Some thoughts on this season

[Tonyc]

As most of you know my hard drive crashed so I havent been posting much. After watching UConns first 2 games I am more impressed then ever. We have alot of rebounders and will have them next season too. Kia and Gabby have improved so much this season. Gabby is sensational. She is developing an outside shot which I witnessed in the pre game warmups. Kia has become a leader and an offense threat from anywhere on the court. Stewie is at a level that no other WCBB player has ever been. When I first heard about her she was in junior high and I was told she could dribble like Sue Bird, shoot like Diana and rebound like no body else. I was told she was better then Tina Charles Kia Vaugh and Danielle Wilson combined. Well shes better then that so far this season. Mojeff is a superstar. When you look at the speed and quickness of this team you see MoJeff Nurse Gabby Saniya and then add in the anticapation where they get all those steals and wow. UConn intimidates opponents at every position. They scare the heck out of opponents.

Now the rebounding and Collier Gabby Stewie and Tuck and Butler who averaged a double double is still sitting on the bench as is Boykin. Wow. Everybody on this team can handle the ball without hesitation and everybody is a threat to put up points including our former walkons. I believe when the season is over this will be the Greatest Team in WCBB ever. People ask me why do you watch them, how do you watch them because they blow everybody out. My Answer is because they are so much fun to watch. Theyre not boring.

We are seeing alot of top teams struggling against teams which some referred to in the past as cupcakes. Well those previous referred to as cupcakes are no longer because of the parity in WCBB. Western Ky Santa Clara have stepped up. So why is UCOnn getting better every season? IMO its because UConn has team chemistry. Not a bunch of top players who dont share the ball but a team in the true sense. Yeah it helps to have some of the best players but it wasnt always like that. I believe that when Stewie and MoJeff graduate UCOnn will continue to roll. Hey Im not saying they will win every game by 40 pts but they will still be the team to beat. Why because its about team. Did you watch the Ohio St game when Stewie sat with 4 fouls? UConn continued to roll. You see when you have a team and everybody is on the same page and knows how to run their plays you just plug in another team mate and they run the plays.

Another point is everybody can handle the ball. Look at other teams and tell me how many of their bigs can bring the ball down court without fear of losing it? UConn players can. All the work that the UConn coaching staff has put into this team is showing. The veterans players are executing without thinking about what theyre suppose to do. The freshman are still thinking as they move trying to get it right. That will change as the games pass on. Other teams dont run plays. Other teams think they can out talent you by playing one on one. Well thats why UConn wins National Championships and other teams sit home and watch them on TV.

What ever you do in life, if you want to be the best you must make a total commitment pay a huge price...in advance and their are no guarantees. Once you do that you keep on doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it and no one will catch you.

Geno has put UConn light years ahead of every other team in WCBB. Those of you who have been around for a while remember watching him build this team. The players change but the concepts dont. Many of us watched as he won with lesser talent because his teams executed on both sides of the ball. Many think that when Geno retires UConn will lose a step. Not me. I believe he will leave the reins to somebody but not leave his philosophy because it took him to long to build it and he wont wanna see it fall apart.

Geno is alot better coach then just coaching. He's a builder of people and builder of teams and his legacy will continue long after he retires because thats the kind of person he is.

Enjoy this team and this season. We may not see anything this dominate in a long time but we will never stop winning championships.

 

[Aluminny69]

I really can't think of any sports dynasty that continued after the creator of that dynasty retired. Perhaps when the Celtics transitioned from Red Auerbach to Bill Russell, but Auerbach still was playing a role with the team.

Can anyone think of an example?

 

[Papa33]

As most of you know my hard drive crashed so I havent been posting much. After watching UConns first 2 games I am more impressed then ever. We have alot of rebounders and will have them next season too. Kia and Gabby have improved so much this season. Gabby is sensational. She is developing an outside shot which I witnessed in the pre game warmups. Kia has become a leader and an offense threat from anywhere on the court. Stewie is at a level that no other WCBB player has ever been. When I first heard about her she was in junior high and I was told she could dribble like Sue Bird, shoot like Diana and rebound like no body else. I was told she was better then Tina Charles Kia Vaugh and Danielle Wilson combined. Well shes better then that so far this season. Mojeff is a superstar. When you look at the speed and quickness of this team you see MoJeff Nurse Gabby Saniya and then add in the anticapation where they get all those steals and wow. UConn intimidates opponents at every position. They scare the heck out of opponents.

Now the rebounding and Collier Gabby Stewie and Tuck and Butler who averaged a double double is still sitting on the bench as is Boykin. Wow. Everybody on this team can handle the ball without hesitation and everybody is a threat to put up points including our former walkons. I believe when the season is over this will be the Greatest Team in WCBB ever. People ask me why do you watch them, how do you watch them because they blow everybody out. My Answer is because they are so much fun to watch. Theyre not boring.

We are seeing alot of top teams struggling against teams which some referred to in the past as cupcakes. Well those previous referred to as cupcakes are no longer because of the parity in WCBB. Western Ky Santa Clara have stepped up. So why is UCOnn getting better every season? IMO its because UConn has team chemistry. Not a bunch of top players who dont share the ball but a team in the true sense. Yeah it helps to have some of the best players but it wasnt always like that. I believe that when Stewie and MoJeff graduate UCOnn will continue to roll. Hey Im not saying they will win every game by 40 pts but they will still be the team to beat. Why because its about team. Did you watch the Ohio St game when Stewie sat with 4 fouls? UConn continued to roll. You see when you have a team and everybody is on the same page and knows how to run their plays you just plug in another team mate and they run the plays.

Another point is everybody can handle the ball. Look at other teams and tell me how many of their bigs can bring the ball down court without fear of losing it? UConn players can. All the work that the UConn coaching staff has put into this team is showing. The veterans players are executing without thinking about what theyre suppose to do. The freshman are still thinking as they move trying to get it right. That will change as the games pass on. Other teams dont run plays. Other teams think they can out talent you by playing one on one. Well thats why UConn wins National Championships and other teams sit home and watch them on TV.

What ever you do in life, if you want to be the best you must make a total commitment pay a huge price...in advance and their are no guarantees. Once you do that you keep on doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it and no one will catch you.

Geno has put UConn light years ahead of every other team in WCBB. Those of you who have been around for a while remember watching him build this team. The players change but the concepts dont. Many of us watched as he won with lesser talent because his teams executed on both sides of the ball. Many think that when Geno retires UConn will lose a step. Not me. I believe he will leave the reins to somebody but not leave his philosophy because it took him to long to build it and he wont wanna see it fall apart.

Geno is alot better coach then just coaching. He's a builder of people and builder of teams and his legacy will continue long after he retires because thats the kind of person he is.

Enjoy this team and this season. We may not see anything this dominate in a long time but we will never stop winning championships.

Ah, another Tonyc Homeric-- and I can feel the smile coming. But . . . I agree with everything he said, particularly his response to the typical fan types who cannot understand why so many of us watch lopsided blowouts— closely watch— and appreciate what we see. I suggest a few alternatives to the words Tony offered.

Sports incite hyperbole from almost everyone— announcers and fans and commentators— and at both ends of the verbal spectrum, praise and scorn. "This guy is 'fantastic''; that team is the 'greatest ever'; that coach is 'as dumb as a stump.' All that exaggeration quickly grows old. After years of watching and attending sporting events, of listening to over-hyped but so-so performing athletes and teams, "the flesh wearied on my bontes. "

But there are a few rare moments and instances when something truly splendid appears, something that embodies genuine excellence— and that is the reason I don't miss any UConn Women's basketball game, nt matter how uneven the contest may be. Like Tony, I love to see them execute, play all out— not a series of flashy one-on-one, self-conscious, self-glorifying moves, but a team, an integrated unit that seeks perfection. I especially like the endline seats where I can watch the clockwork ballet of movements that leave opposition offenses wondering where all the extra UConn defenders came from.

I watch and marvel at such stuff because I coached for so many years and know just how hard it is to carve out even five minutes of game when the all the parts make such a marvelous whole. I confess to a considerable portion of "gut" pleasure at such moments, but there is also an all too rare aesthetic dimension to what Geno and Chris and the rest of the staff AND the ferociously dedicated players manage to create for our pleasure every time they take the floor. It is a joy to watch and exult in. Thanks UConn. Oh, you've made it very hard to suffer through the ESPN and Pro announcers' hype to watch other sports and seasons, but thanks for these 3o or so games during each winter.

Maybe someone should start a "Why I watch" thread.

 

[Kibitzer]

I really can't think of any sports dynasty that continued after the creator of that dynasty retired. Perhaps when the Celtics transitioned from Red Auerbach to Bill Russell, but Auerbach still was playing a role with the team.

Can anyone think of an example?

Montreal Canadiens, often.

 

[VAMike23]

Definitely a "glass half full" or "cup runneth over" post, in keeping with tradition

I would not agree that Stewie is at a level that no other WCBB player has ever been, as I think Diana and Maya both were transcendent players that made you shake your head in disbelief half of the time, like Stewie does. Others like CP3 also were at that level during their WCBB career, although the list is admittedly quite short. Is Stewie different from all of these players? Yes. Better in some ways? Yes. But I believe the same could be said, on both counts, of Diana, Maya, CP3, etc. P.S. I am aware that Geno has said on several occasions that Breanna could end up being the greatest ever. I just believe the others named here have also been at that same level. YMMV. Maybe by the time April rolls around I'll be on the bandwagon, too!

 

[JoePgh]

Montreal Canadiens, often.

That is one example. Others are the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Boston Celtics, Alabama football, Notre Dame football, Duke and North Carolina men's basketball. It can happen if the institution/owner remains committed to the excellence of the original team.

I hasten to add that none of these examples show teams which were quite as dominant in later years as they were in their original dynastic form under the genius-coach. That is to be expected. But what is happening with Tennessee WCBB is not to be expected, and is regrettable.

 

[ballhawk]

Glad Tonyc is back. I had posted that this might be the greatest WCBB team ever. Enough of this hand wringing. Tonyc got it right. This will be the best WCBB team ever. It's like UConn plays chess and everyone else plays checkers.

 

[MilfordHusky]

When Geno goes to AAU games, he sees many kids who go out and play and then are happy to go to McDonalds, win or lose. He looks for the kids who are pi$$ed after a loss, like Maya and Kelly. I think he now has at least 8 of them on this team, and the results are scary good.

 

[bramos]

I really can't think of any sports dynasty that continued after the creator of that dynasty retired. Perhaps when the Celtics transitioned from Red Auerbach to Bill Russell, but Auerbach still was playing a role with the team.

Can anyone think of an example?

This works if you let it sink in...UCLA last title (number 11) was in 1995. Two days later, UCONN won it's first of 10..

 

[chrissaran]

What Geno said was that there's not one other player that he's had that could do all that Breanna does. She shoots less than D and Maya did, and yet she has over 2,000 points and counting. She rebounds better, blocks shots better and plays defense better than D or Maya. She doesn't put up the gaudy scoring numbers that D and Maya sometimes did; however, she's the only one of the three to have a chance to win four national championships. Let's face it, Breanna has long arms, but she's hardly an imposing physical specimen. She has improved her strength, but D and Maya were both stronger, and they didn't play in the post nearly as much as Breanna does and against thicker, more physical players.

 

[Geno-ista]

As most of you know my hard drive crashed so I havent been posting much. After watching UConns first 2 games I am more impressed then ever. We have alot of rebounders and will have them next season too. Kia and Gabby have improved so much this season. Gabby is sensational. She is developing an outside shot which I witnessed in the pre game warmups. Kia has become a leader and an offense threat from anywhere on the court. Stewie is at a level that no other WCBB player has ever been. When I first heard about her she was in junior high and I was told she could dribble like Sue Bird, shoot like Diana and rebound like no body else. I was told she was better then Tina Charles Kia Vaugh and Danielle Wilson combined. Well shes better then that so far this season. Mojeff is a superstar. When you look at the speed and quickness of this team you see MoJeff Nurse Gabby Saniya and then add in the anticapation where they get all those steals and wow. UConn intimidates opponents at every position. They scare the heck out of opponents.

Now the rebounding and Collier Gabby Stewie and Tuck and Butler who averaged a double double is still sitting on the bench as is Boykin. Wow. Everybody on this team can handle the ball without hesitation and everybody is a threat to put up points including our former walkons. I believe when the season is over this will be the Greatest Team in WCBB ever. People ask me why do you watch them, how do you watch them because they blow everybody out. My Answer is because they are so much fun to watch. Theyre not boring.

We are seeing alot of top teams struggling against teams which some referred to in the past as cupcakes. Well those previous referred to as cupcakes are no longer because of the parity in WCBB. Western Ky Santa Clara have stepped up. So why is UCOnn getting better every season? IMO its because UConn has team chemistry. Not a bunch of top players who dont share the ball but a team in the true sense. Yeah it helps to have some of the best players but it wasnt always like that. I believe that when Stewie and MoJeff graduate UCOnn will continue to roll. Hey Im not saying they will win every game by 40 pts but they will still be the team to beat. Why because its about team. Did you watch the Ohio St game when Stewie sat with 4 fouls? UConn continued to roll. You see when you have a team and everybody is on the same page and knows how to run their plays you just plug in another team mate and they run the plays.

Another point is everybody can handle the ball. Look at other teams and tell me how many of their bigs can bring the ball down court without fear of losing it? UConn players can. All the work that the UConn coaching staff has put into this team is showing. The veterans players are executing without thinking about what theyre suppose to do. The freshman are still thinking as they move trying to get it right. That will change as the games pass on. Other teams dont run plays. Other teams think they can out talent you by playing one on one. Well thats why UConn wins National Championships and other teams sit home and watch them on TV.

What ever you do in life, if you want to be the best you must make a total commitment pay a huge price...in advance and their are no guarantees. Once you do that you keep on doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it and no one will catch you.

Geno has put UConn light years ahead of every other team in WCBB. Those of you who have been around for a while remember watching him build this team. The players change but the concepts dont. Many of us watched as he won with lesser talent because his teams executed on both sides of the ball. Many think that when Geno retires UConn will lose a step. Not me. I believe he will leave the reins to somebody but not leave his philosophy because it took him to long to build it and he wont wanna see it fall apart.

Geno is alot better coach then just coaching. He's a builder of people and builder of teams and his legacy will continue long after he retires because thats the kind of person he is.

Enjoy this team and this season. We may not see anything this dominate in a long time but we will never stop winning championships.

Summed it up nicely Tony C!!!

 

[BroadwayVa]

Definitely a "glass half full" or "cup runneth over" post, in keeping with tradition

I would not agree that Stewie is at a level that no other WCBB player has ever been, as I think Diana and Maya both were transcendent players that made you shake your head in disbelief half of the time, like Stewie does. Others like CP3 also were at that level during their WCBB career, although the list is admittedly quite short. Is Stewie different from all of these players? Yes. Better in some ways? Yes. But I believe the same could be said, on both counts, of Diana, Maya, CP3, etc. P.S. I am aware that Geno has said on several occasions that Breanna could end up being the greatest ever. I just believe the others named here have also been at that same level. YMMV. Maybe by the time April rolls around I'll be on the bandwagon, too!

I tend to agree--DT was/is truly amazing. However, I ask myself: Self ! Are you not a true Stewie believer because she is so good and her teammates are so good that most, very top level, teams look like pushovers?? At half time of the K State game Geno had superb words for Gabby, at games end he said something like: Stewie is one of a kind, he never had a player this great!! By the way, I wasn't a true believer in DT as a College player--so, who am I to judge???