The View From Section 241 -- Jim Mora

[Pudge]

Now that is 10 pounds of crap in a 3 pound bag. You are talking about the team that won the national championships in its first 3 years in the league, right? And went to the Final Four every year? That women’s team? Some of you post stuff that is incredible. What has hurt the Womens team is that a handful of other programs have decided it is worth investing in the sport so now there are actually 4 or 5 teams at the top as opposed to maybe 1-2 in years past. And in five years there will likely be 8-10. And guess what? Only 1 will be from the Big East.

As for mens recruiting, that’s another canard. Restricting our recruiting to the northeast weakens the program not strengthens it. Our great teams had guys from across the nation, and the best guys, the stars, were from LA, or Texas, or Israel or Minneapolis, or South Carolina or Detroit or Utah Or Washington State. We had New Yorkers or Boston guys too, and guys from Pennsylvania of course, but UConn under Calhoun was a truly national program. If there was a potentially great player Calhoun wanted him. Hurley only wants to recruit in driving distance of Storrs. That’s fine, but ultimately it will limit this program to Seton Hall level.

It is the same outlook that thinks Mora should fill the team with Connecticut high school kids. To be a national program you need to recruit nationally. In basketball it is internationally.

I don't know how to place a rolling eyes emoji here ... but you get one. Seton Hall level?

Lift yourself off the ground. March yourself to the Principal's office. Hurley - imho - has a great feel for how this fits together. He gets driving distance kids because WE are now a Blueblood; he would grab other's if they catch his vision ... but he is too busy filling the roster today with his targeted kids from near. CALHOUN? He went to Federal Way Washington, Phoenix AZ, Atlanta GA, Jacksonville FL and LA for Kevin Ollie because ... HE COULD NOT WIN THE LOCALS. He sold the Big East conference. He grabbed his kind of players NATIONAL because he wasn't going to beat the other Big East teams in that early era. Then he kept that mode for a decade. But eventually the DC to New England became out best.

 

[Waquoit]

Now that is 10 pounds of crap in a 3 pound bag. You are talking about the team that won the national championships in its first 3 years in the league, right? And went to the Final Four every year? That women’s team? Some of you post stuff that is incredible.

They weren't going to the Final Four in their last AAC season. The stench that was the AAC took it's toll. Geno was starting Anna Makurat and Kyla Irwin. You hear what you want to hear and disregard the rest. Repetition doesn't make you any less clueless.

 

[freescooter]

I don't know how to place a rolling eyes emoji here ... but you get one. Seton Hall level?

Lift yourself off the ground. March yourself to the Principal's office. Hurley - imho - has a great feel for how this fits together. He gets driving distance kids because WE are now a Blueblood; he would grab other's if they catch his vision ... but he is too busy filling the roster today with his targeted kids from near. CALHOUN? He went to Federal Way Washington, Phoenix AZ, Atlanta GA, Jacksonville FL and LA for Kevin Ollie because ... HE COULD NOT WIN THE LOCALS. He sold the Big East conference. He grabbed his kind of players NATIONAL because he wasn't going to beat the other Big East teams in that early era. Then he kept that mode for a decade. But eventually the DC to New England became out best.

Oh please. You obviously have no clue of what our recruiting was like. By 2000 Calhoun and UConn were obviously established and could recruit the northeast. After all he had just won the first title by a New England team since Bob Cousy’s Jr. year at Holy Cross. Yet the star of his team from 2002-2004 was from Texas. We had a Canadian. A guy from Chicago. Yes, a couple of New Yorkers but overall national. Same with 2011. A German, a guy from Nevada, a guy from Georgia. the star was a New Yorker but the team was national/ international.

Couldn’t recruit the Northeast. Honestly sometimes guys ignore the facts that don’t fit their notions.

 

[Pudge]

Oh please. You obviously have no clue of what our recruiting was like. By 2000 Calhoun and UConn were obviously established and could recruit the northeast. After all he had just won the first title by a New England team since Bob Cousy’s Jr. year at Holy Cross. Yet the star of his team from 2002-2004 was from Texas. We had a Canadian. A guy from Chicago. Yes, a couple of New Yorkers but overall national. Same with 2011. A German, a guy from Nevada, a guy from Georgia. the star was a New Yorker but the team was national/ international.

Couldn’t recruit the Northeast. Honestly sometimes guys ignore the facts that don’t fit their notions.

I think I am just older and wiser than you ... OR ... I am quoting the Great Jim Calhoun EXACTLY. From 1990-1993,

 

[FfldCntyFan]

They weren't going to the Final Four in their last AAC season. The stench that was the AAC took it's toll. Geno was starting Anna Makurat and Kyla Irwin. You hear what you want to hear and disregard the rest. Repetition doesn't make you any less clueless.

The flaw in your argument is that during the entirety of the time spent in the AAC they would have missed one final four (and that only if your projection of being eliminated before that point in a non-COVID suspended tournament came true).

For your argument to work, they would have needed to make the final four every year while on the BE. I can think of three consecutive years in the not too distant past where they missed.

 

[Waquoit]

The flaw in your argument is that during the entirety of the time spent in the AAC they would have missed one final four (and that only if your projection of being eliminated before that point in a non-COVID suspended tournament came true).

For your argument to work, they would have needed to make the final four every year while on the BE. I can think of three consecutive years in the not too distant past where they missed.

You clearly do not follow the women's team or you wouldn't have used the word if here. Silly post, the WBB team is at their lowest ranking in the polls in over a decade and you're saying the AAC had nothing to do with it.

 

[Waquoit]

Honestly sometimes guys ignore the facts that don’t fit their notions.

Projection Alert!

 

[Pudge]

You know freescooter: Jim Calhoun wrote a book called "Dare to Dream". We can cite a page and chapter. When UCONN opened 1987, we had no shot at most decent hoop recruits in the northeast. Tate George wasn't that highly rated. Chris Smith and Scott Burrell were hope and a prayer. Calhoun inherits Gamble, Cliffy, Besselink. What was his thought? I cannot win today going head to head with SU, Villanova, St John's, Georgetown. I am gonna go preach the Big East conference exposure and great play NATIONALLY. That is why he sent assistants to far flung camps, competitions, high schools. By necessity.

In a decade, he was winning Rip Hamilton. Kevin Freeman. But, he had laid the ground work to get El Amin, Caron, Jake; we were National.

 

[BlueMAB]

Hurley only wants to recruit in driving distance of Storrs.

Honestly sometimes guys ignore the facts that don’t fit their notions.

Hurley's plan is not only logically sound, but has been executed to near perfection.

I could explain it to you, but I have a feeling the facts won't change your notions.

Can you tell us who made the drive to Georgia to land our highest rated recruit since Hurley took over?

 

[mikedog10]

Hurley's plan is not only logically sound, but has been executed to near perfection.

I could explain it to you, but I have a feeling the facts won't change your notions.

Can you tell us who made the drive to Georgia to land our highest rated recruit since Hurley took over?

Lol, To be fair... the article does not specify whether Hurley flew or drove to Georgia, which is technically "driving distance" from UConn.

 

[Samoo]

Lol, To be fair... the article does not specify whether Hurley flew or drove to Georgia, which is technically "driving distance" from UConn.

The west coast is technically driving distance; it just takes 4 days.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

You clearly do not follow the women's team or you wouldn't have used the word if here. Silly post, the WBB team is at their lowest ranking in the polls in over a decade and you're saying the AAC had nothing to do with it.

Even if I were to concede the women's team not making the final four in 2020, that is only one miss in the entirety of our time in the AAC. We missed three straight years between Diana and Maya, was that the Big East's fault?

I could be wrong (as I obviously don't have your insight into the women's program) but if Azzi and Paige hadn't been hurt, would we have lost the Ga Tech? I am confident that we would still be a top five team if we had won that game (again, if this is being "ground down" everyone would sign up for it).

Were the injuries due to our having spent most of the past decade in the AAC? I'd love to know how that could be the case. Also, how many HS All Americans are on our roster? But yeah, we are at a low point.

For the record, I'm very happy being back in the BE. My point is too many are blaming the AAC for shortcomings that we really should be blaming ourselves for (and this was why I pointed out the early-mid 1980's and the "we can't compete in men's basketball in the BE" excuses).

Also for the record, if we sponsor a sport my preference is for us to be as good as possible (as long as it doesn't require cutting another sport) in it.

If you want to die on the hill "it was being I the AAC, no other reason" for the losses to Miss St, ND twice, etc., go ahead. I won't change your mind and you cannot possibly change my opinion.

 

[Waquoit]

Even if I were to concede the women's team not making the final four in 2020, that is only one miss in the entirety of our time in the AAC. We missed three straight years between Diana and Maya, was that the Big East's fault?

I could be wrong (as I obviously don't have your insight into the women's program) but if Azzi and Paige hadn't been hurt, would we have lost the Ga Tech? I am confident that we would still be a top five team if we had won that game (again, if this is being "ground down" everyone would sign up for it).

Were the injuries due to our having spent most of the past decade in the AAC? I'd love to know how that could be the case. Also, how many HS All Americans are on our roster? But yeah, we are at a low point.

For the record, I'm very happy being back in the BE. My point is too many are blaming the AAC for shortcomings that we really should be blaming ourselves for (and this was why I pointed out the early-mid 1980's and the "we can't compete in men's basketball in the BE" excuses).

Also for the record, if we sponsor a sport my preference is for us to be as good as possible (as long as it doesn't require cutting another sport) in it.

If you want to die on the hill "it was being I the AAC, no other reason" for the losses to Miss St, ND twice, etc., go ahead. I won't change your mind and you cannot possibly change my opinion.

Look at what a UConn WBB team has done with just AAC players this year. Lose.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Look at what a UConn WBB team has done with just AAC players this year. Lose.

You must be joking. This is on the AAC?

If the current state of the women's program is because of the AAC I'd like to know how the BE is getting the credit it has been getting on the men's board for what Hurley has done. Did they belong to their respective conferences at different times?

Also, I still haven't seen an answer on the stretch between Diana's last game with us and Maya's first but it would be silly if me to expect some form of rational feedback or intelligent discussion.

 

[Woof 101]

Look at what a UConn WBB team has done with just AAC players this year. Lose.

No attack but what are you on besides beer? Maybe some of the horse racing meds?
You have absolutely no clue of the women's basketball team or why they have lost a few games against top 10 teams.

I'll let you look for the facts but extend an olive branch by letting you know last years NCAA player of the year is out injured.
Oh and her backup is also out injured, both being the point guard.

Obviously you only follow the football team so think of it as your #1 and #2 QBs are out. How does that usually play out? Has nothing to do with the recruiting that has been great. They have lost 3 games all to top ranked teams, four players on the bench hobbling wounded.
You should catch a game sometime, you might enjoy it. Then be able to make a more informed comment on them.

 

[Waquoit]

No attack but what are you on besides beer? Maybe some of the horse racing meds?
You have absolutely no clue of the women's basketball team or why they have lost a few games against top 10 teams.

I'll let you look for the facts but extend an olive branch by letting you know last years NCAA player of the year is out injured.
Oh and her backup is also out injured, both being the point guard.

Obviously you only follow the football team so think of it as your #1 and #2 QBs are out. How does that usually play out? Has nothing to do with the recruiting that has been great. They have lost 3 games all to top ranked teams, four players on the bench hobbling wounded.
You should catch a game sometime, you might enjoy it. Then be able to make a more informed comment on them.

No attack but...LOL! You are an idiot with your mansplaining. I've been following the WBB team for 30 years. Using the injury excuse makes my point for me. The injured players are underclassmen recruited under the Big East banner. The upperclassmen recruited under the AAC banner are a big cut below as we are seeing now. The AAC was taking it's toll, Geno had tons of misses and had to go the international and transfer route. Some left early because they couldn't cut it once the normal recruiting started up again in the Big East. UConn shouldn't be losing to unranked teams ever, nevermind with a team full of 4 year players. But they do if those upperclassmen aren't all that good. Because even for Geno, it was becoming impossible to bring better players into that cruddy league.

 

[Waquoit]

Also, I still haven't seen an answer on the stretch between Diana's last game with us and Maya's first but it would be silly if me to expect some form of rational feedback or intelligent discussion.

I thought it was a silly point not worthy of a response. And tell me why my post above is unintelligent?

 

[Pudge]

I thought it was a silly point not worthy of a response. And tell me why my post above is unintelligent?

I will. It is NOT smart to opine on anything Women's Basketball related near to the UCONN Women's Basketball board. It is like waving raw meat in front of predatory pit bulls.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I thought it was a silly point not worthy of a response. And tell me why my post above is unintelligent?

Paige Buekers committed months before announcement of UConn back to Big East.

 

[Woof 101]

No attack but...LOL! You are an idiot with your mansplaining. I've been following the WBB team for 30 years. Using the injury excuse makes my point for me. The injured players are underclassmen recruited under the Big East banner. The upperclassmen recruited under the AAC banner are a big cut below as we are seeing now. The AAC was taking it's toll, Geno had tons of misses and had to go the international and transfer route. Some left early because they couldn't cut it once the normal recruiting started up again in the Big East. UConn shouldn't be losing to unranked teams ever, nevermind with a team full of 4 year players. But they do if those upperclassmen aren't all that good. Because even for Geno, it was becoming impossible to bring better players into that cruddy league.

Again no attack but sometimes some folks need what you call mansplaining. I will even go so far as to think you meant idiot savant.
Do you really think a recruit is coming here to play a Big East schedule? Would love to hear the presser from them on that one. It is about the coaching staff, out of conference schedule and continued tournament success.

Name the Big East team as an opponent that as a parent you or your daughter would be most excited to play for UConn.

Big East Conference

The official athletics website for Big East Conference

www.bigeast.com

Yes maybe a bump on the men's side but nothing to do with a recruiting tool on the women's.

For a time there was a ND, Rutgers and a brief Cuse challenge but nothing that would change the recruiting world.
Paige, Azzi and Caroline along with two transfers did not come here because of the conference.
Geno stated long ago anyone, anywhere, anytime and it started with Tennessee and has evolved sense. That with out of conference scheduling.
My last comment on the topic here, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I thought it was a silly point not worthy of a response. And tell me why my post above is unintelligent?

How is the point silly? Your assertion has been that membership in the AAC was damaging the women's program and the sole piece of evidence is that in 2020 they would not have made the final four (a concession I will agree to in order to move on). How is the fact that they missed three consecutive final fours in the not too distant past (when by the way there were far fewer quality programs in women's hoops) as a member of the BE silly? It is absolute evidence that they had fallen further as a member of the BE, which could easily lead one to believe that perhaps it wasn't the conference that was at fault.

As far as was led to the depths of the abyss that we fell to in 2019-2020, you mentioned recruiting in an earlier post as the contributing factor but I really can't agree. Below is a listing of who was recruited the few years leading up to the one season that we did not make the final four as a member of the AAC:

• Crystal Dangerfield; 2016 McDonald's All-American, Wooten national player of year)
• Mikayla Coombs; 2017 McDonald's All-American
• Megan Walker; 2017 McDonald's All-American, Gatorade, Naismith, MaxPreps and WBCA national player of year
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa; 2018 McDonald's All-American, ESPN #5 national recruit
• Christyn Williams; 2018 McDonald's All-American, ESPN #1 national recruit, Gatorade & Naismith national player of the year
• Aubrey Griffin; 2019 McDonald's All-American, 2019 WBCA All-American

The above does not include the transferring in of a few HS AA players who began their careers elsewhere.

I have a strong suspicion that you are reasonably close to my age (61). In my (at times it seems too many) years I've had successes and failures (fortunately the former outweighs the latter) and one constant was that when something did not succeed, even if there were some factors outside of my control, there were always things I could have done better that would have led to success. It's always easier to blame failure on others, it's always better to look into what you could have or should have done better.

Yes, I am very happy that we are back in the BE. I was far from happy in the AAC but in all candor, being in the AAC wasn't why many of our higher profile programs fell. There were failures in coaching, recruiting, administration that led to this. Our football program fell to the depths we've recently seen due to the triumvirate of Pasqualoni, Diaco and RE v2. Our men's program because KO reached the point where he had too many outside priorities. The women's program really didn't fall. A few programs rose to increase the size of the field of legitimate competition. We also lost a couple final four heartbreakers when (at least in my opinion) Geno leaned a bit too much on a handful of veterans, never allowing some players he had on the bench (including a big who could have neutralized ND's size advantage) to contribute.

Once again to clarify, my point isn't that we should be in the AAC. My point is that it can be very dangerous attempting to pass off blame on something when we should look in the mirror.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

The kids have been committing to the coach not any conference affiliation for a long time now. What hurt them in the latter AAC years was losing a committed Charli Collier late in the early recruiting cycle to Texas. Still, final fours.

 

[Waquoit]

How is the point silly? Your assertion has been that membership in the AAC was damaging the women's program and the sole piece of evidence is that in 2020 they would not have made the final four (a concession I will agree to in order to move on). How is the fact that they missed three consecutive final fours in the not too distant past (when by the way there were far fewer quality programs in women's hoops) as a member of the BE silly? It is absolute evidence that they had fallen further as a member of the BE, which could easily lead one to believe that perhaps it wasn't the conference that was at fault.

As far as was led to the depths of the abyss that we fell to in 2019-2020, you mentioned recruiting in an earlier post as the contributing factor but I really can't agree. Below is a listing of who was recruited the few years leading up to the one season that we did not make the final four as a member of the AAC:

• Crystal Dangerfield; 2016 McDonald's All-American, Wooten national player of year)
• Mikayla Coombs; 2017 McDonald's All-American
• Megan Walker; 2017 McDonald's All-American, Gatorade, Naismith, MaxPreps and WBCA national player of year
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa; 2018 McDonald's All-American, ESPN #5 national recruit
• Christyn Williams; 2018 McDonald's All-American, ESPN #1 national recruit, Gatorade & Naismith national player of the year
• Aubrey Griffin; 2019 McDonald's All-American, 2019 WBCA All-American

The above does not include the transferring in of a few HS AA players who began their careers elsewhere.

I have a strong suspicion that you are reasonably close to my age (61). In my (at times it seems too many) years I've had successes and failures (fortunately the former outweighs the latter) and one constant was that when something did not succeed, even if there were some factors outside of my control, there were always things I could have done better that would have led to success. It's always easier to blame failure on others, it's always better to look into what you could have or should have done better.

Yes, I am very happy that we are back in the BE. I was far from happy in the AAC but in all candor, being in the AAC wasn't why many of our higher profile programs fell. There were failures in coaching, recruiting, administration that led to this. Our football program fell to the depths we've recently seen due to the triumvirate of Pasqualoni, Diaco and RE v2. Our men's program because KO reached the point where he had too many outside priorities. The women's program really didn't fall. A few programs rose to increase the size of the field of legitimate competition. We also lost a couple final four heartbreakers when (at least in my opinion) Geno leaned a bit too much on a handful of veterans, never allowing some players he had on the bench (including a big who could have neutralized ND's size advantage) to contribute.

Once again to clarify, my point isn't that we should be in the AAC. My point is that it can be very dangerous attempting to pass off blame on something when we should look in the mirror.

tl:dr
That pre-covid women's team was was the worst at UConn since Kerry Bascom played.

 

[Purple Stein]

We can be as good as Liberty, Coastal Carolina etc. The major difference between Mora and RE1, PP, Diaco, and RE2 is there is a plan! A plan and a vision!

RE 2.0 had a plan. His plan was to coast. And, honestly, it worked out pretty well for him.

Unfortunately, it was antithetical to functional -- let alone successful -- football.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

tl:dr
That pre-covid women's team was was the worst at UConn since Kerry Bascom played.

That's your response? And you wonder why I claim that you refuse to argue rationally or intelligently.

The two seasons immediately following Bascom each had ten losses yet somehow those were better teams than 2019-2020.

Got it.