Can Geno's remarks take the pressure off somewhat? Yes. Can the attention go to the coach more than the players? Yes. Does Geno know what he needs to do to win in the future? Yes. Most of those remarks are for the press and for the fans of WBB (including the BY.)
My take--Geno knows that as of today--with only two starters back and two, still young, role players (GAbby & Collier) and no known fifth starter- -yes, as of today, UConn will probably not win the NC next year. (Let's deal with one year at a time.)
We have heard numerous times that Geno breaks down the team from October to February and then builds it up for the playoffs. So, Geno will break the team down for his normal reasons and to let his unusually young team know that --where you are now is not nearly enough! That will get their attention and the staff can request (or demand) that extra drill or extra repetition necessary to make the leap forward. As of today, there is no chemistry with the starting five. (NO ONE knows who the starting 5 will be.) There is no flow. There is no offensive plans of attack (specifically.) There is no set defense. There is no 6th man in. Who knows who that would be at this time? NO ONE. As of today UConn is not in the right ballpark.
IMHO Geno has set the bar. The bar is where he sees the team as of today, but in October Geno & staff will make clear what is necessary to move the bar to the FF level and then the NC level.
Will the TEAM be open to the extra drills and repetitions if needed? Will each of them improve from last year and then add new skills?
Will a leader step up? Will the 5th starter hold their own? Will the talent rise to the occasion? Lots of questions to be answered.
Most of us have acknowledged that 10 other teams are loading up with talent. I am one of those. I see challenges ahead. Tight games.
Nevertheless, after looking at the top 10 teams for next year---No team has 5 starters that are perfect players with a perfect coach.
On the positive side, Geno/CD can recognize where each of those top 10 teams have weaknesses. Geno will exploit them full time.
Many of those teams do not have a quality and experienced point guard. That will hold back some teams with the bigs advantage.
Could UConn run the full court press as well as Syracuse? I think so! Probably better. Could UConn have outside shooters as good as Oregon State or Washington? I think so. Probably better. Can anything happen next year? Yes. Will it be a biggggg leap forward? Probably.
Bottom line - Geno knows what a Championship team looks like better than anyone on earth. Do they look like one today to Geno? NO. Could they look like one by March next year. Maybe. That's the fun of coaching and playing. Can't wait to see what happens.
