Coaching at Duke v. Transforming UConn

[diggerfoot]

Had GG's and JPM's careers ended before they came to Duke, history would have deemed them to be excellent coaches, as evidenced in part by a prestigious basketball school hiring them in the first place. Once they started coaching at Duke things changed. Granted, GG performed better than JPM, and arguably with less, but the bigger the game got the tighter GG and Duke seemed to be wound. I remember watching her on the sideline of any Final Four game and almost wincing for her. The tweets of JPM speak for themselves. It is so bizarre for a coach to concede defeat with a roster full of All-Americans that I can't contribute that to JPM's personality alone, any more than I think GG was as wound up in big games at other schools. Coaching at Duke must add a burden not found everywhere. GG exuded pressure; JPM exudes excuses.

The same might be true for other schools, including UConn at the present. However, the UConn of the past, the UConn that Auriemma took over, might have been a blessing for him. I certainly think that transforming such a program reflects his genius, yet maybe that's the best case scenario for a talent like Auriemma, rather than having to maintain an already established program. Just some idle thoughts before game time.

 

[pinotbear]

If you really want to consider a Duke "alternate history", what if Duke had responded to Geno with a bit more enthusiasm, when he (IIRC) sent out feelers about the Duke job before the GG hire? Where would UConn be, and where would Duke WBB be?

 

[Bayareahusky]

Thinking about Duke .... it makes me appreciate Geno and Calhoun.... taking programs from almost nothing to the pinnacle multiple times.....

Coaching Duke should not be that hard..... should be absent of pressure except the acknowledged pressure of expectations.... the x's and o's shouldn't be that tough given the kids you recruit.

 

[ChicagoGG]

If you really want to consider a Duke "alternate history", what if Duke had responded to Geno with a bit more enthusiasm, when he (IIRC) sent out feelers about the Duke job before the GG hire? Where would UConn be, and where would Duke WBB be?

That thought gives me nightmares...a la Pam waking up on Dallas and finding the entire season had been a dream....and if the last 20 years were only a UConn dream, let me keep sleeping for awhile!

 

[Cheddie]

Coaching at Duke must add a burden not found everywhere. GG exuded pressure; JPM exudes excuses.

The same might be true for other schools, including UConn at the present. However, the UConn of the past, the UConn that Auriemma took over, might have been a blessing for him. I certainly think that transforming such a program reflects his genius, yet maybe that's the best case scenario for a talent like Auriemma, rather than having to maintain an already established program. Just some idle thoughts before game time.

I happen to think that it was much harder for Geno arriving at Storrs than it's been for either GG or the present Duke coach. The jobs both he and Jim Calhoun did building a school with no tradition, no resources and no expectations into a national championship program were truly amazing.

Yes, a Duke coach may bear the burden of expectations - but what does Geno face every Fall? Single losses are an occasion for fans to wring their hands, let alone a - gasp - losing season. GG first, and now the present coach have phenomenal advantages that other coaches would die for. I think their performances reflect their own personalities more than any peculiar pressure other coaches escape.

 

[intlzncster]

Honestly, Duke recruits itself. I think this would be even more the case on the women's side (education) if they had a good coach. And it's not like there is overwhelming pressure there. GG was tight as a drum. JPM is somewhere off in space.

That's the one thing when evaluating K vs JC. JC always had to do more with less.

Geno does more with more at this point in his career, so evaluating it now is tough.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Nothing soothes like success, and nothing succeeds like preparation. But Geno did not put together his highly successful program out of the blue simply because he's some kind of genius. He learned by many failures and many mistakes and gradually built up a highly demanding and resourceful and flexible system that allowed the team to deal with any challenge and lots of adversity. Sometimes the system has coaxed out an NC and in a few other years it has been by far the best. The important point is that Geno has greeted every challenge as a problem to be solved and really learned from. I know certain coaches say their team is getting some "learning experiences," but being schooled does not mean you really got educated about what you need to do to avoid further painful lessons.

There's a certain fire in Geno that will not let him back down from any of challenges thrown at him, or make any excuses when his team comes up short of what he expected of it. I really don't think that's the case with many other coaches like GG and JPM, and sometimes they have let good enough be good enough instead of doing the stuff that it takes to make sure their teams can be the best.