Sports Illustrated Preseason Poll and Geno Interview

[Sluconn Husky]

Left this in another thread but figured the interview is so thorough and interesting that it needed its own. Tons of revealing thoughts on the MSU game in particular.

The poll done by Richard Deitsch, who I respect, is really an odd one though.


Women's NCAA hoops preview: Top 10, Auriemma Q&A

 

[RockyMTblue2]

This is the journey we are about to share. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling good ... very good.

"SI: With that year under their belts now, do you feel the veterans are in the kind of place your leaders were two years ago?

GA: Umm, that remains to be seen. That’s what I’m looking to find out. That’s the big unknown for me right now. How will our seniors lead? And are they leaders? We have four freshmen this year and two kids that didn’t play [last season as transfers]. So we have six and six. How’s that gonna work? I wanna find out. I wanna see. So far, I like where they’re going."

 

[rugbymate]

SI has South Carolina at 10?!? That's got to be great bulletin board material for Dawn and crew. If i was a betting man, I'd put serious dough on the over. Also have the under on Stanford at 2.

 

[Kaizen]

SI
2017 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
C: A’ja Wilson, Senior, South Carolina
F: Napheesa Collier, Junior, UConn
F: Gabby Williams, Senior, UConn
G: Katie Lou Samuelson, Junior, UConn
G: Kelsey Mitchell, Senior, Ohio State

Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, UConn
Freshman of the Year: Evina Westbrook, guard, Tennessee

 

[stwainfan]

I think the AA. Team picks are right.

 

[willtalk]

I think every fan on this board ( or any other board ) should read Gino's comments about his insight and perspectives on wins and losses. WCBB isn't the NBA where they play 82 games and extended playoffs. Players have on and off games so things do not always work out like they should. Most fans do not seem to be able to comprehend that. Upsets are bound to happen especially in the game of basketball. With increased parity upsets should become more numerous.

 

[pinotbear]

I think every fan on this board ( or any other board ) should read Gino's comments about his insight and perspectives on wins and losses. WCBB isn't the NBA where they play 82 games and extended playoffs. Players have on and off games so things do not always work out like they should. Most fans do not seem to be able to comprehend that. Upsets are bound to happen especially in the game of basketball. With increased parity upsets should become more numerous.

just a reminder, no affront intended.. it's "Geno", not "Gino"..

 

[bags27]

Not to say I told you so, but I told you so. Geno is relieved that the streak ended. If it had hit (say) 200, it would have been unnatural. No one would have taken the streak seriously, because it would have been so over-the-top that it must be because of excessive talent, rather than talent + effort.

DG: So it’s liberating to no longer have the winning streak?

GA: Oh yeah. Absolutely. I was talking to one of my friends and he said to me, ‘I ran into you after the game in Dallas late at night and I didn’t know how to approach you. I didn’t know what to say. But when I saw you we started talking and you were calm and O.K., no problems.’ And I said, yeah, because it didn’t take me long to realize right after that game, wow, this is the best thing that could’ve happened to us. Once you get past the disappointment of losing, once you get beyond that, you really start to look at it as: we really needed this more than we needed that win. Because this is something that regenerates us. There has to come a point where you have to start over. That’s how life is. We were defying the laws of nature there for a while.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Not to say I told you so, but I told you so. Geno is relieved that the streak ended. If it had hit (say) 200, it would have been unnatural. No one would have taken the streak seriously, because it would have been so over-the-top that it must be because of excessive talent, rather than talent + effort.

Eh, people already say that. The streak was going to end sometime; I'd just have been more comfortable with it ending when UConn was the inferior team. While Geno makes some very interesting points about pressure, I can't imagine he'd have been unhappy had his team overcome that pressure and won it all.

 

[donalddoowop]

This is the journey we are about to share. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling good ... very good.

"SI: With that year under their belts now, do you feel the veterans are in the kind of place your leaders were two years ago?

GA: Umm, that remains to be seen. That’s what I’m looking to find out. That’s the big unknown for me right now. How will our seniors lead? And are they leaders? We have four freshmen this year and two kids that didn’t play [last season as transfers]. So we have six and six. How’s that gonna work? I wanna find out. I wanna see. So far, I like where they’re going."

Six and six? Geno is leaving someone out. There are thirteen players on the roster.

 

[bballnut90]

SI has South Carolina at 10?!? That's got to be great bulletin board material for Dawn and crew. If i was a betting man, I'd put serious dough on the over. Also have the under on Stanford at 2.

Whoever made that poll knows very little about women’s college basketball...lots of teams out of place.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Whoever made that poll knows very little about women’s college basketball...lots of teams out of place.

Richard Deitsch has covered and written about NCAAW basketball for years. He generally knows his stuff.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I believe that we may well have 3 of the 5 best players in America, but I think it's unlikely that AP voters will put 3 players from the same university on the first team. If they do, this team will be a super team of historical magnitude.

 

[bballnut90]

Richard Deitsch has covered and written about NCAAW basketball for years. He generally knows his stuff.

You can tell he's looking primarily at teams on paper rather than eye test. Louisville at 4, Ohio State at 6, not sure how Stanford comes in at #2....for Stanford he mentions, "Junior 6' 4" forward Alanna Smith and 6' 3" sophomore Nadia Fingall will form one of the best frontcourts in America."

Smith averaged 9 points and 5 boards last year, Fingall 4.3 points and 2.6 boards.

And anybody who puts SC down at 10 is out of their mind. Has a defending champion returning its star player ever been lower than top 5 preseason? The list just seemed rushed and not at all thought out.

 

[willtalk]

just a reminder, no affront intended.. it's "Geno", not "Gino"..

None taken. I am a notoriously bad speller. If people do not correct the spelling in my posts it is purely out of kindness.

 

[eebmg]

You can tell he's looking primarily at teams on paper rather than eye test. Louisville at 4, Ohio State at 6, not sure how Stanford comes in at #2....for Stanford he mentions, "Junior 6' 4" forward Alanna Smith and 6' 3" sophomore Nadia Fingall will form one of the best frontcourts in America."

Smith averaged 9 points and 5 boards last year, Fingall 4.3 points and 2.6 boards.

And anybody who puts SC down at 10 is out of their mind. Has a defending champion returning its star player ever been lower than top 5 preseason? The list just seemed rushed and not at all thought out.

It seems the list was made to provide shock value

 

[LasVegasYank]

Whoever made that poll knows very little about women’s college basketball...lots of teams out of place.

It's kinda like a picture of a five year old in his Sunday best...with a finger up his nose.

 

[tomcat]

Stanford at #2 was a shock to me. Folks, are they really that good? Based only on what I read, I had them at maybe a #5 or 6, and they're always a tough out for UConn, but still, #2?

 

[HoopsFan21]

Stanford at #2 was a shock to me. Folks, are they really that good? Based only on what I read, I had them at maybe a #5 or 6, and they're always a tough out for UConn, but still, #2?

Hopefully not or there's a good chance another streak ends in 10 days.