The trap! Auriemma's opinion

[Tenspro2002]

Way back when Maya was playing, she came back to the huddle in the Syracuse game after Syracuse players were playing dirty and trash-talking. Coach Geno asked her what she wanted to do, to which Maya said, "I want to beat them by 40." Coach Geno left her in for the game, and they beat Syracuse by 40.

But no class is no class. UCF should be embarrassed.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that Maya said she wanted to *score* 40, which she did. We won that game by over 50.

 

[Plebe]

Something else that should be noted is that all 5 of the UCF players on the court at the time (Kaba, Ndour, Martin, Wilson, Battles) were also bench players.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

To be fair, UCONN was trapping with 2 minutes left in the game.

And the entire game.

I doubt Geno has a problem with UCF trapping had they done so the entire game. When you do it only in the waning seconds against back of the bench types.......

 

[Centerstream]

Had Geno left his starting unit on the floor in the final seconds and trapped UCF's bench that would've been okay with you?

And as I have posted elsewhere...if Geno put the starters back in and let them try to score ASAP, and then upon a successful basket put on the full court pressure - it would have led off the next Sports Center show. And not as a highlight.
Because there are just some things that you don't do.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I'm sure her last minute instructions were something on the order of "Forget the score. Play like it's the first minute of the game and the score is 0-0. That's what we do here."

If they had played like they did the first 39+ minutes they would not have trapped.

 

[HopJim]

And the entire game.

I doubt Geno has a problem with UCF trapping had they done so the entire game. When you do it only in the waning seconds against back of the bench types..

UCF's trap included a great deal of pushing and elbow swinging. Coming after several total wipe outs of the UConn players after layups, I suspect Geno's issue was not just the trap.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

What reason can ole Abe give for pulling that maneuver? That she wanted her bench players to work on the trap for a whole possession? They had the entire 4th when the game was out of reach to work on it, and could've tried it against high-level players. Not much point in running roughshod over the back of UConn's bench when they weren't expecting it.

 

[JoePgh]

If they had played like they did the first 39+ minutes they would not have trapped.

However, if Kyla had entered the game in any of those first 39 minutes, they would have trapped HER because the scout probably said that was her weakness. Of course, they aren't going to trap players who can beat it, as all the UConn starters can. I still think they were just following the scout, because they expected to be hollered at if they didn't.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Having watched the game in person last night and then re-watched it via DVR, let me offer a hypothesis about how the trap on Kyla came to be.

First of all, let me say that I'm pretty sure that it didn't happen because Coach A said to her team with less than a minute left, "I see that #25 is coming into the game. She can't handle the ball. Trap her aggressively." I'm sure her last minute instructions were something on the order of "Forget the score. Play like it's the first minute of the game and the score is 0-0. That's what we do here."

Let me also guess that, like most good teams, UCF had prepared a scouting report before the game that covered each of the UConn players' games, with an emphasis on weaknesses that could be exploited. For the bench, it would have been a sentence or two, such as maybe this:

#4 -- "Has no jump shot, but can move. Sag off of her."

#10 -- "Gets flustered when she makes decisions with the ball. Trap her aggressively, and don't let her get open for a 3."

#25 -- "Not used to handling the ball. When she gets it, trap aggressively."

#32 -- "Foul prone. Go right at her under the basket."

So, when her own bench players got in at the end of the game, they did what they assumed their coach would want -- they followed the scout and trapped #25. If they didn't, they figured the coach would yell at them, just as Geno would have.

There was nothing at the end of the scout that said, "But of course, if there is only a minute left and the game has been decided, don't do any of these things." And I find it understandable that Coach A would not have thought to say that.

And on a related subject, I am completely unable to understand why anyone would think that it is bad sportsmanship for players on the bench to cheer when their team does something good, regardless of the score. That's what bench players are supposed to do -- cf. Geno in the famous video clip, endlessly cited here, about how bench players that are uninvolved in the game will never play -- EVER!!!

Except they weren't just cheering. They were going batshit as if they had just won the national championship instead of having their hat handed to them. Not only were they screeching and jumping around, they were stepping on the court, and they were taunting and posing.
I have probably watched a thousand WCBB games and I have never seen that sort of behavior by a loser.

 

[CL82]

My understanding is that he made his feelings known to the UCF coach in the handshake line. It was obvious that he was not pleased and he let her know it.

If my lip reading is up to snuff, he said "unbelievable" twice as he walked by.

 

[Centerstream]

Having watched the game in person last night and then re-watched it via DVR, let me offer a hypothesis about how the trap on Kyla came to be.

First of all, let me say that I'm pretty sure that it didn't happen because Coach A said to her team with less than a minute left, "I see that #25 is coming into the game. She can't handle the ball. Trap her aggressively." I'm sure her last minute instructions were something on the order of "Forget the score. Play like it's the first minute of the game and the score is 0-0. That's what we do here."

Let me also guess that, like most good teams, UCF had prepared a scouting report before the game that covered each of the UConn players' games, with an emphasis on weaknesses that could be exploited. For the bench, it would have been a sentence or two, such as maybe this:

#4 -- "Has no jump shot, but can move. Sag off of her."

#10 -- "Gets flustered when she makes decisions with the ball. Trap her aggressively, and don't let her get open for a 3."

#25 -- "Not used to handling the ball. When she gets it, trap aggressively."

#32 -- "Foul prone. Go right at her under the basket."

So, when her own bench players got in at the end of the game, they did what they assumed their coach would want -- they followed the scout and trapped #25. If they didn't, they figured the coach would yell at them, just as Geno would have.

There was nothing at the end of the scout that said, "But of course, if there is only a minute left and the game has been decided, don't do any of these things." And I find it understandable that Coach A would not have thought to say that.

And on a related subject, I am completely unable to understand why anyone would think that it is bad sportsmanship for players on the bench to cheer when their team does something good, regardless of the score. That's what bench players are supposed to do -- cf. Geno in the famous video clip, endlessly cited here, about how bench players that are uninvolved in the game will never play -- EVER!!!

Very good points but I also want to think that when my team is down 20+ points, and we have been out of the game since the 3rd quarter and there is less than a minute left in the game, then let's just end this thing and get out of here. There will be a next time.
In the previous 2 beatdowns this season, did UCF behave in the same manner???

 

[cabbie191]

I'll ask again. What was the point of trapping players like Bent and Irwin in the final seconds of a blowout after not doing so the entire game? The issue is not the voracity with which UCF was playing.

I understand your perspective, but I also think you can turn it 180 degrees and ask: What's the point in having Dangerfield diving after a loose ball on the floor when the team is up by almost 30 points?

On our side, it's rhetorical - UConn players are taught to hustle all the time, regardless of the situation.

I didn't pick up on who the UCF players were that employed the trap. Maybe they were those who play significant minutes throughout the year, and maybe they were kids off the deep end of the bench who rarely see the court and who wanted to play as hard as they could in the few seconds they had.

And honestly, while we don't expect to see much playing time for Bent and Irwin during the rest of the season, I hope they will have had enough experience in practice and through the little game time they've had to be able to handle this type of pressure should the need arise for them to see significant playing time because of injury or foul trouble on our guys.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I didn't pick up on who the UCF players were that employed the trap. Maybe they were those who play significant minutes throughout the year, and maybe they were kids off the deep end of the bench who rarely see the court and who wanted to play as hard as they could in the few seconds they had.

And honestly, while we don't expect to see much playing time for Bent and Irwin during the rest of the season, I hope they will have had enough experience in practice and through the little game time they've had to be able to handle this type of pressure should the need arise for them to see significant playing time because of injury or foul trouble on our guys.

Highly unlikely it was a spontaneous trap. There was a substitution TO just before that. They had a chance to set what they wanted to do, and as soon as the ball went to Irwin near the sideline they attacked like pitbulls.

Also, there is zero chance Irwin or Bent see significant time in any kind of close game from here on out. Had Irwin been expecting it---had USF been trapping consistently---she might've been able to adjust. But it was lambs to the wolves there. Why do that to kids who are getting a tiny bit of floor time at the end of a blowout?

 

[vtcwbuff]

I think the trap probably was spontaneous. But boo on the coach that had not taught her players that it was the wrong thing to do at that point in the game.

 

[Husky fanatic]

My understanding is that he made his feelings known to the UCF coach in the handshake line. It was obvious that he was not pleased and he let her know it.

In reading lips I believe he said “ unf-x-ing believable “ and then said it again as he shook her hand

 

[BroadwayVa]

Having watched the game in person last night and then re-watched it via DVR, let me offer a hypothesis about how the trap on Kyla came to be.

First of all, let me say that I'm pretty sure that it didn't happen because Coach A said to her team with less than a minute left, "I see that #25 is coming into the game. She can't handle the ball. Trap her aggressively." I'm sure her last minute instructions were something on the order of "Forget the score. Play like it's the first minute of the game and the score is 0-0. That's what we do here."

Let me also guess that, like most good teams, UCF had prepared a scouting report before the game that covered each of the UConn players' games, with an emphasis on weaknesses that could be exploited. For the bench, it would have been a sentence or two, such as maybe this:

#4 -- "Has no jump shot, but can move. Sag off of her."

#10 -- "Gets flustered when she makes decisions with the ball. Trap her aggressively, and don't let her get open for a 3."

#25 -- "Not used to handling the ball. When she gets it, trap aggressively."

#32 -- "Foul prone. Go right at her under the basket."

So, when her own bench players got in at the end of the game, they did what they assumed their coach would want -- they followed the scout and trapped #25. If they didn't, they figured the coach would yell at them, just as Geno would have.

There was nothing at the end of the scout that said, "But of course, if there is only a minute left and the game has been decided, don't do any of these things." And I find it understandable that Coach A would not have thought to say that.

And on a related subject, I am completely unable to understand why anyone would think that it is bad sportsmanship for players on the bench to cheer when their team does something good, regardless of the score. That's what bench players are supposed to do -- cf. Geno in the famous video clip, endlessly cited here, about how bench players that are uninvolved in the game will never play -- EVER!!!

I was in near agreement with every thing except your last paragraph. I like that you don't know, neither do I, what Ucf coach told or didn't tell her team in the closing minute. As another poster suggested it could have been spontaneous ie just happened in the moment.
Since no one on this board knows for sure the higher road is always the best to be traveled.
Thanks . Geno wants his teams always involved every minutes. They cheer their team: Christine and Geno would have hissy fits should they diss a player from the opponents.
You point are well taken, again I appreciate a higher walked road, thanks.

 

[OldAlum]

I think the trapping at the end was more of a last straw for Geno. And, of course, it was more than a trap - it was fouling. UCF plays physical and perhaps "chippy" and the refs let a fair bit of it go on. Geno already didnt care for the style of play and he (incorrectly) thought that sending in the subs would result in a polite playing out of a game whose outcome was decided.

I did find the UCF bench celebrations while they were losing big rather bizarre. (Didnt see any taunting etc on tv) I get keeping up team spirit and being happy for good play, but acting like you are winning when you are hopelessly behind was odd. Kind of like saying "Hey, staying within 20 makes us happy and is our highest goal!"

 

[MSGRET]

I think the trapping at the end was more of a last straw for Geno. And, of course, it was more than a trap - it was fouling. UCF plays physical and perhaps "chippy" and the refs let a fair bit of it go on. Geno already didnt care for the style of play and he (incorrectly) thought that sending in the subs would result in a polite playing out of a game whose outcome was decided.

I did find the UCF bench celebrations while they were losing big rather bizarre. (Didnt see any taunting etc on tv) I get keeping up team spirit and being happy for good play, but acting like you are winning when you are hopelessly behind was odd. Kind of like saying "Hey, staying within 20 makes us happy and is our highest goal!"

I didn't see that before but I definitely see it now. After MW is called for a travel THREE UCF players break out into an extended dance. That is definitely mocking, silly, & stupid.

Here is the link to where the taunting is. The UCF player is doing the traveling signal and pointing at the UConn player. That is taunting.

 

['nuff sed]

As bush at that was though........

why do I keep getting this mental picture in my head of a screaming crowd in the Roman Colosseum

with UCF as the Christians and Uconn as the Lions

and the bloodthirsty crowd screaming Death Death Death !!! cuz a couple of Christians threw a rock at one of the lions

I don't really wannna be reading the Rise and Fall of the UConn Empire in a couple years.

 

['nuff sed]

I've NEVER under any circumstances sanctioned throwing at batters intentionally, but I do understand your point. I've been watching MLB for over 60 years, and agree that bunting (although it's legal) to break up a no-no is a bush league tactic that most veteran big league managers would not employ.

Ooooohhh

Somebody goes out of the baseline with his spikes up to take out your shortstop you better be throwing at him first chance.

Otherwise you won’t have a job.

Unwritten rule.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Here is the link to where the taunting is.

Yes, their behavior in celebrating and dancing around as they were losing the game by a large margin was crass and dumb. They can clap for their teammates, but what they were doing while losing badly made them look really bad. And Rebeccah Lobo also said as much.

 

[JRRRJ]

I'm a bit of a purest. If trapping is allowed don't be awestruck when it happens. Yea the timing stunk, but it was legit, no ref calls because of the trap (yes the foul after). It is part of the game. Accept it or get a rule to change it. Geno knows that. He was being emotional and an Emotional Geno dosen't always think before he speaks.
Geno probably was angry with the whole UCF game and latched on this to make a point.

This is another example of the current unfortunate ethos: "If it's not explicitly illegal, it's fine to do it at any time."

Not a subscriber here.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Anything I might say has already been said, so I won't. My only contribution would be to refer anyone interested to the final moments of the 2000 championship game. I'll cut Kara Lawson some slack for being nineteen, but that has stayed with me all these years.

 

[ABCDFE]

Anything I might say has already been said, so I won't. My only contribution would be to refer anyone interested to the final moments of the 2000 championship game. I'll cut Kara Lawson some slack for being nineteen, but that has stayed with me all these years.

What happened? Can you remind us

 

[hussybulldog]

Uhhhh, unwritten rules aren't WRITTEN on paper. That's why they are "unwritten rules". Sorry, that was too easy. I just had to revert back to being a 12 year old for a moment.

Sorry. Go finish your french doors.

What are the other unwritten rules ? Is their a most updated manual somewhere ?