I have come to respect Geno more over the years!!

[TN-Gamecock]

Being a graduate/native (SC) of the University of South Carolina and the University of Tennessee/(TN) now my home, I have come over the last 4 or so years to like Geno more and more. I know at Carolina and UT there are folks who don't like him at all. Pat Summit is my favorite women's basketball coach of all time. I was at UT when Geno came on the scene and started giving Pat a run for her money. There are folks at UT that still thinks Geno disrespected Pat and still have that grudge. Don't ask me why but I was on the train to dislike him too.

I started to like him more in the Breanna Stewart years even though he was beating my Gamecocks and Vols like drum. What finally won me over was this one act :



I thought this guy knows true talent. What a classy thing for him to do with Catlin Clark (who happens to be my favorite college basketball player of all-time). Sure he has Paige but I think he knew even when Catlin was a freshman that she would be a force in women's college basketball. I've never seen another coach wait to speak to another player from an opposing team like that...what class!!!!

I've even defended Geno on my home board which gets me into trouble...lol

 

[HuskyNan]

Thanks - and a belated welcome to you. Geno used to be a lot more animated, he’s mellowed through the years but people still remember how fiery he was. Folks either either loved him or hated him, we’re just glad he’s at UConn.

Now folks hate the men’s coach, Dan Hurley. Here he is from a few years ago with his brother Bobby, now head coach at Arizona. The fire must run in the family

 

[Zanzman]

Thanks - and a belated welcome to you. Geno used to be a lot more animated, he’s mellowed through the years but people still remember how fiery he was. Folks either either loved him or hated him, we’re just glad he’s at UConn.

Now folks hare the men’s coach, Dan Hurley. Here he is from a few years ago with his brother Bobby, now head coach at Arizona. The fire must run in the family

Bobby is at Arizona state

 

[HuskyNan]

Bobby is at Arizona state

Whatever.

 

[CL82]

Whatever.

Somewhere in Arizona, fans in Arizona and Arizona State are like

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Being a graduate/native (SC) of the University of South Carolina and the University of Tennessee/(TN) now my home, I have come over the last 4 or so years to like Geno more and more. I know at Carolina and UT there are folks who don't like him at all. Pat Summit is my favorite women's basketball coach of all time. I was at UT when Geno came on the scene and started giving Pat a run for her money. There are folks at UT that still thinks Geno disrespected Pat and still have that grudge. Don't ask me why but I was on the train to dislike him too.

My story is similar. I always paid attention and cheered for Pat and UT when I became old enough to follow the sport and was televised. I attended Mississippi State but watched the well documented first match up between UConn and UT. I pulled for UT but enjoyed watching UConn and thought they were good. I was a young 20 something but to me Geno, while clearly a good coach, was the brash Yankee who was new to the scene. After some early UConn victories, the pendulum swung back to UT and I was happy for their 3 peat success.

I watched the 2000 game in Knoxville on TV and Bird just impressed me to no end. I saw the pendulum swing back to UConn and figured it would stay there until she and the rest of that class graduated. During this time I didn't cheer against UConn or have a bad opinion of Geno but kept pulling for UT. The 2003 NC game was the first time I had to admit to myself UConn was the better program and Geno was probably a superior coach overall. I begrudgingly accepted this but will say I still enjoyed the last 3 UT wins before the series was cancelled.

When UConn really took off again in 2009 I had to respect what the team was doing for the sport and how wonderfully they played the game. I still saw the brash Yankee but also how the players who stuck it out with him seemed to adore him and how well his players were performing professionally and on the Olympic stage. When the 4 peat was reaching it's culmination I had some UConn fatigue but could see how reflective and appreciative Geno was on the chapter. He seemed to be more mellow overall and was clearly the spokesperson for the game.

With the knowledge that no human, including coaches, are perfect I respect what Geno has done for himself, his players, the sport, and the UConn community. Both basketball programs helped elevate the university on a national stage. I still consider UConn WBB to be "the" program and probably will until Geno steps aside.

 

[cohenzone]

Geno is as big a supporter of women hoops as you can find. I don’t know about other successful coaches, but he quite willingly agrees to have other coaches - college and younger - to visit and observe an occasional practices. And appreciates talent among opposing players. The only time i can recall him ever letting his team really crush another team was Syracuse when be felt the coach purposely overdid physical play to where his own players were endangered. I’m pretty sure he and Staley are friendly. As far as UT goes. Summit and Auriemma did better with each other as time went on. A lot of us Huskies felt Pat was a bit jealous, whether or not that was actually so. It probably didn’t help perceptions when Taurasi memorably punched the orange padding on the hoop support and said she just wanted to hit something orange. I don’t think Pat hugged her after the game. ‘

 

[BRS24]

@TN-Gamecock and @MSSportsGuy made me realize how much we have in in common. I didn't know much about WBB when I started watching UConn. After the MLK game in 1995, I began to dislike Pat, mostly as she was the coach of the team to beat. There were things that I saw and read that reinforced the dislike, and I stayed in my UConn silo. What changed my mind was an article written about Pat, by Alysa Auriemma, and it made me see Pat not as an enemy, but as a human and coach that wanted the best for her players, and as competitive as Geno.

Here are two substack articles of that I enjoyed -
Rocky Top: A Tribute to Pat Summitt. (Yes. Seriously.)
An Open Letter to Randy Smith of the Chattanoogan.

There's a lot that goes on in the background that none of us will ever know, however I think that Geno and Pat have more in common than most of us want to admit. They want to win, win it all, prepare(d) players for the next step, whether it be BB or not. And as I sit here and think about the "conflict" between Geno and Pat, IMHO some of it was media driven, and although Pat didn't appreciate Geno's humor/snark, I think things warmed up as time went on.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

As far as UT goes. Summit and Auriemma did better with each other as time went on. A lot of us Huskies felt Pat was a bit jealous, whether or not that was actually so.

I think we all know and can admit the acrimony between Pat and Geno was real at times but also the inevitable result of two strong personalities competing against one another. I will always believe Pat handled "the" situation poorly but also believe some of the response was the result of the medical condition that would end her career.

For better or worse, there was an old guard in the sport who resented Geno was a male and having so much success. The sport had Barmore, Landers, Chancellor, Ciampi, and Blair, but only Barmore won a NC before Geno and he was a long time assistant under Hogg and both were pioneers. Geno was an outsider to some extent when UConn emerged.

 

[HuskyNan]

I think we all know and can admit the acrimony between Pat and Geno was real at times but also the inevitable result of two strong personalities competing against one another. I will always believe Pat handled "the" situation poorly but also believe some of the response was the result of the medical condition that would end her career.

For better or worse, there was an old guard in the sport who resented Geno was a male and having so much success. The sport had Barmore, Landers, Chancellor, Ciampi, and Blair, but only Barmore won a NC before Geno and he was a long time assistant under Hogg and both were pioneers. Geno was an outsider to some extent when UConn emerged.

After Pat was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she ran into Geno at a tournament. The two spoke and shared a hug at the end of the conversation. Geno was among the first donors to the Pat Summitt foundation to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research.

Embrace heard round the world

Denver Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walked into this one. This was Saturday afternoon at the Pepsi Center, site of a moment nobody saw coming that suddenly necessi...

www.theday.com

 

[TN-Gamecock]

After Pat was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she ran into Geno at a tournament. The two spoke and shared a hug at the end of the conversation. Geno was among the first donors to the Pat Summitt foundation to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research.

Embrace heard round the world

Denver Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walked into this one. This was Saturday afternoon at the Pepsi Center, site of a moment nobody saw coming that suddenly necessi...

www.theday.com

View attachment 95442

I'm not being funny but my eyes are welling up right now!!! Geno is a true (southern) Gentleman even though he lives in the northeast. Being a southern Gentleman is the highest compliment you can give a man!!!!

Pat Summit will always be my favorite womens basketball coach of all time. Geno is #2 on my list now. I loved Matthew Mitchell at UK as my #2 but Geno takes his place. I sure wish Matthew would get back into coaching.

 

[omshanti]

Geno took UConn to a place no other team has been. As a UConn fan I still loved Pat Summitt and Tennessee. Couldn’t hate what she did for the game. Geno has mellowed or I ought to say aged well over the years. Maybe he has let go of his ego somewhat and looks at life differently now. He knows the game and appreciates good ball players. The rivalry Tennessee and CT had was something to watch and behold; some of the most intense and hard fought games. I would love to see another school become a fierce rivalry like that!

 

[TN-Gamecock]

Geno took UConn to a place no other team has been. As a UConn fan I still loved Pat Summitt and Tennessee. Couldn’t hate what she did for the game. Geno has mellowed or I ought to say aged well over the years. Maybe he has let go of his ego somewhat and looks at life differently now. He knows the game and appreciates good ball players. The rivalry Tennessee and CT had was something to watch and behold; some of the most intense and hard fought games. I would love to see another school become a fierce rivalry like that!

Yes I agree with the UCONN vs UT rivalry. I don't think that rivalry can be replicated. Those are the two best of ALL-TIME in coaching. Those two can never be replaced. Congrats to Tara at Stanford for being #1 right now with Geno or her trail.

 

[uconnfan68]

Whatever.

My old boss forbade me from saying that.

 

[hoophuskee]

Being a graduate/native (SC) of the University of South Carolina and the University of Tennessee/(TN) now my home, I have come over the last 4 or so years to like Geno more and more. I know at Carolina and UT there are folks who don't like him at all. Pat Summit is my favorite women's basketball coach of all time. I was at UT when Geno came on the scene and started giving Pat a run for her money. There are folks at UT that still thinks Geno disrespected Pat and still have that grudge. Don't ask me why but I was on the train to dislike him too.

I started to like him more in the Breanna Stewart years even though he was beating my Gamecocks and Vols like drum. What finally won me over was this one act :



I thought this guy knows true talent. What a classy thing for him to do with Catlin Clark (who happens to be my favorite college basketball player of all-time). Sure he has Paige but I think he knew even when Catlin was a freshman that she would be a force in women's college basketball. I've never seen another coach wait to speak to another player from an opposing team like that...what class!!!!

I've even defended Geno on my home board which gets me into trouble...lol

Not sure what happened to our other posts, but in re to this-- Geno also did this for Skylar Diggins.

 

[OldSchooler]

Everyone got to see what a giant Geno is in the basketball world when he spoke at the memorial ceremony in L.A. for Kobe Bryant and his daughter. If you haven't seen it, . . .

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Being a graduate/native (SC) of the University of South Carolina and the University of Tennessee/(TN) now my home, I have come over the last 4 or so years to like Geno more and more. I know at Carolina and UT there are folks who don't like him at all. Pat Summit is my favorite women's basketball coach of all time. I was at UT when Geno came on the scene and started giving Pat a run for her money. There are folks at UT that still thinks Geno disrespected Pat and still have that grudge. Don't ask me why but I was on the train to dislike him too.

I started to like him more in the Breanna Stewart years even though he was beating my Gamecocks and Vols like drum. What finally won me over was this one act :



I thought this guy knows true talent. What a classy thing for him to do with Catlin Clark (who happens to be my favorite college basketball player of all-time). Sure he has Paige but I think he knew even when Catlin was a freshman that she would be a force in women's college basketball. I've never seen another coach wait to speak to another player from an opposing team like that...what class!!!!

I've even defended Geno on my home board which gets me into trouble...lol

I sit near the opposing head coach at SC home games and Geno is very personable, even bantering with our fans before games. There are a few coaches I dislike, but Geno is certainly not one of them.

 

[HuskyNan]

I sit near the opposing head coach at SC home games and Geno is very personable, even bantering with our fans before games. There are a few coaches I dislike, but Geno is certainly not one of them.

If you ever have a chance to have a conversation with him, do. He’s genuinely a nice guy with tremendous charisma and a quick wit. He’s also very intense although, as I said, he’s mellowed a bit through the years. He and Pat had that intensity in common only he’s a yeller and she had the laser-beam glare. Both great people and coaches

 

[RedStickHusky]

My old boss forbade me from saying that.

I tried to forbid my kids from saying it. They said "whatever".

 

[visitingcock]

I sit near the opposing head coach at SC home games and Geno is very personable, even bantering with our fans before games. There are a few coaches I dislike, but Geno is certainly not one of them.

I'll join my Gamecock brothers and sisters in brown-nosing.

Geno's agreement to schedule us and to continue scheduling us was critical in helping us gain some spotlight (through a bunch of beatings) that gave our name something others lacked. It directly effected recruiting . It helps when you can tell a recruit: You are going to play UConn 4 times during your career. (oh, but some of those beatings were brutal!

Being a graduate/native (SC) of the University of South Carolina and the University of Tennessee/(TN) now my home, I have come over the last 4 or so years to like Geno more and more. I know at Carolina and UT there are folks who don't like him at all. Pat Summit is my favorite women's basketball coach of all time. I was at UT when Geno came on the scene and started giving Pat a run for her money. There are folks at UT that still thinks Geno disrespected Pat and still have that grudge. Don't ask me why but I was on the train to dislike him too.

I started to like him more in the Breanna Stewart years even though he was beating my Gamecocks and Vols like drum. What finally won me over was this one act :



I thought this guy knows true talent. What a classy thing for him to do with Catlin Clark (who happens to be my favorite college basketball player of all-time). Sure he has Paige but I think he knew even when Catlin was a freshman that she would be a force in women's college basketball. I've never seen another coach wait to speak to another player from an opposing team like that...what class!!!!

I've even defended Geno on my home board which gets me into trouble...lol

 

[JellyBean]

Being a graduate/native (SC) of the University of South Carolina and the University of Tennessee/(TN) now my home, I have come over the last 4 or so years to like Geno more and more. I know at Carolina and UT there are folks who don't like him at all. Pat Summit is my favorite women's basketball coach of all time. I was at UT when Geno came on the scene and started giving Pat a run for her money. There are folks at UT that still thinks Geno disrespected Pat and still have that grudge. Don't ask me why but I was on the train to dislike him too.

I started to like him more in the Breanna Stewart years even though he was beating my Gamecocks and Vols like drum. What finally won me over was this one act :



I thought this guy knows true talent. What a classy thing for him to do with Catlin Clark (who happens to be my favorite college basketball player of all-time). Sure he has Paige but I think he knew even when Catlin was a freshman that she would be a force in women's college basketball. I've never seen another coach wait to speak to another player from an opposing team like that...what class!!!!

I've even defended Geno on my home board which gets me into trouble...lol

Great comments and glad that you did not fall for the propaganda.

 

[darrell]

Thanks - and a belated welcome to you. Geno used to be a lot more animated, he’s mellowed through the years but people still remember how fiery he was. Folks either either loved him or hated him, we’re just glad he’s at UConn.

Now folks hate the men’s coach, Dan Hurley. Here he is from a few years ago with his brother Bobby, now head coach at Arizona. The fire must run in the family

This is hilarious. Thanks for sharing, Nan!

 

[EricLA]

If you ever have a chance to have a conversation with him, do. He’s genuinely a nice guy with tremendous charisma and a quick wit. He’s also very intense although, as I said, he’s mellowed a bit through the years. He and Pat had that intensity in common only he’s a yeller and she had the laser-beam glare. Both great people and coaches

My brother and I had a chance to speak with him when he was recruiting Charde Houston. We lived in San Diego and went to one of Charde's games, and Geno was there. We sat next to him and asked him questions for about an hour. He was incredibly funny and gracious to 2 fanboys. He's also hysterical.

At one point, Charde was bringing the ball up the court, and looked over at Geno to see if he was watching. He said to us "Oh ok. Watch this. Charde looked over to see if I was paying attention. Now she's going to try something incredible". Sure enough, Charde took the ball over half court and zig zagged 1 on 5 in a drive to the basket.

Side note - we also tried to be respectful of him - he was there to watch high school players, specifically Charde, play, not entertain questions from fans. It's not like we harassed him the entire game...!! But still, what a great experience to meet the GOAT coach.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

If you ever have a chance to have a conversation with him, do. He’s genuinely a nice guy with tremendous charisma and a quick wit. He’s also very intense although, as I said, he’s mellowed a bit through the years. He and Pat had that intensity in common only he’s a yeller and she had the laser-beam glare. Both great people and coaches

He's definitely someone I could have a beer with.

 

[TN-Gamecock]

Today, I've been reading about Tara and Pat's relationship as coaches of 2 of the best programs in NCAA women's basketball history. They supported each other immensely. Pat even spoke to Stanford Donors after losing to Stanford because she promised Tara she would.

As I read more and more about coaches and the relationships they build, I kind of have to agree with one of the UCONN posters. I beginning to wonder if him being male did strain his relationship with Pat. Coach Pat was women's basketball biggest promoter as Geno was coming on the scene. In those days, when you thought of women's basketball coaches, it was Pat, Tara, Vivian Stringer, Debbie Ryan, Kay Yow. I'm not sure of Pat's relationship with Andy Landers since he was one of the few male coaches in the SEC at that time.

Whatever it was with Geno and Pat, I'm glad they made amends. Even in my career there have been people who I've competed with and had a disdain for. As I've gotten older, some of the folks that tried to compete and were snarky with me have become great allies (not necessarily friends) but allies none the less.

As guess as we age we grow and realize this was ALL a game anyway. I'm talking about life (not just basketball).

My mom was a Nurse Manager in psychiatry at the hospital she worked at. I would come home from school and go to my night job at Burger King ( I was 16). I would complain to her about some of the people I worked with and she would say to me, "look at it as a game and have fun with it" . She explained to me that is how she managed the nurses and administrators. She took nothing personally and just played the game for 40 years.

It's funny, but she was right, it's all been a game. I'm glad Pat and Geno figured it out!!!