New Article on Sam Brunelle Commitment
by Fighting_Artichoke (2018-04-19 21:20:57)

"Notre Dame made a strong first impression on Brunelle when she visited in October on the same weekend the Irish football team defeated N.C. State. She was able to visit campus for the first time, talk with McGraw and associate head coach Beth Cunningham, whom she communicated regularly with from a distance, and reunite with Irish center Mikayla Vaughn, whom she had played against on the camp circuit."

And then the controversial section:

"Brunelle's competitive edge could have been tested Sunday, when shortly after her commitment announcement, a report in the Hartford Courant, citing unnamed sources, claimed the Huskies hadn't offered Brunelle a scholarship.

That was news to Brunelle, who last visited UConn in December.

"They did offer me. I went on a visit and sat with (head coach) Geno (Auriemma), and he told me," Brunelle said. "That's false information.""




It was only a matter of time before push back came.
by ndbutch  (2018-04-20 11:35:17)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Fans ruminating on message boards are one thing. Especially in the wake of something disappointing. But the Hartford Courant should have known better. Are they the same rag that printed that falsehood about an Irish player taunting the UConn locker room after an NCAA tournament game?


I enjoyed this snippet too
by RISteve  (2018-04-19 21:36:33)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

"If only a coincidence (tweet regarding Arike), that would be some awfully poor timing from Auriemma. The report on Brunelle moments after committed announced wasn't a good look either."


tweet regarding Arike
by ram  (2018-04-20 19:51:44)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

when that originally came out, I thought, "Geno is going to put his best defender on her every time they play to shut her down & embarrass her. She better be damn good."




More than tacky and petty, it’s flat stupid. He’s supposed
by 1NDGal  (2018-04-20 15:59:07)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

to be some genius coach, yet he lies about a plain fact that can be refuted in two seconds. He DID offer Arike. He DID offer Sam. Nonetheless he goes out his way to say/tweet that he never recruited/wanted either of them.

He’s not just mean, he’s a moron.


I can't believe GA is so tacky as to make the Arike and Sam
by thed  (2018-04-20 10:40:20)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Stories but it certainly seems that way. If you don't choose uconn you were never recruited by Uconn and not worth anything. Reminds me of a second grader. Maybe it's his staff but he is responsible for what his staff does.


That Kind of "Look" Is Not Good ....
by dillon77  (2018-04-20 10:35:53)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

..for a university (UConn), the basketball program, the coaching staff or the paper (Hartford Courant, who look used), for that matter. It's petty and or sloppy (from a sports information dept. pt. of view), at best, and vindictive, at worst. This is a high school junior we're talking about.

(By comparison, lest I remember incorrectly, MM didn't go off on Megan Walker or Evina Westbrook....)

To the best of my knowledge and with all fairness, I'm only aware of this kind of reaction from Storrs happening with this and the "Arike" tweet; hence, with ND. Gosh knows the Huskies could've opened fire on the Charli Collier de-commitment and re-commitment to Texas, but didn't. So, maybe when it involves ND, something gets under someone's skin in Storrs.

In any case, all power to Sam for addressing it straight on and moving on. (I like this young woman the more I hear her.)

And -- speaking of short sighted -- one of Sam's most obvious traits is that she's highly thought of by her peers, many of who also visited ND's campus in October 2017. Given how media savvy they all are, well...hope that one punch felt good.

As for me, let's move to other things in the article:

- Della Donne. I've often thought of Sam in terms of the #4 position and that brings to mind, Kat and Jess' outside qualities. Ms. Brunelle might expand that even more. Her long-range touch is even better than remembered.

- But she must get fouled a lot, too, because in the "Drops 49" highlights, she's at the line a lot. And has good form on her FT's, to boot.

Go Sam! Let's all move forward on to great things!




Other notes from that article:
by MPG  (2018-04-20 14:44:50)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

1. I see more evidence of Sam's positive personality and potential for leadership at ND. Her remarks are measured, but show some toughness.
2. Mikayla Vaughn is mentioned as a current player she knows from the AAU circuit. I believe Mikayla is also a potential vocal leader for the 2019-2020 season. She impressed me as early as the open practice in October when she was calling for the ball in the low post as a freshman going against the guys squad. After her injury, she was the most vocal player on the bench for the rest of the season.
3. Beth Cunningham is mentioned as the coach who was the main recruiter for Sam. Is this a sign that wing/forward is her expected ND position? Or is it because of Beth's Virginia ties from her head coaching days? I still like Sam for the high post where she make a variety of plays against players who are smaller or slower.
4. Tyler James is the author of the article. He usually writes about ND football recruiting. Does this mean that we'll see more ND WBB recruiting coverage? I think Anthony Anderson as a seasonal hire, because he was always listed as a "correspondent."


I Think the Second Forward Position...
by dillon77  (2018-04-20 15:28:09)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

...can have some flexibility. Kat brought certain attributes to it; Jess will do the same; and, Sam will very much do the same. Sam is something of a stretch 4 and faces the basket a lot. So it makes sense to have her work offensively under Beth, particularly if she's working with Mikayla who will be under Carol's eye.

I also bet she (and Danielle Cosgrove) will work with both of them for things in the lane (offense and defense).

Regarding #4, I noticed that, too. While these two articles are certainly fine, I'm hoping Anthony Anderson pops back up for the regular in-season coverage. He was extremely good.

And you and I both like the way Sam made her points and went from there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------


good observations *
by drmurray  (2018-04-20 15:15:37)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


"Moving on" is the best thing that can be said here. *
by BabaGhanouj  (2018-04-20 12:35:13)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post