Feb 7 Coach's show with Geno and guest Rebecca Lobo

[UConnCat]

Bob Joyce interviewed Geno and Rebecca about the game.

UConn WBB Coach's Show w Geno & Rebecca Lobo - Feb 7 | FOX SPORTS 97-9 | Husky HQ

(Photo: Austin Bigoney UConn Athletics) Geno with a candid assessment of the Huskies loss to Tennessee Thursday in Knoxville.

foxsports979.iheart.com

An honest assessment from Geno, including Paige's and Azzi's performance. No issues with Sarah. Talks about Jana.

Bob: What disappointed you most about last night's game?

Geno:

• The opportunities to separate ourselves when we had a lead. Some shots missed that they normally make. And the minute and half of the 3rd quarter when Tenn got some momentum and steals. And our inability to get stops when we needed them. A lot of little things that added all up.
• Like the USC game, we put ourselves in position to win but can't make a winning play when we have to make it.
• Bright spots. KK was great, Ash was great. Sarah played too many minutes but played well.
• At end of the day, exceptionally disappointed. Tennessee made big 3s when they had to make them.

Bob: The team missed 19 of 35 layups. At least 6 were uncontested, in the cylinder and didn't go in.

Geno:

• [Unaware of the stat] That can't happen. You deserve to lose if you shoot 19-35 on layups. Astonishing, given that stat to score 76 points and it's a 2-point game.
• Have to get to the bottom of that. Is it immaturity? Is it lack of concentration? Is it being caught up in the moment?
• That's kind of a new thing the last 3-4 years. Look back all those years we didn't miss layups. I used to laugh at women's basketball teams missing layups and that wasn't us. Now, since Pheesa and Lou graduated we miss a lot of layups; we've become like every other team and it stinks. Makes no sense that you're a college player and can't make a layup. We've got to get to the bottom of it. You shouldn't be playing college basketball if you can't make a layup.

Bob: You said KK was the most competitive player on the team and on the court. Does that not sound disconcerting to the rest of the players?

Geno:

• It should. We look at our team and generally speaking to win games we need Sarah. Paige and Azzi to have their normal 19, 17, 16 from the 3 of them and then add KK and go okay, get out of there with a somewhat comfortable win. When only one (Sarah) of those has sort of a normal game, that's not the formula for winning.
• KK was tremendous and exactly what I want her to be. There are things to cleanup that she's aware of of them, but all in all she was the best player on our team.

Bob: Tennessee imposed their will on the glass in the 2nd half and helped turn the tide.

Geno:

• I think so. We did a great job in the 1st half and maybe out-rebounded them. In the 2nd half, things got away from us.
• We played the small lineup -- maybe we played that lineup too long; I thought we needed more ball-handlers and ways to attack their pressure and get those 35 layups. That came at a cost. Some they just beat us; they're bigger and longer than we were.
• Even more than the rebounding was their ability to one-on-one to take our guards (and everybody) into lane and score over us. That was disappointing. Defensively we've traditionally been really good. This team is not a good defensive team when it comes to guarding dribble penetration. We need to get better at that and tighten it up. It may not show up in a regular season game in the middle of January but shows up in February on the road against a Top 20 team.

Bob: How did you think Sarah handled herself overall. [Bob mentioned her scoring/rebound stats and also turnover, including the one when trapped in the 3rd quarter.]and TBA?

Geno:

• I thought she was great. We didn't give her the ball enough. There were times we had her and didn't throw it to her.
• She's going to keep getting more and more aggressive and make those kind of mistakes because she is young and hasn't been in those situations.
• She needs to be more assertive and take more risks, more chances. She played too many minutes and we need to alleviate that. She handled herself great. I wish she would have made a 3 or two as that would have loosened up some things, It's hard going against that size over and over again.
• Believe me, there hasn't been one game this year when I looked back and said I was really disappointed in Sarah.

Bob: Would Ice have helped alleviate those minutes?

Geno:

• Maybe. One more big body to throw at those guys. But, you gotta go with what you got.
• We need more from Jana and that is all there is to it. Going into season, I said wow, this is exactly what we've been missing, a big body. We haven't had a presence like that in a long time and that hasn't been the case.
• We have to keep trying to get more production from her and that would help a lot.
• She needs to grow up number one. She's young, only a freshman. She has to be more receptive to coaching. That's it. Sometimes it's complicated, sometimes it's very simple.

Bob: Paige's performance. She had 8 assists and helped break the press and getting some easy hoops. Tennessee made it tough for her. Sounds like from your post-game presser, you thought she was her own worst enemy at times.

Geno:

• It takes 2 to create that kind of scenario.
• It was a 2-point game and I thought she [Paige] had a horrible game, I don't care how many assists she had. There was a lack of aggressiveness in hunting down shots, and taking the shots that were available. Passing up a 3 to take a 12-footer that she missed. Why do that? Not getting to the free-throw line.
• A game of that magnitude -- and that goes for Azzi too -- you need your best players to really be aggressive and hungry and hunting down opportunities instead of just taking what comes. Hard to win at that level unless you have contributions from your best players.
• Gonna be harder against tougher opponents. You have to be able to handle it. Too many times when it's not. No sugar-coating it. They're going to be physical with you and you have to use that against them. Have to get past that rather than letting it affect how we play the game.
• I'm used to my best players hunting down shots in big games and wanting to touch the ball every possession and wanting to attack every possession. It's hard right now to figure this one out.

Rebecca

• What was surprising was the number of layups missed. Not typical from them.
• A little surprised from inefficiency from 3, considering how they've been shooting lately.
• UConn had no problems with the press at all except for 2 possessions in the 3rd when Tennessee made their run. Kept the ball in the middle of the floor and getting good looks.
• Big takeaways, if UConn makes its layups and makes a % from 3 that's been typical of what they've been shooting, they win by double-digits. But neither happened. Tennessee made some big plays.
• Layups and 3s were the story for UConn.
• Tennessee made tough shots in the lane.

 

[BobbyJ]

Bob Joyce interviewed Geno and Rebecca about the game.

UConn WBB Coach's Show w Geno & Rebecca Lobo - Feb 7 | FOX SPORTS 97-9 | Husky HQ

(Photo: Austin Bigoney UConn Athletics) Geno with a candid assessment of the Huskies loss to Tennessee Thursday in Knoxville.

foxsports979.iheart.com

An honest assessment from Geno, including Paige's and Azzi's performance. No issues with Sarah. Talks about Jana.

Bob: What disappointed you most about last night's game?

Geno:

• The opportunities to separate ourselves when we had a lead. Some shots missed that they normally make. And the minute and half of the 3rd quarter when Tenn got some momentum and steals. And our inability to get stops when we needed them. A lot of little things that added all up.
• Like the USC game, we put ourselves in position to win but can't make a winning play when we have to make it.
• Bright spots. KK was great, Ash was great. Sarah played too many minutes but played well.
• At end of the day, exceptionally disappointed. Tennessee made big 3s when they had to make them.

Bob: The team missed 19 of 35 layups. At least 6 were uncontested, in the cylinder and didn't go in.

Geno:

• [Unaware of the stat] That can't happen. You deserve to lose if you shoot 19-35 on layups. Astonishing, given that stat to score 76 points and it's a 2-point game.
• Have to get to the bottom of that. Is it immaturity? Is it lack of concentration? Is it being caught up in the moment?
• That's kind of a new thing the last 3-4 years. Look back all those years we didn't miss layups. I used to laugh at women's basketball teams missing layups and that wasn't us. Now, since Pheesa and Lou graduated we miss a lot of layups; we've become like every other team and it stinks. Makes no sense that you're a college player and can't make a layup. We've got to get to the bottom of it. You shouldn't be playing college basketball if you can't make a layup.

Bob: You said KK was the most competitive player on the team and on the court. Does that not sound disconcerting to the rest of the players?

Geno:

• It should. We look at our team and generally speaking to win games we need Sarah. Paige and Azzi to have their normal 19, 17, 16 from the 3 of them and then add KK and go okay, get out of there with a somewhat comfortable win. When only one (Sarah) of those has sort of a normal game, that's not the formula for winning.
• KK was tremendous and exactly what I want her to be. There are things to cleanup that she's aware of of them, but all in all she was the best player on our team.

Bob: Tennessee imposed their will on the glass in the 2nd half and helped turn the tide.

Geno:

• I think so. We did a great job in the 1st half and maybe out-rebounded them. In the 2nd half, things got away from us.
• We played the small lineup -- maybe we played that lineup too long; I thought we needed more ball-handlers and ways to attack their pressure and get those 35 layups. That came at a cost. Some they just beat us; they're bigger and longer than we were.
• Even more than the rebounding was their ability to one-on-one to take our guards (and everybody) into lane and score over us. That was disappointing. Defensively we've traditionally been really good. This team is not a good defensive team when it comes to guarding dribble penetration. We need to get better at that and tighten it up. It may not show up in a regular season game in the middle of January but shows up in February on the road against a Top 20 team.

Bob: How did you think Sarah handled herself overall. [Bob mentioned her scoring/rebound stats and also turnover, including the one when trapped in the 3rd quarter.]and TBA?

Geno:

• I thought she was great. We didn't give her the ball enough. There were times we had her and didn't throw it to her.
• She's going to keep getting more and more aggressive and make those kind of mistakes because she is young and hasn't been in those situations.
• She needs to be more assertive and take more risks, more chances. She played too many minutes and we need to alleviate that. She handled herself great. I wish she would have made a 3 or two as that would have loosened up some things, It's hard going against that size over and over again.
• Believe me, there hasn't been one game this year when I looked back and said I was really disappointed in Sarah.

Bob: Would Ice have helped alleviate those minutes?

Geno:

• Maybe. One more big body to throw at those guys. But, you gotta go with what you got.
• We need more from Jana and that is all there is to it. Going into season, I said wow, this is exactly what we've been missing, a big body. We haven't had a presence like that in a long time and that hasn't been the case.
• We have to keep trying to get more production from her and that would help a lot.
• She needs to grow up number one. She's young, only a freshman. She has to be more receptive to coaching. That's it. Sometimes it's complicated, sometimes it's very simple.

Bob: Paige's performance. She had 8 assists and helped break the press and getting some easy hoops. Tennessee made it tough for her. Sounds like from your post-game presser, you thought she was her own worst enemy at times.

Geno:

• It takes 2 to create that kind of scenario.
• It was a 2-point game and I thought she [Paige] had a horrible game, I don't care how many assists she had. There was a lack of aggressiveness in hunting down shots, and taking the shots that were available. Passing up a 3 to take a 12-footer that she missed. Why do that? Not getting to the free-throw line.
• A game of that magnitude -- and that goes for Azzi too -- you need your best players to really be aggressive and hungry and hunting down opportunities instead of just taking what comes. Hard to win at that level unless you have contributions from your best players.
• Gonna be harder against tougher opponents. You have to be able to handle it. Too many times when it's not. No sugar-coating it. They're going to be physical with you and you have to use that against them. Have to get past that rather than letting it affect how we play the game.
• I'm used to my best players hunting down shots in big games and wanting to touch the ball every possession and wanting to attack every possession. It's hard right now to figure this one out.

Rebecca

• What was surprising was the number of layups missed. Not typical from them.
• A little surprised from inefficiency from 3, considering how they've been shooting lately.
• UConn had no problems with the press at all except for 2 possessions in the 3rd when Tennessee made their run. Kept the ball in the middle of the floor and getting good looks.
• Big takeaways, if UConn makes its layups and makes a % from 3 that's been typical of what they've been shooting, they win by double-digits. But neither happened. Tennessee made some big plays.
• Layups and 3s were the story for UConn.
• Tennessee made tough shots in the lane.

Very interesting. The last two bolded sections from Auriemma are exactly what’s missing in close games especially the three losses. I’d love to know how much that’s being communicated to them during the game when it’s needed and why it’s not being understood. He knows in the first 5 minutes what the defense is doing to take Bueckers out of the offense, that is every coach’s plan, and she and he have to attack it harder.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Geno’s last highlighted comment reinforces what I’ve been saying all season. The team doesn’t have a killer instinct. It just doesn’t. I hope he finds another Taurasi, and fast.

 

[Jonathan14]

Thanks for taking the time to post that transcription, @UConnCat It’s much appreciated.

Geno certainly didn’t pull any punches, though I guess he never has. Interesting that he mentions that Ash was great. I thought her effort was there, as always, but unfortunately her shot wasn’t.

 

[ERWUC65]

Thanks for taking the time to post that transcription, @UConnCat It’s much appreciated.

Geno certainly didn’t pull any punches, though I guess he never has. Interesting that he mentions that Ash was great. I thought her effort was there, as always, but unfortunately her shot wasn’t.

She always gives her all, is awesome on defense, but can't seem to get over that mental block on offense. It's now readily apparent that she is not going to be that 3rd scorer, putting all the pressure back on Azzi, who has her own problems.

 

[Bigboote]

“Bright spots. KK was great, Ash was great.”

I’m glad Geno saw in Ash what I saw the other night.

 

[Bigboote]

She always gives her all, is awesome on defense, but can't seem to get over that mental block on offense. It's now readily apparent that she is not going to be that 3rd scorer, putting all the pressure back on Azzi, who has her own problems.

The third scorer will be by committee. Azzi doesn’t have it every game, but most games, Azzi, KK, Kaitlyn, or Ashlynn will come through. But one of them needs to be on every game in order to win the natty.

 

[UConnCat]

Bob: What disappointed you most about last night's game?

Geno:

• The opportunities to separate ourselves when we had a lead. Some shots missed that they normally make. And the minute and half of the 3rd quarter when Tenn got some momentum and steals. And our inability to get stops when we needed them. A lot of little things that added all up.
• Like the USC game, we put ourselves in position to win but can't make a winning play when we have to make it.
• Bright spots. KK was great, Ash was great. Sarah played too many minutes but played well.
• At end of the day, exceptionally disappointed. Tennessee made big 3s when they had to make them.

I wasn't able to watch the game live; forced to watch the replay so I'm a little late on things.

To Geno's point about not getting separation with the lead in the 1st half. UConn up by 7 with 4:30 to go in the 2nd Qtr and Tennessee is literally throwing up bricks. Azzi grabs a long rebound dribbles down the left side and Kaitlyn Chen is wide open under the basket. No Tennessee defender within 10 feet of Kaitlyn and Azzi throws the ball out of bounds. Making that pass would have put UConn up by 9.

You win games against ranked teams on the road when your best players make winning plays.