Does Geno Really Get The "BEST" Players?

[JavaMan]

I was struck by the number of times during the Cinn. game that the ESPN crew mentioned that UConn gets the "best" players. By "best," I'm presuming they meant "highest ranked." In the 2013 HS class, Saniya's final rank was 75th "best" in both HoopGurlz [LINK] and Prospects [LINK]. Not one of the other 74 higher ranked "best" young ladies choose UConn. Yet, Saniya has become a valuable part of our team, indisputably!

What numbers constitute the "best" anyway? Top 5? Top 10? Top 75? The numbers just don't add up. Geno doesn't always get the #1, or 2 or 3 etc. Sometimes, but not always. Nor does he always end up with the best recruiting class. Based on results though, UConn is always one of the BEST. I often hear that opposing coaches and some players, and definitely some critics, also "complain" that Geno gets the "best" players. Presumably, that's their defense for why UConn consistently win so much.

Hypothetically, how long would it take for Geno and CD to turn a current ND, or Baylor, or So. Carolina, or Tenn., or etc. etc. team into national champions? But, the pundits would likely still say that Geno gets the "best" players.

So, the answer is YES. Geno does in fact always get the best players.

 

[dtbtbtb]

While Geno doesn't get the top recruiting classes because players who come to UConn typically reach their potential as players it seems that he always gets the best players while the truth is that Geno got the best players because he helps them become that!
That said it sure helps to have 2 nr. 1 players on the same roster (KML and Stewie this year and next season KLS and Stewie)

 

[EricLA]

By "best", they generally mean the highest rated coming out of HS. Generally in any given class there are between 1-5 players who are truly elite potential superstars, and usually they are just the top 2 or 3 at most. Depending on what service you look at, usually these are the kids who are rated 98 or above. They not only are great to start with, but have a ton of potential too.

2007: Moore, Bjorkland
2008: EDD
2009: Griner, Bone, Diggins
2010: Ogwumike, Howard, Simms, Gray
2011: KML, Williams
2012: Stewart, Jefferson, Jones, Loyd
2013: Russell, Davis, Deshields
2014: Wilson, Turner, Atkins, Canada
2015: Samuelson, Durr, Collier, Shephard, Higgs
2016: Cox, Holmes, Dangerfield

In that 10 year stretch, UCONN landed 8. That's stunning. The next closest was Duke with 3, 4 if you count Salvadores the foreign kid who verbaled there. I'm not even sure if you can count Bjorkland from 2007, but in that time span Tennessee has had 3.

 

[ChicagoGG]

He gets the "best" players for his team and his way of coaching. All for the team, not for individual stats. Although the stats seem to follow naturally.

 

[alexrgct]

Hey, it goes both ways: we can't win it all without Stewie, Maya, Diana, Sue, or Rebecca, whereas Pat couldn't win eight NCs without Bridgette Gordon, Daedre Charles, Chamique Holdsclaw, or Candace Parker.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

I think he gets the players he wants. Yea sometimes he gets the top tier talent because usually the player he wants is ranked high. They are ranked high because it's not always talent. Some players work hard and it pays off with a higher ranking. Geno likes unselfish work horses.

However, as stated above he gets the players he wants and has what he is looking for in a player. Stef Dolson, Kelly Faris, Bria Hartley, Sue Bird, to name a few where outside the top 10 ( some outside the top 20/30 ) and yet 3 of them left UCONN an all American. I attribute that to coaching. Coaching in the sense that Geno and staff develop players and make them better but also he sees what he wants and they don't have to be the #1 player.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Yes, UConn gets the best players. But rather than saying an individual class is dominant - although there are few years Geno doesn't get a share of the top talent - I don't think there is any team out there that can put 5 players on the floor at once that are - in total talent - close. He rarely misses some top player in any year (and then you don't end up with a "fab" class, you have a "fab" group spread across class years so they are not all coming or leaving at once).

And then, as said above, he coaches them up and gets the most out of their talent, while on some teams, all you would have was a chemistry ridden mess.

And Geno proved he could do it before he had the "best" talent. He gets them because he has did it, and did it very well, when UConn was a talented team, but perhaps less so than Tennessee and some others at the time.

No one thinks UConn wins purely because of the ranking of the players exclusively, unless they are idiots. That said, anyone who doesn't think that is a factor - particularly in the sheer on-court domination with starters playing only 1/2 a game - is being unrealistic.

 

[Wally East]

Stef Dolson, Kelly Faris, Bria Hartley, Sue Bird, to name a few where outside the top 10 ( some outside the top 20/30 ) and yet 3 of them left UCONN an all American.

Well, all four of those players played in McDonald's and/or WBCA All-American game, so they're not hidden gems or anything. One could argue that all four of them should have been All-Americans while at UConn, and, all four were (Kelly was a USBWA All-American).

 

[HuskiesU]

He gets 1 or 2 super star like every other teams. The thing is kids just want to play at Uconn and for Geno

 

[WestTXFan]

It's the "buy-in." Every exceptional player talks candidly about Geno, UConn, making them the best they can be. Rebecca wanted to go home after a couple of weeks. Sue was lambasted as her parents sat behind the bench on their first visit. Diana hated practice. Frequently they say practice is more challenging than the game. He coaches them "like basketball players," not women basketball players.

 

[Ellie]

Good post. Uconn recruiting is a study in itself. Lots of thought goes into choosing players who seem to buy into the system rather than players who think they are greater than the team. We've won some and lost a few recruiting battles but Geno and staff adapt and always seem to have a Plan B when they don't always get what they want. Most certainly isn't as easy as it looks and I don't pretend to know what our coach is thinking about recruiting but no one does it better. That's why he's one for the ages and I'm lucky enough to be alive for the ride.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Just one crude score sheet from one imperfect HoopGurlz rating service of the top 25 players for each of the last four years with the value reversed by place (#1 = 25 points and #25 = 1 point) gives the following score for the top 10 scoring teams:

1. Tenn (134)
2t. UConn (117)
2t. Duke (117)
4. Rutgers (85)
5. Notre Dame (74)
6. UNC (57)
7. Stanford (54)
8. USC (52)
9t. South Carolina (44)
9t. California (44)
Other of the top teams include Kentucky (36), Louisville (34), Maryland (32), while Baylor is at 17.

Many top players such as Tiffany Mitchell and Nina Davis were not in the HG Top 25, there have been some tranfers, and a top #1 like Stewie is off of this scale beyond a simple 25 points. But clearly the top schools tend to have gotten the top players.

 

[Buzzyboy]

By "best", they generally mean the highest rated coming out of HS. Generally in any given class there are between 1-5 players who are truly elite potential superstars, and usually they are just the top 2 or 3 at most. Depending on what service you look at, usually these are the kids who are rated 98 or above. They not only are great to start with, but have a ton of potential too.

2007: Moore, Bjorkland
2008: EDD
2009: Griner, Bone, Diggins
2010: Ogwumike, Howard, Simms, Gray
2011: KML, Williams
2012: Stewart, Jefferson, Jones, Loyd
2013: Russell, Davis, Deshields
2014: Wilson, Turner, Atkins, Canada
2015: Samuelson, Durr, Collier, Shephard, Higgs
2016: Cox, Holmes, Dangerfield

In that 10 year stretch, UCONN landed 8. That's stunning. The next closest was Duke with 3, 4 if you count Salvadores the foreign kid who verbaled there. I'm not even sure if you can count Bjorkland from 2007, but in that time span Tennessee has had 3.

I'm inclined to say that in the past 8 years he had four because EDD didn't come here, Samuelson and Collier and Dangerfield haven't made it yet. When you talk about 8 versus 3 it really distorts the reality of what has happened. The fact that three of the eight are on the verge of coming only suggests that talented players want to become even better and where else is there to go where you can become the best you can be. They've seen what Geno has done in the past with less stellar players so they and others are inclined to want to achieve as much as possible. Success breeds success and we all have to remember when UConn only got scraps which is harsh because a lot of the "scraps" all contributed to the team first concept that has made UConn the success that it has been. It's just a bit easier to do it when the talent level increases and so it has. Just a reminder of how often Duke and Tennessee have had the number one recruiting class and how they fared with that. Very often, not very well, at all! The recruiting services try and determine how good high school kids are and sometimes it's difficult to determine what the ceiling is for some of these prospects. Some mature sooner, others later and that's the reality of life. I think the suggestion that UConn always gets the best really distorts what Geno and Chris Daly have done at UConn and diminishes their achievements badly. I'm sure even now they would have a lot of success if they were only able to get top 50 players instead of top 10 players because he would still find the right girls who played the game the right way and beat the snot out of teams that theoretically were more talented but played more for themselves than did Geno's teams.

 

[Buzzyboy]

It's the "buy-in." Every exceptional player talks candidly about Geno, UConn, making them the best they can be. Rebecca wanted to go home after a couple of weeks. Sue was lambasted as her parents sat behind the bench on their first visit. Diana hated practice. Frequently they say practice is more challenging than the game. He coaches them "like basketball players," not women basketball players.

He definitely doesn't coddle them at all. They get serious tough love.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Hey, it goes both ways: we can't win it all without Stewie, Maya, Diana, Sue, or Rebecca, whereas Pat couldn't win eight NCs without Bridgette Gordon, Daedre Charles, Chamique Holdsclaw, or Candace Parker.

I haven't the foggiest idea who Daedre Charles or Bridgette Gordon are. I assume they played for the Lady Vols in the earliest championship years. It's amazing that the names are so totally unfamiliar to me.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I think he gets the players he wants. Yea sometimes he gets the top tier talent because usually the player he wants is ranked high. They are ranked high because it's not always talent. Some players work hard and it pays off with a higher ranking. Geno likes unselfish work horses.

However, as stated above he gets the players he wants and has what he is looking for in a player. Stef Dolson, Kelly Faris, Bria Hartley, Sue Bird, to name a few where outside the top 10 ( some outside the top 20/30 ) and yet 3 of them left UCONN an all American. I attribute that to coaching. Coaching in the sense that Geno and staff develop players and make them better but also he sees what he wants and they don't have to be the #1 player.

I think your opening sentence is a little off. He does get a lot of the players he wants but I can guarantee you that last year he was wanting A'ja Wilson REALLY BAD. He has misses but he also has good alternatives. Dolson was a second choice, as well though I can't remember who he was shooting for. She was like a top 30 recruit by some services but she turned out fine with great coaching and with her very hard work.

 

[Woof 101]

Does Geno get some of the top players? Obviously, but many are just big fish in small ponds and easily overrated by the so called experts.
Just my opinion as I am no expert but what Geno does is get the best out of every player he gets. No player in his system comes to UCONN and leaves an ounce of potential on the table. His ability to push prod and develop is beyond comprehension.

There are talking heads that should do their homework and be ashamed for their ignorance on the topic.

 

[Wally East]

Does Geno get some of the top players? Obviously, but many are just big fish in small ponds and easily overrated by the so called experts.

What do you mean?

 

[DobbsRover2]

What do you mean?

Possibly that a Stewie in upstate NY or a Saniya in a downstate NY or a Moriah in a home-schooled TX are in small ponds. But if you eat the other fish with some proficiency and can listen to Geno with some degree of understanding, you'll be okay in life.

 

[BRS24]

I think that BEST can be described in a number of ways. Geno looks for things when no one else is looking ... players attitude when wining, losing, on the bench. I think that's what makes a player really good.

On EDIT - those that can play basketball, learn things. Not necessarily the best athlete. You can work on that but can you teach athletes to be great basketball players once they get to college?

 

[HGN]

No....Geno doesn't always get the best players. But he gets enough good ones and coaches them up , that it seems like they are the best players available.

JMHO.

 

[Blueballer]

He doesn't at get all the great players but just enough #1's or #2's to keep a Big Time AA with the other really good players.

Besides if Lloyd wins the Player Of The Year awards we an say "See he didn't have the best player"

 

[Wally East]

I'm inclined to say that in the past 8 years he had four because EDD didn't come here, Samuelson and Collier and Dangerfield haven't made it yet.

Four is still more than anyone else, which is exactly the point.

People. There's nothing wrong with saying Geno gets the best players. It's a compliment regarding his recruiting skills and the legacy he's built. Why wouldn't UConn get the best players more often than not? Wouldn't it be stranger if the best players didn't come to UConn?

And, no, this does not diminish the coaching job Geno and the rest of the staff does. Very good players are made into great players and great players are made into legends.

 

[j66kicker]

Four is still more than anyone else, which is exactly the point.

People. There's nothing wrong with saying Geno gets the best players. It's a compliment regarding his recruiting skills and the legacy he's built. Why wouldn't UConn get the best players more often than not? Wouldn't it be stranger if the best players didn't come to UConn?

And, no, this does not diminish the coaching job Geno and the rest of the staff does. Very good players are made into great players and great players are made into legends.

But Brenda says since Geno gets so many HS AAs he doesn't HAVE to coach...(b*hatch)

I DO hope we get to play MD in the FF. (Likely we will have already beTen the other FF participants)