Geno’s a Professor

[Geew1992]

 

[Bone Dog]

I’ve been saying this for a long time…. and I actually am a professor. Good coaches are teachers, not just trainers. And their course isn’t just about what happens on the court. It’s more far reaching than that. Sadly, I didn’t think there are many coaches who imagine their roles as profoundly as this.

 

[Geew1992]

I’ve been saying this for a long time…. and I actually am a professor. Good coaches are teachers, not just trainers. And their course isn’t just about what happens on the court. It’s more far reaching than that. Sadly, I didn’t think there are many coaches who imagine their roles as profoundly as this.

I said this to my daughter years ago.

 

[CL82]

Part of what makes a Gena and Chris so successful is that their approach is far more than X’s and O’s. To borrow a phrase from the Jesuits, their approach seems more like cura personalis, or care for the whole person. And they aren’t merely teaching their team how to be good basketball players, but how to be good people. That’s why we so often see alumni go out and not only be very good basketball players, but the impressive people who impact the world around them. The best coaches take this approach. So while it may not be unique to Geno and Chris, I don’t think anyone does it better.

 

[BRS24]

Hub and I used to coach travel/competitive soccer in CT, and our rule was that everyone got half a game, PT wise. Some parents would complain, however we used to say if we took the kids on the team, they would get PT. Beyond 1/2 game? That was dependent on how the practices went during the week, who was missing, matchups, etc. One mom confronted me after a game so I quietly turned to the player and asked her if she had good practices that week. She finally nodded no. I said to both of them - a lot of what happens during weekend games is a result of weekday practices. If I reward bad practice habbits with playing time, it's not fair to the others that worked hard during the week, and they will notice it. After that, there weren't any more complaints, and years later, the player said I finally got what you were doing. You wanted me to be the best I could be.

It's similar to the grade inflation thread in the General forum. Rewarding phantom effort might not hurt you today, however it will probably get you in the future. In college, quite a few professors would give "last chance exams", for those of us in danger of not passing. Many of us took those exams and passed. Did it help short term? Absolutely. Long term? Hard to say, although it was nice when things finally clicked at the end of a 7 week quarter.

 

[huskeynut]

Geno is the four year professor. The x's and o's and the life lessons never end.

His advantage is he gets to see his "students" develop and grow over 4 to 5 years. He sees the maturation of the young ladies. Most other professors only get one year, maybe two.

I was a band director for 30+ years on the high school level and the middle school level. I had the joy (sometimes not) and pleasure of having my students from 3 to 4 years. Not only did I see them grow physically, but mentally and emotionally and musically. I wouldn't trade those years for anything.

Geno is so right.

 

[Bigboote]

John Wooden, more often than not, talked about "teaching" basketball and considered himself a teacher rather than a coach.

 

[BRS24]

John Wooden, more often than not, talked about "teaching" basketball and considered himself a teacher rather than a coach.

Exactly. I went hiking the other day and realized my sock was bunched. As I took my boot off and redid my sock, I was saying that John Wooden would have chastised me for not paying attention to detail. Another hiker was like, really? Wooden used to teach the freshmen how to put on socks and at first they were like, huh? As they got older, they realized that there's a correct way to do things.

 

[boontonbomber]

I’ve been saying this for a long time…. and I actually am a professor. Good coaches are teachers, not just trainers. And their course isn’t just about what happens on the court. It’s more far reaching than that. Sadly, I didn’t think there are many coaches who imagine their roles as profoundly as this.

No reason to be sad. If you look closely at the coaches of UConn's opponents, there appear to be many who I expect are wonderful educators, not just coaches. Some that I see: Kara Lawson, Tara VanDerveer, Kim Barnes-Arrico, Kelly Graves, Courtney Banghart, Dawn Staley, Lisa Bluder, and, lest we forget, Carla Berube and Shea Ralph. And got to say that I think most of the Big East coaches are a pretty impressive group, starting with Doug Bruno.. And, like Geno, I expect that these coaches have assistants who have a profound effect on these young women, also. In fact, I might go as far as saying that Chris Daley and Jamelle Elliot are every bit the educators as Geno is. He's very fortunate to have them.

 

[Shenandoah]

When I was at UConn studying Sports Medicine/Athletic Training, I had to take various "Sports Techniques" courses, one of which was basketball, taught by the brand new Women's basketball Coach; one Geno Auriemma, uh, I mean Professor Auriemma. For our grade, we had to attend a game (at the old field House) and write a paper critiquing it.

 

[Blueconn]

I said this to my daughter years ago.

Me too…but we live in hope.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I’ve been saying this for a long time…. and I actually am a professor. Good coaches are teachers, not just trainers. And their course isn’t just about what happens on the court. It’s more far reaching than that. Sadly, I didn’t think there are many coaches who imagine their roles as profoundly as this.

Yes.

John Wooden always saw himself as a teacher, and that practice was his classroom.

 

[Woof 101]

The words teacher and coach are synonymous. Learned that one a long time ago from a very highly regarded teacher and a coach.
Not the level of John Wooden but a local legend and revered man.

 

[TCC Kid]

No reason to be sad. If you look closely at the coaches of UConn's opponents, there appear to be many who I expect are wonderful educators, not just coaches. Some that I see: Kara Lawson, Tara VanDerveer, Kim Barnes-Arrico, Kelly Graves, Courtney Banghart, Dawn Staley, Lisa Bluder, and, lest we forget, Carla Berube and Shea Ralph. And got to say that I think most of the Big East coaches are a pretty impressive group, starting with Doug Bruno.. And, like Geno, I expect that these coaches have assistants who have a profound effect on these young women, also. In fact, I might go as far as saying that Chris Daley and Jamelle Elliot are every bit the educators as Geno is. He's very fortunate to have them.

In certain areas of LIFE I suspect CD is the better teacher. Morgan, a very nice lady and Jamelle have lived life and are proven teachers. Professors?
When you think of Basketball as an additional "job" for adult women (over 18). For fans ,it is difficult to think of not treating them as gently as one may a middle school player
In life, and teaching life, to me, there was none better than John Wooden.
It too is difficult to remember one or (maybe) 2 Uconn ladies are among the wealthiest in Women's basketball.

 

[Bigboote]

Exactly. I went hiking the other day and realized my sock was bunched. As I took my boot off and redid my sock, I was saying that John Wooden would have chastised me for not paying attention to detail. Another hiker was like, really? Wooden used to teach the freshmen how to put on socks and at first they were like, huh? As they got older, they realized that there's a correct way to do things.

I've always thought that was genius. First practice, every year, was fitting shoes properly and putting on socks properly. It was really an exercise in how details mattered, but when asked about it, his answer was that a bunched-up sock or ill-fitting shoe can lead to blisters. He'd remark that the most important ability is availability, and did any of the bellyachers want to miss a couple of games with blisters?