UConn (only) Recruiting (only) Speculation

[Zarathustra]

A great picture of Paige with Liza Karlen before Paige decided not to be "OLIVE OIL" and
became "MUSCLES BUECKERS"

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Perspective:

These two players played in the same conference, played the same power forward position, 2024 Stats:

Liza Karlen 17.7 Pts/game, 7.9 Reb/game, 2.1 AST/game, FG% 49.7

Aaliyah Edwards 17.6 Pts/game, 9.2 Reb/game, 2.1 AST/game, Can’t find %!!!

Karlen's a nice player. Edwards was an AA.

Liza Karlen College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Liza Karlen - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

Aaliyah Edwards College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Aaliyah Edwards - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

 

[HuskyNan]

Ya, I picked the most prominent center in the women’s collegiate game, and failed at what I thought was an obvious joke about ‘a reliable source’ telling some schlub like me insider information. Betts is certainly not going to leave Hollywood, although yes, I do agree that it would be nice to have her on the team!

Cheers!

Fear not, a lot of people, including me, understood your wry humor because you used the emoji.

 

[WiseWillie]

Well, is the Boneyard ready to move and stop the talk about other teams and their potential or a specific player who never was in the mix on this thread which if I can still read correctly was supposed to be ABOUT UCONN (ONLY).

 

[oldhusky]

Karlen's a nice player. Edwards was an AA.

Liza Karlen College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Liza Karlen - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

Aaliyah Edwards College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Aaliyah Edwards - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

A great site for statistical comparisons with advanced stats that everyone should use because it is free. Herhoops.com also excellent but with a subscription.

 

[BRS24]

Can UConn women’s basketball still land a transfer portal post player? Three potential targets

After missing on Oregon State forward Raegan Beers, UConn women’s basketball has limited options as it looks for a transfer post player.

www.courant.com

Barker, Dauda, and Karlen listed. I'd take them in that order.

 

[oldude]

Can UConn women’s basketball still land a transfer portal post player? Three potential targets

After missing on Oregon State forward Raegan Beers, UConn women’s basketball has limited options as it looks for a transfer post player.

www.courant.com

Barker, Dauda, and Karlen listed. I'd take them in that order.

Dauda is a much better fit at UConn. She would be my first choice.

 

[Artifact]

Interesting fact, They measured the players height, in the final four, & some of the tall players, did not matched their reported heights !

 

[oldhusky]

Can UConn women’s basketball still land a transfer portal post player? Three potential targets

After missing on Oregon State forward Raegan Beers, UConn women’s basketball has limited options as it looks for a transfer post player.

www.courant.com

Barker, Dauda, and Karlen listed. I'd take them in that order.

I would reverse that order, mostly because of one year vs two, but regardless at this point I don't think we can be that picky. If any one of those three is ready to commit you take them. Without knowing details on the player's preferences, or who we are competing with, except that Dauda was supposedly contacted by 20 schools, we can't be sure we will get any of them.

In some ways getting the next tier player could be harder than pursuing Beers or Iriafen. They didn't have to worry about playing time or starting, and knew that wherever they went they would be on a championship contender. With this group the championship contender is a given with us, but their role is likely to be less than it was, and many players don't want that. The well is almost dry, so I just hope we get one of them and we see a Skim picture of a husky soon.

 

[pvdoggy]

Ya, I picked the most prominent center in the women’s collegiate game, and failed at what I thought was an obvious joke about ‘a reliable source’ telling some schlub like me insider information. Betts is certainly not going to leave Hollywood, although yes, I do agree that it would be nice to have her on the team!

Cheers!

I can't believe some of the replies to your original post like it was real. Some people are so gullible

 

[BRS24]

I would reverse that order, mostly because of one year vs two, but regardless at this point I don't think we can be that picky. If any one of those three is ready to commit you take them. Without knowing details on the player's preferences, or who we are competing with, except that Dauda was supposedly contacted by 20 schools, we can't be sure we will get any of them.

In some ways getting the next tier player could be harder than pursuing Beers or Iriafen. They didn't have to worry about playing time or starting, and knew that wherever they went they would be on a championship contender. With this group the championship contender is a given with us, but their role is likely to be less than it was, and many players don't want that. The well is almost dry, so I just hope we get one of them and we see a Skim picture of a husky soon.

Good point on 1 vs 2 years. Barker was born in 2003, so technically, she could declare for the draft in 2025. Dauda redshirted in 2021-22, so she may also be a 2003.

 

[DemonDeac22]

I’d be more optimistic if I knew that either Dauda or Karlen had made contact with the UConn staff expressing interest in coming here.

 

[AmeriConn]

Between Barker, Dauda, and Karlen, you would think we could recruit one. No?

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Dauda is a much better fit at UConn. She would be my first choice.

I like her rim protection.

 

[Bone Dog]

Interesting fact, They measured the players height, in the final four, & some of the tall players, did not matched their reported heights !

Must have use Hartley units.

 

[oldhusky]

I’d be more optimistic if I knew that either Dauda or Karlen had made contact with the UConn staff expressing interest in coming here.

I would be too. I don't think we know if there is any mutual interest or not, which is concerning.

 

[Bone Dog]

Can UConn women’s basketball still land a transfer portal post player? Three potential targets

After missing on Oregon State forward Raegan Beers, UConn women’s basketball has limited options as it looks for a transfer post player.

www.courant.com

Barker, Dauda, and Karlen listed. I'd take them in that order.

I’m not convinced we need them. But I think any one of them could be important contributors in Storrs. I also wonder which of them is prepared to take a backseat to Jana. She is the future of the program, and I expect Geno will prioritize her getting at least rotation minutes if not being the primary starter for much of the season. And all of them still need to learn his system, though perhaps Karlen least of this group, while Jana has had some experience of it in practices.

Maybe I like Liza the best just because she may be the most mature. Barker is a superb athlete, but perhaps not yet an entirely formed basketball player, and that’s a distinction that really matters to Geno.

 

[HopJim]

I don't have personal knowledge of any of these three but would lean towards whoever has the highest basketball IQ. We have so much offensive potential at the guard and Strong positions (whatever position she ends up playing), that having another taller player who has the experience to seamlessly plug into the UConn system would be ideal. While the basketball gods owe UConn an injury free season, even one or two sprained ankles would create a need for this role.

 

[huskeynut]

I am amazed at the obsession with another post player, 6' 5" or taller, or for that matter, any front court player.

Beers decides its Oklahoma. Fine. Then all these other names pop up as a must get. It's insane.

The big thing is rebounding. We always get our rebounded. Just FYI, rebounding is about 20 - 25% technique and the rerst is pure desire. Examples have been cited as to those UConn rebounders who were not 6' 5".

There is only one opinion that counts - Geno's. And Geno knows what he has and what he needs.

 

[BobbyJ]

Between Barker, Dauda, and Karlen, you would think we could recruit one. No?

If UConn had wanted any of them, they could’ve recruited them coming out of HS. They weren’t unknowns. But they didn’t.

 

[Heytherego]

I’m not convinced we need them. But I think any one of them could be important contributors in Storrs. I also wonder which of them is prepared to take a backseat to Jana. She is the future of the program, and I expect Geno will prioritize her getting at least rotation minutes if not being the primary starter for much of the season. And all of them still need to learn his system, though perhaps Karlen least of this group, while Jana has had some experience of it in practices.

Maybe I like Liza the best just because she may be the most mature. Barker is a superb athlete, but perhaps not yet an entirely formed basketball player, and that’s a distinction that really matters to Geno.

I do think we need an experienced big. Aubrey will be coming back from injury even though she’s really a 3/4, Jana also coming back from injury and no experience playing college ball, Ice looks more like a 4 and seems like she needs a little more time to grow and adjust.
Most of the best teams have great bigs; South Carolina, UCLA, USC now with the addition of Kiki, NC state just added that big girl from Boston, LSU has Morrow and that girl coming back from injury who I thought looked really good (blanking on her name). IMO we need an experienced big to be up on that tier with them. If Jana does pan out and turns out to be a great freshman that’s awesome. But we’ve all seen it takes freshman awhile to adjust.

 

[AmeriConn]

If UConn had wanted any of them, they could’ve recruited them coming out of HS. They weren’t unknowns. But they didn’t.

Does that go for Chen as well?

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

The Portal circus didn’t affect me as much as the amusing preoccupation on the Boneyard.

• My one consideration was I felt that one Portal addition would maximize the TASSK first year similarity, allow Geno to play 5+4+ right from the start and maximize player development with 10-player quality practices.
• Geno and the team confirmed that with the addition of Kaitlyn, which also allows him to easily recreate his 2023 offense.

The later pursuit of a post player, which totally consumed some members, was for me an ambiguously tell, which only Geno and the players can resolve given they know best.

• is the pursuit mainly an insurance (good to have) to the asterisked best-in-class on-paper roster?
• is the pursuit an absolute necessity given information only they know?
• is the pursuit to make a more formidable roster (Raegan)?

My post-hoc rationalization on the lack of last-minute frantic buys, is that the post player pursuit is mainly insurance. I am relieved that this is probably the case.

Looking forward to the season.

 

[oldhusky]

I don't think getting a guard like Chen was ever the first priority, it was the second one. We probably were looking for one of each, a big and a small. The big was a far greater need and if we had obtained Beers or Iriafen it would have been many times more important than the Chen pickup.

But Chen was an obvious good choice, available and willing to fill the lesser of the two goals. We struck out on huge difference making bigs, are still pursuing players that could be more than just injury insurance, because at least a few appear to be upgrades over Ayanna and Ice on paper in addition to being insurance.

If we don't get one of those, then the possibility of pursuing a next tier lower that would pretty much be injury insurance only is possible, but we are not there yet IMO.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Dauda is a much better fit at UConn. She would be my first choice.

No Dauda 'bout it.