Geno: ‘I couldn’t see my way out’ (merged)

[cuzinvinny]

what we knew but didn't know

‘I couldn’t see my way out’: Geno Auriemma’s year of reckoning

 

[HuskyNan]

It’s subscription only

 

[BRS24]

So yesterday's eye sweating episode was from Paige's Gatorade commercial. Today, it's a snippet of this article about Geno, but more important, a Nika appearance. Tells me everything I knew about her, her fierce loyalty and honesty, and most of all, her caring. One tough european telling another exactly what to do. This is right after his mom Marsiella passed away:

In a coaches meeting, he said it felt like he was on a plane, and no matter how many times the flight attendants told him to put on his oxygen mask before helping others, he just kept trying to find everyone else’s masks. He ignored his own mask until he couldn’t find it anymore.​

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And on the team’s road trip to Butler, he hit his breaking point. He couldn’t hide the weight of what he was carrying anymore.​

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During the pregame walkthrough, point guard Nika Mühl looked at him and said, “Coach, what are you doing here? Go home.”​

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He knew she was right. Auriemma pulled the coaches together and told them he needed to go home. He’d be back, but he wasn’t sure when.​

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“I think he finally realized if he wasn’t in a better place, then there was no way he’d be able to help the players,” Dailey said. “He wasn’t able to give them what he thought they would need from him. … It was hard to see him like that.”​

 

[Millenial23]

It’s subscription only

I was able to copy the headline into google and read it when I clicked the link from there. Might be worth trying. It was a good read for sure!

 

[cuzinvinny]

a snipit:

Last season
Auriemma needed surgery to unblock one of his carotid arteries. The procedure wasn’t urgent, but it was necessary.

Outside of his family, he told five people the truth — his assistant coaches and his athletic director. Everyone else was told he had flu-like symptoms. “I didn’t want to scare them,” he says.

 

[cuzinvinny]

another Geno story today this one is from the Courant

As Geno Auriemma turns 70, more March Madness beckons and he’s not ready to walk away as UConn women’s basketball coach

 

[Geew1992]

"The dog", he said. "Even the dog".

 

[FormerCTrez]

I was able to copy the headline into google and read it when I clicked the link from there. Might be worth trying. It was a good read for sure!

No such luck on my end. I tried several times but could only read the first three paragraphs.
Thanks for sharing your tip.

 

[Geew1992]

I was able to copy the headline into google and read it when I clicked the link from there. Might be worth trying. It was a good read for sure!

Worked for me too

 

[Centerstream]

No such luck on my end. I tried several times but could only read the first three paragraphs.
Thanks for sharing your tip.

Worked for me too

Could it depend on what browser you are using?

 

[Geew1992]

Could it depend on what browser you are using?

Could be. I'm using google

 

[huskeynut]

Another reason to love Nika. Going to miss that girl!!

Another example of the type of program Geno has built at UConn.

 

[Millenial23]

A snippet of interest from the courant article (I have a subscription to this one). Regarding his successor.

Auriemma said he would be willing to give the UConn hierarchy a few names to consider, but he does not want to pick his successor or even be involved in the process.

“The search should be worldwide,” he said. “Worldwide. It’s going to take somebody who has tremendous confidence in themselves, has a track record of winning or maybe you want to start all over and hire a young person and there is something to be said for that. Some people hire from within and always keep it ‘in the family,’ that has worked some places, and it has failed miserably. I don’t think you automatically say, ‘We’re staying in-house.’ That would be a tremendous mistake. Don’t limit yourself to that, and don’t ask me who the next coach should be. How do you know I’m doing it for the right reasons?”

 

[Blond D.]

so....what is the gist of it? Asking all of you who have read it. Is it problematic? Inquisitive minds like mine want to know.

 

[omshanti]

The article in The Athletic is worth the dollar a month subscription. One of the best articles on that platform that I’ve read. Too much to post here… read it.

 

[BRS24]

And i have 5 free, 30 day guest passes if anyone wants them for the tourney articles. PM me.

 

[BobbyJ]

The article in The Athletic is worth the dollar a month subscription. One of the best articles on that platform that I’ve read. Too much to post here… read it.

That must be an introductory rate. The current regular subscription rate is $6 a month but well worth it.

 

[Blueballer]

Wow - what a story. Lots of things we never knew.

 

[FormerCTrez]

Could it depend on what browser you are using?

Possibly. I’ll try again later. Thanks.

 

[Rowdy831]

A snippet of interest from the courant article (I have a subscription to this one). Regarding his successor.

Auriemma said he would be willing to give the UConn hierarchy a few names to consider, but he does not want to pick his successor or even be involved in the process.

“The search should be worldwide,” he said. “Worldwide. It’s going to take somebody who has tremendous confidence in themselves, has a track record of winning or maybe you want to start all over and hire a young person and there is something to be said for that. Some people hire from within and always keep it ‘in the family,’ that has worked some places, and it has failed miserably. I don’t think you automatically say, ‘We’re staying in-house.’ That would be a tremendous mistake. Don’t limit yourself to that, and don’t ask me who the next coach should be. How do you know I’m doing it for the right reasons?”

Maybe the best replacement is just down the road in the same state. I don't see Geno stepping away for a few years if his health stays good and he is able to have fun with his whole team. People think I don't like Geno but the exact opposite is true, I think he is an amazing coach. He is great at getting the exact pieces he needs to build HIS team and the last three years he has had to build one out of the parts he had available and what he has done really is outstanding. I hope he gets to finish his career with a full roster so he can show just how good he is and always has been.

 

[omshanti]

That must be an introductory rate. The current regular subscription rate is $6 a month but well worth it.

If you get the NYTimes you get The Athletic. It is well worth it.

 

[GoUconn7961]

The subscription is only a dollar and it was well worth it just to read that article.

 

[PacoSwede]

interesting story. fans would learn a lot reading it.

but it is limited. i wonder if geno himself would buy its overall take.

it has some great quotes -- by geno and those around him -- and new (to us) details and revelations. but the writer has incorporated boatloads of conclusions, and they are not necessarily accurate. maybe she's guessed right -- and her thoughts do provide a good story -- but only geno knows if that is the true story. i'm sure, being a public figure often in the news, he's accustomed to being misinterpreted.

anyway, i know that if the writer's portait is anywhere near true, i'm really happy to NOT be like geno. she paints a miserable life. i doubt that's accurate.

the passage that was best to me:

Because even in the midst of four consecutive national titles and an 111-game win streak, 14 consecutive Final Fours, Auriemma could most see the mistakes that could’ve derailed everything. Even when they didn’t. Even when the trophy was sitting with his players in the back of the bus.

“Only the painter knows where the smudges are on their painting,” he says. “If da Vinci is looking at the Mona Lisa and you’re looking at it with him, you’re saying, ‘That’s the greatest painting there ever was.’ In his mind, he’s going, ‘You know in how many places I f—ed that up? And nobody knows about it.’”

that is sad, though the accomplishments are great.