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Post by bulkey on Mar 16, 2024 16:18:35 GMT -5
The portal officially opens tomorrow (Happy St. Paddy's Day!) and closes May 1.
Just to remind everyone that, while we can speculate on UConn players portalling, please think first about respecting our student-athletes as young people. As to players on other teams, have at it! :-)
I'll start it off with my thoughts on Ines. Some of us figured that after her important contributions last year (winning the Princeton game) but with Paige coming back and KK and Ashlynn coming in, her stock would be high enough that she might seek more playing time elsewhere. This year, she hasn't had nearly as much competitive minutes and perhaps she wouldn't get the same interest from other schools.
On the other hand, she's a popular player at UConn and might enjoy the perks of a first-class team. And, she may well be getting enough competitive minutes over the summer with various Portuguese national teams for which she did well last summer. Clearly and deservedly, she has professional aspirations and will likely have a career in basketball based in Portugal. So, maybe she's content to move further down the bench at UConn, with Nika leaving but Allie coming in and Azzi coming back, and take advantage of community, coaching, and creature comforts.
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Post by swash on Mar 16, 2024 16:33:19 GMT -5
The portal officially opens tomorrow (Happy St. Paddy's Day!) and closes May 1. Just to remind everyone that, while we can speculate on UConn players portalling, please think first about respecting our student-athletes as young people. As to players on other teams, have at it! :-) I'll start it off with my thoughts on Ines. Some of us figured that after her important contributions last year (winning the Princeton game) but with Paige coming back and KK and Ashlynn coming in, her stock would be high enough that she might seek more playing time elsewhere. This year, she hasn't had nearly as much competitive minutes and perhaps she wouldn't get the same interest from other schools. On the other hand, she's a popular player at UConn and might enjoy the perks of a first-class team. And, she may well be getting enough competitive minutes over the summer with various Portuguese national teams for which she did well last summer. Clearly and deservedly, she has professional aspirations and will likely have a career in basketball based in Portugal. So, maybe she's content to move further down the bench at UConn, with Nika leaving but Allie coming in and Azzi coming back, and take advantage of community, coaching, and creature comforts. None of the inbound players will be PGs at UConn. None of the returning players, either. If anything she'd be moving up a spot in the husky rotation from this year. That said, minutes are likely to still be hard to earn with more healthy players to contribute.
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Post by justinesguy on Mar 16, 2024 17:30:04 GMT -5
INES should transfer if she craves minutes I feel like she deserves better. As mentioned in the OP she gave us many great minutes when we were down to 5/6 healthy players last year. I was so proud of her. I feel like she’s getting walk on minutes but she’s better than a walk on player. I guess she’s a solid AAAA player. Hope she goes and players bigger minutes if that’s what she wants.
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Post by pinotbear on Mar 16, 2024 18:23:34 GMT -5
I’ll never understand posting like this. I agree. It’s unkind to hang this on the players. They are Huskies as long as they choose to be, and we welcome and embrace them. and, as I've stated before, SOMEBODY'S gotta be at the end of the bench. I'm fully aware that, this year and last, the "end of the bench" was needed to contribute significantly. That's not normal. Normal is, the 12, 13, 14th player in the rotation isn't gonna get any significant minutes, outside of Senior Day. So, what they bring, is attitude, participation in practice, and bonding. If you have players talented enough to challenge for key minutes, in your 12, 13, or 14 slots, and, you're a healthy team, it's a recipe for dissatisfaction and transfers. You need roll players who contribute outside of key game minutes.
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Post by UConnChapette on Mar 16, 2024 18:31:24 GMT -5
My thought on Amari is that maybe her life goals have changed and maybe a career in basketball is not something she aspires to. She may be content to be a part of the team and be someone Ice and Aaliyah can practice against. It happens. For three years in college I wanted to go on to law school. Something changed as I started my fourth year and I no longer wanted that. It just wasn’t important to me.
As for Ines, I do think minutes will be even more scarce next year. She seems like a great kid and a great teammate. If she were to transfer to a mid-major conference school, she would get more playing time.
I don’t want to see any player leave, but realistically if all the injured come back some players may not be happy with their minutes. No matter what happens I will respect every players’ decision to do what they feel is best for them, and be thankful they are a part of UConn history now and forever.
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Post by mulliganspa on Mar 16, 2024 18:35:52 GMT -5
Sometimes we may forget that we have no idea what a player’s goals are and make assumptions that are just wrong. My guess is that a certain coach has told players that their role on the team will be very limited when it comes to playing time. The player(s), in some cases, may be just fine with that. They are happy in that role, with good friends and receiving a good education that will help their future choices. They know where their future doesn’t lie. So, they enjoy their role on the team.
Next season is stacking up to be a wealth of riches for our coach. Very good players will wind up with limited minutes. Some will accept it. Some will bolt. It’s just the way it’s gonna be as long as we have the current rules regarding the portal.
Personally, I don’t care who stays, who comes, who leaves. If Paige decided to go pro, that would be fine with me. Whoever winds up on the floor, that’s who I root for. Getting invested in any player makes little sense to me. I root for the team whoever may make up that roster.
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Post by linkster on Mar 16, 2024 19:07:40 GMT -5
Bettincourt is a Euro and is used to practicing a lot more than playing. Will she be better off 2 years from now getting a lot of minutes on a mid-major or practicing and being coached at UConn? There is a cachet to a UConn degree in basketball that pays off down the road. I hope she stays. I love her aggressive attitude.
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Post by bulkey on Mar 16, 2024 22:49:41 GMT -5
I've moved most of justinsguy's posts and some replies--including one of my own--to pickin' bones. I tried to be explicit about what this thread allows, and it's not comments that fundamentally disrespect our players as individuals and student athletes.
Over the next 6 weeks, portalling will be an exciting topic and I hope we can report on player movement that doesn't involve UConn, as well, of course, of any that does. But absolutely, let's think hard about how we post publicly about our young student athletes.
If anyone wants to express other types of opinions (up to a point, of course, as Chappy's "Statement of Principles" applies everywhere on the Board), the pickin bones thread is available.
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Post by larrylegend on Mar 17, 2024 7:15:03 GMT -5
My thought on Amari is that maybe her life goals have changed and maybe a career in basketball is not something she aspires to. She may be content to be a part of the team and be someone Ice and Aaliyah can practice against. It happens. For three years in college I wanted to go on to law school. Something changed as I started my fourth year and I no longer wanted that. It just wasn’t important to me. As for Ines, I do think minutes will be even more scarce next year. She seems like a great kid and a great teammate. If she were to transfer to a mid-major conference school, she would get more playing time. I don’t want to see any player leave, but realistically if all the injured come back some players may not be happy with their minutes. No matter what happens I will respect every players’ decision to do what they feel is best for them, and be thankful they are a part of UConn history now and forever. Deberry was a highly ranked recruit who basically has not played in 3 years. IMO if she was going to transfer she would have done so by now. Geno has apparently decided to fulfill her scholarship, even though it would seem that it would be good to have that spot/scholarship available for someone who could contribute. I suppose whats one more year. Kudos to Geno for standing by his commitment. I’m a Bettencourt fan and hope they can find a way to keep her around.
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Post by justinesguy on Mar 17, 2024 15:25:55 GMT -5
I've moved most of justinsguy's posts and some replies--including one of my own--to pickin' bones. I tried to be explicit about what this thread allows, and it's not comments that fundamentally disrespect our players as individuals and student athletes. Over the next 6 weeks, portalling will be an exciting topic and I hope we can report on player movement that doesn't involve UConn, as well, of course, of any that does. But absolutely, let's think hard about how we post publicly about our young student athletes. If anyone wants to express other types of opinions (up to a point, of course, as Chappy's "Statement of Principles" applies everywhere on the Board), the pickin bones thread is available. Thank you
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Post by bulkey on Mar 19, 2024 11:50:40 GMT -5
Theodorsson, one of the "Bucknell Five," will get interest and I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up in the Big East.
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Post by RoyDodger on Mar 19, 2024 11:50:59 GMT -5
As in Bulkey's post on Bucknell, the portal can be disastrous for some teams. Just read in the Albuquerque Journal that the University of New Mexico Lobos women's team has just lost SIX players to the portal. From the article:
"Selection Sunday and Transfer Portal Monday were part of a rough week for the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team.
Coming off a quarterfinal loss to San Diego State in the Mountain West tournament, the Lobos (21-11) did not receive a bid to either the NCAA Tournament or the new WBIT. UNM administration opted not to accept an invitation to play in the condensed WNIT.
The early ending meant earlier-than-usual exit meetings for coach Mike Bradbury and his players. As a result, six Lobos, including starter Paula Reus, joined Monday’s massive first wave of players entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Also entering were reserves Nahawa Diarra Berthe, Natalia Chavez, Mackenzie Curtis, Jaelyn Bates and Hannah Robbins."
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Post by bulkey on Mar 19, 2024 12:08:23 GMT -5
The Athletic is calling her the top portal player (so far):
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Post by UConnChapette on Mar 19, 2024 12:34:01 GMT -5
Not sure about that pose of Taliah Scott. It kind of looks like she is shooting up. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture. Sorry.
So Arkansas is losing Scott and Poffenbarger?
The portal will be sucking in players from all over. It will be interesting to see with this being the last year of players having the COVID year expanded eligibility how many players enter the portal to use that extra year somewhere else.
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Post by mdoggie on Mar 19, 2024 12:39:57 GMT -5
Not sure about that pose of Taliah Scott. It kind of looks like she is shooting up. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture. Sorry. So Arkansas is losing Scott and Poffenbarger? The portal will be sucking in players from all over. It will be interesting to see with this being the last year of players having the COVID year expanded eligibility how many players enter the portal to use that extra year somewhere else. I think it means she has “ice in her veins”
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Post by meyers7 on Mar 19, 2024 13:02:31 GMT -5
My thought on Amari is that maybe her life goals have changed and maybe a career in basketball is not something she aspires to. I hope so. Because I don't see a career in basketball happening for her. Seems too late to "turn it around" or "have the light bulb come on".
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Post by bulkey on Mar 20, 2024 17:46:24 GMT -5
Small (6'0") forward with one Covid year of eligibility. Very athletic, and maybe if Aubrey weren't coming back....
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Post by vtcwbuff on Mar 20, 2024 18:39:51 GMT -5
I think that is interpreted by some as a "not OK" sign. With all the BS hand signs floating around who knows. My guess is that she is saying that things at Arkansas are not OK.
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Post by mdoggie on Mar 20, 2024 19:29:10 GMT -5
I think that is interpreted by some as a "not OK" sign. With all the BS hand signs floating around who knows. My guess is that she is saying that things at Arkansas are not OK. What are you talking about? Scott?
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Post by larrylegend on Mar 20, 2024 20:23:44 GMT -5
Not sure about that pose of Taliah Scott. It kind of looks like she is shooting up. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture. Sorry. So Arkansas is losing Scott and Poffenbarger? The portal will be sucking in players from all over. It will be interesting to see with this being the last year of players having the COVID year expanded eligibility how many players enter the portal to use that extra year somewhere else. wait- Poffenbarger is transferring again? But her mom said Arkansas was so much better than UCONN
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Post by phil on Mar 21, 2024 13:45:07 GMT -5
I think Hannah Gusters is an interesting addition.
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Post by bulkey on Mar 21, 2024 13:53:32 GMT -5
I think Hannah Gusters is an interesting addition. Portalling again? She'll draw a lot of interest south of the Mason-Dixon, I imagine.
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Post by phil on Mar 25, 2024 14:34:30 GMT -5
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Post by bulkey on Mar 25, 2024 15:02:31 GMT -5
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Post by chicagogg on Mar 25, 2024 15:10:30 GMT -5
What's with Arkansas, the Bargers (Poffen and Wolfen) and the Razorbacks??? Man, that portal spins fast.
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