Did she Misspeak?

[my2cents]

In her pre-game press conference, Felisha Legette-Jack made a statement that I thought was interesting.
Overall, she was very positive towards Geno and UConn.
Then she said that the UConn players were not special, and that playing for UConn in their system made them special.
Huh?
Most people who know women's basketball understand that the players on our team would start and be stars wherever they played.
Even our bench players would be starters.
I think they all are special.

 

[fireford]

She is incorrect and this is probably her way of telling her team through her quote that UConn is not superhuman and unbeatable.

 

[Bone Dog]

...but she's not entirely wrong. She is at least half speaking for the benefit of her players. But it is also true that Geno's system is key to the team's success. What's mainly special is the players' willingness to buy into a demanding system and its emphasis on team defense and the program. Lots of great talents chosen against coming to Storrs and still had great careers -- Della Donne and Boston come to mind. And lots of players discovered their greatness at Storrs. And a few transcendent stars who could have flourished anywhere came and shined even more brightly, like Sue, Diana Maya and Stewie (to name just a few).

I put the focus on team defense because that is not where high school kids look for glory. They look to score and as Geno has said many times, there are lots of kids who can do that. But the ones willing to commit to a low-glory aspect of the game are harder to find. Ash is a classic example of this. We've all seen the similarity to Kelly Faris. And there are others who made the team their first priority to a similar extent. Geno is always on the lookout for these kids, and surprisingly he finds, them and builds them up into something even greater than what they were when they arrived. It amazes me how successful Geno is at finding kids like Ash... and KK and Kayleigh and Allie and Nika and Aubrey and Aaliyah and Evina -- it's a long list if I keep going.

It's like Ash said in the pregame interview yesterday: everything she does is for the team, and they do the same. That is rare.

 

[huskeynut]

To each their own. Free speech.

Now, were any of the Cuse players recruited by Cuse? Probably not.

UConn's system does make those who come better players.

Not worried at all.

 

[victor64]

Jack is a good coach. Would she be 35-0 with Geno's roster? Probably not. Would Jack have a top ten team if she had Strong and Fudd? Probably.

I think her point was that, it is a combination of talented players that make an unusual commitment to defense and team play.

 

[Centerstream]

Every player that Geno has recruited, either in HS, from overseas or from the portal, is special. They all have special qualities and the ones that didn't maintain those qualities left and were special players for a different school. I think it’s pretty well known that Geno doesn't recruit every HS player in the Top 100 HS rankings but is very selective in who he approaches.

 

[Charliebball]

Every player that Geno has recruited, either in HS, from overseas or from the portal, is special. They all have special qualities and the ones that didn't maintain those qualities left and were special players for a different school. I think it’s pretty well known that Geno doesn't recruit every HS player in the Top 100 HS rankings but is very selective in who he approaches.

That's the real point......Geno recruits special kids, not just for their basketball skills but because these players are genuinely good people, hardworking, unselfish and smart..........finding recruits with all of those attributes has always been difficult and even more so these days...

 

[husky98]

Legette-Jack is making good points and needs to humanize UConn so her kids believe they can actually win. From all accounts Legette-Jack loves Geno and has thanked him for his mentorship.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I understood what she meant. Basically saying they are flesh and blood just like anyone else. No slight.

 

[Bigboote]

I understand what she's saying and I also understand why it rubs some people the wrong way. Yes, he gets very good basketball players, but he/the UConn system makes them better. There's an argument to be made just where one draws the "special" line.

 

[joea]

It is a very old theme - they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like us. Its not magic, go play.

 

[HuskyNan]

She was talking about Syracuse, not Uconn, how Syracuse has achieved what it has without stars.

Scroll forward to 30:00

 

[Phil]

It is a very old theme - they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like us. Its not magic, go play.

I know this is a little off topic but I've always loved that aphorism but it was interesting when I heard an astronaut talking about life in the international space station, and he noted that when they needed to do a trip outside and put on the spacesuit, they started with the pants over their head, pulled up both legs and inserted them both at the same time, so a rare counter example.

 

[CL82]

she said that the UConn players were not special

 

[Citrusdog]

In her pre-game press conference, Felisha Legette-Jack made a statement that I thought was interesting.
Overall, she was very positive towards Geno and UConn.
Then she said that the UConn players were not special, and that playing for UConn in their system made them special.
Huh?
Most people who know women's basketball understand that the players on our team would start and be stars wherever they played.
Even our bench players would be starters.
I think they all are special.

Geno and CD, identify amazing kids (people) - with talent - that develop. He has missed on a few over the years - but, most are exceptional. Sarah is off the charts - amazing.

 

[FanSince17]

Geno gets the best players that fit his program. They are HS stars. He is able to coach these players so that they almost always improve and they collectively can work together selflessly to form the best possible team. Recruits are attracted to UConn for those two reasons.
She's right, it's the program and she's wrong, it's also the quality of the players. Those of us that have played competitive sports, sorry, some people are just better than other people.
Ash is from Indiana. (Remember Hickory and Coach Dale) She was Gatorade player of the year. Her team won a state championship. She scored 31 points in the final game. She averaged 21 a game for that team. The highest of HS achievements!! Think Indiana U wanted her? Yes, as did 200 other schools. She chose UConn early. She almost certainly will go down as one of the greatest role-players in UConn history. (Kelly Ferris?) So what do we think? She's ELITE with a capital E and she's a key player on an iconic squad and she is better for being in this program. Yes, yes, and yes. All the above. WNBA? Hell yes!!!

 

[Stagnant]

I think she may be misquoted here. But Geno also admitted some teams might have a better top 5 or top 4 or top 6 than UConn. And he talked about how uconn has 3 really great players and a bunch of players that buy in and know their roles.

And I agree with that. Sarah strong and Azzi Fudd are special. And maybe Blanca has that potential. Most of the others could be on other teams in the country and they aren’t going to be all Americans or anything. Just really solid players.

 

[Bigboote]

She was talking about Syracuse, not Uconn, how Syracuse has achieved what it has without stars.

Scroll forward to 30:00

In the words of the late great Emily Litella, "Never mind."

 

[DEFCONN1]

I guess we will have to show her how special we are !

 

[jcoton56]

Its all coach-speak. I am sure she has great women playing for her as well.

 

[packwrap]

Every player that Geno has recruited, either in HS, from overseas or from the portal, is special. They all have special qualities and the ones that didn't maintain those qualities left and were special players for a different school. I think it’s pretty well known that Geno doesn't recruit every HS player in the Top 100 HS rankings but is very selective in who he approaches.

True, but it's pretty fundamental to understand that Geno is getting the best players. He is not looking normally to recruit a player ranked 200-300 and then 'coach them up'.

We are fortunate that Geno is an amazing recruiter, and once he built UConn into a winner, he has been able to keep the recruiting machine humming.

UConn often even gets the #1 player, recently Stewie, Samuelson, Williams, Walker, Bueckers, Fudd, Strong now possibly even Vukosa.

Aside from Internationals, every current UConn player was a top 25 recruit, possibly even top 15 if my memory is right.

The lifeblood of the strong programs like SC, TX and LSU is recruiting 'McDonalds All Americans' and it's how aspiring programs like Duke, UNC, USC, Iowa etc try to climb into the top group.

So that coach is quite wrong. Sure there is a UConn system (remarkably flexible based on skills available), but the talent level coming in is right there with the best in the country.

 

[Zonepress]

Not sure who to attribute the quote to but
“Geno does more with more” would seem to to apply to this conversation
Might have been Kara Lawson