Fuller: Finding competition a chore for UConn

[pap49cba]

“I’ve had some fun with that question,” Auriemma said. “I get it in recruiting, what conference are you in? Who are you playing? What level of competition exists in your conference?

If we just gauge our improvement with how we play in those 18 games, you are doing a disservice to who we are. I will know if we are getting better. I will not need the score of those games, I will know if we are getting better. There are a lot of teams that play in great conferences and play great competition all year long and then get their (butts) beat in the NCAA tournament so it doesn’t matter who we are playing, I will know if we are going to get better.”

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[FollowerCT]

Growth is largely independent of the level of scheduled competition ... the level of inclusive competition which includes games and difficult exhausting intra-squad and practice player ongoing encounters is where the 'getting better' takes place ... and ... Geno 'will know' what and when 'better' is ...

 

[tomcat]

At UConn, that is true. The players learn more about themselves and how to improve during Geno's famous practices. However, that is not the case at lots of other schools. This is one of the significant differences between the way UConn does things -- and the amazing results obtained -- and the way other schools do things -- and why they do not obtain similar results.

That, however, is a distinction that may be lost on some recruits and their coaches, who are more used to the traditional way of doing things. Which is why the out-of-conference schedule is increasngly important.

 

[Wonkster]

.
Geno is a natural salesman. I have no doubt he has come up with good responses to those questions planted in the impressionable minds of high school prospects by opposing coaches on the recruiting trail. Actually, it's a good barometer of how much thought a player is capable if they only ask that kind of loaded question.

The most important question they should ask Geno is: 'How does UConn manage to chew up their opponents year after year?'

 

[DobbsRover2]

Thing is, UConn only takes an average of three players a year into the fold, and a couple of them are likely to be highly aware and highly skilled players from NY or CA who know that UConn wins titles and has a great coaching team and don't need any convincing if Geno looks their way. For the remaining spots there are still a large amount of candidates that UConn can bring in very effectively even if the Huskies wind up in the Sagarin ratings' Dummy league. Not to worry.