Do recruits read the BY? Possibly...

[EricLA]

I hope this doesn't turn into an angry sort of thread regarding the "harshness" of UCONN fans' comments on players, but in an interview with ONO's HC by Score Atlanta:

SA: How will she fit in right away at UConn, which has made 11 straight Final Fours?

KG: She wanted to go to UConn, she wanted to be challenged. And she didn’t want to go where she knew she would walk in and be the best. So she’s going into a program where she knows she’ll have to earn her time. She’s seen some of the comments that have been made about the freshman class this year, and she knows she’s going to have to show it at practice. She knows that she’s going to be expected to handle the ball, she knows that she’s going to be expected to shoot and really guard people that are potentially smaller than her, obviously, because they are such a big lineup at UConn. When you go play for him, he’s going to make you a better player, I think that’s what she’s so excited about.

Not entirely sure what "comments that have been made about the freshman class" refers to - but there is a good chance it relates to comments made on the BY. (It's also possible she read some of the comments Geno made this season as well which were reported in the "papers")... We KNOW that historically, there have been at least several (if not numerous) family members of current and past players who have posted on the board as well as family members of potential recruits.

Given that the BY is probably the most active WCBB fan board in the nation, it's no surprise we get all sorts of ranges and types of posters, and having high expectations is not unfair. I am not trying to tell people how to post, but to remind all of us that you NEVER know who is actually posting, or even lurking, on the board, so when you start to post something critical of a player (past, current, or future), pause a second to at least consider they, or a family member, might be the next person to read your words.

I'm NOT saying there's anything wrong with even critical assessment of a player's skills, potential, or abilities, but just try to remember the audience that could see what you post...

 

[oldude]

Geno has made a number of public comments about his frustrations with the freshman class. One I recall was in response to a question regarding why CW, a guard/wing would want to attend UConn with all of the similar players that had just come in. Geno’s sarcastic response was something to the effect, “She’s seen our freshmen play.”

 

[HoopsFan21]

Yeah I'm guessing it means she's read or heard Geno's comments. He's been very vocal about his displeasure with the freshmen all season. He even went so far as to kick one off the team he was so unhappy.

 

[trb123]

Why doesn't some journalist ask one of our former players: Did you read BY before you enrolled?

 

[JoePgh]

I'm fairly sure that the videos of The Geno Auriemma Show with Justine are available to anyone who really wants to see them. If you watch almost any of them, you will see Geno expressing frustration with the freshmen. And then there was his comment after the Tulsa game about giving fans a refund, and how he wishes he could take their uniforms. So I think it is probably a lot easier for Olivia or her family to find those comments (some of which even appeared in, gasp, newspaper articles) than to find The Boneyard and sift through all the threads to find out what some anonymous posters think.

I'm pretty sure that she and the family are smart enough to realize that Geno's opinion is really the only one that counts. And now she knows that Geno's opinion of her and every other player will be unvarnished and public. And since she wants to be challenged, she is OK with that, because she is also seeing the results.

I see it as a good sign that she and her family are making some effort to discover what the level of expectations is at UConn, and what the consequences are for not at least trying one's best to fulfill them. I sometimes wonder if this year's freshmen ever did that kind of research during their senior year in high school. Most likely they didn't.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Personally you give way too much credit to the Boneyard. She probably read Geno's words in the digital press. Listened to sports show people discussing how Geno coaches and how much he demands. She could have simply used YouTube to listen to former players and Geno himself. He made enough freshman rants to supply quite few videos.

 

[Bama fan]

I hope this doesn't turn into an angry sort of thread regarding the "harshness" of UCONN fans' comments on players, but in an interview with ONO's HC by Score Atlanta:

SA: How will she fit in right away at UConn, which has made 11 straight Final Fours?

KG: She wanted to go to UConn, she wanted to be challenged. And she didn’t want to go where she knew she would walk in and be the best. So she’s going into a program where she knows she’ll have to earn her time. She’s seen some of the comments that have been made about the freshman class this year, and she knows she’s going to have to show it at practice. She knows that she’s going to be expected to handle the ball, she knows that she’s going to be expected to shoot and really guard people that are potentially smaller than her, obviously, because they are such a big lineup at UConn. When you go play for him, he’s going to make you a better player, I think that’s what she’s so excited about.

Not entirely sure what "comments that have been made about the freshman class" refers to - but there is a good chance it relates to comments made on the BY. (It's also possible she read some of the comments Geno made this season as well which were reported in the "papers")... We KNOW that historically, there have been at least several (if not numerous) family members of current and past players who have posted on the board as well as family members of potential recruits.

Given that the BY is probably the most active WCBB fan board in the nation, it's no surprise we get all sorts of ranges and types of posters, and having high expectations is not unfair. I am not trying to tell people how to post, but to remind all of us that you NEVER know who is actually posting, or even lurking, on the board, so when you start to post something critical of a player (past, current, or future), pause a second to at least consider they, or a family member, might be the next person to read your words.

I'm NOT saying there's anything wrong with even critical assessment of a player's skills, potential, or abilities, but just try to remember the audience that could see what you post...

Good post! We all get carried away at times, and need a frame of reference . There are so many things we do not know as fans and sometimes we jump to conclusions. Critical thinking is demanding, and haste is a powerful opponent.

 

[CL82]

I'm fairly sure that the videos of The Geno Auriemma Show with Justine are available to anyone who really wants to see them. If you watch almost any of them, you will see Geno expressing frustration with the freshmen. And then there was his comment after the Tulsa game about giving fans a refund, and how he wishes he could take their uniforms. So I think it is probably a lot easier for Olivia or her family to find those comments (some of which even appeared in, gasp, newspaper articles) than to find The Boneyard and sift through all the threads to find out what some anonymous posters think.

I'm pretty sure that she and the family are smart enough to realize that Geno's opinion is really the only one that counts. And now she knows that Geno's opinion of her and every other player will be unvarnished and public. And since she wants to be challenged, she is OK with that, because she is also seeing the results.

I see it as a good sign that she and her family are making some effort to discover what the level of expectations is at UConn, and what the consequences are for not at least trying one's best to fulfill them. I sometimes wonder if this year's freshmen ever did that kind of research during their senior year in high school. Most likely they didn't.

The Geno Show, Geno's Legacy, and the last year's HBO special are like an infomercial for UConn. I'm sure they infuriate opposing coaches.

 

[CL82]

I hope this doesn't turn into an angry sort of thread regarding the "harshness" of UCONN fans' comments on players, but in an interview with ONO's HC by Score Atlanta:

SA: How will she fit in right away at UConn, which has made 11 straight Final Fours?

KG: She wanted to go to UConn, she wanted to be challenged. And she didn’t want to go where she knew she would walk in and be the best. So she’s going into a program where she knows she’ll have to earn her time. She’s seen some of the comments that have been made about the freshman class this year, and she knows she’s going to have to show it at practice. She knows that she’s going to be expected to handle the ball, she knows that she’s going to be expected to shoot and really guard people that are potentially smaller than her, obviously, because they are such a big lineup at UConn. When you go play for him, he’s going to make you a better player, I think that’s what she’s so excited about.

Not entirely sure what "comments that have been made about the freshman class" refers to - but there is a good chance it relates to comments made on the BY. (It's also possible she read some of the comments Geno made this season as well which were reported in the "papers")... We KNOW that historically, there have been at least several (if not numerous) family members of current and past players who have posted on the board as well as family members of potential recruits.

Given that the BY is probably the most active WCBB fan board in the nation, it's no surprise we get all sorts of ranges and types of posters, and having high expectations is not unfair. I am not trying to tell people how to post, but to remind all of us that you NEVER know who is actually posting, or even lurking, on the board, so when you start to post something critical of a player (past, current, or future), pause a second to at least consider they, or a family member, might be the next person to read your words.

I'm NOT saying there's anything wrong with even critical assessment of a player's skills, potential, or abilities, but just try to remember the audience that could see what you post...

Agree. The other thing to keep in mind is that these are just 18-21 (give or take) year old young women. We all were a work in progress at that stage of our lives (heck, I still am.) It can be frustrating when things don't go the way we like, but it is best to take a breath or two before posting about it.

 

[bags27]

Bravo, CL82!

I was writing an admittedly furious response to this thread about how some folks have absolutely no mercy or common sense toward 18 year olds. But you've said it a lot better (and more reasonably). So, allow me to reframe that with the following mental exercise, a sort of Golden Rule for Boosters:

If, indeed, we knew for sure that the BY was read by high school recruits and even peaked at by UConn freshmen players, would everyone here still be as comfortable writing what they have in the past?

 

[cohenzone]

Bravo, CL82!

I was writing an admittedly furious response to this thread about how some folks have absolutely no mercy or common sense toward 18 year olds. But you've said it a lot better (and more reasonably). So, allow me to reframe that with the following mental exercise, a sort of Golden Rule for Boosters:

If, indeed, we knew for sure that the BY was read by high school recruits and even peaked at by UConn freshmen players, would everyone here still be as comfortable writing what they have in the past?

Sort of agree. But it is a fan board and criticism or observation about the team or future of the program are going to be part of it. I haven’t noticed anything mean spirited or derogatory about a person. This year mostly concern about the lack of depth (Geno rarely uses a deep bench anyway) and not much confidence by GA in the freshman class, and for that matter the soph outside of Crystal. All of which Geno has mentioned and I’d think what he says gets more attention than what we say.

 

[HoopsFan21]

The Geno Show, Geno's Legacy, and the last year's HBO special are like an infomercial for UConn. I'm sure they infuriate opposing coaches.

Why would they infuriate opposing coaches? The other big schools have similar shows. Hell most of the big schools have their own conference sports network which provides SNY-like coverage on steroids because it's 24/7.

 

[uconnfan68]

Yeah I'm guessing it means she's read or heard Geno's comments. He's been very vocal about his displeasure with the freshmen all season. He even went so far as to kick one off the team he was so unhappy.

Who was that?

 

[CL82]

Why would they infuriate opposing coaches? The other big schools have similar shows. Hell most of the big schools have their own conference sports network which provides SNY-like coverage on steroids because it's 24/7.

Do most other big schools have woman's basketball coaches shows with national reach? The HBO thing was super well made and available everywhere.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Who was that?

AEH

 

[CBear01]

So where do we advertise for someone to know we exist?

Personally, as an avid basketball fan and former friends of D and Maria (my uncle was one of Maria's coach in CT) I've never heard of the boneyard while I was at school at UCONN nor did any of those players ever mention it. In fact I just heard of the boneyard a few years back and I'm almost 35.

My opinion is that there's plety of info out there and the vast majority (99%+) has no idea this blog is even here

 

[huskyd]

Sort of agree. But it is a fan board and criticism or observation about the team or future of the program are going to be part of it. I haven’t noticed anything mean spirited or derogatory about a person. This year mostly concern about the lack of depth (Geno rarely uses a deep bench anyway) and not much confidence by GA in the freshman class, and for that matter the soph outside of Crystal. All of which Geno has mentioned and I’d think what he says gets more attention than what we say.

Well, we are a little rough on the coaches. Entire threads have been devoted to assessing the many qualities of the myopic lady in orange (see, I did it again!). We didn't like Joanne before the Duke game and like her even less lately when she tells fibs. Muffet also regularly draws our collective ire, though we grudgingly admit she's a pretty good coach.
The thing I try to remember is to comment on the behavior and not on the person. I admit that in my secret heart I am unhappy with the aesthetics some players present, but I would never remark about how porcine that one looks, or how bovine some appear. Some players are clumsy, some are mean, some look too much like their fathers (a lot of bad noses). But my lips are sealed (although twitching violently at the moment).

 

[JS]

Personally, as an avid basketball fan and former friends of D and Maria (my uncle was one of Maria's coach in CT) I've never heard of the boneyard while I was at school at UCONN nor did any of those players ever mention it.

D, through a mutual friend who took her one of my Ballhog Chick poems, admitted to reading the Boneyard around once a week. I always assumed that meant more. She was a known internet hound.

Someone very close to Maria was a respected poster here. Quit because of being unable to stomach some of the things said about her in the seasons before her triumph as an effective starter.

 

[uconnfan68]

AEH

Ok, you may know that as fact, but this is the first time I’ve heard it.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Ok, you may know that as fact, but this is the first time I’ve heard it.

Geno said he "didn't want her here anymore." Read into that how you will.

 

[HuskyNan]

Recruits, family members, AAU and high school coaches are often on the Boneyard. A recruit's dad has been on the board this year -- and didn't get the warmest reception, IMO.

 

[CBear01]

Someone very close to Maria was a respected poster here. Quit because of being unable to stomach some of the things said about her in the seasons before her triumph as an effective starter.

That is such a shame, bc Maria helped win championships with Diana. Then again she wasn't a starter until Bird and Swin and Co. left. Talk about the freshman of today trying to get in playing time with who we have...Maria earned her way to the PG position. Left with 3 championships IIRC

 

[Carnac]

Geno has made a number of public comments about his frustrations with the freshman class. One I recall was in response to a question regarding why CW, a guard/wing would want to attend UConn with all of the similar players that had just come in. Geno’s sarcastic response was something to the effect, “She’s seen our freshmen play.”

OD, Geno's quote sounds similar to the response given by John McKay, who was the head coach of new expansion NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During a 1977 presser (the team had gone 0-16 their first year), a sports writer asked him what he thought of his team's execution. He said "I'm in favor of it".

 

[Longtime fan]

Personally you give way too much credit to the Boneyard. She probably read Geno's words in the digital press. Listened to sports show people discussing how Geno coaches and how much he demands. She could have simply used YouTube to listen to former players and Geno himself. He made enough freshman rants to supply quite few videos.

I would think these McDonald's All Americans have learned how to filter out " noise." Maybe not when they were freshman and sophomores in HS, but by now. Other people's opinions don't matter a whit, and can only serve as a distraction, good or bad.

 

[SallyH]

With apologies to TonyC, I can't imagine any boneyarder being tougher on any player than Geno.