"The Way the Game Should be Played"

[MJS UCONN'73]

I was watching the UCONN Women's AAC Tournament game agains Cincinnati - a game they won by 59 points - with a neighbor and his son. The father was a 3-year starter at Cal Poly in his day and his son a scholarship player at UC Santa Barbara back in the 90s. I was surprised that they would be interested in the UCONN game, since they are West-Coast guys, didn't profess to follow the women's game at all, and it was a pretty spectacular day weather-wise in Laguna Beach to be sitting inside watching a 59-point blowout. They obviously knew why I was watching. They were really into the game, even more than I was. I asked them why? They both looked at me and at the same time pretty much said the same thing........(paraphrase) that they loved the UCONN hustle and style of play on both ends of the court and they absolutely loved watching Geno. They simply said that it was about as pure an example of the way the game should be played that they have ever seen.

 

[UCAP_Fan]

That's what I'm talken bout!

 

[Buzzyboy]

I was watching the UCONN Women's AAC Tournament game agains Cincinnati - a game they won by 59 points - with a neighbor and his son. The father was a 3-year starter at Cal Poly in his day and his son a scholarship player at UC Santa Barbara back in the 90s. I was surprised that they would be interested in the UCONN game, since they are West-Coast guys, didn't profess to follow the women's game at all, and it was a pretty spectacular day weather-wise in Laguna Beach to be sitting inside watching a 59-point blowout. They obviously knew why I was watching. They were really into the game, even more than I was. I asked them why? They both looked at me and at the same time pretty much said the same thing...(paraphrase) that they loved the UCONN hustle and style of play on both ends of the court and they absolutely loved watching Geno. They simply said that it was about as pure an example of the way the game should be played that they have ever seen.

I love the fact that they typically play their game, regardless of the score. They play to be PERFECT and though it's something they simply can't sustain, they attempt it. They don't play the scoreboard and though it sometimes seems harsh, when they are creaming their opponent, they are TRUE to the game. I think, in most cases, their opponents respect the fact that they're always getting UConn's A game and not playing down to them.

 

[UcMiami]

Great story and why a lot of us watch the blow-outs as well as the tight games.

What I like about Uconn is that they do play the score board in that Geno changes the strategies employed when the game is well in hand - the full court pressure is stopped and they might work on various zone defenses instead of pressure man-to-man. The fast breaks are stopped (except on break away steals) and instead the team works on its half court offensive sets. The blow outs become learning and teaching tools for the coaching staff. I see this with Uconn more than with any other team and it is a way to keep the pressure on the players without running up the score on overmatched teams. And it prepares the team for situations that may come up in future games where foul trouble, or strong transition defense necessitates using a zone or scoring only in half court sets.