The team with Geno would win. The other two... not so sure...I know, bizzare question, but I believe if some opponents tweaked their strategy with Geno at helm, game results might be different. noticed I picked only upper tier teams from emphasis.
I believe ND and MD might.I know, bizzare question, but I believe if some opponents tweaked their strategy with Geno at helm, game results might be different. noticed I picked only upper tier teams from emphasis.
I know, bizzare question, but I believe if some opponents tweaked their strategy with Geno at helm, game results might be different. noticed I picked only upper tier teams from emphasis.
I know, bizzare question, but I believe if some opponents tweaked their strategy with Geno at helm, game results might be different. noticed I picked only upper tier teams from emphasis.
"He could take his'n and beat your'n or he could take your'n and beat his'n."See Bum Philips' comments about Don Shula.
I know the wording of my question left a lot to be desired, but I worded it that way because I knew if Geno and CD, etc. had the other team for months, SC, ND, MD and possibly Stanford might edge out UCONN. Physically, ND matched up well, in fact ND might edge out UCONN a few matchups. I think the tiebreaker is that Geno DEMANDS team play. The old, "if you have a shot, but your teammate has a better shot, pass it" I saw ND players taking a fairly good open shot at the expense of another teammate clearly having a higher percentage shot. UCONN players "Pass it Forward" and they know the next time or two, their teammate will help them shine. Katie Lou and Napheesa are roommates as well as teammates and they are music to see on the court.Interesting question, but I think the premise is incorrect.
If you changed the hypothetical to say, "If Geno had the other school's roster since October 15, and the other coach had the UConn roster since October 15, would the other school's roster beat the UConn roster?", then I think the answer would be yes. Even Geno can't teach them all about offense and defense in a few days; it takes a full season. Not to mention practicing at breakneck speed, and drilling until you can't do it wrong. Of course, that might cause a palace revolt by the players on the other roster who didn't sign up for that and aren't into that. (I recall reading that such a thing actually happened in 1985 when the returning players experienced Geno and CD for the first time.)
But the other factor is the influence of the assistant coaches and the team culture, which is built up over a longer period of time. Along with this is the influence of UConn veterans on the younger players in passing down the culture, so that it isn't solely on the coaching staff to do that. So, really the proper hypothetical would be, "If the other school had Geno / Caroline Doty / Marisa / Shea, and the assistants had been working all summer with the other team's players on individual skills and good habits, and had Geno coaching them on offense and defense starting October 15, would the other team beat UConn's roster?" Then almost certainly the answer would be Yes.
And I would include Tennessee and Duke in the hypothetical as well. The answer in their case would more emphatically be the same.
In addition to getting players he did not recruit because he was not that impressed with them, he might also get the chance to coach players he really wanted, i.e. Lauren Cox, A'Ja Wilson, Asia Durr,A lot of folks already said it above: need to think of a longer term involvement, from recruitment to early practices to ass't coaches.
What I chuckle over is the potential irony: Geno would end up with players he might otherwise have liked but didn't recruit because he didn't think they would take to his coaching or who themselves shied away from UConn because they didn't want the intensity. Suddenly, on Oct. 15 they report to practice and find a guy in sweats sipping his coffee who is their worst nightmare!
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On a side note, I believe ND players would probably be more accommodating with the coaching switch because they know it might be one of the few times they stood a chance to beat UCONN. ;-)Factors make this harder to determine: 1. how long does Geno have to get them ready or is this just game time?? 2. Will the players of the mentioned teams follow Geno's directions? 3. How well does Geno know of their limitations?
ND would win if Geno had a week prep and they bought into his schemes. Out of loyalty to the hard work Uc's starting 5 have put into this year---I can't select MD or USC with Geno as a coach.
Your great comments go against all those naysayers that UCONN only wins because they recruit better players than anyone else. Some of the All-American greats that graduated from UCONN might have not developed as well elsewhere. Coach McCauly of Duke says that Geno should not be able to accept transfers in because UCONN is head and shoulders above everyone else. That is sour grapes. Numerous players have left UCONN and did quite well elsewhere. It has to work both ways! On a related note, Butler is coming along. I believe if she was a little less insecure when she nabs the ball in the paint, going up and scoring might become natural for her. I do like, however, that she finds an open player that scores.Interesting question, but I think the premise is incorrect.
If you changed the hypothetical to say, "If Geno had the other school's roster since October 15, and the other coach had the UConn roster since October 15, would the other school's roster beat the UConn roster?", then I think the answer would be yes. Even Geno can't teach them all about offense and defense in a few days; it takes a full season. Not to mention practicing at breakneck speed, and drilling until you can't do it wrong. Of course, that might cause a palace revolt by the players on the other roster who didn't sign up for that and aren't into that. (I recall reading that such a thing actually happened in 1985 when the returning players experienced Geno and CD for the first time.)
But the other factor is the influence of the assistant coaches and the team culture, which is built up over a longer period of time. Along with this is the influence of UConn veterans on the younger players in passing down the culture, so that it isn't solely on the coaching staff to do that. So, really the proper hypothetical would be, "If the other school had Geno / Caroline Doty / Marisa / Shea, and the assistants had been working all summer with the other team's players on individual skills and good habits, and had Geno coaching them on offense and defense starting October 15, would the other team beat UConn's roster?" Then almost certainly the answer would be Yes.
And I would include Tennessee and Duke in the hypothetical as well. The answer in their case would more emphatically be the same.
I agree completely.... that is why I think Kyla and Molly are going to get their chance to shine as the season progresses.So, since Geno and these other players would be playing against "our" UConn players, how would our "thoroughbreds" do being coached and developed by the other coaches?
Muffet?
Brenda?
Dawn?
Jeff?
Holly?
I think our players might do pretty good because they're smart. I pretty much agree GA would find a way to win with most of these other teams, but I do think he intentionally recruits "smart" players. Development time might need to be extended in some cases.
If JPM didn't want Azura to transfer then she should have made her want to stay. And this does mean she supports disqualifying Lexie Brown too, right? Don't get me started...Your great comments go against all those naysayers that UCONN only wins because they recruit better players than anyone else. Some of the All-American greats that graduated from UCONN might have not developed as well elsewhere. Coach McCauly of Duke says that Geno should not be able to accept transfers in because UCONN is head and shoulders above everyone else. That is sour grapes. Numerous players have left UCONN and did quite well elsewhere. It has to work both ways! On a related note, Butler is coming along. I believe if she was a little less insecure when she nabs the ball in the paint, going up and scoring might become natural for her. I do like, however, that she finds an open player that scores.
That might be a challenge - Deshields marches to her own drummer. Great talent - not so great attitude. She would transfer again if Geno showed up.One game is not enough to change anything.
My question: Give current Tenn. team to Geno for 1 year. Can Geno make this team a top 3?
I also think Baylor, ND, South Carolina and maybe Stanford would keep Tennessee from breaking into the top 5.That might be a challenge - Deshields marches to her own drummer. Great talent - not so great attitude. She would transfer again if Geno showed up.
My originally reply went missing. Oh, well. Can't put a finger on it, but I think SC, Maryland, ND, and Stanford (along with UCONN under a "CD" might keep Tennessee out of the top 3 - even with Geno.One game is not enough to change anything.
My question: Give current Tenn. team to Geno for 1 year. Can Geno make this team a top 3?
I agree, my friend, Geno is unmatched in basketball coaching at any level.Geno can beat yourn with hisn, or hisn with yourn. I truly believe this. He is the best basketball mind in WCBB, and possibly in college basketball period.
I agree with your well thought out commentary... My initial question was ridiculous - I wanted to know if Geno, on the day of the UCONN - ND matchup, could inspire ND to adopt his style of the game enough to beat the Irish led by Muffit for one game. Maybe a little Irish on Irish scrimmage, a little sermon on the Mount, and a little tough love before hitting the floor. Geno would be starting with a core team that only is rivaled by UCONN itself, so he will not be coaching a group of ladies on training wheels. ND does pass but they are not as unselfish as UCONN players across the board. I am from Springfield, MA and have been a UCONN fan for decades, even though I was in the for decades and moved around. Now in Texas, I am NOT a fan of Baylor, UT, or even A&M. My daughter living in CT is not a fan of KLS because she considers her one dimensional, which I disagree. KLS has expanded her game just like KML did. KLS now drives to the basket for layups and is rebounding better. My personal mantra for UCONN is that they "Pass it forward" - which implies they play unselfish ball - no gunners. That's all. Thanks for commenting to my scenarios.I think the question diminishes the selection process involved by both players and coaches in choosing to commit to Uconn and in being recruited by Uconn. Uconn recruited some but not all of the players on these teams which defines them as unselfish team oriented players who know how to pass. And the players who chose Uconn identified being subjected to tough love coaching as being the top priority by making their selection. (Storrs, while beautiful really isn't a draw, and Uconn while academically sound is not at the same level as some of the other options.)
I am not saying that both of those qualities do not exist in every one of the players on the other teams, but I suspect it is a lot less universal than it is with Uconn.
The other thing is for all her faults and failures, Chong has stuck it out through three years at Uconn and learned from the coaches, Gabby has made it through two years with a burning desire to prove to the coaches she deserves to get off the bench (see Stanford loss), and earn a few minutes more each week until she plays 40 at ND and is called magnificent. Napheesa and Lou failed numerous times in their first year to impress the coaches and took that as a challenge until they too earned the coaches trust. This team also had all the graduated players who had gone through the same trials and failures to teach them Uconn basketball. And the freshman are beginning to learn those same lessons not just from coaches but from their teammates.
So plugging Geno and staff into another program for a game, for a whole preseason, or even for a year and a preseason does not duplicate what they create at Uconn - the raw material and the environment and the tradition could never be dropped into another team. What happens on one night is the result of 30 years of creation.
The parallel you hear is from the Olympic team - Sue Bird in 2016 is the product of sitting through her first couple of NT experiences behind Dawn and others learning what being a NT team member means. The coaches for those teams change but there is a lot of continuity in the players and a lot of experience they bring to help each new coach. DT telling Geno to stop with the BS and tell the players where to go and what to do - he was just confusing them, is a prefect example.