How Seton Hall’s Anthony Bozzella prepares for UConn, Paige Bueckers: ‘Just gets better every day’

[D J B]

Here’s what you need to know about UConn opponent Seton Hall

Seton Hall coach Anthony Bozzella is tasked with facing No. 2 UConn in the Big East...

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[eebmg]

Most interesting part was the growth of AEH. Completing that class, Coombs looking comfortable in GA and Lexi looks like she is fitting in well at Duke.

Bozzella on Espinoza-Hunter: “What she did last year, she was truly unbelievable. This girl who practiced five times didn’t have a non-league game, came into the Big East and made First-Team All-Big East. You don’t see that very often. She’s done a great job.

“She started in Connecticut, but she was a child and she’ll be the first person to tell you she was a child. She had to grow up a lot there and then she had a good sophomore year at Mississippi state and if Vic Schaefer (former MSU coach who left to become Texas coach) didn’t leave, she probably still would be there. But he left and she ended up coming back home to here and I think it’s turned out great. I think it’s all maturity.

“She’s made mistakes when she was younger, she learned from that and she’s been a great leader for our program as well. She’s so much more mature. She’s so much more under control. I love her. she’s one of my all-time favorite kids. ... She’s not afraid to admit when she’s made a mistake and she’s not afraid to be held accountable and those things are really important.”

 

[DefenseBB]

Well, I for one, had high hopes for SH this year and have been thoroughly disappointed thus far. They lost to Fordham by 21 and to USC Trojans by 14 and they barely beat Toledo at home 69-64. This team still lacks size and even without Fudd, CW/Paige/Nika/Caroline Ducharme should still dominate over Park-Lane and AEH. Should be interesting to watch if Edwards, ONO and Dorka can show that domination they did in the Exhibition game that has been absent thus far.

 

[Plebe]

Well, I for one, had high hopes for SH this year and have been thoroughly disappointed thus far. They lost to Fordham by 21 and to USC Trojans by 14 and they barely beat Toledo at home 69-64. This team still lacks size and even without Fudd, CW/Paige/Nika/Caroline Ducharme should still dominate over Park-Lane and AEH. Should be interesting to watch if Edwards, ONO and Dorka can show that domination they did in the Exhibition game that has been absent thus far.

Bozzella is just so meh. This quote from the article sums it up for me:

"Bozzella on UConn rejoining the Big East last year: “It helps in a couple ways. Helps a little bit with recruiting because the people that you want to coach want to play against the best so that’s a good thing. … But where it hurts is you know you’re 99% of the time playing for an at-large bid (for the Women’s NCAA Tournament).​

Oh boo-hoo, what a burden to have to aim to be one of the top 40-45 teams in the country so that you can be deserving of an at-large bid. How inconvenient to have to set one's sights so high SMDH.

It's not like he did well anyway at winning the automatic bid in the sans UConn BE. Here are Seton Hall's seeding and results in the BE tournament from 2014 to 2020:

Year: BET seeding / BET finish
2014: #7 / lost in quarterfinal
2015: #1 / lost in final
2016: #3 / lost in semifinal
2017: #8 / lost in quarterfinal
2018: #7 / lost in quarterfinal
2019: #8 / lost in first round
2020: #4 / lost in quarterfinal

 

[huskyd]

The only player I regret seeing leave UConn was EDD. She was the kind of special player who could have added at least 2 NCs to the Huskies' record. But she went back to Delaware, a state so small that no American highschooler has ever found it on a map (or Canada for that matter). And in short order she elevated that university's obscure basketball team to relevance (and a trip to the NCAAs).
Others have come and gone with barely a blip popping up hither and yon. I wish them all well, but I long for the years lost w/out EDD.

 

[tchalla1]

The only player I regret seeing leave UConn was EDD. She was the kind of special player who could have added at least 2 NCs to the Huskies' record. But she went back to Delaware, a state so small that no American highschooler has ever found it on a map (or Canada for that matter). And in short order she elevated that university's obscure basketball team to relevance (and a trip to the NCAAs).
Others have come and gone with barely a blip popping up hither and yon. I wish them all well, but I long for the years lost w/out EDD.
View attachment 71508

I agree with your sentiments on EDD--it must be said that she rescinded the UConn opportunity to play at Delaware where she could be closer to her older sister who is blind and autistic--EDD said that it was unbearable for her to be away from her older sister. But I too--too often I might add-- ponder what could have been if EDD has stayed at UConn. Certainly as her WNBA career indicates, she would have been one of UConn's all-time greats....

 

[sarals24]

I wish we could have seen Jackie Stiles in a Husky jersey. I saw her in that 2001 Final Four and she was so incredible.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Bozzella's revisionist history concerning AEH's freshman year. She didn't spend it at UConn. Rather, she was booted off the team in late December. She had to work hard to earn that distinction.

 

[tchalla1]

Bozzella is just so meh. This quote from the article sums it up for me:

"Bozzella on UConn rejoining the Big East last year: “It helps in a couple ways. Helps a little bit with recruiting because the people that you want to coach want to play against the best so that’s a good thing. … But where it hurts is you know you’re 99% of the time playing for an at-large bid (for the Women’s NCAA Tournament).​

Oh boo-hoo, what a burden to have to aim to be one of the top 40-45 teams in the country so that you can be deserving of an at-large bid. How inconvenient to have to set one's sights so high SMDH.

It's not like he did well anyway at winning the automatic bid in the sans UConn BE. Here are Seton Hall's seeding and results in the BE tournament from 2014 to 2020:

Year: BET seeding / BET finish
2014: #7 / lost in quarterfinal
2015: #1 / lost in final
2016: #3 / lost in semifinal
2017: #8 / lost in quarterfinal
2018: #7 / lost in quarterfinal
2019: #8 / lost in first round
2020: #4 / lost in quarterfinal

Your data certainly supports your reasoning, however, i think if I were a coach in UConn's conference I might well feel as Bozzella feels--that your overall first team objective which is to win your conference is out the window with UConn in the conference...

 

[Plebe]

Your data certainly supports your reasoning, however, i think if I were a coach in UConn's conference I might well feel as Bozzella feels--that your overall first team objective which is to win your conference is out the window with UConn in the conference...

Well if that's his first objective, then he's certainly failed miserably and he should go sell used cars or work at the DMV.

There are plenty of teams in the stronger conferences that have little realistic chance of winning their conference. A better primary objective for those teams is to build a resume worthy of an at-large bid. In fact, Seton Hall did so in 2015 and 2016, but not since. The goal of ANY team should be to have a good enough season that they don't have to rely on the AQ to get into the NCAA tournament.

 

[tchalla1]

Bozzella's revisionist history concerning AEH's freshman year. She didn't spend it at UConn. Rather, she was booted off the team in late December. She had to work hard to earn that distinction.

It should be noted that both Bozzella and AEH acknowledged the mistakes that she made earlier in her career due to her immaturity, and that she has learned and grown from them. I think AEH has shown an abundance of contrition--What more are you striving for in this regard?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

It should be noted that both Bozzella and AEH acknowledged the mistakes that she made earlier in her career due to her immaturity, and that she has learned and grown from them. I think AEH has shown an abundance of contrition--What more are you striving for in this regard?

Accuracy in history I'll also not that she has acknowledged mistakes, she has not acknowledged anything specific to UConn in what is cited here. The assumption that a general reference to mistakes includes mistakes about her time at UConn is unwarranted. You assume I am looking for contrition. It is nowhere in my post. I just want accuracy about her time at UConn. Those mistakes are in the past.