The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Geno talks pursuing transfers and more
UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma played the transfer game last season, bringing in Tennessee guard Evina Westbrook and Murray State forward Evelyn Adebayo. Both came with promise, but neither ultimately contributed on the court — for different reasons, of course.
Westbrook, the Lady Vols’ top scorer in 2018-19, was denied a wavier by the NCAA and thus could only watch from the sidelines. Of course, that’s different from Adebayo, who was eligible but didn’t take advantage of the opportunity she was given.
Auriemma said Friday that he may dip into the transfer portal again to supplement the loss of five seniors and draft-eligible junior Megan Walker. But it’s too soon to know whether he’ll wind up adding anyone.
“We’ve been talking to a couple kids, but we don’t know. Who knows,” Auriemma said during a chat with UConn legend Rebecca Lobo on Instagram Live. “Nobody’s made any decisions yet.”
The Huskies could look to add experience and proven ability to the roster, but only if the fit’s right.
“These things are like flipping a coin, you know? Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t,” Auriemma said. “You have to get the right fit, the right mix, the right kind of kid. Everything’s got to fall into place.”
Auriemma talked about that and more during a nearly hourlong conversation with Lobo, in which he analyzed UConn’s “Best of the Best” bracket and also answered questions from fans.
Here’s what else Auriemma had to say.
‘DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO?’
That was essentially the first question Auriemma asked Walker when she told him she was planning to leave school early.
Walker, who was eligible to declare for the WNBA Draft because she turns 22 later this year, averaged a team-high 19.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and was named an All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coach’s Association, U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association and Associated Press. The junior forward was also named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
“I remember having this conversation with Sue (Bird) one time during her senior year — but actually it was during practice, so she probably wasn’t listening,” Auriemma joked, before turning serious. “It involved, ‘You know what, they’re going to kill you when you get (to the pros). They’re going to chew you up and spit you out.’
“To get them to understand how difficult it is to play at that level every day, every day, every day when you’re playing against a great player every day, every day, every day, I always want to make sure that they know that. When they feel like, ‘I got this,’ then it’s time to go.”
While the WNBA postponed the start of its season because of the coronavirus outbreak, the league’s still planning to go ahead with its April 17 draft, albeit remotely. Mock drafts have Walker going as early as No. 5 overall.
“If she gets on the wrong team, it’s going to be a real big adjustment for Megan,” Auriemma said. “But if she gets on the right team, I think she’s going to be OK.”
TO RETURN OR NOT
Auriemma said he doesn’t know whether Jamelle Elliott will return as an assistant coach next season. Elliott, who played on UConn’s first national championship team in 1995 and won five more titles as an assistant, replaced Jasmine Lister in February after Lister took a leave of absence.
“We’re in a tough situation here,” Auriemma said vaguely. “We’ve some got some real issues to figure out.”
THE BUECKERS EXPERIENCE
The potential surrounding incoming freshman Paige Bueckers seems limitless. The point guard from Minnesota has already scooped up practically every major high school award and is women’s basketball’s most hyped prospect in years.
“Every kid that I’ve talked to in the country, they all know her, and they all say, ‘Wow.’ When other high school kids are talking about you that
way, that’s pretty damn good,” Auriemma said.
With that said, Auriemma does have one minor concern about Bueckers.
“She’s too nice a kid,” he said. “Maybe after a year with me, maybe she won’t be like that anymore. Maybe she’ll take on my personality.”
WHAT COULD’VE BEEN
Auriemma was asked which Olympians he wishes he could’ve coached at UConn. He said there’s a bunch, but narrowed his choices down to Sylvia Fowles, Tamika Catchings, Brittany Griner and Elena Delle Donne.
“When Brittany Griner first played (at Baylor), man, she was like Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar),” he said. “That’s somebody that nobody can do anything with. If you’ve got her on your team, forget it.”