msf22b
Maestro
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- Aug 27, 2011
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Looking back over this magnificent basketball season, a year that has given much pleasure, so much so, that even reading Peggy Noonan’s downer essay in the Journal today cannot dent my warm feelings even as the memories of the final-4 slowly begin to recede (I’m still watching replays).
What memories do I hold most dear? Polly’s arking shot from the corner and the benches uncontrollable joy in her success is indelible, part of UConn lore; somehow, the essence of the program: the camaraderie, the sense of team, front and center for the entire world to admire. even surpassing Heather Buck’s end to end.
And of course, Stewie’s effortless long range bombs sucking the last breaths out of Syracuse in the 2nd half, her drives into the lane; the resulting 2 a foregone conclusion, her breathtaking D…
Tuck”s virtuosity from distance, her balletic moves inside…and let’s not forget that she dominated opponents on D who towered over her.
And Moriah, (my all time favorite?)…running the O as cool as a cucumber, relentless pest on D, her 3’s and pull-ups the drives, seemingly more spectacular now that opponents have come to expect them…Think of last year’s South Carolina game, where they were still something new. What befuddlement. That a diminutive soul can so dominate a game that surely favors big, strong kids is amazing, amazing, amazing.
And the youngsters…Gabby coming into her own; Katie-Lou actually playing UConn D and crashing inside, who would have thunk it? Kia readying herself to lead, Pheesa, on the verge of stardom…even superstardom? Brought down Texas’ hopes (almost singlehandedly) in a magnificent 4-minute patch.
Do I fret about the loss of the wondrous seniors? Not a bit. The program is in capable hands. A few losses? Even not winning a 12th next season, Sure, possible, but we’ll relish the opportunity to see what Geno and the staff pulls out of his hat with these terrific kids.
My only concern? I watched (for the first time yesterday), the revealing SNY review of the season.
God, Geno pushes those kids…right up to the edge. Everyone knows that I’m the one on the board who is among the quickest to bellyache when (in my view) he crosses the line…The Christmas Card Caper, the Collier putdown. Watching that film scared the hell out of me.
Well, what’s clear is that in private, on the practice court, it’s worse than in public, much worse…
And yet, at the end of the day…he’s got those post-teens fawning over him in indescribable displays of affection. Moriah’s feelings for Geno hasve been off the charts for at least two seasons and it’s not just the wins…When Holly asked how he was going to get the team past the last hurdle; he said he was finished, was going to pull the covers over his head…And Lobo’s remark that she would stop hating him after two years…Wow, this man is an acrobat, a figure skater hitting quad axel’s and going for a fiver…May it go on forever.
Yet somehow, this season feels as if it’s a high-water mark, a stake in the ground never to be approached. And if future successes never quite achieve what has been accomplished in the past decade leading up to the finale in Indianapolis, I’ll not complain.
I was there. I saw what skill and talent and the indomitable human spirit could achieve when combined with genius.
What memories do I hold most dear? Polly’s arking shot from the corner and the benches uncontrollable joy in her success is indelible, part of UConn lore; somehow, the essence of the program: the camaraderie, the sense of team, front and center for the entire world to admire. even surpassing Heather Buck’s end to end.
And of course, Stewie’s effortless long range bombs sucking the last breaths out of Syracuse in the 2nd half, her drives into the lane; the resulting 2 a foregone conclusion, her breathtaking D…
Tuck”s virtuosity from distance, her balletic moves inside…and let’s not forget that she dominated opponents on D who towered over her.
And Moriah, (my all time favorite?)…running the O as cool as a cucumber, relentless pest on D, her 3’s and pull-ups the drives, seemingly more spectacular now that opponents have come to expect them…Think of last year’s South Carolina game, where they were still something new. What befuddlement. That a diminutive soul can so dominate a game that surely favors big, strong kids is amazing, amazing, amazing.
And the youngsters…Gabby coming into her own; Katie-Lou actually playing UConn D and crashing inside, who would have thunk it? Kia readying herself to lead, Pheesa, on the verge of stardom…even superstardom? Brought down Texas’ hopes (almost singlehandedly) in a magnificent 4-minute patch.
Do I fret about the loss of the wondrous seniors? Not a bit. The program is in capable hands. A few losses? Even not winning a 12th next season, Sure, possible, but we’ll relish the opportunity to see what Geno and the staff pulls out of his hat with these terrific kids.
My only concern? I watched (for the first time yesterday), the revealing SNY review of the season.
God, Geno pushes those kids…right up to the edge. Everyone knows that I’m the one on the board who is among the quickest to bellyache when (in my view) he crosses the line…The Christmas Card Caper, the Collier putdown. Watching that film scared the hell out of me.
Well, what’s clear is that in private, on the practice court, it’s worse than in public, much worse…
And yet, at the end of the day…he’s got those post-teens fawning over him in indescribable displays of affection. Moriah’s feelings for Geno hasve been off the charts for at least two seasons and it’s not just the wins…When Holly asked how he was going to get the team past the last hurdle; he said he was finished, was going to pull the covers over his head…And Lobo’s remark that she would stop hating him after two years…Wow, this man is an acrobat, a figure skater hitting quad axel’s and going for a fiver…May it go on forever.
Yet somehow, this season feels as if it’s a high-water mark, a stake in the ground never to be approached. And if future successes never quite achieve what has been accomplished in the past decade leading up to the finale in Indianapolis, I’ll not complain.
I was there. I saw what skill and talent and the indomitable human spirit could achieve when combined with genius.
