Are UConn's two walk-ons courageous or just plain crazy..?

[DavidinNaples]

With the exception of several well known Boneyarders, most people avoid situations that may result in public embarrassment. We prefer to remain anonymous in our comfortable world, sticking to a routine that has been scrubbed clean of pain, conflict and in some cases, challenges. Briana Pulido and Tierney Lawlor are not like that, choosing instead to walk-on to the defending National Championship UConn basketball squad.

When you walk-on at UConn you don't show up the first day of practice and put on a practice jersey. You call assistant coaches asking for a brief tryout and submit a basketball resume you know pales in comparison to players they didn't even bother to recruit. In Lawlor's case, you explain that at 5'7" you played center in high school because the coach asked you to, not knowing the UConn staff has already figured out you led the team in rebounding and only "team first" players even get consideration. When you somehow make it through the initial shooting/physical stages, all you have to do next is impress Geno Auriemma, a coach so tough and demanding he used to yell at Diana Taurasi. Fear and anxiety could make you give up, but you don't.

Imagine trying out for a team who's "worst" player just averaged 34 points per game and was Parade Magazine's Player of the Year. Imagine the training table conversation where your summer highlight was a job at The Gap while five of your teammates went to Russia and Lithuania to earn gold for the USA, against the world's best basketball players. Imagine practices where some players are 9-10 inches taller than you and the only one your size is so fast she can run through a car wash without getting wet. What were these two thinking?

"Making" the team now seems easy once practice starts. Endless drills and relentless running tears you down until your muscles burn and spasm. And then you get to lift weights. Your body begs your brain to stop this nonsense, but your brain is too tired to listen. Classes have started and you have three hours of homework to do before collapsing into bed. The only highlight at practice is when Coach Auriemma yells at you for some dumb mistake. At least you now know he cares enough to correct. You start to feel like maybe you belong. Maybe.

The local media eventually wants to interview you, but you correctly suspect it is more about curiosity and their nagging deadline. After all, "Walk-ons at UConn" is a story that will sell. But you stay, and survive day after day, until suddenly it is game time. No matter that it is an exhibition against a Division 2 school. You are wearing the UConn uniform. The same one as KML, Hartley, Stewart and Dolson. You warm up with the team, go to the bench and hope Geno calls your name before the final buzzer. And you pray if he does, you don't completely embarrass yourself. But mostly, you pray he does.

Lawlor, called "T" by Auriemma, played the final 3:31 of the victory over Gannon. Pulido, alias Polly, entered the game with 2:55 left and took a pass from Stewart and scored on a sweet double-pump layup. The team and the arena went nuts with excitement. Lawlor and Pulido belong. Both decided just an ounce of reward beats pounds of pain. They endured and succeeded at something most of us wouldn't have even tried. Courageous? Absolutely. Crazy? Probably some of that too...

Congrats TLaw and Polly....Go Huskies..!!

 

[NVUConnFan]

Awesome post!!!

 

[UcMiami]

Really nice post.
But I think you would find a lot of takers and that ounce/pound is probably reversed. Since you get to hang out with and compete against the best people and players in the country, win almost every game, travel the country in first class style, and hopefully have some really great hardware by the time you leave college.
Polly already knows the grind of scholarship athlete (and is she really a walk-on if she is getting a basketball scholarship? Have wondered about that.) It is all new for Lawlor but I know I would have jumped at the chance had I had enough skill to make it past the interview.
As a comparison - while the schedule is not quite the same for the male practice players and the team managers the glory is also nonexistent. They do not get those three minutes in the spotlight nor the pictures with the trophy at the end of the season.

 

[pinotbear]

as I so often observe when such a question is posited - the two options ain't mutually exclusive!

 

[Buzzyboy]

With the exception of several well known Boneyarders, most people avoid situations that may result in public embarrassment. We prefer to remain anonymous in our comfortable world, sticking to a routine that has been scrubbed clean of pain, conflict and in some cases, challenges. Briana Pulido and Tierney Lawlor are not like that, choosing instead to walk-on to the defending National Championship UConn basketball squad.

When you walk-on at UConn you don't show up the first day of practice and put on a practice jersey. You call assistant coaches asking for a brief tryout and submit a basketball resume you know pales in comparison to players they didn't even bother to recruit. In Lawlor's case, you explain that at 5'7" you played center in high school because the coach asked you to, not knowing the UConn staff has already figured out you led the team in rebounding and only "team first" players even get consideration. When you somehow make it through the initial shooting/physical stages, all you have to do next is impress Geno Auriemma, a coach so tough and demanding he used to yell at Diana Taurasi. Fear and anxiety could make you give up, but you don't.

Imagine trying out for a team who's "worst" player just averaged 34 points per game and was Parade Magazine's Player of the Year. Imagine the training table conversation where your summer highlight was a job at The Gap while five of your teammates went to Russia and Lithuania to earn gold for the USA, against the world's best basketball players. Imagine practices where some players are 9-10 inches taller than you and the only one your size is so fast she can run through a car wash without getting wet. What were these two thinking?

"Making" the team now seems easy once practice starts. Endless drills and relentless running tears you down until your muscles burn and spasm. And then you get to lift weights. Your body begs your brain to stop this nonsense, but your brain is too tired to listen. Classes have started and you have three hours of homework to do before collapsing into bed. The only highlight at practice is when Coach Auriemma yells at you for some dumb mistake. At least you now know he cares enough to correct. You start to feel like maybe you belong. Maybe.

The local media eventually wants to interview you, but you correctly suspect it is more about curiosity and their nagging deadline. After all, "Walk-ons at UConn" is a story that will sell. But you stay, and survive day after day, until suddenly it is game time. No matter that it is an exhibition against a Division 2 school. You are wearing the UConn uniform. The same one as KML, Hartley, Stewart and Dolson. You warm up with the team, go to the bench and hope Geno calls your name before the final buzzer. And you pray if he does, you don't completely embarrass yourself. But mostly, you pray he does.

Lawlor, called "T" by Auriemma, played the final 3:31 of the victory over Gannon. Pulido, alias Polly, entered the game with 2:55 left and took a pass from Stewart and scored on a sweet double-pump layup. The team and the arena went nuts with excitement. Lawlor and Pulido belong. Both decided just an ounce of reward beats pounds of pain. They endured and succeeded at something most of us wouldn't have even tried. Courageous? Absolutely. Crazy? Probably some of that too...

Congrats TLaw and Polly....Go Huskies..!!

I personally think that if you have some pretty good skills you'd almost be foolish NOT to try and become a walk-on at UConn. There are so many relatively anonymous athletes who pursue things like a marathon, a triatholon and other activities that push a person to such an extreme for which they receive nothing, no acknowledgements, no praise, no attention but they do it to challenge themselves. There is nothing in it for them at all. Here you have an opportunity to team up with some athletes in the pursuit of perfection where the eyes of the state of Connecticut are focused on your team and indirectly you where you will be a mini-celebrity just for making the team. You'll have access to some of the best coaches that ever coached a women's basketball team. You'll travel in style, you'll get all kinds of sports gear and even have the possibility of getting a scholarship to pay your tuition. You'll mingle and spend time and make friendships with at least a few girls who'll probably end up making appreciable money playing basketball for a living and you'll probably make connections with the media, with celebrities and others which could potentially lead to a career, if not in basketball, in some other capacity. Stef Dolson, even if she wasn't a high level athlete, probably would have a media career as a result of her contacts generated by being a member of the UConn women's basketball team. There are so many opportunities in a variety of areas that could result from being a "walk on" on this team. The challenges of competing with some of the great student athletes in the country in practice daily. The two walk-ons this year have already become celebrities of a sort and if they maximize their opportunities by continually pushing themselves, they may end up playing on more than one national championship team. That doesn't seem to shabby to me!

 

[pap49cba]

Are you kidding me? How would you like to walk into a job interview and say "I was a walk-on for the Uconn women's basketball team." Would you hire a kid like that? A kid who survived Geno's and CD's boot camp?

 

[pinotbear]

Are you kidding me? How would you like to walk into a job interview and say "I was a walk-on for the Uconn women's basketball team." Would you hire a kid like that? A kid who survived Geno's and CD's boot camp?

Why, yes! Yes, I would!

They've got guts, and the willpower to back it up: a very nice combination!

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Walking on even at other schools has its benefits.

A recent update on RU graduates revealed that Brittany Lapidus, who was a "walk on" for several years (I really don't know if she ever got a 'ship) was recommended by CVS for an internship at Nike, and they liked her so much she is now working for them. She was a team manager and long time local fan, who was asked to walk on when the team was short players, even though she hadn't played since Jr. High School, IIRC. I always respected Vivian for keeping her on, and, of course, she was a fan favorite.

 

[tomcat]

Just like to say I thought the original post in thi thread was one of the better things I've read in a while. For what it's worth.

 

[JimGunther]

Hey Naples,

If you don't already make a living at writing, you ought to consider doing it part-time - I mean, selling your stuff.

Just like to say I thought the original post in thi thread was one of the better things I've read in a while. For what it's worth.

 

[DavidinNaples]

Tomcat & jimG....thanks..!! My writing is always free to the Boneyard...whether they want it or not...lol.

 

[JimGunther]

Well, it has value - and one thing I don't like about the internet - people think all content should be "free" (even copy write stuff) - It's clear that you "craft" your pieces - even if it's a nominal amount - you ought to get paid. I'm sure the Harford Courant (or some smart outlet) would publish your stuff - Don't worry - we'll link it<G>.

Tomcat & jimG....thanks..!! My writing is always free to the Boneyard...whether they want it or not...lol.

 

[pppggg]

you may be right. they may be crazy but it just may be lunatics we're looking for.............
billy joel

 

[meyers7]

you may be right. they may be crazy but it just may be lunatics we're looking for.............
billy joel

 

[Dawgs Bite]

With the exception of several well known Boneyarders, most people avoid situations that may result in public embarrassment. We prefer to remain anonymous in our comfortable world, sticking to a routine that has been scrubbed clean of pain, conflict and in some cases, challenges. Briana Pulido and Tierney Lawlor are not like that, choosing instead to walk-on to the defending National Championship UConn basketball squad.

When you walk-on at UConn you don't show up the first day of practice and put on a practice jersey. You call assistant coaches asking for a brief tryout and submit a basketball resume you know pales in comparison to players they didn't even bother to recruit. In Lawlor's case, you explain that at 5'7" you played center in high school because the coach asked you to, not knowing the UConn staff has already figured out you led the team in rebounding and only "team first" players even get consideration. When you somehow make it through the initial shooting/physical stages, all you have to do next is impress Geno Auriemma, a coach so tough and demanding he used to yell at Diana Taurasi. Fear and anxiety could make you give up, but you don't.

Imagine trying out for a team who's "worst" player just averaged 34 points per game and was Parade Magazine's Player of the Year. Imagine the training table conversation where your summer highlight was a job at The Gap while five of your teammates went to Russia and Lithuania to earn gold for the USA, against the world's best basketball players. Imagine practices where some players are 9-10 inches taller than you and the only one your size is so fast she can run through a car wash without getting wet. What were these two thinking?

"Making" the team now seems easy once practice starts. Endless drills and relentless running tears you down until your muscles burn and spasm. And then you get to lift weights. Your body begs your brain to stop this nonsense, but your brain is too tired to listen. Classes have started and you have three hours of homework to do before collapsing into bed. The only highlight at practice is when Coach Auriemma yells at you for some dumb mistake. At least you now know he cares enough to correct. You start to feel like maybe you belong. Maybe.

The local media eventually wants to interview you, but you correctly suspect it is more about curiosity and their nagging deadline. After all, "Walk-ons at UConn" is a story that will sell. But you stay, and survive day after day, until suddenly it is game time. No matter that it is an exhibition against a Division 2 school. You are wearing the UConn uniform. The same one as KML, Hartley, Stewart and Dolson. You warm up with the team, go to the bench and hope Geno calls your name before the final buzzer. And you pray if he does, you don't completely embarrass yourself. But mostly, you pray he does.

Lawlor, called "T" by Auriemma, played the final 3:31 of the victory over Gannon. Pulido, alias Polly, entered the game with 2:55 left and took a pass from Stewart and scored on a sweet double-pump layup. The team and the arena went nuts with excitement. Lawlor and Pulido belong. Both decided just an ounce of reward beats pounds of pain. They endured and succeeded at something most of us wouldn't have even tried. Courageous? Absolutely. Crazy? Probably some of that too...

Congrats TLaw and Polly....Go Huskies..!!

Nicely written!!