Renee's Observation About the UConn Coaching Staff

[JoePgh]

I just watched the replay of last night's game against St. Johns in Hartford. Renee Montgomery was the "color announcer", and at one point she made an observation about the UConn coaching staff that I think should be noted.

She said that the entire UConn coaching staff is the same as the group that coached her when she played at UConn, and she graduated in 2010. Specifically, she mentioned Geno, CD, Jamelle Elliott, and Tonya Cardoza.

Morgan Valley is also an assistant coach now, and I'm not sure that she held that position during Renee's playing years, but it's possible that she did.

It's also true that Jamelle did a stint as head coach at the University of Cincinnati between Renee's time and today, as well as another position in the UConn Athletic Department. But she's back in her old familiar job, and everyone is glad that she is.

It is truly a remarkable fact that the same faces that coached UConn 15 to 20 years ago are all still there, and are still producing National Championship quality teams on the court. Clearly, the game has NOT "passed them by", despite rules changes, international recruiting, and NIL. On the contrary, it appears (at least to me) that Geno has learned more from the younger coaches in the NBA and WNBA about the "analytics" aspect of the game than most of the younger coaches in WCBB.

 

[Gael]

Morgan Valley is also an assistant coach now, and I'm not sure that she held that position during Renee's playing years, but it's possible that she did.

Morgan joined the UConn staff in April 2021 after a long string of assistant jobs at various schools and two years as head coach at Hartford.

 

[huskyd]

Speaking of coaches: someone has already congratulated Vandy and Princeton for excellence. Might one of their coaches be the one to follow the Legend?

 

[FanFromMaine]

Renee also mentioned that Geno seems seems so much calmer these days…

 

[jabstep]

I like Renee's commentary for reasons like Geno being calmer these days. I am not surprised, he knows he is loaded and is feeling and looking confident. His two main scorers are told when the offense stops running smoothly for a while, to take over the game and both Azzi and Sarah can get their shots off in various ways.

 

[Forego]

Pretty sure Shea Ralph was a UConn assistant during Renee’s tenure

 

[Henry]

Pretty sure Shea Ralph was a UConn assistant during Renee’s tenure

Shea was an assistant Renee's senior year.

 

[TWG236]

I believe Tonya Cardoza also left the program to coach Temple. Geno brought both Elliott and Cardoza back when an opening arose.

 

[Geew1992]

Speaking of coaching.... I have a theory. Coach Kanter left over the summer to go to Georgia Tech. I belive that position is still open. Maybe it's being saved of Caroline?

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

Morgan filled the spot left by Shea when Shea accepted the Vanderbilt job. And Morgan also took over Shea’s recruiting responsibilities and I think she has done a great job in those responsibilities in the new paradigm.

Another comment by Renee is about the mix-matching in practices. Renee said that even in her playing days, Geno and CD were already dividing the team into two evenly matched halves (I guess different each time) to scrimmage against each another. This is mix-matching against better competition in practice than (most) games, especially now with the really deep quality roster.

• Relevant to those with concerned commentary on one of the historically flatter minutes distribution of any UConn team.

 

[cgshuskie]

I think Caroline will be the next Husky to join the coaching ranks...........probably first as an Assistant

 

[Geew1992]

Marissa Mosley and Shea were the assistants in 2009. before that it was Shea and Jamelle were her coaches prior

 

[DEpup]

Morgan joined the UConn staff in April 2021 after a long string of assistant jobs at various schools and two years as head coach at Hartford.

And she was in DT's player class so she would have just moved on to starting her coaching career when Renee showed up in Storrs in the fall of 2005.

 

[DEpup]

I think Caroline will be the next Husky to join the coaching ranks...........probably first as an Assistant

I look to see her as a grad assistant next year. I believe Jamell, Shea, and Morgan all went out into the world for a few years to build their coaching experience and then returned to UConn. And Jamell is in her second stint.

 

[Centerstream]

I look to see her as a grad assistant next year. I believe Jamell, Shea, and Morgan all went out into the world for a few years to build their coaching experience and then returned to UConn. And Jamell is in her second stint.

The same is true for Tonya and Morgan, sort of. She began her coaching career at UConn as a student assistant from 2004-05.

 

[ucmiami2]

On the coaching continuity it starts with Geno and CD who have been together since the beginning. The assistant positions have generally been Uconn alum with a few notable exceptions - Meghan Pattison Culmo from 1993-95, Tonya Cardoza 1994-2008, 2023-, Jamelle Eliott 1998-2009, 2020-, Shea Ralph 2008-2021, Marisa Mosley 2009-2018, Morgan Valley (2004 student assistant) 2021- (Bolded = non-Uconn playing careers)

Jamelle returned to Uconn in an administration position after leaving Cinci, wanting a break from coaching, and was tempted back two years later.

Not many coaches in the modern era of better salaries stay as assistant or associate coaches like CD has which is a great boon to the program - Pat had Holly, Tara had _____, from the same general era. That stability is great, and Uconn has for the most part kept their assistants for longer than average which is partly due to winning and paying assistants well and partly due to the culture and atmosphere surrounding the program.

 

[hoophuskee]

Renee also mentioned that Geno seems seems so much calmer these days…

IMO the injuires wore him down.

 

[Geew1992]

I look to see her as a grad assistant next year. I believe Jamell, Shea, and Morgan all went out into the world for a few years to build their coaching experience and then returned to UConn. And Jamell is in her second stint.

There is as assistant coaching position open as I stated above

 

[CaliHuskyFan]

IMO the injuires wore him down.

Agree, plus the Covid pandemic.

 

[VA Huskie]

On the coaching continuity it starts with Geno and CD who have been together since the beginning. The assistant positions have generally been Uconn alum with a few notable exceptions - Meghan Pattison Culmo from 1993-95, Tonya Cardoza 1994-2008, 2023-, Jamelle Eliott 1998-2009, 2020-, Shea Ralph 2008-2021, Marisa Mosley 2009-2018, Morgan Valley (2004 student assistant) 2021- (Bolded = non-Uconn playing careers)

Jamelle returned to Uconn in an administration position after leaving Cinci, wanting a break from coaching, and was tempted back two years later.

Not many coaches in the modern era of better salaries stay as assistant or associate coaches like CD has which is a great boon to the program - Pat had Holly, Tara had _____, from the same general era. That stability is great, and Uconn has for the most part kept their assistants for longer than average which is partly due to winning and paying assistants well and partly due to the culture and atmosphere surrounding the program.

While Tonya didn’t play at UConn, I believe she played for Geno at UVA when he was an assistant there.

 

[BobbyJ]

While Tonya didn’t play at UConn, I believe she played for Geno at UVA when he was an assistant there.

No, Auriemma was at UVA from ‘81-85. Cardoza was there from ‘87- 91.

 

[Gael]

While Tonya didn’t play at UConn, I believe she played for Geno at UVA when he was an assistant there.

No, Auriemma was at UVA from ‘81-85. Cardoza was there from ‘87- 91.

Geno was remotely involved with recruiting Tonya when he was at Virginia and she in high school. Tonya does not recruit for UConn as part of her current assistant coach job.

Both of these facts can be found in the following article, which goes into very interesting depth about Tonya's professional and personal life over the past 40 years:

https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/article/tonya-cardoza-huskies-yale-central-connecticut-19488994.php

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

On the coaching continuity it starts with Geno and CD who have been together since the beginning. The assistant positions have generally been Uconn alum with a few notable exceptions - Meghan Pattison Culmo from 1993-95, Tonya Cardoza 1994-2008, 2023-, Jamelle Eliott 1998-2009, 2020-, Shea Ralph 2008-2021, Marisa Mosley 2009-2018, Morgan Valley (2004 student assistant) 2021- (Bolded = non-Uconn playing careers)

Jamelle returned to Uconn in an administration position after leaving Cinci, wanting a break from coaching, and was tempted back two years later.

Not many coaches in the modern era of better salaries stay as assistant or associate coaches like CD has which is a great boon to the program - Pat had Holly, Tara had _____, from the same general era. That stability is great, and Uconn has for the most part kept their assistants for longer than average which is partly due to winning and paying assistants well and partly due to the culture and atmosphere surrounding the program.

Tara had Amy Tucker for over 30 years, she retired in 2017. Pat also had Micki DeMoss.

The truth is that many of the coaches of that era had long term assistants / associates. It was a different world, and I don't think anyone has had anything near the longevity of UConn.