DiMauro's Column

[cferraro04]

Pulleese! We lost two games... One by 1 point to ND...we gave that game away. Winning in South Bend will be tough but we have a great shot at that game given that it is the last game of the season and we will have made most of our adjustments for the post season and from the game tape of the first game. We lost a second game by 6 points where we led most of the game and even almost pushed the lead to double digits. I believe we gave this one away too. As good as Griner is I believe she got a little help from the officials, (she wasn't even the highest scorer in the game nor was she the highest rebounder in the game...KML got that honor), we got away from what we were doing that was working and went into la, la land, Kelly, Stewie, Doty, Bria could all have played better... KML was incredible and it would be hard to expect her to duplicate that effort next game but still should should be a handful for Baylor, Tuck was great and she is going to bet better, Moriah will more equipped to handle what Sims throws at her as she has already faced her and knows what to expect and Stewie can't play worse next time than she did this time. Kiah might even decide to contribute next time around. I don't believe Baylor will shoot 61 percent in any half next time either.

 

[arch]

Pulleese! We lost two games... One by 1 point to ND...we gave that game away.

Giving games away may Be the better story line. Last 7 single digit games, 6 loses?? Is that a player issue?

 

[Icebear]

In fairness, his column about Maya at the conclusion of the 2011 season was legitimately great.

Probably missed it when I saw his name on it. The guy who forces me to read DiMauro's columns as risk of personal harm must have had the day off.

 

[boontonbomber]

one thing he said is right on: auriemma must find a way for breanna to contribute. she is in a delicate state right now, and it's up to the coaches to figure it out.

 

[freekimchee]

one thing he said is right on: auriemma must find a way for breanna to contribute. she is in a delicate state right now, and it's up to the coaches to figure it out.

Start the kid again. Perhaps that will give her some confidence boost. Let her play her "rover" position in offense. Doty should sit.

I can't believe that after after just two losses by a combined 7 points (albeit both home games) that a lot of people including our own fans and members of the horde are quick to write us off already. Anything can happen come tourney time. I truly believe we'd be right up there at the end.

 

[Icebear]

Start the kid again. Perhaps that will give her some confidence boost. Let her play her "rover" position in offense. Doty should sit.

I can't believe that after after just two losses by a combined 7 points (albeit both home games) that a lot of people including our own fans and members of the horde are quick to write us off already. Anything can happen come tourney time. I truly believe we'd be right up there at the end.

It is not as simple as letting her play rover. She has been ending up in places that are problems for offensive flow and other times not in the places where she can promote the flow. Watch the difference and clarity between her movements and Stef's on the court. Watch the difference between her movements and other posts from the past. They know where they are going and why. They move crisply and directly. There are other players that depend on her to do certain things and set certain screens or spot up in certain spots.

 

[Waquoit]

Calling this team "pretender" isn't accurate. They look to be the 3rd best right now, though clearly capable of beating the top 2. That's the definition of a contender in my book.

 

[herbiep]

from The Day. http://www.theday.com/article/20130220/SPORT01/302209957

Pretty honest and accurate assessment of where things stand today:

But here we are, Feb. 20, and the UConn women are a pretender. Period. This season has been more failure than success, based on the following: the aforementioned home losses, the alarming regression of freshman Breanna Stewart and the general lack of anything productive in big games from Caroline Doty.

* * *​

How bad has Doty been? Digest the following numbers from Carl Adamec, the dean of UConn beat writers:

In Doty's last three games against Baylor: 58 minutes, zero points.
In Doty's last four games against Notre Dame, 82 minutes, zero points.

* * *​

Notre Dame is beatable. So is Baylor, believe it or not. But not if both those teams can pick and choose which UConn players to guard. Stewart and Doty have so much more to give. They have seven weeks left. It's time.

That article is just plain ignorant, and therefore, would make the writer, ignorant. They have lost two games this year, to #1 and #2, what a disgrace. Ranked third in the country, blowing out most of the teams they play, but, what a bad season. And, if they make it to the final four, "they will only be a cameo". Any school in the country would gladly take this type of year. Sorry Carl Adamec, you are not writing for the Yankees team of old. Get a life.

 

[Icebear]

I think you mean Mike DiMauro.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Giving games away may Be the better story line. Last 7 single digit games, 6 loses?? Is that a player issue?

If you mean there is never a UCONN loss where the players quit...yes, that is a player issue...a big one!

 

[DishNSwish]

Is it possible for people to enjoy watching the Huskies play for enjoyment of the game and not think of the players as our person entertainment center where they owe us something.
Basketball is what these players do - but it is not who they are.

On that note, I chose Heather Buck to be a guest on this week's Dishin & Swishin podcast which focuses on the student and person side of student-athletes.

 

[DishNSwish]

That article is just plain ignorant, and therefore, would make the writer, ignorant. They have lost two games this year, to #1 and #2, what a disgrace. Ranked third in the country, blowing out most of the teams they play, but, what a bad season. And, if they make it to the final four, "they will only be a cameo". Any school in the country would gladly take this type of year. Sorry Carl Adamec, you are not writing for the Yankees team of old. Get a life.

First it was Mike D, not Carl. Second you are REALLY overblowing what he wrote in my opinion.

It is stated to be an opinion piece, not a factual story, so tell me what's "ignorant" in it.

Show me the line that says it's a bad season, you won't find it. Geno himself describes successes and failures as national championships or not, so for Mike to say that it might be a short trip in New Orleans is in line with the coach's goal for this team.

And no, I'm sorry, but Baylor and Notre Dame would not" gladly take this type of year," they want it all too.

To call the man who expresses his opinion well, like Mike did here, which I empasize again ended with "This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro" ignorant is unfair and certainly not correct.

If you want to disagree, by all means anyone has that right, but to rip the man that wrote it as ignorant, no, that's not acceptable in my book.

 

[Wonkster]

DiMauro is one of my favorites because he can be depended on to tell it like it is.

Yes - a whale of a writer, except when he has his head up his blowhole.

 

[msf22b]

One of the problems we all face is that the team loses so seldomly that we and the beat writers don't know how to deal with these rare ocaisions.

Aa very few of us (myself for example) have been even known to complain after wins.

I don't know if there are good losses and bad losses but surely the team played with good heart, Tuck's first spin to the basket is indelibly saved on my hard drive, Kaleena is all-world, Steff gave more than she had, and I suspect that Caroline will surprise us again on a day when her body permits it. Now, if Geno can only unlock the door to Stewie's Psyche.

 

[Jonathan Husky]

If Stewart's struggles were comparable to Diana's as a freshman I think we'd all be a lot more optimistic about the team's chances in NO. Unfortunately it's not even close. Their personalities could not be more different. I'd settle for seeing Breanna relaxed and confident on the court and I'm sure the coaches would too.

I agree Cat. Dianna had one bad shooting game in the FF. Breanna appears lost and out of it. Really isn't contributing anything now. If she can turn it around and play a solid 20-25 minutes UConn can beat anyone.

 

[HuskyNan]

Mike DiMauro isn't a beat writer and the linked item isn't an article - it's an opinion. This type of column is what opinion writers do. You guys know what it's like to read an opinionated post, well, DiMauro made a long post that just happened to appear in the Day. It doesn't necessarily make him more right or wrong than anyone else; just more widely read.

 

[herbiep]

First it was Mike D, not Carl. Second you are REALLY overblowing what he wrote in my opinion.

It is stated to be an opinion piece, not a factual story, so tell me what's "ignorant" in it.

Show me the line that says it's a bad season, you won't find it. Geno himself describes successes and failures as national championships or not, so for Mike to say that it might be a short trip in New Orleans is in line with the coach's goal for this team.

And no, I'm sorry, but Baylor and Notre Dame would not" gladly take this type of year," they want it all too.

To call the man who expresses his opinion well, like Mike did here, which I empasize again ended with "This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro" ignorant is unfair and certainly not correct.

If you want to disagree, by all means anyone has that right, but to rip the man that wrote it as ignorant, no, that's not acceptable in my book.

Yes, and you are entitled to YOUR OPINION.........

 

[herbiep]

That article is just plain ignorant, and therefore, would make the writer, ignorant. They have lost two games this year, to #1 and #2, what a disgrace. Ranked third in the country, blowing out most of the teams they play, but, what a bad season. And, if they make it to the final four, "they will only be a cameo". Any school in the country would gladly take this type of year. Sorry Carl Adamec, you are not writing for the Yankees team of old. Get a life.

Sorry, it was not an article by Carl Adamec. Shows what a bad season I am having, and a pretender on top of it.

 

[bschwartz]

My only comment from the article is that I wondered why Ms. Hartley got a pass.

 

[UConn990411]

I only PARTIALLY agree with that assessment of Doty. The writers fall into the trap that the only measure of a players worth is points scored and then they perpetuate that very limited view.

The problem isn't that Doty isn't scoring at a high clip - it's that UConn literally is playing four on five when she's in the game against Baylor and Notre Dame.

Zero points in 140 minutes is unacceptable, especially when you consider that the majority of her shots are uncontested. Doty's biggest value right now is her ability to run the offense competently, but that ability is negated when defenders are allowed to play 10 feet off her.

There are few UConn players I've ever appreciated more than Doty (I don't get the posters on here who don't), but she's a backup at this point. On the third-best team in the country, that's still a pretty good player. But she shouldn't be playing more than 5-10 minutes against the top teams.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Pretender might be the wrong word to use, but what's he's really saying is if Baylor & ND are in the Final Four, UConn can't win unless Doty & Stewart are able to contribute. IMHO that's an accurate opinion, unless others step up.

However, UConn can overcome Caroline if Bria plays like an All American and is able to score. Bria can't disappear for long stretches of the game like she did against Baylor and Notre Dame. Have to get 15-20 points out of her and she has to get to the free throw line. IMHO Bria has to begin to play like Renee Montgomery did and refuse to lose. Now it appears too many times she's hesitant to shoot and reluctant to drive to the basket.
If Bria is able to play like an All American during the tournament, then UConn can win it all. If she doesn't, then it is unlikely they will.

 

[meyers7]

It is stated to be an opinion piece, not a factual story, so tell me what's "ignorant" in it.

Have to disagree. To call them a pretender and a failure is pretty ignorant. And you supporting his ignorant statements........well.....

Show me the line that says it's a bad season, you won't find it.

Come on you are not that dumb.