Geno is the reason other teams are better

[KMac]

I have not heard anyone acknowledge or anyone discussing that the biggest reason other teams are better and the reason there is more parody in women's basketball is because of Geno. I truly believe over the past 10 years Geno elevated the game; and all these other teams we have beaten over and over realized they either had to get better or get beaten....they decided on the first choice. We won the championship 4 years in a row.....we were beating these teams badly. I have been to the final four for 10 years. I sat on the floor last year and this year. The power, intensity, strength, just great basketball, has improved so much in the past 2 years. Many of these coaches (including MS) have sat down with Geno or come to Storrs. Everyone knows he is famous for his practices and high demand of players. If we look back Pat Summit elevated the game in the 90's and Uconn rose to the occasion and began to beat her teams. I think history is repeating itself. Geno elevated the game and other teams are now rising to the occasion......and beating us. Pat, wherever you are, Uconn is feeling your pain....

With that said about how great a coach Geno is....I still think he was the reason we lost this game.

 

[Centerstream]

I didn't know there is more parody in WBB and is all because of Geno. Hmm.

 

[willtalk]

Every successful program is built on those successful programs which proceeded it. So in that way Geno certainly made his impact. What is more prevalent is that Geno does not appear to have played WCBB. That fact is a major factor in the development of the women's game.

Up until recently most of the major or successful programs were coached by former players. The game today is is developing and changing at hyper speed from what it was when those former players were playing. Womens coaches initially were mostly women mostly because it was the only post college venue for players to stay in the game and make a living. The opportunities for making it as a professional player just didn't exist. This lack of opportunity sort of created a call for keeping the coaching gigs available for women. Many of which became coaches not because they were suited to coaching but because it was the only way to stay in basketball. Being a good coach does not require the skills as being a good player. Some of the best coaches were not really good players. The trend of WCBB being promoted exclusively for women was prevalent until recently. Recently combined with other professional opportunities for women and the increase of funding for women's programs there were more competent men getting into womens coaching.

Now before I am inundated with accusations for being a sexist, let me make it clear that I do not believe that men are inherently better coaches. It is purely a matter of numbers and the previous back ground that men had in basketball as opposed to women who entered coaching. The women's game is catching up to the mens game via the increases skill level of the players and that requires change in coaching to adjust to that change. Men because of their past were less likely to be locked into the old style of womens basketball. I think that players coming out of the new systems will make excellent coaches that will eventually reverse the trend of the percentage of men dominating top level coaching in WCBB. It's purely a numbers game.

One factor in Geno impacting WCBB was the fact that he was a man who became the dominant coach in the game. This along with increases funding and emphasis on Womens programs increased the amount of men who entered the field thus raised the standard of coaching over all. It is given that none of those mens coaches played WCBB. Most of them were not even good basketball players themselves so their success was not based on history as a player but their skills as a coach. It makes me wonder how many womens coaches were not actually good players?.