Genos Greatest Recruit

[Tonyc]

With out a doubt in my mind Chris. Together Geno and CD are a team themselves. Gotta wonder where UConn would be without CD. Hey Geno is the Greatest Coach in all sports imo. CD is right there with him and if she wasnt he most likely wouldve got rid of her or she wouldve left. What they do as a coaching team is take players and build them because its not about what you are or where you are its all about what you become. They do that by taking their players to places in practice and pushing them to points that they never thought they could reach and continue to push them to higher places until they become something they couldnt imagine and thats why UConn is something special that continues to reach goals beyond reality.

What amazes me about UConn is every year they raise the bar higher and aspire to it. They beat their best every year. The better UConn gets the next year they get better. That is an unbelievable feat. Next season will be off the charts. Next season the two best teams in WCBB will be UConns starting 5 and UConn nonstarting 5. Thats how good I see them.

For this season every player on the UConn roster continues to get better. When you look at this years starters and their performances last season and look at this season and theyre number 1 in the country and now look at where Kia has come from the first few games and how much better shes become and look at Saniya and Butler and the emergence of Molly Crystal and Irwin. Geno couldnt have done it along. This is a big part of why I feel CD is Genos Greatest Recruit.

 

[bags27]

I knew just from the title of your thread, Tonyc, who it would be. I'm sure Geno would agree. Great post!

 

[HopJim]

With out a doubt in my mind Chris. Together Geno and CD are a team themselves. Gotta wonder where UConn would be without CD. Hey Geno is the Greatest Coach in all sports imo. CD is right there with him and if she wasnt he most likely wouldve got rid of her or she wouldve left. What they do as a coaching team is take players and build them because its not about what you are or where you are its all about what you become. They do that by taking their players to places in practice and pushing them to points that they never thought they could reach and continue to push them to higher places until they become something they couldnt imagine and thats why UConn is something special that continues to reach goals beyond reality.

What amazes me about UConn is every year they raise the bar higher and aspire to it. They beat their best every year. The better UConn gets the next year they get better. That is an unbelievable feat. Next season will be off the charts. Next season the two best teams in WCBB will be UConns starting 5 and UConn nonstarting 5. Thats how good I see them.

For this season every player on the UConn roster continues to get better. When you look at this years starters and their performances last season and look at this season and theyre number 1 in the country and now look at where Kia has come from the first few games and how much better shes become and look at Saniya and Butler and the emergence of Molly Crystal and Irwin. Geno couldnt have done it along. This is a big part of why I feel CD is Genos Greatest Recruit.

Good call. From listening to Geno for many years, guessing that CD played a vital role in evaluating the "guts" and personalities of the top recruits. Could they thrive under pressure, would they commit to UConn's values, etc.

 

[Jimbo]

I knew just from the title of your thread, Tonyc, who it would be. I'm sure Geno would agree. Great post!

Actually, the top recruit who first entered my mind was Kathy!

But about bringing CD on board, I think Geno has said that he intentionally sought for that role someone who was great at the things he knew he wasn't very good at. That might seem obvious in hindsight, but I think it took a remarkable amount of self-awareness from a first-time head coach to recognize that he didn't personally have all the strengths necessary to succeed as he wanted, not to mention astuteness to identify the perfect partner in crime who had the strengths he lacked. It's hard to imagine he ever could have chosen anyone better.

 

[PhillyCoach]

Hey Jimbo - totally agree with the self-awareness to choose someone who was great at the things he knew he wasn't good at. In addition, (with Geno being around strong women his whole life) he knew he needed a woman. Yes, a strong woman who had the SAME old school ideas with the SAME relentless passion to strive for success --in every single detail. Some might remember that Diana always complained about CD (even more than Geno) because CD would push and push --nag?- all the players about every detail put forth by the system. Geno can back off a smidge since CD is there to keep up the relentless reminders. CD was the greatest recruit. Geno had a great eye for talent from the beginning and he wanted CD from the jump.