Rich with a great Geno quote....

[pap49cba]

“My guys are winners. That doesn’t mean necessarily that we’re going to win the national championship ever year, but the guys that end up coming to Connecticut, they come here to win. They don’t talk about where am I going to play, how many minutes am I going to play? Can I wear a head band? Can I have my socks the way I want? Can I wear my uniform on backwards? We don’t have that (stuff) at Connecticut. They just come here to win. So it’s no surprise.’’

“I’m sure if you talked to Sherri Coale and you asked her what it was like to coach (Mosqueda-Lewis) and Bria Hartley, she’ll tell you how they wouldn’t have won a gold medal without those two guys,’’ Auriemma said. “And I was in Lithuania watching the other three guys play. And I left before the championship game, but they were in danger of losing a game and then Stewie took over the game and they won the gold medal. They do learn. And I think obviously it helps playing here and it helps playing there. They learn how to travel. USA Basketball does a great job. They’re not staying at the Four Seasons when they’re in Lithuania, believe it. They’re not staying in Five-Star hotels. They’re not eating in Five-Star restaurants and they’re not flying charter, first class. They’re bussing and they’re slumming it, and those guys love it. And that’s the price you’ve got to pay if you want to do the other things where the big team lives."

Numerous Huskies Have A Golden History With USA Basketball

 

[EricLA]

I loved the part in the first paragraph where he lists what the kids who come to UCONN do NOT ask. They want to be part of something special. They want to have a chance to win a NC every year. They know Geno will recruit great kids and great players coming up after them. There's never the worry that "we will only have one good class, and then recruiting will fall off". And they know the staff will help them be the best player they possibly can be. Great stuff!

 

[jsloanjr]

The is why he is a HOF coach and he sets the expectations during the 1st meeting. How many great HS players had UCONN on their radar until they found out 1st hand what the rules were and what was expected.......We never hear from them again in college except a few like EDD.....DISIPLINE.....Is the secret to UCONN's success!!!

 

[psconn]

....where am I going to play....
Who could he be thinking of?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

"They just come here to win." KaChing!!! If you as a recruit are worried about getting your minutes, well you're mindset is already screwed up. If you know you will get your minutes, making that anxiety/ego question irrelevant....: Well, come on down and let's see what is behind curtain number 1! Actually, that little internal monologue is wrong for most merely humans. It really goes something more like this: I think I'm good enough to start on UConn, but if not, this is where I will get the most out of my game for the future, whether it is in basketball or something else...or both. UCWCBB is a huge door opener.

PS. "My guys are winners." Geno is enjoying this team in a big way.

 

[mhshuskies]

Concern with headbands and cheap shot criticism about the conference UCONN plays is how you end up going to Final Fours with nothing to show for it.

 

[Creaky]

"Where the big team lives." Pretty good tag line.

 

[HoopsFan21]

That first paragraph is what sets UConn apart and is something Geno and CD have spent decades cultivating. CD has that wicked long list of rules that every freshman is surprised by, but there's a reason for it. UConn is a brand, the #1 WCBB brand, and Geno and CD understand that and are not going to do anything to devalue it. Too many kids are me me me these days trying to stand out for the wrong reasons whether it's something stupid and superficial like the headband or uniform thing or needing to be a machine gun tweeter. Geno reminds me a bit of the late football coach Joe Paterno. Always wanted his players to play the game a certain way, look a certain way, act a certain way during the games, be the best student/person/citizen you can be off the field.

 

[Sonny44]

That first paragraph is what sets UConn apart and is something Geno and CD have spent decades cultivating. CD has that wicked long list of rules that every freshman is surprised by, but there's a reason for it. UConn is a brand, the #1 WCBB brand, and Geno and CD understand that and are not going to do anything to devalue it. Too many kids are me me me these days trying to stand out for the wrong reasons whether it's something stupid and superficial like the headband or uniform thing or needing to be a machine gun tweeter. Geno reminds me a bit of the late football coach Joe Paterno. Always wanted his players to play the game a certain way, look a certain way, act a certain way during the games, be the best student/person/citizen you can be off the field.

Vince too!

 

[baggerbob]

The UConn way, after the championship game a question to Breanna " I know after the Bridgeport regional you weren't really too hyped up about winning the MOP there. You were focused on the team awards. You guys obviously got that done today. Does it mean a little bit more to you to get the MOP for the entire tournament? How does that feel? Breanna: I appreciate it. I mean, its nice. But, still, we just won a national championship, and I think that's the best thing. Always keep your eye on the important things, The UConn Way.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

But I can understand kids wanting to get playing time. It must be frustrating being the go-to gal on your high school team and being a bench-warmer in college when all you want to do is play.

 

[UcMiami]

But I can understand kids wanting to get playing time. It must be frustrating being the go-to gal on your high school team and being a bench-warmer in college when all you want to do is play.

Which is fine, but not for Uconn recruits. And it is something that I think women have a harder time admitting/accepting in sports and in life. One of the fights of title IX and the whole 'revolution' was to make it OK for women to want to be the best, to win, to not accept second class status. Geno and CD want the kids that want to win whatever that means. There was that piece from one of the shows where he discussed who would start when a player was injured and there were three possibles, so the next day in practice he called for the white team and I think it was Swin immediately jumped onto the floor with the standard starters - decision made for him, because the other two were so used to deferring and Swin saw an opening and barged on through.
Ask any one of the bench players for the Boston Red Sox if they would rather having been playing for the Astros and starting and losing 111 games, or sitting on the bench in Boston and winning a WS. Anyone who raises their hand is not someone I want on my team (and I doubt anyone would.) We understand that about men playing pro ball, but college ball is not that far off and at least at some of the top programs women's college sports is about the same attitude. You have a four year window to get that college national championship and then it is closed forever, no matter how good you are or what you do as a pro, if you didn't get it during those four years, you can't go back. As a pro there is always next year, not so in college. And that doesn't even count the lost coaching. If you have pro worthy talent in HS and you waste 4 years doing what you want and getting lots of minutes but not developing that talent, chances are you don't have much of a pro career. The ranks of the unemployed from the W are full of highly touted HS and college players.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

That first paragraph is what sets UConn apart and is something Geno and CD have spent decades cultivating. CD has that wicked long list of rules that every freshman is surprised by, but there's a reason for it. UConn is a brand, the #1 WCBB brand, and Geno and CD understand that and are not going to do anything to devalue it. Too many kids are me me me these days trying to stand out for the wrong reasons whether it's something stupid and superficial like the headband or uniform thing or needing to be a machine gun tweeter. Geno reminds me a bit of the late football coach Joe Paterno. Always wanted his players to play the game a certain way, look a certain way, act a certain way during the games, be the best student/person/citizen you can be off the field.

There is a better choice for reminds me: WOODEN, John Basketball Coach, left no baggage behind. Man of great character.