- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 13,761
- Reaction Score
- 143,889
10. Geno Auriemma’s quest for history
Yes, this is technically a storyline for women’s basketball, but Auriemma’s dominance at UConn will have special resonance in the men’s game as well. His Huskies are once again entering the season as the No. 1 team. If they end it that way, then that will give Auriemma his 11th NCAA championship, which would surpass John Wooden’s total of ten titles at UCLA from 1964-75.
When and if that happens, you can expect all the cynical types (read: men) to guffaw at any comparisons between Auriemma and Wooden, just as they did when Auriemma’s teams eclipsed UCLA’s 88-game win streak in 2010. As someone who spent more than four years researching the details of Wooden’s life and career, I believe the comparison is plenty apt.
The fact that Auriemma is coaching women does not render his challenges any easier than Wooden’s. Like Auriemma, Wooden coached in an era with relatively little parity, and he won his titles at a time when the NCAA tournament field was far smaller than what it is now. In fact, it wasn’t until his final season of 1975 that Wooden’s teams had to win more than two games to reach the Final Four. Plus, when Wooden was at UCLA, the NCAA tournament’s regions were determined by geography, not competitive balance. College basketball out west was considerably behind the rest of the country, and some of the West regionals were played in Pauley Pavilion. That was a big advantage.
Comparisons between eras are always difficult. So are comparisons between genders. The bottom line is that Auriemma is on the verge of taking down a record that once seemed unbreakable. That is a storyline worth following and, if it happens, an achievement worth celebrating.
http://www.si.com/college-basketbal...s-ben-simmons-lsu-wichita-state-kansas-big-12
Yes, this is technically a storyline for women’s basketball, but Auriemma’s dominance at UConn will have special resonance in the men’s game as well. His Huskies are once again entering the season as the No. 1 team. If they end it that way, then that will give Auriemma his 11th NCAA championship, which would surpass John Wooden’s total of ten titles at UCLA from 1964-75.
When and if that happens, you can expect all the cynical types (read: men) to guffaw at any comparisons between Auriemma and Wooden, just as they did when Auriemma’s teams eclipsed UCLA’s 88-game win streak in 2010. As someone who spent more than four years researching the details of Wooden’s life and career, I believe the comparison is plenty apt.
The fact that Auriemma is coaching women does not render his challenges any easier than Wooden’s. Like Auriemma, Wooden coached in an era with relatively little parity, and he won his titles at a time when the NCAA tournament field was far smaller than what it is now. In fact, it wasn’t until his final season of 1975 that Wooden’s teams had to win more than two games to reach the Final Four. Plus, when Wooden was at UCLA, the NCAA tournament’s regions were determined by geography, not competitive balance. College basketball out west was considerably behind the rest of the country, and some of the West regionals were played in Pauley Pavilion. That was a big advantage.
Comparisons between eras are always difficult. So are comparisons between genders. The bottom line is that Auriemma is on the verge of taking down a record that once seemed unbreakable. That is a storyline worth following and, if it happens, an achievement worth celebrating.
http://www.si.com/college-basketbal...s-ben-simmons-lsu-wichita-state-kansas-big-12
