John A. tweets from Lincoln

[pap49cba]

John Altavilla ‏@jaltavilla 33m
Geno says one of the best ways to beat #UCOnnwomen is the get a couple of technicals on their "dummy coach."

John Altavilla ‏@jaltavilla 27m
“Our team, our staff, knows what our weaknesses are. Our job is to make sure the other teams don’t know what they are." @genoauriemma

[URL='https://twitter.com/jaltavilla']John Altavilla ‏@jaltavilla 9m
“If you spend too much time figuring out how to score against a 6-7 shot blocker, the rest of your game goes to pot.” - @genoauriemma
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[Icebear]

Getting Geno tossed with technicals won't help because then the smart coach takes over.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

John Altavilla ‏@jaltavilla 33m
Geno says one of the best ways to beat #UCOnnwomen is the get a couple of technicals on their "dummy coach."

I am sorry, but how can anyone not smile when reading this quote/quip?

It is one thing to be the best coach in the game. It is another thing to be the best coach in the game with the most personality in the sport.

 

[HoopsFan21]

It is one thing to be the best coach in the game. It is another thing to be the best coach in the game with the most personality in the sport.

These two things go hand in hand, in my opinion. The personality is ingrained in the way he runs the program, while the coaching skills establish the ceiling.

 

[chrissaran]

In games Geno hasn't been able to coach, CD is undefeated. No doubt if Geno got ejected, CD would step in and lead the Huskies to victory. Go Huskies. Go CD.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Which, depending on the game and the outcome, could mean Geno is stuck on eight and CD gets her first championship.

 

[UcMiami]

Cam - great comment and Hoops - great follow on.
I do think the two components that go into the Uconn brew are:
A tough, no nonsense, no excuses, approach to the coaching aspects - treat them like professional athletes and not like young women in college.
A big personality with warmth, a sense of humor, the ability to be both sarcastic and self mocking, and to leave the on court intensity on the court and relax away from it.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Cam - great comment and Hoops - great follow on.
I do think the two components that go into the Uconn brew are:
A tough, no nonsense, no excuses, approach to the coaching aspects - treat them like professional athletes and not like young women in college.
A big personality with warmth, a sense of humor, the ability to be both sarcastic and self mocking, and to leave the on court intensity on the court and relax away from it.

I think this is a key component of your post (and Geno's success). There will be always differences between men and women, which means there will be differences in how they are coached. But Geno treats players "like guys."

What I mean is that he treats his female players the way the coach of men's college basketball team would treat his members of his squad. He does not coddle them. He yells when necessary. He praises them when it is earned. He calls them out publicly and does other things to motivate them. He takes the pressure off when necessary by making himself the focus (see UConn vs. Duke, Cameron Indoor Stadium, February 1, 2003).

And when he does attack, it is not personal. He will say someone made a dumb play or a stupid basketball decision; he is not saying the person is dumb or stupid.

Whereas I joke that Stringer is running CViv's Home for Wayward Girls based on her propensity to be the mother to her players (in some cases, the only mother they have known), that is not Geno's style. He recognizes that players have parents. His job is to make them the best basketball players that they can be and to ensure that they do so while being the best student-athletes possible.

And if you talk to former players about their respective coaches, you will get a lot of opinions. Duke's former players, for the most part, liked Goestenkors. It was only in the post-Alana Beard era where Goestenkors REALLY improved as a coach, both in terms of her Xs and Os and with her player/coach relationships/dynamics do you say players that say how much they loved having her as a coach.

For the most part, Geno's players LOVE him. They think the world of him. They would do anything he asked of them. Not many (or any) coach can say that about the majority of their former players.

 

[ChicagoGG]

I think Bria says it best in Carl Adamec's column on SNY.com (35 is the new 20)

“That just speaks to this program and what Coach Auriemma has been able to do,” Hartley said. “His way works."
“If you want to be a great player and you want to play with a great team, and you’re willing to buy into what he wants you to do, you come here. Most of the players that come here reach their potential, whether that’s being an All-American or someone that comes off the bench. I could not imagine playing for anyone else."

No one knows better than a UCWBB player what you have and what you get when you come play for Geno (and CD).

Kudos to them both. Can't wait for tomorrow' game....

 

[Icebear]

Dang, Cam, you've been downright loquacious lately.

 

[ChicagoGG]

Dang, Cam, you've been downright loquacious lately.

Cam, you are on a roll! Please keep it coming!