POLL: what Geno milestone is most impressive to you?

[alexrgct]

Geno has coached teams to many great milestones. Which of them is most impressive to you? He's about to hit the 900-win milestone. His teams have enjoyed winning streaks of 47, 70, and 90, good for three of the longest streaks in a row. He's got nine national championships to his credit, more than anyone not named John Wooden. Other than the nine NCs, consider that he won even one in 10 seasons as HC after inheriting a program that had never done anything at a school with no athletic brand yet to speak of.

And of course, there may be some other milestone or accomplishment that you think is even more impressive.

Voting and discussion is welcome and encouraged, as usual...

 

[Vowelguy]

1. 9 NCs
2. Turning around a nothing program to Big East Chanps in 4 years and going to a Final 4 in 6. Not sure that will ever happen again.
3. The winning streaks, just because it requires great discipline to never have an off night.

 

[bballnut90]

I voted other. 9-0 in championship games is nuts. Furthermore, only Tennessee in 1995 and 2003 ever put up a truly competitive fight where the game was in doubt late. Stanford had a good run in 2010 but midway through the 2nd half the game wasn't in question, and UCONN had a 16 or 17 point lead at one point. Besides that, UCONN crushed Tennessee in 2000, never allowed OU to get closer than 6 in 2002, game wasn't in doubt in 2004, blow out in 2010, 2013 and 2014.

 

[EricLA]

Getting 9 NC's is #1 in my book, but #2 is the 900 wins and top winning % in the history of WCBB. For at least 2 decades, UCONN has consistently played a top 10 SOS and Geno still managed to amass that incredible winning %...

 

[UConnDadRich]

I vote for the highest winning percentage, considering the status of the team when he started and the continuing level of performance required to raise the percentage to that level.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I voted other. 9-0 in championship games is nuts. Furthermore, only Tennessee in 1995 and 2003 ever put up a truly competitive fight where the game was in doubt late. Stanford had a good run in 2010 but midway through the 2nd half the game wasn't in question, and UCONN had a 16 or 17 point lead at one point. Besides that, UCONN crushed Tennessee in 2000, never allowed OU to get closer than 6 in 2002, game wasn't in doubt in 2004, blow out in 2010, 2013 and 2014.

I think you're totally mistaken in that the Oklahoma game was a nail biter until there was less than a couple of minutes left and Diana made a tough shot from about ten or twelve feet and Oklahoma's All-American fouled out on that shot. I think the lead was something like three or four points at that time. It was a far more dramatic championship game than was the 2003 win over Tennessee. I concede that the best was the first which wasn't decided until the waning moments and of course, being our first, was the most meaningful.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I vote for the highest winning percentage, considering the status of the team when he started and the continuing level of performance required to raise the percentage to that level.

I might have to agree with that, considering he had a losing season in his first year and then had to slowly turn the tide to what we see today. If you take the first four or five seasons away, where we had some success but still hadn't quite turned the corner, Geno's winning percentage is EVEN more fantastic. To average over 30 wins a season when winning 20 games in a season was a seemingly unrealistic goal in 1986, is crazy terrific. Totally unprecedented and amazing. Chris and Geno deserve so much for what this program has meant to UConn and Connecticut and all their fans.

 

[huskyblooz]

I chose other. If there was an all of the above, I may have voted for that.
I agree with the 9-0 in NCAA Championship games is mind-boggling.
100% graduation rate is impressive.

But, my vote would be : not losing consecutive games since 1993!!!

 

[punchjur]

I also voted other. To me, his overall UConn winning percentage of 87% of the games he has coached (898 wins and only 134 losses) is truly amazing - especially when you consider that 81 of those 134 losses occurred before he won his first NC in 1994-1995. Extraordinary consistency. After that comes the 9 NCs.

 

[DobbsRover2]

I think you're totally mistaken in that the Oklahoma game was a nail biter until there was less than a couple of minutes left and Diana made a tough shot from about ten or twelve feet and Oklahoma's All-American fouled out on that shot. I think the lead was something like three or four points at that time. It was a far more dramatic championship game than was the 2003 win over Tennessee. I concede that the best was the first which wasn't decided until the waning moments and of course, being our first, was the most meaningful.

The lead was 6 points when DT hit the shot to bump it to 9 with a little over 2 minutes left. UConn had led by 12 at the half. Not really in the nail-biter category but it felt mildly discomfitting at the time that the lead wasn't still at least 12. But my nails came out fine, as the Sooners being down by 6 with the Huskies having the ball was not a situation that really got the worry towels out.

Think maybe the final choice might have been a little easier to grok with the phrase "first 10 years."

 

[AnotherVolFan]

I voted other. I am wildly impressed by the 9-0 record in Championship games!

 

[CL82]

His winning percentage is staggering, but winning it all is the essence of sport. Think about this way if Geno had the same winning percentage and same total numbers of wins but no championships, would he still be considered the best ever? More likely he'd be know as the guy who can't win the big one (code for choker) but would likely be a much more popular figure in the sport.

 

[CocoHusky]

By far it must be going 4 & 0 against Pat Summitt in National Championship Games. Think about it. If someone had gone 4 & 0 against John Wooden, Phil Jackson , Coach K, Bobby Knight … in Championship games that single stat would get them consideration for HOF.
This is not a knock against Pat so please don’t send me any hate mail.

 

[hoophuskee]

I voted other. 9-0 in championship games is nuts. Furthermore, only Tennessee in 1995 and 2003 ever put up a truly competitive fight where the game was in doubt late. Stanford had a good run in 2010 but midway through the 2nd half the game wasn't in question, and UCONN had a 16 or 17 point lead at one point. Besides that, UCONN crushed Tennessee in 2000, never allowed OU to get closer than 6 in 2002, game wasn't in doubt in 2004, blow out in 2010, 2013 and 2014.

2002 was a good fight. You're within 6 late - you put up a good fight.

 

[AnotherVolFan]

By far it must be going 4 & 0 against Pat Summitt in National Championship Games. Think about it. If someone had gone 4 & 0 against John Wooden, Phil Jackson , Coach K, Bobby Knight … in Championship games that single stat would get them consideration for HOF.
This is not a knock against Pat so please don’t send me any hate mail.

Id have to agree....you would think Pat would have beat him at least once!

 

[hussybulldog]

1. 9 NCs
2. Turning around a nothing program to Big East Chanps in 4 years and going to a Final 4 in 6. Not sure that will ever happen again.
3. The winning streaks, just because it requires great discipline to never have an off night.

point 2 might not be that impressive, as Louisville's Walz brought his team to the NCAA Final the second season he became the head coach there. (Of course he had a been an assistant coach somewhere else for over ten years before that) In fact, he has gone to NCAA final twice in 6 years after he became head coach. So that should be as impressive.

 

[CocoHusky]

I also voted other. To me, his overall UConn winning percentage of 87% of the games he has coached (898 wins and only 134 losses) is truly amazing - especially when you consider that 81 of those 134 losses occurred before he won his first NC in 1994-1995. Extraordinary consistency. After that comes the 9 NCs.

Punch,
much like CL82's comment I can't get excited about a high winning percentage. Joanne P. McCallie's wining percentage at Duke is only a few percentage points behind Geno's. 87% vs. 84%. She could easily maintain that or increase it for another 8 years. Without a championship would that McCallie stat be even note worthy?

 

[Beemer]

I voted for 9-0 in national championship final games. That is one awesome statistic.

And being undefeated in national championship games against Tennessee [4-0] is also a sweet number.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Sustained excellence upon attaining elite status.

 

[Oldbones]

I believe that not losing consecutive games in 22 years is extraordinary. This team has always gotten back up after tough losses. No malaise, no hanging of heads.

Of course, losing happens so seldom that there are fewer possibilities for that second loss.

 

[bballnut90]

I think you're totally mistaken in that the Oklahoma game was a nail biter until there was less than a couple of minutes left and Diana made a tough shot from about ten or twelve feet and Oklahoma's All-American fouled out on that shot. I think the lead was something like three or four points at that time. It was a far more dramatic championship game than was the 2003 win over Tennessee. I concede that the best was the first which wasn't decided until the waning moments and of course, being our first, was the most meaningful.

No...UCONN was up by 16 midway through the 2nd half on Oklahoma. UCONN had a comfortable 10 point margin most of the game until they were only up by 6 with 3 minutes left. That was the closest it got, as the Taurasi 3point play happened with 1:31 to go which pushed the margin to 9 and seal the win.

2003 was a more dramatic game. Brittany Jackson hit a three with just over a minute to go to cut the lead to 4, Tennessee closed to within 3 in the final minute before free throws by Strother and a steal by Battle sealed the win.

 

[HoopsHoppy]

When you realize teams strive for twenty win seasons as a minimum goal and then realize Geno has averaged 30 wins a season for 30 seasons, you get an idea of the definition of "program building" vs. having good teams.

 

[Vowelguy]

point 2 might not be that impressive, as Louisville's Walz brought his team to the NCAA Final the second season he became the head coach there. (Of course he had a been an assistant coach somewhere else for over ten years before that) In fact, he has gone to NCAA final twice in 6 years after he became head coach. So that should be as impressive.

Louisville didn't suck before Walz got there. He definitely improved things a lot, but what Geno inherited ... a bad team, in a then-nothing conference, in a wcbb backwater ... it would be like taking over at SMU now and becoming a contender within a few years. Actually it's more impressive than that, since at least SMU sits in the middle of the best recruiting area in the country.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

My vote isn't for the flashy, but for sustained excellence. 900 in 30 seasons. When you consider the early years nicking at that, it's been more than 30 for quite a while. After all, anyone can go 9 for 9 in Nat'l Championships - just look at the long list of people who have achieved that in many different sports! 'Course, I should have voted Other, for all of the above. Maybe the best decision of Geno's career?...as Voelpel suggests in her ESPN article on Geno's top 10 - asking CD to join him at UConn.

 

[Sonny44]

Other.
I think it would be keeping two women happy simultaneously for over 20 years.
Seriously, who else could you think of that did this.