PTI Questions if UConn's Days of Dominance Are Done

[Monte]

The sport will never be the same. The 2 major reasons are the talent is more evenly distributed among several teams, and players are now "making money."
Actually, these changes will make the sport more interesting to watch, and more competitive. With multiple teams having more talent, this will also start to show who the best coaches are.
I look forward to it. We ALL need a little rest from the difficult season.
(I wish it was November!)

 

[Longtime fan]

Short answer. Yes and no. The days of plowing through the field easily are over as South Carolina and other programs have now emerged but UConn still has the brand name that will have top recruits taking their phone calls.

It is of course on the decline ( relative to past years ) as other programs improve and close the gap. It used to be that we got all the best players; we showed up; we beat everyone. UCONN is still a top team ( national championship game sort of proves that ) . And it will remain so, in my view, as long as Geno and CD remain passionate about their work. But the competition is tougher every year. That is what Geno wanted. That is what we cry out for (" We need the BE to get better," etc ). Well, this year four BE teams were invited to the dance, and two made the elite 8. Women's basketball is getting more competitive every year. There were numerous huge upsets and close games ( Kentucky beat SC, Princeton almost beat Indiana; etc ). It is fun. But it is far more difficult to win it all.

 

[nomdoux]

The standard bearer is always good for whatever the sport, business, activity, etc. because they elevate performance/achievement & push the boundary, thereby forcing their competitors to improve/evolve in order to keep up.

For years it was Tennessee, then UConn. Now South Carolina may be wresting this moniker at the very pinnacle of WCB. Doesn't mean UConn is finished or no longer an elite program-- just perhaps no longer THE standard bearer for the sport.

I expect SC to match or exceed UConn's success over the next 5 years. Hope I'm wrong but just stating honestly.

UConn's 11 titles may never be matched, but that historical dominance doesn't impact present day, as Dawn Staley highlighted in her pregame presser. Kids evaluate today & project the future when making decisions-- not the past.

 

[Huskie837]

This. When a legendary coach who has established a powerhouse program retires, the program slowly but surely declines. The only exceptions I'm aware of are in men's college ball, Kentucky & UNC.If you look at the history of the women's college game none of the legendary powerhouse programs (Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion etc) was able to retain its place once their HOF head coaches retired or left. I don't see it being any different for UConn no matter who replaces Geno as coach.

Very likely but as a fan from 1993 it’s been a great ride. Geno will retire and CD will go with him but the ride isn’t over yet!

 

[CL82]

UConn IS good for women’s basketball now that they are AN annual powerhouse rather than THE only powerhouse.

Without the annual UConn game, would Dawn have been able to build the excitement around her program to the point that AJa stayed home? To the point that Boston came to the Deep South?

I don’t know the answer to that question, obviously, but Dawn Staley is a tough woman to against.

 

[CL82]

Very likely but as a fan from 1993 it’s been a great ride. Geno will retire and CD will go with him but the ride isn’t over yet!

Personally, when the time comes, I wouldn’t mind CD coaching for a couple of years with Berube as her associate head coach and then handing over the reins. That allows continuity for the current players, gives Chris a couple of multi million dollar paydays and lets Carla ease her way in to the head-coaching spot.

But, happily, it’s not an immediate problem that we have to deal with.

 

[Blueballer]

I wonder if PTI would be talking about "decline" if a men's team had a current final four streak of 14 and counting. Another case of UCONN victimized by their own success. I suspect they would be singing a different song.

 

[jumpstart]

The crux of the no argument was that there are more good players going to more schools, a.k.a. parity. Of course South Carolina just won a national championship against a team that started 3 former #1 high school recruits, and Geno has reeled in the majority of the #1 recruits over the last decade. I think the better argument might be that the talent gap between the top recruits and those just below isn't as great as it used to be, or that the so-called generational talents don't have as much of an edge as they used to the way Stewie, Maya, or Diana did.

I think the difference is the development of these players. There are more going to different schools but the No. 1's as you put it were going up against 3, 4, 5 players who developed into better players. There is not enough difference in the talent levels that would make one team dominant unless their development in the process is superior. I think that is what has happened at South Carolina. The teammates know what their positions are and they accept their role in the process. That and the "your turn is coming" is what elevated this team. Talent is a tricky thing to mold into a unit that sees the big picture. Dawn has shown them the big picture and that has translated into happy girls filling in their role. There may be transfers but Dawn will get better players to replace them. She has that "it" factor now that UCONN had for so many years.

 

[ballerfan]

This. When a legendary coach who has established a powerhouse program retires, the program slowly but surely declines. The only exceptions I'm aware of are in men's college ball, Kentucky & UNC.If you look at the history of the women's college game none of the legendary powerhouse programs (Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion etc) was able to retain its place once their HOF head coaches retired or left. I don't see it being any different for UConn no matter who replaces Geno as coach.

I hope you’re wrong, of course.

If DT or Sue Bird replaced Geno — especially DT — I think UConn would not decline. But either of them taking the job seems unlikely.

 

[shiverz45]

There are levels but as of right now there is no one dominate team. Stanford, UConn, and SC are on the top level, and it has been this way the last couple of seasons. Right now, there is no 4th team. That 4th spot is like a revolving door. NC State and Louisville will drop back to the pack. Thanks to the portal, teams can build themselves up to challenge year to year. Will there be in separation between the top 3? We will have to wait and see. However, if SC goes to Storrs next year and beat UConn by double digits and win another title...then you will have to call it what it is. Personally, I don't think a dominate team will arise. If so, it would be for short periods.

 

[TeamFirst!]

It is a total shame that some of the players may feel that it is a failure to end up #2. Making it to the final 4 twice in a row is a total victory for the sophomores for example. They had a fantastic year. Beat NC State AND Stanford on the way to the finals. They are fantastic in my book.

My concern is that culturally we may not be able to recruit many of the players who will end up winning most of the time going forward. Let me be frank. A coach of color and a woman may well have a cultural advantage with a lot of the top women's players of today. Have you heard one of Staley's coaching sessions? It's like a black church with everyone interrupting constantly with amens and all sorts of interactivity. Her team is made up of a lot of Janiah Barker types. Constant banter and you don't see that in Geno's teams. It's like night and day. Can we relate to the top athletes any more if they culturally feel more comfortable in Dawn's environment? Is uconn too much of a pressure cooker? If you watch Staley coach it looks like a pressure cooker there as well but it's a matter of degrees. Maybe with Dawn it's just her rather than the entire media environment nationwide.

I for one think Geno needs to find a way to lighten this up. Make the pressure cooker deflate. Spend a lot more time deflating expectations. It's going to hurt his program if he doesn't. He can still make the final 4 but he's going to struggle to win it all unless he finds a way to attract and retain the top basketball talents out there. And before you say "well we got 3 #1 prospects just recently", may I remind you we haven't won in 5 years now. The consensus number 1's are not always the real #1. The difference makers. The ones which can make plays against top competition. The ones that can play defense and rebound. For example, this past year South Carolina's recruiting wasn't rated at the top but the talent she recruited may well end up the best if you watched the Macdonald's all american game.

I'm happy for the girls and congratulate them but I think Geno has his work cut out for him. To a point where I wonder if maybe even a coaching change should happen in the next few years. We need to relate to the modern player. What worked even 20 years ago probably is not going to keep working forever.

 

[TeamFirst!]

We still have a lot of advantages in the recruiting market. What is the best situation for sponsorship opportunities in the sport? It could well be uconn for a while longer at least. Who has proven to develop great pros? Geno. Who has a proven track record of success? Geno. Which team has the best facilities and fan following? Maybe Uconn. Even the alumni network in the world of basketball is maybe a factor. We do have our own cultural environment which may well appeal to many top players. We need to maximize our advantages and minimize our disadvantages. We need to recruit at least some players which fit a different profile also. Bigger, stronger, faster rather than just focus mainly on skill. There does appear to be a trend towards bigger, stronger, faster. That doesn't mean every player has to fit that profile of course but you better have a significant part of the team fit that profile or you can't compete.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

The women's basketball team will be back next year in Final Four. They may even win the championship

 

[eebmg]

Did not see the specific show but the PTI guys are generally very respectful of Geno and the program. If they are giving an honest opinion, that is their job.

 

[Boreifs]

Hard to see the dominance is finished when they keep on making Final Fours. The Yankees haven’t won a title since 2009, but they’ve won the most games in the last 13 years.

 

[Martin]

This. When a legendary coach who has established a powerhouse program retires, the program slowly but surely declines. The only exceptions I'm aware of are in men's college ball, Kentucky & UNC.If you look at the history of the women's college game none of the legendary powerhouse programs (Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion etc) was able to retain its place once their HOF head coaches retired or left. I don't see it being any different for UConn no matter who replaces Geno as coach.

You can add Kansas on the men’s side and Uconn on the men’s side are challenging that as well.

 

[The deacon]

I hope you’re wrong, of course.

If DT or Sue Bird replaced Geno — especially DT — I think UConn would not decline. But either of them taking the job seems unlikely.

What are DT's coaching creds?

 

[BRS24]

I hope you’re wrong, of course.

If DT or Sue Bird replaced Geno — especially DT — I think UConn would not decline. But either of them taking the job seems unlikely.

What are DT's coaching creds?

Exactly. Diana has recently said she doesn't want to coach a team, she wants to own one. And IMHO, Sue seems the type to go into management either in WNBA or NBA, rather than coaching, or as an agent, etc. She's involved in a lot of other interests and causes right now that are important to her. We've seen it on the MBB side where a vaunted alum gets hired as an asst or head coach with little or no bonafides, and the outcome is mixed. I don't think UConn, as a program and a brand, would hire someone without any sort of coaching experience, just for the name value.

 

[ballerfan]

Exactly. Diana has recently said she doesn't want to coach a team, she wants to own one. And IMHO, Sue seems the type to go into management either in WNBA or NBA, rather than coaching, or as an agent, etc. She's involved in a lot of other interests and causes right now that are important to her. We've seen it on the MBB side where a vaunted alum gets hired as an asst or head coach with little or no bonafides, and the outcome is mixed. I don't think UConn, as a program and a brand, would hire someone without any sort of coaching experience, just for the name value.

As I said, it’s unlikely either would be interested, so it’s just a fantasy for me.

But to address the issue even so, DT has as much coaching experience as Dawn did when she started (granted, Dawn started coaching at Temple), and DT has as good an understanding of the game as anyone. But most importantly, UConn’s biggest challenge after Geno leaves will be recruiting. Many players come to UConn because they want to play under Geno. That will stop when he retires, and that will likely stop if UConn hires a great coach not exciting to high school players. There are too many other good options now.

How many high school players would love the opportunity to play under DT, the greatest player ever? A lot. As Geno has said numerous times, he and DT are very similar in background, outlook, and personality. DT would attract a great staff and intense media attention.

Would DT be a good coach? A dynamic one, definitely, a good one, I don’t know. But if UConn can’t continue attracting top talent, the coach won’t matter. I hope UConn’s past success and possibly offering Geno’s $2 million salary to someone else would be enough to attract a great and exciting coach.

 

[The deacon]

As I said, it’s unlikely either would be interested, so it’s just a fantasy for me.

But to address the issue even so, DT has as much coaching experience as Dawn did when she started (granted, Dawn started coaching at Temple), and DT has as good an understanding of the game as anyone. But most importantly, UConn’s biggest challenge after Geno leaves will be recruiting. Many players come to UConn because they want to play under Geno. That will stop when he retires, and that will likely stop if UConn hires a great coach not exciting to high school players. There are too many other good options now.

How many high school players would love the opportunity to play under DT, the greatest player ever? A lot. As Geno has said numerous times, he and DT are very similar in background, outlook, and personality. DT would attract a great staff and intense media attention.

Would DT be a good coach? A dynamic one, definitely, a good one, I don’t know. But if UConn can’t continue attracting top talent, the coach won’t matter. I hope UConn’s past success and possibly offering Geno’s $2 million salary to someone else would be enough to attract a great and exciting coach.

Very likely a moot point, ballerfan but, as you likely know, the greatest players in many sports have failed miserably as coaches. DT surely has a deep understanding of the game on-court, but I'm not so sure her temperament would lend itself to development of young players and patience with them when they mess up... no question the media would eat it all up if she were to try.

 

[TeamFirst!]

I could see Sue Bird becoming a good manager. I could see Nika, Evina or Paige becoming a good manager. That doesn't mean I'd give any player the reins to this program without significant coaching experience.

 

[visitingcock]

Do not get caught up in “ The coaching tree.”

Many outstanding programs in numerous sports have stressed hiring from a great coaches people after s/he retired. Tennessee? Alabama in football. The list goes on and on. Don’t fall into that trap.

Get the best coach who is available at that time - even if it’s from Muffet’s coaching tree.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Let's look at the evidence. UConn has a current streak of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances. The next longest current streak - 2. I don't think UConn's "days of dominance" are over yet.

 

[Plebe]

Let's look at the evidence. UConn has a current streak of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances. The next longest current streak - 2. I don't think UConn's "days of dominance" are over yet.

All hinges on semantics and definitions. Not unlike the endless and tiresome debates over what constitutes "generational" players or "elite" teams.

To me there's a difference between dominance and excellence.

Dominance to me implies one team head and shoulders above the rest. UConn was no doubt dominant in Stewie, Moriah and Tuck's sophomore through senior years, for example.

Needless to say, those days of dominance are over. Reaching the Final Four umpteen times in a row is certainly excellence but, with no national titles in the past 6 years, not dominance as I would define the term.