As Geno approaches age 60...

[alexrgct]

So, I've got some armchair psychology for ya.

Geno has stated over the past couple of years that kids have changed, that he's struggled to get his finger on the pulse of the post-Maya teams, that much of the tactics he used to employ to push the right buttons haven't seemed to work anymore, etc. Of course, the end result has been two Final Fours, a national championship, and the consensus favorite to repeat next season, but he's said these things enough and the teams have lost enough games along the way that perhaps there's something to it. Or at least that something has changed, whether or not it's the kids.

Which leads me to something I've been thinking about recently: what if it's Geno, and in particular Geno vis a vis the kids, that's really what has changed?

A couple of posters have linked to this article here (pasting the URL because for some reason the link button isn't showing up in my browser):

http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/2013/04/11/the-great-manipulator.htm

In the article, the author, who spent a large portion of the 2000-01 season, covering Geno and his team, states, "From the day these players arrive on campus until the day they leave, they alternate between seeing him as a father figure and having something of a crush on him."

That line struck me. It could, of course, not be true at all, or be an exaggeration certainly. However, let's assume, for the moment, that there is more than a grain of truth there, that he's been a charismatic, handsome older man that young women looked up to and were attracted to. Of course, there's a lot more to his success than that, but if that was indeed part of the equation...I mean, the man's going to be 60 next year. A 60 year old man is more of a grandfather figure than a father figure to an 18-22 year old, and pushing the limits of an age at which a woman in college is likely to have a crush.

Could at least part of it really be that simple? Geno may be pushing the same buttons, but he's not 45 anymore. And perhaps there's an inherent difference between 45 year old Geno and 60 year old Geno pushing those buttons.

As Geno enters the autumn of his coaching career, he commands respect. He's got all the credibility in the world in his field, an eight-time national champion, the first person the media call if they want a funny and/or insightful comment about the news of the day in women's basketball, the guy who causes a buzz in your gym if stops by on a recruiting trip to watch you play, etc. And there's not a thing under the sun wrong with being a grandfather; in fact, there are few added bonuses in a young person's development more impactful than having strong grandparents. It is, however, a different role, a new one to learn, and perhaps one that is a little difficult to embrace because of what it means you have to accept about yourself from a primal and/or existential standpoint.

And I will wonder, should Geno continue to comment on how kids have changed, whether he has fully embraced that role. I think if he does so, he could be as effective at 75 as he was at 45.

Or maybe I'm just talking out of my posterior...

 

[meyers7]

Well if it is a case of becoming a grandfather figure as opposed to a father figure, I don't think Geno would have a problem with that. He is now an actual grandfather and seems from what I've read to really relish the role.

 

[doggydaddy]

I vote posterior.

 

[alexrgct]

Well if it is a case of becoming a grandfather figure as opposed to a father figure, I don't think Geno would have a problem with that. He is now an actual grandfather and seems from what I've read to really relish the role.

I think there's a difference between accepting being an actual grandfather to a little baby you can hold in your arms and accepting you're a grandfather figure to a college-aged person.

 

[alexrgct]

I vote posterior.

Well, I allowed for the possibility in my post, but I nonetheless believe there's something to it. If nothing else, complaining about "kids these days" has been the time-honored province of the older generation.

 

[meyers7]

I think there's a difference between accepting being an actual grandfather to a little baby you can hold in your arms and accepting you're a grandfather figure to a college-aged person.

hmmm, maybe. Haven't got there yet myself. ???

 

[DavidinNaples]

alex...I think there is much truth to what you are asking/pointing out about Geno. He has aged 25+ years but the kids he coaches are still coming in at 18-19 years old. Kids today are most definitely different than 25 years ago. Many have been identified as "Stars" since grade school. Sportsmanship, as practice in the "old days" has been replaced with "showing your opponent up" and trying to make ESPN highlights. Women's basketball is changing in that way, but obviously not as fast as Men's basketball and, especially, football. Anyway, I think sometimes Geno's "tactics" don't work with some players, especially in the first year when the "coach/player dynamic" is still working itself out. Tactics like yelling, punishment drills, no playing time in blowouts, etc... Geno can be a real task master and I'm betting many new players sit in their dorm room and wonder what the heck they have gotten into. One final point, I think CD the elder has played a huge role in working out the conflicts in many cases. That role has probably increased in the last few years, not diminished. She seems to be the "good cop" to Geno's "sometimes bad cop".... Go Huskies..!

 

[doggydaddy]

I'm pretty sure it's been several years since any of the players (if any really did) had a crush on Geno.

Because of how people and certainly teenagers communicate using technology it is very different for us 50+ year olds than it was 15 years ago.

Geno just likes to complain. He has figured out how to identify and recruit the kind of kids he wants. Yes, this season it took a little while for them to gel. But that has happened other seasons as well.

I still vote for posterior.

 

[UcMiami]

Sorry - going with the posterior angle as well. Geno has complained about the new kids being different since about 1989 - the second year at Uconn.
I do think the kids have changed as has Geno, but all you have to do is watch Stewie messing with his hair to realize that whatever that chemistry he has with his players still works. And the 'in love with' comment is more about the rest of the article which talks about seeking for his approval. And it is part of the bond girls and women have with their fathers throughout life.
So... posterior.

 

[semper]

Very clear case of posterior.

 

[Buzzyboy]

So, I've got some armchair psychology for ya.

Geno has stated over the past couple of years that kids have changed, that he's struggled to get his finger on the pulse of the post-Maya teams, that much of the tactics he used to employ to push the right buttons haven't seemed to work anymore, etc. Of course, the end result has been two Final Fours, a national championship, and the consensus favorite to repeat next season, but he's said these things enough and the teams have lost enough games along the way that perhaps there's something to it. Or at least that something has changed, whether or not it's the kids.

Which leads me to something I've been thinking about recently: what if it's Geno, and in particular Geno vis a vis the kids, that's really what has changed?

A couple of posters have linked to this article here (pasting the URL because for some reason the link button isn't showing up in my browser):

http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/2013/04/11/the-great-manipulator.htm

In the article, the author, who spent a large portion of the 2000-01 season, covering Geno and his team, states, "From the day these players arrive on campus until the day they leave, they alternate between seeing him as a father figure and having something of a crush on him."

That line struck me. It could, of course, not be true at all, or be an exaggeration certainly. However, let's assume, for the moment, that there is more than a grain of truth there, that he's been a charismatic, handsome older man that young women looked up to and were attracted to. Of course, there's a lot more to his success than that, but if that was indeed part of the equation...I mean, the man's going to be 60 next year. A 60 year old man is more of a grandfather figure than a father figure to an 18-22 year old, and pushing the limits of an age at which a woman in college is likely to have a crush.

Could at least part of it really be that simple? Geno may be pushing the same buttons, but he's not 45 anymore. And perhaps there's an inherent difference between 45 year old Geno and 60 year old Geno pushing those buttons.

As Geno enters the autumn of his coaching career, he commands respect. He's got all the credibility in the world in his field, an eight-time national champion, the first person the media call if they want a funny and/or insightful comment about the news of the day in women's basketball, the guy who causes a buzz in your gym if stops by on a recruiting trip to watch you play, etc. And there's not a thing under the sun wrong with being a grandfather; in fact, there are few added bonuses in a young person's development more impactful than having strong grandparents. It is, however, a different role, a new one to learn, and perhaps one that is a little difficult to embrace because of what it means you have to accept about yourself from a primal and/or existential standpoint.

And I will wonder, should Geno continue to comment on how kids have changed, whether he has fully embraced that role. I think if he does so, he could be as effective at 75 as he was at 45.

Or maybe I'm just talking out of my posterior...

Maybe we can't factor in the "crush" side of it but look at the love for Joe Paterno his players had for him, even those on his more recent teams, when he was in his 80's. They revered him and played their hearts out for him and the same applies to the later John Wooden teams when he was an old codger, into his 70's and yet was revered by kids who bought into the team philosophy that Wooden espoused. His teams bought into that "team first" mantra in the same manner that the new lady recruits coming into Storrs do. I feel that though a lot of kids today are more concerned with their individual goals, there are still many talented kids who buy into the concepts that Geno has instilled in UConn women's basketball over the last 28 years.

 

[Vowelguy]

I'm hoping some women will chime in on this for their opinion. But to my eyes, speculating that Geno might be a less effective coach because the players are less attracted to him is incredibly demeaning to both him and his players.

And the story about kids today being different is well documented (and true of every generation).

 

[jsloanjr]

UCONN wins because of structure from the day they step foot on campus onhow they dress, act and carry themselves in public on and off the court. CD has set the standard for them to follow and the players who except these rules stay and play and the ones like EDD and others wanted greener pastures and that is ok........Listening to the current players will be Geno's biggest challenge .........He is the best man for the job.........5 more years........

 

[JimGunther]

I don't think there's any question that people (not just college bound athletes) are drawn to an "aura of success". Not to get all "bromantic" about stuff but, Geno has always had that halo about him. Will he use it to tip that recruit? - I don't know but, as each year goes by (and Championshipd are added) that whole environment of success in enhanced.

PS: I suspect Geno (even when he was at UVA) ALWAYS exuded that confident demeanor. Charm can't but help in recruiting.

. But to my eyes, speculating that Geno might be a less effective coach because the players are less attracted to him is incredibly demeaning to both him and his players.
.

 

[CL82]

At least some players, Lobo and Turner, come to mind, talk about how handsome he was. Not is, mind you, was,

I think it may have been a dynamic it drawing in recruits pre-95, but it certainly isn't now. Any edge lost, however, is certainly made up by 8 NCs. Geno is Geno. Demanding but successful. Tough but caring. It is an interesting mix but ultimately a successful one that age hasn't changed, yet.

 

[Kibitzer]

A constant sociological pattern is that older generations tend to look down on younger ones. Constant. They seem to be irresistably compelled to reminisce about their own glorious youth.

I have a rule that I apply especiallyto old athletes and veterans:

"The older we get, the better we were."​

 

[FairView]

As Geno approaches age 60...


He remains younger than the majority of us in here. (not me, however)

 

[semper]

15 more years!!!

 

[Phil]

He keeps getting older than I used to be but....

 

[OneTrickPony]

I'm only a couple of years older than Geno, so I really can't offer any insight into the ways things have changed that he won't already know...I can say, however, that as I've aged I don't see a lot of diminution in my willingness to take on challenges...but I do see a diminution in my willingness to take on the same challenges over and over (tedium)...if it were me, the fact that the challenges posed by his players keeps morphing would be a big plus..

Based on Geno's track record, I'm gonna guess he just might like the challenge of finding his cheese after it moves...and I like him to adapt much more quickly than most...

 

[Olde Coach]

I'm only a couple of years older than Geno, so I really can't offer any insight into the ways things have changed that he won't already know...I can say, however, that as I've aged I don't see a lot of diminution in my willingness to take on challenges...but I do see a diminution in my willingness to take on the same challenges over and over (tedium)...if it were me, the fact that the challenges posed by his players keeps morphing would be a big plus..

Based on Geno's track record, I'm gonna guess he just might like the challenge of finding his cheese after it moves...and I like him to adapt much more quickly than most...

One of the joys of teaching and/or coaching is that you have a whole new group of students/athletes every year. The challenges and the joys are always moving and "refreshing" your life.

The flip side of the coin is that kids who bring unique joys into your life move on.
What is really fun is that new special kids fill the seats left open. Thus you lose a Taurasi or a Bird --- and you gain a Maya or a Stewie --- and soon an Ekmark.

Geno's "work" is never boring.

 

[baggerbob]

Not all the young players want to show others up, Stewie just goes about playing, and enjoying the game. I think her exuberance for the game, when she made plays against Notre Dame, smiled, clapped, and ran back down the floor is what impressed Kara the most.

 

[DavidinNaples]

Not all the young players want to show others up, Stewie just goes about playing, and enjoying the game. I think her exuberance for the game, when she made plays against Notre Dame, smiled, clapped, and ran back down the floor is what impressed Kara the most.

bagger....I don't think anyone believes ALL young players want to "show opponents up". I certainly don't. Kelly Faris is another good example. She was "old school" in attitude and play. But many possible UConn recruits, and even a few who come, are from the "new school". They have been told and treated like they were "special talents" since grade school through AAU and high school. At UConn they get the "full Geno" and to some it is a shock. I agree about Stewie. In fact, I wrote the post "The moment Stewie became a Superstar" and I attached the picture of her clapping you mention. If you haven't seen it, please check it out. Sorry if I seem a bit defensive, the stock market is down big today and I'm on edge...Go Huskies..!!

 

[Tenspro2002]

There could be something to it regarding the increasing age disparity between coach and player. It's a lot easier to dismiss lessons from someone who you think doesn't get you. I think this is something Calhoun increasingly suffered from in his later years -- look at the dysfunction of the 2010 and 2012 teams. Geno has better talent, is more charismatic, and is coaching women (who are likely more mature) instead of men, but it's something to look out for.

And as a 20-something with a 60-something boss, I can tell you that you're more likely to shrug off and ignore an older person's criticism than someone whose (younger) age grants them more credibility with you.

 

[pap49cba]

And as a 20-something with a 60-something boss, I can tell you that you're more likely to shrug off and ignore an older person's criticism than someone whose (younger) age grants them more credibility with you.

Hate to tell you but the 60-something boss probably knows what he or she is talking about.