Lady Vol Beat Writer on 20 Yr Anniversary | The Boneyard

Lady Vol Beat Writer on 20 Yr Anniversary

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JS

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Somewhat annoying focus: The game wasn't that important to Tennessee, which was already great, astounding and wonderful, as illustrated by the following magnificent achievements.

"Not to ignore," says he, the significance of the game in retrospect (which significance is, of course, the whole point of the current media attention to the anniversary). Just ignore it for purposes of his article.

Fleser seems, in general, a good beat writer. It's just that glory, hallelujah to the prior TN history isn't of great relevance to a UConn fan -- except as a reminder of how tall Goliath was.
 

mr006

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http://knoxblogs.com/basketcase/?_ga=1.91580442.1206610119.1406982422

"I’ve always felt that day was more significant to UConn and ESPN than Tennessee."

I'm sure that's true, largely to the reasons he wrote about. But also, all they got out of the deal was an upstart opponent that at best came in and shared their spotlight, and at worst stole it (see 4-0 in NC games). So not sure why *they* would be anxious to mark the anniverasry. I hope at least we ended up #1 on their list of most hated WBB teams... :)
 

RadyLady

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a gratuitous "oh I forgot" piece about a relatively insignificant blip in the history of the great Tennessee legacy (I'm paraphrasing here).

I wonder why he bothered...

...(leaving a lot unsaid)
 

CCinCT

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I'm sure that's true, largely to the reasons he wrote about. But also, all they got out of the deal was an upstart opponent that at best came in and shared their spotlight, and at worst stole it (see 4-0 in NC games). So not sure why *they* would be anxious to mark the anniverasry. I hope at least we ended up #1 on their list of most hated WBB teams... :)

You can be sure of the #1 most hated status !
 

willie99

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women's basketball ratings and exposure soared after that 1995 game, we brought everything to a different level. A level that didn't exist in the history he cites

either that or we were just in the right place at the right time

maybe some combination thereof
 

DobbsRover2

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Also, it was the game that kind of drove old Dixie down a bit, or at least raised the north up, as UConn brought a whole new region into the picture. In the prior 13 NCs, the huge majority of teams were from the south, with CA teams USC and Stanford getting five visits, and Ohio State and maybe Western KY runner-ups being the most northern teams except for little Cheyney State in the first NC. Southern teams were very often squaring off in the finals, and the interest in that arrangement only goes so far in WCBB as opposed to football. I do remember back in 1983 and on to 1986 there was a lot of interest in the broadcast when the photogenic Cheryl Miller and the Lady Trojans were involved. After the 1995 contest, it was back to southern teams squaring off in the NC for the next three years, but UConn was always lurking as it built for its years of dominance.

UConn's appearance pulled the game out of the south and set up a rivalry between a southern and northern team, which was a natural promotional and also got played out when Duke played Purdue inn 1999. It's good to have a variety of interest points for the top contests, and regional rivalries are one of the great factors that kick into the matchups.
 

ThisJustIn

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Meh - I have no issue with Dan's "piece." Certainly, the game was more important to UConn... But, only because it turned out it WASN'T a blip. Geno and company followed it with success (albeit 5 years later.) It may have been Geno... or another repeat coach? who talked about the "first" Championship being cool, but it was the second one that showed you weren't a flash in the pan...
 

Oldbones

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This man shows no sense of history. He should have noticed that the UT chancellor watched the Tenn/Vandy game "on local television." Now important women's basketball games show up on ESPN, and on any number of other TV outlets. I am reminded of The 1958 Giants/Colts Overtime NFL Championship game. This writer would point out that the Giants had already won four championships, including 1956 (47-7) stomping of the Bears, and that he " kind of forgot"the overtime loss to the Colts. Just as the 1958 OT game put the NFL on the map, so did the 1995 Tenn/UConn game raise women's basketball from a regional curiosity (I see the names Auburn, Vandy and Tennessee) to one of larger interest. If he forgets a watershed moment in a sport he ostensibly covers, shame on him.
 

CL82

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women's basketball ratings and exposure soared after that 1995 game, we brought everything to a different level. A level that didn't exist in the history he cites

either that or we were just in the right place at the right time

maybe some combination thereof
... and blessed with talented and charismatic players and coaches, in a state that loves its university enough to tune in woman's basketball...and get hooked.
 
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That day was, as was said, a watershed moment in WCBB lore..... when we took the ball from Pat and ran with it..... nobody can question that our program has significantly raised the bar for which every team still strives to reach
 
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a gratuitous "oh I forgot" piece about a relatively insignificant blip in the history of the great Tennessee legacy (I'm paraphrasing here).

I wonder why he bothered...

...(leaving a lot unsaid)
They've had a show on ESPN that I've seen parts of a couple of times pertaining to Coach K, the Duke men's basketball coach that exalts his career achievements. They extol all his "virtues" and his brilliance and they have a lot of renowned people supporting his greatness. What they don't do is do a lot of mentioning of UConn except for showing a little clip of Duke upending UConn in the Huskies first Elite Eight game, in overtime. Then they show many other magic moments of the legendary Coach K and his brilliance. They fail to show how the UConn men have pretty much owned the Dukies since then and that Coach K has failed to beat the Huskies in any big games since, even when heavily favored, as his 1999 team was. That team was supposed to be their legendary Duke team and UConn won. Then in 2004, more of the same. Yet, no mention that might deter from "THE LEGEND". I think the whole show was a little disingenuous because they never showed his warts or his shortcomings. That seems to be something that this Tennessee beat writers remarks seem to parallel. Don't make much of (or anything of) things that may have occurred that reflect less highly on your school's legendary program. UConn owning Tennessee in title games and exceeding their legacy in an appreciably shorter time with more titles (and the potential of more to come). I guess that's to be expected, right?
 
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