You'll get all the blame, none of the credit, and you'll like it!
^ Have no doubt that this is a ace comment, but...
At the same time we've emerged into a world beyond its prior excellence in putting someone in their place.
Blame vs. credit is a outworn paradigm peddled by a fear-driven was-been who flinched, fumbled, and fell en route to an otherwise earned emeritus designation upon his sound decision to retire last year.
Like the aging parent who demands back the car keys surrendered during a period of clarity, he came back, dropped out, came back again, dropped out some more, and somehow claimed credit for #5. That was a signal sounded in preparation to manage risk intelligently.
Surprise (not surprise), he tried to do his Costanza move this year, and front-loaded singling out those who were wise to his ways already. He recast them as enemies for their fact-based recitation of the prior year's record, and threatened their banishment if they would not obey sentences without charges and with trial. These efforts to l mute critical observation were gracelessly attempted almost instantaneously within a so-called "listening" solicitation for ideas.
Fortunately, conscious, caring individuals spoke up and did so in open forum for others to hear & see & join in to do the necessary work at hand.
Once again, the healthy forces of intuitive, values-based self-organization emerged under several labelings, with multiple points of emphasis that re-ignited the strengths of last season's decentralized method by which the mojo found us.
Like Hurley & Company's non-system that worked to get the best out of the players work together, rather than replicate the previous year's formula in a pre-determined plug-and-play fashion, the newly-created & conceptually re-imagined 2023-24 team & is resulting performance somehow exceeded the previous year's success. This was done in spite of (or, if you will, "in the face of") the loss of 3 early departures to the NBA Draft, and two more of the top 8 scorers from the prior year's team.
As to this year's free-range, open-source, all-invited, work alone & build off of others mojo, things strengthened and grew in emphasis, or shrunk to healthy size in a multipronged way. It included things that had nothing to do with the Boneyard, or even had any awareness of The Boneyard.
Seemingly competitive ideas got turned into both/and propositions: multiple sacred beverages, multiple muses, multiple soundtracks, multiple threads, multi hidden presences, multiple takes on confidence and doom, UConn's Blue Blood or (something) Beyond stature, and more.
If Donovan Clingan singing "You Belong to Me" upset the spirit of our most active visitor from our nearest geographical conference mate, it's plausible that those who detested the suggestion that Taylor Swift have any part of this team's success might consider that it may have served to prevent any other school from accessing her powers.
If Sydney Sweeney's Bai energy was relegated to an Off-Topic board, maybe it served as inspiration for Simple Judge Uncle Junior, Ret. to enjoy his alternately embraced & forgotten golden years status in the Entertainment Forum or musing about the Jets
The would-be ruler was variously defied, mocked, ignored, humored, acknowledged, thanked, and invited to participate as a fellow among fellows. He retained a place at the table, and made some good contributions. Some were recognized & amplified by those he Ignored.
In addition, there were those who facilitated the process of inclusion, who answered questions from newer and less confident Boneyarders who wanted to be helpful. And there were members with put the bumpers in place to re-direct the gutter balls, who put up the guard rails to prevent spinouts, and who generally helped forward movement like a rotating squad of designated drivers, working to help the larger cause, and protectively ensure that the neither hubris, delusion, distraction, or harmful levels of dissension took the coaches, players, fans, or anything favorable to the team off purpose. Trolls were tracked and neutralized, meddling media was repelled.
And we are living now with the joyous results of sublimated self-glory.
Imagine Stephon Castle, Cam Spencer, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban, Hassan Diarra, Samson Johnson, Dan Hurley, Kimani Young, Tom Moore, Luke Murray, Jaylin Stewart, Solo Ball, or any staff member with a lower profile, or player with fewer minutes or none in key situations saying, "Once again, it was me. This could not have been done without me. I alone could have done this, and I did. You're welcome." Many of them might have a case to make a more proportioned and humbler claim. Nobody did.it would be absurd and antithetical to program values.
In celebration, we all count. We all did our part. Some more than others. But this year, once again, is decidedly not about score-keeping.
A man in his cups while blasting that he's feeling his oats, the kind of buffoon who calls his fellow fans sissies and pansies in fits of self-doubting projection, and barks pitiful put-down palaver to his dwindling crowd (many of whom also have esteemed history here) is not a leader to be reliably followed on little more than his limited, selectively-timed say so.
Fortunately, the crowd combined to arrive at wisdom, and essential messages attained value. May all who contributed be thanked for their service. We are all needed. You already know this.
It's great to set high goals and attain them. This team accomplished it mission magnificently.
Onward Huskies.
