alexrgct
RIP, Alex
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I spoke about this at one point back in 2013, and now Geno's done the same thing at a Final Four press conference. I will update and add more to this subject.
Specifically, every UConn WBB recruiting class from 1987 (Kerry Bascom) through 2013 (Saniya Chong) has experienced a Final Four. That's now 27 classes in a row! The record? That would be 30 classes held by Pat Summit from 1978 through 2007. And really, Pat's record could be even longer with the fourth place and higher finishes in the AIAW tourneys. But bottom line, she made the Final Four in the first NCAA women's tourney (1982), so I'm counting it as starting with young women she recruited in 1978.
Now let's talk championships. No one has a streak of 20+ recruiting classes playing on NC-winning teams. Here's a better way to frame it. Starting with 1991 and ending with 2013, UConn has had exactly two recruiting classes who have not been part of a national championship: 1995 and 2004. In fact, there's a run of nine recruiting class from 2005 through 2013 and eight from 1996 through 2003. Pat's best run? Eight recruiting classes herself, from 1983 through 1990, with her second-best run being six (from 1992 through 1997). In addition, during her own run of eight championships, she did have more recruiting classes than Geno (five from 1998 to 2002) that didn't experience an NC. Given this, Geno has the edge in this category.
In short, If you want to play in Final Fours and have a chance to win national championships, you can either come to UConn or play for another program, one with nowhere near the track record of historical success. Also in short: good gravy, 30 years was a looooooooooooooooong run for Pat. Just goes to show how great she was in her own right.
Specifically, every UConn WBB recruiting class from 1987 (Kerry Bascom) through 2013 (Saniya Chong) has experienced a Final Four. That's now 27 classes in a row! The record? That would be 30 classes held by Pat Summit from 1978 through 2007. And really, Pat's record could be even longer with the fourth place and higher finishes in the AIAW tourneys. But bottom line, she made the Final Four in the first NCAA women's tourney (1982), so I'm counting it as starting with young women she recruited in 1978.
Now let's talk championships. No one has a streak of 20+ recruiting classes playing on NC-winning teams. Here's a better way to frame it. Starting with 1991 and ending with 2013, UConn has had exactly two recruiting classes who have not been part of a national championship: 1995 and 2004. In fact, there's a run of nine recruiting class from 2005 through 2013 and eight from 1996 through 2003. Pat's best run? Eight recruiting classes herself, from 1983 through 1990, with her second-best run being six (from 1992 through 1997). In addition, during her own run of eight championships, she did have more recruiting classes than Geno (five from 1998 to 2002) that didn't experience an NC. Given this, Geno has the edge in this category.
In short, If you want to play in Final Fours and have a chance to win national championships, you can either come to UConn or play for another program, one with nowhere near the track record of historical success. Also in short: good gravy, 30 years was a looooooooooooooooong run for Pat. Just goes to show how great she was in her own right.
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