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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 5321506, member: 12088"] I think you're objecting to a phrase that we understand only slightly differently. Do we disagree about the sense of it? I think so, maybe, but also in some sense not. [LIST] [*]Does Geno have a "better game plan"? I don't think so, if you mean he designs novel plays to use in games. He runs the same plays as any other coach can. In fact, he shares his 'secrets' with rival coaches, invites them to come to his practices. That can't be the difference. Also, like any other coach, he develops a 'scout' to determine how to defend the tendencies of opposing players and teams. This is what every coach does. It doesn't distinguish UConn from any other team. [*]However, if you mean by game plan a plan for an entire season, then we are in complete agreement. Geno's season-long game plan appears to be to find as many challenges for his players as he can. [*]About the "ability to execute" -- there I think we agree, and this is entirely a matter of having the will to execute better than an opponent's ability to defend against it, to be willing to run opponents ragged on defense and offense, To fight through every screen rather than taking the easy path around them, to work harder in practices so that games are practically a relief. This is a matter of character and self-discipline as much as talent. [*]Leadership? Is that coachable? It is if developing the confidence to execute a game plan when you're almost as tired as your opponent matters. A leader sets an example to teammates at such moments. This is also a character issue, not a talent issue. It is developed in relentless practices, demanding criticism and asking players always to set their sights higher. [*]Coaching? Yes, exactly, but not merely developing plays and skills drills. Coaching is at its best when it builds character. This is what I see every year come out of Storrs. Geno's success is not the result of some technical insight into plays and training. It comes from building a team culture, a community of self-respect, shared sacrifice and genuine community. And this is the story we've all heard from former players, that Geno and CD taught them about more than basketball. [/LIST] In an interview several years ago, and repeated a few times since, Geno articulated how this impacts recruiting. He said, it's easy to find high school kids who can score or block shots -- in other words, all the flashy things. But it's really hard to find kids who are willing to play team defense, to do the things that don't win any glory. These are the kids he looks for. When I look at the last season's team, I see a bunch of kids like that: Paige (of course) Azzi, Sarah, Kaitlyn, Ash, KK, Ice, Jana, and on the bench Carol, Aubrey, Ayanna, Morgan and Allie. This is who those kids were in high school and it shows in who they became in college. Some of them are also among the most talented players in D1 (or the WNBA), but they are more than that. Coaching isn't just drawing up plays. It's finding the right kids and teaching them. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach