Did Geno throw the team under a bus ? | Page 2 | The Boneyard
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Did Geno throw the team under a bus ?

hoopsfan22 said:
I thought Geno's press conference after the game was really good for someone whose team just got whacked in the national semi-final. Though Geno I think has always been pretty good in this sort of moment. Lots of credit to Arizona and Aari McDonald. No cheap shots at the officiating or making excuses. Just basically said the other team is really good, has a really good guard that we had no answer for, and said his team basically didn't take the challenge seriously and will learn a lesson and intends to be back at the final four next year.
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agreed although I think a bit of a pat on the back for his own team after a very successful season would have been nice..........to that he would say that expecting his team to be competing in this game next year is a major sign of confidence in them.....
 
NEforceUConn said:
It’s going to be a long off season. Only glimmer of hope is my second Pfizer shot on 4/15, so by 5/1 I can at least dine in a restaurant and order a proper martini
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I would’ve thought that with all this Covid time you would’ve perfected the perfect martini.

I eat out today for the first time in a year, well second. It was nice. With all the new screens put up everyone gets a private booth.
 
boontonbomber said:
Geno ranted after the game about his very immature and pouty team , feeling sorry for themselves when things don't go their way. They certainly are a young team, with 3 frosh on the floor a lot of the second half. And maybe the veterans do get down on themselves at times. But seems like something all coaches have to deal with at times, and you'd think( well, I think) a hall of fame coach might find a way to shake them up during the course of a game. It took a player, Anna, to step forward and say something during the Baylor game.
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STOP IT. STOP DOING THIS.

He was correct.
 
boontonbomber said:
Geno ranted after the game about his very immature and pouty team , feeling sorry for themselves when things don't go their way.
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He didn't rant about anything.

Rant
verb, intr.

to speak or declaim extravagantly or violently; talk in a wild or vehement way; rave: The demagogue ranted for hours.

His statements were calm, his voice modulated. Just because you disagree with something he said, that doesn't give license to falsely characterize his presentation.
 
It would take too much of my day to state my opinion on a lot of the comments that I’ve been flying around the Boneyard for the last 16 hours. But I cannot sit idly by and allow the acrimony, accusations, recriminations and blame to go without some response.

As anyone who has ever followed college or professional sports must surely know, it is hard – damn hard – to go all the way. That is why it simply does not happen that very often – at least in those sports that have been around long enough for parity to set in. Are there things that explain why one team lost to another one? Of course. If you rewound history’s tape, changed some thing here or there and played it again, would the result differ? Possibly. One might engage in such exercises interminably. But I question whether the game is worth the candle.

In the final analysis, I absolutely loved this year‘s team and enjoyed pretty much every bit – from the anticipation and build up in September and October, through the early games, the shadow of Covid, watching the players begin to gel, adjusting to setbacks, injuries etc., and the overall improvement as things headed into the homestretch. They far exceeded my expectations and provided real joy. They gave everything and owe us nothing. And with luck they will all (or almost all) be back to do it again next year.

I’ve commented before that sometimes the best team doesn’t win. It is also useful to remember that more often than not the best team does win. I think that happened yesterday. There is no shame in that. You can’t win them all. Any sports fan who does not feel that sentiment in their bones may as well go through life sitting in the reception area at the dentists office.
 
MooseJaw said:
As an aside, just because I am curious: do you know if Geno has a sit down end of season interview with all the players individually or as a team. Sorry it comes across as an either or question, not my intention. I know he talks to the team right after the game, just wondering if he takes a more formal approach to what may be a work on this or attitude change on something kind of sit down.
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Yes to both. Like an exit interview it’s pretty much SOP for most teams. A review of their individual seasons and a list of changes or improvements he wants to see when they return to campus. Unfortunately not all of them get done. And the team gathering usually addresses any procedural or cultural changes he’d like plus a positive send off for everyone.
 
boontonbomber said:
Geno ranted after the game about his very immature and pouty team , feeling sorry for themselves when things don't go their way. They certainly are a young team, with 3 frosh on the floor a lot of the second half. And maybe the veterans do get down on themselves at times. But seems like something all coaches have to deal with at times, and you'd think( well, I think) a hall of fame coach might find a way to shake them up during the course of a game. It took a player, Anna, to step forward and say something during the Baylor game.
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Think for a second, UCONN lost their only 2 games this year to teams who's best player was a red shirted, 23 yr old senior!
Arkansas and Arizona!
Thinking that should be up for discussion at the NCAA, 23 yr olds playing against 18 yr olds!
 
Sifaka said:
He didn't rant about anything.

Rant
verb, intr.

to speak or declaim extravagantly or violently; talk in a wild or vehement way; rave: The demagogue ranted for hours.

His statements were calm, his voice modulated. Just because you disagree with something he said, that doesn't give license to falsely characterize his presentation.
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AmeriConn said:
Geno allowed the immature culture and he didn’t appear to take any responsibility for the loss.
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The head coach is always responsible when the team takes 2nd place in a game whether it’s their fault or not. Basketball games are won by players making plays- the coach’s job is to put players in position to make them. Last night UConn simply did not have enough players capable of doing that, & Arizona played a major role in keeping it that way. One big was playing sped up and was ineffective, while the other’s effort was good she faced a swarming defense that limited her chances. That left the three smalls to make enough plays to win the game- hard to do against a defense like Arizona put on display, and they also had the best player on the floor who seemingly could make plays at will.
UConn’s “immature culture“ was good enough for 28 wins that I also don’t remember the coach taking credit for, and while it wasn’t good enough last night, sometimes a loss is the necessary medicine a young team has to take to realize that they all have to listen better, get tougher, and improve their individual skills if they don’t want to end with the same result. JMO
 
PacoSwede said:
in fact, when nika eventually entered the game the team moved more efficiently. her impact was positive -- and she forcefully introduced herself to aari ;), which certainly was in contrast to the rest of the team.

perhaps nika should have started?
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Nika had an effect, perhaps not as much as pre-injury, but her contribution was defense. We needed scoring—22 points in first half. Sometimes you need to stop the opponent from scoring and you put in AG or Nika but Arizona wasn’t scoring big time. We just weren’t responding. That’s why not putting Anna in no later than start of second quarter was one of Geno’s worst coaching decisions.
 
HuskyNan said:
Come to Florida. You can do whatever you want here.

Second Moderna shot on 4/20 for me. Yippee
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It is precisely the attitude that "you can do whatever you want here" that makes Florida such a frightening place. But I am happy that you got vaccinated. Maybe Florida became just a little safer because of it. Please convince your fellow Floridians to be as wise.
 
Geno made one of his best coaching adjustments ever this year that may have backfired in this game. In past years, if the team was out of sync, he usually called a time out and had a very vocal conference with the team. Often took out top players like DT and Stewie to make a point. This past year, he didn't have to since Paige always became Paige and got the team back on track. While "in Geno I trust" is always my advice to others, some early game timeouts and adjustments early in the Arizona game would have been interesting.
 

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