Geno on Aubrey | The Boneyard

Geno on Aubrey

JoePgh

Cranky pants and wise acre
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As far as I can tell, no one on the Boneyard has mentioned Geno's comments about Aubrey towards the end of his Houston postgame press conference. I found them surprising and telling.

His basic comment was that he wished Aubrey had the mentality of a talented male basketball player coming to college for his "one and done" year. He said that guy's attitude would be, "I'm going to shoot all the time and score 25 so they will draft me in the top 10 at the end of the year." Instead of that, he said Aubrey's attitude was all about being concerned to fit in with her teammates and do what the offense called for. She tries so hard to play within the offense and be mindful of her teammates that her play becomes tentative.

There's a little psychological gamesmanship here, especially in the context of the similar message that he delivered to Anna, in that case using a Polish NBA player as the comparison. He wants both of them to play more confidently and less tentatively. He made it sound as if he didn't care whether they thought of their teammates or played within the offense.

Of course, he doesn't really mean that, and I think they know it. He even backed off slightly from his comments about Aubrey, saying later that he would like her to play like a one-and-done male player "in some ways, not all". And they can both be sure that they would have hell to pay if they really did play selfishly. What he wants is for them to be SOMEWHAT more selfish and less team-oriented, not completely, i.e., to find the right balance rather than being overbalanced toward systematic team play.

I once had a boss like that -- he told me not to be tentative or defensive, but if I non-tentatively did something that he disagreed with, he let me know about it in no uncertain terms, asking how I could do such a dumb thing. I found it very hard to deal with that, and I'm guessing that Anna and Aubrey have the same difficulty.

His last comment about Aubrey was that if she could overcome her tentativeness in the next month or two, it would make the team 100% better. "That's how good she is." It's not like he doesn't recognize her talent.
 
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At this time next year, we will be shaking our heads just like we did
with Gabby, saying how did she do that. She is a very gifted athlete.
She will be quicker, stronger and more confident.
 
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“Hazard/Goodrich days at UCLA”....man, we’re getting up there! Wonder how many boneyarders have not a clue?!
How true .. guess i m dating myself.. :)
 

MilfordHusky

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With regard to JoePgh's post, it reminds me of Maya Moore. When she was drafted, she went to a Minnesota Lynx team that was clearly Seimone Augustus's team. I thought Maya would dominate from Day 1. She had a nice year and was named ROY, but was not a difference maker yet. She worked very hard to fit in. Over the next few years, Maya asserted herself more. Maya had a unique personality and skill set, so I'm not saying that Aubrey will be Maya. But Aubrey can assert herself once she feels more comfortable.
 
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As far as I can tell, no one on the Boneyard has mentioned Geno's comments about Aubrey towards the end of his Houston postgame press conference. I found them surprising and telling.

His basic comment was that he wished Aubrey had the mentality of a talented male basketball player coming to college for his "one and done" year. He said that guy's attitude would be, "I'm going to shoot all the time and score 25 so they will draft me in the top 10 at the end of the year." Instead of that, he said Aubrey's attitude was all about being concerned to fit in with her teammates and do what the offense called for. She tries so hard to play within the offense and be mindful of her teammates that her play becomes tentative.

There's a little psychological gamesmanship here, especially in the context of the similar message that he delivered to Anna, in that case using a Polish NBA player as the comparison. He wants both of them to play more confidently and less tentatively. He made it sound as if he didn't care whether they thought of their teammates or played within the offense.

Of course, he doesn't really mean that, and I think they know it. He even backed off slightly from his comments about Aubrey, saying later that he would like her to play like a one-and-done male player "in some ways, not all". And they can both be sure that they would have hell to pay if they really did play selfishly. What he wants is for them to be SOMEWHAT more selfish and less team-oriented, not completely, i.e., to find the right balance rather than being overbalanced toward systematic team play.

I once had a boss like that -- he told me not to be tentative or defensive, but if I non-tentatively did something that he disagreed with, he let me know about it in no uncertain terms, asking how I could do such a dumb thing. I found it very hard to deal with that, and I'm guessing that Anna and Aubrey have the same difficulty.

His last comment about Aubrey was that if she could overcome her tentativeness in the next month or two, it would make the team 100% better. "That's how good she is." It's not like he doesn't recognize her talent.
Geno of course is right on Ania and Aubrey. Of course, at this time for a few games, he wants Ania an Aubrey to forget the teammates and be aggressive and start their OWN flow. Prove they can do it.!!!!
Once they are confident and within their own pulse then he can get them to play BASKETBALL the GENO way. Until then he needs them to put up oR shut up with offense and defense. GOOD MOVE GENO!!
JoePGH ---Geno didn't say he cut the cord. He's just loosening it to prove to THEM what they should have been doing since day one. Geno has complained about the NICE GIRLS that play UConn Basketball before this.
@Joepgy--Truman said it best and it's true of all coaches and bosses (CEO on down) THE BUCK STOPS WITH THEM. THEY CAN KICK BUT THEY CAN MOTIVATE THEY CAN DIRECT---THEY CAN TEACH IN REAL TIME.
 
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Bottom line: be more confident out there. Shots don't fall without conviction.
Shots NOT thrown up are never made and I think that is GENO's point. When you make a few in a row in a game confidence goes up. You can't get your confidence BACK if you are deferring to upper or lower teammates. They had confidence before Uconn because both ANIA and AUBREY were very good players.
 
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Also she has to know where she’s going on the court far as the plays being run by UConn I see her going in the wrong direction or getting in teammate way while they driving to the basket. She is playing off natural athleticism so imagine when the skills of shooting the 3, better handle ( she loses the ball a lot) but that will come with getting stronger. My guess she will become a AA one day. She can do so many things that we need. Good rebounder and defender also can get the rim with ease. I’m rooting for her.
 

Tonyc

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Im expecting to see Kyla Anna and Griff shooting more over the next few games based on what Geno said. Im also looking for more out of Liv and not so many missed layups by everybody.
 
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Remember the Hazzard/Goodrich days? I'm not saying that I'm even the oldest Boneyarder but I think I can remember seeing ol' Jimmy Naismith putting up that peach basket in the Springfield gym and saying "Okay, first team to hit four points wins!" Now that's old!:)
 

oldude

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I’ve mentioned before that I watched Aubrey in each of her last 4 HS games, the NY State semis & finals, and the Fed Cup tournament. Against really good competition she put up 30+ pts, scoring in every conceivable way. So clearly, she can score.

Geno doesn’t need 30+ from Aubrey. He needs her to understand where to go in the offense, and to shoot the ball with confidence when she’s open. If Aubrey can do those things, she will be the 5th starter over Kyla & Anna, because of all the other things she can do that no one else on the team can do.

Time is of the essence here. The Baylor game showed that UConn is very close, but needs something else to put the team over the top. Aubrey is the X-Factor. Imagine this UConn team with a super-athletic wing who can guard 1-5, rebound and is capable of picking up some of the scoring load. It would increase the Huskies odds of winning it all significantly once the Big Dance rolls around.
 
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As far as I can tell, no one on the Boneyard has mentioned Geno's comments about Aubrey towards the end of his Houston postgame press conference. I found them surprising and telling.

His basic comment was that he wished Aubrey had the mentality of a talented male basketball player coming to college for his "one and done" year. He said that guy's attitude would be, "I'm going to shoot all the time and score 25 so they will draft me in the top 10 at the end of the year." Instead of that, he said Aubrey's attitude was all about being concerned to fit in with her teammates and do what the offense called for. She tries so hard to play within the offense and be mindful of her teammates that her play becomes tentative.

There's a little psychological gamesmanship here, especially in the context of the similar message that he delivered to Anna, in that case using a Polish NBA player as the comparison. He wants both of them to play more confidently and less tentatively. He made it sound as if he didn't care whether they thought of their teammates or played within the offense.

Of course, he doesn't really mean that, and I think they know it. He even backed off slightly from his comments about Aubrey, saying later that he would like her to play like a one-and-done male player "in some ways, not all". And they can both be sure that they would have hell to pay if they really did play selfishly. What he wants is for them to be SOMEWHAT more selfish and less team-oriented, not completely, i.e., to find the right balance rather than being overbalanced toward systematic team play.

I once had a boss like that -- he told me not to be tentative or defensive, but if I non-tentatively did something that he disagreed with, he let me know about it in no uncertain terms, asking how I could do such a dumb thing. I found it very hard to deal with that, and I'm guessing that Anna and Aubrey have the same difficulty.

His last comment about Aubrey was that if she could overcome her tentativeness in the next month or two, it would make the team 100% better. "That's how good she is." It's not like he doesn't recognize her talent.

She needs more playing time even if it's for her rebounding for now. Why are other players getting more playing time not scoring or rebounding ? Makes no sense !
 

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