Ayana Patterson 2022 #3 Ranked Player UConn in Final 5 | Page 5 | The Boneyard

Ayana Patterson 2022 #3 Ranked Player UConn in Final 5

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RF, you completely missed the point of my narrative, the crux of which was that UCLA (and Cori Close) IS NOT as attractive to recruits as other programs. Just because it's a high profile (and low 12.3% acceptance rate - 2020) school in an upscale part of town close to the ocean does not make it a place players want to go to. UCLA is not as culturally diverse as some other top ranked schools.

No one GAVE Geno anything. No one is going to give Cori Close anything. Close is a good coach doing the best she can. She's in a tough conference. Stanford is now back to being the elephant in the room in the PAC 12. Oregon has abdicated the throne. I understand and appreciate that you don't agree. I respect that, but I'm calling it like I see it.
I played in Pauley Pavilion in my youth (during the Sidney Wicks/Curtis Rowe era). I've been on that campus and the campuses of ALL of the large 4 year academic institutions here in Southern California. UCLA is nice, but would not be my first choice if I were an elite wcbb recruit looking for a top ranked college program to play for.
GA has been hands down the best recruiter of his era. Although I don't think he is quite the 'God' people make him out to be, I think he is and has been one hell of a coach too.

But to get kids to come to Storrs consistently over the years, especially in the beginning when he had nothing to sell except the kid's faith in an unproven coach, is incredible!
 

HuskyNan

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IMO, what makes Geno one of the great coaches in women’s basketball isn’t his ability to draw top players, although he does, or his X’s and O’s; it’s his ability to cover up his team’s worst flaws. Yesterday’s game is a perfect example. This year’s team is not a great shooting team so Geno has emphasized defense to speed up opponents, force turnovers, and get out in transition where the Huskies are deadly. Geno said as much after the game. (See below). I never count out the Huskies for that reason.

One thing about recruiting, Geno doesn’t zero in on the highest ranked kids - he’s bypassed many. He looks for talent, desire to win, and versatility, among other things. The versatility allows players to alter their play to help Geno cover the flaws. For example someone that’s methodical and who wants only to play in the half court won’t thrive at UConn. So by recruiting versatile players, Geno has options to cover the ugly up. This, to me, is a big part of his greatness.

 

Carnac

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Coco is, of course, spot on. In my parochial mindset for Notre Dame, I've got to think the recruiting shut down/dead period rules hurt Niele and Michaela (Mike) Mabrey, ND's recruiting coordinator, in pursuits of players like Timea Gardiner (from Utah). Opening up the focus, that's true of any school that recruits on a far-flung basis.

Luckily -- in this case -- Ft. Wayne ain't Salt Lake City. Patterson has been to Notre Dame prior to the recruiting dead period. My Bench colleague, MPG (who is a season ticket holder) always kept track of who was visiting at games and he reported Ms. Patterson & family at a game.

When Niele took the HC job last year, the first three calls she made to prospects were: Olivia Miles, Sonia Citron and Ayanna Patterson. One's on campus (Miles), the other is coming (Citron) and Niele is all in on the third Stay tuned.
Like I said, Niele is going to do everything she can to keep Patterson in Indiana.
 

Carnac

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Since we're in supposition and speculation mode I'll just throw this out there:
I have a strong hunch that she has already made her decision and wants to announce early to help that team in their further recruiting efforts. My gut tells me it is Notre Dame and the intent (with Niele Ivey's nod) is to let all prospective recruits know that Notre Dame BB has a few blue chippers on board and will be seriously good.
According to a Dillon77 post: When Niele took the HC job last year, the first three calls she made to prospects were: Olivia Miles, Sonia Citron and Ayanna Patterson. One's on campus (Miles), the other is coming (Citron)
Me too. Like many other recruits that ultimately came to UConn said AFTER their reveal, they had made their mind up long before the date of their announcement. It's a good bet that Patterson knows where she's going. That's why the announcement. She just added the only 4 schools in there to add some suspense. I'm glad she's having her reveal now instead of November 8 months from now.

One way or another, it will allow Geno and staff to focus on other coveted recruits from that class. It's nice to read that there are so many other UConn fans that what to see Patterson come to Storrs. She'd be a HUGE get for our program. The results of her reveal will no doubt be posted here in the boneyard 30 seconds after her announcement.
 
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Me too. Like many other recruits that ultimately came to UConn said AFTER their reveal, they had made their mind up long before the date of their announcement. Patterson knows where she's going. That's why the announcement. She just added the only 4 schools in there to add some suspense. I'm glad she's having her reveal now instead of November 8 months from now.

One way or another, it will allow Geno and staff to focus on other coveted recruits from that class. It's nice to read that there are so many other UConn fans that what to see Patterson come to Storrs. She'd be a HUGE get for our program. The results of her reveal will no doubt be posted here in the boneyard 30 seconds after her announcement.
Maybe. While I'm sure GA really wants Patterson, the roster numbers and player versatility show that getting her would be more of a luxury than a need because of Brady in the '22 class. So he doesn't need to just fill a roster spot. He might just go with a one kid class to avoid any logjams if in '23 there was a quality, jumbo sized big just a 3 1/2 hour drive away down in Trenton, NJ that would possibly like to stay reasonably local in the Northeast. ;) Initials are ADR.
 

UcMiami

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IMO, what makes Geno one of the great coaches in women’s basketball isn’t his ability to draw top players, although he does, or his X’s and O’s; it’s his ability to cover up his team’s worst flaws. Yesterday’s game is a perfect example. This year’s team is not a great shooting team so Geno has emphasized defense to speed up opponents, force turnovers, and get out in transition where the Huskies are deadly. Geno said as much after the game. (See below). I never count out the Huskies for that reason.

One thing about recruiting, Geno doesn’t zero in on the highest ranked kids - he’s bypassed many. He looks for talent, desire to win, and versatility, among other things. The versatility allows players to alter their play to help Geno cover the flaws. For example someone that’s methodical and who wants only to play in the half court won’t thrive at UConn. So by recruiting versatile players, Geno has options to cover the ugly up. This, to me, is a big part of his greatness.

The other thing with Geno's coaching that stands out to me is the teaching and development of the talent he brings in. More than any other coach in WCBB he is developing their physical and mental capabilities from day one. And it shows not only with his superstar players, but also with the marginal players. He teaches the game of basketball, looks at each player, determines what their 'best' can be, and forces them toward that 'ideal' player they could be. And he is always pushing them to do more, to add more tricks to their craft, not toward the success of his current team, but toward their success in future years against more talented players. It is why good WNBA GMs are always looking for Uconn alum - because they know they will be fundamentally sound and possess high BB IQs and know how to practice and learn.
 

bballnut90

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I won't predict where she'll go but ND on paper makes the most sense to me with a strong class ahead of her plus two years with Westbeld. Would be a massive get for Niele and they'd be dangerous as upperclassmen if everyone sticks. Indiana also could be a good fit staying close to home and she should be a star there early on.

If she picks UCONN their practices will be insane with so much talent but I dont see much playing time for at least 1-2 of her, Brady and DeBerry until they're upperclassment. Maybe they're fine taking reduced roles, but top 5 recruits usually want to play their first 2 years. Next year will be our first glimpse of how Geno manages a massive roster since historically he's always kept very small rosters compared to most programs.
 

Dillon77

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A little strange to me that HS juniors would commit during this spring if they are not already strongly connected to a specific school. At some point during this spring/summer the dead period will end and recruits will be able to visit schools and get a first hand feel for them. Their really isn't any deadline on commitments until the early signing window.

I guess there may be a few schools that are so tight to maximum scholarships that it would make sense, bust most top ten players are going to be dealing with that I think, and again that would imply a very strong lean for the recruit.

The NCAA announced that it was hoping to get out of the dead period by June 1st and they group in charge of said things would give some direction to all concerned by mid-April. So, like you, I'm kind of scratching my head that folks who aren't quite sure -- or might want to see where they're going to hang their hat and live for four years -- wouldn't wait to see what opportunities might await them.

Who knows? Maybe they do have their minds made up or are getting advice that rosters are filling up quickly?

Stay tuned.
 

Dillon77

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Niele might want to start winning some more games and getting ND into the NCAA tournament like the other 4 schools on Patterson list.

Did you have a dark roast today, Coco? That came out a bit harsh ? ;).

Given that ND doesn't have a chance to win any more actual games this season, the best way Niele might ensure winning some more games in the future would be to continue to pitch Ms. Patterson and other 2022 targets hard. She should sell Patterson on how ND is going to move the .500 record forward next year and how Patterson can help it go even further when she joins. Just a thought. ?

Stay tuned.
 
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Maybe. While I'm sure GA really wants Patterson, the roster numbers and player versatility show that getting her would be more of a luxury than a need because of Brady in the '22 class. So he doesn't need to just fill a roster spot. He might just go with a one kid class to avoid any logjams if in '23 there was a quality, jumbo sized big just a 3 1/2 hour drive away down in Trenton, NJ that would possibly like to stay reasonably local in the Northeast. ;) Initials are ADR.
I tend to agree that's probably the case with GA. However, I would like to see a class of two. And nothing is for certain when it comes to young kids these days in terms of changing their minds or switching programs. I'd love to have a stacked deck and let the competition play out. I know if ICE, Patterson, and ADR are that good, GA will give them playing time. And being at UCONN will undoubtedly give these kids the platform to jump to the next level unlike any other program in WCBB.
 

UcMiami

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The NCAA announced that it was hoping to get out of the dead period by June 1st and they group in charge of said things would give some direction to all concerned by mid-April. So, like you, I'm kind of scratching my head that folks who aren't quite sure -- or might want to see where they're going to hang their hat and live for four years -- wouldn't wait to see what opportunities might await them.

Who knows? Maybe they do have their minds made up or are getting advice that rosters are filling up quickly?

Stay tuned.
Dillon - yeah, I wasn't trying to be snarky about Patterson or any other recruit with my earlier posts - just pointing out that we have been a year long dark period for college recruiting, but there appears to be an end of the darkness coming soon. Seems like it would make sense with no deadline for HS kids short of six months, that they would wait a few more months. If they are already sure of what they want, fine, but if there is any doubt ...
 
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You

I tend to agree that's probably the case with GA. However, I would like to see a class of two. And nothing is for certain when it comes to young kids these days in terms of changing their minds or switching programs. I'd love to have a stacked deck and let the competition play out. I know if ICE, Patterson, and ADR are that good, GA will give them playing time. And being at UCONN will undoubtedly give these kids the platform to jump to the next level unlike any other program in WCBB.
And I’m sure that’s what GA is doing and what will happen IF Patterson picked UConn. My point is that IF she doesn’t, don’t fill the slot with just another big of less talent if he can get a top tier, really big post like ADR in the next class with two years of separation from DeBerry in ‘21. It would be a way of spacing out his inventory of 6-3+ bigs and allows room for the possible emergence of Gabriel down the road who is 6-5.
 

Sluconn Husky

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Nothing new here, but a local report on Patterson's decision:


 
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We'll see. I still recall the 2017 and 2018 seasons both of which should've ended in titles.
One of those ended in a loss because we got beat by a team that posed major matchup issues for us. We were good but flawed. The other ended because of how the refs called the game, period.
 

Sluconn Husky

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EwpM2HaXEAMMgN4
 
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Really. I would like to see Geno win without talent. Heck he gets Paige Becker now getting Fudd. I expect him to win. Give that talent to Cori maybe she will win everything. You need talent to win, Wooden won because he Kareem, great coaches win with talent. Lots of teams have not won everything so everyone should go to Conneticut?
Some would say that convincing talent to come to your school actually is a talent! Why do you think all those talented players go to UConn? You are aware that no one forces them? Perhaps Cori should demonstrate (as Geno did) that she can build a program up to the point where UCLA is a Final Four threat every year. I promise you, if she does that, she will get all the talent she wants.
 
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Some would say that convincing talent to come to your school actually is a talent! Why do you think all those talented players go to UConn? You are aware that no one forces them? Perhaps Cori should demonstrate (as Geno did) that she can build a program up to the point where UCLA is a Final Four threat every year. I promise you, if she does that, she will get all the talent she wants.
GA has to be the greatest recruiter of all time in WBB and probably in any sport. He is incredibly witty, quick witted, intelligent and charming.

So I definitely agree that to recruit players to Storrs and there is no tangible reason to go as far as weather, location, etc. is concerned is an amazing accomplishment. GA has to convinced top recruits to leave an often lovely, sunny place and move far away from their family and friends to come to the cold desolation of Storrs (in comparison to other schools anyway). GA has an incredible gift. The only thing that Storrs really has going for it, in comparison to other destinations, is that despite all of the above, top recruits simply want to be coached by GA.
 

oldude

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The only thing that Storrs really has going for it, in comparison to other destinations, is that despite all of the above, top recruits simply want to be coached by GA.
A few other things come to mind:
- Win Championships
- Develop into a successful pro player
- Play with Paige Bueckers
 
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A few other things come to mind:
- Win Championships
- Develop into a successful pro player
- Play with Paige Bueckers

...it's not because of the Dairy Bar?

 
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...it's not because of the Dairy Bar?


Damn right it’s the Dairy Bar! Well, at least it was for me.
ice cream handy work GIF by Warner Archive
 
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pvdoggy-I was just going to post the same thing!
Cover of Slam, ummmmmmm def screams UCOONN. Hope so!!
 
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