How and Why I became a UConn WBB devotee

[JimDuke]

I played a lot of basketball until I was 27, followed college & pro but never WBB. Then in 1994-95
by complete accident I saw an NCAA tourney UConn game. What really struck me was the purity
of UConn's game - the sound fundamentals, back picks & cuts, floor spacing & positioning on both
ends, impeccable footwork, and disciplined team strategy. I thought 'This is the way the game
should be played'. By that time, college & pro ball had become a theatre of flashy one-on-one
playground style 3-pointers & slam dunks. Wonderful athleticism, yes, but intricately solid
teamwork - not so much.

I have come to believe that Geno Auriemma, if he chooses, can retire as the best coach, any
sport, of all time. The victory and NCAA title marks are well within his range - it's just a matter
of how long he wants to keep coaching. I would love to see all this happen, and extend to him my
deepest admiration & respect.

 

[Sonny44]

I'm starting to like you already.

 

[Kurebeach5]

A very sage man JimDuke !!

 

[UcMiami]

Yup - nailed it!

 

[rocky rococo]

Very similar here Jim. I remember the first time I saw UConn play about the same time, loving all the elements you noted. I immediately compared Geno with the greatest bball coach of my youth: "There's the Red Auerbach of our time." I've never had occasion to second-guess myself about that.

 

[meyers7]

A very sage man JimDuke !!

The newby is pulling newbys out of the woodwork. Well done.

And welcome aboard Kurebeach5.

 

[Icebear]

Thanks, JDuke, a similar story to many of us and yet unique to each.

 

[yanks61]

First thing that caught my eye was Pam Webber ! Then the great teamwork.

 

[ChicagoGG]

Yep, you're a keeper. Please stick around.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I like basketball. I've played basketball, but it's not the intricacies of the game of the game that fascinate me. Rather, it's sustained excellence and how that's achieved that I find so intriguing. My interest isn't limited strictly to sports although that is an arena where excellence is easily identified. Steve Jobs is a non-sporting example as he first invented then reinvented Apple touching all of our lives in the process. David Sarnoff driving color TV to the market despite being prohibited from doing so by the federal government is another. Returning to sports, how in the world did Diana Taurasi will that 2002/3 team to the title? Wooden, Bud Wilkinson, Pat Summitt, the Soviet Ice Hockey team, the North Carolina Women's Soccer team, the Punahou Hawaii Swim Teams. And the UConn program under Auriemma might be the best ever all when is said and done. Seventy in a row followed by ninety straight and now they're threatening to top even that. Blowout after blowout; title after title. It's mind boggling.

I believe programs must transcend coaches to be truly excellent and UConn hasn't faced that on the women's side (and hopefully won't for many many years). If the program regresses toward the mean with Geno's retirement, all we'll be able to conclude is that Geno was a great (arguably the best ever) coach, not that UConn is a great program. We need a Kevin Ollie to accomplish that.

 

[VAMike23]

I played a lot of basketball until I was 27, followed college & pro but never WBB. Then in 1994-95
by complete accident I saw an NCAA tourney UConn game. What really struck me was the purity
of UConn's game - the sound fundamentals, back picks & cuts, floor spacing & positioning on both
ends, impeccable footwork, and disciplined team strategy. I thought 'This is the way the game
should be played'. By that time, college & pro ball had become a theatre of flashy one-on-one
playground style 3-pointers & slam dunks. Wonderful athleticism, yes, but intricately solid
teamwork - not so much.

I have come to believe that Geno Auriemma, if he chooses, can retire as the best coach, any
sport, of all time. The victory and NCAA title marks are well within his range - it's just a matter
of how long he wants to keep coaching. I would love to see all this happen, and extend to him my
deepest admiration & respect.

Great post! And welcome to the BY.

Are you by chance related to Bo and Luke..?

 

[Beemer]

It's my mother's fault that I became a UConn WBB fan. Growing up I never liked basketball- my father & sister both played in high school but I never played it or enjoyed watching it. Then one day in the fall of 1994 I stopped by my parents' place and my mother was watching a UConn game on CPTV. I was like, "what is this?' and she said it was UConn women's basketball team and they were really fun to watch. I ended up watching the rest of the game with her and have followed them ever since.

Like JimDuke I appreciate the way UConn works together as a team and their dedication to playing fundamentally sound basketball. [Listen to me go on- before I became a fan I didn't know a jump shot from a jump ball now I'm talking about fundamentally sound basketball lol]

 

[ABachelor6CR]

It's my mother's fault that I became a UConn WBB fan. Growing up I never liked basketball- my father & sister both played in high school but I never played it or enjoyed watching it. Then one day in the fall of 1994 I stopped by my parents' place and my mother was watching a UConn game on CPTV. I was like, "what is this?' and she said it was UConn women's basketball team and they were really fun to watch. I ended up watching the rest of the game with her and have followed them ever since.

Like JimDuke I appreciate the way UConn works together as a team and their dedication to playing fundamentally sound basketball. [Listen to me go on- before I became a fan I didn't know a jump shot from a jump ball now I'm talking about fundamentally sound basketball lol]

Simular story to Beemers. Went out to the sun room where my mom was knitting and watching Uconn women play basketball. Growing up my mom never liked sports. Her dad was a huge sports fan and kept statistics on just about every sport (he was an accountant by trade) so she tired of sports. I sat down figuring she just didn't bother to turn the channel, and changed the channel.

Mom: "HEY! put that back on!"
Me: "YOU don't like sports!"
Mom: "I don't... but I like basketball."
Me: "Since when?"
Mom "Since I was a point guard on a church league!"

It seems that when was twenty, she joined a church league and had to get my dad to sign a permission slip since he was her legal guardian.

So I turned it back on and resigned myself to watch "women's basketball". I mean how "good" could it be, as I watching the men play when ever March Madness came each year.

AS I sat watching, I was slowly being impressed by their play. After that game I became a fan of them as well. In 1997-98 season became a full time follower and rabid fan, hardly watching the men play. What was a added bonus was Geno's humor. Very sarcastic and very much to my liking. Having Meg Pattyson (Culmo), a former player and adding color to the games by providing insight into the program with her story telling, really pulled me in. My first favorite player was Sara Northway, only for the simple fact that she was pretty and me very close to her age...had a big crush. In 1995- 1996 Amy Duran became my favorite and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[OldAlum]

When I went to UConn (mid-seventies, pre- Geno or Calhoun) I think I saw part of one women's game.

Mens BB had its own attractions then. Eastern basketball in general was looked down upon UConn played in the Yankee Conference with mostly New England teams. Some of my fondest memories were walking to the fieldhouse and packing in the bleachers. That place would rock and vibrate for a good game. We were probably as happy for a win over UMass or a trip to the NIT as the students are now over a final four! I kinda mourn the loss of the student-centered intimacy of that program as things got bigger and better. But things change and improve and I have enjoyed watching their NCs too.


I started watching the women in 1994-95 on CPTV. It was and is a beautiful brand of basketball. I was teaching middle school and you could hear the kids talking more about them and following the games. I realized the impact it had on their view of "girls sports" when one girl was gushing over the team after the championship game and how great the team was. A boy retorted that the men's team could beat them. Another boy piped up in disgust (as only a teen can) and said "So? The Celtics could beat the men! The women's team is awesome!" followed by a chorus of "Yeahs!" from the other kids. Quite a turning point for respect for "girl's" sports for those kids.

 

[EricLA]

I believe programs must transcend coaches to be truly excellent and UConn hasn't faced that on the women's side (and hopefully won't for many many years). If the program regresses toward the mean with Geno's retirement, all we'll be able to conclude is that Geno was a great (arguably the best ever) coach, not that UConn is a great program. We need a Kevin Ollie to accomplish that.

Ollie has already accomplished more in 2 years than 99% of all the other coaches in men's college basketball do over their careers.

 

[Wonkster]

A very sage man JimDuke !!

Yeah! How come your Boneyard handle isn't JimHusky ?

 

[JimDuke]

Yeah! How come your Boneyard handle isn't JimHusky ?

Jim the Wonder Dog was my first beloved black lab and Duke my current labradorable son. Surprising how the "Duke" part wakes up the faithful - but I've thought for years that Duke the school has a nauseating superiority complex. Good enough?

 

[j66kicker]

Jim the Wonder Dog was my first beloved black lab and Duke my current labradorable son. Surprising how the "Duke" part wakes up the faithful - but I've thought for years that Duke the school has a nauseating superiority complex. Good enough?

OK you pass

 

[DaddyChoc]

Im not going to sit here and knock men's basketball but in the Greater Hartford (the WHOLE Connecticut for the matter) UConn womens basketball was the biggest thing since the Whalers. You almost didnt have a choice but to hop on "the bandwagon".

Sales also helped me... after following her in high school

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I started watching UCONN/WBB in NCAA Tournament in 1991 and trip to final 4. But I really got into UCONN/WBB in 1994-95 season and I was hooked!
I became a season ticket holder with my buddy Glenn in 1999.
When I retired from teaching in 2000 and retired from coaching HS Wrestling in 2002 WBB became my passion!
John Wooden, during the last ten to 12 years of his life said "he didn't watch any MBB anymore because they don't play BB anymore! If he wants to watch real BB he'll watch the women's game because they play pure BB, the way it should be played!"
As an ex-coach (even if it was HS Wrestling), I am hooked on how hard UCONN plays no matter the Time or Score and how the coaching staff gets them to sell out on defense for the full 40 minutes! Also team is everything over the individual!
The people they recruit are great kids as well as BB players! How they deal with being ROCK STARS in CT is really neat!
No matter the sport, Geno Auriemma is one of the greatest coaches in the USA, including professional sports!

 

[JimDuke]

I started watching UCONN/WBB in NCAA Tournament in 1991 and trip to final 4. But I really got into UCONN/WBB in 1994-95 season and I was hooked!
I became a season ticket holder with my buddy Glenn in 1999.
When I retired from teaching in 2000 and retired from coaching HS Wrestling in 2002 WBB became my passion!
John Wooden, during the last ten to 12 years of his life said "he didn't watch any MBB anymore because they don't play BB anymore! If he wants to watch real BB he'll watch the women's game because they play pure BB, the way it should be played!"
As an ex-coach (even if it was HS Wrestling), I am hooked on how hard UCONN plays no matter the Time or Score and how the coaching staff gets them to sell out on defense for the full 40 minutes! Also team is everything over the individual!
The people they recruit are great kids as well as BB players! How they deal with being ROCK STARS in CT is really neat!
No matter the sport, Geno Auriemma is one of the greatest coaches in the USA, including professional sports!

I could not agree more - Geno recruits people, not just players - there are big HS stars he doesn't even recruit. And thank you for the Wooden quote, which validates what a lot of BYers believe.

 

[RadyLady]

I could not agree more - Geno recruits people, not just players - there are big HS stars he doesn't even recruit. And thank you for the Wooden quote, which validates what a lot of BYers believe.

This is true. there is a very specific type of player Geno recruits and believe it or not not all kids are interested in coming to Connecticut including kids who live in Connecticut. It has to be a meeting of the minds between coach and student athlete. If the stars align they will sign. if not then they go somewhere else.

It's really just that simple

 

[JimDuke]

This is true. there is a very specific type of player Geno recruits and believe it or not not all kids are interested in coming to Connecticut including kids who live in Connecticut. It has to be a meeting of the minds between coach and student athlete. If the stars align they will sign. if not then they go somewhere else.

It's really just that simple

Diamond DeShields is a good example of bad fit. She is a gifted athlete & terrific baller - I followed her since soph HS and so much hoped she'd come to UConn. I'm not sure whether or not Geno recruited her, but when she chose UNC, she said it was because "they'll let me play my game....." Uh Oh. That's a quote you will never hear from a UConn recruit. Never.
And now, after being honored as Freshman of the Year at UNC, she has transferred to the Lady Vols. Hmmm.

 

[Wonkster]

... I've thought for years that Duke the school has a nauseating superiority complex.

I know what you mean. Here's a couple of Duke grads -

 

[JimDuke]

I know what you mean. Here's a couple of Duke grads -

What happened to these two is what happens to Duke's WBB program as the NCAA finals draw near - they go bust....