I hope the players don't read these BY pages

[Ct Dog]

Players will not lose confidence because of what they read on the Boneyard, nor will they gain confidence from what posters have to say. They are not weak minded. Give them some credit. Don't treat them like children. Their parents may care what we have to say, but the players do not. They know 99.9% of the posts are gaseous. I absolutely don't believe the players read the Boneyard and if they did it would for a good laugh or two or three thousand. They would see humor in what we think is brilliant basketball tactics and strategy. We should not take ourselves so seriously.
"It’s basketball. It’s not life or death. ~ Geno Auriemma 12/19/21"

X 1000

 

[jdote33]

ALL sports, from Grammar school leagues to Professional are discussed each and every day, by word of mouth, computer sites, newspapers, and tv, etc.
All sports fans, players, and coaches have their opinions. Opinions are part of the game, and without these opinions you would not have dedicated fans, To get away from the hectic world we have today, fans find relief in discussing their favorite teams and players.
Yes, it is true that some fans do go overboard. It is fine to proclaim that one player is better than another in one aspect of a sport. It is unfair to state that a certain player is unworthy and should not be on a team.
I have seen past posts on this site that state it quite well: BEFORE YOU DENOUNCE A PLAYER ON THE TEAM, consider that the player you are criticizing is YOUR daughter.

Thank u for this post. You articulated a lot of my thoughts on this topic better than I have. I've thought about this a lot over the past couple days, particularly after being in the live chat for much of the ucf game. Ive always thought part of sports and being an engaged fan is venting frustrations and Monday morning quarterbacking. I agree there is a way to do it and some comments that degrade a player or r unusually hostile can be left in the draft folder. Of course Geno is a legend and knows about 1000 * more about basketball than most including myself will ever think of knowing. But part of being on a discussion board I thought would be to discuss and sometimes disagree with his decisions. Ultimately it's really just commentary. Im trying to find a good analogy. I guess if I'm watching a Spike Lee film and think one of the characters is not well thought out or the ending was Ill contrived and I voice that, I think it would be strange for someone to comment u think u know better than Spike Lee, dude is a genius. The genius part is inarguable. ( I'm not the biggest Spike fan, just trying to hammer home the point).
Also not too go too much longer on a rant but it is sortve coming up in basketball a lot, what is the role of fans. I've taken a break of watching the NBA but it seemed each month there was a weird player fan interaction. The last one recently, a fan told Kevin Durant that he needed to take over. KD responds by telling him to shut up (his language was more volatile) and watch the game. It seems people appreciated KDs approach, but a fan telling a player to take over is not even a negative thing to say. It was just really strange to me.

 

[OldSchooler]

Players will not lose confidence because of what they read on the Boneyard, nor will they gain confidence from what posters have to say. They are not weak minded. Give them some credit. Don't treat them like children. Their parents may care what we have to say, but the players do not. They know 99.9% of the posts are gaseous. I absolutely don't believe the players read the Boneyard and if they did it would for a good laugh or two or three thousand. They would see humor in what we think is brilliant basketball tactics and strategy. We should not take ourselves so seriously.
"It’s basketball. It’s not life or death. ~ Geno Auriemma 12/19/21"

Most sincerely, I appreciate your reassurance.
BTW, I assume you have a USN connection. I'm USAF retired, but I won't hold that against you.

 

[Pharos]

Geno is an outstanding coach; but not perfect. Listening to some sound advice from the boneyard might help him out a bit!!!

The "sound advice" Geno needs will come from the boneyard? He has no other sources of "sound advice" that are more likely to be useful?

 

[LoboDays]

I’m pretty certain that you will never again see Paige in a game with 40 seconds left in the 4th quarter while holding an insurmountable lead. Her parents thank me. Her family thanks me. And Geno thanks me.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I read the walls in public restrooms, but have never been tempted to take them on as a mentor. lol

 

[tchalla1]

Geno has brought this team this far, in one of the most challenging seasons of his storied career. That's all we need, is to have the players lose confidence in his leadership at this point. LET THE COACH COACH!

This is laughable --first of all, anyone who thinks UConn's players are affected by the snips, diatribe of commentary at this site, much less Geno, is entirely full of him/her-self... At best it may give Geno something to amuse himself with.

I find the hypersensitivity about criticism a bit much--I'm not talking about ad hominem putdowns as that has no place in collegiate WBB--but fair assessment of players' performances should be acceptable, but often it is not well received here.
For example, my descriptor of UConn against UCF was that they at first appeared scared and tentative, and the reaction to my comments was quite negative from some BY-ers. In his presser, Geno said they had the jitters coming out and some a bit spooked... Tomato/tomatoe, right? If you disagree with my assessment, fine, but what's this stuff about that I should be more positive? This, I do not understand... As a fan I am not obligated to be positive--I am obligated to be respectful, but not positive. There is a difference. Saying that UConn played a poor, tentative and lackluster game is not being disrespectful, it is commentary on their play, not the players themselves that's fair is it not? I think too many here confuse and blur the line of critique of performance as being critique of the players themselves...

I do thoroughly agree with the sentiment that fan critique of young collegiate women should be at a different level than what our critique is of pro athletes, (and with the NIL presence, I daresay a few of our players might be considered professionals since they do receive great sums of money for playing UConn B-ball). I will try to use a kinder, gentler pen on my critique, but please, please take off the bubble wrap and the hermetic seal...

 

[Monte]

Thank u for this post. You articulated a lot of my thoughts on this topic better than I have. I've thought about this a lot over the past couple days, particularly after being in the live chat for much of the ucf game. Ive always thought part of sports and being an engaged fan is venting frustrations and Monday morning quarterbacking. I agree there is a way to do it and some comments that degrade a player or r unusually hostile can be left in the draft folder. Of course Geno is a legend and knows about 1000 * more about basketball than most including myself will ever think of knowing. But part of being on a discussion board I thought would be to discuss and sometimes disagree with his decisions. Ultimately it's really just commentary. Im trying to find a good analogy. I guess if I'm watching a Spike Lee film and think one of the characters is not well thought out or the ending was Ill contrived and I voice that, I think it would be strange for someone to comment u think u know better than Spike Lee, dude is a genius. The genius part is inarguable. ( I'm not the biggest Spike fan, just trying to hammer home the point).
Also not too go too much longer on a rant but it is sortve coming up in basketball a lot, what is the role of fans. I've taken a break of watching the NBA but it seemed each month there was a weird player fan interaction. The last one recently, a fan told Kevin Durant that he needed to take over. KD responds by telling him to shut up (his language was more volatile) and watch the game. It seems people appreciated KDs approach, but a fan telling a player to take over is not even a negative thing to say. It was just really strange to me.

I agree with you about the NBA. Years ago. I was a huge fan, but I cannot remember the last time I watched a game.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

'And personally, I don't consider the players my daughters. Or nieces. Or cousins twice removed on my mother's side.'

this. a thousand times this.
kinda creepy, actually. they're just players, on a team. like any other team.
and, no fans (social media) = no teams. you take the good with the bad.
one more - can't take the heat? get out of the kitchen.

 

[Carnac]

Players will not lose confidence because of what they read on the Boneyard, nor will they gain confidence from what posters have to say. They are not weak minded. Give them some credit. Don't treat them like children. Their parents may care what we have to say, but the players do not. They know 99.9% of the posts are gaseous. I absolutely don't believe the players read the Boneyard and if they did it would for a good laugh or two or three thousand. They would see humor in what we think is brilliant basketball tactics and strategy. We should not take ourselves so seriously.
"It’s basketball. It’s not life or death. ~ Geno Auriemma 12/19/21"

When I bumped into Breanna Stewart (Stewie) in Las Vegas several years ago before an Aces/Storm game, I asked her if she ever visited the Boneyard while she was a student at UConn. She said "absolutely not." Had she said yes, I was going to tell her my BY handle hoping perhaps she may have read one or two of my more eloquent posts.

I think the players would be better served NOT coming to the BY. Nothing positive or helpful could be gained by coming here. Too many negative posts and comments. Especially after a loss. This is a FAN forum for fans. This forum IS NOT for them, but they can't be kept out if they get curious and dare to venture into the Twilight Zone.




It's been said by some "veteran" Boneyarders (that have been here awhile) that some of the parents of our players (past and present) have on occasion visited us. One parent exposed herself recently and thanked us for the kind words that was posted about her daughter. Another poster said that coaches from other D1 teams have also visited the yard. What pray tell could they possibly learn here that they couldn't by simply watching game film? It's a good bet that potential recruits and their parents have paid us a visit also. You never know who is going to read your comments.

 

[Monte]

'And personally, I don't consider the players my daughters. Or nieces. Or cousins twice removed on my mother's side.'

this. a thousand times this.
kinda creepy, actually. they're just players, on a team. like any other team.
and, no fans (social media) = no teams. you take the good with the bad.
one more - can't take the heat? get out of the kitchen.

..."like any other team".....so, you're not a UCONN fan?

 

[YSRFrisbee]

It seems very reasonable to believe that players, prospective students, and their families read this board often enough. Aren't most people just a little curious about what other people say/think about us? Although I have removed myself from all social media, I was once trapped in the world where I obsessed over "likes/comments" after an online post. It's an addictive behavior that can have damaging effects on your health.

If you have an IG, Twitter, or FB account, be honest: After you post something, how often do you find yourself checking on how it was received by your friends and the general public? Every day? Every hour? Every 5 minutes? Now imagine you're on a team of 12 people and your team has a well-known message board dedicated just to you. Would YOU be tempted to read posts after a game, especially if the post was about your personal performance?

Sometimes I read some comments on here or in the chat room and shake my head. I think about the saying: "With friends (ie. fans) like these, who needs enemies??" I agree with the other posters who ask for some self reflection prior to posting a comment: Would you ever say these things to your own daughter? How would you react if a complete stranger said the same thing to your child? Or "Would you say the same thing [you typed on a message board] to the person's face?"

I am not saying it all has to be rainbows and unicorns (unless it's on your crutches), but there is a difference between respectful critiques/reasonable frustration and remarks that are degrading and unnecessary. Thankfully the former outnumbers the latter on here! Plus, we have great moderators who keep things running smoothly.

That being said, I hope the past, current, and future players (and their families!) take what is said behind the keyboard with a grain of salt. Instead, I hope they focus on the fans who love and support them...most of whom never post online.

I'm estimating that over 99% of us will NEVER be as successful on the basketball court as these amazing student athletes. They are balancing academics, learning how to become an adult, and playing a sport at the highest collegiate level. They SHOULDN'T care about what we think, but the truth is...they might. So let's all be a bit more mindful before we post something in the heat of the moment.

"In a world where you can be anything...be KIND"

 

[Cuango]

Geno is an outstanding coach; but not perfect. Listening to some sound advice from the boneyard might help him out a bit!!!

I can see where Geno might check in at the Boneyard. He probably could use some humor about now. I’d like to be a fly on the wall if he did! That, I’m guessing, would be pretty amusing to watch! (And hear!)

 

[cwaduke]

I remember watching a game with the coach who was on a one year sabbatical. He saw so much more than I did. And, I'm the guy who's wife says that I should be an announcer as I often say things before they do. I ask questions, but would never second guess that coaching staff.

 

[fan4eva]

All This talk about Geno is gonna seem real reckless and abusive when he decides to hang it up and the coach who follows him and becomes the next coach doesn't quite coach up to the standard he's set. Then all this talk about Geno will be put in its proper perspective. Appreciate greatness while you have because the next coach is coming nowhere near the record Geno has established.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Despite my over-the-top post to the contrary in the post-game thread (apologies @KMac), I do find a diversity of opinions to be interesting... Sometimes informative and sometimes entertaining. I don't much care though to see opinions expressed as facts demanding action. Especially when they are accompanied by impassioned pseudo-moralistic arguments about what someone deserves. And I really hate being called a hater (see what I did there) for not agreeing that someone's favorite deserves to play 80 minutes a game. Lastly, the poster that asserted a belief that one player "is demanding" Geno give her someone else's minutes should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[meyers7]

Yep and their families, AAU and high school coaches.

No one should be reading these pages for anything other than comedy gold.

Geno is an outstanding coach; but not perfect. Listening to some sound advice from the boneyard might help him out a bit!!!

I rest my case.

 

[HuskyNan]

I can see where Geno might check in at the Boneyard. He probably could use some humor about now. I’d like to be a fly on the wall if he did! That, I’m guessing, would be pretty amusing to watch! (And hear!)

I met him at an event and while he knows who we are, he says he doesn’t read the Boneyard but “everyone else does”. At the same event, I met Jamelle Elliott and she knew who we are too. UConn Compliance is also well aware of us.

 

[HuskyNan]

No one should be reading these pages for anything other than comedy gold.

For the most part, yeah, there’s a lot of eye-rolling and tsk-tsking but once in a while people get angry. Years ago, a father asked me to ban him so that he couldn’t respond to some of the comments he read about his daughter. As it turned out, the no-name role player that was brought on as an afterthought, one that some declared was a “waste of a scholarship”, turned out to be one of the heroes of a national championship game. Shows what the experts on the Boneyard know.

 

[Tonyc]

Parents, coaches both HS and AAU, friends of players and recruits etc all read the Boneyard. Players too. There have been recruits parents who have posted to this board over the year and read the BY for information. There have been posters that have gone at it with some well known coaches and parents and didnt know who those coaches or parents were too.

 

[HuskyNan]

Parents, coaches both HS and AAU, friends of players and recruits etc all read the Boneyard. Players too. There have been recruits parents who have posted to this board over the year and read the BY for information. There have been posters that have gone at it with some well known coaches and parents and didnt know who those coaches or parents were too.

Yeah, I kind of cringe when a Boneyarders derides one of the most well-respected AAU coaches out there. Bag over the head moment.

Oh, we get the press, too. Local, regional, national news outlets read the ‘yard. I was interviewed by 60 Minutes for its piece on Geno years ago after they read the Boneyard but my clip ended up on the floor of the editing room. Still, it was amazing to meet Morley Safer - he was in my house! - and see the behind the scenes stuff. I gave Morley a Boneyard sweatshirt and he said he’d wear it when he went jogging.

 

[Charliebball]

while I don't have the stats to prove it, I'd say the Boneyard is the biggest and most influential fan forum in College WBB........players and coaches in the recruiting loop are well aware of the Boneyard as are current and past players........that said, other than perhaps some nervous high school recruits and their families, I'm not aware of anybody in and around the program that takes the Boneyard for anything more than it is.......a place for UConn and other WBB fans to praise or criticize their programs and show off their supposed coaching knowledge and player analysis.......I also do cringe when I read the occasional criticism of a player which becomes a border line personal attack.......that's never acceptable on a site like this and is usually cleaned up quickly by the moderators.....

 

[Carnac]

It seems very reasonable to believe that players, prospective students, and their families read this board often enough. Aren't most people just a little curious about what other people say/think about us? Although I have removed myself from all social media, I was once trapped in the world where I obsessed over "likes/comments" after an online post. It's an addictive behavior that can have damaging effects on your health.

If you have an IG, Twitter, or FB account, be honest: After you post something, how often do you find yourself checking on how it was received by your friends and the general public? Every day? Every hour? Every 5 minutes? Now imagine you're on a team of 12 people and your team has a well-known message board dedicated just to you. Would YOU be tempted to read posts after a game, especially if the post was about your personal performance?

Sometimes I read some comments on here or in the chat room and shake my head. I think about the saying: "With friends (ie. fans) like these, who needs enemies??" I agree with the other posters who ask for some self reflection prior to posting a comment: Would you ever say these things to your own daughter? How would you react if a complete stranger said the same thing to your child? Or "Would you say the same thing [you typed on a message board] to the person's face?"

I am not saying it all has to be rainbows and unicorns (unless it's on your crutches), but there is a difference between respectful critiques/reasonable frustration and remarks that are degrading and unnecessary. Thankfully the former outnumbers the latter on here! Plus, we have great moderators who keep things running smoothly.

That being said, I hope the past, current, and future players (and their families!) take what is said behind the keyboard with a grain of salt. Instead, I hope they focus on the fans who love and support them...most of whom never post online.

I'm estimating that over 99% of us will NEVER be as successful on the basketball court as these amazing student athletes. They are balancing academics, learning how to become an adult, and playing a sport at the highest collegiate level. They SHOULDN'T care about what we think, but the truth is...they might. So let's all be a bit more mindful before we post something in the heat of the moment.

"In a world where you can be anything...be KIND"

Excellent post!! Best I’ve read this week.

 

[BBallF]

Geno is the greatest women's coach ever and in the conversation with John Wooden as the greatest college coach ever. I think what has been forgotten at times is that neither this team as a whole, nor any substantial part of it, has had a full season or most of a season together. Every time an injured or sick player returned, there had to be a new admixture of the player parts into the amalgam. It has to have been a daunting task for the coaching staff. I still don't think we are even close to our stride and certainly not near our gun lap kick. I don't know if we can ever get there this year but maybe, just maybe, what we have will be good enough. We only have to be 1 point better than the other team.

 

[Charliebball]

I can see where Geno might check in at the Boneyard. He probably could use some humor about now. I’d like to be a fly on the wall if he did! That, I’m guessing, would be pretty amusing to watch! (And hear!)

Whenever Geno comments that fans are always talking about what plays we should run, what defense we should play or who should start, I tend to think he's talking about all of us wackos....................well maybe not me..............