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Laney no longer considering UConn
Betnijah Laney, a 6-foot wing from Delaware, eliminated UConn from her list of schools on Thursday and also knocked Rutgers off her list according to her godmother Debra Walker.
Laney's final five schools are Duke (who Laney visited this weekend), Kentucky, Oklahoma, Penn State and Virginia. She is planning to visit Kentucky from Oct. 15-17 and the dates of the other visits will be finalized when she returns from her Duke visit.
Laney becomes the latest UConn recruiting target to drop UConn from contention but unlike Elizabeth Williams, Sara Hammond, Ally Mallott and Bonnie Samuelson before her, the decision is not being done because of geopgraphic considerations.
I know there will be more than among UConn's fan base who will view the decisions of Laney, Hammond (who committed Louisville on Tuesday) and Williams is a sign of a recruiting apocalypse. The facts, however, tell a different story. UConn's freshman class was rated among the nation's best while the two players UConn has commitments from in the current class include arguably the top prospect in the country in Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a prolific scoring wing from California powerhouse Mater Dei as well as an athletic guard from Georgia in Brianna Banks.
Kiah Stokes, a 6-foot-3 post from Marion, Iowa, is the last of the uncommitted seniors known to still be on UConn's recruiting radar. While fans may be fretting the inability to add players like Williams, Hammond or Laney to the fold, the UConn staff has been focusing on a very talented group of high school juniors. One advantage the Huskies may have in that class is that some of those high on their radar happen to live in Northeast which as this current recruiting cycle has proven, is a factor that can't be discounted.
Laney's final five schools are Duke (who Laney visited this weekend), Kentucky, Oklahoma, Penn State and Virginia. She is planning to visit Kentucky from Oct. 15-17 and the dates of the other visits will be finalized when she returns from her Duke visit.
Laney becomes the latest UConn recruiting target to drop UConn from contention but unlike Elizabeth Williams, Sara Hammond, Ally Mallott and Bonnie Samuelson before her, the decision is not being done because of geopgraphic considerations.
I know there will be more than among UConn's fan base who will view the decisions of Laney, Hammond (who committed Louisville on Tuesday) and Williams is a sign of a recruiting apocalypse. The facts, however, tell a different story. UConn's freshman class was rated among the nation's best while the two players UConn has commitments from in the current class include arguably the top prospect in the country in Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a prolific scoring wing from California powerhouse Mater Dei as well as an athletic guard from Georgia in Brianna Banks.
Kiah Stokes, a 6-foot-3 post from Marion, Iowa, is the last of the uncommitted seniors known to still be on UConn's recruiting radar. While fans may be fretting the inability to add players like Williams, Hammond or Laney to the fold, the UConn staff has been focusing on a very talented group of high school juniors. One advantage the Huskies may have in that class is that some of those high on their radar happen to live in Northeast which as this current recruiting cycle has proven, is a factor that can't be discounted.
posted by Jim Fuller at
5:53 PM
4 Comments:
But why does the best coach on the best team in America have to struggle for players? UConn has had a weak bench for years, and begins the season with only 10 healthy players. Two years ago UConn landed only one player, a surprise to the coaching staff. Now a slew of fine players have said "no thanks" to UConn. What's up? What went wrong with Laney?
Why is the recruiting effort so hard, when it should be automatic? Though this year's freshman class is stellar, Coach Geno hasn't had one like that since 1998. Too few and far between..
History has proven that All Empires Fall.
Wonder if coaching Team USA has had a Negative Impact on UConn Recruiting.
Please remember, most high school athletes do Not like an In Your Face coach like Auuriemma.
Please remember, UConn has high standards for the Student Athletes that they recruit.
Allen Iversons are Not welcome at UConn. :)
Brace yourself for a Long Dry Spell, possibly longer than in between Diana and Rene/Tina/Maya.
High School Seniors that Husky Fans will Not see in a UConn uniform in the Fall of 2011.
#2 Elizabeth Williams
#4 Ariel Massengale
#8 Bria Smith
#11 Betnijah Laney
#12 Sarah Hammond
#40 Alyson Mallot
#61 Bonnie Samuelson
Yep. Could be a major drought. Though the 2010 crew looks good, Engeln is not considered a game-changer, and two more of the five have questionable knees.
Just can't understand the problem with Geno's coaching style. He's never had a scandal, never been penalized for recruiting violations. Can't understand why so many great players would not want to play for the best, especially since Geno plays everyone who tries hard. He's not a "starting five until they drop" guy. Who wouldn't want to sign onto the team that's on a 78-game winning streak?
In contrast, Stanford has been loading up for years on the best big players around....Wonder if Geno might be enticed away to a Duke or somewhere else where it's easier to recruit. He's got to be frustrated.
Looks like the drought between D and Tina. Perhaps the press would like to do some articles on it and enlighten us.
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