Devils advocate.

[Mdoggie]

Winning a 4th championship may hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches will use the "start your own legacy" argument. They could also use "we will build or program around you".

 

[j66kicker]

Winning a 4th championship may hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches will use the "start your own legacy" argument. They could also use "we will build or program around you".

I'll take my chances

 

[TitleTown]

Winning a 4th championship may hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches will use the "start your own legacy" argument. They could also use "we will build or program around you".

You don't think that has already started after winning 10 of them?

 

[Jimbo]

I can see both of those being decent recruiting pitches, depending on what an individual recruit is looking for. But I don't think winning one more championship this year would change too much in that regard. I doubt that any recruit preoccupied with starting her own legacy would think that 11 titles are significantly different from 10. And I don't think the "we'll build our program around you" promises are anything new either, although that's not how Geno operates.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Winning a 4th championship may hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches will use the "start your own legacy" argument. They could also use "we will build or program around you".

Please. Those are standard recruiting techniques, and have nothing at all to do with UConn and their titles. Teams have to win games, win their conference, make the tourney, etc. long before they worry about winning a NC.

 

[Plebe]

Winning a 4th championship may hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches will use the "start your own legacy" argument. They could also use "we will build or program around you".

Talk about seeing the glass half-empty. Of all the things that might possibly hurt UConn's recruiting, I think this is the least of anyone's worries.

 

[Fishy]

Winning a 4th championship may hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches will use the "start your own legacy" argument. They could also use "we will build or program around you".

This is navel gazing of the first order.

Coach A - "One of the hallmarks of our program is that we have never won four championships in a row. We pride ourself on not having won four championships in a row and we believe that not having won four championships means that we still have the theoretical potential to win four championships in a row someday and that is damn exciting stuff!"

Coach B - "We're going to keep winning championships. Maybe you should be here for that."

Personally, I'm going with Coach B's recruiting pitch.

 

[mhshuskies]

I can see both of those being decent recruiting pitches, depending on what an individual recruit is looking for. But I don't think winning one more championship this year would change too much in that regard. I doubt that any recruit preoccupied with starting her own legacy would think that 11 titles are significantly different from 10. And I don't think the "we'll build our program around you" promises are anything new either, although that's not how Geno operates.

That isn't how Geno would recruit a player, because it isn't about the individual player, it's about the team. A player that would be persuaded by that "ME" attitude is not a UCONN type of recruit.

 

[meyers7]

Coach A - "One of the hallmarks of our program is that we have never won four championships in a row. We pride ourself on not having won four championships in a row and we believe that not having won four championships means that we still have the theoretical potential to win four championships in a row someday and that is damn exciting stuff!"

 

[bags27]

I'm convinced! For the betterment of UConn basketball, I hope we lose this one!

 

[GoUconn7961]

Can we win the 4th one first before we even go here?

 

[cabbie191]

Winning a 4th championship may hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches will use the "start your own legacy" argument. They could also use "we will build or program around you".

Hmmm ... Didn't Sylvia Hatchell try that with Diamond?

To paraphrase a favorite line from Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, that is a journey fraught with danger.

 

[alexrgct]

The Golden Era of UConn WCBB: eight straight Final Fours, a dual men's and women's NC, five NCs overall (composed of a two-peat and a three-peat at that), a 90-game win streak, a 69-games-and-counting win streak), a chance to enjoy the greatness of both Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart, eight new names on the Huskies of Honor wall (Monty, Tina, Maya, Stef, Bria, KML, Mo, Stewie), and post-collegiate success for alumnae and for Geno at the Olympics, FIBA Championships, and the WNBA.

In other words, Uconn has had it all over the past eight years, and this ninth is only going to make things better. How would a recruit not want to be part of this, especially when you look at the void Stewie, Mo, and Morgan, all leave?

And in conclusion, advocate for the man downstairs:

 

[Joobie]

WHAT?!?!? The only bad thing about a 4th NC in a row is if it causes Geno's retirement. A 4th in a row makes history & beats John Wooden's record of 10. I would love to see this class of exceptional young women do something that's never been done before. Looking forward to that!

 

[Fairfield Fan]

The Golden Era of UConn WCBB: eight straight Final Fours, a dual men's and women's NC, five NCs overall (composed of a two-peat and a three-peat at that), a 90-game win streak, a 69-games-and-counting win streak), a chance to enjoy the greatness of both Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart, eight new names on the Huskies of Honor wall (Monty, Tina, Maya, Stef, Bria, KML, Mo, Stewie), and post-collegiate success for alumnae and for Geno at the Olympics, FIBA Championships, and the WNBA.

In other words, Uconn has had it all over the past eight years, and this ninth is only going to make things better. How would a recruit not want to be part of this, especially when you look at the void Stewie, Mo, and Morgan, all leave?

And in conclusion, advocate for the man downstairs:

I am constantly amazed that top recruits whom the Connecticut coaching staff try very hard to land do, indeed, go elsewhere. Coach Geno tried to get Jewell Loyd; he wanted Taya Reimber; wanted Aja Wilson; wanted Diamond Deshields; wanted others. So it's not simply a matter of "some kids just aren't suited to UConn." Great talents do, for some reason, go elsewhere. In fact, it seems as though far more top talents go elsewhere than one would think, given the greatness of the Connecticut program, and Coach Geno's demonstrated brilliance. Not sure why..

But Coach Geno does find a way to win, and win big, often with only a couple of stars, or with virtually no bench. That is part of his legacy.

 

[JoePgh]

I think there is some possibility that this sort of recruiting pitch might work with SOME top recruits. Before 1995, I'm sure Geno was using some version of that (with much less recruiting success than he has had recently, by the way).

It appears that A'ja Wilson went to South Carolina instead of UConn mainly because it was very close to home and because she would be playing with several close friends. But I would not be surprised if the idea of being the First Big Recruit that led them to NC #1 was also a factor. In effect, South Carolina offered her the chance to become the Rebecca Lobo of that program, which might seem more enticing than being the 15th or 20th name on the wall at Gampel.

But I would not be overly concerned about that pitch being widely successful. The most effective UConn recruiting pitch (the one that got Stewie to come) has nothing directly to do with the 10 NC's or the names on the wall -- it has to do with knowledgeable people outside the program telling her and her parents that UConn would develop her skills better than any other program. Any recruit whose #1 priority is to become the best basketball player she can be (most recent example: KLS) will be strongly drawn to UConn.

But that is not every recruit, or even every talented recruit. Notre Dame and Stanford can legitimately say that they offer better academics and a more prestigious degree than UConn, and are "almost" as good in the basketball dimension. For recruits from Catholic backgrounds, Notre Dame offers that extra dimension. Baylor, A&M, and Texas can offer stay-at-home-and-play-in-front-of-family-and-friends as a pitch to all those talented Texas recruits, as well as "family values" for those who are from conservative social or religious backgrounds.

But no one can credibly say that they will make you a better basketball player than UConn will.

 

[bags27]

It appears that A'ja Wilson went to South Carolina instead of UConn mainly because it was very close to home and because she would be playing with several close friends. But I would not be surprised if the idea of being the First Big Recruit that led them to NC #1 was also a factor. In effect, South Carolina offered her the chance to become the Rebecca Lobo of that program, which might seem more enticing than being the 15th or 20th name on the wall at Gampel.

It's hard to not have remorse over Wilson. But where exactly does she play on UConn last year or this? as the third option, after Stewie in Morgan? And might not Stewie have been less effective with another big body down low? I think she's got a fantastic game and would be great for us the next two years, but it may have been an embarrassment of riches the past two.

 

[CCinCT]

Winning a 4th championship may hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches will use the "start your own legacy" argument. They could also use "we will build or program around you".

Let's win. If I was Geno I'd certainly take my chances re recruiting. There's only so many scholarship spots open anyway.

 

[reno tony]

Have you ever met the POTUS?

 

[j66kicker]

Have you ever met the POTUS?

Awesome pitch!!