DefenseBB
Snark is always appreciated!
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As a UConn fan, I don't like Muffet. There, I said it, put it in print and now must stand by it.
That now written, I unequivocally respect and even admire what a consistently great coach she is. She is #2 on the WCBB Coaching list behind Geno, ahead of Tara and then the list of whoever you want to put and it's not really debatable.
However, Muffet has a PR problem that she and her ND legions choose to ignore but yet acknowledge through other means. She won the AP COY but not the ACC COY or the Naismith COY awards.
Of the Final Four teams, Muffet has the 2nd best collection of talent and closer to UConn's than it is to Louisville at #3. MSU is a distant 4th. Now I have said numerous times on here that with all this talent even knowing this year that Turner was unavailable, ND should be in the Final Four. And if the beginning of the year had started with only Arike, Marina, Jackie, Westbeld, Shepard, Nelson and Patterson as their 7, everyone would still have them as a top 4/5 program given the individual skills/talent they all have. I would also then postulate that being 33-3 was sort of expected and she shouldn't receive any of the COY awards over Walz, Graves or Vic.
That is not what happened however, emotions during the season took over. Kim Mulkey during her closing presser after losing to OSU, noted how the emotions of the season affected her team (rightfully so) so this factor must be given credence:
High emotion of getting Shepard eligible (yes, UConn fans, she deserved to be granted this) for the season amped up the expectations to fill in for Turner,
Then low emotion knowing Westbeld having to recover from her injury, not starting the season in the opening lineup,
Then low of having Mychal Johnson go down with ACL before the season began,
High emotion of getting Westbeld back and performing,
Then low losing Michaela Vaughn to an ACL 7 games in.
Lower still, after 14 games, they lose Lili Thompson, their only true point guard.
Lowest-going to Louisville and getting ROCKED out of the gym.
These emotional highs and lows and lows and lows can devastate teams. Muffet, to her credit did not let that happen. I attribute that to her Philly background and her "chip on her shoulder" perspective that nothing would stop her. And she used this fuel to spur her team on and on and on. She still had plenty of talent but did not have a true ball handling point guard and had to plug in with her protégé' Marina (are they identical in personality or what?) and for the most part, Mabry did great. She had no bench and had to conserve timeouts and energy as her team was not in peak, physical shape.
Now back to the conundrum aspect. As I stated, she did not win ACC COY. This is telling as there is definitely a "backlash" component to this. Coaches can't vote for themselves or their team for any of these awards and with ND winning the ACC every year since they had joined it, I do think coaches were glad to have other options and Jeff, to the others, is a more likeable guy. Muffet's own comments about Durr vs. Arike are typical and yes, even logical but Muffet should have been more gracious and diplomatic. Therein lies the issue-she isn't and never will be gracious and diplomatic. It's not in her nature.
The AP group of writers is a diverse lot from across the country that rotates the 32 voters each year. Many may have voted on their own logic for the current time. The Naismith award is given by the Atlanta Tip off Club, a static group, who counter wise, may know her more intimately than the writers.
I do think there is an "annoyance" factor with Muffet that people can tire of her as they say "familiarity breeds contempt" and with her being so good, for so long yet how she behaves, does annoy people. Therefore when given equal options, she loses.
Vic and Jeff were both fine and logical choices for winning the COY awards just as Muffet was both fine and logical winning her AP COY award. ND fandom might want to acknowledge that
1. Vic and Jeff also deserved these awards
2. Muffet does rub people the wrong way and that does cause backlash.
Last is the counter-argument of the Geno detractors who will say "but look at Geno, he annoys people".
Yes, Geno DID annoy people back when he was trying to carve a name out for himself, however, Geno has also repaired his image with winning 11 titles, playing any and all teams, coaching 2 Olympic Gold Medal Teams, 2 FIBA championship teams and with countless All-Americans of a "Who's who" of women's players. He has mellowed, like his wine that he loves. His conference coaches love him as he is trying to raise their programs (he really has not option), his 19 Final Fours, 11 straight have the National press in awe and love his quotes. He is comfortable in his own skin now.
Muffet just earned her Naismith Hall of Fame this year. She's a legend, I just wish Muffet would get comfortable in her own skin, so people would respect her more, including myself.
Humbly submitted,
DefenseBB
That now written, I unequivocally respect and even admire what a consistently great coach she is. She is #2 on the WCBB Coaching list behind Geno, ahead of Tara and then the list of whoever you want to put and it's not really debatable.
However, Muffet has a PR problem that she and her ND legions choose to ignore but yet acknowledge through other means. She won the AP COY but not the ACC COY or the Naismith COY awards.
Of the Final Four teams, Muffet has the 2nd best collection of talent and closer to UConn's than it is to Louisville at #3. MSU is a distant 4th. Now I have said numerous times on here that with all this talent even knowing this year that Turner was unavailable, ND should be in the Final Four. And if the beginning of the year had started with only Arike, Marina, Jackie, Westbeld, Shepard, Nelson and Patterson as their 7, everyone would still have them as a top 4/5 program given the individual skills/talent they all have. I would also then postulate that being 33-3 was sort of expected and she shouldn't receive any of the COY awards over Walz, Graves or Vic.
That is not what happened however, emotions during the season took over. Kim Mulkey during her closing presser after losing to OSU, noted how the emotions of the season affected her team (rightfully so) so this factor must be given credence:
High emotion of getting Shepard eligible (yes, UConn fans, she deserved to be granted this) for the season amped up the expectations to fill in for Turner,
Then low emotion knowing Westbeld having to recover from her injury, not starting the season in the opening lineup,
Then low of having Mychal Johnson go down with ACL before the season began,
High emotion of getting Westbeld back and performing,
Then low losing Michaela Vaughn to an ACL 7 games in.
Lower still, after 14 games, they lose Lili Thompson, their only true point guard.
Lowest-going to Louisville and getting ROCKED out of the gym.
These emotional highs and lows and lows and lows can devastate teams. Muffet, to her credit did not let that happen. I attribute that to her Philly background and her "chip on her shoulder" perspective that nothing would stop her. And she used this fuel to spur her team on and on and on. She still had plenty of talent but did not have a true ball handling point guard and had to plug in with her protégé' Marina (are they identical in personality or what?) and for the most part, Mabry did great. She had no bench and had to conserve timeouts and energy as her team was not in peak, physical shape.
Now back to the conundrum aspect. As I stated, she did not win ACC COY. This is telling as there is definitely a "backlash" component to this. Coaches can't vote for themselves or their team for any of these awards and with ND winning the ACC every year since they had joined it, I do think coaches were glad to have other options and Jeff, to the others, is a more likeable guy. Muffet's own comments about Durr vs. Arike are typical and yes, even logical but Muffet should have been more gracious and diplomatic. Therein lies the issue-she isn't and never will be gracious and diplomatic. It's not in her nature.
The AP group of writers is a diverse lot from across the country that rotates the 32 voters each year. Many may have voted on their own logic for the current time. The Naismith award is given by the Atlanta Tip off Club, a static group, who counter wise, may know her more intimately than the writers.
I do think there is an "annoyance" factor with Muffet that people can tire of her as they say "familiarity breeds contempt" and with her being so good, for so long yet how she behaves, does annoy people. Therefore when given equal options, she loses.
Vic and Jeff were both fine and logical choices for winning the COY awards just as Muffet was both fine and logical winning her AP COY award. ND fandom might want to acknowledge that
1. Vic and Jeff also deserved these awards
2. Muffet does rub people the wrong way and that does cause backlash.
Last is the counter-argument of the Geno detractors who will say "but look at Geno, he annoys people".
Yes, Geno DID annoy people back when he was trying to carve a name out for himself, however, Geno has also repaired his image with winning 11 titles, playing any and all teams, coaching 2 Olympic Gold Medal Teams, 2 FIBA championship teams and with countless All-Americans of a "Who's who" of women's players. He has mellowed, like his wine that he loves. His conference coaches love him as he is trying to raise their programs (he really has not option), his 19 Final Fours, 11 straight have the National press in awe and love his quotes. He is comfortable in his own skin now.
Muffet just earned her Naismith Hall of Fame this year. She's a legend, I just wish Muffet would get comfortable in her own skin, so people would respect her more, including myself.
Humbly submitted,
DefenseBB