Down Memory Lane: UConn Old Dominion Game From 2002 Elite 8 Is Available on YouTube

[JoePgh]

At Sunday's ceremony for Sue Bird, Geno mentioned in his remarks that her game against Old Dominion in the Elite 8 in 2002 (on the way to an undefeated season) was one of the best halves of basketball that anyone has ever played. He said that we might find the game on YouTube.

Indeed it is there, and his comment inspired me to search for it and watch it. There is a real resemblance between that game and some of the early games that we have seen in the current season.

For those of you who don't remember, UConn's starting lineup that season was Sue, Diana, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, and Tamika Williams -- perhaps the best starting 5 in the history of the college game. Everyone except Diana was a senior that year. Those four seniors were drafted 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the WNBA draft about a month after this game. All four of them had long WNBA careers, as did Diana when she graduated two years later. It's interesting to watch the game knowing the near-immortal status in WBB that several of those players achieved in their pro careers. Sue finished the game with 26 points (a career high for her) and 14 assists.

UConn hit its first 13 shots in that game, and finished the first half with a 22 point lead on 75% shooting. About 5 minutes into the game, they led 20-6, and ODU's best player got three early fouls. (And ODU was taking a 21-game winning streak into that game!)

BUT ... even that team of near-immortals had the kind of second half that Boneyarders love to complain about. The final winning margin was only 21 points, which means that UConn actually lost the second half. ODU got UConn's lead down to 14 points with about 7 minutes left in the game, and it didn't get back over 20 until the final minute. So even that team showed its human side, and Geno was having fits on the bench during the second half.

A few days later, the same team beat Kara Lawson's Tennessee team by a margin of more than 20 points in the Final Four. Although UConn was favored, no one expected that kind of margin against Tennessee. Then there was the final game against Stacy Dales and Oklahoma, and that game needed some heroics from Diana to notch a perfect 39-0 season.

I think some of you would enjoy watching the ODU game just to see what Geno was talking about in his remarks last Sunday.

 

[MilfordHusky]

At Sunday's ceremony for Sue Bird, Geno mentioned in his remarks that her game against Old Dominion in the Elite 8 in 2002 (on the way to an undefeated season) was one of the best halves of basketball that anyone has ever played. He said that we might find the game on YouTube.

Indeed it is there, and his comment inspired me to search for it and watch it. There is a real resemblance between that game and some of the early games that we have seen in the current season.

For those of you who don't remember, UConn's starting lineup that season was Sue, Diana, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, and Tamika Williams -- perhaps the best starting 5 in the history of the college game. Everyone except Diana was a senior that year. Those four seniors were drafted 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the WNBA draft about a month after this game. All four of them had long WNBA careers, as did Diana when she graduated two years later. It's interesting to watch the game knowing the near-immortal status in WBB that several of those players achieved in their pro careers. Sue finished the game with 26 points (a career high for her) and 14 assists.

UConn hit its first 13 shots in that game, and finished the first half with a 22 point lead on 75% shooting. About 5 minutes into the game, they led 20-6, and ODU's best player got three early fouls. (And ODU was taking a 21-game winning streak into that game!)

BUT ... even that team of near-immortals had the kind of second half that Boneyarders love to complain about. The final winning margin was only 21 points, which means that UConn actually lost the second half. ODU got UConn's lead down to 14 points with about 7 minutes left in the game, and it didn't get back over 20 until the final minute. So even that team showed its human side, and Geno was having fits on the bench during the second half.

A few days later, the same team beat Kara Lawson's Tennessee team by a margin of more than 20 points in the Final Four. Although UConn was favored, no one expected that kind of margin against Tennessee. Then there was the final game against Stacy Dales and Oklahoma, and that game needed some heroics from Diana to notch a perfect 39-0 season.

I think some of you would enjoy watching the ODU game just to see what Geno was talking about in his remarks last Sunday.

A few more thoughts:

That UConn team had 4 Olympic Gold Medalists:

Diana 6x

Sue 5x

Swin 2x

Asjha 1x

In the Oklahoma game, Diana got the and-one against Stacey Dales, but Sue sank 6 straight free throws.

 

[MilfordHusky]

UConn started by shooting 19-21, including multiple Taurasi bombs from the next county. The passing was phenomenal--Sue, Diana, and everyone else. It looked like the Globetrotters!

Wendy Larry called timeout after 58 seconds!

 

[snlMINAJ]

link or channel?

 

[YKCornelius]

What I always love about going back and seeing games from this era are the number of times the Huskies pass the ball consecutively without it ever hitting the ground. Often sharp, crisp, bullet passes that are reminiscent of a game of Pong. Beautiful, beautiful basketball!

 

[Bone Dog]

I had the same impulse after that interview and immediately looked for the game. I’d remembered it being a dazzling performance just like Geno said. But just like @JoePgh points out, they “lost” the second half. And the passing was dazzling in that first half. What I take from this game is a sort of confirmation that this year’s team (and last season’s too) are comparable to the great ones of the storied past. Not better maybe, but in the same conversation.

I’d add that when Geno was on Azzi’s podcast they compared their greatest lineups and his was mainly this team while Azzi’s was mostly recent stars. At first, I thought it was just Geno’s way of keeping the young stars from getting swelled heads. But after this subsequent interview I wonder it is isn’t really Geno’s way of inviting them to aim really high.

Just looking at last March, there were games rather like this one — for example what Paige did in the second half against Oklahoma, or what Azzi did in the first half of the UCLA game, or what the three of them did against SC in the title game, not to mention what they’d done to SC a month earlier. After the earlier game Geno expressed concern about what could happen in a rematch where they didn’t shoot lights out. But they were just as dominant the second time around.

 

[FanSince17]

Alright folks: Let's compare the teams.

Don't forget to think about the opposition.
Lots of similarities too.
UConn style of play. "FastBreak basketball".

 

[ThisJustIn]

If I recall correctly, Wendy was asked pre-game if she saw any weakness in the UConn team. She had to offer something, so she said..."Defense?"

They took that personally. lol.

 

[OldSchooler]

In that first half at the Elite Eight, UConn did to a powerful ODU team what this year's team has been doing so far to much lesser talent. Incidentally, all these old tournament games are archived on the UConn Huskies website.

 

[victor64]

Ok, long time Yarders. Who was the male assistant coach for that team?

 

[msf22b]

Geno said two things at the ceremony the other day that got my attention.
-That the 2002 team was the greatest in UConn history
-That Sue Bird was the greatest point guard man or woman, and when she got it
into her head to score..she could and did score 25 a night.

I went back and looked at the 2002 semi-final vs Tennessee…who they carved up, very much like Paige’s 2025 team did to the field.

They won by 23…but missed a whole lot of chipies…UTenn was lucky the margin wasn’t 50

What (to me) was most memorable and perhaps is the reason that Geno so admires this team is the passing and the running of the offense, so obviously conceived by Geno as how to best attack the Tennessee D and carried out until garbage time with relentless discipline.

That is what makes that team so special in Geno’s memory…great passers with a astonishing ability to adhere to a game plan calculated to carve up the opponent
even without real front-court hight

 

[MinneHusky]

That was my very first UConn game. It was a wild 24 hours, one I'll cherish and remember forever.

 

[HopJim]

Interesting footnote. I believe Old Dominion beat UConn in 1999. We forget how good they were in the day!

 

[WiseWillie]

At Sunday's ceremony for Sue Bird, Geno mentioned in his remarks that her game against Old Dominion in the Elite 8 in 2002 (on the way to an undefeated season) was one of the best halves of basketball that anyone has ever played. He said that we might find the game on YouTube.

Indeed it is there, and his comment inspired me to search for it and watch it. There is a real resemblance between that game and some of the early games that we have seen in the current season.

For those of you who don't remember, UConn's starting lineup that season was Sue, Diana, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, and Tamika Williams -- perhaps the best starting 5 in the history of the college game. Everyone except Diana was a senior that year. Those four seniors were drafted 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the WNBA draft about a month after this game. All four of them had long WNBA careers, as did Diana when she graduated two years later. It's interesting to watch the game knowing the near-immortal status in WBB that several of those players achieved in their pro careers. Sue finished the game with 26 points (a career high for her) and 14 assists.

UConn hit its first 13 shots in that game, and finished the first half with a 22 point lead on 75% shooting. About 5 minutes into the game, they led 20-6, and ODU's best player got three early fouls. (And ODU was taking a 21-game winning streak into that game!)

BUT ... even that team of near-immortals had the kind of second half that Boneyarders love to complain about. The final winning margin was only 21 points, which means that UConn actually lost the second half. ODU got UConn's lead down to 14 points with about 7 minutes left in the game, and it didn't get back over 20 until the final minute. So even that team showed its human side, and Geno was having fits on the bench during the second half.

A few days later, the same team beat Kara Lawson's Tennessee team by a margin of more than 20 points in the Final Four. Although UConn was favored, no one expected that kind of margin against Tennessee. Then there was the final game against Stacy Dales and Oklahoma, and that game needed some heroics from Diana to notch a perfect 39-0 season.

I think some of you would enjoy watching the ODU game just to see what Geno was talking about in his remarks last Sunday.

Thanks, Joe. Good post. Watched the first half but need to watch the second half. That team was stellar but there is a lot of deja vu that I'm seeing this year. Have we been lucky fans, or what?

 

[WiseWillie]

Ok, long time Yarders. Who was the male assistant coach for that team?

For the 2001-2002 championship 39-0 team? Is this a trick question? To my knowledge, there was not a male assistant coach.

 

[HopJim]

At Sunday's ceremony for Sue Bird, Geno mentioned in his remarks that her game against Old Dominion in the Elite 8 in 2002 (on the way to an undefeated season) was one of the best halves of basketball that anyone has ever played. He said that we might find the game on YouTube.

Indeed it is there, and his comment inspired me to search for it and watch it. There is a real resemblance between that game and some of the early games that we have seen in the current season.

For those of you who don't remember, UConn's starting lineup that season was Sue, Diana, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, and Tamika Williams -- perhaps the best starting 5 in the history of the college game. Everyone except Diana was a senior that year. Those four seniors were drafted 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the WNBA draft about a month after this game. All four of them had long WNBA careers, as did Diana when she graduated two years later. It's interesting to watch the game knowing the near-immortal status in WBB that several of those players achieved in their pro careers. Sue finished the game with 26 points (a career high for her) and 14 assists.

UConn hit its first 13 shots in that game, and finished the first half with a 22 point lead on 75% shooting. About 5 minutes into the game, they led 20-6, and ODU's best player got three early fouls. (And ODU was taking a 21-game winning streak into that game!)

BUT ... even that team of near-immortals had the kind of second half that Boneyarders love to complain about. The final winning margin was only 21 points, which means that UConn actually lost the second half. ODU got UConn's lead down to 14 points with about 7 minutes left in the game, and it didn't get back over 20 until the final minute. So even that team showed its human side, and Geno was having fits on the bench during the second half.

A few days later, the same team beat Kara Lawson's Tennessee team by a margin of more than 20 points in the Final Four. Although UConn was favored, no one expected that kind of margin against Tennessee. Then there was the final game against Stacy Dales and Oklahoma, and that game needed some heroics from Diana to notch a perfect 39-0 season.

I think some of you would enjoy watching the ODU game just to see what Geno was talking about in his remarks last Sunday.

Suggest ANY basketball fan, whether you watch pros, college, men, women, etc. watch the first half. One of the purest exhibits of outstanding basketball you will ever see. For UConn fans:
-Basically, most of the offense and defense was the same as today (with a bit more zone).
-Unlike today, UConn relied on the give and go. Also unlike today, every member of that 2002 team could make layups when in the paint. Picture a team where all the bigs shot layups like Sarah Strong. Will be interesting next year when the Big O joins the team to see if Geno puts in more give and go plays.
-Geno, with a coat and tie and great hair, rarely sat down and rarely was quiet. If not focused on the refs, he barked out plays or worked with CD.
-While we have recently been blessed with great passers like Paige, I had forgotten how good Sue and Diana were. Was almost unfair to have both on one team.

 

[WiseWillie]

Interesting footnote. I believe Old Dominion beat UConn in 1999. We forget how good they were in the day!

Wonder what happened to the Old Dominion program from those days?

 

[Gael]

Wendy Larry called timeout after 58 seconds!

OT trivia:

Wendy Larry was one of three prominent CBB coaches who often carried a towel during games. She draped hers over her shoulder.

The two other coaches I have in mind were MCBB coaches. Who?

 

[Geew1992]

link or channel?

Youtube.... type in uconn womens basketball vs old dominion. You can watch a lot of games there

 

[BobbyJ]

OT trivia:

Wendy Larry was one of three prominent CBB coaches who often carried a towel during games. She draped hers over her shoulder.

The two other coaches I have in mind were MCBB coaches. Who?

Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV and Thompson at Gtown.

 

[victor64]

For the 2001-2002 championship 39-0 team? Is this a trick question? To my knowledge, there was not a male assistant coach.

There was a man in a suit sitting in the bench. Assumed he was a coach.

 

[choochoo]

A few more thoughts:

That UConn team had 4 Olympic Gold Medalists:

Diana 6x

Sue 5x

Swin 2x

Asjha 1x

In the Oklahoma game, Diana got the and-one against Stacey Dales, but Sue sank 6 straight free throws.

Pretty sure I remember that isolation play for Diana to go one on one with dales. Think that was it for Dales as that was her 5th foul and you could see the air go out of OU !

 

[choochoo]

There was a man in a suit sitting in the bench. Assumed he was a coach.

I believe his name was Jack Esserman and he was an assistant coach for a few years maybe when Tonya and Jamel left.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Pretty sure I remember that isolation play for Diana to go one on one with dales. Think that was it for Dales as that was her 5th foul and you could see the air go out of OU !

I think Dee backed down another defender, but Dales came over to help and committed the foul.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Wonder what happened to the Old Dominion program from those days?

They were a casualty of big money and power conferences entering the world of college athletics. Same goes for Latech. The schools just didn’t have the $$$$ to stay in the race. Other schools will see the same fate in the coming years.