Jacobs article on Pat...today's Courant [Aug. 25]

[speedoo]

It would be great to see the series resumed, but I just don't see it happening while Pat is still coaching.

I always thought an alumni game would be a really exciting event, with the first game held in Knoxville and the winner getting homecourt for the following year. Squads could be 'coached' by alumni as well--no shortage of coaches to choose from. The alumni game idea has been mentioned before. The big difficulty that comes up always seems to be scheduling, since the pro players have so little time.

One possibility would be to have the game just before the start of the WNBA season. Although this is a still a tight time window (there is no "good" time in the calendar for pro players), I think that if someone tried to get such a game together next year as a fundraiser for Alzheimer's research, alumni from both sides might well make a special effort to play given the special circumstances and that it would be "for Pat". Pat and Geno could attend, or not attend, as their choice. Also, having it be an alumni game would probably make it somewhat easier for ESPN to produce, since the players would all be graduates, not current student-athletes with the attendant restrictions.

That would be some legendary talent taking the floor to do battle. And Rebecca could do the commentary!

I think this has great potential. No need to list the alum players... We all know who they are.

The two best coaches, imo would be Jen and Kelly Jolly. Former opponents (1996, at least?) and now successful college coaches.

 

[PacoSwede]

... would love nothing more to see Geno and Pat shake each others hand at midcourt. They both have made each other better ....

Do you really think Pat is better? See the posts in this thread by Eric and k9fanatic. I don't think Pat ever would have resorted to that behavior if she had never met Geno. She is the better for it? Not to me.

 

[Replicant]

there are 2 things about that - and i realize in light of Pat's disease, this may be premature, but she's still the same person who threw Geno under the bus several times accusing him of cheating, etc. and she's the one who canceled the game. First she would need to apologize, then ask for the series to be renewed.

Gotta agree. However, Pat will never apologize for the accusations she lobbed at UConn and Geno. In fact, she doubled down on her original NCAA complaint years later with the infamous smear of Geno during the Bruce Pearl presser/scandal. I understand the knee jerk reaction to use Pat's disease as an opportunity for a reconciliation of sorts. But what is there to actually reconcile? Pat's and Geno's relationship is not similar to a family feud being set aside because a family member takes ill and all parties channel their higher selves to circle the wagons around the stricken. I'm long since over this match-up and the potential of beating Pat while she's down is not an appealing proposition. I see the entire scenario as a potential lose-lose for UConn.

 

[Georgestarr7]

I too would love to see them play again... but I think for the NC would be appropriate.

 

[Husky68]

She saw no reason to play Uconn before she was diagnosed, I see no reason to play Tenn. because of the diagnosis. Is Geno less of a cheater now that she is sick?

Guess Jacobs is taking a break from Calhoun bashing.

 

[Jonathan Husky]

Thanks, it's not mine. Just borrowed the photo largely because it resembles my cat (Camille) who died a few years ago.

As another cat lover I hope you adopted another one (or two) to keep you company. They are very personal, wonderful animals

 

[Icebear]

Cats are soulless demons that are great company on a cold day and it suits them.

I keep a cat to remind me of my selfish sinfulness and a dog to remind me of God's unconditional love.

 

[DoreBurt]

Cats are soulless demons that are great company on a cold day and it suits them.

I keep a cat to remind me of my selfish sinfulness and a dog to remind me of God's unconditional love.

Exactly!

 

[Zorro]

Couldn't we just tell Pat that she'd already agreed to the game....

What? Too soon?

Couldn't we just tell Pat that she'd already agreed to the game....

What? Too soon?

Sorry, not funny. Not funny at all. Nothing funny about the situation. It's a damned disease, like cancer. Making a joke out of it is out of line.

 

[FairView]

It seems to me like a pretty crappy reason to reschedule the game. The disease is terrible. My dad has it now -- he's pretty far along. It affects everything and pries at your emotions. For example, my Dad has forgotten how to tell time and it is driving him crazy because he's also become obsessed with what time things will occur. I share this so that you understand that I know how much this disease sucks firsthand. And my heart goes out to the Coach, her family, players and friends. I wish she could find a cure tomorrow. But a game and reconciliation of sorts because of her disease rings untrue to me. I don't care if UConn ever plays Tennessee again. It would be interesting to watch and very exciting, but UConn has moved on.

 

[FairView]

Cats are soulless demons that are great company on a cold day and it suits them.

I keep a cat to remind me of my selfish sinfulness and a dog to remind me of God's unconditional love.

We got two lovely Tonkinese kittens Memorial Day weekend and the past few months with them have been amazing ... they are cat, but they also have loving doglike qualities. They follow us to answer the door, participate in every activity and are pretty darn cool.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

there are 2 things about that - and i realize in light of Pat's disease, this may be premature, but she's still the same person who threw Geno under the bus several times accusing him of cheating, etc. and she's the one who canceled the game. First she would need to apologize, then ask for the series to be renewed.

I agree Eric!

 

[Drumguy]

The"game" is unlikely. UConnCat and K9 (pet themes much) make good points. I just don't see it happening anytime soon. It'd be a circus, in a lot of negative ways.

 

[pinotbear]

..and, there seems to be an assumption that the "obstacle" to a game would be getting UT & PHS on board. I suspect Geno would want nothing to do with it. Not only because he abhors the circus/focus on the coaches, but there'd be little to gain for his program. And, like most of us, he remembers.

 

[asuwish]

http://www.ctnow.com/sports/hc-jacobs-summitt-0825-20110825,0,7573257.column

Just testing here....to see if I can link an article. Jeff Jacobs has a nice piece in the Courant today about Pat. He wants the best rivalry in women's sports to resume with a game to raise funds for fighting the disease that has overtaken Pat. Some nice quotes about Pat from Kara Lawson. Kara thinks that ESPN might just want to pick up coverage of that game. Ya' think so?

I wonder if it is even possible for this year given that OOC games are already scheduled. One might have to be dropped by both teams. Of course this would have to be run by Geno and Pat....and last we heard from Pat she wanted no part of UConn. I wonder if that has changed.

I think Pat stopped playing us to avoid embaressing losses as well. At the time she cancelled uconn was at the begining of dominating period. They had Renee Tina Maya and at the time the game sched would have had to be made, EDD. Without EDD Uconn would dominate to the point that only 1 team in 2 years came within single digits. Meanwhile TN was losing to Ball State and others. A 25 point loss would in some minds make uconn seem to be even more steps ahead. not playing uconn had TN fans saying well they won so much but never played us. This year Pat has the horses or should have to play us. She has a senior ladden team with a few very young studs. next year with stewart, jefferson, & tuck and our depth I think Pat might want to keep avoiding us. She will always have talent, but I think Geno's depth and talent next year will be great. One thing in uconn's favor is that the young talent coming in has played together.

 

[EricLA]

I think Pat stopped playing us to avoid embaressing losses as well. At the time she cancelled uconn was at the begining of dominating period. They had Renee Tina Maya and at the time the game sched would have had to be made, EDD. Without EDD Uconn would dominate to the point that only 1 team in 2 years came within single digits. Meanwhile TN was losing to Ball State and others. A 25 point loss would in some minds make uconn seem to be even more steps ahead. not playing uconn had TN fans saying well they won so much but never played us. This year Pat has the horses or should have to play us. She has a senior ladden team with a few very young studs. next year with stewart, jefferson, & tuck and our depth I think Pat might want to keep avoiding us. She will always have talent, but I think Geno's depth and talent next year will be great. One thing in uconn's favor is that the young talent coming in has played together.

true. at least the potential domination period. at one point UCONN was up 13-5 in the series (i believe) but tennessee won 4 in a row around the time they had Parker and now it stands at 13-9. I may have the exact numbers/timeline wrong, but I know the series stands at 13-9 at this point. UCONN would have faced them in the NC game back in 2008 but we lost that year to Stanford in the semi's. tennessee fans will disagree with you, but i think UCONN has out recruited them almost every year going back to 2006, mainly when you consider redshirts and transfers and how they impact individual classes.

2006 Charles, McLaren, Gardler, Fernandez, Greene (RS) > Bobbitt, Auguste
2007 Moore, Dixon > Bjorkland, Smallbone, Cain (RS), Brewer (almost a wash tho IMHO)
2008 Tiff < Manning, Baugh RS), Stricklen, Johnson
2009 Faris, Doty (RS), Buck (RS) > Spani
2010 Dolson, Johnson, Hartley, Engeln > Simmons, Williams (RS)
2011 KML, Banks, Stokes = Burdick, Massengale, Harrison, altho i'd give the slight edge to UCONN...
2012 Stewart, Jefferson, Tuck (McDaniel) > Carter, Graves, Jones, (Hollivay, Prince, ?)

don't get me wrong - tennessee has been recruiting gangbusters. the only program recruiting better than them consistently is UCONN. it remains to be seen what the fall off is with Pat's disease and what happens when she finally leaves the HC position...

 

[Artifact]

The relationship between Pat & Geno is a wounded friendship. This has resulted in pain & suffering. Next is revenge, as we see the series has ended. To heal the wounds requires repentance. Who, When, Why, if this will occur, only time will tell !

 

[JoePgh]

Eric, I don't know how you are accounting for injuries and redshirts, but if you are trying to indicate who was originally recruited in a given class, there are a few mistakes in your chronology. Kalana Greene was in the class that started in 2005 (with Mel and Charde), and was delayed in leaving because of her injury and redshirt. Likewise, Caroline and Heather were recruited in the same class as Tiffany (not to mention EDD, but I realize that you are omitting those who transferred out), and were put back a year by injury/illness and the resulting redshirt. There may be similar effects on the Tennessee side -- I don't know that as well.

A larger point is that while players of the quality of most of those listed are needed to fill out an NC-caliber team, the only ones from either school that could be the centerpiece of an NC team are Maya and Tina -- and Tina is doubtful because of her immaturity during most of her time at UConn. During the period that you mention, Tennessee happened not to have any recruits of that caliber, although just before that they had one in Candace Parker. And of course they had many before that. So you have a valid point if you are saying that since Candace, Tennessee has had no Candace / Maya / Tina-level game-changers. It remains to be seen if either school has any such players in the pipeline. At this point, I would be skeptical about that -- with respect to both schools.

I would say, based on history, that Baylor is the favorite to be 2012 National Champion, because they have a player who towers over everyone else in a talent-based evaluation as well as in physical measurements.

 

[EricLA]

Eric, I don't know how you are accounting for injuries and redshirts, but if you are trying to indicate who was originally recruited in a given class, there are a few mistakes in your chronology. Kalana Greene was in the class that started in 2005 (with Mel and Charde), and was delayed in leaving because of her injury and redshirt. Likewise, Caroline and Heather were recruited in the same class as Tiffany (not to mention EDD, but I realize that you are omitting those who transferred out), and were put back a year by injury/illness and the resulting redshirt. There may be similar effects on the Tennessee side -- I don't know that as well.

So you have a valid point if you are saying that since Candace, Tennessee has had no Candace / Maya / Tina-level game-changers. It remains to be seen if either school has any such players in the pipeline. At this point, I would be skeptical about that -- with respect to both schools.

joe - i tried to account for all the red shirts and transfers. for example, EDD never came to UCONN really so i don't count her as part of the 2008 class. Caroline and Heather took medical redshirts and are effectively part of Kelly's class leaving Tiff as the lone "senior". Brewer and Cain are gone from Tenn so i took her off the list for graduating this year and put them as part of the 2007 class as they effectively graduated last year...

I'm not completely sure if Kamiko Williams is out for the entire year so i left her as part of Spani's class for the moment...

so you are correct - i did not use the typical recruiting comparison as the year they entered college, but rather the year they "graduated" or left the program... and i would agree Baylor are the favorites this year. but if the don't win it all, i'm not sure they are necessarily favorites next year given our 2011 kids (freshmen this year) and our 2012 kids (freshmen next year) are significantly better than what Baylor brings in.

As for the trio of #1/2 recruits we have coming in for 2011 and 2012 (KML, Stewart, Jefferson), i'd say at this point they certainly have the "hype" coming in that Diana, Tina, Maya, and Candace did. it remains to be seen if they live up to that over 4 years, but as Geno said "after this season, i don't know that we lose a game over the next two years", or something like that.

 

[doggydaddy]

I'm not completely sure if Kamiko Williams is out for the entire year so i left her as part of Spani's class for the moment...

She is out for the season.

 

[doggydaddy]

It remains to be seen if either school has any such players in the pipeline. At this point, I would be skeptical about that -- with respect to both schools.

Really? You are skeptical about KML? Stewart?