Oregon State's Rueck understands what elite means now

[HuskyNan]

Gotta love his attitude. Somehow, when he says "learn from the loss" you get the sense he means it.

Was that UConn team the best college women's basketball team you've seen in person?

Sure. Coach (Vic) Schaefer from Mississippi State mentioned that they were like a WNBA team, and then, of course, everybody came out and said, "No way." And of course, they're not. But they play like a professional team. If you look at who their coach is and all the players that have come from that program and that have given back to that program and all of Geno (Auriemma's) experiences in coaching the best of the best with the Olympic team and coaching all the players he has over his 31 years, they operate at such a high level and have such high expectations solely in execution that they play like a professional team. They play at the speed of a professional team. There's nothing in our game that can prepare us for that, other than that. Then I thought they played a great game, too. Not only are they that good, but I thought they really executed well. Obviously, they shot it well on the offensive end. Pick your poison with that team. Maybe their fourth and their fifth option that you'd want to shoot, well, they don't drop much from the first option. If anything, they've got five interchangeable parts. The bottom line is I felt like we got a great effort from them in our game. So I felt like we played against maybe the best team ever that night. What a privilege that was, to compete on that stage against the absolute best. We were really fortunate for it.

Scott Rueck's 'vision of what elite is is even more clear' after Final Four run

 

[bags27]

Not sure what you can really learn from playing a team that you describe as: no way to practice for them; no way to stop them; honor just to make them play hard. Well, Maryland gave UConn all it could handle on a UConn friendly court, and ND came within 10 playing at UConn without (arguably) ND's best player. I think the first step in beating UConn is to consider UConn beatable. I'm not playing the Dan Shaughnessy role here, but connecting UConn's success to Geno's past experience and present Olympic experience, etc. does make it seem like the deck is stacked. Heck, if UConn "plays at the speed of a professional team", why don't others? It's not an automatic institutional advantage to play for UConn, it's incredibly hard work and discipline--not just by players but by coaches, too. Until that's admitted, UConn will beat those teams during warm up.

 

[HuskyNan]

Not sure what you can really learn from playing a team that you describe as: no way to practice for them; no way to stop them; honor just to make them play hard. Well, Maryland gave UConn all it could handle on a UConn friendly court, and ND came within 10 playing at UConn without (arguably) ND's best player. I think the first step in beating UConn is to consider UConn beatable. I'm not playing the Dan Shaughnessy role here, but connecting UConn's success to Geno's past experience and present Olympic experience, etc. does make it seem like the deck is stacked. Heck, if UConn "plays at the speed of a professional team", why don't others? It's not an automatic institutional advantage to play for UConn, it's incredibly hard work and discipline--not just by players but by coaches, too. Until that's admitted, UConn will beat those teams during warm up.

I think Rueck was trying to avoid saying that they couldn't stop Breanna Stewart, as though she were the only reason UConn won the championship. Certainly, Stewie was playing at a professional level in her last year college, possibly at a world class level, given that she was the only Olympian in the NCAA.

My impression is that he, like so many coaches before him, understand to be elite there needs to be effort, cohesiveness/unity of purpose, and discipline. A coach can only do so much with the talent of his players but he can control the other things, along with conditioning and attention to the fundamentals. I thought Oregon State has a lot of those components but now Rueck sees you can't have them for 75% of the game - it has to be full bore, 100% effort to be elite. Good for him.

 

[kat0189]

Before Rueck, Oregon State was probably the toughest sell out of the whole conference in terms of recruiting. Competing against Stanford, USC, UCLA...Oregon State is far from the most glamorous campus. But Rueck signed arguably his best class yet in terms of rankings from 2016, so it looks like he's going to have a nice group of perimeter players moving forward. Post players are likely a priority for 2017-2018 recruiting, and I was impressed to see Oregon State land on 6'7" Sedona Prince's latest list of 5-6 schools (though probably a long shot).

For a young and previously unknown guy, Rueck's work at Oregon State is really outstanding thus far. Reminiscent to what Brad Stevens on the men's side was while coaching at Butler a few years back.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Somehow, I think that Rueck will be able to make adjustments from the learning experience better than, say, JPM.

 

[Alydar]

The comment that he made about execution is what is generally never mentioned by commentators during games. Sure, the talent is there but while UConn turns the ball over, the majority of those come either due to great defensive efforts or because someone tries to "thread a needle". There are very few unforced errors on routine plays. In that regard they are better than most professional teams. One of the things I dislike about the W is the sloppy play.

I started watching OSU 2 years ago when I subscribed to the PAC12 network. I was impressed with the way they moved the ball on offense and specifically with their pg, Sydney Wiese. In a few years Rueck took the program from obscurity to the FF. From what I have read the OSU campus would never be confused with that of Stanford and players that elect to attend there so so mostly because of the coach.

I wouldn't mind seeing him succeed Auriemma at UConn.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

For a young and previously unknown guy, Rueck's work at Oregon State is really outstanding thus far. Reminiscent to what Brad Stevens on the men's side was while coaching at Butler a few years back.

Unknown to us, but 14 years at George Fox, 288-88 record including 32-0 in '08-'09. Oregon State knew what they were doing when they hired him!

 

[Carnac]

Unknown to us, but 14 years at George Fox, 288-88 record including 32-0 in '08-'09. Oregon State knew what they were doing when they hired him!

Someone did their due diligence here. George Fox University (NCAA Div. III - enrollment: 3,712 as of Sept 2013) is a Christian university of liberal arts and sciences and professional studies located in Newberg, Oregon. George Fox is not exactly on the fore-front of the nation's sports pages, or featured nightly on Sports Center. They found their "diamond in the rough" right in their own back yard.

 

[Carnac]

When I read Rueck's comment about now understanding what "elite" is/means, I understood him to mean that having played against a truly elite team that exhibited all of he dynamics and nuances an elite team should possess, he now knows what attributes and the mental fortitude his team needs to acquire and maintain, to rise to that level. He saw first hand exactly what precise ball movement is, and the success that can come from a sustained barrage of precise and relentless execution.

He saw UConn's defense in person (not from the stands, or on TV) against his team. A team that he knows, coaches and manages. Any coach that plays UConn watches tape to prepare for them. The problem is that most teams cannot replicate UConn's speed, defense or intensity in their practices. THAT is the nugget that Rueck was able to grasp. Some things you just have to experience personally. You may remember the statements (of disbelief) that players from Duquesne & Mississippi State made to the media before their tournament game with UConn? "They're just another team" one player said. I don't think she (they) felt that way after the embarrassing blowout loss they suffered on national TV at the hands of the Huskies, who were clearly not just another team. Seeing and experiencing is believing.

Remember the immortal words of doubting Thomas? John 20:25 "So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." I remember the coach and 3 players from Duquesne and Miss St. in their post game press conferences. They all had the earmarks and persona of a believer. The brash and cocky attitude they displayed a day earlier, was now gone. They had been humbled, as displayed by their body language.

Walk a mile in my shoes. There's no substitute for experience. Watching UConn on TV, or from the stands is not the same as stepping onto the court with them. If you watch me stick my hand in a fire, you won't understand the dynamics of doing so, unless and until YOU put YOUR hand in the fire. "I've been to the mountain top. My eyes have seen the glory. Now I understand". THAT is what I took away from Rueck's post game comment on playing UConn. UConn players say all the time "it's not as easy as we make it look". Now he has a better understanding of exactly where his teams need to be, and what it looks like up close. Like when a cook that constantly samples a dish that he/she is preparing. When it's right, they know it. Sometimes we can learn or profit from the experience of others, but somethings we just have to experience personally.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

.

He saw UConn's defense in person (not from the stands, or on TV) against his team. A team that he knows, coaches and manages. Any coach that plays UConn watches tape to prepare for them. The problem is that most teams cannot replicate UConn's speed, defense or intensity in their practices. THAT is the nugget that Rueck was able to grasp.

I would point out that I suspect he knew they could not replicate UConn in practice. Whether his players understood that or not is another issue. Also, even knowing you cannot replicate something might not mean you really have a grasp on it.

Reversing the shoe as it were, when Rutgers was at its best with the "55 press" - and stole a few games from UConn - one of the truisms was that teams could not prepare for it. Why ? Because it took an enormous amount of practice to be able to execute (well). Apart from "Talent Gap" the same thing applies with UConn. UConn plays as well as it does because they have practiced it. Can't be duplicated in another team's practice.

 

[UcMiami]

I think it is less the coaches and more the players - you can preach all you want, but if as a team you continue to win, the individual players and the team as a whole may just not get 'it'. It is why losing to Stanford two years ago was so important for the team for the rest of the season, or DT and co. losing the BE tournament was so important.

One suspects there is a new intensity to weight room and conditioning work for his team - they came, saw, and lost, and now they know. When the coaches pushed, and they just didn't feel like it, or when they thought they were going fast - they experienced what that was all about, and if they truly want it, they now know what the price is to achieve it.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

You can't describe the indescribable (duh!). That's why when someone tries they end up like Coach Rueck, using pronouns because nouns don't exist.

There's nothing in our game that can prepare us for that, other than that.

 

[Carnac]

Gotta love his attitude. Somehow, when he says "learn from the loss" you get the sense he means it.

Was that UConn team the best college women's basketball team you've seen in person?

Sure. Coach (Vic) Schaefer from Mississippi State mentioned that they were like a WNBA team, and then, of course, everybody came out and said, "No way." And of course, they're not. But they play like a professional team. If you look at who their coach is and all the players that have come from that program and that have given back to that program and all of Geno (Auriemma's) experiences in coaching the best of the best with the Olympic team and coaching all the players he has over his 31 years, they operate at such a high level and have such high expectations solely in execution that they play like a professional team. They play at the speed of a professional team. There's nothing in our game that can prepare us for that, other than that. Then I thought they played a great game, too. Not only are they that good, but I thought they really executed well. Obviously, they shot it well on the offensive end. Pick your poison with that team. Maybe their fourth and their fifth option that you'd want to shoot, well, they don't drop much from the first option. If anything, they've got five interchangeable parts. The bottom line is I felt like we got a great effort from them in our game. So I felt like we played against maybe the best team ever that night. What a privilege that was, to compete on that stage against the absolute best. We were really fortunate for it.

Scott Rueck's 'vision of what elite is is even more clear' after Final Four run

If one word could describe Geno's teams, that word would be "EXECUTION".
A word that speaks for its self. THIS is what Schaefer saw for 40 minutes from UConn.
Relentless and precise, regardless of the five players on the floor at any given time.