Shea Ralph teaching defense (video)

[DaddyChoc]

not sure if this was already post be here it does (again). good insight

 

[Boreifs]

She is a fantastic coach. Picked up every single nuance every time.

 

[eebmg]

Tough gig. Really messes with her voice.

 

[Sonny44]

not sure if this was already post be here it does (again). good insight

No way these should be made public.

 

[tomcat]

That was terrific! I don't think I've seen anything that was as in-depth before. Very informative.

 

[eebmg]

No way these should be made public.

I don't know how different the actual defensive principles are in comparison to other teams. I think the biggest difference is that the UConn coaches can a) detect when players are not doing them properly and b) really not letting them get away with it

PS. We got some fast practice players.

 

[Bronxjeff]

The first game I ever got to was at Gampel, I don’t remember the opponent. But I do remember Shea coming out to defend the ballhandler on the right wing. I was gifted pretty good seats and I felt very close to the play.

Shea’s eyes looked diabolic, like on TV, like spinning red pinwheels. Her feet and hands were humming with menace. I remember having some pity for the poor girl who pretty much gave up as Shea just snatched the ball away from her!

I put Shea on my list of top ten all time, along with her comerade in arms Svet. How much fun they gave us. I am so glad she is passing this on to these teams.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Coaching? Nah...UConn only wins cuz they get the best players...un-huh....right!

 

[HuskylnSC]

I've been wondering when some desperate team doesn't swoop down and give Shea an offer she can't refuse. I imagine what she could do with TN talent. I think the TN fan base would revolt if they hired a UConn coach

 

[sarals24]

No way these should be made public.

None of this is secret. This is basic defensive positioning. I teach it to my sixth graders. You'd be shocked how many coaches have absolutely no idea what their players should be doing on defense. IMO, you shouldn't be allowed to play a zone until you know how to play man - on ball and off ball defense are critical to player development. You use these principles in a zone, but guess how many teams just let their girls sit back in a 2-3 zone and never teach them basic principles, like on ball pressure, help, secondary help, hand in the passing lane, help line, etc? ALL OF THEM. In my 8 team league, we are the only team that plays man. It's an epidemic. I've seen it at every level, then these players get to high school and college never having learned super basic stuff. They sure aren't learning it at the AAU level.

Last night, I went to see my alma mater play. They have a player, #3 in her class nationally, committed to Louisville. She's 6'1 and obviously immensely talented on offense. I was shocked at her defense, and not in a good way. She barely ran back, she never even bent her knees, swiped at the ball, never blocked out, committed dumb fouls trying to block shots when she just needed to stand there with her arms up...it was atrocious. I had my grade school team with me and told them not to even bother watching her - they can't replicate what she does offensively, and they weren't going to learn anything from watching her defense.

 

[EricLA]

I thought that was very cool. Honestly, it's the first time I've ever seen/heard Shea as a "coach". I mean we see her on TV on the bench in games and what not, but she was in there teaching, encouraging, and pointing out mistakes. The things that really stood out to me...

1. Shea saw everything - the good and the bad - impressive!
2. You can tell that the defense does not come naturally to players. It needs to be TAUGHT, which is why I believe the coaching at UCONN is 2nd to none. It made me realize what Geno means when he says something like "we have to break bad habits, unteach what kids learned and thought they knew how to do". It takes time to break that down, eliminate bad habits, and teach proper defense.

Very impressive!!

 

[oldude]

Love this kind of stuff.

 

[husky429]

None of this is secret. This is basic defensive positioning. I teach it to my sixth graders. You'd be shocked how many coaches have absolutely no idea what their players should be doing on defense. IMO, you shouldn't be allowed to play a zone until you know how to play man - on ball and off ball defense are critical to player development. You use these principles in a zone, but guess how many teams just let their girls sit back in a 2-3 zone and never teach them basic principles, like on ball pressure, help, secondary help, hand in the passing lane, help line, etc? ALL OF THEM. In my 8 team league, we are the only team that plays man. It's an epidemic. I've seen it at every level, then these players get to high school and college never having learned super basic stuff. They sure aren't learning it at the AAU level.

Last night, I went to see my alma mater play. They have a player, #3 in her class nationally, committed to Louisville. She's 6'1 and obviously immensely talented on offense. I was shocked at her defense, and not in a good way. She barely ran back, she never even bent her knees, swiped at the ball, never blocked out, committed dumb fouls trying to block shots when she just needed to stand there with her arms up...it was atrocious. I had my grade school team with me and told them not to even bother watching her - they can't replicate what she does offensively, and they weren't going to learn anything from watching her defense.

Seriously. This isn't some uconn secret. It's defense.

And yes. Youth coaches who play exclusively zone are jack wagons

 

[jimazee]

The first game I ever got to was at Gampel, I don’t remember the opponent. But I do remember Shea coming out to defend the ballhandler on the right wing. I was gifted pretty good seats and I felt very close to the play.

Shea’s eyes looked diabolic, like on TV, like spinning red pinwheels. Her feet and hands were humming with menace. I remember having some pity for the poor girl who pretty much gave up as Shea just snatched the ball away from her!

I put Shea on my list of top ten all time, along with her comerade in arms Svet. How much fun they gave us. I am so glad she is passing this on to these teams.

I have this hazy recall of her as a player...most notably when she first came into the game as a freshman (it was not mop up time). You couldn't miss the BIG blonde pony tail swinging as she brought high energy to everything she got involved in. She took no prisoners.

I'll look for some video clips of that area. The tech wasn't near as good or common then (heck it was over 20 years ago) so videos (uh tapes?...) are much rarer and poorer quality than recent years.

I also just skimmed Wiki a bit and reread this little vignette (that I recalled). It illustrates some things and people that get discussed here. Some will find it amusing and/or informative.

"Ralph was the subject of a spirited recruiting battle, a natural consequence of her abilities leading to national high school player of the year honors. Many programs pursued her, but two schools appeared to have better chances than Connecticut. Ralph's mother, Marsha (Mann) Lake, was an All-American basketball player for the University of North Carolina. The North Carolina program was one of the better programs in the country. Ralph was growing up in North Carolina and her name was a "household word since she was eleven years old".[12] Another premier program, the University of Tennessee, was also very interested in Ralph. The head coach of Tennessee, Pat Summitt, was good friends with Marsha, so many felt one of those two schools would have the inside track.

Ralph called Geno Auriemma, the Connecticut coach, to ask what kind of role he envisioned for her at UConn. It is not uncommon for coaches to promise starting positions and a minimum number of minutes playing time for highly promising recruits. However, Auriemma responded, "I don't know. If you are really, really good, then you'll have a chance to play a lot. But if you suck, you won't play at all." Shortly thereafter, she made a recruiting visit to UConn, and told the coach she was ready to commit to Connecticut. She went on to have a great senior season in high school. After she earned the USA Player of the Year award, she was interviewed by USA Today, who asked about her recruiting decision. She explained, "Coach Auriemma was the only coach that told me if I was really good I'd play a lot, and if I sucked I wasn't playing." Auriemma read the quote in the paper and "almost [fell] off his chair". He called her to say, "Geez, Shea. Did you have to say that in the paper?"​

 

[iri10]

Don't forget the other two videos of UConn practice stuff from the same account, for those who hadn't seen the first thread for these vids.

Vid 1:


Vid 2:
Ball Handling Skill Work Featuring Geno Auriemma's Team!

 

[eebmg]

I have this hazy recall of her as a player...most notably when she first came into the game as a freshman (it was not mop up time). You couldn't miss the BIG blonde pony tail swinging as she brought high energy to everything she got involved in. She took no prisoners.

I'll look for some video clips of that area. The tech wasn't near as good or common then (heck it was over 20 years ago) so videos (uh tapes?...) are much rarer and poorer quality than recent years.

I also just skimmed Wiki a bit and reread this little vignette (that I recalled). It illustrates some things and people that get discussed here. Some will find it amusing and/or informative.

"Ralph was the subject of a spirited recruiting battle, a natural consequence of her abilities leading to national high school player of the year honors. Many programs pursued her, but two schools appeared to have better chances than Connecticut. Ralph's mother, Marsha (Mann) Lake, was an All-American basketball player for the University of North Carolina. The North Carolina program was one of the better programs in the country. Ralph was growing up in North Carolina and her name was a "household word since she was eleven years old".[12] Another premier program, the University of Tennessee, was also very interested in Ralph. The head coach of Tennessee, Pat Summitt, was good friends with Marsha, so many felt one of those two schools would have the inside track.

Ralph called Geno Auriemma, the Connecticut coach, to ask what kind of role he envisioned for her at UConn. It is not uncommon for coaches to promise starting positions and a minimum number of minutes playing time for highly promising recruits. However, Auriemma responded, "I don't know. If you are really, really good, then you'll have a chance to play a lot. But if you suck, you won't play at all." Shortly thereafter, she made a recruiting visit to UConn, and told the coach she was ready to commit to Connecticut. She went on to have a great senior season in high school. After she earned the USA Player of the Year award, she was interviewed by USA Today, who asked about her recruiting decision. She explained, "Coach Auriemma was the only coach that told me if I was really good I'd play a lot, and if I sucked I wasn't playing." Auriemma read the quote in the paper and "almost [fell] off his chair". He called her to say, "Geez, Shea. Did you have to say that in the paper?"​

Great story. Did not really know the background. I just cant understand why Geno would be "annoyed" at Shea for that quote which I think is pretty cool and indicative of the program?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

No way these should be made public.

Good joke. Geno invites coaches of all levels to observe. In a show where he was asked about the wisdom of doing it he shrugged it off, saying no one can replicate what we do anyway. I didn't get it then and I still don't.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Great story. Did not really know the background. I just cant understand why Geno would be "annoyed" at Shea for that quote which I think is pretty cool and indicative of the program?

I don't think he was. He just didn't want some of his best "closer" material leaked!