Geno's logical successor

[WiseWillie]

A lot of interesting ideas here! I certainly wish whoever Gino’s successor is, he/she will enjoy much success themself. However, that individual will not be another Gino. After Gino retires, UConn will remain a top WBB contender for many years to come…no matter what.

But it is questionable whether UConn will enjoy the unparalleled success that it has held for so many years. Another individual can captain the ship, but that doesn’t mean the ship will end up docking in the same ports.

We have seen this scenario play out in real time. Tennessee is still searching for another Pat Summitt. Yet they are still considered a top WBB school a decade plus later. Their fickle fans have left, but their true fans are still there supporting their team and waiting for the successes' of old.

Perhaps we will end up following in their footsteps. If so, let us enjoy the success that we’ve had and are still having now, while looking forward to a new coach, team and the successes of the future, however it reveals itself.

Go Gino and go UConn!!!

.

Well said, JavaMan. Let us enjoy this run of NC's for as long as it lasts because it will never happen again - at least not in my lifetime. May the successor whoever that may be continue the UConn winning culture but mostly maintain The Standard that has defined for all these wonderful years what UConn is.

 

[diggerfoot]

When all is said and done, UConn might have two of the top five coaches in the history of the game. They both came from mid-majors. The women has the greatest in the history of the game. He came here as an Assistant Coach. Similar stories can be told of other great coaches, such as Staley.

 

[Charliebball]

I was about to ask the question - why the obsession with former UConn players? Why not look outside the UConn sphere?

This question brings sanity to this entire succession question.

Gottlied I would say no to. She does not seem to develop all her players.

Barnes-Arico I would support. Her offense and defense is very similar to UConn's. Possible negative is her age. She's 55.

Perhaps UConn should be looking for their next coach in Europe........how about another Italian-born head coach? The first one has worked out pretty well........

 

[huskeynut]

Retreads need not apply.

Who qualifies as a retread?

 

[CL82]

Why are we talking about Geno's potential successor in the middle of a season where we're ranked number one and start two of the best players in women's college basketball? For all things there is a season, but talking about this during the WCBB season feels wrong.

(For what it's worth there's no evidence that Geno is going anywhere anytime in the near future.)

 

[Tonyc]

I am sure that UConn and Geno have a plan in place when he desires to step down. One question every recruit has for Geno is will you be here for my 4 years? That opens up alot of options. Geno cannot be replaced. He is the best recruiter ever. He has the records and accomplishments and the former players. I dont know how it will work when he steps down but perhaps, he does stay on emeritus with less responsibilities. There is so many things to consider but really its up to him and UConn. They have a plan you can bet on it.

 

[broooce]

I think we're overthinking this. Yes, let's enjoy whatever number of seasons Geno will give us. No, there is no logical successor, and I tend to agree that David Benedict will get the best person available for the job because coaching UConn basketball are the two best jobs in Division 1.

After 26 years of Jim Calhoun, I think similar things might have been feared by UConn men's team fans when he retired. Yet the men's team has won three more championships since 2012, matching the number Calhoun had. If Hurley can lead the men to another natty this season then he'll have three in only eight years (and the third time UConn has won both)!

Let's be very honest: who really thought Kevin Ollie or Dan Hurley could have this success when they were hired? Ollie was Calhoun's assistant - no head coaching experience, and Hurley only had his URI team make the 2nd round in the two seasons prior to coming to UConn. Not exactly a "wow" resume for a program like UConn's. But the AD's who hired them (Warde Manuel and David Benedict respectively) saw the intangibles they possessed necessary for success, and they were right. I think such qualities will be sought in candidates to succeed Geno when the time comes.

I happen to think Lindsay Gottlieb is a heck of a coach, who has had a lot of success in building her teams, developing players and getting into the NCAA tournament, both at Cal and now at USC. We all know that going deep in the NCAA's is extremely difficult and winning it is another level. Since Geno's first natty in 1995, there have only been eight other coaches/teams that have won it (of which two had also won before 1995). The bar is set very high for any coach other than Geno/Kim/Dawn these days.

USC has gotten much better and is on a trajectory to be a contender because of Gottlieb, her ability to both coach and recruit at a very high level (among the best classes the past two years including #1 recruits!). She's just had the bad luck the past two years to run into UConn in the Elite Eight, first with a freshman star player and last time without that same star player. We know what that's like when your team is not 100%. She's an East Coach person, from Scarsdale and played at Brown, coached in the NBA and just might be enticed to relocate back east.

There are certainly other worthy candidates including the aforementioned UConn alums who we all love. My main point is that we shouldn't overlook the simple fact that UConn and its tremendous support from the university administration and state government officials, our facilities and of course the fans make UConn's head basketball coaching jobs among the most attractive in the nation to any candidate. I have no doubt that this will help us lure a worthy successor in the future for the women's team.

I think it's just hard for us to imagine life after Geno/CD and impossible for any successor to replicate the success they've achieved. We should focus on the "now" be thankful that we're still on the best ride in college sports history (other than maybe the UCLA men's teams from the 60's & 70's).

 

[FanSince17]

I think we're overthinking this. Yes, let's enjoy whatever number of seasons Geno will give us. No, there is no logical successor, and I tend to agree that David Benedict will get the best person available for the job because coaching UConn basketball are the two best jobs in Division 1.

After 26 years of Jim Calhoun, I think similar things might have been feared by UConn men's team fans when he retired. Yet the men's team has won three more championships since 2012, matching the number Calhoun had. If Hurley can lead the men to another natty this season then he'll have three in only eight years (and the third time UConn has won both)!

Let's be very honest: who really thought Kevin Ollie or Dan Hurley could have this success when they were hired? Ollie was Calhoun's assistant - no head coaching experience, and Hurley only had his URI team make the 2nd round in the two seasons prior to coming to UConn. Not exactly a "wow" resume for a program like UConn's. But the AD's who hired them (Warde Manuel and David Benedict respectively) saw the intangibles they possessed necessary for success, and they were right. I think such qualities will be sought in candidates to succeed Geno when the time comes.

I happen to think Lindsay Gottlieb is a heck of a coach, who has had a lot of success in building her teams, developing players and getting into the NCAA tournament, both at Cal and now at USC. We all know that going deep in the NCAA's is extremely difficult and winning it is another level. Since Geno's first natty in 1995, there have only been eight other coaches/teams that have won it (of which two had also won before 1995). The bar is set very high for any coach other than Geno/Kim/Dawn these days.

USC has gotten much better and is on a trajectory to be a contender because of Gottlieb, her ability to both coach and recruit at a very high level (among the best classes the past two years including #1 recruits!). She's just had the bad luck the past two years to run into UConn in the Elite Eight, first with a freshman star player and last time without that same star player. We know what that's like when your team is not 100%. She's an East Coach person, from Scarsdale and played at Brown, coached in the NBA and just might be enticed to relocate back east.

There are certainly other worthy candidates including the aforementioned UConn alums who we all love. My main point is that we shouldn't overlook the simple fact that UConn and its tremendous support from the university administration and state government officials, our facilities and of course the fans make UConn's head basketball coaching jobs among the most attractive in the nation to any candidate. I have no doubt that this will help us lure a worthy successor in the future for the women's team.

I think it's just hard for us to imagine life after Geno/CD and impossible for any successor to replicate the success they've achieved. We should focus on the "now" be thankful that we're still on the best ride in college sports history (other than maybe the UCLA men's teams from the 60's & 70's).

Nice Post!
I think Gottlieb’s underachieving this year. She’s got 2 good players. They can’t get open shots. I think a coach makes a difference with that. She looks frazzled. Remember how deftly Geno maneuvered the program through the injuries and COVID.
Also, Ollie was a pro. He was a mature, hard dude. Played for the Sixers. I want UConn to hire a high-profile person after Geno.

 

[Galaxyshooter]

Why are we so quick to get a replacement for the GOAT of basketball coaching? Are you conflicting the current NFL coaching carousel with the current WBB coaching situations? And will you call for his dismissal if we don't win the chip? Like so many NFL fans (NY JET), leave Geno alone and let him keep doing his thing. The man is 71 and in his 40th year and is coaching an undefeated team, which is the number 1 team in the nation. I'm not praying for a next successor, I'm praying that he stays in good health. I'm sure he's got someone in mind and is preparing them; meanwhile, I'll take another undefeated season and a chip.

 

[meyers7]

Why are we so quick to get a replacement for the GOAT of basketball coaching? Are you conflicting the current NFL coaching carousel with the current WBB coaching situations? And will you call for his dismissal if we don't win the chip? Like so many NFL fans (NY JET), leave Geno alone and let him keep doing his thing. The man is 71 and in his 40th year and is coaching an undefeated team, which is the number 1 team in the nation. I'm not praying for a next successor, I'm praying that he stays in good health. I'm sure he's got someone in mind and is preparing them; meanwhile, I'll take another undefeated season and a chip.

That's exactly why we talk about it.

 

[ochoopsfan]

The Best option for new coach is Tonyc

 

[WBBZen]

Gottlieb is the antithesis of UConn wbb. She runs a heliocentric offense and living on her recruiting Juju who wanted to stay in LA anyway.

Shea isn’t going to leave Vandy and the SEC now.

My guess is it will be someone on no one’s radar right now. But I think we have a few more years yet

 

[Gael]

Don't know about sinecure.

That was the wrong word for me to use. I didn't realize until later that it implies a job that requires little work. What I was trying to suggest is that Carla Berube may not want to trade the security of her job at Princeton for the historically high-risk endeavor of following a legendary, if not deified, coach.

The first non-tree, up-and-coming coach that comes to my mind is Mark Campbell. He has demonstrated excellence as an assistant and head coach in recruiting from both high schools and the portal.

 

[NYCHUSKIES]

Just think what Carla Berube could do with a roster filled with MacDonalds all Americans

Imagine Carla and Shea both coaching at Uconn.. Geno's future successor would have to be someone that was a part of the Uconn culture, the Uconn philosophy. Players thay come to Uconn to play for Geno are not coming because Geno is sooo cool and nice. They come to Uconn because he is the complete opposite. However, he will prepare you for the pro leagues, and thats what the best of the best ball players are looking for.

 

[Woof]

I agree with those who said Mark Campbell. The guy has had great success everywhere he has been. It can't be coincidence.

I love Shea and Carla. I also love how some people think the UConn job sucks compared to Princeton and Vanderbilt. Really? I think it is the opposite. And, yeah, they could both recruit here. Duke's men's team is still pulling in kids who "have dreamed of playing for Duke" since they were newborns.

I think the head coach needs to have an "edge" to them. The associate head coach needs to nurture. I think Shea as head coach and Carla as associate would be optimal. But leaving Princeton for the #2 seat is far less likely. As for Shea, the husband thing is a potential problem.

I am leaning toward Mark Campbell with a former player as an associate head coach. But who...

 

[Gael]

The first non-tree, up-and-coming coach that comes to my mind is Mark Campbell. He has demonstrated excellence as an assistant and head coach in recruiting from both high schools and the portal.

I agree with those who said Mark Campbell. The guy has had great success everywhere he has been. It can't be coincidence.

Mark Campbell's recruiting and won-loss excellence at all his stops—Oregon State, Oregon, Sacramento State, TCU—are fairly well known.

Less well known is that his wife, Ashley Smith Campbell, was a blond, pony-tailed point guard who played three years at Vanderbilt, before she transferred to U. Hawaii for her senior year and where she married Mark.

Here are some interesting things about Ashley Smith's basketball accolades and her wedding proposal, from THIS 2002 article.

She had a storybook career at Oregon City (Ore.) High under her father, Brad Smith, leading the Pioneers to three straight USA Today national titles, four Oregon Class 4A state crowns and a four-year record of 102-2. The Pioneers went 26-0 her junior and senior seasons, and had a 68-game winning streak.

[She was] the SEC assist leader as a [Vanderbilt] freshman in 1997-98. She also set an event record with 11 assists in 22 minutes in the NIKE/WBCA All-American high school game, taking only three seconds to dish out her first assist and 40 seconds for her second.

There's been some magical moments off the court as well. Last Dec. 20, Mark Campbell proposed on a beach in Waikiki with a message in a bottle.

He had burned brown paper to look like parchment, scripted a message in calligraphy that read in part, "Beware. If you're willing to take a risk, read the next page." Then he stuffed the paper into a bottle, buried it in the sand and, after a moonlight dinner picnic, steered Ashley toward the bottle.

"She said, 'Oh, my gosh, there's a note inside,'" he recalled. "I told her she should read it. The next page said, 'Will you marry me?' I got down on my knee, asked her and she said yes."

I like it.

Campbell's TCU contract expires in 2030; Geno's, in 2029.

 

[Stagnant]

I am pretty sure I heard Geno talk about this before. And I think he said if he could get anyone it would be Jeff Walz. This is anecdotal. I am working off my memory here. And even if Geno liked Jeff Walz for the job in 2015; it doesn’t mean he likes him in 2025. But that is what I remember.

Another thing we have to consider. Some coaches with good jobs won’t leave those jobs for UConn. It’s not a power 4 job. And succeeding Geno will be a challenge plenty of people won’t want to pursue.

 

[dcheng021]

Dan Hurley seems like a natural choice. He knows the campus and wouldn’t have to relocate.

 

[schmendrick]

She's hiding in plain sight. Our own CD: HuskyNan.

 

[huskiemaniac]

There is one answer to that question: Sue Bird. She is a women's basketball celebrity, and thanks to her Olympic exposure, she has recognition around the planet-wide WBB world. That's why I think she is the best choice, above Shea and Carla.

Except she said she’s not interested in coaching…

 

[IndyMark]

Mark Campbell's recruiting and won-loss excellence at all his stops—Oregon State, Oregon, Sacramento State, TCU)—are fairly well known.

Less well known is that his wife, Ashley Smith Campbell, was a blond, pony-tailed point guard who played three years at Vanderbilt, before she transferred to U. Hawaii for her senior year and where she married Mark.

View attachment 115952

Here are some interesting things about Ashley Smith's basketball accolades and her wedding proposal, from THIS 2002 article.

She had a storybook career at Oregon City (Ore.) High under her father, Brad Smith, leading the Pioneers to three straight USA Today national titles, four Oregon Class 4A state crowns and a four-year record of 102-2. The Pioneers went 26-0 her junior and senior seasons, and had a 68-game winning streak.

[She was] the SEC assist leader as a [Vanderbilt] freshman in 1997-98. She also set an event record with 11 assists in 22 minutes in the NIKE/WBCA All-American high school game, taking only three seconds to dish out her first assist and 40 seconds for her second.

There's been some magical moments off the court as well. Last Dec. 20, Mark Campbell proposed on a beach in Waikiki with a message in a bottle.

He had burned brown paper to look like parchment, scripted a message in calligraphy that read in part, "Beware. If you're willing to take a risk, read the next page." Then he stuffed the paper into a bottle, buried it in the sand and, after a moonlight dinner picnic, steered Ashley toward the bottle.

"She said, 'Oh, my gosh, there's a note inside,'" he recalled. "I told her she should read it. The next page said, 'Will you marry me?' I got down on my knee, asked her and she said yes."

I like it.

Campbell's TCU contract expires in 2030; Geno's, in 2029.

Mark Campbell sounds like a home run hire!!

 

[Rowdy831]

UConn would be wise to go outside the family so to speak. No one is going to do what Geno has done and the landscape of college athletics is changing to who has the money gets the players. As good as all the coaches are out there at other schools following a legend is whole different kind of pressure. Look at Alabama football.

 

[Woof]

I am pretty sure I heard Geno talk about this before. And I think he said if he could get anyone it would be Jeff Walz. This is anecdotal. I am working off my memory here. And even if Geno liked Jeff Walz for the job in 2015; it doesn’t mean he likes him in 2025. But that is what I remember.

Another thing we have to consider. Some coaches with good jobs won’t leave those jobs for UConn. It’s not a power 4 job. And succeeding Geno will be a challenge plenty of people won’t want to pursue.

I guess we are doomed then. UConn sucks, Storrs sucks, the Big East sucks, following Geno sucks.

Why do some fans like to only see the negatives about their own team? UConn is THE job in women's basketball. Duke still lands great players long after coach K left because of the brand. Nothing compares to the UConn brand on the women's side. If you can coach and you can pick the right recruits, you WILL succeed at UConn. No one hates on Hurley because he isn't Calhoun. At least, not anymore.

If there is a "fit" issue, fine. But this other stuff just seems like defeatism.

 

[cgshuskie]

My thought is that replacing Geno will come from someone who is well tested and who, believe it or not, is from the UConn tree. My thought is Rizzoti, Janelle or Carla Berube. I think that there is good reasoning for either one. First of all, Janelle has been there for most or many of the championships and has D1 experience. Rizzoti would be great, has been a WNBA administrator and has D1 experience. Berube, coming from Princeton, has demonstrated an enlightened ability. My final thought is Rizzoti as the next coach. Rizzoti has the toughness of a Geno. She can recruit and had the pedigre.

 

[Tonyc]

Please please please UConn has a plan and we dont know what it is. After what happened at Tenn with Pat Summitt UConn is prepared. The girls come to play for Geno so I would guess there is a plan in place. Good chance Geno will cut back on his time and work more as a recruiter and player developer and have more free time.