Naismith coach of the year finalists

[Cornell Lt]

Gary Blair,
Wes Moore,
Joni Taylor,
Tara VanDerveer,

 

[chrissaran]

They've all done a great job. Geno's more intent on holding up the team's 12th trophy.

 

[MSGRET]

Wow, Geno has no seniors and only 3 upperclasswomen and 9 Freshmen and Sophomores, losses one game and isn't on the final list....UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

 

[AmeriConn]

Gary Blair

 

[DefenseBB]

Wow, no Brenda Frese?

 

[UcMiami]

No problem with any of them. Joni did a serious reclamation job.

 

[LoboDays]

If UCONN wins the NC with this team, it will be one of if not Geno’s best coaching jobs. I don’t have a problem with him not being a finalist since the candidates were determined prior to the Tourney. I could have coached them to 22 of their BE wins. And, I’m still wondering why they still don’t use a peach basket for the rim.

 

[GW15MJ4MM23]

Geno : I have Paige and you don't.

 

[LCConnFan]

If UCONN wins the NC with this team, it will be one of if not Geno’s best coaching jobs. I don’t have a problem with him not being a finalist since the candidates were determined prior to the Tourney. I could have coached them to 22 of their BE wins. And, I’m still wondering why they still don’t use a peach basket for the rim.

That's easy! 'Wilson' balls are too heavy! Besides, they don't 'bounce' much anyway.

 

[Redux]

Wow, Geno has no seniors and only 3 upperclasswomen and 9 Freshmen and Sophomores, losses one game and isn't on the final list

All teams that get great freshmen have great years; it's automatic; a coach doesn't have to do anything, it just happens.

Well, there are exceptions. OK, a few exceptions. Maybe many exceptions. Well, never mind.

Seriously: to put a team on the floor game after game, with all the Covid-related complications that could be expected to especially rattle a young team, that performs consistently enough to have only a single loss, and that against a top opponent, is an immense accomplishment. We're spoiled about consistency, as is Coach, and we see poor performance on dips almost undetectable among mere mortals. IMHO there is no team that performed in such a tight range of competence overall (given normal variations from player to player) than UConn.

So far, and we'll see, that coaching performance speaks for itself and needs no formal award recognition.

 

[Bigboote]

I'm glad I don't have to vote for Coach of the Year. All of the finalists have done great jobs. I could also see Brenda Freese, who lost a lot of players, Jose Fernandez, whose team went from 13 losses to 3 and came out of nowhere to finish top-20 in the polls, Geno, Jarrod Olson of Cal Baptist whose team went from 16-15 to undefeated. If I followed the sport more closely, I could probably name a dozen more who are deserving.

Every coach has dealt with a lot this year, and every coach of a successful team has done a great job.

 

[browns]

I'd say Gary Blair

 

[browns]

So Brenda gets COY from ESPN but is not one of the 4 finalists for the Naismith..interesting

 

[oldude]

It’s just as well that Geno doesn’t win the award. He has no more room in his office for trophies.

 

[Cuango]

A travesty that Geno is not included. I doubt if there’s another coach in the country who could have brought this team to where it is right now.

 

[GW15MJ4MM23]

.
I nominate
.
https://uconnhuskies.com/images/2018/10/10/9299498.jpeg?width=300
.

 

[bballnut90]

So Brenda gets COY from ESPN but is not one of the 4 finalists for the Naismith..interesting

Hard to argue with any of the finalists but Brenda should be included in that grouping. No one expected Maryland to be a title contender after this past off season.

 

[cbraarj]

With who's left I like Gary Blair.

 

[ucbart]

Hard to argue with any of the finalists but Brenda should be included in that grouping. No one expected Maryland to be a title contender after this past off season.

She is the COY and IMO, it's not close. They lost their ENTIRE starting 5 and won a P5 conference regular season and tournament.

 

[Artifact]

It’s just as well that Geno doesn’t win the award. He has no more room in his office for trophies.

That's the problem. 'HE wins too Much', bad for the other coaches !

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Wow, Geno has no seniors and only 3 upperclasswomen and 9 Freshmen and Sophomores, losses one game and isn't on the final list....UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

A- frickin'-men!!!! What a joke! This was an absolutely superlative job of coaching. Apparently the basketball world has come to expect the "amazing", the "can't be done!", the "how did he do that!" from Geno Auriemma. It's considered just par for the course for him, while it would warrant a unanimous coach of the year vote for anyone not named "Auriemma." What a travesty!!!!

 

[DefenseBB]

Woa, hold on everyone...TRAVESTY is a bridge too far. This is not a travesty that he was not on the final list. If anything this was an omission probably but then again, he has two #1 recruits, a #2, a #5, the top Canadian player and 2 top flight European players so its not like his cupboard was bare.

Gary took everyone's castaways and won the SEC season. Joni did a nice job after NOT doing a nice job the past few years, Tara has a dominant team and Wes is finally getting recognition. The one I would say is least deserving is Taylor but she's done a nice job this year. Geno is absolutely a victim of his own success but if he wins as much next year like he did this year, I suspect he will be rewarded.

Let's use the word "travesty" for real injustices...not omissions.