Geno Settles The Lou Argument

[RockyMTblue2]

“She’s getting tougher,” Auriemma said. “We’ve gotten rid of a lot of her California nonsense. It’s like when we had Diana Taurasi. I’d tell her, ‘We do not win games based on many times you get to shoot a 3-pointer.’ It was defense and rebounding, and she turned out all right.”

Connecticut’s 11th women’s NCAA title and its absolute strangehold on the game makes coach Geno Auriemma the Sportsman of the Year

“Last year we kept talking about winning four (NCAA titles) in a row. No one had done that before,” Auriemma said. “It’s always about going after something, because we have that target on our back anyway.
“This year I hesitated to talk about our standard. We had a lot of young players. We weren’t going to be as deep. I didn’t know if it was fair to them to approach it the same way. But the way it looks now, they’ve played so well that it would be disrespectful not to ask the same things out of them.”

Pretty nifty article.

 

[meyers7]

Some good lines in there.

 

[oldude]

Nice article, but I can't help but wonder why we have to go all the way to LA to find a publication that selects Geno as Sportsman of the Year. Maybe the media around these parts are just a little spoiled.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

"Auriemma’s needling is just part of his style. He refuses to sugar-coat or condescend. When you’re only one loss away from perceived failure, you need to live on a certain edge." One of those lines Meyers7 may have had in mind.

 

[HumblePie]

Nice article, but it does contain at least one error in fact. That being, "...and are on a 90-game winning streak." Not yet, but getting close. Additionally, there is at least one error of omission. That was when Geno was quoted as saying, "We do not win games based on many times you get to shoot a 3-pointer." It should read and was most likely said, "We do not win games based on (how) many times you get to shoot a 3-pointer." Just having fun, not really this picky.

Oh, and by the way, what's the "argument" as referred to in the subject title?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Oh, and by the way, what's the "argument" as referred to in the subject title?

Geno's take on what wins games - defense and rebounding. Yes, he wants Lou to be a rebounder.

 

[Kaizen]

Lou and Naphessa will only get better and better ~~~~

 

[ochoopsfan]

Just curious does "California Nonsense" include when Lou played the first half(or most of it) of the NCAA Semi Final Game vs OSU, on a broken foot?

 

[Rayvin56]

Nice article, but it does contain at least one error in fact. That being, "...and are on a 90-game winning streak." Not yet, but getting close. Additionally, there is at least one error of omission. That was when Geno was quoted as saying, "We do not win games based on many times you get to shoot a 3-pointer." It should read and was most likely said, "We do not win games based on (how) many times you get to shoot a 3-pointer." Just having fun, not really this picky.

Oh, and by the way, what's the "argument" as referred to in the subject title?

Another error: "Connecticut didn’t even have a women’s team until 1984. It had only one winning season until it hired Auriemma, then a Virginia assistant, in 1985."

Just a typo on the first year UConn had a women's bball team, which was actually '74. I guess not every publication uses a proof reader.

 

[sarals24]

Just curious does "California Nonsense" include when Lou played the first half(or most of it) of the NCAA Semi Final Game vs OSU, on a broken foot?

I think she broke her foot near the end of the half and then didn't play the second half.

 

[hugefan]

Nope it was the first play off the game when she took the ball up against Hamblin and scored.

 

[HumblePie]

I think she broke her foot near the end of the half and then didn't play the second half.

I believe the point IS...she did, in fact, play several minutes (and was willing to play more) with a broken foot.

 

[calpedaler]

INDIANAPOLIS >> The UConn women’s basketball coaches roared their approval when freshman Katie Lou Samuelson quickly recovered after losing possession for a split second and then aggressively driving to the basket for the first points in the Huskies’ 80-51 win over Oregon State in the national semifinals.

Link

 

[ochoopsfan]

I think she broke her foot near the end of the half and then didn't play the second half.

Link[/QUOTE]

From the article
"It was that play that ultimately cut short Samuelson’s outstanding freshman season. Samuelson would play an additional 16 1/2 minutes before she was told that she broke a bone in her left foot and will not be able to play in Tuesday’s national championship game against Syracuse."

 

[HumblePie]

Geno's take on what wins games - defense and rebounding. Yes, he wants Lou to be a rebounder.

He also wants her to improve her defense. So, where's the "argument?" He's also quite pleased that she can blow teams out with her ability to score (from all over the court, not just 3s), her exceptional passing, her unselfish teamwork, the sacrificing of her body and willingness to take the charge, and her leadership role as a sophomore. She isn't perfect ... YET. but definitely working toward it.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

He also wants her to improve her defense. So, where's the "argument?" He's also quite pleased that she can blow teams out with her ability to score (from all over the court, not just 3s), her exceptional passing, her unselfish teamwork, the sacrificing of her body and willingness to take the charge, and her leadership role as a sophomore. She isn't perfect ... YET. but definitely working toward it.

I guess you missed the argument in another thread about Lou and rebounding; some of our worthy colleagues were maintaining Lou should stay out of the rebounding business so as not to impede the "pros" Pheesa and Gabby. Guess you had to be there. Yes, Lou is pretty terrific.

 

[hugefan]

I think he wants everyone to improve their defense. Funny thing about rebounding stats is that you can still get rebounds under the basket and give up lay ups by poor defense position which can be seen in the Notre Dame, Kansas State games etc. When Butler is on the floor she too gets a lot of rebounds and other go down in numbers, just as you can get even more rebounds by missing chippies and rack em up.

I know how to test this, she should stay in CA and see how it affects the numbers

 

[MJL243]

ESPN showed a blow-up of the play where Lou broke her foot. It looks like Sydney Wiese's heel comes down on Lou's foot.

 

[HumblePie]

I guess you missed the argument in another thread about Lou and rebounding; some of our worthy colleagues were maintaining Lou should stay out of the rebounding business so as not to impede the "pros" Pheesa and Gabby. Guess you had to be there. Yes, Lou is pretty terrific.

No, I was there and had something to say about this myself. However, to pose an "argument" in a new thread without referring to another can and is confusing. At least we agree, Lou is terrific!

 

[JudgeSCR]

I thought the most interesting line came at the end: "Today they come from the South and the West with the full knowledge that the biggest headline they can make is when they lose."

Just take a moment to reflect on the women that accept that challenge. They can barely do something new, something that no other UConn team has done before. Win by and average of 35? Done that more than once. Undefeated season? Done that several times. Make All-American, National Player of the Year? Done those multiple times. Best player at their position ... ever? We've done that maybe four times (Sue, Diana, Maya, Stewie). Get a parade? Ho hum been there done that.

Yet they still come. Great players. Players that could start on any team in the nation. Players that would be the featured player on any number of teams. Hoisting up shot after shot with little repercussion. Enduring far less rigorous practices with a far less biting coaching staff. Being constantly told they are the best instead of 'you are the worst ____ in America.' Dealing with a press and a fan base likely to go into hysterical pronouncements if they lose a game and fits of criticism even when they win.

Yet they still come. They come to get better. They come to make their teammates better. They come to be pushed beyond what they can imagine. They come to be a part of something larger than themselves.

They and we are the beneficiaries of this amazing world Geno and CD have created. How lucky are they? How lucky are we?

 

[hugefan]

And as Geno put it dealing with "handlers" that want to push their own agenda and belittle other players.

Probably a good job that she has that sense of humor.

 

[AAADog]

That article gives me goosebumps. There is no way we (husky fans) deserve this. No sports fans in history have had a bigger ride that we are having. It almost seems like a dream. Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

 

[Carnac]

“She’s getting tougher,” Auriemma said. “We’ve gotten rid of a lot of her California nonsense. It’s like when we had Diana Taurasi. I’d tell her, ‘We do not win games based on many times you get to shoot a 3-pointer.’ It was defense and rebounding, and she turned out all right.”

Connecticut’s 11th women’s NCAA title and its absolute strangehold on the game makes coach Geno Auriemma the Sportsman of the Year

“Last year we kept talking about winning four (NCAA titles) in a row. No one had done that before,” Auriemma said. “It’s always about going after something, because we have that target on our back anyway.
“This year I hesitated to talk about our standard. We had a lot of young players. We weren’t going to be as deep. I didn’t know if it was fair to them to approach it the same way. But the way it looks now, they’ve played so well that it would be disrespectful not to ask the same things out of them.”

Pretty nifty article.

It's on rare occasion a story or piece on Geno Auriemma or the University of Connecticut women's basketball team is featured in any newspaper out here on the west coast. It must be a slow day in sports here, because THIS story actually made the front page of our small local newspaper's sports section this morning. I was shocked to say the least. There is very little interest here in women's sports, especially in a team 3,000 miles and 3 time zones away. I hardly ever see anything about UConn in our tiny daily "fish rap". When your accomplishments reach even the farthest remote outposts of society, then you know your fame has really spread from border to border, and coast to coast.

Men's college and professional sports usually gets all the attention (and space) of our 8 page sports section each day. Then, just as I was recovering from that shocking episode, I glance over to page 3, look down, and see another UConn reference. The heading read: "Cal (University of California @ Berkeley) enters Top 25, UConn remains remains top team". It went on to mention that Cal women's team entered the women's top 25 at #21 yesterday, and that UConn is still the cat's meow at #1. There are too many sports teams (high school, college and professional) locally here to give UConn an idle thought. The Cowboy - Lion's game took up half the of another page with college bowl game coverage and box scores filling out the remainder of the section.

We've got the Rose Bowl (Penn St - USC) game coming up next week, We've got the Rams finishing up their season, and looking for a new coach and some new players. Our local horse racing track (Santa Anita) opened yesterday for its winter meeting. A brief nod was given to the #2 UCLA men (basketball) who are undefeated at 13-0, and our USC men's basketball team was also featured because they are ranked (#22), and their starting point guard is from one of our local high schools. Will wonders ever cease?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Lou and Naphessa will only get better and better ~~~~

Actually, though at different times, Geno has given them both "better and better and better".

 

[MilfordHusky]

Not only did the Huskies win 4 NCAA championships in a row and 86 games in a row, Geno's Team USA won its 6th consecutive Olympic gold medal in record-breaking fashion. Coach also built for the future by recruiting Azura Stevens, Batouly Camara, Megan Walker, Lexi Gordon, Mikayla Coombs, Andra Espinoza-Hunter, and Charli Collier. I think Geno had a really, really, really, really good year!