Best commentary on Geno's lower rim proposal

[CL82]

Yale coach Chris Gobrecht, coach for 29 years, also at Washington and Cal State-Fullerton.
“I didn’t think there was anything wrong with UConn’s shooting percentage,” Gobrecht laughed. “But as someone who has been in the game for a long time, I believe one of the mistakes we have made is the idea that we supposed to be more like the men. It’s a huge mistake which I believe is crippling the WNBA, to some extent. I don’t why we insist on comparing our game to the men’s game. There is no reason for us to be a cheap version of the men’s game. The beauty of our game is that it is a different game. We’re not going to look like the men, so why play a game that suits their style? We need to play one that suits us. We need to play to our strengths. (emphasis added)

“I don’t understand why we feel the need for women to dunk. I don’t think dunking helps either the men or women’s game. … But why would the rules committee consider that when it just moved the three-point line further out [to equal the men]. It would be contradictory.”

This.

 

[Wonkster]

;
.
. . . . . . . . . . . . CHRIS GOBRECHT FOR PRESIDENT!!!!

 

[meyers7]

This.

By changing the height of the rim, one could argue that was making it different than the men's game. Just sayin'.

 

[CL82]

By changing the height of the rim, one could argue that was making it different than the men's game. Just sayin'.

In terms of dimensions, sure but it is an effort to make the women's game play like the men's game. I enjoy them both. No need to have the women's game become a diluted version of men's game.

 

[trisailin]

Some of us like the women's game for what it is. The women emphasize teamwork ("poetry in motion" when it's done right") with a less up-front role for raw athleticism while the men rely on pure athleticism with a minor supporting role for team. My wife won't watch the men play as she says "it's boring watching a bunch of guys go mano a mano" but the women move the ball and all have to be in sync.
Further it's my contention that changing the height of the rim would detract from women playing. All of the sudden, all of the current courts would be less than ideal for practice. Plus it once again, teaches girls that "you can't compete with the men".
It doesn't seem that Geno thought this one through.

 

[Dawson]

This would be all fine and dandy if Geno was arguing for lower rims to allow more players to dunk. He just want the girls to make their layups, but is also why he advocated for the larger ball. I think he brings up some great points, but I'm not one who see's flaws in the current game, although it is annoying/embarassing when the girls miss layups.

 

[ucdt3]

Everyone is just quick to make this a "Women are Inferior" conversation rather than make it what it is actually about...IMPROVING THE WOMEN'S GAME. I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to jump through the TV screen to strangle a UConn player who BLEW a point blank lay-up. A lay-up for God's sake. One that the player has been shooting for 10-15 years. It is absolutely ridiculous that so many are missed, even by the best of players. Now granted the smaller ball is the root cause of this problem but the rim being so high is also one. And for those who think making rims that adjust are so difficult, please tell me how many of you did NOT have an adjustable rim in your driveway that your dad bought for you from K-Mart or Toys-R-Us when you were 5 for about $100. It isn't that difficult to install new rims (especially in college) where millions of dollars are spent yearly on various improvement projects on each and every campus around this country. And at the end of the day, if a player is scoring more due to a lower rim and getting more scholarship offers from D-I schools or looks from WNBA GMs/Coaches, I highly doubt she is going to be kicking and screaming about her Title IX rights to an equal basketball rim height. And besides, Title IX is about giving girls equal court time as the boys. It says nothing about the girls court being identical to the boys.

Bottom Line: If Pat Summitt (prior to her diagnoses) made this comment, a whole lot more people (namely women) would be on board or even interested in the discussion, but because it's Geno, who is a MAN, it is immediately a slap in the face to the evolution of the women's rights movement.

What he is trying to do is get more butts in the seats so women can start earning the amounts of money they deserve for playing the sport they love and yet all anyone can think or say about it, is how his argument is sending women and the game back in to the 50's (namely ESPNW's Kate Fagan, who herself played DI ball and by her own admission refuses to watch/support the WNBA). And until MORE fans start putting their butts in the seats, female ballers are going to have to keep going overseas (where a ton of them get hurt) to make enough money to supplement their WNBA salaries which in turn hurts the women's game (i.e. - the 2012 WNBA regular season). He is also trying to get people to think outside the box and get more people talking about the women's game, which is EXACTLY what is happening in only 2 days since the comment aired on TV. ESPN discussed it on Around the Horn on Tuesday or Wednesday I believe. Any press about the women's game is good press. He is just making suggestions, he isn't someone who is making the decision on the changes, just creating a discussion about them. And in the US, where freedom of speech exists...why is that such a bad thing???

And if you don't agree with Geno fine, but don't say it's because the women's game is fine as is (and is special because players "play it the way it should be played"). If that were true, the 2012 WNBA MVP wouldn't be earning a lousy salary of $50,000 compared to the 2012 NBA MVP who made over $16 million from his salary alone. Clearly, dunking is important to TONS of fans because if it wasn't LeBron wouldn't continue to catch heat for not entering the NBA All-Star Dunk contest and ESPN would stop making a big deal out of each time Griner dunks in a game!!!!

 

[mr006]

Not sure that "any press" is good press when the press involved is suggesting that they cannot make layups, and that the rims should be lower in consequence.

 

[CL82]

ucdt3, I'm not sure that there is any change that would make the women's game be competitive with the NBA. Apparently it is more popular in Europe. Undertanding why that is, and whether the same factors would work in the States is a good way to start.

In any event Geno was talking about the college game.

 

[mr006]

"I didn’t think there was anything wrong with UConn’s shooting percentage"

great quote! Unfortunately, Geno would at times beg to differ...

 

[MilfordHusky]

"I didn’t think there was anything wrong with UConn’s shooting percentage"

great quote! Unfortunately, Geno would at times beg to differ...

Nearly all our losses in the last decade have come when we shot the ball poorly.

Chris 's quote is very funny.

 

[Dairyair]

Some of us like the women's game for what it is. The women emphasize teamwork ("poetry in motion" when it's done right") with a less up-front role for raw athleticism while the men rely on pure athleticism with a minor supporting role for team. My wife won't watch the men play as she says "it's boring watching a bunch of guys go mano a mano" but the women move the ball and all have to be in sync.
Further it's my contention that changing the height of the rim would detract from women playing. All of the sudden, all of the current courts would be less than ideal for practice. Plus it once again, teaches girls that "you can't compete with the men".
It doesn't seem that Geno thought this one through.

But women DON'T compete with the men...they compete against other women. I read a quote from Doug Bruno that he actually played around with changing the rim heights, years ago. I like the fact that Geno cares enough about the women's game to speak out with his opinions and generate discussion.