St. Francis Post-Game Press

[Sluconn Husky]

I mean, some of those shots Kovatch took would make Laksa blush. But that playground stuff was all okay while the selfless, precision basketball UConn played was heartless or something.

 

[CL82]

Fine, then be proud of the ass kicking you administered. In fact own it with pride. Instead Geno whined about how St. Francis plays. Why would he even care about the magnitude of the final verdict. The bigger the smashing the better.

So, put me in with the group who really didn’t hear his comments that way at all. It was a bit of a perfect storm with a very good UConn team, low D1 St. Francis team, and a decision by their coach to generate a lot of possessions. I think Geno’s comments expressed his amazement at that combination of facts and the result he produced on the court.

Geno took his foot off the gas as much as possible. He called off the press and slowed down the tempo. You could see that the team struggled with that. I’m not sure what more you want him to do.

For what it’s worth, I’m not critical about the St. Francis coach’s decision to take a shot at winning the game rather than minimize the margin by which his team lost. It was a gamble that resulted in a record-setting beat down, but it least it arose out of trying to compete.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

So, put me in with the group who really didn’t hear his comments that way at all.

That was as relaxed and happy as I've seen Geno in months.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

“I don’t think it’s bad for women’s basketball at all,” Haigh said when asked if he thinks people on the outside will view the margin of victory as a bad thing for the game. “… Everyone knows the difference between the best team in America and the teams at the smaller level of Division I. But we didn’t play scared, we did the best we could. The people who want to say it’s bad for women’s basketball, probably don’t care about women’s basketball much anyway.”

 

[tomcat]

Thank you for posting this. Those BYers who think St. Francis should have done something different really should listen to Jeff Walz. And, now that I think of it, I'm reminded of why I think Walz is a damn good coach.

 

[UC10NN]

Not Geno's finest moment in his presser. He was clearly embarrassed by the margin of victory, as he should be. But blaming the other team is beneath him. He shakes his head and says "I've never seen anything like that, ever", as if the fault for the margin is St. Francis's style of play. Two seconds later he refutes that statement by mentioning Paul Westhead, who used exactly the same system at Loyola Marymount.

Auriemma then used the excuse of keeping his starters fresh as to why they played as many minutes as they did (Nurse was close to 30!), as if 10 fewer minutes each would make a difference. Sorry Geno, the absolute size of the margin of victory is on you, not St. Francis. You want them to slow down and hold the ball so they only lose by 60 rather than 100. Great solution.

In closing, like it or not, games and scores like this will not entice new male fans to women's college basketball.

Geno has a responsibility to the team and no one else’s, not the media, not the NCAA, not you, not I and definitely not future male fans of WCBB. The goal right now is to win a chip. If that means he needs to play his starters 20 minutes to give them game action after 10+ days of no real game action, so be it. And since they are on the court, he expects them to play UCONN ball as do we. Just because they are up by a bunch does not mean they should play differently, otherwise they would be making bad habits because they are almost always up by a bunch.

It’s like those that says well once they are up by 20, let others play. Well that would be 3 minutes into the game yesterday. How do you think his starters would feel about that? Work your ass off in practices so you can play 5 minutes.

 

[mbr33ct]

Not Geno's finest moment in his presser. He was clearly embarrassed by the margin of victory, as he should be. But blaming the other team is beneath him. He shakes his head and says "I've never seen anything like that, ever", as if the fault for the margin is St. Francis's style of play. Two seconds later he refutes that statement by mentioning Paul Westhead, who used exactly the same system at Loyola Marymount.

Auriemma then used the excuse of keeping his starters fresh as to why they played as many minutes as they did (Nurse was close to 30!), as if 10 fewer minutes each would make a difference. Sorry Geno, the absolute size of the margin of victory is on you, not St. Francis. You want them to slow down and hold the ball so they only lose by 60 rather than 100. Great solution.

In closing, like it or not, games and scores like this will not entice new male fans to women's college basketball.

I don't get it, you do not blame St Francis...but you do blame this fully on Geno? Hindsight, maybe Geno should have just kept his starters on the bench. St Francis jacked up 81 shots, coupled with UConn's 91...a unfathomable 172 total shots by both teams. Balls were heading to baskets at a record pace of 4+ a minute. So, let St Francis play their style but UConn should not.

 

[UcMiami]

Thanks for posting. Nice smart response and interesting insight on that blow-out NC game.

And the SF game in comparison to the massacre of TX three years ago and the massacre of MSU two years ago ... realistically the SF outperformed expectations compared to those two teams.

 

[warbler1055]

It's Sunday morning, I just finished reading the Courant sports section and having my coffee. Looking at this tread, I am shocked and amazed at the negativity of the posts, the incessant whines and complaints against both the SF coach and Geno. IMHO, the SF coach showed class and spoke well about why he chose the game plan with disastrous results. The SF players competed hard and their best scorer Jessica Kovatch (sp?) was lock down by KN. They were simply overmatched. Geno did what he had to do to prepare his team, he surely did not want to embarrass anybody, least of all SF players and coach. I just want to enjoy the win and hope that SF will have a great memory of the game and have much improved and better players in the future.

 

[Sifaka]

In closing, like it or not, games and scores like this will not entice new male fans to women's college basketball.

Well, now we know, at last, the point of women playing college basketball. I shall go lurk in the corner and commiserate with the potted plant, because I have long suffered from the misconception that they were motivated to play the game to the best of their abilities, have fun playing a game they love, get an education, and all those other trivialities.

How could I have missed something so obvious as the importance of enticing male fans? I can only beg forgiveness for appreciating how well they play.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Thanks for posting. Nice smart response and interesting insight on that blow-out NC game.

And the SF game in comparison to the massacre of TX three years ago and the massacre of MSU two years ago ... realistically the SF outperformed expectations compared to those two teams.

Terrific find and Jeff, poor guy, and they all do it, the good ones, he remebers every detail of that 33 point National Ch defeat at UConn's hands.

 

[CL82]

Thanks for posting. Nice smart response and interesting insight on that blow-out NC game.

And the SF game in comparison to the massacre of TX three years ago and the massacre of MSU two years ago ... realistically the SF outperformed expectations compared to those two teams.

I think some of how the game is being perceived is due to the St. Francis coach's presser. If he had said what Walz did in the way Walz did, the narrative would bee a collective shrug and a feel good story about a plucky SF team that "went for it."

 

[Bronx23]

St. Francis:

I love this coach. Throw it all on the line and see if a crazy approach works. Sometimes the best failures are really big ones. You learn more from that than taking a conventional approach. He stepped up and took the blame and he didn't give a darn about the score. He was proud of his players and the way they competed--that had to be exhausting. It gets back to the old adage that it's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. They went out and did their best. UConn went out and did their best. Both teams had fun too. UConn was just better. And I loved the players attitudes in the presser. It really shows how games can teach us things about life if we let them. It took much sacrifice and unselfishness for St. Francis to get to that game and get to participate in it. They aren't going to go feel sorry for themselves. They'll probably have a party.

I love this post and your sentiments.
This coach and team worked all year to play a certain style and they did it in this game against what is probably the very best team in the country. They won their conference championship, so it worked pretty well to this point. For him to change the style or approach is absurd. Yes they wouldn't have lost by so many points, but so what. They surely played hard and shot poorly, but they never gave up. They stayed with their game plan. Some of you say they didn't make adjustments or call time outs. They did exactly, other than not having a good shooting game, exactly what they planned. That was their goal and they accomplished it.
I am extremely impressed with the coach and his two seniors comments, maturity, focus and goals for themselves and their teammates as their program goes forward.
When I watched the game I didn't think any of these things. I thought it was a ridiculous blowout and as others said they didn't adjust. Now, I see it quite differently. There's absolutely no way they have the athletes to compete with U Conn. Louisville a very good team with much better athletes got blown out.
We always talk here about the striving for excellence and not playing to your competition. That's just what they did, but at the level they are capable of playing at.
Kudos to the coach and team for giving it your all and never stop trying, EVEN when you know you have no SHOT! It's actually the same thing U Conn, teaches, play to your level and don't ever let up!
Think about it fellow BY'ers, this #16 came, played their hearts out and will have the memory and experience of being on the same floor with a truly great team, playing at a level you never have experienced before. Their best player said that Geno now has to know her name. Imagine that - never being recruited by too many schools and now the greatest coach maybe in all of basketball history is planning how to guard you.
In retrospect this was a special game for both teams!
Bronx23

 

[Roger G]

I love this post and your sentiments.
This coach and team worked all year to play a certain style and they did it in this game against what is probably the very best team in the country. They won their conference championship, so it worked pretty well to this point. For him to change the style or approach is absurd. Yes they wouldn't have lost by so many points, but so what. They surely played hard and shot poorly, but they never gave up. They stayed with their game plan. Some of you say they didn't make adjustments or call time outs. They did exactly, other than not having a good shooting game, exactly what they planned. That was their goal and they accomplished it.
I am extremely impressed with the coach and his two seniors comments, maturity, focus and goals for themselves and their teammates as their program goes forward.
When I watched the game I didn't think any of these things. I thought it was a ridiculous blowout and as others said they didn't adjust. Now, I see it quite differently. There's absolutely no way they have the athletes to compete with U Conn. Louisville a very good team with much better athletes got blown out.
We always talk here about the striving for excellence and not playing to your competition. That's just what they did, but at the level they are capable of playing at.
Kudos to the coach and team for giving it your all and never stop trying, EVEN when you know you have no SHOT! It's actually the same thing U Conn, teaches, play to your level and don't ever let up!
Think about it fellow BY'ers, this #16 came, played their hearts out and will have the memory and experience of being on the same floor with a truly great team, playing at a level you never have experienced before. Their best player said that Geno now has to know her name. Imagine that - never being recruited by too many schools and now the greatest coach maybe in all of basketball history is planning how to guard you.
In retrospect this was a special game for both teams!
Bronx23

Now I love your post!

 

[lne001]

I don't get it, you do not blame St Francis...but you do blame this fully on Geno? Hindsight, maybe Geno should have just kept his starters on the bench. St Francis jacked up 81 shots, coupled with UConn's 91...a unfathomable 172 total shots by both teams. Balls were heading to baskets at a record pace of 4+ a minute. So, let St Francis play their style but UConn should not.

What I have said in 3 threads is that this result was inevitable, with only the size of the blow out in question. Both coaches did what they felt they needed to do.

I did sense Geno was not pleased that the margin of victory was as large as it was. Why not? I believe he was embarrassed by the result. Why?

 

[wallman]

Well I guess if we can all read Geno I would say he was pissed his team didn't get a real good workout against any kind of defense. All he got was a little conditioning.

 

[lne001]

Well, now we know, at last, the point of women playing college basketball. I shall go lurk in the corner and commiserate with the potted plant, because I have long suffered from the misconception that they were motivated to play the game to the best of their abilities, have fun playing a game they love, get an education, and all those other trivialities.

How could I have missed something so obvious as the importance of enticing male fans? I can only beg forgiveness for appreciating how well they play.

I understand your points and agree with them.

I just thought that most posters on this board want there to be substantive growth in the fandom, appreciation and coverage of the women's game. That will not happen unless more of today's non-fans (read males) tune in. This game did not help that eventuality.

Those of us who already watch and attend women's games are not the source of future growth.

 

[Bronx23]

Not Geno's finest moment in his presser. He was clearly embarrassed by the margin of victory, as he should be. But blaming the other team is beneath him. He shakes his head and says "I've never seen anything like that, ever", as if the fault for the margin is St. Francis's style of play. Two seconds later he refutes that statement by mentioning Paul Westhead, who used exactly the same system at Loyola Marymount.

Auriemma then used the excuse of keeping his starters fresh as to why they played as many minutes as they did (Nurse was close to 30!), as if 10 fewer minutes each would make a difference. Sorry Geno, the absolute size of the margin of victory is on you, not St. Francis. You want them to slow down and hold the ball so they only lose by 60 rather than 100. Great solution.

In closing, like it or not, games and scores like this will not entice new male fans to women's college basketball.

Sorry to say nothing will!
If you haven't already seen and heard of the brand of basketball U Conn women have played pretty damn consistently for many years, are you really going to start now.
Even my wife who loves basketball and my daughter who played HS and AAU aren't interested in the finer points of the game. They'd rather watch dunking and showboating and the last minutes of a close game sending four players to one side and watch your star player do his thing!
That's the world we live in!
Bronx23

 

[Longtime fan]

Yeah, I don't fault the coach for that at all. That's how they play, it got them this far, and they didn't have a chance in hell to win. So why not let them go down swinging?

We all have to agree with this. They are a relentless team, just like UCONN. They got here based upon the style of play we saw. It just happens that UCONn is the worst possible opponent for that " run and gun" offense. UCONN eats it alive and thrives on it. So, unless you are as talented as UCONN, you are playing into their hands.

But St. Francis would have been unhappy with themselves if they tried a different style and lost anyway. As the old expression goes, " you dance with the one that brung you."

I think they were poorly placed at 16, and could have beaten a lot of teams in this tournament.

 

[Teacherdeb]

The starters could easily have played fewer minutes, they weren't really needed. UConn could have called off the press earlier, put a leash on his offense, a myriad of other things that a Hall of Fame coach certainly knows. That game was hardly a display of excellence, and I anticipated your unsolicited advice and turned the game off after 6 minutes.

If you read what I've been posting you should know that I don't care by how much UConn won. Hell, lay it on. I do care somewhat, however, when Geno blames the other coach for the embarrassment that he himself feels.

Well if your goal is to create puzzlement with your interpretations, goal realized.
You watched 6 minutes. You can’t possibly call yourself a fan, wait, that’s too obvious...any embarrassment around here would be for your observations.

 

[lne001]

Well if your goal is to create puzzlement with your interpretations, goal realized.
You watched 6 minutes. You can’t possibly call yourself a fan, wait, that’s too obvious...any embarrassment around here would be for your observations.

I'm been a fan of UConn women's basketball since they were first shown on TV, and followed them in the Courant prior to that. I've seen several games in person and have watched probably 95% of their total televised contests. I've been an admirer of Auriemma since he started, and am in awe of what he has built. So apparently your power of observation and certainly inference is not particularly strong.

What I am not is someone who would bother watching a totally embarrassing mismatch of a game. What I am not is someone whose passion for the team and players blinds me to the reality before my eyes. What I am not is someone who treats the team, coach and players like some sort of religious icon. All of these make me a bad fan in your eyes. I can certainly live with that.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[Gus Mahler]

I mean, some of those shots Kovatch took would make Laksa blush. But that playground stuff was all okay while the selfless, precision basketball UConn played was heartless or something.

Great line. And you're right.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Just because they are up by a bunch does not mean they should play differently, otherwise they would be making bad habits because they are almost always up by a bunch.

Right on. And I've always been under the impression that when don't go full out as usual you are more prone to injury. That might be an urban myth, though.