Girls games

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Why doesn't UConn have a single Connecticut player on their Women's team?

Because Connecticut only has three million residents. Only half are women. Many are too old, or too young, to play high school or college basketball.

UCONN only recruits the best of the best, not just the best of Connecticut. This year UCONN has players on their roster from Portugal, France, Hungary, Canada, and Croatia.

There are six other Division I women's basketball programs in Connecticut, most with Connecticut natives on their rosters, as well as Connecticut natives on many other Division I, Division II, and Division III women's basketball programs all over the United States.

Connecticut is a "hot bed" of girls basketball talent. It's not the only "hot bed" of girls basketball talent in the United States, but it is a "hot bed" of girls basketball talent.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Because Connecticut only has three million residents. Only half are women. Many are too old, or too young, to play high school or college basketball.

UCONN only recruits the best of the best, not just the best of Connecticut. This year UCONN has players on their roster from Portugal, France, Hungary, Canada, and Croatia.

There are six other Division I women's basketball programs in Connecticut, most with Connecticut natives on their rosters, as well as Connecticut natives on many other Division I, Division II, and Division III women's basketball programs all over the United States.

Connecticut is a "hot bed" of girls basketball talent. It's not only "hot bed" of girls basketball talent in the United States, but it is a "hot bed" of girls basketball talent.

But the flagship university cannot get one or two from the state? Usually that is bad for a state run program, but UConn Women's has been the pure class of the NCAA Women's side.

There are more than 3 million in the Chicagoland area and still a lot of mismatches in girl's basketball which was my only point. I doubt it is any different in any state as national stories have shown.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

... still a lot of mismatches in girl's basketball which was my only point. I doubt it is any different in any state as national stories have shown.

The reason why we have few local blowouts is due to the way our conferences and leagues have evolved based on “sports culture” and enrollment size. Geography and proximity of schools is only the third consideration.

We have five leagues in our local area. The largest, by far, includes both large urban schools and large suburban schools. We have a conference that consists of very small, very rural schools (I often joke about John Deere tractors in the parking lots). Another league consists of very small suburban schools. We have two leagues, a technical school league and a magnet school league, that both consist of very small mostly urban schools. Other parts of Connecticut have similar league and conference setups.

Many outside of Connecticut think of the state as being very small in area (a very correct assumption), with no extremely large cities (also a very correct assumption, no Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, etc.), but having a very concentrated population in a small area (somewhat incorrect). Lots of people live in the central part of the state and along the shoreline, but the northwest and northeast corners of the state are mostly rural and forested.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Our few local blowouts are due to the way our conferences and leagues have evolved based on “sports culture” and enrollment size. Geography and proximity of schools is only the third consideration ... a technical school league ... magnet school league ... very small mostly urban schools.

The technical school league completely avoids the concept of geography and proximity of schools. It's state-wide league. Some schools in the league are over 110 miles apart.

Before they formed their own league, these very small technical schools, not very sports oriented, but with goals of providing Connecticut with future electricians, plumbers, carpenters, machine operators, welders, mechanics, chefs, practical nurses, cosmetologists, etc., were always getting blown out by other schools in their previously "geography and proximity" based leagues.

Same thing with magnet schools. When these small academically oriented magnet schools (some without gyms or athletic fields) started "popping up" about twenty years go, they first joined existing "geography and proximity" based leagues. That didn't go so well. Now most have their own league, not many schools in the league, but it works.

Before the magnet schools formed their own league, I remember officiating a girls varsity game between a very small urban magnet school for college bound students (played their home games in a nearby middle school) against a large urban public high school. The score got so lopsided that the losing coach asked if we could switch to a running clock in the second half (no mercy rules in Connecticut basketball). I replied that we couldn't but that we could shorten the last two periods with the agreement of both coaches and the referee (NFHS), so we did.