Geno's Retirement: Succession and a Game Plan

[Dougie]

As sure as night turns into day and spring turns into summer, one day Geno Auriemma will retire. And although I hope and believe that this will not happen for a long time, it will eventually happen.

Questions of succession are faced by businesses and other institutions all the time. Some are successful in their succession process and others are not. The challenge becomes even greater when the brand, in this case UCONN Womens' Basketball, is virtually synonymous with one very charismatic personality. (Believe me I don't, for a minute, minimize the critical impact of CD and everyone else associated with the program). Think of Steve Jobs and Apple, John Wooden and UCLA and hundreds of other companies whose identity is closely linked to one person.

So we all know that there will never be another Geno Auriemma. But this does not mean that "we're doomed". One of the hallmarks of UCONN's success is that attention is paid to every little detail and that nothing is left to chance and I hope that this is true in coming up with a succession plan to keep UCONN on top for years and years to come.

A lot of emphasis (and speculation on the Boneyard) is placed on the selection of a replacement coach, whether it be Shea or somebody else. And certainly whoever it is will have to have some charisma of their own, as Xs and Os alone will just not cut it. Of course coach selection is a critical piece of the puzzle but it is by no means the only piece. Perhaps we need some other former players like Maya or Sue to be associated with the program. The mantra must be to perpetuate the perception among young athletes that UCONN is still the place to go "to be the best player that I can be " and " to have the opportunity to win a National Championship"

Two other thoughts. Ideally Geno would pick his time to retire when the team is at an apex of talent with a good chance to win a NC. How important could it be to win a championship in the first year without Geno? Secondly, I hope that even in retirement Geno would maintain strong ties with the program . His presence alone would add strength and continuity to this already incomparable and storied program.

Any thoughts?

 

[Bretski]

what is this 'geno's retirement' that you speak of? i don't think that's a real thing.

 

[bmayuc]

Mods pls delete this thread and ban the user.

 

[bags27]

Ideally Geno would pick his time to retire when the team is at an apex of talent with a good chance to win a NC. How important could it be to win a championship in the first year without Geno? Secondly, I hope that even in retirement Geno would maintain strong ties with the program . His presence alone would add strength and continuity to this already incomparable and storied program.

Sorry to be a contrarian on this, but I fear for UConn diehards that neither hope will be realized. No coach walks away voluntarily when there is a realistic opportunity for another great season. They just don't hand their successors a national championship. No one did it for Geno, and whoever succeeds him should earn theirs. And everyone, frankly, is better off--and I am confident Geno knows this--if the coach fully retires and spends most of basketball season golfing in Florida. Sure, he might be a "goodwill ambassador" for the team and for UConn (I believe that a large part of his salary even now is officially for that), but the further he stays away from Werth, the better for everyone, especially his successor.

 

[triaddukefan]

Sorry to be a contrarian on this, but I fear for UConn diehards that neither hope will be realized. No coach walks away voluntarily when there is a realistic opportunity for another great season. They just don't hand their successors a national championship. No one did it for Geno, and whoever succeeds him should earn theirs. And everyone, frankly, is better off--and I am confident Geno knows this--if the coach fully retires and spends most of basketball season golfing in Florida. Sure, he might be a "goodwill ambassador" for the team and for UConn (I believe that a large part of his salary even now is officially for that), but the further he stays away from Werth, the better for everyone, especially his successor.

What about Dean Smith retiring just before the start of the 1997-1998 season? That was a excellent UNC team lead by Vince Carter and Antawin Jamison. Probably the odds on favorite to win the tourney, but got upset in the Final 4 by Utah.

 

[Kaizen]

Mods pls delete this thread and ban the user.

It may be too early to discuss this issue.
But I think Dougle's opinion is not negative.

 

[bags27]

I think bmayuc is joking....at least I hope...

 

[Icebear]

The 7003rd Geno's retirement thread.

 

[BigBird]

This is so premature. Bank on that. Because I'm sure when they fire Geno they will want to interview me for the job, and as of this moment, my phone hasn't rung. See? No worries, be happy. It didn't ring. Oh, wait. It did. There was that guy with the middle Eastern accent who told me my computer probably has a virus.

 

[JordyG]

Mods pls delete this thread and ban the user.

I've got my fingers in my ears and my head in the sand. I hear nothing, I see nothing. NOTHING.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

DOOOOOMMMMEEEDDD!!!!!!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

There is a creepy, so ahead of its time, morbidity to this topic. What comes to mind? This:

 

[Blakeon18]

Judd Heathcote at Michigan State...coach-in-waiting Tom Izzo on the bench....already named as the successor.
Geno Auriemma at UConn....Dee Taurasi on the bench for 2 years as already named coaching in -waiting.

Transition to be from 2020-2022...Dee forma lly takes over that next year. Dee gets her 5th gold in 2020...putting her ahead of everybody...just where she belongs.

CD to stay beyond Geno leaving for a year or two to smooth the transition.

 

[Aluminny69]

Sorry to be a contrarian on this, but I fear for UConn diehards that neither hope will be realized. No coach walks away voluntarily when there is a realistic opportunity for another great season. They just don't hand their successors a national championship. No one did it for Geno, and whoever succeeds him should earn theirs. And everyone, frankly, is better off--and I am confident Geno knows this--if the coach fully retires and spends most of basketball season golfing in Florida. Sure, he might be a "goodwill ambassador" for the team and for UConn (I believe that a large part of his salary even now is officially for that), but the further he stays away from Werth, the better for everyone, especially his successor.

But, isn't this what happened with the UConn Men's team? Didn't Kevin Ollie inherit a National Champion?

 

[bags27]

But, isn't this what happened with the UConn Men's team? Didn't Kevin Ollie inherit a National Champion?

In his 2nd year, right? You and triadukefan (above) make a good point: I stand corrected. But I'm not sure it's such a "gift", since it was "someone else's team" and now the expectations are very high. Like when Tubby Smith inherited a great Kentucky team when Pitino went to the Celtics, and Smith won it all the first year, but it was gradually downhill after that.

 

[Kibitzer]

Take Geno at his word. He will coach as long as he is fit and enjoys it. There is no apparent timetable. When Geno leaves, CD may or may not; it will be her decision.

The logical (and IMO most likely) replacement for Geno is Shea. It is possible that someone like Sue would, in turn, replace her, It is impossible to predict Diana's future, given the array of opportunities that await her when she steps off the court for good.

 

[alexrgct]

Geno will retire someday. We don't know when it'll happen or why. Thankfully, he's been in good health thus far (KNOCK WOOD), and has said that he'll keep coaching as long as he enjoys it. Garry Blair is the HC of A&M after all, and he's 71 years old. So there's that example.

As I said, we simply won't know when it'll be time for him to move on, but the great news is that he's going to leave the program in a great condition if at all possible. The question of who will be the next HC of UConn WCBB tends to be endless and repetitive, but it will be a job more prospects will have interest in. It's a great brand with great tradition and facilities.

I just hope Shea sticks around and that she'll be truly ready. Otherwise, I think the succession goes outside of the UConn family. I don't think it'll be CD, and no alumna other than Shea has anything like the requisite coaching experience.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

But, isn't this what happened with the UConn Men's team? Didn't Kevin Ollie inherit a National Champion?

There were...extenuating circumstances...that influenced the timing of that change. Ollie handled it QUITE well; may have been one of the best coaching jobs in NCAA Basketball history. The only comparable to that was probably Steve Fisher at Michigan, who only had to coach 6 games that season under even higher pressure (albeit for a shorter period). I count Tubby third in that group; while his season was impressive, he followed a script to a 'T'.

 

[bags27]

Judd Heathcote at Michigan State...coach-in-waiting Tom Izzo on the bench....already named as the successor.
Geno Auriemma at UConn....Dee Taurasi on the bench for 2 years as already named coaching in -waiting.

Transition to be from 2020-2022...Dee forma lly takes over that next year. Dee gets her 5th gold in 2020...putting her ahead of everybody...just where she belongs.

CD to stay beyond Geno leaving for a year or two to smooth the transition.

Would Dee commit herself to spending 8 months/year in Storrs? She seems just far too cosmopolitan at this point. I'm betting that, if she stays in the game at all, she coaches pro in a major market.

And Dee may be the best ever in a huddle when she's actually a player, but does that necessarily translate to sideline and program-building skills? Time will tell, if that's what she wants to do, but coaching, like any sort of teaching, is a mysterious and unpredictable enterprise: some whom you'd bet would be terrific, aren't, and vice-versa.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Mods pls delete this thread and ban the user.

No, no......the thread should be deleted, the OP beaten with a studded baton, and then banned. Protocol Sir.....protocol.

 

[alexrgct]

Would Dee commit herself to spending 8 months/year in Storrs? She seems just far too cosmopolitan at this point. I'm betting that, if she stays in the game at all, she coaches pro in a major market.

And Dee may be the best ever in a huddle when she's actually a player, but does that necessarily translate to sideline and program-building skills? Time will tell, if that's what she wants to do, but coaching, like any sort of teaching, is a mysterious and unpredictable enterprise: some whom you'd bet would be terrific, aren't, and vice-versa.

I love DT and Sue. Certainly, they both understand the continuum of greatness that is UConn WBB and would be honored to carry the torch.

The problem is that you can't inherit a program like UConn with no prior coaching experience. It just isn't viable.

Really, the only possibility is for them to join a coaching staff prior to becoming HCs. They could do something as assistants while there is nothing at UConn in terms of HC positions. If CD, Shea, and MM, are still around when Geno retires, the succession could be some combo of the current assistant staff along with DT and/or Sue if they have the experience by then and the desire.

Bottom line, this is going to be really hard. Holly Warlick was really the only option Tennessee had after Pat retired, and I would have thought others would have been beating down the door to take the job on. Instead, Holly was the only choice. Will UConn have many choices to succeed the best coach in North American sport? Time will tell.

 

[Vowelguy]

At this point it's Shea, CD, or Rizzotti

 

[HoopsFan21]

At this point it's Shea, CD, or Rizzotti

CD ruled herself out. She's similar in age to Geno anyway.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Stop stop stop!!
There are 3 things my mind cannot wrap itself around :: Prolonged Illness, DEATH, and Geno's retirement.
Stop---don't force me to think of this!!!

 

[BroadwayVa]

Would Dee commit herself to spending 8 months/year in Storrs? She seems just far too cosmopolitan at this point. I'm betting that, if she stays in the game at all, she coaches pro in a major market.

And Dee may be the best ever in a huddle when she's actually a player, but does that necessarily translate to sideline and program-building skills? Time will tell, if that's what she wants to do, but coaching, like any sort of teaching, is a mysterious and unpredictable enterprise: some whom you'd bet would be terrific, aren't, and vice-versa.

I agree with much of what you write. I have seen, maybe often, great players in Football, Basketball who could not translate that player leader into team builder. They are not necessarily the same.