The view from...Pittsburgh?

[HuskyNan]

Sometimes, perspective from a different angle adds a little more clarity.

This article was written before the Final Four.

Paul Zeise: Geno Auriemma is the greatest major team sports coach of all time

There are few things I enjoy more than watching the Connecticut women’s basketball team play, and that’s because no team I have come across...

www.post-gazette.com

 

[Bama fan]

Sometimes, perspective from a different angle adds a little more clarity.

This article was written before the Final Four.

Paul Zeise: Geno Auriemma is the greatest major team sports coach of all time

There are few things I enjoy more than watching the Connecticut women’s basketball team play, and that’s because no team I have come across...

www.post-gazette.com

The home of Swin Cash! Actually a city, McKeesport, a few miles from Pittsburgh up the Mon River.

 

[pghhuskydoc]

And don't forget Ashley Battle, she grew up on the City's North Side.

 

[BRS24]

This quote matches my gut feeling prior to the AZ game. IMHO we got a bit lucky with the Baylor win, with so many questions about whether we would have gone on a 19-0 run if Richards didn't get hurt? Who knows. However, after that game, I thought about the big stage and pressure of the FF and flipped a coin as to whether we would win.

I think this is a similar thought that Lobo said prior to Stewie arriving.

"The interesting thing is this team this year is probably a year away, as it is loaded with freshmen and underclassmen and features no seniors. The Huskies play Arizona on Friday, and if they win play the winner of Stanford-South Carolina. My best advice to those teams is they better get the Huskies this year, because they will be at another level the next couple of seasons."

 

[cabbie191]

I was fooled by the thread title - I thought this was going to be someone’s retrospective on Shea’s tenure as assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh!

 

[my2cents]

I agree 100% with the article.
( But can I still criticize Geno for some bone head decisions in games???)

 

[huskiemaniac]

"Their ball movement, their unselfishness, their effort on both sides of the floor, their skill — it is all just a thing of beauty."

Written as if these attributes were a given; always true. Did the writer watch the '19-20 season? It's been
a while since the offense has been a "thing of beauty", imo.

 

[LoboDays]

I’m not a big fan of these GOAT articles. There is no doubt that Geno is one of the best but to say: “the greatest coach of any major team sport ever — is Geno Auriemma. And I am starting to think whoever is second is not particularly close.” is discrediting people who should deserve better. John Wooden isn’t close? My god.

 

[NY Fan]

It used to be said that Notre Dame Football never played an "away" game. To a great extent I'd say the same about UCONN WBB. Of course they have haters, but wherever they play they draw the largest crowds, among whom are significant fan bases. No other college BB male or female comes close!

 

[HuskyNan]

Reading the above - I’m reminded of something I read in the Orlando Sentinel years ago. After a game at Florida State, one where Diana Taurasi was struggling with an injury, UConn won on the road against a good FSU team by “only” 19 points. The Connecticut press was a-dither: what’s wrong with the Huskies? The writer for the Sentinel was baffled; he saw an excellent team overcome adversity on the road to crush a darn good team by double digits. Different perspective, I guess.

 

[KY Card Fan]

It used to be said that Notre Dame Football never played an "away" game. To a great extent I'd say the same about UCONN WBB. Of course they have haters, but wherever they play they draw the largest crowds, among whom are significant fan bases. No other college BB male or female comes close!

Wrong - University of Kentucky MBB wins that award.

 

[KY Card Fan]

I’m not a big fan of these GOAT articles. There is no doubt that Geno is one of the best but to say: “the greatest coach of any major team sport ever — is Geno Auriemma. And I am starting to think whoever is second is not particularly close.” is discrediting people who should deserve better. John Wooden isn’t close? My god.

Wooden, of course. How about Red Auerbach? Or Bill Belichick?

 

[MooseJaw]

We are spoiled, it's that simple. Think about it, why are you here, what draws you to devour every word you can find about UCONN? What other College team has the following that live and die on every game, every interview, every rumor, every recruit maybe even every hangnail? It's the team that Geno built! What he, his staff and his teams have accomplished are legendary. No team, no coach or program in the history of sports have achieved what Geno's Huskies have.
End of story, mic drop.

 

[AYusef]

Sometimes, perspective from a different angle adds a little more clarity.

This article was written before the Final Four.

Paul Zeise: Geno Auriemma is the greatest major team sports coach of all time

There are few things I enjoy more than watching the Connecticut women’s basketball team play, and that’s because no team I have come across...

www.post-gazette.com

Some of us knew this already....There isn't another coach in any sport that has a complete mastery of his sport like Geno. There are other competent coaches in the women's game, whose acumen I respect. However, in Geno UConn has a decided edge on the sideline.
When Kim Mulkey a HOF player/coach who has built a perennial power from scratch and has won 3 NC in her own right says in a press conference, "I'm not going to out coach Geno" that wasn't just "coachspeak" that was Kim being her usual brutally honest self. Do you think Tara or Dawn Staley would've ever said that?

I get others across the WCBB landscape refusing to give Geno his due, but when I see supposed UConn fans swiping at their HOF coach the phrase "clueless fools" comes to mind.

 

[CL82]

Wooden, of course. How about Red Auerbach? Or Bill Belichick?

Sure, but Auriemma has certainly earned a place in the discussion.

 

[Zanzman]

He thinks Roy Williams belongs in the the discussion for greatest coach of all time this man is delusional

 

[MSGRET]

I’m not a big fan of these GOAT articles. There is no doubt that Geno is one of the best but to say: “the greatest coach of any major team sport ever — is Geno Auriemma. And I am starting to think whoever is second is not particularly close.” is discrediting people who should deserve better. John Wooden isn’t close? My god.

John Wooden was one of the greatest in the college game, but he played in a different era. All of his NCAA championships was for the league champion's only, had only 25 teams, his teams always had a first round bye, and he only had to play 4 games to win the title. In 75 it was expanded to 32 teams and they only had to play 5 games. When Geno won his first championship the NCAA Tournament was already 64 teams vs 25 to 32 teams tournament that Wooden's teams played in. Plus there was no major traveling back in those days like there has been since the NCAA went to 64 teams, except for the 1975 championship UCLA played the regional at one site then on to the final four. In 75 they played the regional first round in Pullman, WA, the regional semifinal and final in Portland, OR and the Final Four was staged in San Diego. Also Wooden didn't have to go against someone like Pat Summit, Muffet McGraw, or Kim Mulkey who have won 11 of the 15 championships that were not won by UConn since 1995. You have people complaining that Geno gets the best players, he doesn't come close to the players that Wooden got, Kareem, Walton, Goodrich, Wicks, Hazzard, Marques Johnson just to name a few that played during his reign of winning 10 championships over a 12 year period. There is a reason why many awards are limited to no more than 3 to a team, because when Wooden was coaching during his championship run his starting 5 could have had a sweep of those awards.

 

[KY Card Fan]

O

Sure, but Auriemma has certainly earned a place in the discussion.

Of course he has. I was reacting to "nobody else is close"

 

[KY Card Fan]

John Wooden was one of the greatest in the college game, but he played in a different era. All of his NCAA championships was for the league champion's only, had only 25 teams, his teams always had a first round bye, and he only had to play 4 games to win the title. In 75 it was expanded to 32 teams and they only had to play 5 games. When Geno won his first championship the NCAA Tournament was already 64 teams vs 25 to 32 teams tournament that Wooden's teams played in. Plus there was no major traveling back in those days like there has been since the NCAA went to 64 teams, except for the 1975 championship UCLA played the regional at one site then on to the final four. In 75 they played the regional first round in Pullman, WA, the regional semifinal and final in Portland, OR and the Final Four was staged in San Diego. Also Wooden didn't have to go against someone like Pat Summit, Muffet McGraw, or Kim Mulkey who have won 11 of the 15 championships that were not won by UConn since 1995. You have people complaining that Geno gets the best players, he doesn't come close to the players that Wooden got, Kareem, Walton, Goodrich, Wicks, Hazzard, Marques Johnson just to name a few that played during his reign of winning 10 championships over a 12 year period. There is a reason why many awards are limited to no more than 3 to a team, because when Wooden was coaching during his championship run his starting 5 could have had a sweep of those awards.

Agreed - it was a different tournament back in the Wooden era.

As regards coaches in the Wooden era - there was a guy named Adolph Rupp coaching at Kentucky. He was pretty good. So was Dean Smith at North Carolina.

 

[MSGRET]

Agreed - it was a different tournament back in the Wooden era.

As regards coaches in the Wooden era - there was a guy named Adolph Rupp coaching at Kentucky. He was pretty good. So was Dean Smith at North Carolina.

He only played North Carolina and Kentucky each one time in the tournament and they were in the Championship game. He beat Dean in 68 by a score of 78 - 55 and Rupp in 75 by a score of 92 - 85. The win over Kentucky was the last game that he ever coached. The only time during the 12 years that UCLA didn't go to the NCAA tournament was in 66 because they finished 2nd in their Conference and the only time they lost was in 74 to North Carolina State in the Semifinals in a double overtime thriller 80 - 77. I met John Wooden back in 67 after his team barely beat Purdue in West Lafayette, the team had reservations at Bruno's for after the game and ate in the private area upstairs. I was working that day and helped serve the team, the game was the first game ever played at then new Purdue Arena now known as Mackey Arena. John Wooden who played at Purdue, was offered the job at Purdue as the Assistant Head Coach to become the Head Coach after Coach Mel Taube's contract would expire. He said no because he didn't think it was proper to be the coach in waiting and that it would make Taube a lame duck coach. If the idiots at Purdue had only fired him (Taube) instead of letting him keep coaching, Wooden might have never gone to UCLA.

 

[KY Card Fan]

He only played North Carolina and Kentucky each one time in the tournament and they were in the Championship game. He beat Dean in 68 by a score of 78 - 55 and Rupp in 75 by a score of 92 - 85. The win over Kentucky was the last game that he ever coached. The only time during the 12 years that UCLA didn't go to the NCAA tournament was in 66 because they finished 2nd in their Conference and the only time they lost was in 74 to North Carolina State in the Semifinals in a double overtime thriller 80 - 77. I met John Wooden back in 67 after his team barely beat Purdue in West Lafayette, the team had reservations at Bruno's for after the game and ate in the private area upstairs. I was working that day and helped serve the team, the game was the first game ever played at then new Purdue Arena now known as Mackey Arena. John Wooden who played at Purdue, was offered the job at Purdue as the Assistant Head Coach to become the Head Coach after Coach Mel Taube's contract would expire. He said no because he didn't think it was proper to be the coach in waiting and that it would make Taube a lame duck coach. If the idiots at Purdue had only fired him (Taube) instead of letting him keep coaching, Wooden might have never gone to UCLA.

Rupp was forced into retirement at age 70 in 1972. Joe Hall coached Kentucky in 1975.

 

[MSGRET]

Rupp was forced into retirement at age 70 in 1972. Joe Hall coached Kentucky in 1975.

I forgot about that. I was never a Kentucky or Rupp fan because living in Indiana, and a Purdue fan they were considered to be evil, just not as evil as Indiana and Bobby Knight.

 

[uconnfan68]

Wrong - University of Kentucky MBB wins that award.

We like beating you in front of all those fans.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

John Wooden was one of the greatest in the college game, but he played in a different era. All of his NCAA championships was for the league champion's only, had only 25 teams, his teams always had a first round bye, and he only had to play 4 games to win the title. In 75 it was expanded to 32 teams and they only had to play 5 games. When Geno won his first championship the NCAA Tournament was already 64 teams vs 25 to 32 teams tournament that Wooden's teams played in. Plus there was no major traveling back in those days like there has been since the NCAA went to 64 teams, except for the 1975 championship UCLA played the regional at one site then on to the final four. In 75 they played the regional first round in Pullman, WA, the regional semifinal and final in Portland, OR and the Final Four was staged in San Diego. Also Wooden didn't have to go against someone like Pat Summit, Muffet McGraw, or Kim Mulkey who have won 11 of the 15 championships that were not won by UConn since 1995. You have people complaining that Geno gets the best players, he doesn't come close to the players that Wooden got, Kareem, Walton, Goodrich, Wicks, Hazzard, Marques Johnson just to name a few that played during his reign of winning 10 championships over a 12 year period. There is a reason why many awards are limited to no more than 3 to a team, because when Wooden was coaching during his championship run his starting 5 could have had a sweep of those awards.

There was a cover up of alumnus Sam Gilbert's nefarious doings with recruits and players for years and years. The dark side of the UCLA basketball dynasty

 

[MSGRET]

There was a cover up of alumnus Sam Gilbert's nefarious doings with recruits and players for years and years. The dark side of the UCLA basketball dynasty

Tark the Shark had his take on the cheating scandals and got in trouble with the NCAA. He once said this quote that PO'd the NCAA that they made stuff up and ended up having to pay Tark $2,000,000.00 and court costs. "The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky they're going to give Cleveland State another year of probation." Tark never cashed the check he had it framed and was once displayed on his office wall at the Thomas & Mack. He also had a quote on the UCLA bit and basically stated the same thing but used Cal State Fullerton instead.