So, is everyone else still on Cloud Nine with me?

[alexrgct]

In other words, has the shine of 2014 faded at all yet? For me personally, I'm every bit as euphoric with what happened last April as I was in real time.

There have been 33 seasons where the NCAA has held tournaments for men's and women's basketball. If you want to count the AIAW tourneys, that would be 43 seasons. And in no year other than 2004 did one school win championships on both the men's and women's sides of the house. It was amazing to me that it happened in 2004, that Emeka and Diana could deliver the goods along with their respective fantastic teammates. As great as that year was, no one could just assume it would happen again. Well, 10 years later, it did! The men shocked everyone, and the women shocked exactly no one. But both runs were a delight to watch, and both runs reinforced the Nutmeg State's status as the center of the college basketball universe.

Meanwhile, Geno followed up the NC with tremendous recruiting for the 2015 class so far. I mean, I can't wait for the 2014-15 season, and I can't say I'm looking forward to saying goodbye to KML, but jeez, the 2015-16 season looks to be a great one as well. Even when 2014-15 starts, I may already be antsy for the ensuing campaign.

Moreover, Kevin Ollie and Geno Auriemma have nothing but mutual respect and a great relationship. Both Geno and Jim warrant the utmost reverence, but their icy relationship was unfortunate to say the least. Now, UConn has two wonderful coaches who regard each other as highly as all UConn basketball fanbases do.

I mean, this is everything we'd want, isn't it? Does anyone have anything more to say or add? Can we just keep talking about how great this is? I'm not going to stop being ecstatic, but the more we keep talking about it, we continue reveling just as we all deserve to.

Cloud Nine is ours; it's been annexed by the University of Connecticut. No, we don't have to get off it. Ever!

 

[Wonkster]

NEIN!

I'm not on Cloud 9, because I don't trust the Cloud. I am, however, about to board a Streetcar named Perspire.

HEY, StellUHHH!!!!!

 

[MilfordHusky]

I could offer an old Stones song in retort, but I'm happy to share this cloud with ALL, especially my Boneyard friends.

Yeah, it's a nice feeling knowing that we had another double, 2 more than any other school; that the men have 4 and are in an elite group; and the women have 9 and stand alone.

I went into an Old Town, Alexandria bar last March to watch a potentially competitive game and asked the bartender to turn on WCBB. He readily agreed and asked who was playing. I replied, "UConn." His reply: "Geno's teams never lose." He was right. I was impressed that he knew the coach. GA has reached icon status, even with bartenders whose TVs are tuned to women's sports about 1% of the time.

 

[Wonkster]

I'm rhapsodic over the future, not so much the past season.

Seriously, though, I AM thrilled over the fact that UConn solved its biggest recruiting problem when Butler walked in the door. We're OK in the upcoming year despite the fact Natalie can't play in games next season, though she'll help simulate certain conditions in practice, but Stokes is graduating and we'd be sucking air at the post when Kiah leaves.

Then the miracle. How many times in a career does a WBB coach have a 6'5 player who was their conference FOY come in unexpectedly and announce their availability?

I keep repeating to myself now, What - me worry?

 

[DaddyChoc]

watching KML over and over in the Championship game is fantastic... but my Men's Championship is "history"

somehow it was deleted from my DVR

 

[Bestiarius]

No doubt UConn basketball fans are the happiest fans in the entire country!

 

[chrissaran]

Last year is over. It's time for this year to begin, which won't be too much longer.

 

[ChicagoGG]

Glad there is room on your cloud, Alex. Couldn't agree with you more!

 

[Buzzyboy]

Alex, you continue to provide wonderful posts with insightful comments and I love it. Thanks! To be perfectly honest, I'm already for my next "fix" which is when both the men and women's team start defending their titles. Will they be successful??? The men have the far harder task in front of them but with the inspirational Mr. Ollie, who knows? They've got talent but he's also instilled so much heart into them, helping them this past season to overcome shortcomings that they may have had. The women have returning talent that will make them favorites to repeat and at a minimum likely to make the "final four". The only thing that could really derail them seemingly would be some disastrous injuries, which likely will never occur. I think Vegas will provide some serious odds in their favor to repeat once again. My interest would be in how the "newbies" develop and integrate into their respective teams. I follow the women's team appreciably more so I'm also interested in how Morgan comes back from her injury as well as how Gabby Williams responds after her 2nd ACL I'm also interested in how Kia will perform in the wake of Stef's graduation. Will her confidence continue to grow and can she assert herself even more in her new role??? Will her offense continue to evolve and will her defense be affected positively or negatively (if at all) without Ms Dolson playing beside her??? A lot of questions to be asked and hopefully be answered affirmatively! October can't come soon enough for me!!!

 

[tomcat]

It's hard not to love the men's team and their coach, but I'm a 100% WCBB fan, so I'm doing nothign but looking ahead and worrying about what could go wrong next season.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

Looking forward to 2024, too!

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I start every WCBB season with the hope that the Huskies can stay injury/illness free and let the pieces fall where they may!
But for me it's so much more than winning National Championships! The good as well as the bad! The total package!
The pettiness, & lies, that rival programs, coaches and fans throw out there because they cannot deal with the tremendous success of Geno Auriemma, his coaching staff and his players drive me completely insane (as you've seen at certain times!)
The idea that the TN fan site, THE SUMMITT, spends 99.9% of their time coming up with and spreading the most outrageous lies because they cannot admit and deal with the fact that UCONN has passed them as the ultimate WCBB program in the USA! ( It's almost like the Republicans and ObamaCare!)
And Geno Auriemma for all his brash and impertinent behavior is one of the greatest coaches in any sport in any era! The staff's ability overall to search out and get commitments from a certain model of the most talented and nice, down-to-earth, dedicated female teenaged athletes in the country!
That they have some of the most strict rules, no nail polish, no individualized clothing, no social media in season, no visible tattoos, etc. that most teenaged girls cannot live without. Leave your egos at the door.
That the staff demands the highest attention to detail, in all aspects of team life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, not just practice and games.
He coaches "basketball players" not FEMALE basketball players. The way he runs practice so the players very rarely succeed but learn to play the game the right way. The pro coaches love the UCONN alum because they're fundamentally sound.
That almost every graduate of the program (and ALL his players have graduated!) wouldn't hesitate to come back to see the coaches socially, in big games, and work out and rehab injuries on the Storrs Campus, in their off-seasons.
All that and more is why I'm a committed UCONN Women's Basketball fan!

 

[alexrgct]

I start every WCBB season with the hope that the Huskies can stay injury/illness free and let the pieces fall where they may!
But for me it's so much more than winning National Championships! The good as well as the bad! The total package!
The pettiness, & lies, that rival programs, coaches and fans throw out there because they cannot deal with the tremendous success of Geno Auriemma, his coaching staff and his players drive me completely insane (as you've seen at certain times!)
The idea that the TN fan site, THE SUMMITT, spends 99.9% of their time coming up with and spreading the most outrageous lies because they cannot admit and deal with the fact that UCONN has passed them as the ultimate WCBB program in the USA! ( It's almost like the Republicans and ObamaCare!)
And Geno Auriemma for all his brash and impertinent behavior is one of the greatest coaches in any sport in any era! The staff's ability overall to search out and get commitments from a certain model of the most talented and nice, down-to-earth, dedicated female teenaged athletes in the country!
That they have some of the most strict rules, no nail polish, no individualized clothing, no social media in season, no visible tattoos, etc. that most teenaged girls cannot live without. Leave your egos at the door.
That the staff demands the highest attention to detail, in all aspects of team life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, not just practice and games.
He coaches "basketball players" not FEMALE basketball players. The way he runs practice so the players very rarely succeed but learn to play the game the right way. The pro coaches love the UCONN alum because they're fundamentally sound.
That almost every graduate of the program (and ALL his players have graduated!) wouldn't hesitate to come back to see the coaches socially, in big games, and work out and rehab injuries on the Storrs Campus, in their off-seasons.
All that and more is why I'm a committed UCONN Women's Basketball fan!

I would argue that the bolded event above already happened- in the 2000 NC game, actually. Given this, if an LV fan can't admit it then, they can choke on the seven more NCs that ensued...