The Time Has Come

[Bald Husky]

I think the time has come for all Boneyarders to face the fact that UConn is no longer the force that it once was, and never will be again. I'm not saying that a National Championship will not be won by UConn in the future, just that we are not the formidable team that WCBB has feared in the last 25 years. The basketball players coming out now are incredible, and there are so many of them. In the past, freshmen weren't expected to play major roles in their first year, but now many have had huge impacts on their teams right away. The coaching is so much better, and Universities are paying more attention to the womens game as opposed to the past.
It is time, and I realized that last night, that we don't have to get so upset when we lose. There are some great teams out there and they all want a piece of us. We are still the program that everybody loves to hate, and still the program that everybody wants to beat. I am proud to be a UConn fan, and although we may not dominate like we used to, we can still hang with anybody. It's just time to acknowledge that we will win and lose on occasion, but we are still UConn and we will never back down to anyone. Now we are the underdogs, and people that count us out will have a rude awakening because our pride, our skill, our determination will not go away. We are UConn, and we will always be the toughest opponent that everyone else will have to deal with.

 

[BBallF]

I believe that the biggest changes have been first the size and skill and the number of the many talented players coming out of high school and the latter means that they are not just going to UCONN, Notre Dame or Tennessee for example as it was in the last 15- 20 years. Second, NIL and the transfer portal have also been most significant. However, as for our team, just imagine us 2 years ago with a healthy Paige all year without the plethora of other injuries or sicknesses, a healthy Paige also all last year with an equally healthy Azzi and others, no injury to Caroline, and no injuries this year. Give me a healthy Azzi, a Caroline of old, a fully healed Aubrey, Jana and Ayanna, and we win that game last night. My own opinion is that there is substantial overuse by playing the sport all year long, sometimes 365, beginning at the lower levels and going through AAU and high school and that there becomes a tipping point of vulnerability because of it. The sneakers never go off the feet like they used to when sports were more seasonal. It is not going to change soon. For UCONN, other teams never could beat us, but injuries could.

 

[jabstep]

I believe that the biggest changes have been first the size and skill and the number of the many talented players coming out of high school and the latter means that they are not just going to UCONN, Notre Dame or Tennessee for example as it was in the last 15- 20 years. Second, NIL and the transfer portal have also been most significant. However, as for our team, just imagine us 2 years ago with a healthy Paige all year without the plethora of other injuries or sicknesses, a healthy Paige also all last year with an equally healthy Azzi and others, no injury to Caroline, and no injuries this year. Give me a healthy Azzi, a Caroline of old, a fully healed Aubrey, Jana and Ayanna, and we win that game last night. My own opinion is that there is substantial overuse by playing the sport all year long, sometimes 365, beginning at the lower levels and going through AAU and high school and that there becomes a tipping point of vulnerability because of it. The sneakers never go off the feet like they used to when sports were more seasonal. It is not going to change soon. For UCONN, other teams never could beat us, but injuries could.

Is it possible that "Our practices are harder than the games" is the right thing with players competing all year-round ? Look at Paige and Azzi traveling to NYC to work out and get better. They push themselves extremely hard. We in the past three years have had a lot of our top line players get injured. It seems more than most teams. I can't think of a team that has as many injuries as us. We also tend to play our starters in tournaments such as the the Cayman Islands 35 minutes in the first game and then come back the next day and do it again. Should Paige play 35 minutes again today?

This is not a knock on Geno but a discussion.


As you said with all our players healthy I think we can compete with anybody.

 

[BBallF]

Is it possible that "Our practices are harder than the games" is the right thing with players competing all year-round ? Look at Paige and Azzi traveling to NYC to work out and get better. They push themselves extremely hard. We in the past three years have had a lot of our top line players get injured. It seems more than most teams. I can't think of a team that has as many injuries as us. We also tend to play our starters in tournaments such as the the Cayman Islands 35 minutes in the first game and then come back the next day and do it again. Should Paige play 35 minutes again today?

This is not a knock on Geno but a discussion.


As you said with all our players healthy I think we can compete with anybody.

The problem with the "practice is too hard" theory is that several of these injuries have occurred outside it, like Paige's ACL. I don't know if the theory is plausible, but I do know that there is great overuse of the specific muscles by the 365 approach to hoops.

 

[hoopsfan22]

It's a program that's falling back to the pack (and has been since Stewie & Co. left town) as the Geno era winds down. No dynasty lasts forever and it was a heck of a run that spanned decades. As a program, it's on the Tennessee trajectory and not the South Carolina one, and fans need to adjust their expectations.

 

[BBallF]

It's a program that's falling back to the pack (and has been since Stewie & Co. left town) as the Geno era winds down. No dynasty lasts forever and it was a heck of a run that spanned decades. As a program, it's on the Tennessee trajectory and not the South Carolina one, and fans need to adjust their expectations.

See I don't agree. We were in the Finals 2 years ago and the FF forever up until last year. It was the deluge of injuries that have put us back, not Geno winding down.

 

[snlMINAJ]

i'd like to add that this is what everyone wanted (outside of us)... from maya and tina years to stewie years it was UConn is no good for the game. turns out yes they were, without our dominance the sport would probably not have been as spotlighted as brightly

 

[hoopsfan22]

See I don't agree. We were in the Finals 2 years ago and the FF forever up until last year. It was the deluge of injuries that have put us back, not Geno winding down.

You're just not seeing the signs. Look how long ago the last title was. Look at how virtually every single streak has been snapped over the past five years. Look how the coaches can't get a skilled big to sign. Look at how players flourish at other programs while UConn's tend to languish on the bench because they're supposedly not good enough in practice. Look how the coaching staff has to go overseas to fill roster needs. It's not to say UConn won't get good recruits or remain relevant, Tennessee still does and is, but the ceiling will be lower and fans need to be OK with that. It's a tough pill to swallow, but one every fan of a historically successful team must.

 

[Geesworld]

I think UCONN women's program is everything it always has been. Just has to stay healthy for once. Two young post players injured and two wing players injured. Which adds to over use of freshman at this stage of the season. Which program has had to face these types of adversities as consistently?

Geno just needs to scour the earth for one 9 footer and order is restored.

 

[omshanti]

I’ve been saying for years that the UConn fan base (for the most part) is spoiled and entitled. Having won 11 national championships will do that to you.
I went to the Big East Tournament when Gampel first opened and you could find an almost empty arena. UConn started winning and everyone jumped on board. Now we expect to go undefeated and pout if we don’t win every game.

Thankfully people have realized that women and girls can play a fantastic game of basketball. It is a wonder to behold. There are so many amazing players out there and the parity is not going away.

Injuries have happened along the way. Kids start ‘specializing’ sports at a very young age. geno was right with his assessment that players are playing all year round, not giving their young bodies a chance to rest. the human body is that, a human body. We are not robots or machines and we do not live forever. Some athletes are more prone to injuries than others. Sometimes crap happens. Science and criticism won’t stop injuries or illness from happening.

The game of basketball has evolved as the players have evolved. I get upset and disappointed when they lose. Then I remember that these kids are kids and the staff involved is doing a wonderful job. I just love women’s basketball. Always did and always will. Let’s get ‘‘em tonight.

 

[pvdoggy]

Injuries have been the biggest opponents for Uconn in the last 2-3 years, even with the parity in wbb. With a fully healthy team, I am pretty confident the result would have been different. Before the season we all thought that this team is going to be lights out from 3-pt range with all the shooters that we had. Now it looks like we have no shooters other than Paige and even her % is off because she has to try to do too much to compensate.

 

[jabstep]

I’ve been saying for years that the UConn fan base (for the most part) is spoiled and entitled. Having won 11 national championships will do that to you.
I went to the Big East Tournament when Gampel first opened and you could find an almost empty arena. UConn started winning and everyone jumped on board. Now we expect to go undefeated and pout if we don’t win every game.

Thankfully people have realized that women and girls can play a fantastic game of basketball. It is a wonder to behold. There are so many amazing players out there and the parity is not going away.

Injuries have happened along the way. Kids start ‘specializing’ sports at a very young age. geno was right with his assessment that players are playing all year round, not giving their young bodies a chance to rest. the human body is that, a human body. We are not robots or machines and we do not live forever. Some athletes are more prone to injuries than others. Sometimes crap happens. Science and criticism won’t stop injuries or illness from happening.

The game of basketball has evolved as the players have evolved. I get upset and disappointed when they lose. Then I remember that these kids are kids and the staff involved is doing a wonderful job. I just love women’s basketball. Always did and always will. Let’s get ‘‘em tonight.

Knowing as Geno says "players are playing all year long" should be considered in Practice regiments and high-stress early tournaments where we play back-to-back games. I think today's game will be tough and we want to win this game but is our player's health worth the win? Should the freshmen get the game experience they need? Without Ice, Ayanna, and Amari contributing to the frontcourt and KK, Q, and Shade contributing to the backcourt it will be a long season. Maybe Losing now and winning later is my point.

 

[SockCymbal]

https://media.tenor.com/uYkR5zJhHfsAAAAC/the-sky-is-falling-chicken-little.gif

 

[Urshurak]

I was thinking about this last night. The fan base has some serious rose colored glasses. Some are wearing a couple of pairs and then stick their heads in the sand.

UConn is still relevant. I’m not sure this year will be very good, we shall see. Doesn’t mean #12 isn’t on the horizon.

Things change. Parity is upon us and that’s good.

Want the secret. Forget the injuries, no bigs, etc.

Pssst. Everyone gather in. Secret time.

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.
.
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Guard the 3 line. Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone. But somebody needs to whisper it to Geno.

 

[hookshot]

It's a program that's falling back to the pack (and has been since Stewie & Co. left town) as the Geno era winds down. No dynasty lasts forever and it was a heck of a run that spanned decades. As a program, it's on the Tennessee trajectory and not the South Carolina one, and fans need to adjust their expectations.

You are as likely wrong than right. Watch how it plays out, then you'll know

 

[Zonepress]

The references to recruiting are not backed up by the facts
Amari Deberry was a very highly recruited 6/6
Big player

A Patterson what is considered the best power forward in her class

Jana el efy if she was an American player would’ve been one of the top recruits in Country

Ice Brady was considered the 2nd best post player in her class

So this narrative the Gino can’t recruit big players is simply not true
It’s certainly fair to say that they haven’t had an impact due to injuries, and not developing as quickly as perhaps the coaching staff would like

It seems that folks should realize three things

Injuries have been a huge factor

Some players may not have developed as much as the coaching staff anticipated

And even if all these players were playing at great levels, UConn still does not have a talent advantage over many of the top programs

Unlike many who are commenting, I actually watch the game yesterday and I saw a team that played very very hard and Whlle there may have been a pathway to win the game if they could’ve made some shots to start the third quarter
It was a parent to me that UCLA had more talent. It was the better team.

I listen to the interview with UCLA coach after the game and after she had lots of praise on the UConn program and I am paraphrasing what she said, they expected to win the game that they weren’t playing the UConn teams of yesteryear, and that she didn’t believe her team played particularly well

All that being said, I do believe the team will improve, but they will have some serious shortcomings offensively that will be a real factor in the out of conference games

I for one enjoy watching the games and realize that this is sports and nothing is guaranteed and seems to play well do well

Might be time to celebrate the effort, and the hard work of all the players and realize it’s easy to be a fan when you’re winning championships and going to final fours

For what it’s worth that’s my take

 

[omshanti]

I wonder what UCLA fans said years after John Wooden retired and they didn’t win another title until 1995. Funny how the reaction now is the end of the world because UConn women lost to so and so. Maybe they’ll wi another title, maybe not…

 

[hipressure]

In years past, UCONN didn't need much luck to win ball games. We were skilled at almost every position. We used to dominate in the paint and had some of, if not the best recruiting classes each year, or at least the top 3. That has all changed. The talent is spread out and the top talent is now going elsewhere. Sure, we get good players, but they are not dominant and feared as in the past. What's more the other teams know this, and they have no fear of playing against us and expect to beat us. Also, NIL and the Portal both have played a big part in balancing the playing field. No team is a shoo-in for the final four anymore. It is up for grabs and whichever teams are peaking at the right time have a shot at the title.

Now with all of this said, I still believe in our ability to win it all. It's just that the road to the final four is not paved any longer. It's filled with a lot of obstacles, bumps, and potholes. All these will try and deter us from that ultimate goal. So, we need Lady Luck to be on our side more now than in the past.

 

[VivaLsVgs]

I agree with so many of the sentiments expressed here. It is tough to accept that we have fallen back to earth. There are so many contributing factors and the endless stream of injuries has just made it more jarring.

I truly believe certain streaks that the UConn women have achieved will never be broken; consecutive wins and Final Fours will be nearly impossible for anyone to replicate in the future. We also are the only school to have won the Women’s and Men’s titles in the same year not once, but twice, which I also doubt will ever be replicated.

I really want Geno to get one more championship before he retires but I know how difficult it will be. One thing is for sure, we will all reflect back on these past 25+ years and marvel at what was achieved. Go UConn!

 

[dogpause]

Number 6 lost to Number 2, exactly as should have been expected.

 

[Classof87]

I agree with a lot of what you've written here and agree that the talent pool is so large now that there is parity in the game as far as how that talent is spread out. There's also many players who want to be "that player" that got a program on the map and leads them to the FF - Caitlin Clark is a great example. 10-12 years ago she would have gone to Notre Dame, Stanford, or UConn, but she wanted to stay home and create something, which she has done.

The only adaptation I wish Geno would make is his banishment to the bench of players who don't practice to his expectations, and DiBarry is a perfect example of that (also Kiah Stokes). I think she could help them when they face a team w a big post player (like UCLA). I love AE, but she's not a 5, and she won't be when she moves on to the pro's.

The one criticism I have of this team is they are not good rebounders. When we get beat, we usually get beaten badly on the boards, and the defensive boards especially. The other team gets Offensive rebounds which lead to 2nd chance points.

All that said, I hope this team sticks together & gels. Get the freshmen going, and stay as healthy as possible going into March. I wouldn't care if we lost 7 or 8 games this year if it meant we were ready for March and made it to the FF again.

GO HUSKIES!

 

[omshanti]

Knowing as Geno says "players are playing all year long" should be considered in Practice regiments and high-stress early tournaments where we play back-to-back games. I think today's game will be tough and we want to win this game but is our player's health worth the win? Should the freshmen get the game experience they need? Without Ice, Ayanna, and Amari contributing to the frontcourt and KK, Q, and Shade contributing to the backcourt it will be a long season. Maybe Losing now and winning later is my point.

I don’t think back to back games is the same as players playing all year long FOR YEARS. If the schedule were back to back games for a month it would be different. Back in the day teams played tournament games back to back. In the 70’s we did, high school and college. Not many players played all year at the elite level like they do now. That I believe is Geno’s point, and my point. I think the guy knows what he’s doing. I’m not going to question him. The tournament is a good test For all.

 

[Charliebball]

Coming into this season I thought this was going to be a really solid championship-level team.............the injuries to Jana and Ayanna up front and now with the loss of Azzi and the continued unreliability of Carolyn have severely weakened the team's ability to compete against really good competition...........still, UConn's recent lack of championships can also be traced to a lack of recruiting one or two additional super athletic players, especially in the front court..............as good as Ailiyah is, she's simply not able to play intimidating defense against big, athletic frontcourts on her own.............Aubrey, while athletic is still an undersized forward and Ice may ultimately be the answer but she has a lot to learn..........look at the teams with the size and athleticism to dominate the boards like South Carolina........... even when they are having a poor shooting game, they simply crash the offensive boards for easy put backs ............if UConn doesn't shoot well, there's a good chance they won't win...........It's not all doom and gloom.............going forward UConn has two really skilled scoring recruits coming next season............if the injured players return to form and the portal can deliver a dominant rebounder and a second speedy guard UConn should stay in the NC discussion for years to come.....

 

[my2cents]

Right now, we would be ranked 15-20, reasonably. We showed yesterday that we can play a number 2, for a qtr. or two, but not an entire game against a top team. This team can go in either direction, pack it in or work on the issues.
We need players to step up and contribute. If you are not scoring, play stiff defense. Your starters can't fall behind 28-12 after the first quarter.
Also, Geno does not like to throw his freshman into the gauntlet early in the season, but he may have to.
KK will contribute, but Shade and Q need to get us 12+ a game to help Paige out.

 

[Bjbod]

Have faith Huskies. Your injury curse has been monumental, but it's so early in the year. While there's no comparing our track records, I feel both programs share very similar values.

Iowa had 6 losses last year at the end of the regular season and we all know how they finished out. This year I expect at least that many, and they have already stumbled once in their quest to assemble a new roster rotation. But, I know their goal once again is to reach the Final 4, and I think that could be achievable.

Look what you still have: I doubt many UConn faithful would take Lisa Bluder over Geno. How many of you want Caitlin Clark instead of Paige? Hannah Stuelke is our 2nd best talent...want her or Ailiyah? Our bigs have trouble handling CC's passes...I'm sure yours have more talent. Martin and Marshall are nice players with much experience but physically nowhere near the talent you bring in each year.

Trust the staff, trust the players. You want to peak in March, not November. I expect you to be right there next spring.