EricLA
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- Aug 24, 2011
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One thing that I've read/heard over the years that is very interesting to me is how Geno changes his coaching strategy regular season vs. post season.
Regular season is all about challenging, pushing, motivating, criticizing, breaking down and rebuilding, teaching new/better skills, etc. The team works on plays, implementing and teaching offense and defense, learning how to communicate, build chemistry, you name it, they teach it. And if you do it wrong, you get told loudly and often all about it. Once the regular season is over, that pretty much comes to a complete stop.
Post season is all about giving confidence, tweaking and fine tuning, because the games now are win or go home. I remember reading about it, or hearing Geno talk about it, and I thought it was pretty incredible to hear the shift in coaching strategy and what he asks of his team and how he asks it in the post season.
I will be really curious how these guys respond to the change. This year was particularly challenging - and not just because it was shortened and stopped/started numerous times due to Covid. We start 2 freshmen, and the 6th (wo)man of the conference (maybe in the country) is also a freshman. The other super sub is only a sophomore, and if Anna is back, it's another sophomore. Not a ton of experience on this team. But I wonder in general how the team will respond.
I think the next few days off for the team will be great for them. Rest, relax, rejuvenate, reinvigorate, and get healthy/ready.
I don't think there is any team in the country who is playing "better" than UCONN, and we aren't really playing any better than several of the other top teams. For all the concerns about the lackluster game to end our regular season, look around at how much other top teams struggled in the past week(s). Most of them won, and it wasn't easy, and some of them lost.
That doesn't mean we are going to win it all, but rather, that there are so many teams have had so many challenges that a legit 6-8 could probably win the NC on any given day. The key will be to put all the adversity behind them, and put together the best string of 6 games in the NCAA's. Whoever does that, congrats, but obviously I hope it's us. Really looking forward to the post season! GO UCONN!!
Regular season is all about challenging, pushing, motivating, criticizing, breaking down and rebuilding, teaching new/better skills, etc. The team works on plays, implementing and teaching offense and defense, learning how to communicate, build chemistry, you name it, they teach it. And if you do it wrong, you get told loudly and often all about it. Once the regular season is over, that pretty much comes to a complete stop.
Post season is all about giving confidence, tweaking and fine tuning, because the games now are win or go home. I remember reading about it, or hearing Geno talk about it, and I thought it was pretty incredible to hear the shift in coaching strategy and what he asks of his team and how he asks it in the post season.
I will be really curious how these guys respond to the change. This year was particularly challenging - and not just because it was shortened and stopped/started numerous times due to Covid. We start 2 freshmen, and the 6th (wo)man of the conference (maybe in the country) is also a freshman. The other super sub is only a sophomore, and if Anna is back, it's another sophomore. Not a ton of experience on this team. But I wonder in general how the team will respond.
I think the next few days off for the team will be great for them. Rest, relax, rejuvenate, reinvigorate, and get healthy/ready.
I don't think there is any team in the country who is playing "better" than UCONN, and we aren't really playing any better than several of the other top teams. For all the concerns about the lackluster game to end our regular season, look around at how much other top teams struggled in the past week(s). Most of them won, and it wasn't easy, and some of them lost.
That doesn't mean we are going to win it all, but rather, that there are so many teams have had so many challenges that a legit 6-8 could probably win the NC on any given day. The key will be to put all the adversity behind them, and put together the best string of 6 games in the NCAA's. Whoever does that, congrats, but obviously I hope it's us. Really looking forward to the post season! GO UCONN!!
