We know our readers love to hear about men’s basketball recruiting, but today, folks, you are in luck, because we’re going to talk about women’s basketball recruiting.
[Pause for applause]
After a few, shall we say lackluster?, recruiting years, Geno has an embarrassment of riches coming into the program in the next couple years, with a few targets still undecided. I’m going to give you a rundown of who is coming and who is still in the mix. Ready? OK, let’s go.
The 2020 recruiting class is Holy Shit Good, most notably due to the imminent arrival of the No. 1 recruit in the class, guard Paige Bueckers, who shall heretofore be known as Paige Buckets. Now, I don’t want to oversell a kid who is still in high school, but fuck it, get ready for Diana Taurasi 2.0. Paige plays with the same style and swag that DT does, but is she as talented? It sure seems like it.
Paige was the only high school player to compete in the USA 3×3 World Beach Games alongside Napheesa Collier, Ruthy Hebard (Oregon) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces). She was just named the 2019 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year, and was the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup MVP. She’s been playing varsity basketball since she was in eighth grade, and she lead her team to a state championship in Minnesota last year. So those are a lot of accolades, but what can Paige Buckets actually do? She’s basically an offensive prodigy. Her handle is so good it looks like she’s got the ball on a string. Her crossover is deadly. Paige can shoot, and she can score driving to the basket. But her greatest skill is probably in her passing. Over at SBNation you can watch videos and a bunch of gifs that show what an outstanding passer she is. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
See what I mean? Her basketball IQ is off the charts. This is a special, special player. A game changer. So what I’m saying is get ready for the Paige Buckets Era.
But Paige is only one player, and even she can’t win by herself. Geno has filled out the 2020 class with some strong support, so let’s break it down.
Mir McLean is a five-star, 5’11” wing out of Maryland ranked 21 overall in the class, third at her position. Every scouting report on her touts her supreme athleticism and leaping ability, which have always been traits Geno likes to bring into the program. You can teach fundamentals, but you can’t teach athleticism. If that’s giving you some Gabby Williams vibes, you’re not far off, as McLean cited Williams as a player she is a fan of. McLean plays bigger than her size and is known as a rebounder and shot blocker. She may be the most athletic player in the class. So that should be fun.
Five spots behind McLean at number 26 is 6’2” Canadian Aaliyah Edwards, another five-star wing. Edwards is considered more of a perimeter players, but she can also mix it up down low. She’s strong off the glass and a solid passer whose mid-range game is on the rise. Edwards has some decent size and she isn’t afraid of physical play. Here’s a video of her doin’ work last season.
Nika Muhl is a little harder to rank, due to the fact that she plays in Croatia. The 5’11 point guard picked UConn over Louisville, Ohio State, Oregon, and South Florida, having never set foot in Storrs. Muhl comes from a basketball family, as both her parents and her younger sister Hana play(ed). Muhl is considered a pass-first point guard whose unselfish play makes her teammates better. She’s a strong defender who gets into passing lanes. She led her Croatian league in steals (3.7) and assists (6.2) last year. Let’s go to the video. Good, right?
Rounding out the 2020 class is 6’5” Piath Gabriel, a three-star big out of New Hampshire. Gabriel is ranked outside the top 100, 23 at her position. She’s considered an athletic big who will bring some much-needed size to the roster. Not a lot of highlights for Piath, so I can’t give you a link here, but if Geno likes her, then I’m sure she’s fine.
Now let’s get into the 2021 Class, because things are already heating up there.
Geno and CD have already secured the services of the No. 5 player in the 2021 class, Amari DeBerry. The 6’5” forward is the highest ranked at her position in the class, and she had a great seat at Gampel for the Notre Dame game, right next to Paige Bueckers and No.1 (and as yet undeclared) 2021 prospect Azzi Fudd, but more on her later. DeBerry is considered a strong, versatile interior player who can block shots and get to the basket. She’s already got a face-up game out to about 15 feet, but can also play back to the basket in the low post. She’s strong and she has size, and she is regularly described as “explosive.” This has been a major need for UConn in recent seasons, so DeBerry should fit in nicely. Click this link so you can see for yourself. DeBarry has a nice touch in the paint, and will make a great target on offense for the Huskies.
Also already committed to UConn is five-star combo guard Saylor Poffenbarger. A 6’2” guard, Poffenbarger brings some size to the backcourt, and is already considered a serious threat from three. She can score off the dribble and create her own shots. Poffenbarger played for Team USA in the U16 FIBA Americas, winning a gold medal. She’d already scored 1000 points by the end of her sophomore year, when she averaged a double-double scoring 21 points a game. She’s a straight up scorer whose quickness and size means she can guard multiple positions. She’s kind of a perfect player for Geno’s No Positions Ever style of play. Check out these sweet highlights:
Saylor Poffenbarger showed off her versatile all-around game at Indy EYBL 🔥 @saylorpoff @FairfaxStars @NikeGirlsEYBL pic.twitter.com/40h2R0mqDB
— BallerTV (@BallerTV) July 9, 2019
OK, so above I mentioned Azzi Fudd, who was on campus this past weekend. She has not declared interest in any school yet, but I think we can infer that she’s at least considering UConn given that she was actually in Storrs. Fudd is a really exciting prospect, an almost-positionless player, a combo guard who can score from anywhere. She scored 41 points in back-to-back games as a freshman, and is regularly compared to Maya Moore. Fudd played on the USA U-17 last year, where she was coached by former-UConn player Carla Berube. “Efficient,” “consistent,” and “smooth” are all adjectives that describe her game. You can check out her sophomore year highlights here. While, again, she has not narrowed her choices, Geno has been in to see her since 2018, so she’s certainly a primary target for the class.
And if you happened to see the pic of Azzi with Paige and Amari, you also saw Caroline Ducharme, an off-guard ranked 41 nationally and 15 at her position. Ducharme has strong fundamentals, and can attack the rim off the drive. She’s got a good mid-range shot, a smooth stroke, and can get out in transition, though she is not as athletic as Fudd. Ducharme is currently playing for Noble and Greenough in Massachusetts, so playing close to home may be a bonus for her.
Phew, ok, that was a lot. With seven players committed between the 2020 and 2021, the short bench issues are likely to be a thing of the past. While losing Crystal Dangerfield is a blow, senior Kyla Irwin, Molly Bent and grad-transfer Evelyn Adebayo haven’t exactly been what you would call “impact players.” In addition to the five players committed for next season, Tennessee transfer Evina Westbrook will finally get a chance to suit up in Husky blue after the dastardly NCAA denied her waiver request because they’re bullshit. So next year’s going to be a whole lot of fun. The Paige Buckets Era. Write it down.
