So here's the question on the Geno & Olympics announcement

[DobbsRover2]

Perusing various boards for reaction about the announcement of Geno being named coach for the 2016 Olympics, a stand-out of course will be the Vol-Lite free board at VolNation that includes the usual blend of brain-challenged, ethnically offensive, bitter-whinish, hash-inspired remarks that you would expect from the Little Summitt site. But one question did come up that first baffled me and then made me wonder where it is coming from, as the poster is both snarky but well informed since they also ask whether the team will have all UConn players (well yeah, why not?). So the perhaps sarcastic remark and question is:

"He will need help. Perhaps he'll pick Holly."

All coaches need help and assistants, very true. But is there any advantage to picking a somewhat lightly credentialed UTenn coach as an assistant for the squad? I'm thinking this is delusional, but I guess after some previous nice chats and a slight movement toward mending fences, maybe anything is possible. Except, I'm guessing if the offer was ever made, the response from the UTenn backroom would be that it doesn't fit with the school's agenda.

 

[pinotbear]

I don't know much on the subject, other than USA basketball tends to value (and reward) coaches with USA basketball international experience. So, unless Holly has been doing some coaching for the various USA programs, it would be a bit of a shock to be given a real plum Olympic team assignment.

 

[UcMiami]

USA Basketball picks the coach, the assistant coaches and the players - they obviously will not select someone that Geno does not get along with or visa versa. And the people they select will likely have previous USA basketball experience and will be currently employed as head coaches. Since Holly has no USA basketball experience she is not likely to be on any short list for the National team and I am not aware of any former TN player who is both a head coach and has at least one previous USA basketball assignment at some level. There are probably other HCs that have been connected with TN in some regard that might qualify. If they follow their standards there will be three assistants and because Geno is a college coach, one or more likely two of them will be WNBA coaches (and I am not sure they are as firm with the previous USA experience for the WNBA coaches.) The front runners among the college coaches would be those that have either been assistants or HCs with lower level USA basketball teams in the last eight years - so Sherri, Dawn, Katie, Jen off the top of my head. Sherri and Jen are the ones with obvious connection to Geno, but I wouldn't take that for much of an advantage. They might also offer Doug a return gig as assistant, but I sort of doubt it. Finally they may be looking to groom the next National team coach so the selection could be pretty significant.

 

[Wbbfan1]

IMHO Geno/USA Basketball should pick as his assistant(s) a coach who has expressed an interest in coaching the Senior Team and has a probability of being selected. I don't think his 2012 assistants would fall into that category. Link

Dawn Staley immediately comes to mind, but is she willing to devote the time at the expense of her head coaching duties at South Carolina. Other names I would consider and presume they're interested are Cheryl Reeve HC Minn Lynx and Brian Agler Seattle Storm. Mike Thibault would make an interesting choice as an assistant, but don't think he would be a choice for the Head Coach of the 2020 team.

Holly has no USA Basketball coaching experience and I don't see any reason why she should be chosen as a coach for the Senior Team. She needs to gain experience coaching one of the younger teams first.

 

[Icebear]

I would take Doug Bruno or Mike Thibault over Dawn Staley as a future head coach.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Got to think it likely for an Olympic team that two of the four coaches involved would be women, though, as happened in 2012. And again maybe from the WNBA teams.

It's a good point about the coach grooming for 2020. Seven years down the road is a long ways at this point, but getting the prep work in will be vital for continuing success.

 

[UcMiami]

Hadn't really thought about it, but good point on gender and I think there may be an aim at diversity of race as well in selecting the assistants. I would expect a minimum of two women and at least one non-white assistant.

 

[meyers7]

I think they take all of the above that has been mentioned into account. Who can work with Geno, college/WNBA coach, past USA experience, gender, grooming for future, , race and of course availability and commitment. (not necessarily in that order)

I still would not be surprised to see Jen get a shot at being an Asst on the NT. She's been an asst on the U18, then head coach for the U18 and then U19. Was USA National Coach of the year in 2011. I think she's right in line.

 

[UcMiami]

I think they take all of the above that has been mentioned into account. Who can work with Geno, college/WNBA coach, past USA experience, gender, grooming for future, , race and of course availability and commitment. (not necessarily in that order)

I still would not be surprised to see Jen get a shot at being an Asst on the NT. She's been an asst on the U18, then head coach for the U18 and then U19. Was USA National Coach of the year in 2011. I think she's right in line.

And if they are talking 'consistency' in coaching she runs the same sort of system that Geno uses but that would probably give a bunch of folks an embolism if she were to follow Geno as NT coach!

 

[meyers7]

And if they are talking 'consistency' in coaching she runs the same sort of system that Geno uses but that would probably give a bunch of folks an embolism if she were to follow Geno as NT coach!

Oh well.

 

[Sonny44]

I would take Doug Bruno or Mike Thibault over Dawn Staley as a future head coach.

Yea Bruno!

 

[Bestiarius]

Perusing various boards for reaction about the announcement of Geno being named coach for the 2016 Olympics, a stand-out of course will be the Vol-Lite free board at VolNation that includes the usual blend of brain-challenged, ethnically offensive, bitter-whinish, hash-inspired remarks that you would expect from the Little Summitt site. But one question did come up that first baffled me and then made me wonder where it is coming from, as the poster is both snarky but well informed since they also ask whether the team will have all UConn players (well yeah, why not?). So the perhaps sarcastic remark and question is:

"He will need help. Perhaps he'll pick Holly."

All coaches need help and assistants, very true. But is there any advantage to picking a somewhat lightly credentialed UTenn coach as an assistant for the squad? I'm thinking this is delusional, but I guess after some previous nice chats and a slight movement toward mending fences, maybe anything is possible. Except, I'm guessing if the offer was ever made, the response from the UTenn backroom would be that it doesn't fit with the school's agenda.

DoRo2, I too saw that post regarding Geno picking Holly and though he/she was being sarcastic, along with all the other items on the list, (an all UConn Olympic team, UConn asst coaches on the Rio beach in their bikinis, that it will help UConn recruiting (like they need it) . That poster seems to challenge anyone who posts unrealistically optimistic pap.

I'm amazed how low participation is on Volnation. Seem to be averaging only a couple of posts per day. Would have thought being free, would generate more traffic.

 

[TheTruthBelow]

Yea Bruno!

Staley! Bruno's been around a lot longer than Dawn has, and hasn't made it any further in the NCAAs.

 

[DobbsRover2]

And if they are talking 'consistency' in coaching she runs the same sort of system that Geno uses but that would probably give a bunch of folks an embolism if she were to follow Geno as NT coach!

Forgot what an embolism is so I did a search to nail down what you were saying. The definition apparently according to Google is:

2. the periodic intercalation of days or a month to correct the accumulating discrepancy between the calendar year and the solar year, as in a leap year.

I don't know. Seems to me that having a good, seasoned, well-tutored coach like Jen at the the helm of the US Olympic team is worth a leap year. In fact, every summer Olympics has been on a leap year except the Paris games of 1900, so there probably isn't an issue at all. And since the whole thing revolves around time issues, it's probably best to keep Vol personnel well away from Olympic teams since they are known to have issues with time-keeping mechanics.

 

[UConnCat]

IMHO Geno/USA Basketball should pick as his assistant(s) a coach who has expressed an interest in coaching the Senior Team and has a probability of being selected. I don't think his 2012 assistants would fall into that category. Link

Dawn Staley immediately comes to mind, but is she willing to devote the time at the expense of her head coaching duties at South Carolina. Other names I would consider and presume they're interested are Cheryl Reeve HC Minn Lynx and Brian Agler Seattle Storm. Mike Thibault would make an interesting choice as an assistant, but don't think he would be a choice for the Head Coach of the 2020 team.

Staley wanted to be the next Olympic coach and would have gladly juggled that responsibility with her job at South Carolina. She was an assistant coach for Anne Donovan in 2008. Would she be willing to do that again on Geno's staff? Do Geno and USABB want her to be part of the staff?

 

[UcMiami]

Forgot what an embolism is so I did a search to nail down what you were saying. The definition apparently according to Google is:

2. the periodic intercalation of days or a month to correct the accumulating discrepancy between the calendar year and the solar year, as in a leap year.

I don't know. Seems to me that having a good, seasoned, well-tutored coach like Jen at the the helm of the US Olympic team is worth a leap year. In fact, every summer Olympics has been on a leap year except the Paris games of 1900, so there probably isn't an issue at all. And since the whole thing revolves around time issues, it's probably best to keep Vol personnel well away from Olympic teams since they are known to have issues with time-keeping mechanics.

So you sent me scurrying to make sure definition #1 was the one I actually meant .... whew!

 

[DobbsRover2]

So you sent me scurrying to make sure definition #1 was the one I actually meant .... whew!

Nah, I can read your mind, and that leap year issue is a big one. I'm just not sure that Olympics, WNBA, NCAA WCBB types burst their cranial arteries more during the leap years or whether it's a pretty consistent process. My guess is that it depends on media flak and occasional complaints from their masters, the SEC honchos who make the cablevision world go round and round.