We are dealing with an entirely different WCBB landscape than just even ten years ago. Geno's system just is not as effective with the present type of players. This has even filtered down to high school and projects it getting progressively worse. Before you guestion my intent, I will say I am old school and a fan of the type of system Geno runs. However, the womens games dynamics have changed so much that my fandom has wained considerable. In the present reality, objectively, it is not ridiculous that Geno has been demoted on the coaching scale. This is the new reality we are presently in.
“Geno’s system just is not as effectve with the present type of players” This is just silly! Since our last championship, “Geno” has lost two buzzer beaters in 2016-17 & 2017-18FFs, 2018-19-lost in FF, 2019-20- canceled, 2020-21-lost in FF, 2021-22-runner up in final, 2022-23-lost in sweet sixteen! The last three years were played under the weight of the worst stretch of injuries I have ever seen! I doubt there’s another coach ever who could have produced the results that Geno and his staff did under the same circumstances! With just two missed shots and a fully healthy roster over the same time period it is not a stretch at all that UConn could easily be sitting on 14-15 Nattys now! That does not equate to a “system“ that is no longer effective!
Have things changed? Certainly! Social media, NIL money, and the portal have completely changed the entire recruiting process. Kids (especially elite players) now have to be business oriented, they are looking at decisions that could make a difference of millions of dollars! They are looking at retirement levels of money before they even have a career! Couple that with pressure from parents (money pressure) family and friends, unscrupulous agents and the never ending search for “followers” and it’s easy to see that recruiting has become an absolute minefield!
Nevertheless, some things will never change, though they may become less common under the weight of all these negative influences!
The core standards of character, team orientation, hard work, selflessness, and responsibility that Geno and Chris built their program upon all those years ago still resonate with many players and their parents. Witness our current group of newcomers, KK, Ash, Q, Jana, and Ice! All good to great players who are also great people as well! Next year’s class of Allie & Morgan (and please, please, please, hopefully Sarah
) are the same.
Yes, Geno has missed out on some, especially bigs, who have also had those qualities but simply chose to go somewhere else. However, all the aforementioned players who did commit, did so because of the very “system” you are disparaging! UConn’s recent “struggles” imo, are not due to a failing “system” but rather to (primarily) injuries, with a dash of parity, recruiting misses, and some bad luck!
As for the coaching scale, the relevant numbers are 11 Nattys, including back to back, back to back to back, and back to back to back, to back, 28 conference championships, six undefeated seasons, and 19 FFs including 14 in a row, How about we see what happens when (if
) he gets a fully healthy roster? Until then, I’m pretty sure Geno sleeps pretty soundly in terms of where he stands on the “coaching scale”! His sleepless nights are over trying to patch together, successfully I might add, an effective lineup from an injury depleted roster.
