morgan william

[connie]

I have been contemplating your post during my mourning and moping. I had never thought of it from your suggested viewpoint. Wow. a four-times-in-a-row NCAA champion, undefeated and holding the ball with about 15 seconds left in a tied semifinal game with a possible match against a team (SC) that they had already beaten comfortably eventually waiting for them in the final. then, to have it all disappear in an instant. Who knows the lingering effect in 2018 and, for that matter, in 2019?

Pardon my first comparison, but the words work so well. A stand of trees near Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is called the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy." It is marked with a plaque.

View attachment 42036

Then I thought about the 1996 Atlanta Braves Baseball team. 1995 World Series Champs, with three eventual HOF pitchers, overwhelm the Yankees in New York in the first two games. After a hiccup in game three, they hold a 6-run lead midway in game four. It seems that they will hold on at 6-3 in the eighth inning, and go up 3 games to 1, with top reliever Mark Wohlers facing backup Yankee catcher Jim Leyritz. The High Water mark of the Atlanta Braves. Leyritz hits a 3-run home run, the Yankees win in extra innings, win the next two games, and the Braves, despite all that talent, never get very close in succeeding years.

I welcome other high-water examples (perhaps the 1992 UNLV MCBB team vs. Duke, though there were some upcoming sanctions, or the 2001 New York Yankees going against the Diamondbacks in ninth inning of in game 7) but I am hoping not to see that last 15 UCONN /MS ST seconds commemorated any time soon.

I "liked" this post because it is provocative. (And as a high-water example, I give you 1 out in the top of the 9th inning of Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS. The Mets up (I think) 4-2 against the Dodgers, ready to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Mike Soscia goes deep on Gooden for a 2-run HR, and the Dodgers win the game in extra-innings to ties the series. Within a year, the mighty Mets of the mid-80s were no more, with but a single WS to show for it.)

But I caution against what I call "reading history backwards". It may certainly appear in retrospect that Game 3 of the '96 series was a high-water mark for the Braves. But reading history forward, no one at the time could ever have perceived that or thought that. And it is hard to believe that any player's performance in subsequent seasons was somehow affected by what happened in the previous year.

Interestingly, but understandably, we tend not to ask these high-water questions when history produces events that negate the need to ask in the first place. But that does not mean that fortuity was not also at work. Consider the Patriots incredible run. But for the ruling in the "Tuck" rule game, the 2001 Pats probably would not have gone on to win the SB 36. The SB 38 run had the Pats winning the Div. game by 3 points, the SB by another 3 points. In fact, the Patriots' margin of victory in SBs 36, 38 and 39 is a total of 9 points (3 points in each game). The Pats could have and probably should have lost '14 SB. Thus, but for a play here and there in each of these years, it is possible that the Pats could have not won a SB until 2017. In that event, history would be telling a very different story than the one that will be told (justifiably so) years hence. This is not to say that the Patriots are not a great team during these years. It is to say that sometimes fortune smiles on some more so than on others, perhaps disproportionately.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Winning 30+ games and getting to the Final Four isn’t what I would call “destroyed”. 300+ other teams would love to have UConn’s problems

.1 final seconds loses is a crapshoot, a fluke. Either team could win those. DESTROYED? I'd like to read THAT definition!. Anyone that thinks 2 loses got into the psyche of the total team doesn't know Geno et al.
You won't like to read this but, my take: for 2 of the last 3 seasons Uconn far exceeded the personnel on the team. Oh, there was talent but no real Post, no Maya, No DT, No Stewies. then no bench. Geno in this past year and the previous one should have won Coach of the year. I've worn the 5 without bench into the ground but it was a fact and factor. Don't damn this team--cheer for the success they had--FF? who truly could have believed??

 

[connie]

Gabby was a 5’11” pg in HS. As a result of her extraordinary athletic ability she was able to defend opposing post players. In the WNBA, Gabby is a guard once again. Pheesa is 6’1”, and extraordinarily skilled as well. But has a freshman at UConn, playing with Stewie & Tuck, she played the small forward/wing, which is exactly where she will play once she’s in the WNBA.

UConn has been doing a wonderful job with undersized players, playing out of position. But make no mistake, there hasn’t been a true power forward or center as a regular starter in UConn’s lineup since Stewie & Tuck graduated.

Noting that Gabby came to UConn as a guard, Geno once jokingly observed: "Yeah, Gabby's a guard. And ya know, if she could dribble and pass and shoot . . . she'd be a pretty good guard!"

 

[BroadwayVa]

I cringe thinking about all of the comments over the past ten years designating the Tennessee WCBB program as irrelevant. ("We've moved on," etc.) Now do we change our aphorisms now to "what goes around comes around" or "watch how you treat folks on the way up etc." or the dreaded "Karma is a *****????."

All those trite saying have some truth to them, especially treat folks well on the way up without them on the way down the hit is hard.
Second thought on TN, it ain't done until the very round lady sings. Uconn MAY have a not FF year next year--How can anyone in their right mind think 3 FF's or factually 12 FF's in a row is failure time? Uconn never preps for FAILURE, so they rarely see it. Some fans, hope for that failure, even some Uconn fans SEE 3 ff's as failure. Geno is ultimately right! Uconn fans are spoiled rotten.
The number of Uconn wins, at home wins, away wins, NCAA wins, top 10 wins, etc makes Baylors win this year, ND's last year, Ms St's the year before pale by example. I suggest those that can't see that become life long fans of Baylor, you'll love it (this year).

 

[Alydar]

I hate to think of it as a "UCONN Thing,' but many of the top UCONN Men's teams over the past two decades were known as much for poor foul-shooting as for shot-blocking prowess.

Absolutely. And the women too. I just watched a fuzzy replay of the 2004 reg season game at Tenn. UConn shot 17-28 ft's (60%) and won by 14. And not to take anything away from this year's refs but that game was one of the worst officiated games I ever saw. Sally Bell was probably the most incompetent ref in the game. There were 45 fouls called in that game and yet they missed Taurasi getting wacked in the throat, TWICE! And 3 of her fouls were for the hem of her shorts brushing an opponent. Things haven't changed much. UConn made dumb mistakes and failed to play defense back then too. What UConn had then and not right now is a player with a powerful presence to lead. Taurasi had 18 pts on 4-13 shooting. Her stats were so-so but her attitude was that the game was UConn's to win or lose. This year's seniors, as highly skilled as they were, didn't have that aura of invincibility. The 2004 team assisted on only half their baskets that day. It was not the well-oiled machine Geno and many others have in their memory banks. It was flawed, just like now.
I've also watched the supposedly "greatest" UConn team, 2002, and they too had many many lapses during games. Bird actually threw some really bad and/or ill-advised passes and turned the ball over. I swear to god it really happened. If they were playing now this board would not be happy with many of their efforts, despite winning.

Me? ........ I trust in Paige.

 

[uconnfan68]

Gabby is a guard that was made into a forward. She played the guard position up until she went to UConn, then Geno and CD converted her to be the small forward during her Freshman year at UConn

And she grew into the 5 by sophomore year. ;^)

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I have been contemplating your post during my mourning and moping. I had never thought of it from your suggested viewpoint. Wow. a four-times-in-a-row NCAA champion, undefeated and holding the ball with about 15 seconds left in a tied semifinal game with a possible match against a team (SC) that they had already beaten comfortably eventually waiting for them in the final. then, to have it all disappear in an instant. Who knows the lingering effect in 2018 and, for that matter, in 2019?

Pardon my first comparison, but the words work so well. A stand of trees near Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is called the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy." It is marked with a plaque.

View attachment 42036

Then I thought about the 1996 Atlanta Braves Baseball team. 1995 World Series Champs, with three eventual HOF pitchers, overwhelm the Yankees in New York in the first two games. After a hiccup in game three, they hold a 6-run lead midway in game four. It seems that they will hold on at 6-3 in the eighth inning, and go up 3 games to 1, with top reliever Mark Wohlers facing backup Yankee catcher Jim Leyritz. The High Water mark of the Atlanta Braves. Leyritz hits a 3-run home run, the Yankees win in extra innings, win the next two games, and the Braves, despite all that talent, never get very close in succeeding years.

I welcome other high-water examples (perhaps the 1992 UNLV MCBB team vs. Duke, though there were some upcoming sanctions, or the 2001 New York Yankees going against the Diamondbacks in ninth inning of in game 7) but I am hoping not to see that last 15 UCONN /MS ST seconds commemorated any time soon.

This board is a horror show sometimes.

Did you really have to go to Leyritz? My goodness man, I had almost put that one behind me.

For some reason I had to watch the end of the Mr. Rogers documentary this morning and now this.

 

[reno tony]

You know, it is OK for another team to win the championship once in a while...

Why

 

[HopJim]

Geno thought Azara Stevens was coming back.

The best teams always have a back up plan. While disappointed we didn't win it all, still thrilled to be in Final 4 and looking forward to future recruiting seasons.

 

[Oldbones]

This board is a horror show sometimes.

Did you really have to go to Leyritz? My goodness man, I had almost put that one behind me.

For some reason I had to watch the end of the Mr. Rogers documentary this morning and now this.

I assume Mr. Kenny Rogers, author of the 6-0 hole in that seminal 1996 game?

 

[HuskyNan]

I have to add to this. The missed free throws this season were maddening. To be honest, there is no excuse for how poor it was. This can be fixed and hopefully is a priority. Even the worst team in all of NCAA basketball should be able to shoot 80-85% free throws (at least.)

The national leader for FT percentage is Virginia Tech at 80.0%. UConn is ranked 70th at 73.4%

 

[Charliebball]

You know, it is OK for another team to win the championship once in a while...

yes but three years in a row is way too often.......................

 

[Charliebball]

this is not a criticism, not a bashing - just me feeling really bad for the current 'generation' of huskies - including saniya, gabby and kia.


boy, did that one shot from morgan william really really effect us and women's college basketball.
i think it totally 'destroyed' that uconn team (as a whole and individually) which carried over to last year and this year.

not only did it end the streak, but it actually showed other teams they can be beat.
not only did it show other teams they can be beat, but i think it showed other teams that uconn is totally vulnerable in close games.
not only did it show that they were vulnerable, but i think it put serious doubt in to members of that team - and that played out the next year against ND.

that carry over i think is/was always in the back of collier, samuelson, dangerfield, etc mind.
that one damn shot totally changed everything, the more i think about the last 3 years the more i think about that 1 shot.

so since there was no buzzer beater this time what's next year's team going to be freaked out about?

 

[Roger G]

I understand the sentiment. But it may come as some comfort that it is all but certain that a shot in a basketball game on March 31, 2017 does not affect shots taken (if any) in a basketball game the next day. The same holds true for all games by all players on all teams thereafter.

It is also important to appreciate that at the highest level of performance, and in competition between the very best teams, the difference between winning and losing quite often comes down to . . . dare I say it . . . arbitrariness. A shot can hang on a rim for what seems an eternity . . . and fall in (CW in Sweet Sixteen game against UCLA) or it can fall out. An innocuous missed FT in the 1st quarter can turn out to be the point that would have tied or won the game with no time on the clock at the end of regulation. A missed call along the baseline, or a dubious call or no call on a foul, or a turned ankle on a misplaced foot . . . all can tip the scales in weighing the difference between victory and defeat. But for a shot here, a shot there, UConn could just as easily have advanced to the final game in 2016-17, 17-18, and 18-19. Whether they would have won in those games is anyone's guess.

Very well said.

 

[Argonaut]

so since there was no buzzer beater this time what's next year's team going to be freaked out about?

Not getting a NC for Crystal Dangerfield.

 

[MikeBlue]

Morgan William isn't to blame. Blame Geno for either having Saniya get the ball on our last play or allowing her to keep it once she got it. We had the final shot and she clumsily drove to the basket leaving 12 secs. I love you UConn, but I also call it like it is. Also, Napheesa missed a crucial free throw late in regulation that could've sealed it. There's plenty of blame to go around. Just like last year when the inbound went to Gabby not Azura who is 6'6 and has hops over Shepard who is 6'4. Go Huskies!

 

[Oldbones]

I imagine that most sports fans remember this moment and its tragic aftermath. Donnie Moore needed one strike to send the Angels to the World Series. They lost this game, and the next two. Donne Moore never recovered.

 

[baggerbob]

Sorry, that is not correct. I am a Sky fan and season ticket holder. She is a forward. Chicago's most common starting lineup was Sloot (PG), Quigley (SG), DeShields (SF), Williams (PF), Dolson (C).

She did play some SF, but I think she played more PF and that is where she started. Long term, I think her best fit is at SF, but she will need to improve her 3-point shooting and ballhandling.

Collier is a SF/PF tweener as well but my expectation is that she will play PF to start. We'll see.

That's part of the Sky's problem Gabby, and Diamond as starting forwards. Rebounding and defense are bad.

 

[connie]

I welcome other high-water examples

I imagine that most sports fans remember this moment and its tragic aftermath. Donnie Moore needed one strike to send the Angels to the World Series. They lost this game, and the next two. Donne Moore never recovered.

This was a compelling game to be sure. But it wouldn’t be fair to Moore or to history to blame the aftermath on the pitch to Henderson. The angels sent the game into extra-innings. And they did have a 3-2 lead in the series, even with the loss. As for Moore, he was heading into an injury-plagued twilight of his career. Statistically, there is no reason to believe his effectiveness would’ve changed had he induced Ricky to pop out.

An interesting footnote... I recall hearing at the time something like the following: that prior to 1986 no team down two or more runs in the 9th had ever come back to win a post-season game. It happened 3 times that year.

 

[Zanzman]

This was a compelling game to be sure. But it wouldn’t be fair to Moore or to history to blame the aftermath on the pitch to Henderson. The angels sent the game into extra-innings. And they did have a 3-2 lead in the series, even with the loss. As for Moore, he was heading into an injury-plagued twilight of his career. Statistically, there is no reason to believe his effectiveness would’ve changed had he induced Ricky to pop out.

An interesting footnote... I recall hearing at the time something like the following: that prior to 1986 no team down two or more runs in the 9th had ever come back to win a post-season game. It happened 3 times that year.

Dave was the Henderson that hit the homer not Ricky

 

[connie]

Dave was the Henderson that hit the homer not Ricky

Of course. My mistake. I’ll let it stand. You get credit for spotting the error!

 

[j66kicker]

Absolutely. And the women too. I just watched a fuzzy replay of the 2004 reg season game at Tenn. UConn shot 17-28 ft's (60%) and won by 14. And not to take anything away from this year's refs but that game was one of the worst officiated games I ever saw. Sally Bell was probably the most incompetent ref in the game. There were 45 fouls called in that game and yet they missed Taurasi getting wacked in the throat, TWICE! And 3 of her fouls were for the hem of her shorts brushing an opponent. Things haven't changed much. UConn made dumb mistakes and failed to play defense back then too. What UConn had then and not right now is a player with a powerful presence to lead. Taurasi had 18 pts on 4-13 shooting. Her stats were so-so but her attitude was that the game was UConn's to win or lose. This year's seniors, as highly skilled as they were, didn't have that aura of invincibility. The 2004 team assisted on only half their baskets that day. It was not the well-oiled machine Geno and many others have in their memory banks. It was flawed, just like now.
I've also watched the supposedly "greatest" UConn team, 2002, and they too had many many lapses during games. Bird actually threw some really bad and/or ill-advised passes and turned the ball over. I swear to god it really happened. If they were playing now this board would not be happy with many of their efforts, despite winning.

Me? ... I trust in Paige.

I was at that game (the "mooing" game). The refs were totally intimidated by the local TN crowd, who were screaming racial/ethnic insults at DT and Geno. You are correct that DT got clotheslined with no call. She just took it, got up, and calmly sunk a 3 which basically iced the game.

The one thing I'll always remember from that game is we were ahead by 7 points with 7 minutes left, and I thought, "We got this." I thought of that the other night when we were ahead of ND by 9 with 7-1/2 left, and said to myself, "We got this." Oops. No DT.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I assume Mr. Kenny Rogers, author of the 6-0 hole in that seminal 1996 game?

Yikes.

 

[HGN]

this is not a criticism, not a bashing - just me feeling really bad for the current 'generation' of huskies - including saniya, gabby and kia.


boy, did that one shot from morgan william really really effect us and women's college basketball.
i think it totally 'destroyed' that uconn team (as a whole and individually) which carried over to last year and this year.

not only did it end the streak, but it actually showed other teams they can be beat.
not only did it show other teams they can be beat, but i think it showed other teams that uconn is totally vulnerable in close games.
not only did it show that they were vulnerable, but i think it put serious doubt in to members of that team - and that played out the next year against ND.

that carry over i think is/was always in the back of collier, samuelson, dangerfield, etc mind.
that one damn shot totally changed everything, the more i think about the last 3 years the more i think about that 1 shot.

Morgan William threw up a prayer....And sometimes prayers get answered. Some take a while to get answered , others may get answered right away. Her's got answered instantly. Don't feel bad for Gabby and the others. Their prayers got answered the previous years. Win streaks are made to be broken, Uconn streaks just last a lot longer than many other teams.

The fortunes of the Huskies are not tainted nor have the Huskies lost their glow. It was time to give the other programs a taste of what the Huskies and us fans have been drinking and getting drunk on for so many years.......Victories and National Championships.

 

[UConnNick]

You know, it is OK for another team to win the championship once in a while...

Not among a certain segment of our fanbase.