How long does Geno plan to keep coaching? | The Boneyard

How long does Geno plan to keep coaching?

Forever!!
Its Been A Long Time Waiting GIF
 
Given Geno's overall tone in responding to Rebecca's questions, I would draw the conclusion that perhaps the end is (somewhat) nigh. I don't think he would have responded in this wistful tone five years ago.
 
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Considering that the NCAA is allowing WBB programs to hire an additional assistant coach, it might provide a way to help Geno mentor the next potential UConn head coach.
It would increase the pool of potential replacements with another assistant coach who could gain 1st hand experience by working closely with Geno himself, and Dailey too.
It could help to make the transition easier no matter who becomes the next coach,, and no matter when he retires.
It would allow Geno to possibly hand pick someone who could eventually become his successor.
He might want to pass the torch along to someone that he really trusts.
Even if the school decides otherwise, they could still remain as an assistant coach aided by Geno's mentoring.
If it were an ex-UConn player that would be great too since it would begin to provide another recognizable face that could be associated with the UConn program for future recruits to become familiar with as being part of Geno's coaching tree for many years down the road.

www.espn.com

NCAA to increase number of coaches in multiple sports

The NCAA voted to increase the number of coaches allowed in baseball, softball, ice hockey and men's and women's basketball.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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sun said:
Considering that the NCAA is allowing WBB programs to hire an additional assistant coach, it might provide a way to help Geno mentor the next potential UConn head coach.
It would increase the pool of potential replacements with another assistant coach who could gain 1st hand experience by working closely with Geno himself, and Dailey too.
It could help to make the transition easier no matter who becomes the next coach,, and no matter when he retires.
It would allow Geno to possibly hand pick someone who could eventually become his successor.
He might want to pass the torch along to someone that he really trusts.
Even if the school decides otherwise, they could still remain as an assistant coach aided by Geno's mentoring.
If it were an ex-UConn player that would be great too since it would begin to provide another recognizable face that could be associated with the UConn program for future recruits to become familiar with as being part of Geno's coaching tree for many years down the road.

www.espn.com

NCAA to increase number of coaches in multiple sports

The NCAA voted to increase the number of coaches allowed in baseball, softball, ice hockey and men's and women's basketball.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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Teams can hire 2 additional coaches starting starting next season? Was this approved by the board of directors? Haven't seen this before. Thanks.
 
Matthew1589 said:
Teams can hire 2 additional coaches starting starting next season? Was this approved by the board of directors? Haven't seen this before. Thanks.
Expand ...
Yes, it was approved because Shea Ralph recently hired Katie Lou to be an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.
Another pre-existing Vandy assistant coach was given new duties so their jobs don't overlap.
 
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When that day comes that Geno retires Im sure Geno and UConn already have a plan in place. They dont want what happened at Tenn when Pat got sick and stepped down to happen at UConn. Perhaps with Geno staying on board assisting coaching. Coach emeritus. The question will be who will replace him, will the asst coaches stay on board, and lets face it, the kids coming to the program now are here because of him. They came because they wanted to be coached and developed by him. It took Geno years to build this program and with him getting up in age UConn does not want to loose what he built
Head coach is a very valuable position and it could be a huge loss in revenue when Geno steps down. I would guess that somebody like Shea Ralph would take Genos position and keep the coaches as well maybe bring in some of her own coaches.

The keys to UConns success has been Genos recruiting winning record and player development. Girls come here because of that as well as Genos accomplishments. Many teams want to make the NCAAs. At UConn the goal is to win the NCAAs. Genos shoes will be very hard to fill however having the same coaches in place and Geno assisting with less pressure and less travel I think UConn will be fine.
 
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Tonyc said:
When that day comes that Geno retires Im sure Geno and UConn already have a plan in place. They dont want what happened at Tenn when Pat got sick and stepped down to happen at UConn. Perhaps with Geno staying on board assisting coaching. Coach emeritus. The question will be who will replace him, will the asst coaches stay on board, and lets face it, the kids coming to the program now are here because of him. They came because they wanted to be coached and developed by him. It took Geno years to build this program and with him getting up in age UConn does not want to loose what he built
Head coach is a very valuable position and it could be a huge loss in revenue when Geno steps down. I would guess that somebody like Shea Ralph would take Genos position and keep the coaches as well maybe bring in some of her own coaches.
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Any great organization should always have a succession plan in place. Even if it has to be a bit flexible/fluid, depending on what happens between now and when it needs to make the decision on who's next. There are countless stories on both the W&MBB sides of what happens if you do or don't prepare. Duke MBB is tbd right now, Syracuse/Georgetown are in flux. On the WBB side, if TN had made different decisions earlier, we may have seen another outcome. Stanford, LSU, are also programs that have storied coaches that will need to be replaced at some point.

IMHO, unless this happens a few years out, I think Shea wants to build Vandy into a solid program, and it doesn't hurt that it's in the south, she's from NC, etc. If UConn wants to stay in the family, my money is still on Carla Berube. Based on the results in MN and other places that hire former players with little to no experience, I don't see UConn doing the same. Think about the post "the monster".
 
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Matthew1589 said:
Teams can hire 2 additional coaches starting starting next season? Was this approved by the board of directors? Haven't seen this before. Thanks.
Expand ...
The two additional assistant coach's beginning next season are not allowed to recruit off campus. Recruiting is a young person's thing. The older a coach gets, the more the recruiting travel wears you down.
 
oldude said:
CD has always stated that she will retire when Geno retires. I guess they will both ride off in the Sun together like Gene Wilder & Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles. :rolleyes:
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I think they need to think about replacing them both -- the on-court organizer and the off-court organizer. Preparing the players for basketball and preparing them for life. Other programs certainly do that, but I don't think any others do it quite the same way that UConn does, and the longer I follow the program, the more impressed I am with the duo of Geno and CD.
 
I expected it after 2016 when he was giving his "there are no more worlds to conquer" speech, and I think he was close to doing it too since he's made comments about how he knew he should have left with Stewie.
 
Bigboote said:
I think they need to think about replacing them both -- the on-court organizer and the off-court organizer. Preparing the players for basketball and preparing them for life. Other programs certainly do that, but I don't think any others do it quite the same way that UConn does, and the longer I follow the program, the more impressed I am with the duo of Geno and CD.
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My other wish is that CD stays for a gap year (or two) as AHC to help the new HC.
 
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Geno will coach as long as he wants. He's earned it.

He will know it's time to pull the plug. We Geno goes so does CD.

I don't believe he will pick his successor. The AD and a committee will do that. That is as it should be.
 
I'm sure Geno is not just going to wake up one day and say that's it.............he loves UConn and owes it to the university to leave the program in the best possible hands and that involves a fair amount of planning..............I'm also pretty sure he wants to win at least one more national championship before he says goodbye...........
 
Many have answered the retirement question with "whenever he wants to." But that's not entirely true: he may leave for reasons beyond his control, namely his health. I'm certainly not a doctor (though I did play a genie on TV), but we all know where the paths of glory lead. Geno does look like a person who has had some wear and tear (I'm at the next stage: I don't even look like a person). So the correct answer will likely be that Geno will coach as long as he wants and as long as he can. I'd like to be around for the next NC and, as Woody Allen pointed out, I'm not afraid to die as long as I don't have to be there when it happens . . .
 
Geno's time to retire is coming soon. CD will retire with him, while a gap year, 1 or 2 years would definitely help the program. I think the new coach will be Sue Bird. She has all of the experience and knowledge regarding basketball a player could have. As a legendary point guard what could be better. Also, she has the personality, personal poise and charisma to carry on with the program excellence that Geno and CD have developed. Finally, Sue Bird would be a great recruiter; and she would be able to attract young women to the Uconn program. Wouldn't she embody the Uconn tradition? Who could resist Sue Bird? Sue Bird is the next generation person to carry on the Uconn tradition and give it a great new dimension and direction. Go Sue
 
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sun said:
Yes, it was approved because Shea Ralph recently hired Katie Lou to be an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.
Another pre-existing Vandy assistant coach was given new duties so their jobs don't overlap.
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Wasn't the "pre-existing" coach Kyla Irwin?
 
The next head coach would need to make the decision of a lifetime to relocate to Storrs or close to it.
It's not a place where every HC candidate would want to move to until retirement if they became successful at it.
An assistant coach may have more leeway to not necessarily be in Storrs year round depending on their duties.
The relocation factor is one reason why I'd like to see Jen Rizzotti be involved with the team since she's already living in the vicinity & working at the Mohegan Sun.
It would make it a lot easier if she could become an assistant coach to work her way into a better position to become head coach.
She has a ton of credentials including being inducted into the BB Hall of Fame.
I believe that she's already positioned herself geographically by returning to the eastern CT area to live, where she has extended family and a close friendship with Geno.
A recommendation by Geno would go a long way to providing someone like Jen with the edge to become the next HC, especially if he decides to exercise his option to be an advisor after retiring as HC.
Jen was a tough perfectionist as a UConn player and I think that she can also be a tough coach on a mission.

en.wikipedia.org

Jennifer Rizzotti - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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I can't argue with Jen Rizzotti as a possible replacement for Geno. However, I doubt Jen would leave her current position as President of the Connecticut Sun to be the HC at Uconn! For a hooper like Jen, which is the most prestigious; President of the Sun or Head Coach at Uconn. I doubt she'd leave the Sun.....for a college coaching position, even if the college is Uconn....but Jen Rizzotti would be great....
 
sun said:
Yes, it was approved because Shea Ralph recently hired Katie Lou to be an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.
Another pre-existing Vandy assistant coach was given new duties so their jobs don't overlap.
Expand ...
Thanks.
 
I can’t begin to understand the complexity of a retirement decision for coach. He built something amazing at UConn where many would have said it was impossible. Yes, the wins belong to the players and to all of the assistants and staff and everyone who has worked there along the way. The program, though, belongs to Coach and CD. On some level, he has to feel a tremendous responsibility to what he built and leaving it on the right terms. In human terms, though, I know all too well how possible it is to wake up one day and realize “I just don’t want to do this anymore”. Two years ago I had a great job, and I was at the top of my game career wise. I was working from home and I had all the flexibility in the world. And I still woke up one day and said “I don’t want to do this anymore.“ A couple of days after that, I put in my notice and said goodbye to the company that had been my life for 32 years. I just hope that when Coach gets to that point, that it is as easy for him to make the decision as it was for me. Sometimes, you just know.
 
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