Auriemma takes transfer portal to task

There's no doubt that the UConn women's basketball team will benefit from the transfer portal and the NCAA's one-time transfer waiver with the arrival in Storrs this week of Dorka Juhasz.

The former Ohio State forward announced her decision to transfer to UConn in April. She has two years of eligibility remaining.

"Dorka is a good fit, because she's a skilled player," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Wednesday. "She does the things that good basketball players do. We like multi-dimensional players. So you get a 6-3, 6-4 kid that can pass, get to the basket, knows how to play, can make shots ... I mean, we're getting a versatile player who was first-team all-Big Ten. So hopefully she'll fit perfectly in whatever role it is that she ends up with for herself."

But when it comes to the transfer portal in general, Auriemma used two words to describe it — a mess.

From there, the Hall of Fame coach didn't hold back any words.

"It was going to be a mess from the beginning. It's a mess now, and it's going to be a bigger mess each and every year," he said. "A lot of these kids are delusional. They have so many voices in their ear."

Auriemma noted that there are some 1,000 players in the portal. Enfield native Danielle Delano, who has transferred from Central Connecticut to the University of Tampa, said last month the count was in four figures.

What Auriemma added is that he was told about 200 players have not been contacted by anybody.

"The transfer portal is great for a kid who knows where they're going, which means they were thinking about it awhile back and someone has a place ready for them," Auriemma said. "For 1,000 kids to be in the portal, that means there is something wrong with the system. There is something wrong with the recruiting system.

"There is something wrong with the culture of college basketball today. There is something wrong with the entitlement that exists today. There is something wrong with this idea that everything should be done to accommodate the student-athlete with no regard whatsoever for the coaches who work (like crazy) to recruit these kids in the first place, work with them, help them get better, make them the player that they are. Then they up and leave with no consequences whatsoever."

Some players will be at their third school in three years.

One is Taylor Mikesell. The 2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year spent two seasons at Maryland before transferring to Oregon a year ago and getting a waiver for immediate eligibility. After helping the Ducks to the NCAA Sweet 16, the Ohio native announced her decision to transfer to Ohio State.

"I know a coach on the men's side who has a kid who is at his fourth school in four years," Auriemma said. "So tell me that it's every school's fault. Tell me that it is every school's responsibility to make every kid happy. Here is the flip side of that. If we as coaches just call a kid in and say, 'I thought you'd be a lot better than this so I'm taking away your scholarship,' we'd be crucified. But yet a kid can just up and leave for no reason whatsoever other than 'I just don't want to be here anymore. I don't like it here anymore.' "

In Auriemma's first 25 years at UConn, he seldom took transfers with Renee Najarian, Sarah Northway, and Christine Rigby on the list. But since 2014 when Natalie Butler arrived in Storrs from Georgetown, Azura Stevens, Batouly Camara, Evina Westbrook, and now Juhasz have transferred in.

He admits there are times that changes are positively appropriate.

"Believe me, I've been on both sides of it where kids have left here and where kids have come in," Auriemma said. "Every time we're in this situation, I also ask the kid, 'What's wrong with you?' That's my first question whenever a kid wants to transfer. 'You're at a great place, you're starting, you're playing a lot of minutes, you seem to be really successful so there has to be something wrong with you?'

"If I like their answer, then I go forward. If I don't like their answer then I say, 'I'm not interested.' But 1,000 kids? That's unbelievable. There has to be something wrong with the culture if it's this bad — on the players' end and on the coaches' end. There has to be something wrong."

Time of arrival

UConn's returning players and incoming freshmen will arrive on campus this weekend for the start of summer session classes on Tuesday and run through July 2.

Sophomores Paige Bueckers (ankle surgery) and Piath Gabriel (non-basketball related surgery) will not take part in the Huskies' workouts but will rehab. The only player that will remain off campus is sophomore Aaliyah Edwards, who is training with the Canadian national team for an event next month. She also has hopes of being with Team Canada for the Tokyo Olympics.

"I hope she makes her Olympic team and she's not around all of July either because she is in Tokyo," Auriemma said. "She has a great opportunity with that team, and she is going to learn a lot. I'm excited for her."

Auriemma said that sophomore Nika Muhl turned down a chance to train this summer with the Croatia national team this summer. Also freshman Azzi Fudd will play on the United States U-19 team at the FIBA World Cup in July, perhaps with classmate Amari DeBerry, who is among five finalists for three open roster spots.

Numbers game

Juhasz will keep the uniform No. 14 at UConn that she wore for her three years at Ohio State.

As far as the Huskies' incoming freshmen, Fudd will wear her high school number 35 and DeBerry will wear her high school number 42, while Caroline Ducharme — whose high school number 13 is worn at UConn by Christyn Williams — will take 33.

Fudd will be the first to wear 35 since Marci Czel did for one season in 1997-98 before she changed to 13. DeBerry will be the first to wear 42 since All-American Nykesha Sales in 1998. Ducharme will take the 33 last worn by three-time All-American and 2019 graduate Katie Lou Samuelson.

Worth quoting

Auriemma, who signed a new multi-million dollar contract last week, on his first deal in 1985 that was for five years and paid him $29,900 annunally:

"I liked it better. Nobody knew what I was doing. I didn't get as many snarky phone calls or texts from my friends. Back then they all felt sorry for me, and now they're all pissed at me."