Can Geno teach the motion offense to KO?

[jibsey]

We have to admit that every team that we play seems to have set plays that get them easy baskets at times. We rarely have that and this is not a new phenomenom, it’s been going on for years under KO. To me that says bad coaching. Our lack of good bigs and bad shooting are part of this and magnifies it.

 

[polycom]

1. Geno and KO talk a lot or at least did when I went to UConn.

 

[Greathusky]

I think there were good points on both sides of the aisle here which was my point in posting.

I learned some things on both sides of the question.

Happy holiday to the Boneyarders!

 

[HuskyHawk]

How about Ollie runs an offense a little more like Geno does? Not the same, but incorporate elements. The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics do. Duke, Kansas and North Carolina do. Lets's not pretend that a high ball screen and penetration is the be all, end all of basketball. Hell, we don't even run that effectively.

So no, the men could not play exactly like the women. But Geno is a better coach than Ollie, and it isn't close. He'd win more games with the men's team than Kevin does. With the exact same players. I have no doubts about that.

 

[polycom]

How about Ollie runs an offense a little more like Geno does? Not the same, but incorporate elements. The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics do. Duke, Kansas and North Carolina do. Lets's not pretend that a high ball screen and penetration is the be all, end all of basketball. Hell, we don't even run that effectively.

So no, the men could not play exactly like the women. But Geno is a better coach than Ollie, and it isn't close. He'd win more games with the men's team than Kevin does. With the exact same players. I have no doubts about that.

Geno...has been a coach since 1978, Ollie since 2010... Obviously he is a better coach.

 

[mauconnfan]

How about Ollie runs an offense a little more like Geno does? Not the same, but incorporate elements. The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics do. Duke, Kansas and North Carolina do. Lets's not pretend that a high ball screen and penetration is the be all, end all of basketball. Hell, we don't even run that effectively.

So no, the men could not play exactly like the women. But Geno is a better coach than Ollie, and it isn't close. He'd win more games with the men's team than Kevin does. With the exact same players. I have no doubts about that.

Wow Geno's a better coach than KO, thank you had no clue. He's also a better coach than 80% of the other men's coaches but he does that against teams who are really awful in comparison to his team 90% of the time. Obviously he's earned those players and he gets them, makes them better in the womens game but we have no proof whatsoever he would win more with KO's guys, none.

Move on please.

 

[Waquoit]

Incompatible with what Ollie is trying to teach.

LOL! And what, pray tell, is Ollie trying to teach?

 

[The Funster]

Geno Smith? What the hell does he know about offense?

 

[gtcam]

Geno is a great women's coach
The games are different, the kid's thought process and ego's are different, the speed and physicality is different and knowing how to motivate is different.
Could Geno coach mens bball ? Most likely. Would he be successful? Vastly unknown. And the same holds true for KO.
It's not going to happen here at UConn so forget about it.
Geno and KO have a great working relationship so I am positive they talk on a regular basis.

BTW - give KO the top 4 or 5 player in the country year after year and nobody would be posting here

 

[gtcam]

LOL! And what, pray tell, is Ollie trying to teach?

Wow - you beat JMic and the others to the punch!!!

 

[Pudge]

The funny thing ...

It's like you haven't watched Geno Auriemma ever. You actually think he doesn't talk to Kevin Ollie? That guy talks incessantly. I'm certain Ollie is bright enough to ask - occasionally - for insight from the John Wooden OF WBB. And that other Mount Rushmore guy taking a check.

Second point ... why are you guys yearning for some of the big guys we played. The Monmouth guy had some solid offensive moves ... he also was extraordinarily easy to get past as Jalen Adams showed repeatedly. The ability to move laterally kinda defines what we need to play at a championship level.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Wow Geno's a better coach than KO, thank you had no clue. He's also a better coach than 80% of the other men's coaches but he does that against teams who are really awful in comparison to his team 90% of the time. Obviously he's earned those players and he gets them, makes them better in the womens game but we have no proof whatsoever he would win more with KO's guys, none.

Move on please.

You really don't think he could coach the men? The guy simply understands the game, and constantly adjusts to his personnel and other team. The level of effort and crispness of execution is a reflection of coaching. It has nothing to do with the fact that his opponents are women, because his players are also women. And for those who think he gets all the top recruits, he doesn't. Lands the #1 player occasionally, like next year. He doesn't beat teams that are awful compared to his, he plays the best teams every year. I admit the competition drops off outside the top 15 or so, unlike in the men's game.

There is no proof, and there won't be any. Just as there is no proof that Gregg Popovich would be better than Ollie at coaching men's college basketball. But he would be.

But it's all speculation. None of it matters. I just hate Kevin Ollie's offense. It sucks.

 

[Deepster]

Nah I have been here for many years watching college basketball. I know
and see when an offense is not working. I am not in the minority on this with fellow Husky fans.

You keep the blinders on.

If that style of offense would work in the men's game, don't you think someone would run it? Here's a newsflash. No one runs that old school offense anymore in the men's game because the athleticism allows guys to get through screens, recover quicker, slide over to play better help D, make up for getting beat with a blocked shot or forced miss, etc.

What next? 4 chest passes before you're allowed to shoot? The ol' picket fence? Underhanded free throws?

Stop being a stupid idiot.

 

[The Funster]

Shooter Flatch was a damn good coach when he wasn't hitting the bottle. The picket fence is a damn fine play in any teams offensive arsenal.

 

[Danzz]

The women were a thing of beauty to watch today. I watched the back cuts and pick and rolls
with admiration and envy.

Are our boys capable of playing like this if they were taught?

Or do we not have the athletes to play like girls?

Really? Do you think that after 13 years in the NBA that KO doesn't know the motion offense? JC used to get criticized for his teams not running good half court offense. Fans always think they have the solution.

 

[HadleysHope]

Shooter Flatch was a damn good coach when he wasn't hitting the bottle. The picket fence is a damn fine play in any teams offensive arsenal.

Never worked vs the zone

 

[August_West]

The level of effort and crispness of execution is a reflection of coaching. It has nothing to do with the fact that his opponents are women, because his players are also women

Um is has to do with the fact that he has 5 of the top 10 players in the country executing that game plan.

Geno is a great coach. And he earned that ability to recruit like he did through years of hard work and success. But lets be real here. He will coach up anyone, but give him the #100 recruiting class vs. teams with top 5's and he aint winning every game and his offense wont look so crisp.

 

[UConnJim]

A couple of points. If you want to blame Ollie for anything, it is the roster turnover over the past few years. We have had to rely on transfers, grad transfer, jucos,... Having roster turnover is not good for team chemistry or offensive and defensive flow. Kentucky, although using much higher rated players, has high roster turnover and they usually struggle to start every year as Caliper tries to mold them into a team. Any coach, including Geno, would have difficulty coaching a team with the amount of roster turnover the men have had this year and last year. All that said, for UConn to get back to be relevant in basketball again, we need to bring in and develop high school recruits with the occasional grad transfer to fill a need.

Players back from the previous season (excluding early season injuries):

2017/2018: 2 (6-2)
2016/2017: 4 (16-17)
2015/2016: 7 (25-11)
2014/2015: 6 (20-15)
2013/2014: 8 (32-8)
2012/2013: 6 (20-10)

Two other glaring problems have been the lack of big men with decent hands and point guard development.

I am encouraged with the big men being brought in like Carlton, Diarra, Whaley, Polley, and for next year, Kisunas. These bigs seem to have decent hands and I think they can be developed. David O is a one year plug in who is limited and Cobb can be a decent contributor for 2 years.

Point guard has been especially problematic over the past few years with no consistency or mentorship. The problem seemed to be settled when we brought Gilbert in as he was supposed to be a sophomore this year, paired with Adams a junior. If Gilbert comes back this year, Adams comes back next year, and with Akinjo coming in, the PG succession and mentoring seems to be back in place. (A couple of big ifs there.)

Here is the recent history of UConn point guards that I posted in another thread that shows the recent lack of consistency.

(In bold are the season in which UConn went to the elite 8 or better. W/L record are listed for PG transition years.)

2017/2018: Gilbert
2016/2017: Adams (16-17)
2015/2016: Gibbs (25-11)
2014/2015: Boatright (20-15)
2013/2014: Napier
2012/2013: Napier
2011/2012: Napier (20-14)
2010/2011: Walker
2009/2010: Walker (18-16)
2008/2009: Price
2007/2008: Price
2006/2007: Price (17-14)
2005/2006: Williams
2004/2005: Williams (23-8)
2003/2004: Brown
2002/2003: Brown
2001/2002: Brown
2000/2001: Brown (20-12)
1999/2000: El-Amin
1998/1999: El-Amin
1997/1998: El-Amin (32-5)
1996/1997: Moore (18-15)
1995/1996: Sheffer (32-3)
1994/1995: Ollie
1993/1994: Ollie
1992/1993: Ollie (15-13)
1991/1992: Smith
1990/1991: Smith (20-11)
1989/1990: George
1988/1989: George
1987/1988: George
1986/1987: George (9-19)

 

[HuskyHawk]

Um is has to do with the fact that he has 5 of the top 10 players in the country executing that game plan.

Geno is a great coach. And he earned that ability to recruit like he did through years of hard work and success. But lets be real here. He will coach up anyone, but give him the #100 recruiting class vs. teams with top 5's and he aint winning every game and his offense wont look so crisp.

They played a team with a comparable roster of talent yesterday. I'm not one of these guys who thinks the talent disparity has nothing to do with it when they blow teams out by 40. But I think he gets more out of the players he has than anyone. He has won titles when he didn't have the best team (as has Jim Calhoun, and even Kevin Ollie).

 

[August_West]

They played a team with a comparable roster of talent yesterday. I'm not one of these guys who thinks the talent disparity has nothing to do with it when they blow teams out by 40. But I think he gets more out of the players he has than anyone. He has won titles when he didn't have the best team (as has Jim Calhoun, and even Kevin Ollie).

Please pull up the Rankings of each starting 5.

 

[champs99and04]

I think there is something beyond the basic methodology that is lacking with UConn's offense. In other words, I don't think you're going to be able to look back at the tape and eviscerate KO for what he is trying to install. He knows x's and o's, trust me. Between all the Hall of Famers he played for, the guy has plenty of tricks up his sleeve and can write a pretty damn good thesis paper on what is supposed to be going on out there.

The point is, there's more to it than that. There is scouting, identifying, teaching, authorizing and cultivating those principles. Hell, I can sit here, scour over 30 hours of tape and report back to you on what kind of offenses work. It's not about that. Whatever it is that's wrong with Ollie's offense starts well before the ball is tipped. That doesn't make it less concerning and in fact may make it more concerning, but Geno "teaching" him the offense is stupid. This game of roundball has been around for a while and we now have the ability to watch any game, anywhere, in all the HD, where we literally just have to go through and watch what happens. To think that it's as simple as Geno giving him some pointers over a glass of wine is quite naive.

 

[mauconnfan]

They played a team with a comparable roster of talent yesterday. I'm not one of these guys who thinks the talent disparity has nothing to do with it when they blow teams out by 40. But I think he gets more out of the players he has than anyone. He has won titles when he didn't have the best team (as has Jim Calhoun, and even Kevin Ollie).

A comparable roster when the 3 players who had ACL surgery are playing for ND, not otherwise. Maybe Muffett McGraw can coach the UConns mens team too huh?

 

[WrenchFan69]

Men are too long and athletic for most of what they run to work. I would love to see Geno get in there teach them how to effectively screen though.

 

[Deepster]

Men are too long and athletic for most of what they run to work. I would love to see Geno get in there teach them how to effectively screen though.

Good god. This whole thread is an inside joke to make me have an aneurysm, right?

 

[huskyrob1]

We have a problem, I don’t doubt Geno could give Ollie some pointers, but men’s and women’s basketball is on different planets.

No, same planet and same gym, only difference is the women played to a SRO crowd yesterday, a ton of national writers and reporters, and the men on Saturday were a circus clown sideshow that they should have won easily by 20 points. Geno could give KO pointers on how to sell tickets which goes hand in hand with coaching and motion offense pointers.