Game Thread: 2000 National Championship

[bags27]

What are we going to talk about for the next two weeks besides where to park in Bridgeport?

I suggest we post about a past game. Last year, we did this with the 95 championship, so why not move ahead to the next one?

1999-2000 Women’s Basketball Game Replays

 

[JavaMan]

I always enjoy re-watching old UConn wins. This was one of the great ones. Complete domination against the worthiest of opponents of the day. It was trademark UConn/Geno basketball. Spread the floor. Pass the ball. Teamwork. Relentless. Tamika was shut down! Kara seemed overwhelmed. I'll bet this one game has become one of Kelly's all-time favorite memories; what a game she had.

I think some of these players, from both teams, will eventually go on to become terrific coaches and professional players ...maybe even Olympians!

Thanks for the nudge, Bags. Hadn't seen this one in quite awhile.

​

 

[eebmg]

For any newbies, look at the bottom link in the 2000 season archive. "A season to remember". My favorite documentary of our program. A special shout out to the swin cash christmas gift and the decision to start our bench player seniors in the second round of the tournament. I hope the cummulative HBO documentary will be as great when done.

 

[Jim R]

I always enjoy re-watching old UConn wins. This was one of the great ones. Complete domination against the worthiest of opponents of the day. It was trademark UConn/Geno basketball. Spread the floor. Pass the ball. Teamwork. Relentless. Tamika was shut down! Kara seemed overwhelmed. I'll bet this one game has become one of Kelly's all-time favorite memories; what a game she had.

I think some of these players, from both teams, will eventually go on to become terrific coaches and professional players ...maybe even Olympians!

Thanks for the nudge, Bags. Hadn't seen this one in quite awhile.

​

That beatdown of the LVs...it doesn't get much better than that!

 

[BigBird]

I have been a UConn fan for roughly 15 years. So, I have missed a lot, but this vid was a great history lesson. Isn't it cool that for all these years, Geno and CD really haven't changed their core values nor their passion for their teams.

 

[Geew1992]

Watch the first half today. Second half either tomorrow or sat. Shea passion and her pony tail flying around....miss that!

 

[Huskee11]

Hope the current team realizes what a badass Shea was as a player.

Pretty sure they realize that she is like that as a coach!

Haven't looked back at 2000 Championship game, but hope to. My recollections are Schumacher, Shea fist pump on the floor, black sneakers, and above all back cut layups all night long. Hopefully got most of that right.

 

[bballnut90]

One of the best performances by a Connecticut team ever in a title game. Tennessee wasn't the same juggernaut in 2000 as they were the previous two years with the 3 Meeks, but they were a darn good opponent loaded with talent (Catchings/Randall/Kara Lawson and a slew of really good role players) and Connecticut just decimated them after splitting 2 competitive games in the regular season.

As an aside--I've said this before, but I think Ralph may be the most underrated player in Connecticut history. She was simply outstanding in 99-00 and was a standout in 97 and 99. She lost her steam in 2001, but she was probably the main catalyst, along with Abrosimova, who brought the program back to being the best in the country after the title drought from 1996-1999. Similar to Moore's effect when she came to Connecticut in 2007 and how she instantly made them the premier program again and a virtual Final Four lock from day 1.

 

[Geew1992]

One of the best performances by a Connecticut team ever in a title game. Tennessee wasn't the same juggernaut in 2000 as they were the previous two years with the 3 Meeks, but they were a darn good opponent loaded with talent (Catchings/Randall/Kara Lawson and a slew of really good role players) and Connecticut just decimated them after splitting 2 competitive games in the regular season.

As an aside--I've said this before, but I think Ralph may be the most underrated player in Connecticut history. She was simply outstanding in 99-00 and was a standout in 97 and 99. She lost her steam in 2001, but she was probably the main catalyst, along with Abrosimova, who brought the program back to being the best in the country after the title drought from 1996-1999. Similar to Moore's effect when she came to Connecticut in 2007 and how she instantly made them the premier program again and a virtual Final Four lock from day 1.

The only thing I disagree with about Ralph is her lose of steam. More like she torn her acl in the big east championship game to end her career

 

[bballnut90]

The only thing I disagree with about Ralph is her lose of steam. More like she torn her acl in the big east championship game to end her career

She wasn't the same player in 2000-01 as she was in 1999-00. In 2001 she reverted to being a role player all season, where in 2000 she took home Big East POY and won some national POY awards. The ACL at the end of the year effectively ended her playing career, but she wasn't the same player she was in 2000 even before the ACL.

 

[FairView]

Oh, no, not again.
You guys post old games and I can't resist watching them, so my productivity takes a major hit.
Oh, well, bring it on. It is fun!

 

[mntncougar]

Thanks for this thread! Loved that game, and though I saw it the first time I didn't remember much but the score. I also didn't remember the lone freshman, Kenitra(?) Johnson. She played a pretty solid game but the name just doesn't register for me. Oh well, there's other things I don't remember any more.
I also must say that watching that I realize how much the overall level of play has elevated since then, I suspect in large part because of Geno and the great players he's coached. Other teams and coaches have had to elevate their games to keep up.
So much good stuff to look at on this board that I never make it to bed by midnight any more. Night all.

 

[Plebe]

This just might be my favorite game of all time to watch on replay. UConn and Tennessee had split two closely contested regular-season contests (Sue Bird described in an interview on Geno's show how devastated they were to lose to Tennessee at home that year), but this championship game was never close after the first few minutes. That entire first half was a breathtaking masterpiece. The pretenders in orange were buried under a crushing avalanche of Husky hustle and execution.

This was also probably the deepest UConn team I can remember. I haven't analyzed the stats in this regard, but they seemed to go 9 or 10 deep that year.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

Schublocker. What a game she had! For all that everyone did, SHE was the one that completely bamboozled Summit; the one thing they did not game plan for UConn dominating the paint. That pushed their offense outside, which played right into the hands of UConn's swarming open-floor defense.

For me, her game stands as the greatest individual performance in UConn Basketball National Championship Game history. Ricky Moore dismantling Duke's defense in the first half of the 1999 Men's championship is a close second.

 

[cohenzone]

Shea Ralph is my favorite player ever. I remember being at her debut exhibition game. Rizzoti had graduated, the epitome of grit and fearlessness. As that exhibition went on, I recall thinking that while Jen would never be forgotten, this new kid was a reason Jen wouldn't be missed as much. Shea, tough, talented and fearless. Her knee robbed her of her hoops future, but she was super.

Fans need to remember that the vaunted Fighting Irish have won exactly one NC, in a game where both Shea and Svetlana were missing, a young Diana shot miserably, and UConn played a really bad second half. No way would ND have that lone NC if UConn weren't missing those two veteran AAs. ND gets the typical hype, but Baylor has won more NCs.

 

[Jim R]

Shea Ralph is my favorite player ever. I remember being at her debut exhibition game. Rizzoti had graduated, the epitome of grit and fearlessness. As that exhibition went on, I recall thinking that while Jen would never be forgotten, this new kid was a reason Jen wouldn't be missed as much. Shea, tough, talented and fearless. Her knee robbed her of her hoops future, but she was super.

Fans need to remember that the vaunted Fighting Irish have won exactly one NC, in a game where both Shea and Svetlana were missing, a young Diana shot miserably, and UConn played a really bad second half. No way would ND have that lone NC if UConn weren't missing those two veteran AAs. ND gets the typical hype, but Baylor has won more NCs.

"Shea Ralph is my favorite player ever." She was as tough as they come and "finished" after contact ...Kia's got a little of Shea in her. Additionally, she executed the back door as good as anyone, and that's one aspect of the game I wish this team executed a bit more!