Geno Auriemma on UConn women’s basketball signees Ayanna Patterson, Ice Brady: ‘They’re the kind of kids that we’re used to having here’
After strong recruiting classes each of the last two years, UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma was “awfully excited” to welcome to the program two more Huskies this week when class of 2022 prospects Ayanna Patterson and Ice Brady signed their letters of intent Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
“We’re getting two great kids, two great individuals,” he said Friday ahead of the Huskies’ season opener versus Arkansas Sunday at 1 p.m. “If you ever listened to both of them in interviews, they say the right things. It comes from the heart. They’re the kind of kids that we’re used to having here at Connecticut.”
The two-person class is Auriemma’s smallest since he brought in current junior Aubrey Griffin and Anna Makurat (who has since gone pro in Poland) in 2019, though he’s said he typically prefers classes that aren’t as large as the previous two (five in 2020, four in 2021). This year’s duo was ranked the No. 4 class in the country behind three Pac-12 schools by espnW.
Neither player’s recruiting process was exactly normal. Brady, a 6-foot-3 post from San Diego and the No. 5 prospect of her class, committed to UConn the fall of her sophomore year. Due to recruiting restrictions amid the pandemic, Patterson — a 6-2 wing, ranked No. 4 overall — wasn’t able to visit Storrs until last month. But the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native was confident enough in her decision to commit regardless in March after seeing UConn dismantle Butler at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in her home state.
How they navigated their decisions made Auriemma respect both players even more.
“I really admire both of those kids,” he said. “Ice committed as a sophomore because this is what she always wanted to do, and I’m glad she got the opportunity to do that.
“Ayanna committed here without ever having stepped foot on campus because it was during the height of the pandemic. You’ve got to really admire a kid who has that much trust, both in herself and us, to want to be able to make that commitment at that time.”
It’s guesswork to determine whether a kid who’s barely a sophomore can turn into the player he envisions, Auriemma admitted. Fortunately for him it seems that Brady put in the work over the past two years to grow in the ways he was hoping.
“That’s why I never do, hardly ever do [say yes to a kid that early]. I don’t know why I did it. I just lost my mind. But I said yes, and then she turned out to be what I hoped she’d become,” he said. “Sometimes you think so and it doesn’t work out that way.”
Brady told The Courant recently that, since committing, she has become a much stronger player and has tried to establish herself as a more versatile threat who can play out on the perimeter. Auriemma has noticed.
“Big kids that can pass, shoot the ball a little bit, handle themselves all over the court, pretty much are very rare to find, unless you go to volleyball practice. That’s that’s where usually all the big kids that used to play basketball are these days,” he said. “So when you find somebody like that, you just kind of hope that each year they get better and better and better. And she has. Our offense really is predicated on big kids that can move, catch, pass, shoot it, dribble it, and I think she fits that mold.
“She’s a big body, tough kid. I mean, as tough as a kid from California can be.”
Meanwhile, Patterson’s athleticism is, according to evaluators, perhaps the best in her class, helping give her a high pro projection. Auriemma and staff can help polish the rest of her game, but he thinks her impact could be felt even sooner on the defensive end and on the glass.
“It’s hard to really project because every time she plays, she’s double- and triple-teamed. So you say to yourself, ‘How will she do when she’s not?’ And that’s what I’m thinking,” he said. “She has a great stroke. She is not consistent enough with it, so that’s going to be a big point [when she gets here] because if she does that, then obviously she can help us a ton.
“And I think defensively and around the rim because of her athletic ability, I think she’ll be able to [help]. Anytime you can get from here [left] to there [right] quickly and can get from here [down] to there [up] quickly, you have a chance to contribute. And she can do that.”
Injury notes
Griffin and freshman Saylor Poffenbarger remain out for Sunday’s season opener. Both missed last week’s exhibition with injuries — Griffin, a high-ankle sprain, and Poffenbarger, a shin problem.
Poffenbarger was seeing a doctor Friday to address the issue, while Griffin was “gonna do a couple things today [in practice], from what I understand, and we’ll see how she goes,” Auriemma said. “But she’s obviously not near ready to actually play in a game.” In the open portion of practice Griffin participated in a few early drills before taking to the stationary bike on the sideline.
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
