Geno - This one was on you

[Jingo]

Your last sentence seems to imply that Kyla and Anna contribute nothing to UConn's offense. That was, in fact, almost true in the Baylor game (never mind that it was equally true in that game for Liv and Aubrey), but going into that game, Kyla was 12-for-18 on 3-point shots, and she got at least three open 3's which she took and missed in that game. I don't know whether it was just a random occurrence or if she got nervous because of the gravity of the game, but there was no reason to predict that prior to the game. Kyla also usually makes good passes and avoids turnovers, so it was reasonable to expect that she would do that against Baylor, but for the most part she didn't.

Really, the question you pose is whether on Thursday night (not next year or the year after), Geno could reasonably have expected Liv and Aubrey to contribute more to the offense than Kyla and Anna. In fact, in the third quarter Geno tried the experiment that you and Big Mick seem to be advocating. For about the first 8 minutes of the third quarter, he played Liv and Aubrey along with the three scorers, and the result was that the score changed from 35-34 Baylor at halftime to 53-46 Baylor with about 2:09 left in the third quarter. Neither ONO nor Aubrey scored or did all that much else to commend themselves to Geno during those 8 minutes (although Liv got a couple of blocks and some rebounds, but failed on several shot attempts against Cox), and the lead widened. Then Anna and Kyla came in at that point, and the quarter ended where it began with a 55-54 Baylor lead. So Geno had some reason to think that the team played more effectively with Anna/Kyla than with Liv/Aubrey in the lineup.

This is just another reflection of the typical fan's focus on athletic talent over all else, largely because it makes the game more fun to watch. But a good coach like Geno knows that athletic talent is not a get-out-of-jail-free card that should cause him to overlook all the shortcomings in someone's play. He is right about that.

You make some good points!

 

[Jingo]

No.
Basic basketball is NEVER to allow players who are as limited as triple threat (dribble, pass, shoot) as these two are and make them a focus of the offense. Further, they lost in part because other than Danger, MW and CW-- the others weren't good enough to pick up additional load.

Regarding ft shooting -- Shaq O'Neal one year in 02-03 shot 62.2% from the FT line. He should've been at top of the key in the high post too? That's what ONO is shooting and what Aubrey isn't even shooting. It's a bad%. It's "more than enough" evidence to show us that they shouldn't be doing it. Think about it. They are WIDE OPEN - can take their time-- and they still shoot not very good. They shoot ft's at Shaq level. What happens during game time when they aren't wide open/ can't take their time during chaotic movement of play? They'll miss a lot. A lot. A lot.
Noo - also - if the defense steps up - ONO can't dribble. They cant come close to doing what you think they can. ONO can't dribble hard. Aubrey doesn't see the floor well. Plus AUbrey can't shoot. We saw today she was scared to take an 8 footer. Look at her passing stats. They are terrible. Why are you ignroing the passing stats?

And NO -- you're not talking "basic hoops" -- you are talking Kindergarten hoops in which you want everyone to play equally. That's not how competitive hoops is played. The two players you want to give the ball to more were 0-11 vs Baylor. Their combined assist to TO ratio combined isn't even 1-to-1. Danger was regarded as the #3 recruit in H/s, while Walker and CWill were number 1. Currently, overall they shoot the 3 ball better, they shoot free throws better, and their assist to ratio is over 1.3 to 1 vs ONO and Aubrey combined. SO if they pass and shoot better, how is it logical to not give them the ball more? They didn't get to be top ranked recruits mostly because of their defense while Aubrey and ONO did.

That gun you are sticking to while you might think it is pointing outward, it's actually pointing inward. You're looking at things from the wrong direction. They all have to play better but the features on offense must come from Danger, CWill and MW. If they lose-- they just weren't good enough.

Basketball is a 5-man game, not a 3-man game .. pretty logical .. basic hoops, eh?

 

[hoophuskee]

Basketball is a 5-man game, not a 3-man game .. pretty logical .. basic hoops, eh?

Yeah and if you read JoePughs post which you did-- you'd realize Kyla just missed her shots. You seemed to have acknowledged that, didn't you?

And if she hit her shots-- which she was doing all season-- wouldn't that have probably created more opportunities for ONO inside just like it has the whole season?

You see- there's your 5 man game. That's basic hoops.

 

[Jingo]

Yeah and if you read JoePughs post which you did-- you'd realize Kyla just missed her shots. You seemed to have acknowledged that, didn't you?

And if she hit her shots-- which she was doing all season-- wouldn't that have probably created more opportunities for ONO inside just like it has the whole season?

You see- there's your 5 man game. That's basic hoops.

You make some good points here.
Don't get me wrong, I like Kyla and everyone else on the team .. what's not to like?
And I think Kyla deserves important minutes but Baylor is a bad match-up for her IMO.
Now if AG could only score like I saw her [several times] in high school .. hmmm...

 

[hoophuskee]

You make some good points here.
Don't get me wrong, I like Kyla and everyone else on the team .. what's not to like?
And I think Kyla deserves important minutes but Baylor is a bad match-up for her IMO.
Now if AG could only score like I saw her [several times] in high school .. hmmm...

Thanks for having friendly back-and-forth posts!

I am freaked over AG's athleticism.

I used to hate posters suggesting fullcourt pressing for many teams but next year -- and especially her-- wow. WHat a pressure weapon I think she would be.

 

[Jingo]

Thanks for having friendly back-and-forth posts!

I am freaked over AG's athleticism.

I used to hate posters suggesting fullcourt pressing for many teams but next year -- and especially her-- wow. WHat a pressure weapon I think she would be.

Ditto .. friendly repartee is FUN! I agree...
And Mir McLean may be more athletic than Griff .. something to look forward to for sure! .. possibly a 2-2-1 press like Hazzard and Goodrich spearheaded for UCLA and won them their 1st championships for John Wooden

 

[Triad]

Ladies and gentlemen can we take a step back. To begin with this wasn't The University of Pennsylvania at New Kensington we were playing.. The last time I looked we were playing the current Ncaa champions. And rather than firing our coach maybe we can give him a second chance. Part of the problem is two of our less than successful recruiting classes but this appears to have be rectified in the future. We are not going to get the top five in the Hoopgurlz every year and, if you have been following the women's college basketball programs for the past few years you will see that teams like Mississippi State, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas A&M have upgraded their recruiting and hired coaches who have built excellent programs. This game was nip and tuck until the fourth quarter and that is when, unfortunately, (and I think we all realized this) the weakness of our bench came into play. Can we rectify that this year. If Geno can't no one can.

RECRUITING is a significant part of the problem. Not current RECRUITING but that which didn't happen 2 and 3 years ago. Even then the recruits were not the premier cream.
The greatest coach of the WORLD must have players with TALENT. Players with some level of top EXPERIENCE. And those players, in certain positions, must be TALL and TALENTED.
A TEAM or COACH without the above against the above teams most likely shall lose. That's why 4 grade students are not allowed to play for colleges.
Everyone expect next year to be stellar. Remember, each new Recruit shall be NEW to the Uconn/Div/Geno system and most, if not all, stumble as FROSH. All I hope is none--NONE--find the door to GENO's Dog House wide open. I hated the look on MEGAN's face as she sat dejectedly all alone while much less players played Publicly displayed for Mom, Dad, HS classmates to see.

 

[Triad]

Let’s all agree that far too many of us are spoiled and expect 39-0 teams who win National Championships winning every game by 30+.
That said, I was at the game and For as good as her game was last night Christyn’s free throw shooting was that bad. Liv's inside shooting was so bad, she couldn't hit the water if she fell out of a boat. She needs to use the glass more. Not sure why everyone is picking on Aubrey who provides energy and hustle on defense. Yes, she doesn’t know the offense well enough yet but she needs playing time. Kyla is a liability on offense but so it DiDi Richards for Baylor so it wasn’t 3 vs. 5 as many have suggested. Anna sees the court well, moves without the ball well and rebounds better than most. Aubrey, Anna and Kyla all have roles on this team. We miss Batouly and her strong inside presence, even if for only 5 min a game. If anything we needed Crystal Dangerfield to shoot more.
Let us all remember 2012-13 season at 35-4 with some young players having to learn and grow and that seemed to turn out pretty well for us.
Losing S—ks, I get it, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water here and you know, actually support OUR TEAM when they need us to.
Come on, this is a journey, not just a destination so let’s deal with the ups and downs with aplomb and grace.
Go Huskies!
Respectfully,
DefenseBB

Using the glass is a lost art. Those long shots have a better chance. Geno once taught using the glass on side shots. Rene mastered that kissing the glass on both sides and was accurate. If Ania, Aubrey, CW use the glass more it works well.
The internal Geometry calculating system has to work or those shot go askew.

 

[CTisballers]

Uconn lost the games as a team coaching staff down to the players. It was a good game until the final 4 minutes. This will only make them better and trust their offense down the stretch. Also I seen someone post about how bad Kyla and Aubrey had. Well don’t forget Aubrey is a freshman and Kyla was in a position she never been in and was outmatched from Baylor athleticism. Meg was 5-20 Anna only took 2 shots in 18 min we are fine Geno is fine. If you want to blame somebody for the lost blame T’ea Cooper. One of the best game I’ve seen her play.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I think UCONN lost the game because they only have three high level offensive players on the roster and were facing a comparably talented team that had a better fourth quarter.

I'm not sure it has much to do with coaching aside from assembling the roster. I get that it is UCONN, but if Geno is doing a poor job because he put together a team that might possibly on its worst day lose four games, then I think that's a little unreasonable expectation. .

 

[Tufkas]

RECRUITING is a significant part of the problem....

Recruiting is paramount. Development and prep are second. In-game third. A brief review especially illustrates this - all 11 titles were on the back of phenomenal recruiting and player development, with each championship on the back of one or two generational, Hall of Fame talents. To wit, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and a combination of Tina Charles and Maya Moore combine for 9 of the 11, with the other two featuring extraordinary recruiting classes.

The combination of Geno Auriemma and Chris Daily are by far the best recruiters in college sports, perhaps of all time. The results speak for themselves. Conversely, without a generational talent...

Among others...
2013-2016 The Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck, Moriah Jefferson era...
2010 Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Caroline Doty, Tiffany Hayes, Renee Montgomery, Kalana Greene
2009 Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Caroline Doty, Tiffany Hayes, Renee Montgomery, Kalana Greene
2004 DIANA TAURASI, Ann Strother
2003 DIANA TAURASI, Ann Strother
2002 Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Diana Taurasi, Tamika Williams
2000 Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Shea Ralph Svetlana Abrosimova, Tamika Williams
1995 Rebecca Lobo, Kara Wolters, Jennifer Rizzotti, Nykesha Sales

 

[Longtime fan]

And according to the Preseason Polls, the #2 team is supposed to beat the #5 team.
The haters on this forum keep saying that we weren't a #1 team so maybe you have proven to be right, in January. And of course everyone of you can coach and recruit better than Geno and his coaches.
I don't believe in rebuilding years because when March and April arrive, the cream rises to the top and I believe that we will be there because that is what Geno is working towards.

It is. You are quite correct. But we let our dreams take over. We see some amazing play ( e.g. Olivia's work earlier ) and then we get greedy. It is difficult for us to sit peacefully and say, this is a re-building year and just making it to the NCAA tourney will be enough. We want to beat Baylor, and South Carolina and Oregon and all the other upstarts who are making women's college basketball ( finally ) exciting and competitive.

 

[wallman]

This could be the year I want my Bruins to get Uconn in the tournament Maybe. But if you are sick of Geno, we will kindly take him off your hands.

 

[Longtime fan]

This could be the year I want my Bruins to get Uconn in the tournament Maybe. But if you are sick of Geno, we will kindly take him off your hands.

I live in LA and go, on occasion, to UCLA women's games ( like when UCONN was hear a couple years ago ). Or, I'll go watch them play USC. Stanford is away this season, I think. But I have to see them win a signature game before I become a believer, even with their record.

 

[diggerfoot]

Recruiting is paramount. Development and prep are second. In-game third. A brief review especially illustrates this - all 11 titles were on the back of phenomenal recruiting and player development, with each championship on the back of one or two generational, Hall of Fame talents. To wit, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and a combination of Tina Charles and Maya Moore combine for 9 of the 11, with the other two featuring extraordinary recruiting classes.

The combination of Geno Auriemma and Chris Daily are by far the best recruiters in college sports, perhaps of all time. The results speak for themselves. Conversely, without a generational talent...

Among others...
2013-2016 The Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck, Moriah Jefferson era...
2010 Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Caroline Doty, Tiffany Hayes, Renee Montgomery, Kalana Greene
2009 Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Caroline Doty, Tiffany Hayes, Renee Montgomery, Kalana Greene
2004 DIANA TAURASI, Ann Strother
2003 DIANA TAURASI, Ann Strother
2002 Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Diana Taurasi, Tamika Williams
2000 Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Shea Ralph Svetlana Abrosimova, Tamika Williams
1995 Rebecca Lobo, Kara Wolters, Jennifer Rizzotti, Nykesha Sales

I agree with your point, if we remove the misleading element. Wolters and Rizzotti, for example, were not highly sought after recruits. Rizzotti may have been due to low visibility from playing abroad, but Wolters simply was not a player that many coaches coveted. Yet Auriemma saw what he needed in them, recruited them and developed them into Players of the Years.

If you are going by recruiting the best talent as recognized by all, then I think that is a little misleading. Sure, for 25 years UConn has recruited at the highest level, yet they always had a peer. Tennessee was recruiting at our level for perhaps 20 of those years. Duke, Notre Dame, Baylor, Stanford in and out all were recruiting at our level at a time when we yet often outperformed them. Referring back to 1995, that was the year VanDerveer touted "we have six Nykesha Sales on our team" ... and we stomped them by 27 points in the semifinal game. That has to do with not simply recruiting the best talent, but recruiting the best talent you feel can be developed into the best squad.

As far as the generational talent angle is concerned, that is a term that necessarily invokes a time frame. Let's be generous and assume it means ten years instead of twenty. So no player like Lobo existed within ten years of her? What about Leslie? I'm more comfortable with saying POY talent rather than generational talent. Yes, we always had POY talent, but sometimes POYs have to be developed (like Wolters and Rizzotti), not merely recruited.

 

[Argonaut]

I agree with your point, if we remove the misleading element. Wolters and Rizzotti, for example, were not highly sought after recruits. Rizzotti may have been due to low visibility from playing abroad, but Wolters simply was not a player that many coaches coveted. Yet Auriemma saw what he needed in them, recruited them and developed them into Players of the Years.

I didn't know that Rizzotti played abroad, so I consulted the Google...

Here's a cool old Courant article where she talks about choosing UConn and her time going to school in Japan, in case anyone else needs the education.

UCONN’S RIZZOTTI AIMS HIGH

It’s sometimes difficult to believe how much Jennifer Rizzotti has packed into a little more than 18 years … and how much she hopes to accomplish in her next four at the University of C…

www.courant.com

 

[01Neaggrad02]

This one stat tells most of the story:

===> Irwin: 32 minutes, 0 for 4 shooting, 2 rebounds, 3 personal fouls and ZERO points.

And, how about that 4th quarter:
===> 6 points scored.
===> The reason: No post presence, thus allowing Baylor to defend the perimeter with numbers as there were JUST 3 players on the floor that were ever going to shoot.

Seriously....

You cannot be for real? Good to see who is a fan when they win and who is willing to attack the Hall of Fame Coach when things do not go our way.... let us not forget that Baylor had the height which was a difference maker.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Kayla was terrible. She is not ready for this type game. Too slow doesn't jump, They were shooting over her at will. At least Griffin would get us some rebounds. Geno you screwed up.

I agree Kayla is terrible. Thank God Geno never puts KAYLA in the game... Now Kyla on the other hand may not put up a ton of points, but she is a good ball handler and is a good rebounder. Kyla watch out... someone name Kayla is trying to get into the game

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Just my 2 cents but UConn can not win a national championship playing Irwin. Yes she does all the little things, is a great teammate, communicates well on the floor.

But to win a national championship you need 5 players who are capable of doing the BIG things. UConn right now has 4.

They need to find a 5th, and no one has stepped up to grab that spot. The only two who have the ability to be that player are Makurat or Griffin. But neither has stepped up enough to claim that honor.

So for now, until/unless that happens, Irwin deserves to play. Be that as it may, anything beyond the Sweet 16 with Irwin in the lineup will be a bonus.

 

[Big Mick]

You cannot be for real? Good to see who is a fan when they win and who is willing to attack the Hall of Fame Coach when things do not go our way.... let us not forget that Baylor had the height which was a difference maker.

Watch much hoops?