KO needs to see Geno is the AM.

[blackbird]

Our men's team struggles to pass the ball in bounds and defeat a zone. You want them to run Geno's plays? seriously?

Geno has some great sets. He does. He's also got a 50% three point shooter, a center that can block the ball, dribble it up the court..shoot a three, pull up for a midrange jumper, or go in for an easy layup..whichever she'd like..the female version of Kemba Walker..the female version of Jeff Adrien..and Kelly Faris 2.0.. And he's not facing the kind of defense the men's teams face because of this disparity in talent and coaching.

I've seen Men's teams run plays similar to Geno. It's plain silly to say that it can't be done in the men's game. Because it has been done. And still is done. But this particular Uconn team couldn't do it. The ability to run these plays have a lot to do with the abilities of the players you are coaching.

edit: And yea, the talent level that Geno is able to coach is unbelievable. I had to laugh at the last Olympics..when Tina, Diana, Sue, and Maya were all starting..and Ashja and Swin were on the bench. Which means, in 2002...we had four Olympians starting for us. One of them is probably the greatest player to ever play the game..another was probably the best point guard to play the game..and two consistent all stars. Geno arguably had the best backcourt players ever..starting for his team. That's like if some team started Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan in college. That would be why his plays look so pretty..

 

[Scoe]

Scoe,

I see your point but other teams would have their guys as well. Duke would still have Kyrie Irving, Austin Rivers (was good in college). Kentucky would have Noel, Randle and many other guys. Kansas would still have Wiggins, Embid etc... The men's game would be incredibly deep if guys had to stay 4 years but it's not the reality we live in.

I know its just interesting to think about. The Uconn women is like having UK players for 4 years being coached by Greg Popovich, going against D3 teams.

 

[Scoe]

It not a bad idea for KO to get some coaching pointers from Geno, I know they have a friendly relationship, a better relationship then JC had with Geno. KO has JC, Larry Brown (despite having to coach against him), and Don Nelson, to get pointers from why wouldn't you collect as many coaching pointers as you can from HOF coaches, he's still only 42. However he can't play for us, shoot for us, hold onto the ball for us.

 

[Pudge]

I like Geno's out-of-bounds plays. I'd tell KO to look at those.

 

[huskyblooz]

he needs to stop by and ask him for his set playbook. UCONN does an excellent job on back screens, high low and dribble drive kick out. First half was a clinic against SC. Geno can flat out coach.

The point of the OP was our offense sucks. We have very little player movement. There is no system.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The point of the OP was our offense sucks. We have very little player movement. There is no system.

Definitely a ballsy move on Ollie's part to decide not to implement a system on offense.

 

[zyron]

Definitely a ballsy move on Ollie's part to decide not to implement a system on offense.

Come on, it's easy. Get your pick of the top 10 players every year (when the players after are so far behind in ability).

Wow, look how much better this team is than everyone else, every team should play this way.

 

[uconnfan68]

Yeah real good set plays. Picture perfect.

You have a big brass set posting ND crap here and using CTBasketball as a name.

 

[uconnfan68]

No way not taking anything from Geno. He made Staley look awful tonight. His girls are so much better and prepared it's laughable. It's all on him and the staff because the USC team has some real high recruits and decent players, they just don't play the game the same way. And really they just don't look as smart. He has 2-3 girls on the bench that would all start for the nations #1 women team prior to tonight. Chong, Stokes and Williams hardly played and they are better than 3 of their starters. That is a testament in Geno finding and coaching kids who fit. That Gabby Williams is going to be really special if she stays healthy.

See, I like the women's team as long as no one is trying to compare anything!

I love every UConn team that just wins baby. Love me those NCs. You too field hockey!

 

[Paesano]

Some of you can be such self absorbed d-bags sometimes. The OP never said anything like "the women could beat the men" or even "why can't the men win as much as the women". There was never a direct comparison of the teams. He just implied that maybe KO could learn something from Geno. Anyone that thinks that Geno just recruits and then tosses the players out there is as much an idiot as anyone that thinks KO doesn't try to get the team to run set plays. Geno is one of the greatest BASKETBALL COACHES of all times, period. Yes, he recruits the most talented players. The same players are also coachable. That is not a mistake or coincidence. In fact, he does NOT have the 10 best players in the country. What he has is the 10 best players that are also coachable. He then coaches the crap out of them and demands perfection. He demands precision and discipline. The same philosophy can and HAS been used to elevate male players and men's teams. In fact, it is probably why our out-talented teams of 2011 and 2014 won the championships. But this year's team either flat out lacks sufficient talent or there are too many players who refuse to play disciplined ball because no one can argue that we see this team playing good basketball right now. Either they can't execute what they are being taught or they refuse to. Either way, it isn't acceptable and HAS to change. Sadly, I think what we are seeing is the combination of lack of talent and lack of discipline.

In my mind, KO gets a pass this year for what he has already accomplished. But beyond this one year, the Manuel/contract and/or NCAA sanctions and/or lack of practice facility and/or AAC excuses become just that...excuses. Enough. Maybe it is asking too much to win anymore championships while we are stuck in this conference but it is NOT too much to ask for something that resembles a basketball team. There are plenty of teams in non-power conferences that put Top 25 teams on the floor EVERY year. And if people want to say that we have to suck for 2-3 years to have that one championship run on the fourth, fine...I get it. But it better happen...................................

 

[zyron]

Some of you can be such self absorbed d-bags sometimes.

Says the guy who wants UConn to illegally pay recruits. Shut the duck up.

 

[superjohn]

Some of you can be such self absorbed d-bags sometimes. The OP never said anything like "the women could beat the men" or even "why can't the men win as much as the women". There was never a direct comparison of the teams. He just implied that maybe KO could learn something from Geno. Anyone that thinks that Geno just recruits and then tosses the players out there is as much an idiot as anyone that thinks KO doesn't try to get the team to run set plays. Geno is one of the greatest BASKETBALL COACHES of all times, period. Yes, he recruits the most talented players. The same players are also coachable. That is not a mistake or coincidence. In fact, he does NOT have the 10 best players in the country. What he has is the 10 best players that are also coachable. He then coaches the crap out of them and demands perfection. He demands precision and discipline. The same philosophy can and HAS been used to elevate male players and men's teams. In fact, it is probably why our out-talented teams of 2011 and 2014 won the championships. But this year's team either flat out lacks sufficient talent or there are too many players who refuse to play disciplined ball because no one can argue that we see this team playing good basketball right now. Either they can't execute what they are being taught or they refuse to. Either way, it isn't acceptable and HAS to change. Sadly, I think what we are seeing is the combination of lack of talent and lack of discipline.

In my mind, KO gets a pass this year for what he has already accomplished. But beyond this one year, the Manuel/contract and/or NCAA sanctions and/or lack of practice facility and/or AAC excuses become just that...excuses. Enough. Maybe it is asking too much to win anymore championships while we are stuck in this conference but it is NOT too much to ask for something that resembles a basketball team. There are plenty of teams in non-power conferences that put Top 25 teams on the floor EVERY year. And if people want to say that we have to suck for 2-3 years to have that one championship run on the fourth, fine...I get it. But it better happen..........

You are the only one bringing up the women can't beat the men and why can't the men win as much as the women. Way to make stuff up, seriously what are you talking about?

 

[Paesano]

A couple more self-absorbed blowhards. Way to read. I am talking about the claim that people, the OP included, are comparing the teams. They aren't. I just used a couple of past examples that really crawl up people's arses which are also, in fact, direct comparisons. I used these examples to demonstrate that the OP did NOT make a direct comparison. Get it?

And to the other genius, do you really still believe that most teams aren't breaking the rules way more than KO is? Do you still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny too?

 

[zyron]

And to the other genius, do you really still believe that most teams aren't breaking the rules way more than KO is? Do you still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny too?

I don't care what other teams do, maybe you should root for those teams. I will root for the defending champs.

 

[champs99and04]

Some of you can be such self absorbed d-bags sometimes. The OP never said anything like "the women could beat the men" or even "why can't the men win as much as the women". There was never a direct comparison of the teams. He just implied that maybe KO could learn something from Geno. Anyone that thinks that Geno just recruits and then tosses the players out there is as much an idiot as anyone that thinks KO doesn't try to get the team to run set plays. Geno is one of the greatest BASKETBALL COACHES of all times, period. Yes, he recruits the most talented players. The same players are also coachable. That is not a mistake or coincidence. In fact, he does NOT have the 10 best players in the country. What he has is the 10 best players that are also coachable. He then coaches the crap out of them and demands perfection. He demands precision and discipline. The same philosophy can and HAS been used to elevate male players and men's teams. In fact, it is probably why our out-talented teams of 2011 and 2014 won the championships. But this year's team either flat out lacks sufficient talent or there are too many players who refuse to play disciplined ball because no one can argue that we see this team playing good basketball right now. Either they can't execute what they are being taught or they refuse to. Either way, it isn't acceptable and HAS to change. Sadly, I think what we are seeing is the combination of lack of talent and lack of discipline.

In my mind, KO gets a pass this year for what he has already accomplished. But beyond this one year, the Manuel/contract and/or NCAA sanctions and/or lack of practice facility and/or AAC excuses become just that...excuses. Enough. Maybe it is asking too much to win anymore championships while we are stuck in this conference but it is NOT too much to ask for something that resembles a basketball team. There are plenty of teams in non-power conferences that put Top 25 teams on the floor EVERY year. And if people want to say that we have to suck for 2-3 years to have that one championship run on the fourth, fine...I get it. But it better happen..........

I think it was the tone of the OP that elicited the negative responses. If he had simply mentioned that Geno is a great coach, I doubt there would have been much disagreement. There was no need to knock Ollie in order to convey the point that Geno is a phenomenal coach.

I do agree with you that Ollie could learn certain things from Geno. Virtually everybody can learn things from great coaches. Likewise, there are probably things that Geno could learn from Ollie. Geno is certainly more accomplished in his field than KO is in his, but there are ideas/philosophies/strategies that Ollie has been exposed to in his years playing professionally that Geno may not have.

To your second point, I do watch our offense sometimes and wonder what the hell the coaching staff is teaching these kids. But then I remember that I thought the same thing at various times last season. I have come to view Ollie as a coach who often emphasizes process over results - I'm not sure he minds taking a step back in order to allow for potential steps forward when the games begin to increase in significance. He is trying to teach young basketball players complex concepts, and mistakes have predictably been made as a result. I think if he simplified his system a bit, the team would benefit in the short term, but it is hard to doubt that the way Ollie is conducting his roster right now is the right way given what happened last year.

Regardless, these are discussions that I value, and I think other people here do as well. There are certainly people on this board that are over-sensitive, but it's just a fact of life that you need to do certain things in order to get people to engage. The abruptness of the original post was easy to interpret by many as trolling - hopefully the thread can get back on track or a new one can be started.

 

[superjohn]

A couple more self-absorbed blowhards. Way to read. I am talking about the claim that people, the OP included, are comparing the teams. They aren't. I just used a couple of past examples that really crawl up people's arses which are also, in fact, direct comparisons. I used these examples to demonstrate that the OP did NOT make a direct comparison. Get it?

And to the other genius, do you really still believe that most teams aren't breaking the rules way more than KO is? Do you still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny too?

Once again, you are the only one talking about the men beating the women and why can't the men win as much as the women. I would ask again what are you talking about but clearly you have no clue.

 

[mauconnfan]

Our men's team struggles to pass the ball in bounds and defeat a zone. You want them to run Geno's plays? seriously?

Geno has some great sets. He does. He's also got a 50% three point shooter, a center that can block the ball, dribble it up the court..shoot a three, pull up for a midrange jumper, or go in for an easy layup..whichever she'd like..the female version of Kemba Walker..the female version of Jeff Adrien..and Kelly Faris 2.0.. And he's not facing the kind of defense the men's teams face because of this disparity in talent and coaching.

I've seen Men's teams run plays similar to Geno. It's plain silly to say that it can't be done in the men's game. Because it has been done. And still is done. But this particular Uconn team couldn't do it. The ability to run these plays have a lot to do with the abilities of the players you are coaching.

edit: And yea, the talent level that Geno is able to coach is unbelievable. I had to laugh at the last Olympics..when Tina, Diana, Sue, and Maya were all starting..and Ashja and Swin were on the bench. Which means, in 2002...we had four Olympians starting for us. One of them is probably the greatest player to ever play the game..another was probably the best point guard to play the game..and two consistent all stars. Geno arguably had the best backcourt players ever..starting for his team. That's like if some team started Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan in college. That would be why his plays look so pretty..

Sure it can be done - ONCE. Not twice, 5 times, 10 times like it is against the women. better players, faster athletes, longer they make up space in no time - this isn't close and anyone agreeing with it is plain stupid. I know a HS coach who tries to run Geno's stuff and they are successful on occasion. This HS team is a top 10 local school in CT and I went to their game Sunday and the other coached had them scouted to death, they couldn't run their offense and the other team was not as good as them but had some good fast athletes.

It only happens that way because its against other women, anyone thinking otherwise is a dope - period!

 

[Sandeman]

Geno's roster genuinely is the female version of Kentucky's.

With one exception....think of a Kentucky team that stays for all 4 years. That is the Uconn Women.

 

[Danzz]

Please, not this crap again.

 

[CTMike]

A couple more self-absorbed blowhards. Way to read. I am talking about the claim that people, the OP included, are comparing the teams. They aren't. I just used a couple of past examples that really crawl up people's arses which are also, in fact, direct comparisons. I used these examples to demonstrate that the OP did NOT make a direct comparison. Get it?

And to the other genius, do you really still believe that most teams aren't breaking the rules way more than KO is? Do you still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny too?

For someone who doesn't seem to like self-absorbed blowhards... You sure come across as a self-absorbed blowhard.

 

[BoatShow]

Geno's playbook won't matter unless he has calipari's players too.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

The notion that our offense looks ugly because we don't run the right plays is cute. Wildly off base, but cute.

If you put the women up against the same defenses the men face, they would look far worse than the men look.

That's because it has nothing to do with the plays being run.

 

[prankster]

Is there a more dire moment in sport than being a number one team and traveling to Storrs to play UConn?

You have to know that you're getting on a plane to lose both your head and your ranking.

Come in ranked!
Go home spanked!

 

[Kitaman]

Actually Ollie only needs to talk to Coach Belichick.

If Ollie can find a way to deflate the basketball, it would have a higher percentage of going in the basket.

 

[Tommyboy]

Definitely a ballsy move on Ollie's part to decide not to implement a system on offense.