A contrarian view: UConn in the AAC will boost recruiting.

[Kibitzer]

There are indeed many, perhaps a majority, who hold the view that UConn's wcbb recruiting will suffer because of the weakness of the new AAC. I disagree.

First, I focus solely on wcbb, arbitrarily ruling out any effect of football or any other sport on decisions by recruits about where they will enroll to play basketball.

Why? Because words like "premier program" and "powerhouse" and "juggernaut" and "reigning national champion" leap to mind when UConn is mentioned.

A good example: A separate thread about the games in Springfield cites the news article that leads with "The reigning national champion women's basketball Division I champions are coming to Springfield. . . .Not to mention their Hall of Fame coach."

This is the story that will play out in cities new to UConn (i.e., Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Orlando) as the highlight of the season for fans who will pay more and clamor for tickets to see Geno and Stewie and Kaleena et al. Live!

And they will continue to be The Hot Ticket in Cincinnati, at the RAC and in games with Duke and Baylor and Stanford. And in Philly and NYC and Louisville and Miami.

Recruits will be aware of the exposure of this Hall of Fame coach and his several All-American players on both national and regional TV. The persistent #1 ranking. Blowouts. Excellence re-defined.

This almost magical aura surrounding these UConn Huskies will capture the hearts and minds of many blue-chip recruits and their coaches and their parents.

So I see UConn's wcbb leadership and dominance in "The American" as an opportunity, not a handicap.

And I wrote this with no help from TonyC.

 

[cohenzone]

There are indeed many, perhaps a majority, who hold the view that UConn's wcbb recruiting will suffer because of the weakness of the new AAC. I disagree.

First, I focus solely on wcbb, arbitrarily ruling out any effect of football or any other sport on decisions by recruits about where they will enroll to play basketball.

Why? Because words like "premier program" and "powerhouse" and "juggernaut" and "reigning national champion" leap to mind when UConn is mentioned.

A good example: A separate thread about the games in Springfield cites the news article that leads with "The reigning national champion women's basketball Division I champions are coming to Springfield. . . .Not to mention their Hall of Fame coach."

This is the story that will play out in cities new to UConn (i.e., Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Orlando) as the highlight of the season for fans who will pay more and clamor for tickets to see Geno and Stewie and Kaleena et al. Live!

And they will continue to be The Hot Ticket in Cincinnati, at the RAC and in games with Duke and Baylor and Stanford. And in Philly and NYC and Louisville and Miami.

Recruits will be aware of the exposure of this Hall of Fame coach and his several All-American players on both national and regional TV. The persistent #1 ranking. Blowouts. Excellence re-defined.

This almost magical aura surrounding these UConn Huskies will capture the hearts and minds of many blue-chip recruits and their coaches and their parents.

So I see UConn's wcbb leadership and dominance in "The American" as an opportunity, not a handicap.

And I wrote this with no help from TonyC.

I agree. This isn't fb or men's basketball. Very few conferences if women's hoops are all that deep in good teams to begin with. That has been true of the Big East forever. UConn has THE brand name in women's hoops. On top of that, as the school transitions into the new conference, the program is loaded for the next several yers. meaning recruits won't see any fall off. That should keep recruiting pretty steady for a good while.

 

[blkkirk]

I think the bottom line is it would be easier to get a deeper and wider range of recruits playing in one of the better leagues such as the ACC. However, I don't think it will hurt us that much.

 

[jplotinus]

I agree with the OP. I also think it is not necessary to exclude FB and MCBB from the equation, in advance of seeing how AAC fares this fall. If AAC fares well in the big draw sports, there could well be an impact on WCBB recruiting; and vice versa.

I foresee a scenario where AAC teams will receive more and more prestigious bowl invites than BE did in its last years, if not ever. But, I am just guessing about that. Anyway, I'm willing to wait and see and assess the outcome later.

 

[UcMiami]

I wrote in the other thread and will repeat here - WCBB marque match-ups have always been OOC games with maybe a few exceptions - Uconn/ND recently and TN/LSU, Uconn/Rutgers, Duke/Maryland/UNC in the past were big games with top 5 teams squaring off in conference, but those were the exceptions and the Uconn/TN, Uconn/Baylor, Uconn/Stanford, Uconn/Duke were always more hyped than the in conference games.
And Uconn no longer plays on 'regional' networks - SNY really is a national network.
Agree about the circus coming to town aspect of Uconn as well - and the expanded footprint of the AAC should actually help promoting the brand in places that we were maybe a little light previously.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I don't think there will be much impact on recruiting as long as Auriemma is the coach. Things like SOS and conference ranking are probably pretty far down on a list of recruit priorities.

 

[johnnyc]

Probably won't affect UConn's recruiting. Just might be a few years before we get competitive games in conference.

 

[diggerfoot]

As a general principle I would say that the lower down you are on the conference totem pole, the more important it is what other teams are in the conference to attract recruits. UConn not only tops the totem pole, the women hover above it as veritable idols in the sky. I don't think conference affiliation either helps or hinders the UConn wcbb "program" (sorry Kibitzer, had to use that term) while Auriemma remains at the helm.

 

[RadyLady]

I agree with the OP. I also think it is not necessary to exclude FB and MCBB from the equation, in advance of seeing how AAC fares this fall. If AAC fares well in the big draw sports, there could well be an impact on WCBB recruiting; and vice versa.

I foresee a scenario where AAC teams will receive more and more prestigious bowl invites than BE did in its last years, if not ever. But, I am just guessing about that. Anyway, I'm willing to wait and see and assess the outcome later.

I doubt that. The impact of how well the "Big draw" sports at UConn to their WCBB team is negligible.

 

[glenn fisk]

This may also,get Geno and the coaches doing side trips to evaluate more girls when they visit new cities not on the dchedule in the past.You can never have enough evaluations of future talent and attitudes.

 

[Vowelguy]

At best, the AAC effect is neutral.
But the lack of competition and the extended travel are not pluses. And I mean lack of competition. After Lou and Rut leave, I'm not sure any AAC team will get within 30 for years to come.

And the 18 game AAC schedule means 2 fewer quality OOC opponents.

And that leaves aside the whole monetary issue of trying to compete when you're taking many fewer $$$

 

[connboy77]

UCONN is still UCONN with 8 NC'S and a hall a fame coach so no there will not be any drop off in recruiting.

 

[Vowelguy]

UCONN is still UCONN with 8 NC'S and a hall a fame coach so no there will not be any drop off in recruiting.

Louisiana Tech on line #1 for you.

 

[doggydaddy]

I know Vowelguy still has me on ignore, but I still have to respond.

As long as Geno is there, this is nothing like La Tech. Geno is a much better coach than Barmore ever was, Uconn has won eight NC's while La Tech won two.

And La Tech didn't have issues until Barmore left. It wasn't the conference change or affiliation.

 

[connboy77]

Louisiana Tech on line #1 for you.

How anyone can mention La Tech with the UCONN situation is beyond me! As doggy said, "as long as Geno is there, this is nothing like La Tech".

 

[DriveLH]

We're worried about competition in conference?? Last season, in conference, we lost to ND 3 times ( in cluding tournament) by a total of 12 points. We shot badly, from 3, and beat St. John's, on the road, by 6. The next closest game was at Rutgers, a 20 point win!

 

[Vowelguy]

How anyone can mention La Tech with the UCONN situation is beyond me! As doggy said, "as long as Geno is there, this is nothing like La Tech".

Yes, but Geno won't be coach forever.

And though Barmore's departure was the predominant reason LaTech fell off the map, the program clearly was not as dominant in the 90s as other conferences gained strength.

 

[Icebear]

We're worried about competition in conference?? Last season, in conference, we lost to ND 3 times ( in cluding tournament) by a total of 12 points. We shot badly, from 3, and beat St. John's, on the road, by 6. The next closest game was at Rutgers, a 20 point win!

We are worried about the complete lack of competition within the conference.

 

[doggydaddy]

Yes, but Geno won't be coach forever.

And though Barmore's departure was the predominant reason LaTech fell off the map, the program clearly was not as dominant in the 90s as other conferences gained strength.

Yes, but the post you replied to mentioned specifically that Geno was still there. The point is as long as Geno is there, great recruits will come. After? Who knows. We don't even know who that would be.

La Tech wasn't as dominant in the 90's as compared to when? Prior to the 90's?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Tech_Lady_Techsters_basketball

Click on the link above and look at their record, NCAA tourney results, AP and Coaches polls from 1992-93 to 2001-02.

They were in the final game twice, final four 3 times, elite eight 7 times and sweet sixteen 9 times out of 10 years. They lost in the first round Barmores last year.

Can someone quote this so Vowelguy can see it?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I know Vowelguy still has me on ignore, but I still have to respond.

As long as Geno is there, this is nothing like La Tech. Geno is a much better coach than Barmore ever was, Uconn has won eight NC's while La Tech won two.

And La Tech didn't have issues until Barmore left. It wasn't the conference change or affiliation.

Leon Barmore is one of the 3 most successful college coaches ever. And I would put him in the "big 3" with Pat and Geno, just a tad lower because of a shorter career.

As you said, the LaTech issues started when Barmore left. One can argue that UConn is nothing like LaTech in many ways, but the comparison will be apt when Geno leaves IF at that time UConn is still in the AAC and it has not become a power conference. Before Geno retires, the comparison isn't important, but it has nothing to do with Geno and Baremore's relative strength as coaches.

 

[doggydaddy]

Leon Barmore is one of the 3 most successful college coaches ever. And I would put him in the "big 3" with Pat and Geno, just a tad lower because of a shorter career.

As you said, the LaTech issues started when Barmore left. One can argue that UConn is nothing like LaTech in many ways, but the comparison will be apt when Geno leaves IF at that time UConn is still in the AAC and it has not become a power conference. Before Geno retires, the comparison isn't important, but it has nothing to do with Geno and Baremore's relative strength as coaches.

Fair enough. I should have said not close in regards to tourney results. Barmore was a hell of a coach.

 

[cohenzone]

This thread drives home the reality of college sports that once the major sports universities and conferences adopt a sport, older regional powers often decline. They might have an occasional notable season, but Old Dominion and La Tech (can I throw in Tennessee for jollies even if they don't fit my model?) are probably the 2 best women's hoops examples. In men's soccer, when was the last time anyone heard the names Hartwick or St. Louis mentioned often on a national level? Hockey is different because it isn't played in many parts of the country, so schools like St, Lawrence and RPI and Clarkson might be in for a longer haul. But even among most of the major sports universities, long term success is heavily coach dependent.

 

[UcMiami]

Interesting discussion on long term issues, but I don't think you can really equate women's college basketball with major men's sports and within WCBB the change resulting from title IX is so short and the influx of major funding into women's sports is only 20+ years old that looking back even 15 years for precedence is dangerous. You can also look at major conference teams that have fallen on extremely hard times based not on conference affiliation but on mismanagement and poor coaches. Uconn is certainly a team that has been built on the backs of Geno and Chris and will have a tough transition when they leave just as TN is experiencing now. I don't think anyone can predict how that transition will turn out and I don't really think conference alignment will be the determining factor, just like the SEC affiliation will not play a significant role in the outcome of TN's transition. Holly will stand or fall based on her own abilities and TN will only be as good as Holly and or her successor and the ADs support are able to carry them. They have an advantage over most other WCBB programs in that they start with a rabid fan base and a decent financial situation. Uconn will have the same. But both are dependent to some degree on continued success - fans may be rabid, but a string of 18 win seasons can tax all but the most fanatic.

 

[Tonyc]

UConn is UConn and they are the number 1 attraction in WCBB. The ACC which everyone is talking about as a great WCBB conference hasn't had a team consistently in the FF is a few years. Duke is always good, MD left UNC and Miami are up and down and ND now replaces MD. Don't forget this season starts a new regime with Diggins graduated. So who are the great teams that are so much better then the AAC? The bottom half of the ACC isn't that good. I would expect Duke UNC and ND to make some noise.

Bottom line is UConn WBB will get more exposure in different areas of the country playing in this new conference. UConn is an attraction that brings out fans that normally aren't WCBB fans. The exposure that SNY National TV will give the AAC will help the AAC build its programs. If you go to an AAC school and the number 1 WCBB is coming you just might show up or watch it on TV. If your a parent friend or relative or coach of a girl playing for an AAC team you most likely will watch the game on TV. The AAC will get better. It wont happen right away but it will eventually.

 

[Kibitzer]

Uconn is certainly a team that has been built on the backs of Geno and Chris and will have a tough transition when they leave just as TN is experiencing now.

I agree with everything you stated in your characteristically thoughtful post except for what I consider your excessive concern about the transition at Tennessee from Pat to Holly.

As I see it, Holly inherited a difficult situation and has rebounded quite well, both on the court and as a recruiter. Just adding Graves and recruiting Russell gives their future a big boost. They are certainly in better shape than they were, say, two or three years ago.