MRI needed to diagnose knee injury (merged thread)

[Papa33]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. There was 40 seconds left in a game we had already won. Once you have achieved the win, it’s time to get the bench minutes.

EDIT: That’s why its called a team.

With 40 seconds left and Uconn ahead, and with the usual "good sport" ethic alive, the bench would not have been permitted to run an offense.

 

[willtalk]

Geno is a systems coach and it he has been very successful doing what he does. Every coach has their strengths and weaknesses and Geno also has his. He is not perfect and also makes mistakes. The area of weakness for Geno that has often been pointed out has been his substitution policy. The fact that he often plays his starters too many minutes has often been brought up on this site by mostly UConn fans. This type of situation sort of brings that back in to focus.

The talent he has and the system he runs gives him such an advantage that his substitution pattern seldom has enough of a negative impact. Whether playing Paige to much or not pulling her when the game was decided was a major contributing factor to her injury is purely speculative. But it is not outside of the realm of possibility that it might have. And this might well be one of the few times when his substitution policy returns to bite him.

As to the idea that you do not pull out a player if they do not want to come out, often a player does not no what is in their own best interests. I know of many instances where a coach wanted ot pull a player but the player wanted to stay in. RGIII would not allow himself to be pulled during the playoffs in his rookie season and it ruined his career. I also remember an incoming Duke player who played injured and chose to delay a needed operation to attempt another state title and go to an all star game. It cost her her Freshman season and she never returned to her previous level of play. Now Paige's health situation was totally different, but the principle of going with the players wishes are the same. Some players you would have to hog tie and drag them off the court to get them out of games. just because a player does not want to come out is not an exuse.

 

[JordyG]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. There was 40 seconds left in a game we had already won. I’ve said this before today, we don’t give enough minutes to the bench when the game has been decided. You can argue all you want, but if the goal is to win games, then once that is accomplished the bench should be playing. In today’s example, you leave yourself open to 2nd guessing. Practice must be played by everyone, at 100%, all the time. If an injury occurs it’s bad luck. However, in a game already decided, its open to debate. I’ve never agreed with the approach where your best players play to the end. The goal is to win. Once you have achieved the win, it’s time to get the bench minutes.

EDIT: That’s why its called a team.

Sorry. If the only goal of a team at this point in the season was merely to win then why not use your bench as foul machines and skirt the line of physicality and play brute ball every game? Why not cheat as much as possible? The biggest goal of any team at this point in the year is to get better every outing. With so many new players on the team you also need to see how they play under pressure and how well they play together, especially with other starting seniors. Would you feel better if this sort of freak occurrence happened at the start of the game? How about earlier in the year? How about later? How about while walking to you table after getting ice cream? This was the kind of injury that could happen anywhere, anytime. Why was Paige still in the game? Because the team needs to get better while playing with her. The team needs to understand that you play hard until the last buzzer. That all the players need to play smarter until the last lbuzzer. This is how Geno has always coached. It's kind of hard to disagree with 11 National Championships. Have you ever coached? If not spare us your outrage.

 

[bob15]

She was in the game because the game wasn’t over yet. She was still in the game for the same reason Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky didn’t or don’t come out of games.

Funny, he used to sit players towards the end of the game. Stewie come to mind where she would sit out the last bunch of minutes, once the game was on ice.

Let's face Geno blew it on this one......

 

[ScottCT]

Funny, he used to sit players towards the end of the game. Stewie come to mind where she would sit out the last bunch of minutes, once the game was on ice.

Let's face Geno blew it on this one......

Stewie was also on a significantly better team.

 

[Cornell Lt]

Just a very unfortunate circumstance, just dribbling the ball up, no pressure, no contact, a misstep and then boom. WCBB is a team sport and UConn will have to figure it out without their leader for awhile. The glass half full in me says, better it happened now and not in March.

 

[HopJim]

She was in the game because the game wasn’t over yet. She was still in the game for the same reason Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky didn’t or don’t come out of games.

As a long time Pats fan, I rooted for him to be taken out at end of games where win was guaranteed. In many cases, he was.

 

[TCC Kid]

It didn't happen with 8 mins left. It happened with less than a minute to go.

Fans would squeal loudly if Uconn were behind with ONE minute or even ahead by 3 and Paige was pulled, assume this was SC not ND, what to you say to Geno then--take her out? Paige is Paige. Muhl is Muhl both players bot needed at times which is less expendable during those given times. Reality said accidents happen to Muhl, Evina, all on the team have the potential to have an accident. Stop playing Geno is probably the last one any of us should second guess in a situation like this one. That was my long winded point.

 

[HopJim]

Here's the difference...there's a reason for her to practice. And there's a reason for her to walk to class. But there is NO REASON to be in the game in the closing minutes of a blowout.

Sorry, not sorry.

While you can never forecast a freak injury, you can put subs in to get them more experience. I have less of an issue with Geno not taking Paige out as I am not putting in players who busted butt at practice and would have valued 3-4 minutes of playint time.

 

[Littlemin]

Really a wild thread, but as I see it, Auriemma is the coach of the team, he substitutes or not, and as an observer I can agree or disagree; perfectly legit. If I disagree, and in general terms I do, I am disagreeing with none of the knowledge and insight he has, nor any understanding of how what he does is part of developing the team, what may possibly be part of a bigger picture. But blame Auriemma for the injury, no, that’s ridiculous to me. Injuries are part of it and every athlete knows it; a threat every minute of every practice, every game.

 

[jchusky]

oh so only players that are recognized nationally should get well wishes?

 

[BBallF]

Sorry. If the only goal of a team at this point in the season was merely to win then why not use your bench as foul machines and skirt the line of physicality and play brute ball every game? Why not cheat as much as possible? The biggest goal of any team at this point in the year is to get better every outing. With so many new players on the team you also need to see how they play under pressure and how well they play together, especially with other starting seniors. Would you feel better if this sort of freak occurrence happened at the start of the game? How about earlier in the year? How about later? How about while walking to you table after getting ice cream? This was the kind of injury that could happen anywhere, anytime. Why was Paige still in the game? Because the team needs to get better while playing with her. The team needs to understand that you play hard until the last buzzer. That all the players need to play smarter until the last lbuzzer. This is how Geno has always coached. It's kind of hard to disagree with 11 National Championships. Have you ever coached? If not spare us your outrage.

I am very sorry too. What exactly are you going to get better at within 40 seconds? The real problem I have with Paige not sitting is the context of the game. It was a physical game, Paige got fallen on or pushed down by Dotson, stiff armed onto the ground by Mabrey, and otherwise put to the test in terms of her endurance. The point is that it didn't happen at the beginning of the game.

Just because Geno won 11 NCs does not make him infallible in every decision he makes. This one was dead wrong and was a product of him only playing a limited number of players as an inflexible rule. No reason Paige couldn't come out, and Nika, who did replace her when it was too late, slides to the point for 40 seconds. It was not his finest hour and may have an impact on this program for years to come. I really do not think his action is justified and I certainly would not give him a pass on it. This is your franchise here, probably the best player you ever coached, and yet your intransigence was on full display and will cost you dearly even if it is not a torn ACL.

 

[JordyG]

What exactly are you going to get better at within 40 seconds?

I see that you too have never coached.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

From a Tennessee fan..wishing Paige the best and speedy recovery. She is fun to watch.

 

[bob15]

Stewie was also on a significantly better team.

Up by 20 and less than a minute to go, so the circumstances were no different.. Even Reggie Miller couldn't stage a comeback in that little amount of time left.

 

[Centerstream]

Maybe the NCAA should make a rule that every player on the team must play approximately equal minutes every game. The game gets played in 5 minute increments. Every 5 minutes the horn blows and 5 new players come on the floor. Kind of like youth rec league. The NCAA could also legislate how many shots any player can attempt in any one 5 minute shift.

And at the end of the season, everyone gets a Champions Participation Trophy.

BTW I am hoping that your post is pure sarcasm...because mine is.

 

[TeamFirst!]

The larger point is that Paige plays with reckless abandon, throwing her body everywhere. It was only a matter of time before she got hurt. She has been lucky to make it this far. Hopefully she will learn from this. Did you know that Paige has over twice as many steals as anyone else on the team? She's 2nd in rebounding. 1st in most other things. She's CARRYING this team on her back and it's come at a significant price. Look at Larry Bird at the end. His body was all messed up by the end. Diving all over the place constantly is great when you are playing in March but save some of that for then. She is so IMPORTANT to this team that it is a real good idea to try to conserve her some rather than ride her into the ground. Use Caroline more. Use Dorka more. Nika probably plays better if she gets some PT. All these players would probably be starters on other teams. Even Louisville type teams. Use them.

 

[boontonbomber]

Do you think playing on an exhausted leg can be more prone to injury at any speed ?
She deserved a Gampel standing O for another great game -
That is all in the past and I know we all wish her the best going forward.

That is the point, that a player on exhausted legs is more prone. Usually nothing bad happens, but today it may have been a contributing factor. So why take a chance?

 

[UConnCat]

I don't think anyone on Uconn gave wishes for Raven Johnson. If you hate Notre Dame just say it, but don't use this as an excuse to hate ND.

How do you know this?

 

[UDann]

Stewie was also on a significantly better team.

… and Stewie was not a point guard.

 

[Bigboote]

I had been skeptical of the hyperextension till I watched the slo-mo replay with my TV slowed, too. It looked an awful lot like one time 15+ years ago when my toddler left something on the floor that I didn't see and my heel hit it, resulting in a hyperextended knee. It looked to me like there was a slick spot on the floor.

While it's no walk in the park, a hyperextension beats the hell out of most of the alternatives. Mine wasn't as bad as hers, but I was also 25 years older than she is, and I wasn't a world-class athlete. I did have to miss a cross-country race a couple of days later (I'm not competitive, but the event was associated with the National Cross-country Championships, and would've been pretty cool to run in), but was back on the trails in about two weeks. My orthopaedist gave me some exercises, but no PT beyond that. I'm sure with the training staff at UConn, she'll get great care, and I hope she doesn't sweet-talk them into letting her back on the court before she's ready.

 

[Tonyc]

Okay, let's understand how basketball works and what is happening with this team. It's a team that has shown little to no continuity on offense and has had difficulty getting its shooters into position to shoot the ball. Paige is the only guard on the team that can break defenses down off the dribble. The two ways these issues are addressed is with repetitions in practice and in game. You need both. You can practice all you want, but you need in game court time to build confidence, execution, and chemistry. Unfortunately, this UConn team is incapable of doing any of those things when Paige sits. That's why Paige was on the floor and that's why Geno will have her on the floor as much as possible.

This is a great post. Dont question it understand it.