Geno embarrasses his starters today

[Beemer]

Geno's system has had a long record of success. He can not be anything other than what he is. It might be that the number of players that appreciate what Geno and his system can do is diminishing. If that is so then it will be just one more example in the decline of basic basketball fundamentals. It might lead him to come to the same conclusion that John Wooden did in respect to his continuing in coaching.

I think you are on to something here. Geno's been coaching women's college basketball for over 30 years now. Very few coaches (heck, very few people!) find it easy to change at this stage of their careers. Add to that his tremendous accomplishments- there are no worlds in women's basketball left for him to conquer. It might be time to stop & smell the roses.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think you are on to something here. Geno's been coaching women's college basketball for over 30 years now. Very few coaches (heck, very few people!) find it easy to change at this stage of their careers. Add to that his tremendous accomplishments- there are no worlds in women's basketball left for him to conquer. It might be time to stop & smell the roses.

Geno has always said that one of the reasons he stick around is so that that each individual player can experience what it is like to win a championship. On the current UCONN rosters only two players have had this experience. Next year that (lack of championship experience) might apply to the entire roster. I'm guessing there is no way Geno walks away from that challenge.
Which brings up an interesting question, I'm sure many BY would know the answer to. What is the last UCONN recruiting class to graduate without a championship?

 

[JoePgh]

Geno has always said that one of the reasons he stick around is so that that each individual player can experience what it is like to win a championship. On the current UCONN rosters only two players have had this experience. Next year that (lack of championship experience) might apply to the entire roster. I'm guessing there is no way Geno walks away from that challenge.
Which brings up an interesting question, I'm sure many BY would know the answer to. What is the last UCONN recruiting class to graduate without a championship?

2008, right?

 

[Sargassoc]

Which brings up an interesting question, I'm sure many BY would know the answer to. What is the last UCONN recruiting class to graduate without a championship?

2007-08, I think-- and also class of 1999. We've been through a drought twice before (and it was fine). No one is guaranteed anything-- and that includes starting, or playing, on a team.

To address the OP: why would any player believe she had a right to play? Or even to start? What's the definition of a starter? Just someone who happened to start that game. Geno doesn't anoint starters for an entire season.

I was a starter my first year of high school softball-- and then I wasn't. A better player came after me. (And worse, followed me to college.) I was mad and petulant at first; I was going to quit. Then, you know what happened? I licked my wounds and worked harder on being a better player. Yes, I was embarrassed at first (but I was only 15). I had to prove to my coaches that I, too, could start. And that's what happened my last two years of high school. It was all on me.

 

[Coach]

I don't understand why anyone would be surprised. If he can bench one of the best players ever to play for UCONN then why would he not do the same for this year's starters.

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma benches Breanna Stewart

 

[GoingPostal]

They don't hand out participation trophies at UConn. If you don't play well you sit.

 

[huskeynut]

Embarrassing your players , and this came up last year with MW, does not instill confidence.....

And a coach who lets things slide does not instill confidence. Geno does not let things slide. Would you be complaining if he just pull Lou, Pheesa and Crystal instead of the entire starting 5? Did he embaras Stewie, Morgan and Moriah when he pulled them?

 

[JoePgh]

Geno has always said that one of the reasons he stick around is so that that each individual player can experience what it is like to win a championship. On the current UCONN rosters only two players have had this experience. Next year that (lack of championship experience) might apply to the entire roster. I'm guessing there is no way Geno walks away from that challenge.
Which brings up an interesting question, I'm sure many BY would know the answer to. What is the last UCONN recruiting class to graduate without a championship?

As I recall, before the start of the 2007-08 year, he said that players who went to UConn for four years and never got to a Final Four were like students who graduated from Harvard and then worked at McDonalds. I thought that was an interesting analogy.

If they don't win an NC this year, then it could come true for Crystal, Molly, and Kyla -- although they have all been to Final Fours (may not have actually played in them, however).

 

[Sargassoc]

Also, today's Courant notes, in the five takeaways from yesterday's game, that the "Starters understand benching," for what it's worth. Article here.

 

[FridaFriend]

Rebecca Lobo said she did not remember Geno benching all 5 starters at once. However, if you watch the pregame show for the 2015 game against #1 South Carolina, Rebecca recalls Geno being upset with the performance of his starters when she was a junior. UCONN was playing Seton Hall on January 4, 1994, and Geno benched 4 of 5 starters for the entire second half and UCONN lost 74-53. The starters were angry, but they got the message.

Rebecca was having this discussion, because Geno had just benched Stewart, Tuck, and Stokes in the game prior to the South Carolina game.

 

[my2cents]

I am not trying to win an argument on here about whether Geno is a good coach or not, he's the best.
But I don;t think he's perfect either, and I don't believe he feels he is perfect either.
I just think that some players respond better than others by benchings, being yelled at, ridiculed, etc...and based on the fewer options this team has, its just something to be careful about.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Coach K
Duke Basketball: Coach K Effectively Uses the Bench, Gets 2 Starters' Attention

Gregg Popovich
Teachable moment? Gregg Popovich benches Spurs starters early in third

 

[Vowelguy]

Coach K
Duke Basketball: Coach K Effectively Uses the Bench, Gets 2 Starters' Attention

Gregg Popovich
Teachable moment? Gregg Popovich benches Spurs starters early in third

Um, how many BY posts do Mr Krasinki and Gopowitch have?

 

[hjoerring]

I have been playing around with two words in my head. 2 words that I think are appropriate to what I am experiencing of late on the Board: 'Waiting' and 'Nervousness'. We have become enveloped by them, and they knaw at us. Every talk, discussion, etc., takes us into something having to do with 'decline', problems, a look towards the 'problems' of next year. Does anybody here remember laughter? the joy of a game-- win or lose? I'm trying very hard to separate our players from the players that the Boneyard will have. As someone thousands of miles from Storrs, I have only Replays to watch. So, I am sure that there are things in the games that I might be missing. They are one of today's top teams.
And Geno has not changed much in my eyes. Over the years I have been mildly critical of certain things he said to the media regarding young people. Am still critical. But, interestingly, the ND coach has now echoed him verbatim-- only to say, he isn't alone.

 

[CL82]

Did he embaras Stewie, Morgan and Moriah when he pulled them?

Yes, that's sort of the point. Otherwise you'd just call a timeout right?

 

[hardcorehusky]

My take is the starters embarrassed themselves and Geno. It's his program- he will play whomever he sees fit to not only not embarrass everyone, but will make all proud.

 

[DEpup]

I find the title of this thread unfortunate. I was embarrassed by the effort of the starters and they deserved to be benched and to tell you the truth its too bad thevbench isn't good enough that Geno could have benched them for the rest of the game because they didn't execute much better on offense when they came back in. The title of this thread is what is wrong today with parenting and coaching....

 

[pvdoggy]

I finally just watch the replay, and I honestly do not understand all the hoopla behind the mass substitution at the 5 min mark. Everybody (possibly including Geno) is talking like the starting 5 was playing horrible, not hustling, etc.. when it just looks like some of the (good, unforced) shots were not falling, some of the rebounds went over their head to USF players (which happens all the time), and the pace of play is dragged out by USF. I thought they were playing as hard as usual. Sometimes the score does not tell the whole story. Before I watch the replay, I thought based on the interview and discussion that it was the horrible plays by the Uconn starting 5. I reallty don't get it.

 

[baggerbob]

I don't understand why anyone would be surprised. If he can bench one of the best players ever to play for UCONN then why would he not do the same for this year's starters.

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma benches Breanna Stewart

That's why I stated earlier, if Stewie and Tuck could sit, then these players who aren't at that level need to do some self examination. You either want to be great, and work at it, or you are just another player.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I know he wanted to send a "message", but that was a poor look. Some players just dont respond to this. If I was a recruit, I would be thinking long and hard about playing here & if its right for me. Could explain why the sudden increase in transfers & poor recruiting lately.

Seriously

 

[DaddyChoc]

as Geno stated, "they knew they were gonna get back in the game"... if not, UConn would have lost!