and would disagree with this but as you say---Not to go around with this---I think we each beat this dead horse deader (what ever that could possibly mean??) So I shall agree to disagree.
I don't post on the Boneyard as a means of employment, Vocation, Avocation, I don't do data searches, to me this is (supposed to be) for enjoyment. This old brain that once could remember many thing, operations and nuances, no longer can--so I must admit to not using apps (in my early days of computer I thought anyone using an application was cheating, you had to program yourself) and to not being able to remember where DT or Maya or Sue was on Dec 14, 2003.
I enjoy your banter, don't believe otherwise, as long as we are presenting OPINIONS --which by the way is in the title of this TREAD. Thanks.

 

[hoophuskee]

I don't get the thread but I get the idea "there is concern." Maybe I'm imagining but lately I've seen/read many posters/fans "are concerned." I guess when you go three years losing one basketball game and maybe in three other games in that span or four or five others you were "tested" there is a concern that you won't go undefeated and blow out nearly everyone.


If you want to get back to losing one game every three of four years or to alleviate your "concerns"- the answer is easy what you need ot do. Whenever a genrational player comes around - you get that a player and surround her with other top tier recruits at other positions in which you fill ALL the positions with extremely high quality. For example, if we want to lose 'maybe one game" every four years so you don't have to worry that much if UCONN gets the number 1-3 ranked recruit for 6-8 years straight. That's ALL you need to do so you aren't so worried.

 

[CocoHusky]

If it were up to her mother she'd be wearing ND gear every day and twice on Sunday. We'll see what Jade thinks.

What!? What is Jade's Mothers connection and affinity to ND?