Conditioning: Has UConn lost its edge?

[Cedar]

Meghan Culmo made an interesting comment during a recent broadcast on SNY. She said that UConn has one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country, Amanda Kimball, who helps give the women’s basketball team a competitive edge over opponents.

UConn clearly has some well-conditioned athletes. My impression, however, is that UConn has lost some of the relative advantage in conditioning that it enjoyed in the past. When Rosemary Ragle was the head athletic trainer, the UConn women had a qualitative advantage over most of UConn’s opponents. The Huskies could often run their opponents right out of the gym. UConn’s advantage was particularly noticeable in the second halves of games.

This season, the Huskies have struggled in the fourth quarter of some games, most notably in the Baylor game, when the Huskies ran out of gas in the last five minutes as Baylor pulled away. In the DePaul game, UConn started the second half with a 26-point lead, but the Huskies tired in the fourth quarter; DePaul pulled to within 4 points before losing by 10.

Although there are a number of factors involved, including increased parity in collegiate women’s basketball and UConn’s lack of a transcendent player like Breanna Stewart or Maya Moore in recent years, it is interesting that the Huskies have not won a national championship since Rosemary Ragle left the team in 2016.

Has UConn’s overall conditioning deteriorated since Ragle left, or has the conditioning of other teams improved? I think it’s both. One thing is clear: Baylor had more gas left in its tank than UConn did at the end of their recent game.

 

[uconnfan68]

Rosemary wasn’t a strength coach.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I feel like you see less diving for loose balls and more jogging than we are used to.

 

[Lucelab113]

I remarked after the Baylor game that they had a lot of guys at the end of their bench. Adult males. Not students. I looked on their roster and it was their "Performance" coach. He travels with the team to road games and sits on their bench. Meanwhile Ms. Kimball does not accompany our team to the road games and was sitting in the stands for our home game? Hmmm. I think some of these Power 5 schools are really beefing up their staffs because they have the money. I thought UConn lost steam in all 3 Final Four 4th quarter losses the last 3 years so I don't think it's just this year.

 

[Mdoggie]

Zzzz zzzz zzzz

 

[j66kicker]

I doubt if UConn's strength & conditioning program has deteriorated. Suspect a lot of other teams have had to ramp up their strength & conditioning if they have any aspirations of becoming (or staying) "elite." Result is we can't run anybody and everybody out of the gym any more - level playing field now, at least with the top 6-8 teams.

When I see some of the players for even some top 20 teams - ASU for instance - I wonder if they're really serious about being an elite athlete or what. I mean, they have some skills, but they'd never get away with that level of conditioning at UConn or Baylor.

 

[Cedar]

Rosemary wasn’t a strength coach.

Correct. She was the head athletic trainer, as I mentioned.

 

[eebmg]

I think we are too quick to blame physical fatigue when the better explanation is that a team can simply lose focus and just play poorly. In the Baylor game, we just stopped running any offense at the end, got nervous and tried to win individually. That coupled with Smith just dominating down the stretch and not having a good matchup for her.

On the other hand, the conditioning gap has definitely narrowed as other top teams are as conditioned as we are. To suppose otherwise is hubris.

 

[soxfan23]

Correct. She was the head athletic trainer, as I mentioned.

I guess I fail to see the connection between strength & conditioning and Rosemary Raigle?

 

[veryolddog]

Well, I know that I could not do the Marine Corps physical readiness test anymore. So this should be the end of this discussion.

 

[Glenn]

I agree with eebmg. There is no sign of conditioning problems. But this group of players at times becomes uncertain about what to do on offense and consequently they become tentative and stand around or move slower. In the DePaul game, cited by the OP, we were terrible in the 3rd quarter--that is not conditioning. And against Baylor we were running hard at the end and fouling--much to the consternation of Geno.

 

[HopJim]

You typically see UConn players gain in their conditioning each year, with Meagan and Crystal the best examples. Few players in college basketball more physically fit.

 

[Huskie02]

I agree with eebmg. There is no sign of conditioning problems. But this group of players at times becomes uncertain about what to do on offense and consequently they become tentative and stand around or move slower. In the DePaul game, cited by the OP, we were terrible in the 3rd quarter--that is not conditioning. And against Baylor we were running hard at the end and fouling--much to the consternation of Geno.

I think we just don’t have enough quality players to spell the starters. That was evident in the Baylor game. Baylor substituted freely and eventually pulled away. UConn just ran out of gas. If I’m not mistaken I saw Walker tugging at her shorts several times late in the third and fourth periods, a sure sign of fatigue.

 

[gioff2323]

I think we just don’t have enough quality players to spell the starters. That was evident in the Baylor game. Baylor substituted freely and eventually pulled away. UConn just ran out of gas. If I’m not mistaken I saw Walker tugging at her shorts several times late in the third and fourth periods, a sure sign of fatigue.

So, what we did to other teams routinely for 20 years has finally reversed course for a year

 

[JoePgh]

I think we just don’t have enough quality players to spell the starters. That was evident in the Baylor game. Baylor substituted freely and eventually pulled away. UConn just ran out of gas. If I’m not mistaken I saw Walker tugging at her shorts several times late in the third and fourth periods, a sure sign of fatigue.

This is 100% myth, as you can readily see by consulting the box score. Baylor's bench played 28 minutes in the game, while UConn's bench played 27 (Anna and Aubrey).

I was at the game and also watched the replay, and I did not observe what you think you observed ("if I'm not mistaken") concerning Megan Walker. If you are going to make that allegation, a picture or video clip would be in order. But given the casual attitude towards verifiable facts shown in the highlighted statement about bench minutes, I seriously doubt that any such video evidence exists.

 

[Steelerone]

Maybe Geno's open clinics to other coaches has something to do with their realizing the advantages of conditioning.

 

[Charliebball]

Meghan Culmo made an interesting comment during a recent broadcast on SNY. She said that UConn has one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country, Amanda Kimball, who helps give the women’s basketball team a competitive edge over opponents.

UConn clearly has some well-conditioned athletes. My impression, however, is that UConn has lost some of the relative advantage in conditioning that it enjoyed in the past. When Rosemary Ragle was the head athletic trainer, the UConn women had a qualitative advantage over most of UConn’s opponents. The Huskies could often run their opponents right out of the gym. UConn’s advantage was particularly noticeable in the second halves of games.

This season, the Huskies have struggled in the fourth quarter of some games, most notably in the Baylor game, when the Huskies ran out of gas in the last five minutes as Baylor pulled away. In the DePaul game, UConn started the second half with a 26-point lead, but the Huskies tired in the fourth quarter; DePaul pulled to within 4 points before losing by 10.

Although there are a number of factors involved, including increased parity in collegiate women’s basketball and UConn’s lack of a transcendent player like Breanna Stewart or Maya Moore in recent years, it is interesting that the Huskies have not won a national championship since Rosemary Ragle left the team in 2016.

Has UConn’s overall conditioning deteriorated since Ragle left, or has the conditioning of other teams improved? I think it’s both. One thing is clear: Baylor had more gas left in its tank than UConn did at the end of their recent game.

I think any drop off in second half conditioning may be due to a combination of things but it would be interesting to see how this year's team compares to past teams in terms of minutes per game among the starters............in competitive games they are logging a lot of court time but then again so did the starters on past UConn teams..........

 

[FanHam]

I miss those halcyon days when UConn just ran other teams down. A few minutes after halftime the other team's legs would turn to stone and the Huskies would run rampant.

I don't think UConn's conditioning is worse since those days. To the contrary, I think their opponents' conditioning is vastly improved. Parity is on the rise, more teams are more competitive. Conditioning is the foundation of good teams nowadays.

 

[MD#12Fan]

IMO a thought-provoking post!
I would like to bundle up many of these comments, as the multi-faceted nature of "conditioning". This isn't track and field. I would argue that the closest facsimile could be boxing because it is the combination of cardiovascular fitness, strength, and stress. In his pressers, Geno has mentioned the mental stress incurred by Megan and Crystal from the reality that they are not going to come out of the game. More than the physical stress of the minutes played. So I would try to explain our observations regarding the team's conditioning as a combination of factors.
One more idea: how about the emphasis for this team on rebounding. That greatly limits our transition game. We're not able to release players out on the break, knowing that the defensive rebound is at hand. I've noticed a reduction in fast break points this year.

 

[bluedevil]

I would like to see Molly get a few more minutes to spell CD..she knows the offense..plays credible defense and is a decent shooter when she is not afraid to shoot...

 

[Centerstream]

I would like to see Molly get a few more minutes to spell CD..she knows the offense..plays credible defense and is a decent shooter when she is not afraid to shoot...

And I would like to see "fill in the blank" get a few more minutes to spell "fill in the blank" because our conditioning appears to have gone down and because, well, every thread needs us Keyboard Coaches to be able to tell Geno how to coach because his coaching skills have gone down.

 

[Calbysdad]

Meghan Culmo made an interesting comment during a recent broadcast on SNY. She said that UConn has one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country, Amanda Kimball, who helps give the women’s basketball team a competitive edge over opponents.

UConn clearly has some well-conditioned athletes. My impression, however, is that UConn has lost some of the relative advantage in conditioning that it enjoyed in the past. When Rosemary Ragle was the head athletic trainer, the UConn women had a qualitative advantage over most of UConn’s opponents. The Huskies could often run their opponents right out of the gym. UConn’s advantage was particularly noticeable in the second halves of games.

This season, the Huskies have struggled in the fourth quarter of some games, most notably in the Baylor game, when the Huskies ran out of gas in the last five minutes as Baylor pulled away. In the DePaul game, UConn started the second half with a 26-point lead, but the Huskies tired in the fourth quarter; DePaul pulled to within 4 points before losing by 10.

Although there are a number of factors involved, including increased parity in collegiate women’s basketball and UConn’s lack of a transcendent player like Breanna Stewart or Maya Moore in recent years, it is interesting that the Huskies have not won a national championship since Rosemary Ragle left the team in 2016.

Has UConn’s overall conditioning deteriorated since Ragle left, or has the conditioning of other teams improved? I think it’s both. One thing is clear: Baylor had more gas left in its tank than UConn did at the end of their recent game.

To me it's a matter of science and math. The games where it's the most notable are deep in the tourney and against our toughest opponents. Geno tends to significantly shorten the bench sometimes 7 or even 6 deep. This increases the amount of minutes for everybody and, regardless of condition, takes its toll.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think we just don’t have enough quality players to spell the starters. That was evident in the Baylor game. Baylor substituted freely and eventually pulled away. UConn just ran out of gas. If I’m not mistaken I saw Walker tugging at her shorts several times late in the third and fourth periods, a sure sign of fatigue.

Your are.

 

[HuskyNan]

I think we are too quick to blame physical fatigue when the better explanation is that a team can simply lose focus and just play poorly. In the Baylor game, we just stopped running any offense at the end, got nervous and tried to win individually. That coupled with Smith just dominating down the stretch and not having a good matchup for her.

On the other hand, the conditioning gap has definitely narrowed as other top teams are as conditioned as we are. To suppose otherwise is hubris.

The Baylor game was very physical which takes a player’s legs from them. Getting bumped around for a couple hours by a big, strong opponent is extremely fatiguing

 

[Calbysdad]

The Baylor game was very physical which takes a player’s legs from them. Getting bumped around for a couple hours by a big, strong opponent is extremely fatiguing

Exactly...combined with a reluctance to go deeper into the bench. And, I don't mean reluctance as a negative just stating that Geno relies on the players he feels are effective at the time.