Great article on Shea at Vanderbilt and the advice Geno gave

[UConnCat]

Geno was interviewed in May and talked about Shea and the Vandy job. Here’s a summary of what he said which was posted on the board:

“Geno talks about Shea and Vandy at the end. Says Shea had been getting feelers throughout the season and the Vandy job opened up at the 11th hour and came as a surprise. (Perhaps White was expected to get one more year. So no, Shea missing the Final Four had nothing to do with the Vanderbilt job.) Not surprising that Shea became involved as she was when White was hired.”

 

[Staven]

Great article and press conference thanks for sharing. Shea is a class act and will do wonders for the Vanderbilt program.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Great article indeed!! Thanks for sharing. Love the line from Geno about "loving Nashville and getting a match up going, only when you think they are ready" LOVE IT!! Always willing to help out a program and to grow the women's game. Hoping that Shea can get some solid players and those players want to compete and play hard for the program, the fans, and the coaching staff. Good luck, Coach Shea. Rooting for you and Coach Marisa.

I am glad Shea did not put a time frame on the turn around, as she is inheriting a team who ended the season on a three game losing streak to go to 4-4, and then cancelled the rest of the season. No shame in losing to SC and UK, but losing by 24 to Alabama hurts only a little as 'Bama ended 8-8 in the SEC, but they were 17-10 for the year, and beat UNC 80-71 in the 1st round of the NCAA tourney.

As to S. White, she took over a team that was 11th in the SEC and then was never higher than 12th in the SEC and finished last once to achieve a 13-55 SEC record, and 46-83 overall adter coaching the Indiana Fever for two years (after being Asst Coach for four years), getting them to the finals (2015 in her 1st year), and Champions as an assistant. She was the NPOY at Purdue in 1999, but was only taken i the second round of the WNBA (Charlotte). I wish her success in her future endeavors, as her experience at Vandy does not reflect her previous successes.

From the article, and the embedded video, I am encouraged that the leadership at Vandy is FULLY supporting Shea, and I am rooting for her, her picks for her staff, her family, and her team to have great success against all opponents except the Huskies of course...

 

[baggerbob]

I am glad Shea did not put a time frame on the turn around, as she is inheriting a team who ended the season on a three game losing streak to go to 4-4, and then cancelled the rest of the season. No shame in losing to SC and UK, but losing by 24 to Alabama hurts only a little as 'Bama ended 8-8 in the SEC, but they were 17-10 for the year, and beat UNC 80-71 in the 1st round of the NCAA tourney.

As to S. White, she took over a team that was 11th in the SEC and then was never higher than 12th in the SEC and finished last once to achieve a 13-55 SEC record, and 46-83 overall adter coaching the Indiana Fever for two years (after being Asst Coach for four years), getting them to the finals (2015 in her 1st year), and Champions as an assistant. She was the NPOY at Purdue in 1999, but was only taken i the second round of the WNBA (Charlotte). I wish her success in her future endeavors, as her experience at Vandy does not reflect her previous successes.

From the article, and the embedded video, I am encouraged that the leadership at Vandy is FULLY supporting Shea, and I am rooting for her, her picks for her staff, her family, and her team to have great success against all opponents except the Huskies of course...

Don't see why Vanderbilt with strong academics, can't be a top program like Stanford. As long as they have good backing from the Administration they could be a power. A great education lasts a lifetime, basketball has a limited span.

 

[Plebe]

I've often wondered about the conversation that Geno (must have) had with Shea regarding the Vandy job. She'd been with UConn for 16 years: was she going to replace Coach when he decided to hang them up? That's the question I would have asked if I had to chance to leave: am I next? What might Geno have said? He apparently encouraged her to take the job, so was he, at the same time, saying don't count on anything here?

As Geno will not be hiring his successor, it would be highly inappropriate for him to hold out any promises or predictions along these lines, and equally inappropriate for Shea to seek any such assurances from him.

Many folks here apparently believe (or want to believe) UConn will hire whomever Geno hand-picks to succeed him, but in general terms, as @j66kicker as pointed out before, an outgoing leader should not be the sole or primary authority on who takes over. There are multiple compelling reasons for this. Just look at how things worked out for Tennessee.

 

[MooseJaw]

As Geno will not be hiring his successor, it would be highly inappropriate for him to hold out any promises or predictions along these lines, and equally inappropriate for Shea to seek any such assurances from him.

Many folks here apparently believe (or want to believe) UConn will hire whomever Geno hand-picks to succeed him, but in general terms, as @j66kicker as pointed out before, an outgoing leader should not be the sole or primary authority on who takes over. There are multiple compelling reasons for this. Just look at how things worked out for Tennessee.

I agree, while it seems likely that UCONN brass will take Geno's thoughts and recommendations seriously it seems unlikely that Geno will be the one to pick his successor. I can't even think of why he would want to. What matters the most seems to me is that Geno supports and has the back of his successor.
Jumping into the Shea conversation, is it not possible that Shea does a great job at Vandi bringing her team to the top of the conference and national prominence. She may just like it there she may decide like Geno did not to leave. My hope is that Geno feels like many that retirement is overrated and coaching beats stomping on a barrel of grapes to make wine.

 

[Alydar]

I agree, while it seems likely that UCONN brass will take Geno's thoughts and recommendations very seriously it seems unlikely that Geno will be the one to pick his successor. I can't even think of why he would want to. What matters the most seems to me is that Geno supports and has the back of his successor.
Jumping into the Shea conversation, is it not possible that Shea does a great job at Vandi bringing her team to the top of the conference and national prominence. She may just like it there she may decide like Geno did not to leave. My hope is that Geno feels like many that retirement is overrated and coaching beats stomping on a barrel of grapes to make wine.

A head coaching job at an SEC school (or most any P-5 school) is a plum position. The only reason Geno got hired was that not many were interested. If Shea can rebuild the program to where it once was she would be unlikely to give that up to return to UConn.

In any case I want Bueckers to take over from Geno in about 15 years.

 

[eebmg]

A head coaching job at an SEC school (or most any P-5 school) is a plum position. The only reason Geno got hired was that not many were interested. If Shea can rebuild the program to where it once was she would be unlikely to give that up to return to UConn.

In any case I want Bueckers to take over from Geno in about 15 years.

Paige on coaching

She’s also thought about her future after basketball and is considering a degree in communications and sports broadcasting. She was asked recently by assistant coach Jamelle Elliott about one day becoming a coach.

“That will always be in the back of my head, because I never want to get away from basketball,” she said. “But I told (Elliott) that kids don’t listen well enough and I don’t have the patience.”

Same general feeling as DT I think

 

[MooseJaw]

A head coaching job at an SEC school (or most any P-5 school) is a plum position. The only reason Geno got hired was that not many were interested. If Shea can rebuild the program to where it once was she would be unlikely to give that up to return to UConn.

In any case I want Bueckers to take over from Geno in about 15 years.

I hope you get your wish. I won't be around in 15 I think a new permanent address will be in my future. If for some reason I were to make another 15 please send me an amazing embroidered drool bib.

 

[Waquoit]

If Shea can rebuild the program to where it once was she would be unlikely to give that up to return to UConn.

I agree. And if she can't, why would she get the job? Draw a line through Shea.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Don't see why Vanderbilt with strong academics, can't be a top program like Stanford. As long as they have good backing from the Administration they could be a power. A great education lasts a lifetime, basketball has a limited span.

Now if they can beat SC, Teaxs A&M, Georgia, UK, UT, Arkansas, 'Bama, LSU, Mississippi State, FL, Auburn, Ole Miss and Missouri, plus half of their OOC opponents....NOT to include beating UCONN!

 

[Vowelguy]

You may remember during last season's NCAA tourney the seemingly sudden disappearance of Shea along with rumors about why she wasn't present. Once she failed to join the team in its sequester, we knew she couldn't re-enter the bubble. It's likely that this Vandy business was going on behind the scenes, and it seems to have turned out that way.

There is not a single shred of evidence that Shea not being in TX had anything to do with the Vandy job.

And it's incredibly insulting to Shea to suggest otherwise.

 

[Mdoggie]

Geno will decide who his replacement is if he is able. See how easy that was?

 

[Waquoit]

The only UConn product who has been unambiguously successful as a head coach has been Carla Berube, and she didn't spend a day as Geno's assistant.

Going from the Patriot League to the Big 10 is what one would call unambiguously successful.

 

[Vowelguy]

Going from the Patriot League to the Big 10 is what one would call unambiguously successful.

Promising, not successful.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Going from the Patriot League to the Big 10 is what one would call unambiguously successful.

I see you are talking about Marisa Moseley [BU - Patriot ==> Wisconsin - Big TEN], but before Marisa took over:

2014-15	Boston University	5–25	2–16	10th
2015-16	Boston University	3–27	3–15	10th
2016-17	Boston University	13–17	11–7	4th-T
2017-18	Boston University	10–19	5–13	9th
Boston University:	31–88 (.261)	21–51 (.292)

Under Marisa [overall: 45-29; Patriot: 33-15; but no post-season record]

2018–19	Boston University	15–14	11–7	4th
2019–20	Boston University	18–12	12–6	2nd
2020–21	Boston University	12–3	10–2	1st (North)

Hopefully, Marisa will NOT suffer the same fate as Illinois coach Nancy Fahey.

Different note:
Carla Berube went from excellent success in D III with Tufts in NESCAC to Princeton in Ivy League 29-1 in first year and second year wiped out by the Conference who shutdown all winter sports.

If Geno and the UCONN AD can swing it, I would like to see Princeton on the OOC schdule this season. Not too far from Kiki Rice {5-11 PG 2022} or Jadyn Donovan {6-0 G 2023} both from Sidwell Friends School in DC, "Can never have too many guards...."

 

[The CDR-Ret]

I see you are talking about Marisa Moseley [BU - Patriot ==> Wisconsin - Big TEN], but before Marisa took over:

2014-15	Boston University	5–25	2–16	10th
2015-16	Boston University	3–27	3–15	10th
2016-17	Boston University	13–17	11–7	4th-T
2017-18	Boston University	10–19	5–13	9th
Boston University:	31–88 (.261)	21–51 (.292)

Under Marisa [overall: 45-29; Patriot: 33-15; but no post-season record]

2018–19	Boston University	15–14	11–7	4th
2019–20	Boston University	18–12	12–6	2nd
2020–21	Boston University	12–3	10–2	1st (North)

Hopefully, Marisa will NOT suffer the same fate as Illinois coach Nancy Fahey.

Different note:
Carla Berube went from excellent success in D III with Tufts in NESCAC to Princeton in Ivy League 29-1 in first year and second year wiped out by the Conference who shutdown all winter sports.

If Geno and the UCONN AD can swing it, I would like to see Princeton on the OOC schdule this season. Not too far from Kiki Rice {5-11 PG 2022} or Jadyn Donovan {6-0 G 2023} both from Sidwell Friends School in DC, "Can never have too many guards...."

My concern for Marisa is the "not-so-winning" history since the last Wisconsin apprearance in WNIT or NCAA:

Bobbie Kelsey (Big Ten) (2011–2016)​
2011-12	Bobbie Kelsey	9–20	5–11	T-9th
2012-13	Bobbie Kelsey	12–19	3–13	11th
2013-14	Bobbie Kelsey	10–19	3–13	11th
2014-15	Bobbie Kelsey	9–20	5–13	11th
2015-16	Bobbie Kelsey	7–22	3–15	13th
Bobbie Kelsey:	47–100	19–65
Jonathan Tsipis (Big Ten) (2016–2021)​
2016-17	Jonathan Tsipis	9–22	3–13	T-12th
2017-18	Jonathan Tsipis	9–21	2–14	13th
2018-19	Jonathan Tsipis	15–18	4–14	13th
2019-20	Jonathan Tsipis	12–19	3-15	12th
2020-21	Jonathan Tsipis	5-19	2-18	T-13th
Jonathan Tsipis:	50-99	14-74

Hopefully, Marisa and her staff can recreate the magic of Geno & CD and get Wisconsin turned around and growing correctly. Illinois is the only team that keep the thirteenths and T-12 from being dead last at 14. The T-13 is wrong, as Wisconsin lost two more games in conference than Illinois [2-16 in Big TEN] and is dead last!!!
Additionally, the last game of the season for Wisconsin was a 25 point loss to Illinois in the first round of the Big TEN tourney. Worse yet is that they gave up 24 pts while scoring only 2 pts themselves - OUCH!!!!

 

[Vowelguy]

If Geno and the UCONN AD can swing it, I would like to see Princeton on the OOC schdule this season. Not too far from Kiki Rice {5-11 PG 2022} or Jadyn Donovan {6-0 G 2023} both from Sidwell Friends School in DC, "Can never have too many guards...."

Why on earth would a kid travel 3 hours to see a team play a road game when it could do so 10 minutes away at Georgetown?

 

[Zanzman]

Why on earth would a kid travel 3 hours to see a team play a road game when it could do so 10 minutes away at Georgetown?

Why couldn’t concern your self with the little details

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Why on earth would a kid travel 3 hours to see a team play a road game when it could do so 10 minutes away at Georgetown?

Better matchup...

As far as I know, the only good thing with DC [now that Azzi is at UCONN...] in it is DC Comics ==> Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc.

When was the last time Georgetown women were ranked in basketball? 2012?!? These youngsters would have been in what, 3rd grade or 4th grade?!?

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Paige on coaching

She’s also thought about her future after basketball and is considering a degree in communications and sports broadcasting. She was asked recently by assistant coach Jamelle Elliott about one day becoming a coach.

“That will always be in the back of my head, because I never want to get away from basketball,” she said. “But I told (Elliott) that kids don’t listen well enough and I don’t have the patience.”

Same general feeling as DT I think

"Kids say the darndest things!"