Muffet speech at Sport and Society in America conference

[meyers7]

Cable has an extra year of eligibility. Missed her freshman season with stress fractures in her feet.

Did not know that. Funny they don't list her as a R/S. Thanks

 

[Tidepool]

Depends on what the criteria for being a "great" player is... to me to be considered great you gotta be the best of the best. I think the criteria should be somewhere alone the lines of being regarded as the best player in the country and leading your team to a national championship. Rebecca, Jen, Sue, Diana, Tina, Maya, Breanna... national player of year and lead the team to a championship. The only player that fits for ND is Ruth Riley. Skylar scored a lot points, got a LOT of press, won a lot of games, beat UConn a bunch of times... but never closed the deal and won a championship. Ya got close the deal to be considered great... to me.

And so you don't consider Elena DellaDonne to have been a great player?

 

[RadyLady]

Muffet delivered the keynote address earlier this week. Here's the link to the video and her speech starts at the 13:00 mark: http://new.livestream.com/SBEN/SportandSociety

I enjoyed the speech and especially the Q&A after the speech in which Muffet touches on several interesting topics. Her remarks were thoughtful, interesting and funny. She gives insights in to her approach to coaching, what she looks for in recruits, etc. She and Geno have a lot in common. Yes, UConn did come up a few times both explicitly and implicitly. No headlines made, but she certainly implied that WCBB broadcasters favor UConn and UConn players. When asked about recruiting, she said ND was targeting 6 juniors, signed 2 (Mabrey and Patberg) "we've got a couple left" (Collier and KLS now gone) and "we're probably going to take 2 or 3." The couple left are likely Durr and Ogunbowale. She takes a swipe or two at ND's male hierarchy.

I really liked the speech as well, and for the most part enjoyed the Q&A...given the amount of noise that the "3 to see" got in their senior year, I have to say that the praise not always UConn-centric, but whatever. She has a good message and for me, the time spent watching was well worth it.


Strange coming from me, I know. Yet when it's good, you just have to say so.

 

[uconnell]

I agree Rady about the "Three to See" comment, and I agree that once the media grabs hold of a subject, they beat it to death, however McGraw wasn't complaining about that. Now the media has set its sight on Stewie and it is all Stewie all the time, hence McGraw's complaint. I think she is a good coach, not a great one and I think that the school is a great recruiter for her, i do believe she is a good recruiter but not too much of an in game coach.

 

[pap49cba]

As a UConn fan, I found it humorous that she wouldn't say UConn during the Q&A.

I noticed that as well. This from the person who took a jab at Coach P. for referring to her players by their numbers.

 

[RadyLady]

I agree Rady about the "Three to See" comment, and I agree that once the media grabs hold of a subject, they beat it to death, however McGraw wasn't complaining about that. Now the media has set its sight on Stewie and it is all Stewie all the time, hence McGraw's complaint. I think she is a good coach, not a great one and I think that the school is a great recruiter for her, i do believe she is a good recruiter but not too much of an in game coach.

well, I am not a fan of McGraw, haven't been for years. But I liked her speech, and most of her answers. The logic of my response of the Three to see is that if she is complaining about UConn, she has to realize that this stuff ebbs and flows, and some years it is simply not UConn. Right now it is Stewie.

If I thought about this, I would start to think that she is whining again, but I don't want to think about this. I want to enjoy her message in her speech.

 

[itsasport]

Clearly, UConn has gotten under her skin, resulting in some pettiness lately. But, her speech filled me with admiration for her as a person and a coach. It was very enlightening about women coaches and players. Very perceptive and funny about the differences between female and male psychology; the contribution her husband had in her success; and even-handed about the effect that UConn is having on the popularity of Women's' basketball.

She ended with a quote--- that when you are born, you cry and others rejoice. You should live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.

Even though she had just said them herself, the effect that it had on her was clearly apparent, her body tensed and her had to fight off tears. At that moment, I almost wished that she will be able to get the two recruits she is competing for with UConn--- almost.

However, if they do not opt for UConn, ND should be the clear choice based on the person she showed herself to be in that speech.

 

[winlots]

Like a lot of others here, I hate Notre Dame. My hatred stems not really from their women's basketball program, which I admire, though it still falls under the broad umbrella of disdain I have for the institution. It is rooted in their football tradition, and in the eagerness of the media to anoint them instant champions or, at the very least, Top Twenty-five contenders, irrespective of their usually undeserving record against mediocre competition. Having said that, it's hard for me not to admire Muffett, and the program she has built there. I wish more coaches in WCBB could do as well, which would be very good for a game now threatened (in terms of national fan interest) by our undisputed dominance. I have to scratch my head over a lot of the negative comments aimed at her..."I can never forgive her for....." etc. She's clearly a great recruiter and great coach, probably second only to Geno in those respects, and, while I understand the rivalry thing, we're all looking for excuses to throw barbs at her despite her undeniable skills.

BIG P: Gotta take the other side of part of your post re clearly great recruiter and coach....prob second to Geno. To that I'd say: sit her down on her tuffit (sp?), spider and all, in the middle of an array of cow pies in the center of CT, rather than by the Golden Dome, and see what a great recruiter she is.

 

[HuskyPhan]

I know that many have beaten up McGraw on this site from time to time, but I have to say, WCBB would be much better off if we had more coaches like her (and Geno). They both have the fire, passion and know-how!!

 

[watanabe]

UCCAT: yup, their own network deal. And, having been to the Golden Dome for some football, I'd say they have an ancient history of having their own refs as well.powerful stuff, especially in close games! ( I say that as a not-Catholic who used to love to listen to and ROOT FOR the Irish on radio vs USC et al back in the days of WWII; and I still follow their football to this day, with my parenthetical point being that I don't bring an anti-ND bias to the discussion.)

I went to ND Southbend once and ate lunch with the football team in 1978 (the student manager was my friend). I was starstruck and impressed. Still am. BUT this does not in any way cross over to the Women's BB team. Muffet and her staff have not earned any level of respect especially with her nasty talk trying to cover up her non-performance against UConn. Sorry, but that's a loser talking. Sorry Ladies, but you will never be GREAT playing for this mean spirited person. Please give this some serious thought before committing to playing for ND.

 

[Geno-ista]

Like a lot of others here, I hate Notre Dame. My hatred stems not really from their women's basketball program, which I admire, though it still falls under the broad umbrella of disdain I have for the institution. It is rooted in their football tradition, and in the eagerness of the media to anoint them instant champions or, at the very least, Top Twenty-five contenders, irrespective of their usually undeserving record against mediocre competition. Having said that, it's hard for me not to admire Muffett, and the program she has built there. I wish more coaches in WCBB could do as well, which would be very good for a game now threatened (in terms of national fan interest) by our undisputed dominance. I have to scratch my head over a lot of the negative comments aimed at her..."I can never forgive her for....." etc. She's clearly a great recruiter and great coach, probably second only to Geno in those respects, and, while I understand the rivalry thing, we're all looking for excuses to throw barbs at her despite her undeniable skills.

I thought the speech was excellent. I think Muffit has built the 2nd best program in the country. They are the only team that looks and plays like UConn "most" of the time! That said, her saying she wishes there was class at the top of women's basketball like when Pat was coaching. Allowing or orchestrating an entire team/program to not clap during the top award WCBB- other than Niele Ivey. Her star was the third or fourth vote getter. And her comments in the speech that she is disappointed in the broadcasters, and that they help determine fan bias towards a certain team and their players. She really insinuated that the broadcasters somehow influenced the wins and losses, and not the two teams playing. I will give her the comment about Br casters influencing choice of best player nomination. N Dame football and their marketing machine almost bought and paid for their middle linebacker's Heisman Trophy on a totally bogus storyline, which they continued the media to promote months after finding out his entire story was a fabrication! It was the broadcasters fault that he couldn't tackle any running back from Alabama. Muffet liked the broadcasters when she was winning 7/8 from UConn. When all they talked about was ND being inside our heads, etc... Which may have been true. Because she/ND couldn't bring home the bacon during the Skylar years, when she was beating us! it was the semi final defeat last yr that stings more and was compounded by this years loss. I think she showed some real bitterness and low class, and not playful barbs back and forth. Her comments about the announcers in her excellent speech were very telling IMO! And I think she is obviously a great coach.

 

[mhshuskies]

The other comment I chuckled over was "If you want to be good, go somewhere else. If you want to be great come to Notre Dame".

Okay, let's add up all of the "great" players at ND.

Diggins
McBride
Riley??
Loyd (is/or will be)
Achonwa (stretch but maybe)
Poulen?

And? Any others?

Diggins and McBride: yes
Riley: maybe
Loyd: not yet
Achnowa: too soft

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

That said, her saying she wishes there was class at the top of women's basketball like when Pat was coaching.

and from Phil Sampieri
"I disagree with you regarding why the barbs. I don't see anyone questioning her coaching ability. I resent her actions prior to the final game i.e. the game lost the only classy coach"

What she actually said:

"I think she was such a classy coach,” McGraw said. “I think that, unfortunately, the game and sportsmanship has lost a lot when we lost her from the coaching ranks.”

Incidentally, I found McGraw quotes talking about Pat's class as far back as when Pat retired. Feel free to disagree with McGraw about Pat's class and feel free to be insulted by her comment, but please, I see enough mis-quoted things in politics to just not enjoy them on the Boneyard.

 

[jsloanjr]

Some people never learn not to piss into the wind or tuck on UCONN's Cape.........If you give Muffet or Geno Duke's team, they would have a chance to win the NC.......

 

[HuskyNan]

and from Phil Sampieri
"I disagree with you regarding why the barbs. I don't see anyone questioning her coaching ability. I resent her actions prior to the final game i.e. the game lost the only classy coach"

What she actually said:

"I think she was such a classy coach,” McGraw said. “I think that, unfortunately, the game and sportsmanship has lost a lot when we lost her from the coaching ranks.”

Incidentally, I found McGraw quotes talking about Pat's class as far back as when Pat retired. Feel free to disagree with McGraw about Pat's class and feel free to be insulted by her comment, but please, I see enough mis-quoted things in politics to just not enjoy them on the Boneyard.

Mechelle Voepel doesn't seem to agree with you and she was there when Muffet spoke so she heard both tone and context.

McGraw's praise of Summitt's classiness was pointed in the direction of Auriemma.

http://m.espn.go.com/ncw/story?storyId=10745912

I will say, though, that UConn fans are conveniently forgetting Geno's participation in the back and forth. Both coaches have taken potshots and broadsides in this petty battle.

 

[phil sampieri]

Mechelle Voepel doesn't seem to agree with you and she was there when Muffet spoke so she heard both tone and context.

McGraw's praise of Summitt's classiness was pointed in the direction of Auriemma.

http://m.espn.go.com/ncw/story?storyId=10745912

I will say, though, that UConn fans are conveniently forgetting Geno's participation in the back and forth. Both coaches have taken potshots and broadsides in this petty battle.

Thanks Nan for the clarification but wasn't Geno's part of the back and forth as a result of" It's not nice to fib during lent" only after Miss Muffet inferred that we ducked them ? Unless we did in fact duck them, so Geno in my mind just clarified the situation as nice as possible by not calling her a liar but a fibber.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Thanks Nan for the clarification but wasn't Geno's part of the back and forth as a result of" It's not nice to fib during lent" only after Miss Muffet inferred that we ducked them ? Unless we did in fact duck them, so Geno in my mind just clarified the situation as nice as possible by not calling her a liar but a fibber.

Tracing who started the back and forth is an odd beast. Might take you back to Geno tossing bricks at ND for the whole break up the Big East thing. Might put one's back up if you're feeling your University is being insulted simply because they're in a position to take advantage of the realities of modern college sports....

I guess people will hold on to what they want to hold on to.... personally, I find that exhausting and not particularly healthy. It tends to taint my enjoyment of UConn basketball with a mean-spirited bitterness that sullies my overall experience.

I still like and admire Muffet as a coach and a person. She's good for women's basketball. She's run a clean program. She advocates for her players. She's poked UConn and UConn fans don't like it one bit. That's great. I look forward to beating ND soundly in the future.

 

[mhshuskies]

The other comment I chuckled over was "If you want to be good, go somewhere else. If you want to be great come to Notre Dame".

Okay, let's add up all of the "great" players at ND.

Diggins
McBride
Riley??
Loyd (is/or will be)
Achonwa (stretch but maybe)
Poulen?

And? Any others?

Geno can do her one better: He can say if the recruit wants to be disappointed after her four years, go anywhere else (especially nd where it is an annual occurrence), but if you want to be a champion come to UCONN!

 

[Geno-ista]

and from Phil Sampieri
"I disagree with you regarding why the barbs. I don't see anyone questioning her coaching ability. I resent her actions prior to the final game i.e. the game lost the only classy coach"

What she actually said:

"I think she was such a classy coach,” McGraw said. “I think that, unfortunately, the game and sportsmanship has lost a lot when we lost her from the coaching ranks.”

Incidentally, I found McGraw quotes talking about Pat's class as far back as when Pat retired. Feel free to disagree with McGraw about Pat's class and feel free to be insulted by her comment, but please, I see enough mis-quoted things in politics to just not enjoy them on the Boneyard.

Wow, Doris Burke referenced that quote in a whole different way. If your quote is correct, then I am definitely wrong on that one. I think her comments in the speech about the way many of the broadcasters bias's were petty, and I was shocked about the teams behavior when Stewie was awarded Player of the Year. I agree about the mis quoting and painting everything with a wide brush.

 

[connboy77]

Geno can do her one better: He can say if the recruit wants to be disappointed after her four years, go anywhere else (especially nd where it is an annual occurrence), but if you want to be a champion come to UCONN!

Geno has more class then Muffet and won't say anything more. The best medicine for this type of garbage is to continue to recruit well and win national championships.

 

[mhshuskies]

Geno has more class then Muffet and won't say anything more. The best medicine for this type of garbage is to continue to recruit well and win national championships.

You are correct, he doesn't run down other programs and probably doesn't to recruits. That would go along with what all the recruits say about him being so honest with them. They all say that was a big reason for their decision to go to UCONN.

 

[JS]

What she actually said:

"I think she was such a classy coach,” McGraw said. “I think that, unfortunately, the game and sportsmanship has lost a lot when we lost her from the coaching ranks.”

[P]lease, I see enough mis-quoted things in politics to just not enjoy them on the Boneyard.

Part of accurate quoting is getting necessary context. The two sentences you quote sound quite innocent.

But let's look at a little fuller quote, and see how she got to those thoughts :

"I think that the entire Tennessee nation will be on our side," McGraw said when asked who Lady Vols fans in attendance will root for. "There are a lot of people who want to see us win just to preserve Pat's legacy now.

"I think all women's coaches really respect her and looked up to her, because they knew when she spoke, it was about what was good for the women's game. She role-modeled how to be gracious in victory, as well as defeat. She was such a classy coach and, unfortunately, the game and sportsmanship lost a lot when we lost her." [emphasis supplied]​

"Preserving Pat's legacy" = the then-record Eight NC's? Or the class at the top of the game if the record and/or the leadership role in WCBB falls into supposedly less classy hands?

Note when she says "a lot of people" she goes beyond the question, which was about Tennessee fans and could more readily be limited to the championships record.

Look at the segue, and it's not hard to reach the conclusion respected writers and announcers reached as to Ms. McGraw's intended implication. She's not stupid and wouldn't say it directly, but it's there.

I don't happen to agree with her statement that Ms. Summitt has always been classy and have no need to elaborate why.

Nor did McGraw always agree with it (e.g. TN letting Michelle Snow attempt a dunk at the end of a 39 point TN victory that ended ND's 2002 season; the margins of some of TN's 20 straight wins over ND).

Suffice it to say there was reason to be suspicious of McGraw's motive for bringing class into the discussion in the context of saying a lot of people would be rooting for her team against Geno.

Now, is it good to go on analyzing this? Not particularly.

Will the gibes continue? Don't know but it's doubtful.

Though Geno participated, a glance at the headlines will show McGraw was driving the smack talk bus leading up to the game.

She didn't get a good result in the media (especially when called out for the item we're now discussing by the announcers during the national game telecast) or on the court, so I doubt she'll do it again.

 

[hoophuskee]

I like a viilain in sports. It adds to the excitement. It's notlike I think about it every day. Muffett's dispicable pettiness against a kid is inexcusable and anything she says later other than apology is just meaningless words. Actions speak louder than words and her actions on the way Stewie got the award agaisnt a KID is unforgiveable without an apology. We can lose our cool on here attimes- but in public there is a way to act- I learned it when I was a little kid. If ND wants to bash Geno have at it. But it it doesn't mean I have to accept Muffett's pettiness for taking it out on a kid.

Further, ND going to the ACC is blocking us indirectly from getting there. ND uses their football like a bully. They are the epitomy of arrogance. Yet we hear Muffett complain about UCONN?

And if I heard right at some point Muffett complains that we foul as we've seen how her team throws their body into the defender in hopes of tricking the refs. Sometiems you have to get it rubbed in by some of the less-than- astute basketball analysts that don't understand the game. This type of slowdown I understand the tactic but it's boring. Of course to ND it is best chance to win. I don't have to like it though thus I despise how they want to play as well in order to try to beat us. To complain about it via the media makes it even worse as a UCONN fan and a basketball fan. But I'm bias - more of a UCONN fan. Still who wants to see decepetiveness used to influence (and slow down) a game?

The ND fans on here that post are great. A pleausre to hear from you for me. Sorry for this post- but it's how I feel. I only care when I'm on here and this issue gets brought up, or watching ND on TV which is not often. So it's no big deal overall. The world will get over our little rivalry -which is all in fun. If Muffett were to ever to be in my area for a charity event etc i'd shake her hand and be as warm as possible etc. She's probably a greatperson but that doesn't mean I can't despise what she is doing, and despise the bully that is Notre Dame indirectly that is keeping us out of the ACC. They don't belong in the ACC. Her words mean nothing if her actions are so petty that she had to pout like such a little kid because her player didn't win the award.

 

[msf22b]

Getting back to the speech, which I just listened to a second time.
There's an awful lot of platitudes and home-spun philosophy that I frankly find boring.
Can't imagine Geno getting up and delivering up such drivel.
The Q and A was more entertaining.

 

[JS]

Muffett's dispicable pettiness against a kid is inexcusable and anything she says later other than apology is just meaningless words. Actions speak louder than words and her actions on the way Stewie got the award agaisnt a KID is unforgiveable without an apology.

Lest the no-clapping incident become engraved in stone (and Boneyard lore) as unforgivable sin, let's recognize there's another side to it.

ND people who were there will tell you Ms. McGraw had already clapped when the award to Stewie was announced and didn't feel the need to do so again when she got up to speak.

Jim Fuller's video focused on Stewie as she went to the podium. He had no intention of catching McGraw in the background with her hands glued to her lap as many others in the room (including Niele Ivey) clapped and cheered.

The video then went semi-viral -- at least in the Northeast -- and served as evidence of McGraw's churlishness. Even when not shown, it could have been the basis for certain mainstream media accounts. Query how carefully anyone present was really watching McGraw at the time.

She made no bones about the fact she thought her player should've won the award. She was entitled to her opinion despite indications McBride may have stood no better than fourth in that particular "race."

As indicated in my other post in this thread, I'm no fan of her overall act leading up to the game. But to me the counter-narrative on the clapping is credible and at least mitigates what had the appearance of something worse than it may have been.

She may have been bummed, but not a bum. Hence some of the more vehement condemnations based on Applausegate may well be off base.

In any event, we've adequately explored the subject and are not encouraging a new round of Muffett-bashing. So let's put a wrap on this possible bad rap and see what the future holds for UConn-ND.