Geno to Coach National Team in Rio - 2016

[alexrgct]

Nah, having just driven up from Cape Cod, I'm ready for the Yankees to trounce Boston.

Not a "nice guy" anymore?

I kind of imagine "national championship aside" is a little over-the-top in misappropriated subtlety. I mean, it evokes the infamous saying, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

 

[johnnyc]

There's logic behind the USA assignment!

Yes there is.....Geno is simply the best coach and imo it's not even close. (Walz or Muffet would fight it out for #2)

 

[johnnyc]

What also makes this a great selection is that we can speculate Geno picking KML and Stewart for the team and driving Tenn fans nuts for the next couple of years.

 

[pap49cba]

Geno's stature in the the state of CT is built on the Uconn Wbb team. Given his 'investment' in the university, team, business interests, etc., he would be crazy to do something he thinks might jeopardize all of that for the sake of a 2nd Olympic ring. I'm sure he has thought this through very carefully.

 

[alexrgct]

What also makes this a great selection is that we can speculate Geno picking KML and Stewart for the team and driving Tenn fans nuts for the next couple of years.

This is inevitable. Geno fielded half an Olympic team with UCOnn kids in 2012. He needs to step up his game and top that. Maya, Tina, DT, Sue (she'll manage her way back), KML, Stef, and Stewie. Anything less would be unacceptable.

 

[latione2009]

This is inevitable. Geno fielded half an Olympic team with UCOnn kids in 2012. He needs to step up his game and top that. Maya, Tina, DT, Sue (she'll manage her way back), KML, Stef, and Stewie. Anything less would be unacceptable.

Stef? I'm sorry but that selection WOULD make one raise an eyebrow when you have Charles, Fowles, Griner, Parker, Johnson, C. Ogwumike, N. Ogwumike, Langhorne, EDD, and a very experienced Bone all available as posts... Stef would be a long shot

 

[luckyhusky7]

In other news a bunch of people from south of the Mason-Dixon Line have been spotted jumping off cliffs, bridges, and planes without parachutes

 

[Phil]

Who are you kidding with this stuff - Geno has it in his super secret double hidden invisible ink clause in the contract that he has absolute authority to choose only the players he wants with no regard for what either USA basketball wants or their relative talent merit. Now I haven't actually seen the executed version of the contract, but I have my sources and they are really 'inside' sources if you know what I mean (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and they got me a hand written copy of the draft document which I wish I could share with you, but ... I have to protect my sources. And my best friend's second cousins wife's former boyfriend's half brother knows someone who works with ESPN (Uconn's personal broadcasting network as everyone knows) who was there when the whole thing went down. So TRUST me, this is the real story and you can take it to the bank.
And Phil - you really disappoint me that you could have fallen for all that PC crap that the 'USA Basketball Selection Committee makes all roster decisions' - As if!

I thought we were going to keep this between us?

 

[UCONNfan1]

Stef? I'm sorry but that selection WOULD make one raise an eyebrow when you have Charles, Fowles, Griner, Parker, Johnson, C. Ogwumike, N. Ogwumike, Langhorne, EDD, and a very experienced Bone all available as posts... Stef would be a long shot

One thing to keep in mind is that Appel was invited to the tryouts. To me Dolson is a similar player. Also similar to Riley. Having said that, as much as I'd love to see Stef on a team like that, I think her lack of athleticism and foot speed makes her inclusion very unlikely.

 

[latione2009]

One thing to keep in mind is that Appel was invited to the tryouts. To me Dolson is a similar player. Also similar to Riley. Having said that, as much as I'd love to see Stef on a team like that, I think her lack of athleticism and foot speed makes her inclusion very unlikely.

No doubt Stef will be invited but she's a long shot to make the squad although I do believe she will have a better career than Appel(for some reason she has forgotten how to score since entering the W)

 

[winlots]

Stef? I'm sorry but that selection WOULD make one raise an eyebrow when you have Charles, Fowles, Griner, Parker, Johnson, C. Ogwumike, N. Ogwumike, Langhorne, EDD, and a very experienced Bone all available as posts... Stef would be a long shot

LAT: This is what makes the hot stoves hot...and fun.....I'll take Dolson on my squad over Bone ANY day of the week. Anybody agree with that???

 

[winlots]

I read this too quickly.... I was like... I didnt know Coach P was Macedonian

TRI: Well, sure LOOKS like she goes way back in time............

 

[latione2009]

LAT: This is what makes the hot stoves hot...and fun.....I'll take Dolson on my squad over Bone ANY day of the week. Anybody agree with that???

Against the Bone we see now I would take Stef but against a Bone with more growth because of playing in the W/overseas I don't think so...Stef's IQ and Bone's athleticism may balance eachother out I don't really see either of them making it but stranger things have happened

 

[EricLA]

Congrats to Geno. Couldn't be happier. That means he's the coach of the US National Team for the next 4 years. He's at the pinnacle of his sport, and has been tapped twice to be the Olympic coach. Has anyone ever coached 2 Olympic teams on the women's side before? Recruits will now get close to 8 years of Geno as the biggest name for women's basketball in the world. What's wrong with that?

If Geno feels like he missed a step with any of the recruiting, he can leave his assistants at home to hit the recruiting trail for him. I really don't see a downside to this, unless you are a Duke, Notre Dame, Maryland, Stanford, Louisville, etc. fan. Of course Tennessee fans will lose their minds, and all the more reason to applaud the decision by the US National Basketball committee (or whatever it's called)...

 

[Scotter]

I always expected USA Basketball to eventually get Geno to agree to another cycle. So this isn't a surprise to me. I'm glad Geno changed his mind.

The UConn roster size has nothing to do with Geno coaching the national team. The primary reason more recruits haven't chosen to attend UConn particularly in a certain years is simple. Concern over playing time. Basketball players naturally place a high priority on the likelihood of getting an opportunity to play. Start there before jumping to conclusions about anything else being the reason for a one player recruiting class.

 

[Icebear]

Stef? I'm sorry but that selection WOULD make one raise an eyebrow when you have Charles, Fowles, Griner, Parker, Johnson, C. Ogwumike, N. Ogwumike, Langhorne, EDD, and a very experienced Bone all available as posts... Stef would be a long shot

On the other hand there is no one past or present who runs the center of Geno's offense better than Stef. She passes brilliantly out of the post (back door passes, high post to low post passes, feed to the spot up shooters for threes, pick and roll and more), she battles hard for the low block, she willingly sets screen after screen (I watched her set four or five in one brief series of about 10 seconds), she reliably makes the 15-17 footer above the FT line and can now shoot the 3 very well and she works tirelessly and plays through pain and as of last season runs the court quite well. Yeah, I can see why Geno wouldn't want her available at the center of his offensive plans for the Olympic team. No one player embodies all of Geno's desired skills and options in a center better than Stef. Plus by then she will probably be a two first team AA.

 

[meyers7]

AP Article -Link Auriemma had felt his Olympic duties took too much time from his coaching at Connecticut.

I'm sure the committee's argument was "you won a NC, and you're most likely to win another this year, really how much is it adversely affecting UCONN?"

 

[meyers7]

Coaches? Bruno maybe. Cheryl Reeves might deserve a shot. Other possibilities?

Maybe, they start grooming Jen? Could you imagine the meltdown in TN with Geno/Jen and a handful of UCONN players in Rio??? That alone would be worth any perceived recruiting negatives.

 

[meyers7]

Who are you kidding with this stuff - Geno has it in his super secret double hidden invisible ink clause in the contract that he has absolute authority to choose only the players he wants with no regard for what either USA basketball wants or their relative talent merit. Now I haven't actually seen the executed version of the contract, but I have my sources and they are really 'inside' sources if you know what I mean (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and they got me a hand written copy of the draft document which I wish I could share with you, but ... I have to protect my sources. And my best friend's second cousins wife's former boyfriend's half brother knows someone who works with ESPN (Uconn's personal broadcasting network as everyone knows) who was there when the whole thing went down. So TRUST me, this is the real story and you can take it to the bank.
And Phil - you really disappoint me that you could have fallen for all that PC crap that the 'USA Basketball Selection Committee makes all roster decisions' - As if!

Well done. Kudos for anyone who can put Monty Python and Ferris Bueller references in the same post.

 

[meyers7]

In other news a bunch of people from south of the Mason-Dixon Line have been spotted jumping off cliffs, bridges, and planes without parachutes

Do you think it's because of the announcement, or is this a normal activity for them?? (i.e. they are not bright enough to realize they need one)

 

[Bestiarius]

Doesn't stop the knUTs from waxing eloquent on how rigged the system is in favor of Geno and UCONN. Add to that the fact that he has people in the NCAA in his back pocket.

Don't forget to include the UConn subsidiaries ESPN and SNY. And if Stef doesn't make the team, I'm sure her broadcasting career will be in full swing in time to work the Olympics.

 

[UcMiami]

Well done. Kudos for anyone who can put Monty Python and Ferris Bueller references in the same post.

Hey - what gives ... do I lose points for the Clueless and Animal House references?!

 

[ChicagoGG]

Nah, having just driven up from Cape Cod, I'm ready for the Yankees to trounce Boston.

Not a "nice guy" anymore?

Like they did last night (not!)?

 

[Wonkster]

... Tara Van Deveer took off time from her program because she considered the demands of doing the two simultaneously are so significant.

And how long did it take Stanford's WBB program to recover from that missing year?

How soon we forget.

 

[Wonkster]

Cheer up, Triad. Maybe in 12 more years our favorite Maineonian (Coach P) may be selected for the position ..... after 11 consecutive NCAA runnerup spots.

Speaking of runnerup spots ... Somewhere on the Louisville Scout web site is the phrase "defending NCAA WBB runnerup team."

I swear.

I guess that means that Jeff Walz will take on all comers who try to take runnerup status away from his team.