A really good ESPN article by Greg Garber

[UcMiami]

Great balanced article with some really interesting bits and a quote from Brenda that is not whiny:
http://espn.go.com/womens-college-b...rs-no-apologies-connecticut-huskies-dominance

Love this:
Dailey, who was the captain when Rutgers won the AIAW national title in 1982, is UConn's recruiting weapon and is responsible for polishing the post moves of eight generations of Huskies. She's also a lethal force in practice.

"As a coach, what you're trying to do is put them in positions to show off all their strengths, hide their weaknesses until their weaknesses become strengths. And so, I could tell you what Maya Moore couldn't do, what Tina Charles couldn't do. I could tell you what Stewie's not good at. ...

"But when we play, we hide it, we mask it, until they become better at it. And when they do, then we can cross that off the list. And that's one less thing that could cause us to lose. And that's what we try to do all year, each year, for every player, and for each team."

 

[GoUconn7961]

I know I should NEVER read the comments after an article but sometimes I can't help myself. People are so insistent that UConn gets all the AA's every year. It would be a full-time job going from comment section to comment section to correct them.

 

[AdamOwe]

Great balanced article with some really interesting bits and a quote from Brenda that is not whiny:
http://espn.go.com/womens-college-b...rs-no-apologies-connecticut-huskies-dominance
<snip>."

When there's a factual error like,

"Granted, UConn plays in a relatively weak league... But the Huskies consistently go out of their way to play a difficult nonconference schedule, which this season included Notre Dame, South Carolina -- both of which were No. 1 seeds -- Maryland and Stanford."

it's nearly impossible for content to overcome skepticism.

 

[Kibitzer]

I know I should NEVER read the comments after an article but sometimes I can't help myself.

Same here. Prize goes to the commenter who despises wcbb ("I would rather watch my dog drop pickles") and resents ESPN ramming it down his throat. Somebody puh-leeze buy this jerk a clicker for his tv.

 

[CocoHusky]

Wait! A quote from Brenda that is not whiny.

That's a first !

 

[JordyG]

Wait! A quote from Brenda that is not whiny.

That's a first !

And a second. Probably a third as well. Don't worry. Next year she's going to show us all how easy it is to win when you get the best recruiting class. Unlike Jeff Walz.

 

[MilfordHusky]

This is interesting:

"In 32 victories before the NCAA tournament, UConn won its games by an average of 39.7 points. The Huskies have won their four tournament games by an average of 44.8 points."

Our MOV has INCREASED through 4 rounds of the tournament. I expect it will drop, but I'd be happy if it doesn't.

 

[MilfordHusky]

There have been several "dynasties" before. Look at women's teams in lacrosse, gymnastics, and swimming and diving. Those sports each have had 2 dynasties by different teams.

 

[Waquoit]

Same here. Prize goes to the commenter who despises wcbb ("I would rather watch my dog drop pickles")

But you know, I've never heard the phrase "dog drop pickles" before. So the comment did have some value to me.

 

[bags27]

And a second. Probably a third as well. Don't worry. Next year she's going to show us all how easy it is to win when you get the best recruiting class. Unlike Jeff Walz.

I'm going to get pilloried here, but I've always admired her. She and her husband figured out how to make it work when things looked very, very dark in their lives.

 

[Jimbo]

Another factual error: "This season, UConn's overall RPI ranked 17th in the nation…" It actually ranked 3rd, which is still too low, but not as low as 17th.

Still, the article has some great stuff. My favorite part:

When the U.S. national team was practicing February in Storrs, Sue Bird, one of several former Huskies in camp, missed a layup.

"Sue Bird," UConn associate coach Chris Dailey snapped, "get your eyes up. Don't look at the ball."

That Bird is 35 years old, a two-time NCAA champion and national player of the year, a two-time WNBA champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, didn't matter.
​

CD probably made Sue have flashbacks of practices that happened 15+ years ago!

 

[UcMiami]

Another factual error: "This season, UConn's overall RPI ranked 17th in the nation…" It actually ranked 3rd, which is still too low, but not as low as 17th.

Still, the article has some great stuff. My favorite part:

When the U.S. national team was practicing February in Storrs, Sue Bird, one of several former Huskies in camp, missed a layup.

"Sue Bird," UConn associate coach Chris Dailey snapped, "get your eyes up. Don't look at the ball."

That Bird is 35 years old, a two-time NCAA champion and national player of the year, a two-time WNBA champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, didn't matter.
​

CD probably made Sue have flashbacks of practices that happened 15+ years ago!

The LaChina podcast with Sue describing the same moment.

 

[JordyG]

I'm going to get pilloried here, but I've always admired her. She and her husband figured out how to make it work when things looked very, very dark in their lives.

So have I, and very much so. Yet, perhaps to a fault, I've compartmentalized her as a person I admire, and her as a coach.

 

[Bayareahusky]

I'm going to get pilloried here, but I've always admired her. She and her husband figured out how to make it work when things looked very, very dark in their lives.

I liked her on her march to Final 4 last year..... she sounded much less whiny...

and I will always admire her as a mother and family person with how she has handled her situation.... particularly in such a transparent job