Shea --Missing The Big Picture.

[pppggg]

I think we are missing the big picture with Shea leaving. When Geno does leave, she will have had a few years as a D1 coach in a major conference. And combined with her years of playing, coaching and recruiting top rated players, she would be the the perfect replacement. None of the former player/coaches have put in the time and effort with the team that she has put in.

Additionally, we avoid the "Holly" Syndrome-following a Hall of Fame coach. .

 

[Zanzman]

No plenty of people saw and said it

 

[Biff]

 

[oldude]

I would not necessarily assume that Shea will be back as Geno’s replacement some day. Nashville is a great city. She’ll be working together every day with her husband. Vandy has a $300 million capital project to upgrade its facilities, and if Shea is able to turn the program around, she could end up coaching there for a very long time.

 

[CTBballfan243]

It will be really hard to leave a coaching job in a power 5 conference to return to UConn. And the gap between the have’s and have not is only going to get bigger.

 

[JoePgh]

Shea has to do well at Vanderbilt to be a plausible candidate to be Geno's successor. That will be a challenge. Her big problem is that she is not a "household name" among high school prospects. That will make it difficult for her to recruit competitively with other SEC coaches.

That is why Sue Bird tops my list of potential next UConn coaches. Her celebrity status in the WBB world trumps her lack of coaching experience in my mind.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube say it again Carla Berube

Hopefully it will be possible to lure her away from Princeton. She is the only ex-player who has been really successful at coaching. Success is hard to ignore.

 

[Twolf]

Shea has to do well at Vanderbilt to be a plausible candidate to be Geno's successor. That will be a challenge. Her big problem is that she is not a "household name" among high school prospects. That will make it difficult for her to recruit competitively with other SEC coaches.

That is why Sue Bird tops my list of potential next UConn coaches. Her celebrity status in the WBB world trumps her lack of coaching experience in my mind.

I don’t disagree with you about not being a household name with high school players, but I do know that last week there were over 800 players on the women’s side in the transfer portal. This is a completely new era in recruiting and rebuilding a roster, and is really the wild wild west to even the most veteran coaches. If you consider that a crazy # of players there are over 1200 players in the portal on the men’s side, an average of 3.5 for every D-1 team.
Not sure what everyone else thinks about these numbers, but I am going to be curious to see what % of these players who had a scholarship, end up without one and forfeited their chance to get a college diploma paid for. In my mind the portal has moved the college definition of “student athlete“ more towards just “athlete”. JMO

 

[Old Jim]

Nothing to back this up just a gut feeling but if either Marisa Moseley at Wisconsin or Shea at Vanderbilt prove that they can recruit effectively and win consistently at a high level either one would have a chance of following Geno once he retires. Marisa has shown she can win at a lower level at BU but if Shea is successful at Vanderbilt I think she has an edge due to her long history as a player and coach at UConn. I don't think UConn would hire someone with little or no coaching experience i.e. Sue Bird and I can't see a well established big name coach coming to UConn with nothing to gain and everything to lose following a legend.

 

[itsasport]

Clearly, there are a number of great potential replacements for Geno. I do see any of them not wanting to become the Head Coach at UConn, regardless.

 

[Topdawg]

Shea has to do well at Vanderbilt to be a plausible candidate to be Geno's successor. That will be a challenge. Her big problem is that she is not a "household name" among high school prospects. That will make it difficult for her to recruit competitively with other SEC coaches.

That is why Sue Bird tops my list of potential next UConn coaches. Her celebrity status in the WBB world trumps her lack of coaching experience in my mind.

And UConn has a strong soccer program so there could be a job for Megan too.. just sayin..

 

[mustafa]

I would not necessarily assume that Shea will be back as Geno’s replacement some day. Nashville is a great city. She’ll be working together every day with her husband. Vandy has a $300 million capital project to upgrade its facilities, and if Shea is able to turn the program around, she could end up coaching there for a very long time.

Evidently people on this board don't really think that UCONN is a truly special program unmatched by anything ever seen in college sports.
Evidently a decent city in a good league with a program that gets little to national pub is more attractive than the most dominant women's program in history with an entire state hanging on nearly your every word where you are immediately one of the most famous and known people.
An entire state that almost lives and breaths women's basketball and you get the publicity and star status only dreamed about anywhere else cannot match Vandy? NO, not buying it. Frankly, I'm a bit pissed that people here don't think that we're all that great. Must be the general misguided thinking in CT.

 

[UcMiami]

Shea and Marisa are both taking on reclamation project programs. They have three possible outcomes:
1. They fail and become the latest Jamelle in Geno/Uconn's coaching tree, low on the list of future hires.
2. They are mildly successful and they will be mildly interesting possibles for Uconn successors, but they probably get another contract and being in a P5 is pretty appealing.
3. They are very successful and create programs with their names on them. They own the programs and why would they then leave their program in a P5 conference to take on Geno's program with his name indelibly attached to it?

It is the problem every very successful program has with a 'succession plan'. The question is of course how soon the plan gets executed. If it is five years from now we will know how Shea and Marisa have done.

FYI - Shea has been in front of every top 50 recruit in the country for the last 13 years - she has name recognition. Marisa hasn't been recruiting at that level for the last three years so she has to reintroduce herself to the top level.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Shea has to do well at Vanderbilt to be a plausible candidate to be Geno's successor.

Well is defined as better than her predecessor and that bar is pretty low. Exceptional is what I expect. I have absolute faith in Shea's abilities. She is bright, charming, talented, disciplined, 'relentless' in her tasks. She was an All American and MVP of the Final Four. She knows how to win and what is necessary to get to that place. She has recruiting contacts throughout the country and in Europe. She has relationships with the top 25 of the 22's, 23's and 24's and probably many in the transfer portal. She can offer a first rate education and soon brand new facilities. She has been the individual coach for a string of All Americans and first round WNBA picks. She is young and socially in tune with today's players. It is the perfect storm for a rapid (3 year?) turnaround. My new 2nd team to root for is ... well, I guess you can figure that out. (Anchor Down!)

 

[HuskylnSC]

They fail and become the latest Jamelle in Geno/Uconn's coaching tree, low on the list of future hires.

Unfair comparison for Jamelle. She did a wonderful job of turning that program around with out a lot or support. Geno was furious at the way she was treated by the Cincinnati administration. She was so hurt she was on record as not ever wanting to coach again. Her last two years she was 16-14 and 19-13.

You saw the turn around this team did last year when Jamelle joined halfway through the season. She is one of my top picks to replace the man after he and CD ride off into the sunset

 

[uconnfan68]

Evidently people on this board don't really think that UCONN is a truly special program unmatched by anything ever seen in college sports.
Evidently a decent city in a good league with a program that gets little to national pub is more attractive than the most dominant women's program in history with an entire state hanging on nearly your every word where you are immediately one of the most famous and known people.
An entire state that almost lives and breaths women's basketball and you get the publicity and star status only dreamed about anywhere else cannot match Vandy? NO, not buying it. Frankly, I'm a bit pissed that people here don't think that we're all that great. Must be the general misguided thinking in CT.

It is a special program... with a HOF coach. When the last HOF coach left UConn, that program (mbb) didn’t sustain the excellence it mostly had for the previous few decades.
Will we get a guarantee from you that won’t happen to wbb?
Following Geno will be an unusually difficult job.

 

[BostonBay]

Its all about recruiting & making sure the machine keeps working. The next coach has to be able to land top recruits - no matter how good they are with X's & O's. Sue Bird is a no-brainer in that respect, if she wants to coach.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube say it again Carla Berube

Hopefully it will be possible to lure her away from Princeton. She is the only ex-player who has been really successful at coaching. Success is hard to ignore.

Why is everyone assuming Geno’s replacement will be a woman? Lots of really good male coaches in the women’s game, Oregon, Louisville, Iowa State, Syracuse, NC State, TAM, Miami, to name few, and one female I think might be a possibility, Tanya Cardoza.

 

[AYusef]

Unfair comparison for Jamelle. She did a wonderful job of turning that program around with out a lot or support. Geno was furious at the way she was treated by the Cincinnati administration. She was so hurt she was on record as not ever wanting to coach again. Her last two years she was 16-14 and 19-13.

You saw the turn around this team did last year when Jamelle joined halfway through the season. She is one of my top picks to replace the man after he and CD ride off into the sunset

Well said, Jamelle made Cincy women's bball relevant and would also be on my very short list of Geno replacements. You can see the "Jamelle effect" in the next two recruiting classes.

 

[jazz]

From what I have read and heard, J has little interest in coaching and it seems she might have only took the Uconn job to work with GA, which I assumes she find enjoyable.

Does anybody think Shea left, in part due to some issues she and GA had with her departure from the team during the tournament? I vaguely remember GA said something that made it seem like he was not happy with that situation. Maybe, I got it wrong, just asking...

 

[Cuango]

Its all about recruiting & making sure the machine keeps working. The next coach has to be able to land top recruits - no matter how good they are with X's & O's. Sue Bird is a no-brainer in that respect, if she wants to coach.

Yeah, well recruiting is great, but if Sue can’t provide the other half of the equation (making the talent get better) her name won’t mean diddlysquat! Now, she may turn out to be a great coach, (assuming she even wants to coach) but college basketball is littered with great players who found that coaching was way more difficult (for them) than playing! My money’s on Shea, Carla, or Marisa.

 

[oldude]

Evidently people on this board don't really think that UCONN is a truly special program unmatched by anything ever seen in college sports.
Evidently a decent city in a good league with a program that gets little to national pub is more attractive than the most dominant women's program in history with an entire state hanging on nearly your every word where you are immediately one of the most famous and known people.
An entire state that almost lives and breaths women's basketball and you get the publicity and star status only dreamed about anywhere else cannot match Vandy? NO, not buying it. Frankly, I'm a bit pissed that people here don't think that we're all that great. Must be the general misguided thinking in CT.

 

[HopJim]

Well said, Jamelle made Cincy women's bball relevant and would also be on my very short list of Geno replacements. You can see the "Jamelle effect" in the next two recruiting classes.

Lived in the MidWest and saw many Cincy games. Few in the area saw the women's team as high performing and relevant.

 

[Tonyc]

I think Shea will do a terrific job at Vandy. Looking at Vandys roster they need height. Shea has done alot of recruiting at UConn and with the portal open she can use the great education at Vandy to lure prospects. The SEC is a good competitive conference. Many in the portal are there because they didnt get a chance to play at their previous school. Shea has the knowledge and fundamentals to make them a very competitive team. With that said it will take a few years to build. I wish her luck

 

[bluedevil]

I think Shea will do a terrific job at Vandy. Looking at Vandys roster they need height. Shea has done alot of recruiting at UConn and with the portal open she can use the great education at Vandy to lure prospects. The SEC is a good competitive conference. Many in the portal are there because they didnt get a chance to play at their previous school. Shea has the knowledge and fundamentals to make them a very competitive team. With that said it will take a few years to build. I wish her luck

Talk about a face every little girl knows and also knows her X and 0's ...MS. R. Lobo...My choice when G. leaves..Kara W. for assistant..

 

[CTrefugee]

Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube Carla Berube say it again Carla Berube

Hopefully it will be possible to lure her away from Princeton. She is the only ex-player who has been really successful at coaching. Success is hard to ignore.

She was also a favorite of Geno. He once said, if he had to pick one player to take a game deciding free throw, it would be Carla. "She has no heart beat." I have watched her coach and she also exudes CD-like class, which hopefully would maintain standards both on and off the court. One of the reasons UCONN WBB is so popular among senior citizens is the all-around quality women who have been recruited. They are much more than athletes.

 

[NY Fan]

She was also a favorite of Geno. He once said, if he had to pick one player to take a game deciding free throw, it would be Carla. "She has no heart beat." I have watched her coach and she also exudes CD-like class, which hopefully would maintain standards both on and off the court. One of the reasons UCONN WBB is so popular among senior citizens is the all-around quality women who have been recruited. They are much more than athletes.

With the caveat that I know little about Carla Berube other than seeing her in the SNY 95 Undefeated feature, I totally agree with your post, especially about the comparison with CD and UCONN players being more than athletes. However her situation reminds me of Tommy Ammeter at Harvard. He was/is a good recruiter and has had occasional highly ranked teams. In 2007 it was thought Harvard would be a way station to a major program, but he's still there and thriving. Even if the Duke (his alma mater) position opens up when Coach K retires, the cost/benefit for him to take it wouldn't make sense.

Notwithstanding her predecessor moving to HC to rebuild North Carolina, it's a less high wire act than Berube moving to UCONN for multiple reasons. Besides, she's recruiting top 100 players and her program is #1 in the Ivies. Unless Princeton opts to discontinue WBB, my bet is she's there indefinitely.

 

[boontonbomber]

Nothing to back this up just a gut feeling but if either Marisa Moseley at Wisconsin or Shea at Vanderbilt prove that they can recruit effectively and win consistently at a high level either one would have a chance of following Geno once he retires. Marisa has shown she can win at a lower level at BU but if Shea is successful at Vanderbilt I think she has an edge due to her long history as a player and coach at UConn. I don't think UConn would hire someone with little or no coaching experience i.e. Sue Bird and I can't see a well established big name coach coming to UConn with nothing to gain and everything to lose following a legend.

apparently you didn't see Sue coaching Seattle last season.

 

[UcMiami]

Neither Sue nor DT have any interest in living in central CT - never going to happen.

Didn't mean to 'dis' Jamelle, but really neither she nor Tonya have been very successful as HC for whatever reason. Everybody crossed Jen off their list because she only got 7 NCAA bids as a HC with two different schools (yes she took GW to an NCAA.) Well Jamelle has 9 seasons and never got above 10th in the old BE and fourth in the (thank god we escaped that conference) AAC. Tonya took over a very successful Temple program (launched the current SC/USA NT coach) in the A10 with five straight and 6 of seven NCAA appearances. She maintained that for 3 more years, and has only made it back once since in the (thank god we escaped that conference) AAC.

Personally I would take Jen over Jamelle or Tonya as I think she is a better HC, but none of the three appear to have the resume to succeed Geno.

 

[jazz]

Neither Sue nor DT have any interest in living in central CT - never going to happen.

Didn't mean to 'dis' Jamelle, but really neither she nor Tonya have been very successful as HC for whatever reason. Everybody crossed Jen off their list because she only got 7 NCAA bids as a HC with two different schools (yes she took GW to an NCAA.) Well Jamelle has 9 seasons and never got above 10th in the old BE and fourth in the (thank god we escaped that conference) AAC. Tonya took over a very successful Temple program (launched the current SC/USA NT coach) in the A10 with five straight and 6 of seven NCAA appearances. She maintained that for 3 more years, and has only made it back once since in the (thank god we escaped that conference) AAC.

Personally I would take Jen over Jamelle or Tonya as I think she is a better HC, but none of the three appear to have the resume to succeed Geno.

objectively, none of them are suitable. GA's successor may be 5-10 years out yet so things could change and/or evolve but it is more likely that somebody from outside the programme is the successor..