Geno Auriemma: UConn women's basketball team heads toward 'new territory' with 2018-19 season

[Carnac]

UConn is heading into a season unlike any in recent memory. It’s “new territory,” as longtime coach Geno Auriemma puts it. The Huskies will arrive on the other side either a triumphant story of rebirth or a sign that even greatness lulls from time to time.

It’s a season of refashioning, in a sense. The program has all of three losses over the last five seasons and only lost once last season, albeit in the Final Four. The Huskies aren’t fully rebuilding, though there is quite a bit of that being done, but finding a new way to play that best fits the players they have. They’re replacing talent lost to the WNBA, integrating inexperienced players into the fold and preparing for a year that will rely heavily on their three returning starters.

“We’re in new territory,” said Auriemma, who has coached the Huskies to 11 national titles. “We haven’t been here in a long time… We’re in a situation that we haven’t been in, and it’s going to take some time to shake it all out. But, as I said, we have our moments when it looks like it could work.”

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[BostonCanuck]

Nice, comprehensive article, Scoop. This is a really good read going into the first regular season game tomorrow.

I see that the theme of being less assist-heavy and less complicated is covered here yet again. I think this speaks to not just the make-up of this year's team, but also Geno's efforts to make adjustments in response to the way the game continues to evolve. While the Huskies' vaunted passing offense was perfect for the Stewie era, more recently our very best opponents have been able to deploy effective defensive countermeasures. And when then did, our players were not always ready with more creative ways to score.

We're fortunate that, unlike Pat Summit in her sunset years as a coach, Geno's not going to stick to the same old methods while the game is changing. I see this more free-flowing style as one of his biggest areas of emphasis this year, and I think it's perfect for the talent he currently has on the team.