King Auriemma

[da60]

When I joined The Boneyard a few years ago I recall posts that questionied Geno's recruiting abilities.
Where are those people now? He has shown the basketball world that both he & coach Wooden are way above everyone else in history. I look at the current roster and the talent coming in & I am in awe. The statue makers should have already been contacted..a la Jordan in Chicago. I do not see him giving up the reigns before Azzi leaves us. I have an inkling that Jamelle may have been told to stay w/the Huskies and could be his eventual replacement. She appears to be a great coach. CD will probably retire w/Geno. There are others like Shea & Marissa plus a few others like Carla out there as well, but my $ is on Jamelle. Geno has sure come a long way since Virginia. With Covid keeping us old geeks at home as well as much of the younger population, watching the team on TV is something to look forward to. Enjoy!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I imagine it is not just Geno who has gotten a shot in the arm from building these two classes. Surely, it must stoke all the coaches to have this talent to work with and send out onto the hardwood. The job is no walk in the park and a significant challenge will be keeping this deep team engaged and happy with their roles on the team.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Wait a minute. Having followed Coach Geno and UConn WBB for nearly a quarter century, I know that recruiting has not been consistent, year in and year out. We've had some great years, some great consecutive years. But we've also gone through years when recruiting has fallen behind. Coach Geno himself has said repeatedly that before last year (?), he's "missed" with more than one recruiting class in a row. We had about four years after Diana Taurasl's recruitment when recruiting was thin on talent. The year after she graduated, we lost seven games in one season! Indeed, Diana carried her team almost single-handedly for the final two years to national championships. That recruiting drought ended when Tina Charles signed on. Then we got Maya, and we were off to the races. Then we got Breanna Stewart & Co. But no one "questioned" Coach Geno's recruiting abilities.

Having said that, recruiting has changed over the years. It used to be Coach Geno and Pat who dominated the recruiting classes. Then ND came out of mediocrity to become a consistent force. Then Maryland became a destination. Then Louisville began to take top talent consistently. Then Maryland. Recently, the Pac-12 has become a significant draw for national talent. And no one can deny that Dawn Staley and South Carolina are now a major draw for some of the most talented players in the country. Indeed, in the recruiting class in which we landed Azzi Fudd, Dawn Staley has taken the next three ranked players, according to ESPN, and four of the top 15.

So the recruiting landscape has changed. It's more competitive than it was a decade ago, or even two decades ago. The Pac-12. The rest of the SEC, sans Tennessee. And it seems as though each year brings in more international talent.

And Coach Geno has rarely cleaned up in terms of getting "all the top players." For whatever reasons, lots of talented kids have decided to go elsewhere. A familiar refrain on this site is that "UConn is not for everyone." We all recall our single-player classes. And we know full well that those single-player classes weren't by design.

So no one questions Coach Geno's recruiting abilities. He does manage to land some of the greatest players in the world. Just look at the women's national team and the preponderance to this day of Connecticut alumnae. And it's great to land the top players in consecutive classes. But the truth is that doesn't happen every year. Indeed, we've suffered through tough years. But the thing that is so great about UConn and Coach Geno, and what makes us UConn fans, is that regardless of a particular year's recruiting success, Coach Geno always molds the players he has into "teams" that perform magnificently, that always play with panache and intensity, that never "take a possession off," that almost always beat teams that are supposed to beat us, that come through when they need to.

And that's what makes him and Connecticut great.

 

[warbler1055]

Geno is unquestionably a great coach but he is a greater person for speaking out about his players social activities and his own experience as an immigrant. Few coaches have the courage and sensitivity to address those subjects. I am a vet and a proud American.

 

[Watchdog]

Wait a minute. Having followed Coach Geno and UConn WBB for nearly a quarter century, I know that recruiting has not been consistent, year in and year out. We've had some great years, some great consecutive years. But we've also gone through years when recruiting has fallen behind. Coach Geno himself has said repeatedly that before last year (?), he's "missed" with more than one recruiting class in a row. We had about four years after Diana Taurasl's recruitment when recruiting was thin on talent. The year after she graduated, we lost seven games in one season! Indeed, Diana carried her team almost single-handedly for the final two years to national championships. That recruiting drought ended when Tina Charles signed on. Then we got Maya, and we were off to the races. Then we got Breanna Stewart & Co. But no one "questioned" Coach Geno's recruiting abilities.

Having said that, recruiting has changed over the years. It used to be Coach Geno and Pat who dominated the recruiting classes. Then ND came out of mediocrity to become a consistent force. Then Maryland became a destination. Then Louisville began to take top talent consistently. Then Maryland. Recently, the Pac-12 has become a significant draw for national talent. And no one can deny that Dawn Staley and South Carolina are now a major draw for some of the most talented players in the country. Indeed, in the recruiting class in which we landed Azzi Fudd, Dawn Staley has taken the next three ranked players, according to ESPN, and four of the top 15.

So the recruiting landscape has changed. It's more competitive than it was a decade ago, or even two decades ago. The Pac-12. The rest of the SEC, sans Tennessee. And it seems as though each year brings in more international talent.

And Coach Geno has rarely cleaned up in terms of getting "all the top players." For whatever reasons, lots of talented kids have decided to go elsewhere. A familiar refrain on this site is that "UConn is not for everyone." We all recall our single-player classes. And we know full well that those single-player classes weren't by design.

So no one questions Coach Geno's recruiting abilities. He does manage to land some of the greatest players in the world. Just look at the women's national team and the preponderance to this day of Connecticut alumnae. And it's great to land the top players in consecutive classes. But the truth is that doesn't happen every year. Indeed, we've suffered through tough years. But the thing that is so great about UConn and Coach Geno, and what makes us UConn fans, is that regardless of a particular year's recruiting success, Coach Geno always molds the players he has into "teams" that perform magnificently, that always play with panache and intensity, that never "take a possession off," that almost always beat teams that are supposed to beat us, that come through when they need to.

And that's what makes him and Connecticut great.

You are absolutely on target about the great and lean years. Too many people take a comment about a one recruit class as an indictment of Geno when we all know kids aren't always (especially today) motivated by and willing to accept the discipline and dedication demanded by the coaches in order to play at UConn.

 

[chrissaran]

Who would recruit a player who is highly ranked who doesn't want to start? If not, you have to question their commitment.

 

[donalddoowop]

It seems that at the present time there are foreign players who want to come to UConn and that helps the coaching staff have a broader base to recruit. US players will have to make up their minds sooner than usual knowing there are foreign players who think so much of UConn. I hope UConn continues to bring in top foreign players who are UConn level players when American players don't show interest in the program.

 

[DEpup]

Wait a minute. Having followed Coach Geno and UConn WBB for nearly a quarter century, I know that recruiting has not been consistent, year in and year out. We've had some great years, some great consecutive years. But we've also gone through years when recruiting has fallen behind. Coach Geno himself has said repeatedly that before last year (?), he's "missed" with more than one recruiting class in a row. We had about four years after Diana Taurasl's recruitment when recruiting was thin on talent. The year after she graduated, we lost seven games in one season! Indeed, Diana carried her team almost single-handedly for the final two years to national championships. That recruiting drought ended when Tina Charles signed on. Then we got Maya, and we were off to the races. Then we got Breanna Stewart & Co. But no one "questioned" Coach Geno's recruiting abilities.

Having said that, recruiting has changed over the years. It used to be Coach Geno and Pat who dominated the recruiting classes. Then ND came out of mediocrity to become a consistent force. Then Maryland became a destination. Then Louisville began to take top talent consistently. Then Maryland. Recently, the Pac-12 has become a significant draw for national talent. And no one can deny that Dawn Staley and South Carolina are now a major draw for some of the most talented players in the country. Indeed, in the recruiting class in which we landed Azzi Fudd, Dawn Staley has taken the next three ranked players, according to ESPN, and four of the top 15.

So the recruiting landscape has changed. It's more competitive than it was a decade ago, or even two decades ago. The Pac-12. The rest of the SEC, sans Tennessee. And it seems as though each year brings in more international talent.

And Coach Geno has rarely cleaned up in terms of getting "all the top players." For whatever reasons, lots of talented kids have decided to go elsewhere. A familiar refrain on this site is that "UConn is not for everyone." We all recall our single-player classes. And we know full well that those single-player classes weren't by design.

So no one questions Coach Geno's recruiting abilities. He does manage to land some of the greatest players in the world. Just look at the women's national team and the preponderance to this day of Connecticut alumnae. And it's great to land the top players in consecutive classes. But the truth is that doesn't happen every year. Indeed, we've suffered through tough years. But the thing that is so great about UConn and Coach Geno, and what makes us UConn fans, is that regardless of a particular year's recruiting success, Coach Geno always molds the players he has into "teams" that perform magnificently, that always play with panache and intensity, that never "take a possession off," that almost always beat teams that are supposed to beat us, that come through when they need to.

And that's what makes him and Connecticut great.

Point of clarification on a great post. I would say Renee Montgomery broke the recruiting lull the year before Tina Charles.

 

[hoophuskee]

Wait a minute. Having followed Coach Geno and UConn WBB for nearly a quarter century, I know that recruiting has not been consistent, year in and year out. We've had some great years, some great consecutive years. But we've also gone through years when recruiting has fallen behind.

Who has ever had recruiting classes "be consistent" in terms of being the number 1 best year over year over year? Pat and Geno- but they weren't always consistent, were they? They can't be. Look at the DT years you refer to. Strother, Wolfe, Turner and Crocket were all thought of extremely high recruits. Well they won titles both in years 1 and 2. How are you going to maintain consistent recruiting when you win and all of the players were so highly regarded? And then in their junior year - they didn't live up to their rankings - though still pretty good. Until you see them struggle in their junior year- recruits are not going to come other than a "Charde" or 2. Just like anyone else on the planet-- there was an expectation of continued success. But even Geno can't predict the future all the time. There will be times when recruits don't live up to expectations, or injuries happen or circumstances like EDD leaving or Jackie G changing her mind late or Charde struggling. You can't continually control these things. Charde had 1 game in which she practically beat Rutgers single-handedly. Didn't UCONN also get a real good guard from NY but once she got to UCONN begged to leave and went to play for ST Johns - and did really, really well? You lose all this recruiting time and then last minute a kid leaves. Its unpredictable - will ALWAYS be however. So it has nothing to do with "Geno needing to evolve."

So I agree with the OP. In fact there were posters on here criticizing Geno's methods of recruiting. Stating that "he needs to evolve." So I think the OP was saying anyone who thinks Geno was NOT "evolving"-- - they were wrong.

And in terms of recruiting consistency- let's look at discussion on this thread the mention of how things turned - starting from Renee to Tina then Maya. That's when Geno was "supposedly consistent in his recruiting? Yet Maya's frosh year it was just her and Dixon. Isn't this considered a great recruiting class? Now compare this class to the 2017 class of Walker, Coombs, Espinoza-Hunter, and Gordon to Maya and Dixon. Or to CWill and ONO to Maya and Dixon. On the surface shouldn't the 2017 class have been a HUGE help to the 2014 class of Nurse, Gabby, Ekmark and Edwards? So now we look back and say "Geno wasn't recruiting consistently." Shouldn't the 2017 and 2018 classes on the surface have bene thought of as "consistent" just like the Maya class? SO where is the inconsistency with Geno's recruiting? OFC Geno is gong to say he hasn't done a as good of a job. What's his alternative?-- do what imo the Duke coach used to do and throw players under the bus?

Players unexpectedly left in addition to the number 1 recruits are not the same. The Tina and the Maya classes are not considered inconsistent because a major reason is the number 1 recruits were all-time greats. ***After Stewart - how many "all-time greats" has UCONN/Geno gotten even though he has landed number 1 - number 3 recruits?

I love Meg Walker a lot. A LOT. A REAL LOT. But in terms of rating number 1 recruits, where would we rate her vs all other prior UCONN 1st team A/A's?

IMO I think this is what the OP was talking about. Geno hasn't changed anything. There were a few on here suggesting he NEEDED to change.

 

[Cuango]

Who would recruit a player who is highly ranked who doesn't want to start? If not, you have to question their commitment.

Just because you want to start does not mean you are unwilling to accept a non starting role for the good of the team! This is exactly what defines the kind of player that Geno is looking for. The willingness to do whatever it takes to make the team win is the very essence of what a UCONN player should be!

 

[Steelerone]

Geno is unquestionably a great coach but he is a greater person for speaking out about his players social activities and his own experience as an immigrant. Few coaches have the courage and sensitivity to address those subjects. I am a vet and a proud American.

Great point Warbler. And I believe it is exactly those attributes that attract some of the young women like Sue Bird, Diana Turasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart to our program. They had the ability to go to any school they wanted but chose Uconn because they knew they could and would have a voice (off the basketball court because we know who has it on the court).