SMU Head Coach Rhonda Rompola Presser

[bags27]

RSHERMVIKES: you correctly emphasize the similarities in the offense. I'd like to highlight the defenses, which, frankly, I think are dominant. I think the reason they play each other so tough is that both coaches are Philly kids (okay, Gino grew up in Norristown, which--take it from me, it's my hometown, too--is maybe even tougher than Philly). Both have St. Joe's connections, and that means association with the greatest coach (IMHO) of all time: Jack Ramsay, whose book, Pressure Basketball, is a bible for intensive defensive play. Stuff never changes: protect the baseline, overplay the strong hand, cut the angles, face guard, hard switches, weak side help....this is drilled into kids at UConn and ND over and over. It's why we love this game and this team: almost no one else in any other sport takes the time, makes the sacrifice to get it right, old school. Jack used to say that a good offensive player should be able to "beat" a great defensive player every time. The secret for the defense is to limit the "beat" to a good, but not easy shot. That's the stuff that UConn and ND drill, drill, drill...and why there have been and will be times that ND beats us: it's a game of angles, bounces, percentages, and some luck.

 

[cohenzone]

DaddyChoc- - - During that losing streak, for whatever reason UCONN did not play their usual UCONN style of BB.
It seemed that they didn't just play with a reckless abandon style but were hesitant in passes, outside shots +layups, etc.
Maybe getting burnt on all the flops/charges called against them, ref calls during that streak seemed to be pro-ND.
For example the BE finals where 11 seconds left Geno called timeout, UCONN ball by their bench, CT player open under basket but ball thrown into Diggins hands she went length of the court and passed to Achonwa for winning layup! That type of sloppiness that permeated those games!
I can't explain it but they played different during that streak!
Anyone else notice that during the bad steak?

Well, I call myself an ND hater (their athletic department is arrogant) but ND had a little bit to do with our not looking ourselves. The second best coached team in the country. Several of our losses to them were down to the end. Can our team lose to ND or someone else like USC this year? Anything is possible, but I think this team has as much of a killer instinct as any we've had and the seniors have a lot to do with that. Next year, if we don't drop off at least a little after losing Stewie and MoJeff and maybe Morgan, I'd be totally impressed. Despite rumors and short memories to the contrary, we don't win every year. The one thing that hasn't happened in a very long time is UConn being absent from the potential champ discussion. Next year will be no different, but a loss or two or three wouldn't be shocking. A loss in conference probably shocking.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Hey I can't explain any better than I did above but that how it LOOKED to me!
An example I can use: I coached HS wrestling from 1970 to 2002 and first 3 in MO the last 29 at East Lyme.
In the late 1990's I had a 189 pounder who over a 3 year period would destroy any opponent he faced, regular season, Conference Tournaments, & CT State Tournaments! It was like MAN vs boys! He was a fabulous talent!
Then he went to the New England Wrestling Championships and he wrestled different, no confidence, slow reactions, completely different from his normal style! He placed 3rd, 4th, & 3rd in those years, good but if he truly wrestled his normal way he would have been a 3 time Champ! The people who beat him were good but not SPECIAL, Brandon was special! We talked about it but in HIS mind he couldn't compete with wrestlers from, MA, RI, VT, NH, and Maine!
That's how UCONN looked to me during that streak!

 

[bags27]

I certainly agree that psychology makes a huge difference: in a couple of key games (including Sunday's), Bill Belichick passed up field goal attempts against Peyton Manning, because he feared that wasn't enough points. Turned out in each case, BB was wrong. But he was spooked. Intimidation definitely works in sports, which is why I worry a little about our own team. UConn hasn't had to play a down-to-the-wire game all year. Look at all those horrible last minute errors last night in the TENN/ KY game, and remember the similar ones we made last year against Stanford. If someone's in our face with a minute to go, will we be intimidated and panic, or will we successfully draw on all the lessons learned in practice but haven't had to use yet in a game? No one practices situational football better than Belichick, and yet....

 

[HoopsFan21]

ND beat us during the Diggins years because they were the better team. I seriously doubt Maya Moore has stepped on any court in her entire life believing she was going to lose, unless maybe it was the food court.

 

[DaddyChoc]

individual "wrestling" is different than a "basketball team"...

 

[Bonpland]

I don't think that the team that lost to ND in triple overtime, or on the errant pass that Diggins snagged or in any of the other five losses we suffered during that run was afraid of ND, or lacked confidence. As 21 says, they outplayed us, but only by the slimmest of margins.

A team that is afraid folds against outstanding competition. I think we tried and got beat. We didn't give up. In '12-'13 we went one and three. That team didn't quit on themselves. It just took them awhile to get over the Diggins factor.