‘If we stay healthy, I expect to be back here next year’

[Cuango]

But it's true. South Carolina is coming into its own as the powerhouse program of the sport, while UConn slowly heads for the exit.

We’ll see! “One swallow does not a summer make” I’m a little unsure how losing one out of 12 championship games means UConn is “heading for the exit? That statement is several years away from being relevant! If Geno had lost number 7, say, you might have said the same thing! Then we would have won another 4.
If you really think UConn is done because a dominant team beat them while having every possible advantage; schedule- they played two comparatively easy games prior to this, while UConn had to fight to the end against superior (on paper) teams, Health- SC was totally healthy, we were clearly not, officiating
( this one may never go away in the current climate) the huge disparity in fouls and the obvious protection of Boston, and the physical dominance of their front court against one that even when healthy, was clearly outmatched but who had lost Dorka, mostly lost ONO, lost Aubrey as well, then we’ll just have to disagree! Let’s see what happens over the next three to four years.
I’m predicting you, and especially the media, will be eating those words before Geno retires! The fact is, Boston single-handedly has made Dawn’s team practically unbeatable. Without an answer for her, no one is going to be winning without a brilliant game plan, full health, fair officials, and (perhaps) some of the other players not having career nights.
She (Dawn) is enjoying what we did during the Stewie, Moore/Charles, Taurasi years. Even so, she’s only won one (with Boston) so let’s wait til it’s over before writing UConn’s obituary! She’s now had two players that many people would consider somewhat comparable to the aforementioned UConn greats and after seven tries, has two titles to show for it. Now that’s certainly something to be proud of but doesn’t even begin to compre to what Geno accomplished with his great players! So, spare me the “ changing of the guard” lines until we have a little more data than one unequal game!

 

[Conndog]

Touche. That's a tough one to read tho it may be true. I'm still all in on the PB, CD, Azzi era. Maybe it's irrational but I still like the team's chances next year if healthy and will continue to believe UConn's reign as a dominant program is not over .

But it's true. South Carolina is coming into its own as the powerhouse program of the sport, while UConn slowly heads for the exit.

I'm sorry, UConn leaving the ranks of a powerhouse program? How many Final Fours in a row has SC attained? A non-injured UConn might have beaten this SC team. Was this SC team undefeated? They are good and were better than UConn yesterday, but this portrayal of UConn being in some kind of decline or demise is ludicrous.

 

[JoePgh]

I don't think BostonCanuck is giving Geno (or any top-level coach) credit for tailoring his offense to suit the talents of his team, rather than being doctrinaire about doing things "his way" regardless of who is on his roster.

How could Geno possibly have played a post-dominant offense with the roster he had this year? Or, really, any year since Tina Charles graduated? Stewie was not that kind of a player, and he didn't use her that way. It would have been a shame (and a waste of talent) if he had tried to use Stewie as if she were Tina Charles II or Aaliyah Boston.

You mention Notre Dame in 2018-19. Muffet certainly tuned her offense (which isn't basically very different from UConn's) to feature the talents of Arike Ogunbuwale. Christyn was supposed to be a player in the same mold as Arike, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. Do you really think that if Geno had Arike, he wouldn't have used her in the same way that Muffet did?

Stanford also runs a very similar offense to UConn's, and they have done OK, including an NC last year and the Final Four this year. But Brink does not dominate their offense, nor does Haley Jones. It's a share-the-ball, read-and-react system very similar to Geno's.

Also, I don't think Aliyah Boston's college choice had anything at all to do with offensive systems. It was a much deeper, personal connection between her and Dawn, transcending basketball.

And why do you think Paige chose UConn? I think that had everything to do with the fact that she liked how UConn played basketball when she watched them on TV, sharing the ball with no one being selfish. I think the same thing appealed to Caroline Ducharme.

I think the real difference between Geno / Muffet / Tara and many other coaches is that those three, in particular, are indisposed to one-on-one play and emphasize unselfish team play. That may lose them some recruits (not including Boston) but gains them just as many who are just as talented.

WNBA offenses are more like what I think BostonCanuck prefers -- a "star system" focused around maximizing the individual talents of superstar players (like the NBA). That makes more sense when the density of stars is so high, but even so, players from UConn / ND / Stanford do very well in the W and make the adjustment, more so than players from many other schools. Besides A'ja Wilson, who has South Carolina graduated that has made a big impact in the WNBA?

 

[BostonCanuck]

Thank you, totally agree. I remarked in another post that it also doesn't work with Paige's offensive skill set. I think it suppresses her intangibles which makes her great. I know the adage of if it's not broken....I was watching the pregame with DS and she made an interesting comment which speaks to your point. To pp- she basically said what she observed with Geno going through the season is that it was clear he was having a rough time managing..she said he had to 'pivot' to meet the challenges. Clearly indicating that he had to change his approach but a tough thing for him. My concern is how will Paige be...she's clearly discouraged, I don't think it should be pooh poohed how she'll be processing everything this offseason. This one hits different. Some adjustments are going to have to be made to make bigger strides. I wouldn't be surprised if big changes aren't set in motion following next season or sooner-sometimes things are just what they seem.

Agreed. I recent years I have noticed Geno making some adjustments after each successive semi-final loss. For example in 2017/18 he had his guards trying to push pace of play more. The following year he had Dangerfield creating more off the dribble and penetrating for pull-up jumpers which she was very good at. But such adjustments were evolutionary and even reactionary, and I don't think really addressed the fundamental issues we're talking about.

It was the Arkansas game last year when I firmly concluded that the offensive approach was more or less broken. We towered over those guys inside. Yet we played their game on their terms at their pace. I think Geno realized it too because when we went up against a similar team in Arizona, he actually did try to play them inside out. The problem was he had not cultivated that type of offence anytime prior, and he was asking his players to do something they had not really done before. Still might have pulled it off if Liv hadn't had such a difficult night.

I'm not really sure I know what the best remedy is here, but I'm pretty sure I do know what's wrong. It will be very interesting to see if Geno does try to make some more substantive changes, perhaps spurred on by Paige as you suggested. I'd bet that Geno is going to have a final act to his career that will have him cutting down the nets at least once more.

 

[Oracle9]

Agreed. I recent years I have noticed Geno making some adjustments after each successive semi-final loss. For example in 2017/18 he had his guards trying to push pace of play more. The following year he had Dangerfield creating more off the dribble and penetrating for pull-up jumpers which she was very good at. But such adjustments were evolutionary and even reactionary, and I don't think really addressed the fundamental issues we're talking about.

It was the Arkansas game last year when I firmly concluded that the offensive approach was more or less broken. We towered over those guys inside. Yet we played their game on their terms at their pace. I think Geno realized it too because when we went up against Arizona, he actually did try to play them inside out. The problem was he had not cultivated that type of offence anytime prior, and he was asking his players to do something they hadn't done before. Still might have pulled it off if Liv hadn't had such a difficult night.

I'm not really sure I know what the best remedy is here, but I'm quite sure I do know what's wrong. It will be very interesting to see if Geno does try to make some more substantive changes, perhaps spurred on by Paige as you suggested. I'd bet that Geno has a final act to his career that will have him cutting down the nets at least once more.

One can only hope.

 

[Longtime fan]

But it's true. South Carolina is coming into its own as the powerhouse program of the sport, while UConn slowly heads for the exit.

SC has had the most dominating center for 8 years in a row ( A'jai Wilson for 4; and now Boston for 4). That's like having the best NFL QB, with the luxury of adding receivers , tackles and defensive backs to build a champion. Boston is very much like the Breanna Stewart years for UCONN. SC would have won last year but Boston's "put back" rolled off the rim instead of in. And if she remains at SC ( she
will ) , they will win again next year. UCONN may well challenge and even make the game closer. But as long as Boston is at their core, I don't think they can be beaten. Just like when we had Breanna. And the truth is; Geno is getting nearer to retirement every day. And Dawn Staley is a young version of Geno. Life just happens that way. The tide is turning.

 

[Longtime fan]

Agreed. I recent years I have noticed Geno making some adjustments after each successive semi-final loss. For example in 2017/18 he had his guards trying to push pace of play more. The following year he had Dangerfield creating more off the dribble and penetrating for pull-up jumpers which she was very good at. But such adjustments were evolutionary and even reactionary, and I don't think really addressed the fundamental issues we're talking about.

It was the Arkansas game last year when I firmly concluded that the offensive approach was more or less broken. We towered over those guys inside. Yet we played their game on their terms at their pace. I think Geno realized it too because when we went up against a similar team in Arizona, he actually did try to play them inside out. The problem was he had not cultivated that type of offence anytime prior, and he was asking his players to do something they had not really done before. Still might have pulled it off if Liv hadn't had such a difficult night.

I'm not really sure I know what the best remedy is here, but I'm pretty sure I do know what's wrong. It will be very interesting to see if Geno does try to make some more substantive changes, perhaps spurred on by Paige as you suggested. I'd bet that Geno is going to have a final act to his career that will have him cutting down the nets at least once more.

I'm not certain I follow. But our offense looked like a non offense against SC. True, AZZI was sick and not an option. And it was obvious from the start ( due to Boston and Cardoza) that Williams would not be able to drive to the basket ( a key " ignition point" for her overall game0. So her outside shots didn't fall either. But had the team reverted to a " give it to Paige " mentality? Was all of the groundwork built when Paige was out injured, just a facade? This seems to be the challenge; build an offense where everyone contributes and is put in the best possible position to do so. With Paige as the QB, where her distribution and passing acumen are as valuable as he shooting. We need a balanced offense.

 

[stormsurge]

Geno is amazingly honest about his team.

Didn't he say before the SF game that for UConn to win that Stanford was going to have help out a little? Meaning, if both played at their best then Stanford wins.

If he says it then I believe him. He knows what he has and what he's bringing in and what you got and what you are bringing in.

 

[shiverz45]

Take Aliyah Boston out of a Gamecock's uniform and put in a Huskies uniform and no one would be talking about any era's ending.

I stated this before. If Wilson and Boston would have gone to UConn instead of SC, we would not have the parity we have today.

 

[CTisballers]

But it's true. South Carolina is coming into its own as the powerhouse program of the sport, while UConn slowly heads for the exit.

I don’t think so. They said the same thing about Duke and ND when they start beating UConn and looks who’s back ahead of them. The woman’s game is so wide open now with better players better coaches it’ll be more upsets and more teams make it to the final four. To me it’s just Aliyah Boston is just that good. Without her SC loses to UConn by 30. South Carolina has a lot of catching up to do to be a Powerhouse like UConn and Tennessee. Since Paige injury, coming back she only gave us half of what she’s capable of. Azzi and CD will learn and be better from this. Dorka will be ready with some fire in her. My guess she’s hurt that she couldn’t be out there to help her teammates. I’m 39 and I know in my life time there is no team will do or accomplish what Geno and the Huskies have done. And with that being said to your statement of South Carolina and the rest of WNCAA It’s about dame time

 

[shiverz45]

I don’t think so. They said the same thing about Duke and ND when they start beating UConn and looks who’s back ahead of them. The woman’s game is so wide open now with better players better coaches it’ll be more upsets and more teams make it to the final four. To me it’s just Aliyah Boston is just that good. Without her SC loses to UConn by 30. South Carolina has a lot of catching up to do to be a Powerhouse like UConn and Tennessee. Since Paige injury, coming back she only gave us half of what she’s capable of. Azzi and CD will learn and be better from this. Dorka will be ready with some fire in her. My guess she’s hurt that she couldn’t be out there to help her teammates. I’m 39 and I know in my life time there is no team will do or accomplish what Geno and the Huskies have done. And with that being said to your statement of South Carolina and the rest of WNCAA It’s about dame time

 

[SARG 2011]

I commend you

 

[msf22b]

Why do you think Boston chose South Carolina? I suspect a big reason was because Dawn's offensive philosophy prioritizes the post play a dominant big like her or Wilson, while Geno's does not.

That beautiful inside out game of Dawn's was even better showcased in the Louisville game. But she also used in in the 2020 Olympic gold medal game to comfortably beat an undersized China. In the first half of that game in particular, DT continually fed the ball to Griner in the low post for easy basket after easy basket.

Now contrast that with they type of game that those two played together in Phoenix. Sandy Brondello used pretty much the same offence as Geno does, and so you saw Griner usually out on the perimeter acting as a kind of passing facilitator, much in the same style that Liv played for UConn these past four years. The result? The WNBA team with the world's two most dominant players in their positions for almost a decade, but under Brondello they just won one championship together back in 2014.

Geno's motion offense was the perfect style of play against Tennessee in 2000. But today against other elite NCAA woman's teams, no longer.

A lot to chew on...
Worth considering

 

[BobbyJ]

But it's true. South Carolina is coming into its own as the powerhouse program of the sport, while UConn slowly heads for the exit.

Thanks for the chuckle.

 

[Papa33]

But it's true. South Carolina is coming into its own as the powerhouse program of the sport, while UConn slowly heads for the exit.

Don't see why you see South Carolina's successes as a necessarily zero-sum equation for UConn. Especially if one looks at the relative successes of both team over the past 8 to 10 years. I, for one, am not dismayed by SC's successes; it's great to see worthy opponents for our team.

 

[Surly1]

SC has had the most dominating center for 8 years in a row ( A'jai Wilson for 4; and now Boston for 4). That's like having the best NFL QB, with the luxury of adding receivers , tackles and defensive backs to build a champion. Boston is very much like the Breanna Stewart years for UCONN. SC would have won last year but Boston's "put back" rolled off the rim instead of in. And if she remains at SC ( she
will ) , they will win again next year. UCONN may well challenge and even make the game closer. But as long as Boston is at their core, I don't think they can be beaten. Just like when we had Breanna. And the truth is; Geno is getting nearer to retirement every day. And Dawn Staley is a young version of Geno. Life just happens that way. The tide is turning.

While I agree with the majority of your points, I do not think SC with Boston is not unbeatable. Boston is a down-low force nonpareil, and Dawn’s offensive strategy looked very fluid last night. That makes SC a definite favorite to repeat. However, I felt that had Stanford won, they would have matched up better against them. Dawn & SC wanted to be universally recognized as the best team and current best program, and to reach that status, beating UConn on the national stage was necessary. It was clear from the outset, they were prepared, motivated and focused. UConn never recovered after the initial body blows.

The talent is there for UConn. I believe Geno is coming to grips that he has to install some changes to maximize the talents of Paige. Like Boston, she is a generational talent, and when she is in an offensive rhythm, she is breathless to watch. It was apparent the loss last night stung and she needs to the off-season to recover and heal her body.

A more uptempo offensive mindset would allow Paige to showcase both her scoring, passing and court vision. There are other teams, like Creighton, Villanova, Iowa, and Iowa State, to name a few that uses motion to seemingly get endless free 3-pt looks.

For now, SC and Stanford are the biggest hurdles. In both games, the offense struggled to get good shots and, as others have said, looks outdated. I think and I hope Geno recognizes this and we’ll changes for the upcoming season.

 

[Ron and Vida]

The biggest problem the program faces right now is that the offensive scheme that Geno continues to deploy no longer works.

Whatever you want to call it... motion, Princeton, chin, finesse.... the women's college game has evolved a lot in the past half-dozen years, including stronger, more athletic and better conditioned players. And the elite teams have also learned to defend this offence. Heck, they had to to have any chance of beat UConn after the four-championship run.

The basic problem with the offence it is forgoes the low hanging fruit more easily attained by teams that aggressively attack the rim (Notre Dame in 2018 & 2019) or play a proper inside out game with their dominant big down low (South Carolina in 2022). And it exchanges that for a much more complex, difficult-to-execute style of play based of perimeter passing and read-and-react.

It's beautiful to watch against inferior teams. But in today's game it only works now when you have a clear talent advantage pretty much up and down the roster. In this era of parity, Geno no longer has that, and I don't think it's likely he'll have it again.

I love watching the Stanford and UConn style of play
The “ beautiful game “ in soccer
I’m simply not savvy enough to critique your comments but appreciate hearing your informative point of view

 

[BobbyJ]

Are you talking about the players or the fans when you speak about being here next year if "we" are healthy? I for one am 79, so things are day to day. If I am healthy, I would like to see one more National Championship.

You're just a kid. Jimmy Carter is 97.

 

[Soxx]

But it's true. South Carolina is coming into its own as the powerhouse program of the sport, while UConn slowly heads for the exit.

If that’s where UCONN is headed, it won’t be speed walking.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

The biggest problem the program faces right now is that the offensive scheme that Geno continues to deploy no longer works.

Whatever you want to call it... motion, Princeton, chin, finesse.... the women's college game has evolved a lot in the past half-dozen years, including stronger, more athletic and better conditioned players. And the elite teams have also learned to defend this offence. Heck, they had to to have any chance of beat UConn after the four-championship run.

The basic problem with the offence it is forgoes the low hanging fruit more easily attained by teams that aggressively attack the rim (Notre Dame in 2018 & 2019) or play a proper inside out game with their dominant big down low (South Carolina in 2022). And it exchanges that for a much more complex, difficult-to-execute style of play based of perimeter passing and read-and-react.

It's beautiful to watch against inferior teams. But in today's game it only works now when you have a clear talent advantage pretty much up and down the roster. In this era of parity, Geno no longer has that, and I don't think it's likely he'll have it again.

I have wondered about this quite a number of times. It certainly takes longer to get players integrated into the offense and some have never caught on.

 

[Notyetready]

Don't see why you see South Carolina's successes as a necessarily zero-sum equation for UConn. Especially if one looks at the relative successes of both team over the past 8 to 10 years. I, for one, am not dismayed by SC's successes; it's great to see worthy opponents for our team.

Not a zero sum equation-- exactly this.

 

[shiverz45]

I commend you

I thought that would be better than a rebuttal. Just don't have the energy.

 

[seeya27]

Take Aliyah Boston out of a Gamecock's uniform and put in a Huskies uniform and no one would be talking about any era's ending.

Take Boston out of the SC lineup when she graduates and the landscape levels out. Sorry, but not sold on this narrative that SC is the new power in WBB. Much like we had Stewie/Maya/Diana (and you don't), she has a transformational standout player in Boston that has "stands above the rest" skills. For now. But when Boston is gone, Dawn is just another very good coach competing with a handful of other very good coaches.

The same superlatives were said about Kim when she had Griner. Now Kim and Dawn are indeed terrific coaches, but without Griner/Boston, they are on level battlefield with Geno. And I'll take Geno everyday in that world.

To me, this whole SC narrative is nothing more than "we'll see."

PS: Pray for Brittney.

 

[jeff30189]

Geno is now 11-1 in championship games and all of a sudden UCONN is a second-tier program headed for the exit and he's a dinosaur who has forgotten how to coach?

This was an unprecedented year in terms of adversity, so I'm not sure I'd use it to predict the imminent decline into mediocrity. The offense needs a tweak, but the pieces are there. If you're a metrics driven analyst it's Points Per Possession and Effective FG%, both of which increase if you have guards/wings capable of knocking down 40% of their 3 pointers and bigs who can hit 75% of their FTs. Considering a large chunk of this season was simply finding 6 healthy bodies, you sort of had to take what was available.

Paige, Azzi and Caroline can shoot. They can all drain 40% of their 3's, and they can all shoot 80% of their FTs. Dorka and AE got better on FTs as the year went along, so the other team pays a price by fouling. But they can't keep missing layups, and the bench has to get way more consistent offensively.

 

[TheFarmFan]

The biggest problem the program faces right now is that the offensive scheme that Geno continues to deploy no longer works.

Whatever you want to call it... motion, Princeton, chin, finesse.... the women's college game has evolved a lot in the past half-dozen years, including stronger, more athletic and better conditioned players. And the elite teams have also learned to defend this offence. Heck, they had to to have any chance of beat UConn after the four-championship run.

The basic problem with the offence it is forgoes the low hanging fruit more easily attained by teams that aggressively attack the rim (Notre Dame in 2018 & 2019) or play a proper inside out game with their dominant big down low (South Carolina in 2022). And it exchanges that for a much more complex, difficult-to-execute style of play based of perimeter passing and read-and-react.

It's beautiful to watch against inferior teams. But in today's game it only works now when you have a clear talent advantage pretty much up and down the roster. In this era of parity, Geno no longer has that, and I don't think it's likely he'll have it again.

FWIW, Stanford won with a pretty similar version of this offense last year. And it got to the final four with it this year. And UConn got to the final four with it last year, and to the championship game with it this year.

Also, Domers, feel free to jump in here, but Notre Dame under Muffet ran a motion offense that has been described by some (selling Muffet's playbook, no less) as "McGraw's Version of the Princeton Offense."

Baylor is the one exception, and they won their seminfinal over Oregon by 5, and their final over Notre Dame by one. And they had two bigs that, with all due respect to ONO and Edwards/Juhasz, played the high low scheme better than anyone on UConn has been able to in years. And I kinda don't think anyone would label Mulkey as the trendsetter in offensive schemes. If anything, Baylor was the throwback with its "more traditional" offense.

So I guess I would humbly disagree with this statement, as well as the evidence you provide to support it.