It is a somewhat common misunderstanding that Geno can be rigid and inflexible. Certainly, Geno will never compromise his core values of teamwork, effort, character, etc. But Geno is the most successful coach in the history of WBB precisely because of his ability to learn and adapt. He’s said as much when he commented that he, “always learns something from every basketball game he watches, whether it’s the pros, college or high school.” After he learns something new, Geno frequently incorporates what he has learned with his team.
Three trends in recruiting have dramatically changed the nature of college basketball. The increase in undergraduate transfers, graduate transfers and overseas players have created a New Normal in WBB. While Geno has brought in some transfers with Nat, Z and Batouly, the results so far have been mixed at best. For the most part, Geno has been slow to adapt to the New Normal, and who could blame him. When UConn won their last of 4 straight championships in 2016, the Huskies did so with a 7-player rotation that was entirely comprised of 4-year players recruited as freshmen from North America. Six of those players were 1st team AA’s. The 7th was one of 3 NDPOY’s on that team. Who needs transfers and overseas players?
Three years later the landscape in WBB has completely changed. Each of the last three national championship teams have started one or more transfers. In the most recent FF, 3 out of 4 teams started one or more transfers and/or overseas players. Of course, the exception was UConn. Finally, the MOP of the FF was Baylor’s Chloe Jackson, a transfer. As Kim Mulkey astutely pointed out, “Unfortunately we are in the transfer business.”
Clearly Geno has been watching all of this unfold and, to a great extent, necessity has forced UConn to change its approach. Once Geno whiffed on the top three HS recruits in the 2019 class, Geno was prepared to adapt to the New Normal, and he did so with a vengeance. Geno received commitments from three overseas players, including UConn’s first ever graduate transfer. He then went out and signed the highest rated transfer ever in WBB. Oh, and by the way, Geno also received a commitment from the top-rated player in the Class of 2020. Every one of the players Geno has picked up in the last few months are supremely talented scorers who share the ball. What is scary, at least for the rest of WBB, is that it doesn’t feel like Geno is done just yet. Stay tuned.
One final point. Many of us, myself included, have argued that any other team would be ecstatic to play in each of the past three FF’s. It’s now reasonably clear to me that Geno doesn’t share that sentiment. He is as competitive as ever. Geno is adapting to Recruiting’s New Normal and he is driven by an irrepressible goal to see more banners raised into the rafters at Gampel Pavilion.
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