A Dose of Perspective

[Surly1]

For 30 years, the women's basketball program under Geno has built a legacy of excellence. Even more than the unmatched level of success, the style and brand of basketball was and is ne plus ultra. From the humble beginnings of Immaculata to La Tech and the Ladies of Troy, women's basketball had its origins. Pat Summit grew UT into a powerhouse. UConn used UT as a blueprint and later assumed the torch. Programs that sustain have an architect that drives the vision. Dawn Staley clearly used Geno as a model for building her version of a dynasty.

Right now, SC is a powerhouse. We can't ignore the elephant in the room. Like life, sports is often unfair. Injuries are a part of life and certainly affect the way games are played. The fact is UConn is and will be shorthanded for the rest of the season. Many posters complain that Geno won't use his bench. He plays his starters heavy minutes for games like yesterday because the bench players are simply not ready to play against the level of SC. Yesterday proved his strategy works when down 12 in the 4th, they clawed their way back.

It's a hard slog to get to the top. It's harder still to remain on the top perch, but it is hardest to come back after being toppled. Mount Union is the winningest Div III football program with 13 titles, but hey went through a stretch from 2007 -14 where they were beaten by Wisconsin-Whitewater under Lance Leipold (current coach at Kansas) 6 out of 7 times in the NC game. During that period, his teams had a record of 109-6. Success places a target on you and comes with unrealistic expectations of continuance.

Imagine SC without Aliyah Boston or Iowa without Caitlin Clark? SC would still be a top 10 team, but they would have less margin for error. Iowa would be a second tier team. The fact that UConn has played with less than 2/3 of its roster for most of the season and that 2 of the injured are generational talents authenticates that UConn's relevance and seat at the top of the table. SC might be UConn's Wisconsin-Whitewater at present, but UConn isn't going anywhere with Geno at the helm. All it needs is to get healthy and another Final Four is in the offing and with a little luck, who knows how the ball bounces. It's the reason they play the games.

 

[Next 12]

I agree. I don't believe there is another team in Women's BB that would have survived the tragedy that fell on Oconn and would have won as many games as they have, including top 10 teams.This team is testament to Geno's genius as a coach, and we still have a good shot at the NC, when Azzi and Caroline come back. If Azzi and Caroline were at full strength in the SC game, we would have won by 20 points. If we had Paige at full strength, we would have won by 35. When we last beat SC in overtime,Dawn said it was because Paige scored 31 points. Naysayers say that SC is better and SC's 4 out of 5 wins prove it. Well, Uconn didn't have Aubrey and Lou in those games, so, that was 35 points we didn't have that we have now. Next year will be another story and an UNBEATEN SEASON. GO HUSKIES!!!!

 

[JellyBean]

Well said.

 

[HuskyNan]

Balanced article

South Carolina Hopes Success Begets More Success (Published 2023)

The short-handed Huskies put up a stronger resistance than they did in last year’s national title game, but the Gamecocks won to remain undefeated as they look toward more tournament glory.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Bone Dog]

Yea, an excellent take. One thing in it rankles me, though. I don’t think of Boston as “bruising.” She’s big and strong, sure. But she’s also remarkably subtle, nimble, resourceful and above all resolute. I‘ve seen lots of big players who bruise opponents up. Boston isn’t one of those. And when you hear her speak in interviews, what you mainly notice is how kind and generous she is. Asked what made the difference, she immediately said, “Kamila.” This is not a selfish player, nor is she a bruiser.

 

[MD#12Fan]

The last three years with UConn WCBB has been nothing short of brilliance. Geno has navigated through Covid and two injury prone seasons like few in the history of coaching could have done. What a steady hand. I remember watching his zoom pressers during Covid and how he was able to keep the famed program on track. He's had the same kind of attitude during these injury plagued seasons, "we'll play and play our best with whoever shows up..." Equally deftly, he allows his players to assume leadership responsibilities, which further strengthens the resolve of the team.
Having said all that, I still think it's fair to do some "Monday morning quarterbacking". After all it is a blog about UConn WCBB. I think it's fair to talk about Geno retiring. I'm a teacher getting close to the end. It gets harder. I wake up sometimes and think that I'm not sure that I want to keep doing this. The T yesterday was tough to watch. You work the refs hard when they have the ball. Except for BK, I've never seen a coach throw something on the floor.
And finally, IMO we can't beat these tall, athletic teams by packing it in. You've got to force their bigs to move away from the hoop. The only way to do that is with pressure out front and denial of the wings and fronting the post. Maybe in April (hopefully), he'll pull that out of his hat.

 

[Zinethar]

Yea, an excellent take. One thing in it rankles me, though. I don’t think of Boston as “bruising.” She’s big and strong, sure. But she’s also remarkably subtle, nimble, resourceful and above all resolute. I‘ve seen lots of big players who bruise opponents up. Boston isn’t one of those. And when you hear her speak in interviews, what you mainly notice is how kind and generous she is. Asked what made the difference, she immediately said, “Kamila.” This is not a selfish player, nor is she a bruiser.

And Boston was right. I was impressed how much better Cardosa has become. What at Syracuse she often looked lackadaisical, unfocused, and slow. Not anymore. She has developed a very good step back shot and of course you can't teach height. UConn, until the end when foul problems would not allow close guarding, controlled Boston pretty well but they had no answer for Kamila. Just didn't have enough fouls to give. The way the game was called I was surprised any starters on either team were in the game at the end. These are 2 well coached teams that play mostly under control in a physical type game. The game was never out of control. Just too many fouls called but for some reason when Lou was being pushed from behind all game those were not called. Only thing I could think of is they though Lou was flopping and they called no foul on anyone if they thought that was the case.

 

[Bone Dog]

And Boston was right. I was impressed how much better Cardosa has become. What at Syracuse she often looked lackadaisical, unfocused, and slow. Not anymore. She has developed a very good step back shot and of course you can't teach height. UConn, until the end when foul problems would not allow close guarding, controlled Boston pretty well but they had no answer for Kamila. Just didn't have enough fouls to give. The way the game was called I was surprised any starters on either team were in the game at the end. These are 2 well coached teams that play mostly under control in a physical type game. The game was never out of control. Just too many fouls called but for some reason when Lou was being pushed from behind all game those were not called. Only thing I could think of is they though Lou was flopping and they called no foul on anyone if they thought that was the case.

You have to love the way Kamila's game has grown over the years. I think she can anchor SC next season with Watkins and Feagins next to her.

 

[MD#12Fan]

And Boston was right. I was impressed how much better Cardosa has become. What at Syracuse she often looked lackadaisical, unfocused, and slow. Not anymore. She has developed a very good step back shot and of course you can't teach height. UConn, until the end when foul problems would not allow close guarding, controlled Boston pretty well but they had no answer for Kamila. Just didn't have enough fouls to give. The way the game was called I was surprised any starters on either team were in the game at the end. These are 2 well coached teams that play mostly under control in a physical type game. The game was never out of control. Just too many fouls called but for some reason when Lou was being pushed from behind all game those were not called. Only thing I could think of is they though Lou was flopping and they called no foul on anyone if they thought that was the case.

I wish I could watch the game iso on her. I would say for the most part, bumping is part of the game. Pushing is not and any grabbing with the hands is not. To me it's similar to challenging shots with hands and arms straight up. Verticality. Both players have a right to the space they're in. We were taught that if the arm is tucked, you can make contact with a cutter. I had a coach I worked for who called it "strike". But you can't extend the arm ever and you can't actually hit the offensive player and definitely not grab or push.

 

[UcMiami]

Good posts and all true, and not that different from what has happened in the absence of TN in recent years. ND had a string of serious success against Uconn - the overall record is 39-13 in Uconn's favour, but almost half of ND's wins were from 2011-2013 in a 1-6 streak and two more in 2018 and 2019 NCAAs and three of those 9 games were OT losses. Baylor is a much closer 5-4 series because Kim tends to duck people when her team isn't really competitive (something you can't do in conference (or when the media whines loudly when Muffet tried to after they left the BE) but in the middle there was a 2-4 streak against Baylor. The South Carolina series is now 9-4, but Uconn is on a 1-4 streak. In all but the first two games of the series, SC has been ranked with 6 of those ranking being #1 and one a #2 (the others: one #6, two #7, and one #11.)

Being a powerhouse through decades is something special. What is unique for Uconn during the last decade plus is that they have never dropped into the 'also ran' category 14 straight FF is unprecedented - 5 was the record set by Uconn in the Bird Taurasi era and match by Stanford and ND. Dawn is on a string of 2 with a great team. After Lobo and after Taurasi there were two three year gaps in making a FF - that hasn't happened after Maya/Tina, nor after Stewart/Jefferson/Tuck, but we sometimes we forget just how hard a FF actually is, and that an actual NC is really, really hard. Two teams have ever repeated TN and Uconn - no one else has.

 

[maple]

Imagine SC without Aliyah Boston

We don’t even have to imagine. In the years before Boston, SC could not beat UConn. In the year that SC won their first title, even with the great A’ja Wilson, they might not even have won if Miss State had not played an A++ game and beat UConn at the buzzer.

SC has been incredibly fortunate since 2016 both with recruiting and some luck (other teams upsetting stronger opponents, injuries to other teams, etc). They have a talented roster and a good coach right now and that is why they are successful. But …

I don’t know if any other team could have done what we’ve done with so many injuries in back to back years. I think probably SC could have continued to be a top 5 team — they do have a good bench — but they definitely wouldn’t be unbeaten right now. They might not have even gotten to the NC game last year.

And that isn’t even a knock on SC because I don’t doubt that without some luck and no injuries UConn with Stevie wouldn’t have won 4 in a row. But ultimately we have seen what SC is like without Boston already and SC is good, but not always great.

 

[hookshot]

And Boston was right. I was impressed how much better Cardosa has become. What at Syracuse she often looked lackadaisical, unfocused, and slow. Not anymore. She has developed a very good step back shot and of course you can't teach height. UConn, until the end when foul problems would not allow close guarding, controlled Boston pretty well but they had no answer for Kamila. Just didn't have enough fouls to give. The way the game was called I was surprised any starters on either team were in the game at the end. These are 2 well coached teams that play mostly under control in a physical type game. The game was never out of control. Just too many fouls called but for some reason when Lou was being pushed from behind all game those were not called. Only thing I could think of is they though Lou was flopping and they called no foul on anyone if they thought that was the case.

Problem was that Lou was not flopping; flopping sometimes works

 

[MD#12Fan]

Problem was that Lou was not flopping; flopping sometimes works

Agreed. She has some sort of off-balance lean. It's not a good look to the refs. Probably not intentional. IMO she should stand up straight in an athletic position and cut. By so doing it will be more obvious that she's being held. Plus she'll be more effective. She's entitled to claim the empty space if not already occupied.

 

[hookshot]

Agreed. She has some sort of off-balance lean. It's not a good look to the refs. Probably not intentional. IMO she should stand up straight in an athletic position and cut. By so doing it will be more obvious that she's being held. Plus she'll be more effective. She's entitled to claim the empty space if not already occupied.

perhaps leaning away from contact to avoid and continue on her way, rather than towards the contact source, risking a detour to her mission, on the speculation of saving foul call (as someone else pointed out on here, it ain't likely coming because they are not watching you)

 

[Rowdy831]

Yea, an excellent take. One thing in it rankles me, though. I don’t think of Boston as “bruising.” She’s big and strong, sure. But she’s also remarkably subtle, nimble, resourceful and above all resolute. I‘ve seen lots of big players who bruise opponents up. Boston isn’t one of those. And when you hear her speak in interviews, what you mainly notice is how kind and generous she is. Asked what made the difference, she immediately said, “Kamila.” This is not a selfish player, nor is she a bruiser.

She is an excellent player but her overall size, not just her height is what makes her so difficult to match up with. UCONN has AE who is as close to a matchup I think you will find in the country and they had an epic duel this past weekend. In the next matchup I hope UCONN brings more help so AE can avoid missing so much of the game due to fouls.

 

[Zinethar]

I was not implying that Lou flops. I don't think I've seen her flop. She would not get a chance to as she gets knocked down a lot. I just think that the refs see her on the floor often and make a wrong assumption.

 

[toadfoot]

For 30 years, the women's basketball program under Geno has built a legacy of excellence. Even more than the unmatched level of success, the style and brand of basketball was and is ne plus ultra. From the humble beginnings of Immaculata to La Tech and the Ladies of Troy, women's basketball had its origins. Pat Summit grew UT into a powerhouse. UConn used UT as a blueprint and later assumed the torch. Programs that sustain have an architect that drives the vision. Dawn Staley clearly used Geno as a model for building her version of a dynasty.

Right now, SC is a powerhouse. We can't ignore the elephant in the room. Like life, sports is often unfair. Injuries are a part of life and certainly affect the way games are played. The fact is UConn is and will be shorthanded for the rest of the season. Many posters complain that Geno won't use his bench. He plays his starters heavy minutes for games like yesterday because the bench players are simply not ready to play against the level of SC. Yesterday proved his strategy works when down 12 in the 4th, they clawed their way back.

It's a hard slog to get to the top. It's harder still to remain on the top perch, but it is hardest to come back after being toppled. Mount Union is the winningest Div III football program with 13 titles, but hey went through a stretch from 2007 -14 where they were beaten by Wisconsin-Whitewater under Lance Leipold (current coach at Kansas) 6 out of 7 times in the NC game. During that period, his teams had a record of 109-6. Success places a target on you and comes with unrealistic expectations of continuance.

Imagine SC without Aliyah Boston or Iowa without Caitlin Clark? SC would still be a top 10 team, but they would have less margin for error. Iowa would be a second tier team. The fact that UConn has played with less than 2/3 of its roster for most of the season and that 2 of the injured are generational talents authenticates that UConn's relevance and seat at the top of the table. SC might be UConn's Wisconsin-Whitewater at present, but UConn isn't going anywhere with Geno at the helm. All it needs is to get healthy and another Final Four is in the offing and with a little luck, who knows how the ball bounces. It's the reason they play the games.

Not to quibble but Geno didn’t use UT as a blueprint unless you mean something very different from how I interpret your comment. UT’s philosophy of basketball was to recruit tall, athletic players who could play defense and rebound. While she frequently landed top recruits with pure basketball skills that was never her focus. Staley has followed that model. Geno on the other hand primarily recruits players with basketball skills and sometimes those players are also exceptionally athletically gifted. Otherwise I agree with everything you said