ND Fan's take on Muffet's Comments

[ndfan2014]

Hi all, just wanted to start by saying that I'm an ND fan and I've enjoyed reading your board the last day or so in anticipation of the big game tonight. I wanted to offer my take (and the take from most ND fans as far as I can gather) as to Muffet's comments that have so many of you all fired up. It's pretty clear in my estimation that this was nothing more than a calculated move to take some of the pressure off her team. She is going out of her way to try to create a distraction and make all the pregame talk about her and Geno rather than about how bad UConn is going to beat an over matched Notre Dame team.

The fact of the matter is that you folks have a great team and Notre Dame would have had an uphill battle tonight with Achonwa and would have been the underdog for sure. Without her, they are obviously major underdogs who will require a perfect game and some help from UConn to win. Muffet knows this and the timing and severity of her commentary is almost certainly, in my opinion, a calculated ploy to try to take a little pressure off her team and put all the pressure on herself.

Anyway, just wanted to chime in with my thoughts. Regardless of what happens tonight, congratulations on a great season and congrats on the men's victory last night, they were truly a joy to watch during the tournament. I hope my beloved Irish can at least make it competitive tonight! Cheers.

 

[Sargassoc]

Classy. Thanks. We all could use some more of that.

Good luck to all, no injuries (though I'm hoping for an all-Blue championship week).

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I could wish Muppet could achieve that purpose without the totally classless move of dissing a great 19 year old basketball player because her senior did not win. Win, she was never credibly in the conversation and the voters had her last of 4 with 2 votes. She set a horrible example for her team and if ND is all about poor sportsmanship then she represented ND well. No, this stuff is deep within a rancorous, bitter and spiteful person. Right after the Nat'l Semi last year in his interview Geno said ND was a great team. He took an intentional shot clock violation so Muffet would wake up and get Diggins out of the game and had special words for Diggins which meant a lot to her in the hand shake line. That is class, something apparently not in McGraw's make up.

 

[ndfan2014]

I could wish Muppet could achieve that purpose without the totally classless move of dissing a great 19 year old basketball player because her senior did not win. Win, she was never credibly in the conversation and the voters had her last of 4 with 2 votes. She set a horrible example for her team and if ND is all about poor sportsmanship then she represented ND well. No, this stuff is deep within a rancorous, bitter and spiteful person. Right after the Nat'l Semi last year in his interview Geno said ND was a great team. He took an intentional shot clock violation so Muffet would wake up and get Diggins out of the game and had special words for Diggins which meant a lot to her in the hand shake line. That is class, something apparently not in McGraw's make up.

I'm sorry you feel that way. Good luck tonight.

 

[huskies29]

Hi all, just wanted to start by saying that I'm an ND fan and I've enjoyed reading your board the last day or so in anticipation of the big game tonight. I wanted to offer my take (and the take from most ND fans as far as I can gather) as to Muffet's comments that have so many of you all fired up. It's pretty clear in my estimation that this was nothing more than a calculated move to take some of the pressure off her team. She is going out of her way to try to create a distraction and make all the pregame talk about her and Geno rather than about how bad UConn is going to beat an over matched Notre Dame team.

The fact of the matter is that you folks have a great team and Notre Dame would have had an uphill battle tonight with Achonwa and would have been the underdog for sure. Without her, they are obviously major underdogs who will require a perfect game and some help from UConn to win. Muffet knows this and the timing and severity of her commentary is almost certainly, in my opinion, a calculated ploy to try to take a little pressure off her team and put all the pressure on herself.

Anyway, just wanted to chime in with my thoughts. Regardless of what happens tonight, congratulations on a great season and congrats on the men's victory last night, they were truly a joy to watch during the tournament. I hope my beloved Irish can at least make it competitive tonight! Cheers.

ndfan, some nice perspective. I hope Muffet will take a look at that awards ceremony and be as embarrassed she acted that way towards a 19 yr old kid as the rest of us were watching her. Geno can handle anything she throws his way but to have her team sit in front like zombies and not applaud a player of the year award winner was cringeworthy to watch. Hope someone in the administration there gets to her and explains to her what sportsmanship is and the proper way to conduct yourself. She has turned off a lot of people with her woe is me performance.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I'm sorry you feel that way. Good luck tonight.

The only feeling in my post is an appropriate response to bad public behavior. The rest is simple recitation of facts. If your kid behaved like Muffet and her whole team in the POY event you would want to dress them down (I hope).

BTW: Since then the POY count is 3 Stewie all others 0.

QUESTION: You reference ND Boards - the only one I can find is all mens b'ball with an occasional womens thread. Is there an active womens' fan board?

 

[ndfan2014]

ndfan, some nice perspective. I hope Muffet will take a look at that awards ceremony and be as embarrassed she acted that way towards a 19 yr old kid as the rest of us were watching her. Geno can handle anything she throws his way but to have her team sit in front like zombies and not applaud a player of the year award winner was cringeworthy to watch. Hope someone in the administration there gets to her and explains to her what sportsmanship is and the proper way to conduct yourself. She has turned off a lot of people with her woe is me performance.

I'm sure she'll look back and regret that one moment. I don't take these things too seriously but it's funny to me reading the commentary on this board that makes Geno out to be a saint and the classiest man on earth. On the flipside the Notre Dame boards stand up for Muffet and look at Geno like the biggest sleazebag on the planet, the same way you folks look at Muffet. Clearly there are some competitive juices running and rose colored glasses being worn by both sides. I just hope that this silly spat doesn't take away from the game being played on the court tonight.

 

[wire chief]

Your commentary is welcome.

 

[baggerbob]

Hi all, just wanted to start by saying that I'm an ND fan and I've enjoyed reading your board the last day or so in anticipation of the big game tonight. I wanted to offer my take (and the take from most ND fans as far as I can gather) as to Muffet's comments that have so many of you all fired up. It's pretty clear in my estimation that this was nothing more than a calculated move to take some of the pressure off her team. She is going out of her way to try to create a distraction and make all the pregame talk about her and Geno rather than about how bad UConn is going to beat an over matched Notre Dame team.

The fact of the matter is that you folks have a great team and Notre Dame would have had an uphill battle tonight with Achonwa and would have been the underdog for sure. Without her, they are obviously major underdogs who will require a perfect game and some help from UConn to win. Muffet knows this and the timing and severity of her commentary is almost certainly, in my opinion, a calculated ploy to try to take a little pressure off her team and put all the pressure on herself.

Anyway, just wanted to chime in with my thoughts. Regardless of what happens tonight, congratulations on a great season and congrats on the men's victory last night, they were truly a joy to watch during the tournament. I hope my beloved Irish can at least make it competitive tonight! Cheers.

You are a much better person then your coach, as fans its up to you to let Notre Dame know, that not clapping at that award ceremony is not the Notre Dame way. She owes an apology to Breanna, and to her school, and all its fans, for not being a proper representative of your school. Having seen Breanna when she played in High School, and knowing people from her neighborhood, she still is the same person, that she was before she went away to college. Watched an interview on local TV where Breanna was answering a reporter about Notre Dame, and the Answer was, I guess we don't like each other, but we respect each other. Your coach should take note of that.

 

[Bayareahusky]

thanks nd2014..... I am not really offended by muffet's comments..... i think there is a large grain of truth in what you say as per explanation..... it was a head scratcher when I first saw it the part where she felt UC did not respect her team and/or program..... I think UC and ND have a lot of mutual respect for each other.....

you should be good for several yrs to come.... I have seen turner play... and she is good..... good luck tonight

 

[KACHED19]

For me all the talk of the past 2 days is cheap and stupid. I am in Nashville and this has put a damper on what should be a fun time-celebrating great college basketball. The one thing I cannot abide is an adult woman in her professional capacity behaving as she did at the AP awards. Let us not forget we are not "reading" something into her behavior-she stated she exhibited the behavior due to her belief her player deserved the award more. That behavior is juvenile and despicable and indicative of the character of the woman displaying it. If ND fans want to support her given that well there really is nothing left to say.

 

[Blueballer]

I said to my wife last night - "Is she pulling a Geno" , trying to put the focus on her? Geno likes to do this as he did that year we went to Duke and he make the remark about waiting tables.
HOWEVER if she thinks this is the same she needs to take a hard look at the "hate" angle connected with this approach and realize it's more than just redirecting focus on her. She mentioned something about "bully" behavior by us. I saw an awful lot of that with Diggins antics but nothing I've seen from any of our women.

 

[HuskyStars]

I said to my wife last night - "Is she pulling a Geno" , trying to put the focus on her? Geno likes to do this as he did that year we went to Duke and he make the remark about waiting tables.
HOWEVER if she thinks this is the same she needs to take a hard look at the "hate" angle connected with this approach and realize it's more than just redirecting focus on her. She mentioned something about "bully" behavior by us. I saw an awful lot of that with Diggins antics but nothing I've seen from any of our women.

Blueballer, my thoughts exactly. She IS pulling a Geno. However, that still doesn't excuse the behavior at the awards ceremony.

And speaking of waiting tables, husband and I were dining at a fine restaurant on Lake Winnipesaukee and were chatting with the waiter, as we always do. Actually, he was the head waiter. And guess where he graduated from? I almost laughed out loud when he told us, immediately thinking of Geno's comment!!! He was on a management track, I'll grant him that, but it was still funny!

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Maybe Muffet and Geno got together and concocted a plan to drum up interest in the game tonight and to draw a large TV audience? It's not the craziest thing that would ever happen.

 

[CTyankee]

Maybe Muffet and Geno got together and concocted a plan to drum up interest in the game tonight and to draw a large TV audience? It's not the craziest thing that would ever happen.

Maybe they could share a bottle of wine after assuring the biggest women's basketball game audience ever played.

 

[JellyBean]

NDfan2014, thanks for your comments on this situation. Pretty classy, my friend. I figured that this was her angle. The drama has created a little buzz for the big game in a few hours. Shoot I gotta order my pizza!!!

Come on, Huskies!!!

 

[arch]

Blueballer, my thoughts exactly. She IS pulling a Geno. However, that still doesn't excuse the behavior at the awards ceremony.

And speaking of waiting tables, husband and I were dining at a fine restaurant on Lake Winnipesaukee and were chatting with the waiter, as we always do. Actually, he was the head waiter. And guess where he graduated from? I almost laughed out loud when he told us, immediately thinking of Geno's comment!!! He was on a management track, I'll grant him that, but it was still funny!

The only thing she's trying to distract from is her and her team's misbehavior towards a 19 year old kid. And she is succeeding. The whole story has become about Geno and her with equal blame attributed to each. Geno should have kept the focus her and her team's misbehavior but he let the spotlight move to the two head coaches-dumb, no?

 

[JellyBean]

Maybe they could share a bottle of wine after assuring the biggest women's basketball game audience ever played.

Has coach said, that "*&it ain't happening" I love coach. I need to be more blunt like that when I am giving an interview.

 

[toadfoot]

I'm sure she'll look back and regret that one moment. I don't take these things too seriously but it's funny to me reading the commentary on this board that makes Geno out to be a saint and the classiest man on earth. On the flipside the Notre Dame boards stand up for Muffet and look at Geno like the biggest sleazebag on the planet, the same way you folks look at Muffet. Clearly there are some competitive juices running and rose colored glasses being worn by both sides. I just hope that this silly spat doesn't take away from the game being played on the court tonight.

Sorry, just not buying it. It's one thing for ND fans to support their program, but McGraw's behavior at the POY presentation was petty, unprofessional and utterly lacking in class. The only member of the ND contingent, players and coaches alike, that acted with any grace was Niele Ivey.

And Muffet's attempt to "explain" her behavior as her displeasure at McBride not getting the award is pathetic. I can assure you that over the 20+ years I've followed UConn, Geno has been disappointed at the way some awards were made, but he's never, ever, disrespected the winner and has always been gracious.

 

[UConnCat]

Whatever her motivation, it didn't work. ND looked and played uptight; UConn played loose and confident.

 

[ThisJustIn]

I think she ended up ticking off the UConn players.... McGraw went after their coach, their program and their goofball. Them's fightin' words, and I saw a fierceness in everyone's play tonight that I hadn't seen before.

And, considering there have been things Geno has said that he has come to regret, I'm hoping that McGraw can move on from this moment. Clearly, some folks have never said stoopid things or done stoopid things, and so I don't suppose they'll ever be able to let this moment go... but maybe others can. Heck, folks sorta like Tara now...

 

[j66kicker]

I think she ended up ticking off the UConn players.... McGraw went after their coach, their program and their goofball. Them's fightin' words, and I saw a fierceness in everyone's play tonight that I hadn't seen before.

And, considering there have been things Geno has said that he has come to regret, I'm hoping that McGraw can move on from this moment. Clearly, some folks have never said stoopid things or done stoopid things, and so I don't suppose they'll ever be able to let this moment go... but maybe others can. Heck, folks sorta like Tara now...

Yes but it has taken 19 years to sorta l...l...l..like Tara, after her attempted snub of Rebecca for the Olympic team. Muffet will be in the doghouse for a while.

 

[uconn34]

" Heck, folks sorta like Tara now..."

No they don't!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Tara's swipe at Stewie slipped under the radar for most of us I guess - said in essence she's just one of many 6' 4" who can do a few things, but she is surrounded by greatness. She's back on my bitter lady list for that.

 

[j66kicker]

Tara's swipe at Stewie slipped under the radar for most of us I guess - said in essence she's just one of many 6' 4" who can do a few things, but she is surrounded by greatness. She's back on my bitter lady list for that.

Just a more sophisticated version of the Brenda Frese sentiment that UCONN getting more great players is somehow unfair ("If WE had all those players, Chiney would be POY hands-down" vs. Brenda's, "If WE [everyone else other than Geno] had all those players, then we wouldn't have to coach [either]").