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Message: [QUOTE="Dillon77, post: 2588586, member: 6620"] Robaust10: I see you're a new member. Welcome aboard. And welcome to the give and take of The Boneyard: it might not be "harmonious" all the time (maybe even a bit discordant), but it's a source of news, a place to exchange ideas, viewpoints and information and even get a laugh or two. (And I'm from Notre Dame!). So, my reply to your comment is a bit different: [B]What do you mean by "harmonious?"[/B] To help me, I went to the dictionary: [B]tuneful; not discordant.[/B] "harmonious music" [LIST] [*][B]forming a pleasing or consistent whole.[/B] "the decor is a harmonious blend of traditional and modern" "a harmonious blend of traditional and modern" [*][B]free from disagreement or dissent.[/B] "harmonious relationships" [/LIST] Everyone looks at a team with a different perspective and focus to be sure and we could bring in comments from Coco, UConnCat and Orangutan to address just these definitions. [LIST=1] [*]I'd say that the UConn and ND's coaching staffs and players develop and demonstrate harmonious performances that [I]"form a pleasing or consistent whole."[/I] You can look at statistics, as Orangutan did, or won-loss records of both teams and UConn's record of national championships. And then there's the eye test: when both teams play well, it's a joy to see. [*]Does this mean the teams are [I]"free from disagreement or dissent?" [/I]No, of course not. Sometimes, the process of becoming harmonious as a team does not play out to all individuals' liking or tastes. So, there are transfers for these folks. [*]"Forming a pleasing or consistent whole" sometimes takes time and isn't pretty all the time. ND did lose a double-digit lead (of course, they also built one) to UConn, got stomped by Louisville and had to redo it's backcourt after Lili Thompson was injured. It took awhile to get everything together both offensively and defensively, but most folks affiliated with the program will point to the Louisville loss and Tennessee comeback as the turning point in ND's season. So, you can have an off-key night. [*]Coco answered the frosh experience by citing minutes. Last I checked, Megan Walker is averaging 16 minutes per game, which is a bit more than Mik Vaughn was playing before getting injured and about 3+ minutes more than Danielle Patterson. Vaughn was first off the bench before she got hurt, but both she and Patterson are playing with and behind solid upperclassman in the forward/post positions. [*]Discordant situations -- such as Lili Thompson's injury -- can also lead to some very harmonious situations. I think the fact that Marina Mabrey, Jackie Young and Arike Ogunbowale all now having to handle the ball has helped them learn about all the backcourt positions and make them more open distributors. Harmonious ones, even. [*]Lastly, I agree with Coco and Orangutan: you've got to be just as mentally and emotionally tough to play at ND. I've sat behind and above MM's bench over the years and it's not all kumbaya in there. [/LIST] So, I'll appreciate each team's melody and harmony. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach