Bad for basketball -- too early?

[WiseWillie]

Not looking for hate mail here and not one to challenge Geno. But like himself Shea has one heck of an assistant. That should be recognized, Shea calls timeout and her assistant head coach Tom Garrick draws up the play or defense needed. I only saw the last quarter but when timeouts were called by either team Shea stood outside the huddle with players surrounding Garrick drawing things up.

That's your opinion and I respect that and no one is saying or should feel that Garrick or any assistant for that matter is not integral to a team's success. Who exactly hired him? The HC is the CEO and can delegate play-calling to an assistant (happens all the time for example in DI and pro football where the OC and DC call plays into the players.) So the asst HC is the one who brought Vandy back into a top 10 team? Come on. It takes leadership that starts with developing a standard and recruiting players who will be motivated to play up to that standard. That is exactly what Shea has done. Even if one of the assistants may draw up a play in a huddle during a timeout do you think that Shea did not know what it was and approve of it? The players know who the HC is and whether a play is drawn up on the white board by an assistant or the HC it is what the players will listen to and try to perform that is important. Look at any game Vandy plays. Who is the one kneeling on the sideline directing her players into positions she knows ae needed? Shea and only Shea. She is the HC in one of the best ways and knows how to delegate. She has obviously chosen her assistants wisely and gives them repsonsibility and I'm sure holds them accountable. That is what leaders do.

 

[Bigboote]

Back in '16 somebody—maybe Geno?—asked if Dan Shaughnessy had ever been to a live WBB game.

In 2015 or 2016, for every person who said they wouldn't watch a UConn game, I talked to at least one person who said they ONLY watched if UConn was playing. Stewie was almost always mentioned.

 

[JoePgh]

Regarding the effect of the 2015 and 2016 teams on the sport, I think that a very recent quote from Caroline Ducharme is pertinent. About a week ago, commenting on the gathering of players from those teams, she said that at that time she was a "little girl" (probably meaning middle-school age), she would always watch UConn games, and (roughly quoting) "no one could bother me when UConn was on TV -- I had to watch every minute, and if I missed something I re-winded it". (Caroline, the correct form of that verb is "rewound" ...). No doubt she was representative of a whole class of aspiring girls' basketball players. A few years later, Paige and Caitlin clearly had the same effect.

No doubt the effect of a great team playing the game "the right way" is different for kids who want to grow up to do that than it is for adults who want to be entertained by TV sports. Shaughnessy probably had a point concerning the latter group. But, at least if you believe Rebecca, the TV ratings of women's basketball when UConn plays have always been healthy enough to make the TV networks want to broadcast at least their more competitive games as often as possible, so the net effect of their winning seasons has been positive for the health and popularity of the game.

But the nine-year NC drought followed by a championship (and possibly a repeat) is a great WBB story in itself, so maybe it's not a bad thing that it happened.

 

[BRS24]

Not looking for hate mail here and not one to challenge Geno. But like himself Shea has one heck of an assistant. That should be recognized, Shea calls timeout and her assistant head coach Tom Garrick draws up the play or defense needed. I only saw the last quarter but when timeouts were called by either team Shea stood outside the huddle with players surrounding Garrick drawing things up.

And this, IMHO, is the sign of a good coach - knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and encouraging your assistants to do what they do well. If there's a significant skill of some asst coaches with out of bounds plays, etc, then let them do it. Many years ago, I coached youth soccer in CT. I organized and ran the practices, and my asst coach (hubby), he designed the starting lineups and sub patterns. Why? Because I was better at prepping them for the games, and he was better putting the puzzle pieces together. I tried to do the lineups one time, and and halftime, looked at him and said, ok, you fix this because you are better at it. LOL

 

[Bigboote]

And this, IMHO, is the sign of a good coach - knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and encouraging your assistants to do what they do well. If there's a significant skill of some asst coaches with out of bounds plays, etc, then let them do it. Many years ago, I coached youth soccer in CT. I organized and ran the practices, and my asst coach (hubby), he designed the starting lineups and sub patterns. Why? Because I was better at prepping them for the games, and he was better putting the puzzle pieces together. I tried to do the lineups one time, and and halftime, looked at him and said, ok, you fix this because you are better at it. LOL

Well said. I saw something ten years or so ago, probably in the business section of the paper, saying that in employee evaluations, the characteristic most highly valued was enjoying the success of coworkers. In other words, if you have a group member who's better than you at something, by all means, give that coworker that task. That person might get a bigger attaboy, but your bosses will still recognize your group's success.

 

[Gael]

Shea has one heck of an assistant. That should be recognized, Shea calls timeout and her assistant head coach Tom Garrick draws up the play or defense needed.

no one is saying or should feel that Garrick or any assistant for that matter is not integral to a team's success. Who exactly hired him?

Tom Garrick is Shea Ralph's husband.

 

[BobbyJ]

That's your opinion and I respect that and no one is saying or should feel that Garrick or any assistant for that matter is not integral to a team's success. Who exactly hired him? The HC is the CEO and can delegate play-calling to an assistant (happens all the time for example in DI and pro football where the OC and DC call plays into the players.) So the asst HC is the one who brought Vandy back into a top 10 team? Come on. It takes leadership that starts with developing a standard and recruiting players who will be motivated to play up to that standard. That is exactly what Shea has done. Even if one of the assistants may draw up a play in a huddle during a timeout do you think that Shea did not know what it was and approve of it? The players know who the HC is and whether a play is drawn up on the white board by an assistant or the HC it is what the players will listen to and try to perform that is important. Look at any game Vandy plays. Who is the one kneeling on the sideline directing her players into positions she knows ae needed? Shea and only Shea. She is the HC in one of the best ways and knows how to delegate. She has obviously chosen her assistants wisely and gives them repsonsibility and I'm sure holds them accountable. That is what leaders do.

Very true. And I'm sure that she doesn't feel her authority being challenged since she can hammer Tom when they get home because he's her husband. 😉

 

[WiseWillie]

Very true. And I'm sure that she doesn't feel her authority being challenged since she can hammer Tom when they get home because he's her husband. 😉

All true. Although her husband, Shea was the one who hired him in 2021 after she was hired as the HC bringing him from UMass Lowell to join her staff as associate HC. (He was an assistant and associate HC at Vanderbilt from 2009-2015 under the previous HC's before going to UMass Lowell as the HC.) His hire was part of Shea's move to build a strong support staff including a former Vandy player, Ashley Earley, as an assistant. It appears to be working very well.

 

[DefenseBB]

Tom Garrick is Shea Ralph's husband.

For further edification, Tom is a Rhode Island HS product, played at URI in the late 1980s, made the Sweet 16, Coached the women’s team, was also HC of UMass Lowell before joining Shea

 

[Woof 101]

All true. Although her husband, Shea was the one who hired him in 2021 after she was hired as the HC bringing him from UMass Lowell to join her staff as associate HC. (He was an assistant and associate HC at Vanderbilt from 2009-2015 under the previous HC's before going to UMass Lowell as the HC.) His hire was part of Shea's move to build a strong support staff including a former Vandy player, Ashley Earley, as an assistant. It appears to be working very well.

I agree with all those above and know the premise. It is just something very different for me to not see the head coach in the middle of the huddle in basketball. Comparing basketball to football is like apples and bananas. I get delegating as a leader (been there done that) and it can work, just a different look to me. I do know Garrick has been an up and coming coach, deserving of climbing the head coaching ladder himself.
My guess with the progress being made they will remain at Vandy for years to come, that and on a roll. Hope to see them go deep into the tourney.