Geno v Cori

[MooseJaw]

Several posters have commented that Geno completely out coached Cori Close. Just watched their presser. The UCLA players said they felt fully prepared by their coaching staff and owned that they did not execute and played poorly. I am curious what other boneyarders would point to—specifically—to critique Close. Where do you see the superior coaching?

game planning just to start. Others can fill in what they want, but the first step in putting together a game plan was obviously superior from coach Gramps.

 

[Bills Fan]

If any of you saw A. Carter in her postgame interview with SVP she said she is a player analyst normally, but in this case had to give the main credit for the blowout to Geno and his gameplan.

 

[AnonChoice]

I think it's ridiculous to say that she was out coached. Great scheme by Geno and even better execution by the players.
I believe it's time to start giving this UCONN team all time great ranking espe if they win it all. Since that Tennessee game UCONN hasn't played a bad game.

Yes -- and a big part of that is coaching!

 

[rubymae4]

Close’s post game presser was impressive, IMO. She prepared the best she could given lack of experience in the FF. She said she talked with many others about what to expect, and they all said—you have to experience it. She took responsibility to take this experience and learn from it. She was VERY complimentary of UConn.

She values learning from experience. I think she’d be a good coach to play for.

It appears the coaches and the program have been so supportive of Betts with her mental health struggles, and I can’t dog anyone who steps up to that plate. It’s sorely needed.

 

[BRS24]

Talent-wise, UCLA compares favorably to UConn and every other team in the country. No way, this team should lose to any team by 30 plus points.

I think for Close, her team has the problem that Geno always talks about as a priority. Consistency and can she trust her players beyond Betts to get X every night. She can't.

I've watched them all season and it has always been different players helping Betts to put points up and not a consistent player or two.

These both are interesting points. Talent and player rankings are one thing, but development is another. Geno speaks often about players these days, not knowing how to do basic hoop skills. Geno demands consistency, and yes, we all moan about how he pulls players after mistakes, however this is what makes players and teams great.

 

[Zonepress]

the outcoached thing seems a real reach Uconn
is playing very well right now and has way better talent at the top
ucla was a one dimension team based on lauren betts that had allowed them to be very successful
despite her statistics she was a non factor last night
imho Jana el efy in the first 5 minutes of the game limited Betts impact by
playing straight up defense with no help that
was not something that had happened to
ucla all year
the panic set in and lesser talent at the other 4 positions
led to the easy win
was it poor coaching that allowed Jana to play
way beyond what she had shown all year?
ucla plays one way and when that wasn’t working
their was no plan b
only opinion i have on her as a coach is that
i question the usefulness of the very emotional
in game style

 

[Geew1992]

Close was def out coached. And there was zero adjustment at halftime

 

[Scorpio1]

Here’s an element of coaching to consider. Close has developed an offense that practically forces the basketball into to low post, which is about all that UCLA did well last night.

Remember that Geno recruited Betts. Had she come to Storrs, UConn would never have put her in a similar offense. Geno runs a motion offense that spreads the floor and shares the ball.

That is not to suggest that Geno would never post up Betts and feed her the ball in the low post. It would be an option. But not an exclusive one.

What Geno knows, and Close has yet to understand, is that a one dimensional offense is much easier to stop than a multidimensional offense.

Geno runs the offense that suits the players that he has. When he had less mobile post players like Kara Wolters and Stephanie Dolson, the offense included getting the ball to them in the low post.

 

[BRS24]

This is an excellent observation, and counter-intuitive because UConn doesn't always have the super-speedy types like Hidalgo. We have one this year in KK, but the speed at issue is team speed. The team moves as a whole with astonishing rapidity, already in a play or a defensive formation before the opponent knows what happened. They turn a defensive stop around so quickly it makes opponents' heads spin. It's not about one speedster beating them down the floor. The whole team gets out on the break. Sarah, who is not the speediest, is usually first or second in the transition offense. And they do this when opponents score as much as when they miss. And on a long rebound: fuhgedaboutit.

Be quick, but don't hurry. John Wooden

 

[HuskyNan]

Close was def out coached. And there was zero adjustment at halftime

There was one adjustment- Azzi was double teamed in the second half, unlike the first. Unfortunately for UCLA, that meant there was only one defender on Paige

 

[Jim]

Close was def out coached. And there was zero adjustment at halftime

Really? How many points did Azzi get in the second half after racking up 19 in the first half? Now that is not to say those were good adjustments because I saw a few plays where multiple UCLA players went to guard Azzi leaving Sarah wide open to shoot a 3.

 

[RoadMaster]

looks like Chris Farley as motivational speaker Matt Foley.

Nailed it...

 

[oldude]

Geno runs the offense that suits the players that he has. When he had less mobile post players like Kara Wolters and Stephanie Dolson, the offense included getting the ball to them in the low post.

The evolution of UConn's offense has taken place over many years. Kara played at a time when the only team in the country using a motion offense was Pet Carrill's Princeton Tigers. As for Steph, she did not exclusively play in the low post on offense. Geno ran a lot of his offense through Steph in the high post, running screen and rolls, backdoor cuts and so on. Furthermore, UConn's best two low post scorers have been Tuck & Pheesa, both of whom played when UConn was fully committed to spreading the floor and running a motion offense.

 

[Bone Dog]

[Sarcasm Alert: post incoming]

This is what always happens. Azzi goes off for 19 or 20 points in the first half and then opposing teams double and triple team her even if it means Paige and Sarah go off in the second half. I think the opposing coaches must think this will undermine Azzi's confidence

 

[oldude]

There was one adjustment- Azzi was double teamed in the second half, unlike the first. Unfortunately for UCLA, that meant there was only one defender on Paige

or Sarah

 

[HuskyNan]

or Sarah

No one guarded Sarah on the perimeter all night

 

[Zonepress]

Close was def out coached. And there was zero adjustment at halftime

what adjustments do you think she should have made?

 

[Zonepress]

No one guarded Sarah on the perimeter all night

there was a play in the 2nd half when azzi cut to the basket without the ball and Kiki rice left guarding Sara and followed Azzi
it left Sara wide open and she made the 3
cannot believe that was the coaches stratrgy
The game was already over, but that play sure got my attention

 

[Dublin]

what adjustments do you think she should have made?

NOT Double Team AZZI when she has a history of hot and cold streaks, 'forgetting' that Paige did just score 29 second-half points against OK and Sarah can score effectively from the outside.

 

[ucmiami2]

The experience factor of at final four is huge - it is a media circus unlike anything women's basketball players have gone through in their basketball lives before they get to one. The distractions, the media presence, the schedules all combine to throw off standard routines for teams and players. Geno has talked about how badly Uconn handled their first one, and how her has known when his team 'wasn't ready' in other years. But Uconn has the institutional memory and the players have the experience - if you play at Uconn there is the regular season championship, then the tournament championship, and then the final four and sometimes you win the semi and sometimes you don't, but the season ends with the final four each year. And the rookies learn from the sophomores, who were there last year, the juniors who have been their twice, and the seniors with their three trips, and they shepherd the transfers and rookies through the process.

As for the coaching ... Geno had a plan, but it depended on UCLA missing from outside, and Uconn minimizing the driving and entry passes. And on Uconn playing multiple defenses - double and triple team the post sometimes and play it straight up on the next possession, running zone and switching back to man, but always pressuring the outside. UCLA got tighter and tighter on offense, and were run ragged on defense, the pace became another form of 'pressure' making UCLA run and seldom letting them set their half court defense. AND rebound!

Geno also has the process and flow of building a final four team down pat - he knows how to build up to this stage of a season. He is the best to ever do it, just as he is the best at coaching undefeated seasons, how to keep the pressure on, but provide moments of relief, and to create controlled celebration while maintaining focus on the next game.

Close did make halftime adjustments, and Azzi was shut down - 19 points in the first half, zero in the second, but Paige went off for 10 and Sarah for 14 in the second half compensation for that 'zero'. Paige and Sarah were getting the same shots Azzi had in the first half. And Sarah was as much of a match up issue for UCLA as Betts was for Uconn. And sometimes (especially playing Uconn) games can completely snowball. Hope people noticed how the bench actually increased the lead which almost never happens!

Great season for Close, and great experience, and if they keep focused they will be back to the FF next year, and much better prepared.

 

[Dublin]

there was a play in the 2nd half when azzi cut to the basket without the ball and Kiki rice left guarding Sara and followed Azzi
it left Sara wide open and she made the 3
cannot believe that was the coaches stratrgy
The game was already over, but that play sure got my attention

some of us really do believe that Close DID tell them to double-team Azzi.

 

[Cornell Lt]

When the bulk of your offensive execution is to throw the ball down low, it makes playing defense a bit easier. I'd have to go back and look, but I don't recall Betts throwing the ball back outside once she was swarmed by the defense.

 

[CL82]

The pacing is just one of my personal problems (lol). Hope my wife doesn’t read this. There are different levels to it, but in any case it can unsettle players. Close’s pacing seems to be nerves, whereas Mulkey’s pacing is just what drama queens do and what hype’s up other drama queens. lol. At least Close restricts her performance to the coach’s box unlike Mulkey who thinks the court is her personal runway.

She double F bombed the ref? How did she not get teed up for that?

 

[LwrcasefaN]

She double F bombed the ref? How did she not get teed up for that?

Outrageous fashion has its privileges?

 

[Zonepress]

some of us really do believe that Close DID tell them to double-team Azzi.

sure double team when she has the ball but double team on a cut to the basket?

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Chen is really solid and Jana is slowly developîng with a long way to go but surely ́neither was / is top 10 anythîng, nor do they need to be. ND arguably, top to bottom, had at least equal talent / experience but they unraveled. So, Geno and his coachîg team must be credited for developing a 9 deep rotation whose combîned talent masked the lack of a dominant point guard and post

I believe Jana was blessed by revitalization following her fasting. Her energy levels were off the charts yesterday. Now, we will see whether consistency will stick for two games in a row.

So much for the question of not scoring at the 5 spot. Do we include just Jana, Ice & Aubrey (6+5+2 =13)? 13 is better than Stokes's average in the FF. That 3/4 fronting scheme worked amazingly to create turnovers! Yes, Betts got her 26 pts, but two of the starters did NOT score as they were concentrating on getting the ball to Betts and NOTHING else. When it was time for them to shoot they had no rhythm (like a breadstick (family joke )).

Tomorrow looks like an "Everybody eats day!" The Big 3: 15 - 25 pts, two more with 8 - 12 pts, and the rest all score 2 - 6 pts. Defense so dialed in that USC (East) scores 5 points below their NCAA round 2 - FF average, even though they play well.

Paige collects the Wooden award & Honda trophy, and for the first time a tie for the MOP on the UConn side (not saying whom), but one of them will be in the "W" soon.

Go Huskies!!! Win #12 while defeating your 18th #1 seed in the tournament!!!

 

[The CDR-Ret]

When the bulk of your offensive execution is to throw the ball down low, it makes playing defense a bit easier. I'd have to go back and look, but I don't recall Betts throwing the ball back outside once she was swarmed by the defense.

I think Betts was used to beating double & triple teams during the season, and being able to shove her way through without giving up an offensive foul, but was collecting "& ones" even though she was not so sharp at converting the free throw. Betts is very good at keeping the ball up above her head and scoring from inside 4 feet, but she was not aware that Jana was going to be able to mix it up by jumping to tip the incoming pass, and then be an immovable object as a redshirt Freshman.

While fasting the previous weekend, Jana was not as fast or able to hang onto the ball after rebounds. If Betts only watched the previous weekend film, Jana was completely different in person for last night's game. I also think Coach Close (also did not watch film other than last weekend's) was not able to help her team to adjust to the "fully fueled" and focused Jana who wore Betts down, which also made the job easier for ICE, Aubrey, and Sarah in the second half. I believe 22+ minutes was the longest that Jana was on the court in the post-season, and I expect good things from Jana tomorrow to show Geno that she can be trusted to be consistent to start next year correctly, and may be part of the "Big 3" for next year (at least alternating into the "Big 3" results on a continuing basis).

Jana's positive & consistent performances next year will also allow Gandy to ease into the rotation next year. Maybe Jana can get Paige to be her "Chef" for early morning breakfasts next year...

Go Huskies!!! Win #12 tomorrow!!!

 

[Bigboote]

Just FYI regarding top recruits on the team, UCLA has Hoopgurlz ##1, 2, and 3 from 2022. Kiki Rice is the only one Close got straight from high school, while Betts and Janiah Barker transferred in.

 

[Dublin]

sure double team when she has the ball but double team on a cut to the basket?

yes, 'cause they felt she was so hot that her fellow players would feed the ball for a layup or a short jumper.

 

[EricSD]

I'm late to the party on this thread but my $.02.

Geno had a game plan. Post player push Betts as far out of the lane as possible. As soon as she gets the ball AND STARTS HER MOVE TO THE BASKET, bring a double or even triple team. Knowing she'd pass the ball out, be ready to instantly sprint out to the 3 point shooter.

Sometimes full court press, sometimes denying Kiki the ball, switching on every screen if needed, and play defense like that one possession will decide the outcome of the game.

What you saw was exactly that. There were at least 3-4 plays where UConn did not bring help side defense, or Betts was just to quick, and she scored on EVERY PLAY. But the problem was when she passed the ball out, the UConn player was either already there, or closing out so fast, the 3 point shooter had to give up the ball. And UCLA had zero back up game plan. We did it over and over and over again - Betts got her 26, and the rest of the team scored 25 all together.

UCLA shot 4-16 from 3. Many of the 3's were airballs and missed everything. I think my thought on Close being outcoached is that she had literally no plan B, and when asked about it in Q3, rambled something about needing to play "more together". Really? That's all you got??

I also think UConn threw a lot of defensive looks at them - to my eyes, the zone was the most effective, but all the switches threw them off too. I think Geno's defensive game plan was brilliant.

On the offensive side, credit to them. They made adjustments and Azzi barely scored in H2, if at all. Paige's shot was off, but they had no answer for Sarah. And BTW we "only" jacked up 16 3's. Out of 60 shots. The midrange game was ON POINT and I think this was a brilliant example of UConn's motion offense creating open looks for a lot of players.

And the job that Jana and Ice did not only on Betts, but also their own scoring, was just awesome. Our post players had 11 points, 8 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. To be fair most of that was Jana, but still, I'll take that every day and twice (hopefully) this Sunday LOL.

Our bench played a legit 50 minutes and Paige and Azzi only played 31 each. It was a complete team effort.