SI planning a story on Geno and Muffet? | The Boneyard

SI planning a story on Geno and Muffet?

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Orangutan

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Gosh I hope so. That would be a tremendous read.
 
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Separate interviews for the college basketball preview issue????
 

semper

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I just hope Muffet has gotten over being a super jerk. Don't know what got into that woman last year. Hope things have settled down.
 
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I just hope Muffet has gotten over being a super jerk. Don't know what got into that woman last year. Hope things have settled down.
I hope they haven't. We need a little extra sauce in this rivalry.
 
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I just hope Muffet has gotten over being a super jerk. Don't know what got into that woman last year. Hope things have settled down.
It's actually not her I worry about :oops:
 

Waquoit

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Framing it as Geno and Muffet gives Muffet too much credit.
 
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Framing it as Geno and Muffet gives Muffet too much credit.
Was thinking the same thing. Would have preferred a Geno and Pat interview. I suspect time has changed some perspectives, and it would be interesting to read. Muffet's a good coach, but she's won zero championships with some pretty loaded teams. It's not like ND has trouble getting recruits. It is ND after all, so the place pretty much sells itself.
 
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yes yes agreed...... I like Muffet as a coach.... but what has she done in terms of chmpnshps..... ok she has one.... at some point you have to break through..... it still amazes me.... Pat won on the back of CP, and the old call of "defense and rebounding"..... but discounting those 2 hadnt won since 98..... how far the distance Geno has put in the rear view mirror vs all competition....
 

intlzncster

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I just hope Muffet has gotten over being a super jerk. Don't know what got into that woman last year. Hope things have settled down.

She hasn't been the nicest for a number of years now.
 

intlzncster

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yes yes agreed. I like Muffet as a coach.... but what has she done in terms of chmpnshps..... ok she has one.... at some point you have to break through..... it still amazes me.... Pat won on the back of CP, and the old call of "defense and rebounding"..... but discounting those 2 hadnt won since 98..... how far the distance Geno has put in the rear view mirror vs all competition....

Can't discount for having CP. We won one 2 solely on the back of DT (2002 was a group effort). And at least one on MM's shoulders (have to give TC a lot of credit for the other).
 

Fightin Choke

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Was thinking the same thing. Would have preferred a Geno and Pat interview. I suspect time has changed some perspectives, and it would be interesting to read. Muffet's a good coach, but she's won zero championships with some pretty loaded teams. It's not like ND has trouble getting recruits. It is ND after all, so the place pretty much sells itself.
I think you may be mistaken on a couple of points. First, I would guess that this article is about the current state of WCBB, not its history. Over the past few years, Geno and Muffet are the two most successful coaches if you look at wins, FF appearances, and NC game appearances. Thus it would make sense to interview them. Also, while I hate the bad blood between Geno and Muffet, that sort of stuff generates interest, and with Pat suffering from dementia and no longer an active coach, featuring her alongside Geno might create be a less compelling article, or at least an article reflecting on the past instead of examining the present. Also, ND won a NC in 2001, so it's not true to state that Muffet has won zero NC's.

Second, where are you getting the idea that Muffet's teams have been loaded? She has developed players well, but the great recruiting that you see now is a recent phenomenon, and Notre Dame has yet to reap the full benefits of the step up into the recruiting elite, as the class on the leading edge of the boon are just starting their junior campaigns. During the past 4-year run of FF appearances, here are McDonald's AA that Muffet successfully recruited, followed by their average recruiting services ranking:

Class of 2007: Dev Peters (28th)
Class of 2008:
Class of 2009: Skylar Diggins (3rd)
Class of 2010: Kayla McBride (32nd)
Class of 2011:
Class of 2012: Jewell Loyd (3rd), Michaela Mabrey (41st)
Class of 2013: Taya Reimer (4th), Lindsay Allen (23rd)
Class of 2014: Brianna Turner (3rd), Kathryn Westbeld (20th)

Muffet has done a lot with a little to this point, at least compared to the elite teams in WCBB. In the next few years, she will have more highly regarded material, so we'll see how she does. Following this season, the teams only loses two non-starters (Whitney Holloway and Markisha Wright), so ND should be very strong for the 2015-16 season. Of course UConn will have a couple of seniors named Breanna and Moriah then...
 
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Let's not let Geno off the hook totally for their resent spat. He was extremely vocal about blaming ND for all that ails the former BE and college sports in general. ND is Muffet's employer and more than that... her home. She has a right to be defensive.
 

iamcbs

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I just hope Muffet has gotten over being a super jerk. Don't know what got into that woman last year. Hope things have settled down.
She was just trying to take some pressure off of her team in the NC Game and it didn't work because Geno refused to bite, he's been around the block a time or two as well. She came off as snarky and a bit of a bitch, but if you watch her NC post-game interview you saw how classy she really is.
 

JoePgh

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(Preparing for brickbats as I write this, from those who think Geno is perfect ...)

While Muffitt has not been nice recently, Geno is far from blameless in this situation. That seems to be part of a general pattern -- there aren't many coaches whose teams can compete with his, but those few who have done so (especially if they are female) have rarely had a positive relationship with Geno while their team was strong.

That applies to Pat Summitt, Muffitt McGraw, C. Vivian Stringer, and (for a long time until a recent thaw) Tara Vanderveer.

The coaches with whom he has had a positive relationship (most conspicuously) are Jeff Walz, Doug Bruno, Gary Blair, and Sherri Coale -- none of whom have beaten UConn in recent history, although they have played competitive games. And 3 of those 4 are older males.

Geno is obviously a great coach and in most ways a very good person, but he does seem to have a personality flaw that causes him to make antagonizing public comments about coaches whose teams have actually succeeded in beating his team. If they have done so frequently, that makes it worse.

Before the Skylar Diggins era, when UConn was drubbing Notre Dame regularly (except in 2001), Muffitt and Geno got along just fine. His problems were with the Rutgers coach, who in that 2005-2010 era (roughly) was having as much success as anyone against UConn. Now that Rutgers is no longer a competitive threat, Geno and CVS get along just fine, and he is having problems with Muffitt.
 
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Let's not let Geno off the hook totally for their resent spat. He was extremely vocal about blaming ND for all that ails the former BE and college sports in general. ND is Muffet's employer and more than that... her home. She has a right to be defensive.

How much "blame" to put on Geno is irrelevant. The point is; Notre Dame's arrogance has been around a lot longer than Geno ever piped up. I like it that Geno speaks for some of us (don't take this literally) that believe ND is arrogant and they have burned UCONN. Thus everytime Muffett opens her mouth about the conference she is in, at least for me, it's a slap in the face/ ie.e sticking it to our program becuase I perceive ND is oen of the causes why we are in a mid-major conference. And imo Muffett's display in the final four typified the arrogance of ND and I'm glad Geno doesn't take any of that garbage sitting down.

The other one that used to drive me crazy was CViv. The fact that instituion supported Cappie for sticking a finger into Geno's chest and then ultimatley blamimg Geno is unconscionable. And Kia Vaughn did something pretty classless to the fans, didn't she? It just makes you wonder what was being taught. Could you imagine a Rutgers player doing that to the great Pat Summit?
 

DaddyChoc

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yes yes agreed. I like Muffet as a coach.... but what has she done in terms of chmpnshps..... ok she has one.... at some point you have to break through..... it still amazes me.... Pat won on the back of CP, and the old call of "defense and rebounding"..... but discounting those 2 hadnt won since 98..... how far the distance Geno has put in the rear view mirror vs all competition....
and shoulder... but that's what she's suppose to do, just as Geno has done with Maya and BStew (and Renee and Tina and Hartley and Dolson)
 
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(Preparing for brickbats as I write this, from those who think Geno is perfect ...)

Geno is obviously a great coach and in most ways a very good person, but he does seem to have a personality flaw .

Wow, you just want to piss people off, don't you? Must be a BY infiltrator/sabateur.

Maybe a super good phsychiatrist to be able to point to Geno's "character flaws."

Bro, this is college basketball and within that context, Geno is simply pretty damned amazing.
 
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Was thinking the same thing. Would have preferred a Geno and Pat interview. I suspect time has changed some perspectives, and it would be interesting to read. Muffet's a good coach, but she's won zero championships with some pretty loaded teams. It's not like ND has trouble getting recruits. It is ND after all, so the place pretty much sells itself.
Muffet has won one championship. I believe it was in St. Louis...
 
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Something about the way McGraw handled it looked forced like someone was telling her she had to play up the rivalry. I don't think she was comfortable doing it. Still, her team was also undefeated, also had a great player and was still being overshadowed by UConn. Kinda like being caught in the middle of wanting to be the underdog and at the same time building up her team.

I had no problem until she did not clap at Stewart's award ceremony.
 
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Wow, you just want to piss people off, don't you? Must be a BY infiltrator/sabateur.

Maybe a super good phsychiatrist to be able to point to Geno's "character flaws."

Bro, this is college basketball and within that context, Geno is simply pretty damned amazing.

Yes, Geno is an amazing coach. He's got the record to back that up, both in terms of national championship wins and players he's developed.

But like watanabe said, Geno is flawed. He's human. He's not perfect. He can be snarky, abrasive and too smart mouthed at times. I think he is sensitive about being very successful in a sport still deemed "less" by many people because it is women's and not men's. I've heard it before- yeah he's got 9 national championships. But could he coach a men's team and do as well?? Crap like that. I'm sure he's heard it too.
 

UConnCat

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(Preparing for brickbats as I write this, from those who think Geno is perfect ...)

While Muffitt has not been nice recently, Geno is far from blameless in this situation. That seems to be part of a general pattern -- there aren't many coaches whose teams can compete with his, but those few who have done so (especially if they are female) have rarely had a positive relationship with Geno while their team was strong.

That applies to Pat Summitt, Muffitt McGraw, C. Vivian Stringer, and (for a long time until a recent thaw) Tara Vanderveer.

The coaches with whom he has had a positive relationship (most conspicuously) are Jeff Walz, Doug Bruno, Gary Blair, and Sherri Coale -- none of whom have beaten UConn in recent history, although they have played competitive games. And 3 of those 4 are older males.

Geno is obviously a great coach and in most ways a very good person, but he does seem to have a personality flaw that causes him to make antagonizing public comments about coaches whose teams have actually succeeded in beating his team. If they have done so frequently, that makes it worse.

Before the Skylar Diggins era, when UConn was drubbing Notre Dame regularly (except in 2001), Muffitt and Geno got along just fine. His problems were with the Rutgers coach, who in that 2005-2010 era (roughly) was having as much success as anyone against UConn. Now that Rutgers is no longer a competitive threat, Geno and CVS get along just fine, and he is having problems with Muffitt.

So Geno is the one with the personality flaw? Huh. And here I thought the reason for last year's spat was Muffet's personality flaw. There isn't anything one can't learn by reading the BY.

I'm curious, though. What exactly were the problems between Vivian and Geno? Don't mention "Cappie-gate" because that was 100% on Vivian and Rutgers' AD Mulcahy (who apologized publicly). I always thought Geno and Vivian had a pretty good relationship considering the years being conference rivals and Geno's obvious personality flaw.
 
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