Recruits- non-UConn related

C’mon what you are posting here is obscenely bias and unfair. First off, you were the one that brought up "smiling." Now you've moved the goalposts and smiling doesn’t count- so throw another dart. And as I've told mdoggie - you're making things up about such as "intense" because you favor style over substance. You like Van Lith's style okay- but it doesn’t make Azzi less. That’s my issue with the both of you.

As far as what you expected as a frosh - imagine that ---you would expect Azzi who as a junior missed her whole h/s year. Her sr year was marred by COVID and her frosh year she was hurt from early on in the season- and you expected as she is stepping up vs the best of the best on college Div 1 in which she has experience pro caliber teammates several years older than her in which she was dealing early on with injuries, missing as much time as she had previously the prior years n h/s, that she should have stepped up to be better than the 3rd leading scorer for a team that went to the Finals in which she saved UCONN' big time in one NCAA early round game?

And also - imagine that- you saw a freshman that was hurt quite a bit not really getting a flow for most of the season show she has flaws. How about that? Like no freshman including Diana Taurasi never showed a flaw as a frosh So how many times have you heard UCONN's staff say freshmen aren't ready. Yet it sems like you are holding it against the number 3 scorer that was a big part of UCONN getting to the Finals while not playing a lot over the past several years much much harder because you are a UCONN fan than you would if not a UCONN fan. Your expectation of her was unrealistic. Thew point is- of course you are going to find flaws from a freshmen. If you don't it is beyond rare. But Azzi has been hurt. That can't be discounted. There has to be a realistic expectation as a freshman.

And As far as "kick it up a notch and Carolien's mentality. Huh? I guess you missed the 1st games of the season? Since when has Caroline ever outplayed or played even the bets player in WCBB like Azzi did vs Iowa? You missed the Iowa game? what game did Carolien do vs such an elite opponent that matched Azzi did vs Iowa? Kick it up a notch??? She played Clark even if not more yet "kick it up a notch" in the context of criticism despite that Azzi really outplayed Clark of all players? Seriously? And you realize that in the prior games she was competing against a Texas team in which the coach is known for his defense and with Duke kara came from a Defensive minded coach background and yet Azzi smoked them both for 32. What more of a notch could she have kicked up her play?

How often have you seen UCONN players score over 30 in back-to-back games over defensive minded NCAA caliber teams? Only the great UCONN players have done this.

The issue I believe some fans have is until UCONN wins a title, a player like Azzi who is not uber-athletic, will get nit-picked because it appears she isn't hustling or isn’t intense etc because she just isn't uber-athletic. There is just very little appreciation for how great of a scorer she was when she was healthy.

We had the Texas coach say no one has smoked him in years the way Azzi did. We had Azzi more than match Clark yet Caroline gets the accolades and Azzi “needs to kick it up a notch?”

I wrote a lot because there is so much I disagree with. Even about your other points in which you said "that has been my argument." Or the comment that "she has has to take it." They have no meaning if you had watched the first 6 games imo. 

I had wrtten on another thread on here prior to our discussions on this thread how Azzi was underappreciated by UCONN fans. It was a recent post. I brought up about Iowa and other things - then you and doggie posted the type of things that highlighted my point that she's underappreciated. 

As far as recruiting, imo it's best if we could run a lot. The super recruits want to play in as much open space as possible. If UCONN gets healthy, we can expect a lot of blowuts. And as result, the super recruits continue to see that the style UCONN plays only enhances their game - and more than any other program. 

Hoping for Sarah Strong. Man, she would be an amazing amazing amazing fit.   

ucchamp.

Stanford somehow managed to attract this young lady as their conference dissolves.....

I have feeling it’s more about a Stanford degree than basketball.

From the videos I've seen, she seems like a good player. Not super fast or athletic or mobile (in the Brink, who is the same height, sort of way) but she'll be effective.

If it is all about a degree, should have gone to an Ivy League.

Sorry. I am really down on Stanford right now. Don’t want to come off that position.

The timing of the announcement is also bizarre for me. Why now? Why not a month from now when things are more clear and there is more certainty about the future?

For you or her?

Way better than South Bend, granted.  But winter is not always all that warm in the area between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay.  They definitely have cooler weather there than Sacramento or more southern areas like LA, Santa Barbara, San Diego, etc.  Still short weather...for people like my son in Atherton, who wears shorts year round - including when he flies out to Connecticut for the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday.  But more like in the upper 60's then lower 80's in that area between bodies of water like Palo Alto.

True. That might have been the best place for her, a combination of various attractions. But she's from Maryland and may have wanted to go further away. I think ND thought they had the inside track on her. Folks over on that board are really disappointed. Made my day.

that's a lot of speculation... but it makes sense to me.

Sure - but  for a palyer clsoe to being a H/S A/A it mostly has to do with playing time, whether the players wants to be "the big fish or content not to be," wanting to go pro, and exposure.  At least imo.